“Well, well, I had a strange feeling that I wanted to co to the Bureau today. I guess it was to et you,” Song Joheon said, laughing loudly after shaking Uijae’s hand. Uijae, though not visibly showing it, smiled in return. Song glanced at the hallway leading to the director’s office behind Uijae.
“Were you here to et Director Ham? It looks like you’re coming out after the eting?”
“Yes. I just saw him,” Uijae replied.
“You should have co to see too! You have no idea how shocked I was to hear you were back!”
“Were you only shocked?” Uijae couldn’t help but throw in a sarcastic comnt. Song Joheon, however, shrugged his shoulders and replied easily.
“Of course, I was also happy! I’m not sure if you know, but… most of the first-generation Awakeners have either quit being Hunters or gone into seclusion. There aren’t many left to reminisce about the old days with.”
“…”
A grin spread across Song Joheon’s face, his sharp, tiger-like features softening with the smile.
“It’s truly a joy to et an old comrade again. Welco back.”
Song Joheon... What kind of person was he?
Most of the first-generation Awakeners, who awakened shortly after the Day of the Rift, were people with naturally superior physical abilities. Many of them had jobs related to physical labor, such as soldiers, police officers, or athletes before their awakening. Uijae, who had been an ordinary student before awakening, was considered an unusual case.
Song Joheon had been a soldier, and a high-ranking one at that. When the Bureau of Awakeners was established, there was a rivalry between him and Ham Seokjeong, who had a police background, for the position of director. Eventually, Song Joheon stepped down voluntarily. People gossiped that Song Joheon should have been the director, but those whispers faded quickly, as it beca clear Ham Seokjeong’s abilities were superior.
As for what Song Joheon ant to J...
‘To be honest, I don’t feel much about him.’
During a ti when S-ranks were rare, and even A-ranks were uncommon, there was a constant shortage of personnel in the Bureau, and it was common for the Awakeners to be overworked. Those who worked together ford tight bonds out of necessity, often crossing the line between life and death. However, Uijae had very few experiences working directly with Song Joheon—most of the ti, he had only received instructions from him.
‘...So why do I feel so uneasy?’
Uijae couldn’t quite place the discomfort he felt. Song Joheon, rubbing his chin, stared intently at him.
“I wouldn’t recognize your face because of the mask, but… looking at you now, it seems like you haven’t changed much. Well, except for your hair color.”
“Is that so?”
“Haha, yes. anwhile, my hair’s gone all white. Oh, speaking of which… have you heard about the Council?”
“The Council?”
“Yes, it’s a place where rankers gather to discuss all sorts of issues. Ever since the Day of Change, the world’s been in chaos. I imagine you’d have a lot to contribute if you ca…”
“J, there you are!”
Just then, a head of brown hair popped up from behind Song Joheon. It was Jung Bin, his hair slightly disheveled as if he had hurried there. Jung Bin smiled softly and bowed to both Uijae and Song Joheon.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were here as well, Song Joheon. I hope I’m not interrupting anything…”
“Oh, it’s Jung Bin! Not too busy these days, I hope?”
“Haha, thanks to my guild leader’s hard work, I’ve managed to get so rest.”
“Haha! So, what brings you here?”
“I urgently need to ask J for a favor. But if I’m interrupting, I can wait.”
Standing behind Song Joheon, Jung Bin winked discreetly. Uijae, feeling as though a lifeline had been thrown to him, quickly stepped in before Song Joheon could respond.
“Oh, we were just wrapping up. We were catching up on recent events, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Well, anyway. I heard you’ve been working with the Wave Guild recently. Have you finally decided to join a guild?”
“No, not really. I’ve just been working with them temporarily.”
“Haha, I see. Well, I hope you’ll consider joining our Samra Guild soday. It’s a large, well-organized guild, much better suited for soone like you.”
Song Joheon pulled out a business card and handed it over. *Song Joheon, Guild Master of the Samra Guild.*
“Please do visit Samra Guild soti. You’d be welcod anyti.”
“Thank you.”
“And as for the Wave Guild... be careful not to get too close to Lee Sayoung.”
Hearing Lee Sayoung’s na, Uijae raised his head. Song Joheon, who had been smiling kindly all this ti, now looked concerned as he rubbed his chin and sighed.
“That kid... he’s still young and has no manners. You can never tell what he’s thinking. Don’t get too entangled with him, and be careful.”
“Ah, I see...”
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Enjoy your conversation. And Jung Bin, keep up the good work.”
“Thank you. Have a good day.”
After patting Jung Bin’s shoulder, Song Joheon descended the stairs. Jung Bin listened carefully until the sound of footsteps and Song Joheon’s presence completely disappeared. Only then did he let out a small sigh and smile.
“He’s gone.”
Uijae cautiously asked, “So... what’s this favor you ntioned?”
“Oh, that? It was just an excuse.”
“What?”
“The director asked to pull you aside.”
Jung Bin straightened his disheveled clothes and smiled sheepishly.
“I didn’t expect to find you in a situation like that. I hope I wasn’t intruding...”
“No, not at all. In fact, you arrived at just the right ti. I was running out of things to say.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“By the way...”
Uijae hesitated, glancing at Jung Bin.
“The director asked to get the house keys from you.”
“Ah, yes. The director entrusted them to . Here, take them.”
Jung Bin pulled two keys from his suit pocket and handed them to Uijae. They were familiar items, yet they felt foreign in his hand. One key had a small rabbit keychain attached to it, while Uijae’s key had an old, faded plastic hero figure dangling from it.
“...Why didn’t the director just give them to directly? Why did he leave them with you?”
“I’m not sure... He didn’t explain when he gave them to .”
What could Ham Seokjeong have been thinking when he held onto the keys? If he hadn’t handed them over, they might have ended up forgotten in a drawer.
As Uijae absentmindedly fiddled with the keychain, he felt a strong energy coming from downstairs. He frowned. The energy was familiar—he could tell who it belonged to.
Jung Bin also seed to sense it, as his smile beca slightly awkward. Uijae whispered quietly.
“...Was he supposed to visit today?”
“Hmm, not that I recall. It seems like he showed up unannounced.”
The presence was rapidly approaching. Monts later, a figure erged from behind Jung Bin, and Uijae felt a sense of déjà vu. A soft hissing sound escaped the figure’s mask.
“You two look like you’re having fun...”
It was Lee Sayoung, wearing a gas mask. Jung Bin politely stepped aside, bowing to both Sayoung and Uijae.
“Well, my business here is done, so I’ll take my leave, J.”
“What?”
“Haha... I got called up during a eting. My apologies. I’ll see you both later.”
Sayoung didn’t bother replying, only nodding slightly. Damn it, Song Joheon’s judgnt of people seed pretty spot-on. According to Ham Seokjeong, Jung Bin and Baewonwoo had been keeping an eye on Sayoung for a while, and yet, here he was, as rude as ever.
Sayoung gripped the railing and stared up at Uijae.
“Why didn’t you tell you were coming here?”
Since the day they had co face-to-face with the bear’s head, Uijae had consciously avoided Sayoung. Every ti he saw Sayoung’s face, his heart pounded uncontrollably. Sharing the sa house?
‘Absolutely not.’
But finding a place to stay had been difficult, and Uijae had ended up staying at a video room in a fish market, thanks to the mackerel’s help. Although he expected Sayoung to co after him imdiately, for so reason, Sayoung hadn’t followed. Instead, he had sent a ssage through the mackerel.
*One week.*
A countdown? Creepy, but Uijae brushed it off. Now, as he stared at the gas mask, a sudden realization struck him.
Today marked exactly one week since he had escaped from Sayoung’s house!
‘That guy really keeps his word...’
Swallowing nervously, Uijae clasped his hands behind his back, causing the keys to jingle.
“There was no need to tell you I was coming to see the director.”
“What’s that in your hand?”
“House keys.”
“...House?”
Sayoung’s voice dropped an octave. The hissing sound of his
breathing through the mask seed to grow harsher. Uijae quickly added more information.
“Not a new house. It’s the house I used to live in. The director’s been taking care of it.”
“Who even uses keys these days? Don’t most places use passcodes?”
“There was soone back in the day who had the ability to create locks. These are the keys they made.”
“Oh? They’re still alive, I see. The person who made them.”
“What?”
Uijae couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Did that really co out of Sayoung’s mouth?
Unfortunately, the cold, humorless voice that followed only confird his suspicion.
“If they died, the ability would be undone, wouldn’t it? The locks would just be regular ones, and any locksmith could open them.”
“You’re insane.”
The words slipped out. Was this guy threatening him? Sayoung narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.
“So, who said you could leave the house?”
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