Chapter 8

"But why didn't you say anything when the police chief was ranting earlier?"

"The timing wasn't good," Tae-un answered in an impassive tone, as unwavering as his upright posture that remained unruffled even after driving for over an hour.

"If I had said in front of him that I would go to Seoul, he would have gotten even angrier due to his pride."

"He did seem quite stubborn."

"If we had a drink, he might have even told me to go. I was planning to talk to him alone soon."

"Oh..."

Soram had thought Tae-un was just straightforward, but he had surprisingly read the situation well. Soram shrugged his shoulders at this realization.

"Then I guess I unnecessarily interfered."

"No. Thanks to you, it seems the chief has changed his mind."

"...I suppose. Though it wasn't my intention."

Soram had impulsively gone to Guncheon-gun with a glimmer of hope, but it seemed that once again, Tae-un would start from one of the teams at the headquarters.

"There will be a lot of chances for you to appear on screen while active in Seoul. With your good looks, Tae-un, you'll be popular."

"..."

This time, there was no response. It was then that Soram resolved to only ask Tae-un questions that could be answered with a simple yes or no.

"Jin Soram is far more handsome."

"Huh? Oh, yes?"

"..."

...Soram hadn't expected Tae-un to say something like that. Seeming embarrassed, Tae-un stopped glancing sideways and looked straight ahead. Soon, Soram turned towards the driver's seat with an amused smile.

"I have a face that divides opinions, being called a pretty boy, while you, Tae-un, are a timeless beauty."

"Thank you for the kind words."

"Have you never been told you're handsome before?"

"Not particularly."

"You must have received quite a few confessions in school, though?"

"No, I didn't."

Soram could be certain. Tae-un's blunt demeanor had either erected a barrier or he simply hadn't noticed when someone confessed to him.

Honestly, it was impossible for Tae-un not to be popular. Soram remembered the frenzy that had ensued in his past life when Tae-un was introduced as a first-grade hunter. If Soram had to describe Tae-un's face in one phrase...

"You look like you were born at the biggest obstetrics hospital in Gangnam."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Rich, capable, but brusque and ill-mannered... Like the chaebol male lead from those trendy dramas of old."

"..."

And those chaebol men rarely responded to others, just like Tae-un right now.

In that same vein, Tae-un had seemed quite out of place in the old office of the Guncheon-gun county office. The strikingly handsome man with a sharp face that could be mistaken for arrogance due to his bluntness, combined with the worn leather sofa and an old heater, had made for an odd combination.

Soon, an alarm sounded, indicating they were nearing their destination.

"Just keep going straight from here. Unregistered vehicles can't enter the underground parking."

While the underground entrance was blocked, the surface parking lot was open since outside visitors came and went occasionally. Soram parked the car in an empty spot, and he and Tae-un stood in front of the towering building.

The glittering glass windows reflected light, obscuring the view inside. The building's name was engraved on the entrance's lintel.

Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters.

This was the place that had become a more powerful organization than any government agency as the rift phenomenon persisted for over a decade. With the world now grappling with rifts, resolving internal rifts had become a more crucial factor in maintaining a nation's peace than external wars.

"Ah, that's right."

Soram snapped his fingers and turned to Tae-un.

"Tae-un, do you like neungi baeksuk (chicken soup with neungi mushrooms)?"

"I don't dislike it."

"Great. As expected, a tour must include a restaurant. Let's eat first."

Upon entering the headquarters building, Soram headed towards the information desk. Tae-un walked alongside him, his impassive gaze sweeping over the lobby that seemed large enough to fit the entire Guncheon-gun county office. It appeared that Soram was a curious sight to those entering and exiting, as they kept glancing at him.

As Soram approached, the flustered desk attendant rose from their seat, their expression a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Oh, hello, Chief Jin! What can I do for you?"

"Please issue me a temporary access card."

"Yes. Um, this is just a formality, but what will you be using it for...?"

"I lost mine."

"Pardon? You lost your chief's access card, sir?"

If the chief's access card, which granted entry to even the hidden floors of this building, was missing, wouldn't that be a serious issue...? The confused attendant exchanged words with a colleague sitting nearby. After telling them to wait a moment, the attendant went through a door behind the desk and soon returned with a white card.

"The temporary access card we can issue here only grants access up to the 13th floor. You'll need to submit a request for a new card to the support team at your office."

"Understood. That's sufficient. Thank you."

In fact, a thorough identity verification was required to issue a temporary access card granting access above the 5th floor, but in Soram's case, his face alone was proof enough of his identity.

Soram led Tae-un to where six elevators faced each other in sets of three. Three employees were waiting for the next available elevator. They, too, gave Soram a quizzical look as he approached. Soram addressed the person in front.

"Excuse me, could we use the elevator first?"

"Sure. Um, I see there's some urgent business!"

"It's classified for the Field Operations Bureau."

"Ah... Please, go ahead. Fighting!"

"Thank you."

Soram and Tae-un boarded the first elevator that arrived. Once the doors closed, Soram took out his access card, swiped it on the pad, and pressed a random upper floor button.

"Tae-un, if you ever need to cut the line, just say it's for the Field Operations Bureau."

"..."

"It's an insider tip for new hunters on a tour. Take this."

Soram handed the temporary access card to Tae-un. Their hands briefly touched, and despite being men, Tae-un's hand was much larger than Soram's. However, Soram's hand bore small scars on the back and fingers, evidence of his early start as a hunter.

"But since this is a tour, let me give you an introduction."

Soram ran the card tip over the numbers 1 through 7.

"This area up to the 7th floor is called the open space. It's the range accessible to the general public for tours. There's a cafeteria, cafe, souvenir shop, meeting rooms for outside guests, an exhibition hall, an ability experience center... stuff like that. You won't need to go anywhere except the cafeteria area."

Tae-un didn't react, but he was staring intently at the pad Soram had pointed to. His lips moved slightly, his expressionless face betraying no emotion.

"And the 8th to 15th floors are regular offices. Administrative, financial, and external cooperation departments use up to the 12th floor, while the Field Operations Bureau you'll be assigned to is on the 13th, the Reconnaissance Bureau is on the 14th, and the directors' offices are on the 15th. And here's one important thing."

Soram jabbed the 14th floor with his card tip.

"Don't get too friendly with the Reconnaissance Bureau bastards."

"..."

"They're really bad guys!"

Tae-un, who had his hands on his hips, glanced back at Soram and calmly responded.

"Understood."

Normally, one would ask why, but like in the car, Tae-un gave an extremely brief answer, leaving Soram feeling rather awkward after making such a forceful claim.

"You're not going to ask why?"

"Were you going to tell me?"

"...No. But how do you know I'm not trying to get you in trouble?"

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"Why are you asking me? Just trust me on this."

Tae-un's gaze met Soram's amused smile. His eyes were a deep color that complemented his thick, coal-black eyebrows.

"Then I have no choice but to believe you this time. I won't get too friendly with them."

Before the elevator reached its destination, it stopped briefly on the 8th floor. As the people waiting there let out a confused "Huh?", Soram closed the doors with the lie, "Sorry, it's an emergency meeting." The elevator still only contained the two of them.

"Above this are the research labs, data storage, data centers... places like that. And from the 21st floor up are the hunter dormitories. The facilities aren't bad, I think, but if you don't want to eat and sleep at your workplace, you can get a place outside. Still, you'll definitely be assigned a room since there are often situations like emergency dispatches, injuries, or standby duties that mess up your schedule. And lastly..."

Soram firmly pressed the bottom part of his access card. A thin gap opened, and a flat chip-like object popped out.

Upon closer inspection, it had some kind of chip pattern etched onto it. Soram inserted it into a keyhole below the elevator's floor number panel. It didn't seem to fit at first, but when he pushed it in slightly, it slid right in.

A mechanical sound played a few times, and a hidden number panel appeared below the regular one, densely packed with floor numbers from B1 to B15.

"These days, satellite imagery can capture almost anything, so the upper floors only contain things that wouldn't be too serious if discovered. Anything that absolutely cannot be seen is located underground."

"Confidential research, ability assessments, and training for first and second-grade hunters are mostly conducted down here."

"..."

"The security level rises to unimaginable heights from here on. Even hunters from the same Field Operations Bureau will have different levels of access based on their rank. It might be better if you get officially assigned here and tour the place yourself, Tae-un. Now, let's go eat..."

Beep, beep, beep. The same alarm sound Soram had heard at the county office cut off his words. The source was once again the band on Soram's wrist.

"And one more thing, Tae-un. You'll be hearing this sound a lot here." Soram deliberately held his face and wrist far apart. "This is Jin Soram speaking."

"Yah! You're at the headquarters, huh? Where are you?"

"In the elevator."

"Hah, hurry up to the director's office. I need to know what kind of mess you've caused so I can clean it up."

"Right now? That's a bit inconvenient."

"Why?"

"I brought a guest with me."

"Who did you bring along this time? Send them back and come here."

"Are you sure? Tae-un is with me. Tae-un, the deputy director wants you to leave."

"..."

"..."