“Now, I will begin the report.”

Minggijak started speaking without hesitation.

“First, the research team revisited all the data from the Rift Meter used to measure the coastline where the West Sea Rift occurred. Most of the figures showed uniformity with no significant changes. There was no observed spike in the meter's graph when the Rift opened.”

“…….”

“However, about six months ago, there was a day when the measurements were unusually low.”

“Low?”

As he flipped to the next screen, a graph recording the data over time appeared. Among the uniformly long bars, there was one that dipped significantly.

“Yes. As you know, higher values indicate a greater probability of a Rift forming in that location. But this low value is unprecedented… I consulted with the developer of the meter, but I couldn’t get a useful answer.”

“So it’s the first time this has happened.”

“Yes, indeed.”

The next screen displayed a certification photo of J, wearing a black mask. It was the only remaining official image, unlike the low-quality footage from video media. Sayoung, with his black fingertips brushing the mask, quickly scrolled through the report.

The West Sea Rift had not reopened. There had been no progress in the research team’s attempts to reopen the closed Rift. No Awakened being resembling J had been discovered.

Summarizing the lengthy statements, it all boiled down to negatives. Just as Sayoung’s hand moved more forcefully across the screen,

It was confirmed that the J Tracking Team had been formed by the Awakened Management Bureau.

Sayoung muttered.

“There are rumors that Gyugyu is in charge of the tracking team.”

“Oh, yes. That’s correct.”

Minggijak nodded briefly.

“I heard from Director Ham Seokjeong that he made a request to Gyugyu. I confirmed that he secretly entered Korea about a week after the ranking update.”

Korea's fifth-ranked Hunter, Gyugyu. His real name was Ban Gyumin. Despite being an S-rank Awakened, he claimed to be a freelance Hunter traveling the world, without being tied to any organization. Naturally, the government had tried every trick to keep an S-rank Awakened in the country, but Ban Gyumin had always managed to slip away like an eel.

He only returned to Korea for two reasons: either the client or target was in Korea, or it was during the Seollal holiday. Ban Gyumin returned every Seollal just to eat tteokguk, as if to certify his Korean nationality.

Minggijak continued quickly.

“Gyugyu has not left Korea since he submitted the Hunter qualification exam questions and is still here.”

As Sayoung tapped the tablet screen, he asked,

“The top scorer in the Hunter qualification exam?”

“Well, you know…”

Minggijak hesitated. When he flipped to the next screen, two certification photos appeared side by side.

The Hunter qualification exam was notoriously difficult, not only passing but achieving a perfect score was a rarity. However, typically around five perfect scores would emerge in each session. This time, though, there were only two: D-rank Awakened Cha Uijae and C-rank Awakened Ryu Hanbaek.

Sayoung tilted his head, staring at Uijae’s face in the photo, which looked particularly stubborn.

“What’s Uijae’s record?”

“I filled in the eight-year gap with the details you instructed. If they conduct any background checks, they won’t find anything unusual. There’s also a decent excuse: ‘I heard various things from regulars at the hangover soup restaurant…’”

“…….”

This Hunter qualification exam was primarily filled with questions that only current Hunters who frequently ventured into dungeons and rifts could answer. Most candidates who only memorized the Special Law were eliminated, yet Uijae passed without difficulty….

Sayoung lowered his voice and instructed,

“Keep spreading false information. Make sure the Awakened Management Bureau doesn’t notice.”

“Of course.”

Minggijak fell silent for a moment, then with his hands behind his back, he cautiously called Sayoung.

“Guild Leader, may I ask you one thing?”

“Sure.”

“…Am I right in what I’m thinking?”

“…….”

Sayoung’s commands usually had clear purposes, whether to subdue someone or for the benefit of the Wave Guild. Therefore, until now, Minggijak had been able to execute orders without question.

However, since the appearance of J in the rankings, there had been many instructions that were not immediately understandable in their intent.

The first task he received after the ranking update was to track down J's whereabouts. Up to that point, it hadn’t raised any suspicions. Finding J, the hero of the country, was a reasonable request. Minggijak carried out his assigned tasks without complaint.

But shortly after, he received a rather odd directive: to help conceal the rank of a certain individual. Following that, instructions to monitor the target and report everything, protect the target, and various other odd tasks continued to pour in.

Sayoung wasn’t someone who would issue orders without reason. Minggijak, who was quite perceptive, had connected the dots and found an answer to his questions.

Though the subject was omitted, neither of them could be unaware of what Minggijak's inquiry was hinting at. The purple gaze locked onto Minggijak. He swallowed hard and awaited a response. After a long silence, Sayoung spoke.

“It’s still lacking.”

“What do you mean?”

Sayoung turned off the tablet screen. The pitch-black display reflected his gas mask.

“Concrete evidence, certainty.”

“…….”

Sayoung stared blankly at the empty wall before suddenly speaking.

“There are two black tickets left. I’ll deliver them shortly, so handle them as you see fit.”

“Excuse me?”

Minggijak glanced around, hesitating, then pointed to himself with his index finger.

“Are you talking about me…?”

“Who else is here?”

“Even though I’m supposed to be in Malaysia right now? If I show up here, it’ll be a huge problem!”

“Just say you returned early.”

“Wouldn’t it be a lie that would be caught as soon as they check the boarding list?”

“Then just toss them, or put them in a commemorative frame; do as you wish.”

“Guild Leader! How about giving them to Romantic Opener instead? I’m too weak to handle those tickets…”

“He’s at the hospital.”

“Excuse me? Did he open the door again? No, G-Guild Leader!”

Minggijak desperately, but quietly, called out to Sayoung, but he ignored the plea and crumpled his own ticket. The stunned Minggijak’s expression twisted along with the surrounding scenery, disappearing as the neat waiting room emerged.

Before him, curled up on the sofa, was Cha Uijae, facing directly. Perhaps due to the small size of the sofa, even while curled up, his legs slightly protruded outside. Seeing him like that brought back memories of crawling into a cramped room where he couldn’t even lie down properly, which felt unpleasant. If they were going to keep him here, they might as well provide a bigger sofa, Uijae thought.

Even as he approached silently, Uijae's even breaths remained unchanged. It seemed he hadn’t been able to sleep properly, but for some reason, he appeared to be sound asleep.

Sayoung bent down slightly, gazing at Uijae’s sleeping face, then raised his hand over it. The shadow of his black hand enveloped Uijae’s neat face. His hand could almost cover it entirely. Suddenly, Uijae’s curled-up body looked small.

Had he always been this small?

He might be considered tall among regular folks, but among Hunters, he wasn’t that big. As Uijae shifted slightly, the soft black hair fell over his eyes. Sayoung quietly whispered.

“Cha Uijae.”

He squatted down in front of the sofa. His gaze fell upon the slightly parted lips. Slowly, Sayoung closed his eyes. The calm breathing, barely audible, became a bit clearer. When he opened his eyes again, the gently rising and falling chest and the occasionally fluttering eyelashes captured his attention.

The moment Uijae opened his eyes, it was a sight he wouldn’t normally see. Sayoung crouched in front of the sofa, observing everything that could only be discovered in the silence.

And right now, for Sayoung…

He needed more than ever to have strong conviction.

---

Inside the café at the convention center where the Craftsmen Exhibition was held, instead of regular part-time workers, Awakened part-time workers were serving. This was due to the unspoken adult reasoning that it was easier to handle problems if Awakened were involved rather than ordinary people if something went wrong.

And a woman with long blonde hair walked in confidently. It was Honeybee, dressed in a black leather jacket. She pulled down her sunglasses slightly and scanned the menu.

“One Americano, one hot and one iced, both large, please.”

“That’ll be 10,000 won.”

“Seriously… that’s cheaper than hangover soup. Here.”

Just as Honeybee grumbled and handed over her card,

“Your taste seems to have become quite rich since I last saw you, Bumblebee.”

A drowsy voice called out. Hearing the voice, Honeybee quickly turned around to find its source. In a corner of the café, a man sat with his legs crossed, half his white and yellow hair tied up. He appeared somewhat disheveled, and his slow movements made him look like a lazy person out for a drink.

He had initiated conversation without even turning his body. The smiling Honeybee furrow

ed her brows at him.

“What are you doing here, Gyugyu?”

The man didn’t move his body or head, but leaned back to look at Honeybee upside down. Ban Gyumin, the fifth-ranked Hunter in Korea, chuckled, a straw in his mouth.

“Why? I came to buy a weapon.”

“Huh.”

Honeybee scoffed, crossing her arms.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who doesn’t know you’ve been banned from entering the Craftsmen Exhibition?”

“Yeah. If I have a friend up top, the ban’s lifted.”

“Enough. What crazy stunt are you pulling here?”

“I’m really here to buy a weapon.”

“Does Jeongbin even know you’re here?”

“Well, if he knew, I wouldn’t be here drinking coffee without cuffs, would I?”

“Seriously, how could you show up here after causing that mess?”

The culprit who nearly destroyed the last Craftsmen Exhibition, Ban Gyumin, set his transparent brown liquid down. Pretending to clean his ear, he spoke lazily.

“Hey, did I want to fight? That guy started it, and of course, I retaliated… Also, Bumblebee, isn’t it normal to support a Korean when they’re fighting a foreigner? Isn’t that patriotism? Isn’t that patriotism?”

“Ugh… This guy suddenly shows up and calls me a traitor.”

As Honeybee gritted her teeth, she stepped closer to Gyumin and grabbed him by the collar. Gyumin, exclaiming “Whoa!” as his drink nearly flew out of his hand, faced Honeybee’s fierce expression.

“You come back to Korea, and the first thing you do is make a scene, huh?”

“Oh, did it show?”

“Damn it, I can’t believe this.”

Just as Honeybee reached into her inventory,

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

A loud siren blared, piercing their ears. Honeybee and Gyumin simultaneously turned to the source of the sound. The Awakened part-timer standing at the counter looked troubled, holding a bright red button. Honeybee gritted her teeth and muttered.

“What the hell is that?”

“Hmm, isn’t that the coffee you ordered, Bumblebee? They’re alerting us with a siren instead of a vibrating bell.”

“Are you just picking random nonsense to say?”

Fortunately, the identity of the button became clear quickly. Before the siren could end, a calm and measured stride entered the café. A badge hung from his neck.

“Ah, good morning. What a surprise to see both of you together!”

“…….”

“However….”

As Honeybee stealthily withdrew her hand from her inventory, Gyumin’s face froze in place. Jeongbin, who appeared like the reaper after hearing the siren, stood with his arms crossed, wearing a warm smile.

“You two are not using the waiting room created with great care by Hong Yesung, are you?”

“…….”

Indeed. The button given to the Awakened part-timer was…

“Is it for the waiting room used by Sayoung?”

The vibrating bell to call Jeongbin!

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!