Chapter 32

The car that flew through the drizzling sky landed in an alley. Even before getting out of the car, Soram's eyes were already wide open.

At the reported location of the rift, a large dog with a reddish aura and Ayoung, who had gone to take the exam today, were standing. Tae-un stood next to them, looking at Ayoung and Soram with a troubled expression.

"Why did you come only now!!!"

As Soram got out of the car, an angry voice flew at him. Soram's gaze, who had hurriedly exited the car, was also tinged with bewilderment. Ayoung glared at him with eyes reddened by tears.

"You said you'd cover for me! This was the first time I made such a request, but you couldn't even do it for a few days, no, not even the first day?"

"..."

Soram approached Ayoung, stepping on the water-filled sidewalk. Ayoung lowered her head, lifted her glasses, and wiped her eyes with her school uniform sleeve.

"Ayoung."

"You know how hard I worked, squeezing out every bit of time I didn't have. This is really too much."

"... Did you get a call? I told you to leave your pager at home."

"I did leave it! But when a dungeon appeared in my radius area, they made a school-wide announcement calling me out because no one was approving it! While everyone else was taking the exam!"

"... What?"

Soram's eyebrows twisted.

"I never said anything when you were always sleeping or doing whatever! But oppa, aren't you my team leader? You said you'd make sure being a hunter wouldn't interfere with my studies. Rather than making such promises, what is this!"

Ayoung might look young because she was in the headquarters full of adults, but she was actually quite stoic in expressing her emotions for her age. That was probably because she had experienced far more than her peers. But now, she seemed unable to control the emotions bursting out.

"Ayoung, Soram ssi has been continuously..."

As Tae-un tried to intervene, Soram waved his hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"I should have checked properly, but I must have missed it. I'll do it right from now on. Hurry back and take the exam. Oh, take an umbrella."

Soram quickly turned to the car. The rain still hadn't stopped, and all three members of Team 7 were getting wet.

It was when he opened the back seat to grab the umbrella he had left there.

"Ayoung, wait a moment...!"

Tae-un's voice was heard, and when Soram looked up again, Ayoung was already leaving, riding on Aila.

Soram, holding an umbrella in one hand, watched her receding figure and exhaled through slightly parted lips. Only then did he realize he had been holding his breath. The cold rain hit his face.

"... Ah."

Suddenly, a fragment of the past came to mind.

In his previous life, Ga-eul often went to the guard floor. And the very first time she went to the guard floor was because she had turned the Reconnaissance Bureau upside down for some reason. After that, Team 1 completely fell out with the Reconnaissance Bureau. Because of that, dispatch assignments started getting delayed or tangled, and voices of criticism began to be directed at Ga-eul.

Could it be that the same incident had happened back then? Did Ayoung make a request to Ga-eul at that time, and was it Ga-eul who went to the Reconnaissance Bureau to ask them to change the assignment?

"..."

The umbrella slipped from Soram's hand. Tae-un took it and opened it, blocking Soram's view of the sky. Tae-un waited for Soram without asking anything, tilting the umbrella. If it were any other time, he would have bluntly said, "Don't help me," but...

"Han Tae-un ssi."

"Yes."

"... Ayoung said there was a problem with today's exam, so... could it possibly... affect her college admission?"

It was a trembling voice unlike Soram's usual self. It was difficult for Tae-un to answer easily. If Ayoung's grades were average, it might not matter, but her current grades and desired university were both top-tier. In that case, honestly, a single mistake could have a significant impact. Although this incident clearly showed someone's malice rather than her own mistake.

Soram wiped his face wet with rainwater.

"... You know, I didn't refuse a single dispatch request today. I flew the car and made U-turns on the highway to go to all of them."

"I know. You worked hard, Soram ssi."

"But why did this happen?"

He gritted his teeth.

"Which bastard made them play the school-wide announcement when there were two 1st-grade hunters from the same team nearby?"

After a long sigh, Soram said,

"Ayoung must be really angry, right?"

"There will be opportunities to make up for her grades. Console her after school."

"I'll leave that to the model student Han Tae-un ssi, who studied as hard as Ayoung."

There was not a hint of laughter in Soram's eyes as he looked up at the rainy sky.

"I'm going to kill that fucking bastard."

* * *

"It was a mistake."

"..."

"Ah, I thought I called Chief Jin Soram, but it turned out I didn't. Since he didn't approve, I thought he was busy, so I had no choice but to call Lee Ayoung."

"Ha, now you're saying that......"

In front of the brazen Kim Jae-hyeok, Yoon Chang-hyeon suppressed his boiling anger. Kim Jae-hyeok had a completely unapologetic attitude, as if saying, "What are you going to do about it?"

Dispatch mistakes were better when they were fewer, but they were not uncommon. After all, work here also proceeded in real-time. So, he was showing an attitude of "Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" under the pretext of a mistake.

"Mistake. Yeah, dispatch mistakes can happen. But..."

Was it really a mistake to deliberately call out a student who had an exam today under the pretext of a school emergency, and to show no hint of apology like now? Senior Hunter Yoon Chang-hyeon crossed his arms.

Kim Jae-hyeok, the chief hunter of the Reconnaissance Bureau. His hunter grade was 3.

Grade 3 was the borderline where hunters with physical abilities and special abilities advantageous for combat were assigned to the Operations Bureau, and those without were assigned to the Reconnaissance Bureau. As one could see, he was assigned to the Reconnaissance Bureau. Having come to the Reconnaissance Bureau that way, naturally, his abilities were recognized as outstanding within it.

That would be fine, but Kim Jae-hyeok often openly expressed his dissatisfaction, as if saying, "I don't belong here."

If it were someone else, this incident could be called a mistake made in a fluster. If that were the case, Chang-hyeon might have thought he should take responsibility and apologize to Team 7 on his behalf. However, considering his usual attitude and the circumstances before and after today, it didn't seem like a mistake at all. Including his current behavior.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you're reprimanding me right now, Senior Hunter Yoon. Isn't the top priority of the Rift Management Headquarters to destroy rifts and protect citizens? Isn't that right? Anyway, the rift that appeared there was eliminated within the deadline. In the first place, it was strange for Lee Ayoung to ask to be excluded from dispatch because of an exam. Are we supposed to be considerate to that extent like Operations Bureau managers?"

"Our job is to make the Operations Bureau get to the rift site as efficiently as possible."

"Yes. At that time, as a Reconnaissance Bureau hunter, I judged that it would be best for Lee Ayoung to go there."

"You knew that Chief Jin Soram and Chief Han Tae-un were nearby!"

"That's why I called Jin Soram first, but as I said, it was omitted due to a dispatch error."

"Haa..."

Of course, his words were not wrong on the surface. There was no reason for the Operations Bureau and the Reconnaissance Bureau to have a hierarchical relationship as they were both civil servants of the same Rift Management Headquarters.

However, the Operations Bureau were people who gave up their privacy, such as personal information, and sometimes went to sites where their lives were at stake. This department was created to assist them, but far from assisting, they were actually grinding their teeth behind their backs.

"If you became a 1st-grade, you should do the work of a 1st-grade......"

Kim Jae-hyeok muttered as if he wanted Chang-hyeon to hear. Chang-hyeon thought he should seriously consider reporting this part to his superiors.

It wasn't that Chang-hyeon couldn't understand the jealousy towards the Operations Bureau. They were all awakeners, but some were heroes whose faces were known to the entire nation and who filmed high-paying commercials, while others just worked silently behind the scenes.

He understood, but it was clearly a problem if that manifested as malice towards the Operations Bureau.

"... Okay. Then let me ask one last thing."

"Yes."

"Forgetting to call Chief Jin Soram. Was it really a mistake?"

Woong―

Before he could hear the answer, another sound cut between the two. Seeing the name that appeared on the vibrating cell phone, Chang-hyeon flinched and then let out a sigh. The name "Operations Team 7 Leader, Chief Jin Soram" was displayed on the screen.

"It's Chief Jin. If I answer, apologize. Whether it was a mistake or whatever."

"He must be calling to nitpick again, seeing how spoiled he is as a hunter."

"Kim Jae-hyeok."

"Ah, okay. I got it. I know how to function in society."

Chang-hyeon suppressed his boiling anger once more and pressed the call button.

"Chief Jin. I heard what happened, and first of all, I apologize......"

"Senior Hunter Chang-hyeon. I know you're a good person. You were one of the few who maintained their principles until the end."

Before he could even ask, Soram's words continued immediately.

"So if you have any important work, back it up now. It'll take about a minute by elevator."

"Huh?"

"Right now, I can't see anything."

Leaving those words, Soram ended the call.

While Chang-hyeon was puzzled, the short grace period Soram had given passed, and the door to the Reconnaissance Bureau office opened.

The body that had come straight through the rain was completely drenched. Water dripped from his fingertips. He approached step by step.

"Hey."

"..."

"Come out."

Soram stood in front of the same partition as in the morning.