Dim dawn light spilled in through the curtains. He opened his eyes before the alarm rang. Feeling around by his pillow, he checked the time on his phone. 5:28 a.m. Jeong Bin yawned long and got out of bed. He put two slices of bread into the toaster, poured warm water over a drip bag, and headed to the bathroom. After showering, he came out shaking off his wet hair, and a simple breakfast was ready.

He bit into plain toast and checked his phone. A pile of contacts had come in overnight. Most were notifications that an Awakener criminal had appeared in some region, or reports that the criminal had been caught. Sometimes it was news that some Hunter had caused an accident. Jeong Bin replied that a fine should be issued for Bae Won-woo’s property-damage case and set his phone down.

“Whew….”

Jeong Bin downed the rest of his coffee in one go, then put the cup and plate into the sink and left them soaking. Then he headed to the dressing room and started getting dressed.

Director of the Awakener Management Bureau, Jeong Bin’s morning flowed by without much change. Except on days when “special” messages came in.

It was while he was fastening his shirt buttons. His phone vibrated, and a message preview popped up on the screen. The sender was Minggijeok.

: This is a request from the police. It looks like inmate number 2078 has requested to meet with you, Director.