Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Predator (2)

'Shim Chun-hoo is missing?'

Shim Chun-hoo, the vice guildmaster of Javelin, was not the type to engage much in outside activities.

So the fact that he was missing meant there was a high possibility he was involved in some internal matters.

'I do have a hunch...'

It occurred to me that Shim Chun-hoo might be connected to the recent Jeju Island incident.

Although it wasn't certain, considering that they had used Ivan Hunt, a criminal rather than a demon, there was a good chance this incident was directly planned by Shim Chun-hoo.

'According to Shin Ah-yeon, he was carrying a demon artifact.'

On the plane back from Jeju Island, Shin Ah-yeon, perhaps feeling awkward, babbled on about various things.

Among those was a fight with Ivan, though she didn't explain exactly how it played out, but at least there had been no involvement from demons.

'In other words, this plan was likely Shim Chun-hoo's own doing... and since it failed miserably, there's a good chance he's being held responsible.'

It was all just speculation, but I privately believed the odds were high.

Otherwise, there was no reason for Shim Chun-hoo to go missing.

"If you have any clue or insight about the disappearance, please let me know. Even though he's that kind of guy, he's still my brother..."

Shim Hyuk-su looked as if he was burning inside.

But I couldn't bring myself to explain what I knew.

Who would believe me if I said the one behind the Jeju Island gate incident was Shim Chun-hoo, and that there were mysterious beings called demons backing him?

If demons had openly roamed around, maybe, but in reality, people didn't even know demons existed, so it wasn't something I could talk about.

"Yes. If I learn anything, I'll let you know right away."

"Haah, thank you."

Since even I couldn't offer a proper answer, Shim Hyuk-su nodded with a helpless expression.

For all his bad reputation, Shim Chun-hoo was still family to him.

"Let's head in for now. We have other things to discuss as well."

Following his words, I went after him as we opened the conference room door.

Inside, as before, two hunters were sitting in their seats with quite an arrogant attitude.

"Superintendent Shim Hyuk-su, didn't we say we're busy? What are you going to do coming in so late?"

"Sorry. I had some matters to take care of..."

"Whatever. We have to be in Incheon by 3 o'clock, so please proceed quickly."

One of the two hunters shot at Shim Hyuk-su sharply.

Despite their arrogance, lieutenant Shim Hyuk-su's expression didn't change at all.

He himself was clearly an A-rank awakener.

He was probably superior to the two sitting here.

Yet the fact that he put up with their insolence so calmly meant he was used to these kinds of situations.

"Hunter Lee Hyun-seong, aren't you being too much? Superintendent Shim surely had things to handle as well!"

Unable to bear it, Soo-ah shot back, and Lee Hyun-seong, who had just been so sharp, screwed up his face.

"I have my own schedule, so isn't that obvious?"

"Wasn't it you, hunter Lee Hyun-seong, who postponed the meeting to today in the first place? You should have considered all this when making your schedule."

"Good grief, do you even know whose fault it was that the meeting was postponed?"

When Soo-ah continued, Lee Hyun-seong responded with blatant arrogance.

He began smirking, as if he had just been waiting for this.

"If the meeting had happened on the original date, none of this would have happened. Whose fault is it anyway, and now you're being shameless..."

"That's right. I also pushed myself to make it here today."

Taking Lee Hyun-seong's side, the hunter next to him chimed in.

If I remembered correctly, his name was Choi Seung-chul. He was a hunter of the mage type, and although not on Lee Hyun-seong the swordsman's level, seemed to bear ill feelings toward Soo-ah.

The reason was obvious.

A C-rank hunter they'd looked down on had suddenly become an S-rank hunter; it was pure jealousy.

Just like what I said to Soo-ah outside, it was pathetic, ugly envy.

"Um, hunter Lee Hyun-seong, let's stop here. This isn't good."

Incidentally, the two hunters weren't the only ones in the conference room.

Their managers were inside as well, though their presence was minimal.

Of course, since I was there too, it was natural that the other hunters' managers would also be present.

The funny thing was, unlike the overbearing hunters, the managers kept constantly trying to read Soo-ah's mood.

Watching that dissonance, I couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

"... Are you laughing?"

Perhaps noticing my chuckle, Lee Hyun-seong turned his glare from Soo-ah to me.

He was mocking Soo-ah, and now that I interrupted, he was clearly annoyed.

"Ah, sorry. Excuse me. It just struck me as funny."

"Funny? Hey, manager Park, just because your name is getting out there these days, do we look easy to you?"

His remark, completely lacking in formality, was absurd, but I just let it slide with a smile.

Among those who had done nothing but work as hunters, this kind of thing was pretty common.

They ignored non-awakeners, and since they had never really done any socializing, they were ignorant of basic manners and respect.

The way to deal with such ignorance was simple.

Overwhelm them with strength.

I was not kind enough to respect those who showed no respect for others.

"Hunter Lee Hyun-seong, you seem to be underestimating S-rank hunters."

"..."

"Do you still think she's beneath you, just because she used to be C-rank not long ago?"

Lee Hyun-seong couldn't retort and just clenched his teeth.

Choi Seung-chul beside him was the same.

"If Hunter Lee Soo-ah just says the word, you could be expelled from the association, hunter Lee Hyun-seong. If you think the only thing an S-rank hunter has is force, you're mistaken. Of course, that power comes with responsibility. In an emergency, they can get called up, like Hunter Shin Ah-yeon was recently."

But the authority you gain is overwhelming.

Even members of the National Assembly try to curry favor with S-rank hunters, which says it all.

"In particular, hunter Lee Soo-ah is now arguably the most prominent S-rank hunter in Korea. If she just so much as mentions you on a broadcast somewhere, you'll lose work even if she doesn't go so far as to call for your expulsion herself. Did you know that?"

"I do, but..."

"If you know, why are you acting like this? You're gutsy, I'll give you that."

"..."

Lee Hyun-seong now couldn't say a word to my blunt remark.

He must have realized, especially since Superintendent Shim Hyuk-su right beside us was just watching and not intervening.

To be blunt, S-rank hunters were above even the law enforcement agencies.

In other words, if it concerned Soo-ah, even Superintendent Shim Hyuk-su would have a hard time stepping in.

"Soo-ah-ssi, you too."

"Yes?"

"This time I helped you, but in future you can't just stand by and watch this kind of thing."

"Okay... I got it."

"You need to learn more about what it means to be an S-rank hunter. It'd be good to talk to Hunter Shin Ah-yeon about it later."

At my words, suggesting she should've handled that minor issue better, Soo-ah nodded apologetically, but Lee Hyun-seong and Choi Seung-chul turned red with embarrassment and trembled.

"Superintendent Shim Hyuk-su, I apologize for making you stand for so long. I thought it was necessary to address this."

"No worries at all. When it comes to the hunter side, you managers know more than me. Is it all settled, then?"

"Yes, unless Hunter Lee Hyun-seong has more to say..."

As I said that and looked at Lee Hyun-seong, he instinctively looked down.

Serves him right for acting up.

"Ahem, then, as you've officially been appointed as publicity ambassadors for the Awakener Crime Prevention, let me explain your exact roles."

Apparently pleased with the chastened Lee Hyun-seong and Choi Seung-chul, lieutenant Shim Hyuk-su's lips twitched a little. Maybe he would've liked them to act out even more.

"I've already covered most of the basics... and you know you'll have to shoot some public service ads for TV, right? Each station picked a hunter, so you'll need to do them separately. The broadcaster will contact you about that, so please keep it in mind."

This was directed at other managers, including myself.

There really seemed to be an uptick in awakener crime these days.

If each broadcaster was making its own PSA, the government must be treating it as a major national issue.

"Now, about support for investigations... Honestly, I was thinking of minimizing requests for your assistance."

He said this as he placed the papers he'd been holding on the central table.

"But for now, I think we'll need some help from you."

On top of the stack Superintendent Shim Hyuk-su set down on the table, just three syllables were written.

「Predator」

At the ominous-sounding name, everyone's expressions hardened.

Even Lee Hyun-seong and Choi Seung-chul, who had looked annoyed, now looked grim.

"This will probably hit the news this evening. Other crime scene investigators and hunter police are already investigating."

The papers summarized what was known so far.

"'Predator' is just an identifier. The CCTV footage barely caught him, and as you can see in the documents, we think he's responsible for three cases so far—all within the past week."

Superintendent Shim Hyuk-su opened the file so we could see photographs of the victims' bodies.

The victims included both civilians and hunters; among them was a B-rank hunter.

'So this is someone who killed a B-rank hunter one-sidedly.'

The first incident had been five civilians killed in Sillim, something I remembered from the news.

They'd supposedly been attacked by a mysterious assailant.

"You want us to... catch this guy?"

Choi Seung-chul muttered in a trembling voice, staring at the documents.

"This is... We're talking about a presumed A-rank over awakener here, right?"

Not all A-rank awakeners were equal.

The two hunters in front of us were just barely A-rank.

Roughly on par with Ju Ji-sang.

Or maybe even below, since Ju Ji-sang, despite being trounced by Soo-ah, was the sword king's student.

'Estimated grade: A-rank over, huh.'

Simply put, that meant someone about as strong as Ji Yeon-hwa before she was eroded by the core.

In other words, a monster on the verge of S-rank.

***

"......"

Shin Ah-yeon stared blankly at the ceiling.

She had been like this ever since returning from Jeju Island.

'I should be running raids.'

Just two more weeks of raids and she could get another piece of equipment, but for some reason she couldn't muster the motivation.

Why was she like this?

In fact, she already knew the reason.

'What should I do...'

Since yelling "You crazy bitch!!" at Jung-woo in Jeju Island, she had no idea how to explain herself.

'Coming back was hell too.'

She'd managed to make do with stories about Ivan at the time.

But she knew that next time they met, Jung-woo was sure to ask why she cursed at him.

'I mean, maybe he's forgotten by now. But...'

It wasn't just that she cursed at him; she didn't know how to face him at all.

Most likely, no, definitely, she had feelings for Jung-woo.

The reason she could only surmise was that she'd never felt like this before.

'No matter how much I rack my brain, my love cells just won't give me an answer.'

She'd searched the internet thoroughly, but even Naver Q&A couldn't give her a proper answer.

Honestly, wasn't it a bit ridiculous for someone her age to have such clumsy worries?

'If only I knew someone who was knowledgeable about this stuff.'

Wasn't there anyone around, a romance pro?

Definitely not Soo-ah... and from what she knew, both Sung-hwan and Director Song were born singles.

"... Ah."

Suddenly, a person popped into Shin Ah-yeon's mind.

An older woman with, presumably, more dating experience than herself.

It was a bit of a blow to her pride to ask, but she couldn't stay stuck like this forever.

Besides, that person was no risk of spreading rumors.

After all, she was holding that person's leash.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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