*Tap, tap.* The sound of shoes echoed quickly down the long corridor, as if moving at a running pace similar to that of a regular person’s sprint.

People in the hallway scrambled aside as the figure rapidly approached. However, upon recognizing the owner of the shoes, their expressions shifted from irritation to surprise and relief. One Hunter, shaking spilled coffee from their hand, called out.

"Team Leader Jung Bin! Are you back?"

"Yes, it’s been a while. Have you been well? Oh, did I cause you to spill that?"

"No! I’m just a little shaky!"

"How’s your health, Team Leader?"

"Haha, I’m fine. I’ll recover soon, so don’t worry."

"Please take care!"

"Thank you."

Jung Bin, despite having his right arm secured in a cast and several bandages plastered over his face, still maintained his usual soft smile.

But it didn’t last long. As he moved past the crowded corridor and descended into the lower levels, his smile gradually faded. His pace quickened, almost to a run.

Within the Awakener Management Bureau, there were special confinement and interrogation rooms designed to hold awakened criminals. Only authorized personnel could enter, and the rooms were located deep within the building, accessible only by elevator.

Jung Bin pressed his Hunter ID to the elevator scanner.

[Authorization confirmed. Welcome, S-rank Hunter Jung Bin, of the Awakener Management Bureau.]

Jung Bin, a diligent civil servant of the Bureau, had returned immediately after being discharged from the hospital earlier than expected. He hadn’t been able to sleep well due to a foreboding sense of unease.

And as the saying goes, bad premonitions never fail. Upon his arrival, the first thing he encountered was a shattered interrogation room desk and, sitting slouched in front of it, Lee Sayoung.

Even though a significant amount of time had passed since his hospitalization, Sayoung was still detained here. Other than breaking the desk, he hadn’t put up much resistance!

Jung Bin smiled wryly.

*This is bad.*

That only made him more afraid. He might’ve felt more reassured if the interrogation room had been completely wrecked. Sayoung was always scarier when he was quiet.

Jung Bin quickly jumped into action. He burst into Sayoung’s interrogation room, urging him to leave the Bureau immediately and promised to visit the Wave Guild later.

But Sayoung didn’t seem particularly angry. He didn’t berate or mock Jung Bin for being late. Instead, he gestured for Jung Bin to come closer and whispered in his ear.

"Hong Yeseong's presence has been hard to detect since a day ago."

"What do you mean…? Is Hong Yeseong still here?"

Jung Bin frowned. He had specifically ordered for Yeseong to be transferred to the Bukhan Artisan Village after a brief questioning. Sayoung responded calmly.

"He was here. Not anymore."

His tone was ominous. With a light tap on Jung Bin’s shoulder, Sayoung walked out of the room.

"You should pay more attention to internal management."

*Ding,* the elevator light came on as the doors opened. Jung Bin straightened his posture and walked down the dimly lit hallway.

At the end of the corridor was a tightly sealed iron door. Two Hunters stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, guarding it. They were familiar faces, his subordinates. They bowed their heads as Jung Bin approached.

"Greetings, Team Leader."

"I didn’t expect to find you here. As far as I know, there shouldn’t be any awakened individuals in detention right now. I haven’t received any special reports, either."

"……."

"I don’t recall giving any orders to guard this area. Who instructed you to?"

"……."

The Hunters didn’t respond, their eyes fixed straight ahead. Jung Bin smiled faintly.

"Would you mind opening the door for me?"

"That’s not possible."

"Strange."

"……."

"There shouldn’t be any part of the Bureau that I can’t access…."

Just as one of the Hunters was reaching for something at their waist, Jung Bin swiftly kicked the door before they could react.

*Bang!* 

The massive iron door crumpled inward, flying into the room. At the same time, a scream echoed.

"Whoa! What the hell?!"

"Oh, there you are."

"Whoa, civil servant hero! Have you come to rescue me?"

Hong Yeseong, who was tied to a chair with chains, looked up tearfully. However, upon seeing the bandages on Jung Bin’s face and his casted arm, he tilted his head.

"Or are you caught too?"

"Ha…."

Thankfully, Hong Yeseong didn’t show any signs of being beaten or tortured. He was simply bound in the confinement room. But even that was a problem. Jung Bin sighed and turned around. The two Hunters who had been guarding the door were now standing there, expressionless, staring at him. Jung Bin brushed his disheveled hair back and asked.

"Why is Hong Yeseong still here?"

"……."

"He should have been transferred to the Bukhan Artisan Village by now. Who ordered him to be kept here?"

"……."

"I’m not sure why you’re not answering."

"…Heh."

At that moment, one of the Hunters' heads twisted unnaturally. The light in their eyes dimmed, blood vessels bursting and turning their eyes a strange, glowing red.

Jung Bin sighed again. A chilling, metallic sound accompanied the black chains that wrapped around his left arm.

"I swear… I leave for just a moment, and things fall apart. Seems like I owe someone again."

"W-What’s happening? Aren’t they Bureau Hunters?"

"I don’t know. We’ll have to figure out whether they're just shells, swapped bodies, or if someone’s tampered with my subordinates. I suppose I’ve been underestimated."

Jung Bin spoke coldly as he stepped forward. The Hunters' bodies twisted even more grotesquely. The metallic clashing sound became clearer. Without turning around, Jung Bin spoke.

"Hong Yeseong, please move as far back as you can."

"Huh? But I’m still tied to the chair?"

"You can still move your legs, can’t you? Press yourself against the wall."

"Geez."

Grumbling, Hong Yeseong shuffled awkwardly toward the corner of the room.

In that moment, the Hunter’s suit tore as black spikes erupted from their body.

The unsettling sound of metal scraping together, like the wings of insects, filled the room. The spikes clanged ominously as they collided.

*Crash!* 

The spikes surged toward Jung Bin.

In the afternoon, just before the time to prepare ingredients, only two customers remained in the hangover soup restaurant.

*Beep.*

"That will be 60,000 won."

"Here you go."

Honeybee handed over a card. Uijae, with his usual quick and adept hands, completed the transaction and returned the receipt along with the card. However, Honeybee didn’t seem inclined to leave just yet. Instead, she lingered at the counter, clearing her throat softly.

Uijae glanced at her, curious. What came next was an unexpected question.

"How’s your grandmother doing?"

"Sorry?"

"You know, you posted a sign on the door before. Said you were closing for a day to take your grandmother to the hospital."

It must have been referring to the fake notice he put up while attending the Artisan Exhibition. Uijae continued tidying the counter as he responded.

"Oh, she’s doing fine now."

"Oh, really? That’s good to hear."

"Why do you ask, though?"

"It’s nothing big. Our guild is in the middle of signing a contract with a pharmaceutical company."

"Honeybee."

Team Leader Han, standing next to her, quietly reprimanded her. Honeybee glanced at Han and teased.

"What’s with the secrecy? It’s pretty much a done deal. Everyone will know in a few days anyway."

"The less we talk about it, the better. Besides, this place is frequented by a lot of Hunters…"

"We’re the last customers, and it’s almost prep time for the restaurant. I’ve checked everything, so it’s fine."

Team Leader Han sighed, massaging his forehead as he shook his head. Honeybee slipped the card and receipt into her wallet and flashed a grin at Uijae.

"Hey, if you’ve got any spare cash, you might want to buy some stock. It’s a big deal, and I bet it’ll skyrocket. You could probably cover those hospital bills with the profits."

"Ugh…"

"If you make a good return, you’ll have less to worry about for medical expenses. Anyway, I’m off!"

Waving her hand cheerfully, Honeybee exited the restaurant. Team Leader Han gestured for Uijae to keep quiet about what they had discussed before quickly following her out. The door creaked and then clicked shut behind them. Uijae glanced at the sales figures and mulled things over.

*Did she just give me classified information on purpose?*

If Team Leader Han had gone so far as to demand secrecy, it must’ve been a major deal. Did Honeybee share it out of concern, knowing he was struggling with medical bills? He appreciated the gesture. As Uijae absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck, a familiar voice piped up from behind him.

"Hmm, you heard some useful information just now. The hangover soup restaurant really is a treasure trove of valuable intel."

Uijae immediately swung a punch, but thankfully nothing was broken this time, save for the shaky voice that followed.

"Whoa, such quick reflexes… Good day, sir…."

The voice came from beneath a chair behind the counter. Uijae crouched in front of it and responded.

"I’m letting it slide this time, but don’t pop out like that again."

"Thanks to your boundless generosity, I get to keep my life. One must always be cautious."

Ming-gi-juk crawled out from under the chair, straightened up, and bowed politely.

"Before we talk, just a moment."

He retrieved something small and round from his inventory and pressed it. A misty white fog spread, clinging to the windows, obscuring the view from outside. Ming-gi-juk casually put on his sunglasses.

"Though I doubt anyone’s trying to peek inside, it’s always better to be overprepared, considering the matter at hand."

"Like how you were eavesdropping earlier?"

"Exactly."

Ming-gi-juk replied shamelessly, then pulled out a tablet from his inventory. Uijae shoved his hands into his apron pockets and asked.

"Did you find some valuable information?"

"Hmm, to get straight to the point… I had the help of Mr. Romantic Opener, and we scoured the records of the national hospital, but…"

With a tablet pen between his fingers, Ming-gi-juk massaged his temple as he spoke.

"There are no records. None at all."

"…What?"

"There’s no record of that person in the national hospital system. It’s suspiciously clean."

"……."

"Don’t you think that’s odd? Older patients’ records are still there, but the records of the friend you asked me to look into are completely missing."

Is that even possible? Uijae frowned deeply, his mind racing. It had been a chaotic time, so maybe the records had been lost. After pondering for a while, he spoke.

"Could they have been omitted from the start?"

"That friend of yours helped the hospital develop an antidote and even received funding from you, didn’t they? There’s no way no record would have been left. Money and goods were exchanged. Especially with money, there’s always a trace. Yet everything is this clean."

"……."

"The conclusion is obvious, isn’t it?"

Ming-gi-juk’s eyes gleamed as he pointed the tablet pen at Uijae.

"Someone deliberately erased their records. Completely. As if that person never existed."