LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 125
Chapter 125
The next day.
As promised, Suho arrived punctually at the Korean Hunter Association’s main gate.
“It’s Ahn Suho!”
“It’s the Sword God!”
“Camera! Get the camera!”
Many cameras could be seen.
It was only natural.
Everyone knew that today marked Suho’s first day reporting to work as a full-fledged employee, rather than as a probationary worker.
“Ahn Suho! Look over here, please!”
“Sword God! Please look at the camera!”
“Hunter Ahn!”
“Ahn Suho!!”
Reporters, YouTubers, and Suho’s fans each called out to him in their own way.
Suho walked towards the main gate at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow. At one point, he looked in one direction and made a V-sign with his fingers.
That direction was where Jo Jin-hwi’s camera was positioned.
‘Good service.’
The day before, Jo Jin-hwi had shared a drink with Suho’s housemates at Suho’s safe house.
And he had succeeded in securing the promise of a “service shot” like this one.
‘I have to upload this to the Ahn Shrine as soon as possible.’
Jo Jin-hwi, satisfied with the shots he’d taken in rapid succession, departed.
There was no need for an interview.
Once Suho received his official ID later, he would send additional photos then.
Suho acted exactly as promised, walking past the reporters and entering the main gate.
“Ah, so busy right from the morning, I see.”
Someone greeted Suho at the entrance.
It was Jung Chulmin.
As usual, Jung Chulmin had arrived early and, seeing the crowd of reporters at the entrance, waited for Suho from inside.
Suho spotted Jung Chulmin and greeted him with a smile.
“Hello, you’re here early?”
“I always come early. But what’s with the on-time arrival? You’re usually early.”
“I had a bit too much to drink yesterday, so I came out a bit more leisurely.”
“Too much to drink? No, forget the drinking, but do you even get hangovers?”
“Of course. I’m still human, after all.”
“Hmmm…?”
There was no way.
Suho was no ordinary awakened being—he had long since reached a level beyond human.
And if he used Recovery, even a hangover would vanish entirely.
So hangovers were something that neither the present nor future Suho could ever experience.
That was why Jung Chulmin tilted his head in confusion and said,
“In any case, congratulations on officially starting today. Here’s a gift.”
“This is…”
What Jung Chulmin held out to him was none other than an official ID badge marking his new affiliation.
Suho smiled as he took the ID badge.
“Finally, I have it.”
“Do you like it?”
“Of course. Let’s get going.”
“Alright, let’s go. There are a lot of people to introduce you to.”
“Oh, before that…”
Click!
Suho took a photo of his new ID badge, making sure the text identifying his affiliation with the Gate Department was clearly visible.
Watching this, Jung Chulmin asked,
“Who are you showing that to?”
“Just a keepsake photo.”
“Always so bland.”
The two headed to the Gate Department.
First, they met the head of the Gate Department.
Upon Suho’s entrance, Director Go Seongrok, sitting in his office, greeted Suho with his signature bright expression.
“Nice to see you, Ahn Hunter. No, I should call you Assistant Team Leader Ahn now, right?”
As ever, Go Seongrok looked so vibrant that it was almost annoying.
That was because he no longer ventured into dangerous situations and simply handled paperwork in his office.
Suho also responded with a polite smile.
“Yes, that’s how it is now. I look forward to working with you, Director.”
“Right, right. I look forward to working with you too while you’re in the Gate Department. Now, go ahead and do your tasks.”
The two then moved on to greet the head of the Gate Management Division, Ma Duwon.
Ma Duwon, like Go Seongrok, was quite vibrant in his demeanor.
“Haha, who would’ve thought the famous star would join our division? You never know what life holds, huh?”
Ma Duwon said with a grin.
Jung Chulmin narrowed his brow slightly in response, though he maintained his smile.
He knew all too well.
Given the circumstances, Ma Duwon had certainly known the story yet chose to speak so thoughtlessly.
However, Suho simply smiled as if unbothered.
“I suppose so. Anyway, I look forward to working with you.”
“Haha, sure, sure. And while you’re in our department, Team Leader Jung will look after you well… By the way, Assistant Team Leader Ahn, have you handed out probationary rice cakes yet?”
Probationary rice cakes were a token that soon-to-be full-time civil servants gave as a gesture of appreciation for the support received during the probation period.
The term made Suho laugh to himself.
‘Right. The Korean Hunter Association has probationary rice cake culture, just like other government agencies.’
Modern probationary rice cakes were, in truth, an outdated custom.
It wasn’t an expression of genuine gratitude but a hollow ritual.
Perhaps that was why?
Suho suddenly remembered something from the past.
‘Back then, I even got criticized over those probationary rice cakes.’
The reason Suho had been scolded over probationary rice cakes wasn’t that he failed to hand them out because he didn’t know about the custom.
In fact, he had handed them out but still received criticism.
Why?
Because when he gave out probationary rice cakes, he distributed actual rice cakes.
‘It was absurd.’
Thinking it was only natural, he’d bought baekseolgi rice cakes from a nearby rice cake shop.
However, he was reprimanded for distributing rice cakes without asking anyone first.
‘They said, “Who hands out rice cakes nowadays? Cookies or fruit cups, maybe.”’
In the end, more than half of the rice cakes he had handed out went uneaten, so Suho ended up buying cookies from a popular cafe to redistribute.
Back then, he thought he’d be in serious trouble if he didn’t comply.
Just as Jung Chulmin was about to answer Ma Duwon’s question on Suho’s behalf, Suho spoke up first.
“I haven’t handed them out yet. But is it absolutely necessary?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“I just wanted to ask. I heard there are many places that don’t do it these days. But if it’s needed, I’ll distribute them. By the way, can I hand out actual rice cakes?”
“Hey, hey, why would you say that?”
Jung Chulmin quickly nudged him, clearly alarmed.
He looked genuinely startled, his eyes widening.
Ma Duwon seemed just as taken aback, letting out a hollow chuckle.
“Haha… Looks like Team Leader Jung has a lot to teach, huh?”
“Apologies. Assistant Team Leader Ahn is still young, so I’ll make sure to guide him properly.”
“Right… Team Leader Jung, please brief him in advance. Assistant Team Leader Ahn, we’ll see you around. Congratulations on your appointment.”
“Yes, thank you, Chief.”
After exchanging greetings, Suho left the chief’s office, almost as if being pulled out by Jung Chulmin.
As soon as they exited, Jung Chulmin lowered his voice and said,
“Ah, Suho… Why couldn’t you just stay quiet?”
“I did it on purpose.”
“What?”
“I thought Team Leader Jung would explain it to me, but I didn’t want to burden you, so I made sure to ask someone higher up.”
“…Huh?”
At Suho’s words, Jung Chulmin let out a hollow laugh.
Then he raised one corner of his mouth and said,
“You’re a real piece of work, Suho. But, you know, I might not feel burdened at all?”
“Oh, but Team Leader Jung is a kind person, so I thought you would. And… I’m also thinking of using this opportunity to get rid of the probationary rice cake custom.”
“What do you mean? Get rid of the rice cake custom?”
“It’s one of my specialties, isn’t it?”
“Suho, don’t tell me…”
“Haha.”
Suho merely laughed without giving any detailed answer.
Seeing this, the quick-witted Jung Chulmin clicked his tongue.
“Honestly, you make life… no, work look so easy.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if things were easier? Anyway, you’re not against it, are you?”
“No, I’m not. Truthfully, I don’t like it either, the rice cake culture. Who’s really benefiting from it, anyway?”
As expected.
Suho had anticipated that response from Jung Chulmin.
And he was genuinely pleased.
Their bond was still shallow compared to their past life, but Jung Chulmin remained as steadfast as ever.
Jung Chulmin smiled and said,
“Well, let’s head over to our seats now.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Jung Chulmin led Suho to his team in a corner of the management division.
Special Management Team 2.
That was the official name of the team under Team Leader Jung Chulmin.
‘Starting with the Special Management Team, huh?’
The management division consisted of three teams.
The Trade Team, responsible for trading gates with the private sector.
The General Management Team, which handled public gates and gates deemed safe.
And lastly, the Special Management Team, responsible for all gates showing signs of potential danger.
Jung Chulmin was the team leader of Team 2 within the Special Management Team.
Looking at the empty seats of his team members, Jung Chulmin commented,
“Ah, now that I think about it, everyone’s out of town on business today.”
It was a common occurrence.
The Special Management Team consisted of just two teams, so its members were rarely at their desks.
At that moment,
“Hey, Team Leader Jung. Is that him?”
A voice from behind drew their attention. A man was acknowledging Jung Chulmin.
It was Oh Bong-ju, Team Leader of Special Management Team 1.
Jung Chulmin greeted him.
“Oh, yes. This is Assistant Team Leader Ahn Suho, newly assigned to our team. Suho, say hello. This is Team Leader Oh Bong-ju of Special Management Team 1.”
“Ahn Suho, pleased to meet you.”
“Haha, nice to meet you.”
Smiling, he sipped his coffee.
And Suho knew exactly who this man was.
‘Right. At this time, Oh Bong-ju was Team Leader of Team 1.’
Oh Bong-ju.
Though he was also a team leader, he naturally spoke informally to Jung Chulmin. He was, surprisingly, a senior from Jung Chulmin’s high school.
And he was certainly not a good senior.
Favoring strict hierarchical relationships, Oh Bong-ju emphasized seniority heavily and frequently pushed his unwanted tasks onto Jung Chulmin because he’d been in the association longer.
‘Because of him, Hyung had a tough time.’
Of course, Suho had only heard about this later and hadn’t personally experienced it.
No, while he had worked in the same department briefly, by the time Suho joined the Gate Department, Oh Bong-ju had already been promoted to division head, so they hadn’t interacted much.
Therefore, Suho felt no particular personal grudge.
At that moment, Oh Bong-ju took a sip of coffee and asked,
“Oh, by the way, Suho.”
“Yes?”
“This is your first department, so you haven’t handed out probationary rice cakes yet, have you?”
Ah.
That cursed probationary rice cake.
Suho replied,
“No, not yet.”
“You know, you should distribute it to the whole department. It’s best to hand out cookies rather than rice cakes. We’re not really into rice cakes. The cookies from Queen’s Bakery around the corner are tasty these days. That’s a tip, just for you. Other departments won’t tell you that. Only our department would give you this kind of advice.”
With a wink and a grin, Oh Bong-ju finished his advice.
Haha.
Alright.
I guess it’s better than saying nothing and giving me a hard time like you mentioned, but to me, in my second round as a civil servant, this isn’t exactly a useful tip.
At that moment, Jung Chulmin, clearly uneasy, quickly stepped in between them and said,
“Haha, I already told him about that. More importantly, I need to start explaining the work to him, so we’ll be heading off now.”
“Oh, right. By the way, Team Leader Jung, don’t forget what I asked you about before. The deadline is approaching.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll handle that soon and get back to you. Suho, let’s head to the conference room for a briefing.”
“…Understood.”
Suho shook his head slightly as he followed after Jung Chulmin.