Chapter 59

In front of the general hospital's main entrance, there was a long crosswalk. After crossing it and turning a corner, the distance to the Rift Management Headquarters building was a little over 100m. Along that straight road, temporary barriers were placed. And from the morning, people gathered around the outside of the barriers.

From the subway station to the middle of this road, some quick-witted merchants set up stalls and sold flower or candy baskets. Fans who knew Soram didn't like sweets much passed by them, but the stalls were still bustling.

A hunter refers to a person who fights against rifts, but at some point, the meaning of celebrity also became mixed into that word. The discharge ceremony was a unique part of a hunter's celebrity role.

The Operations Bureau hunters often suffered major injuries. And those injuries occurred with a high probability while dealing with dungeons. The fan event that started with the meaning of praising their efforts in protecting citizens and conveying gratitude was none other than the discharge ceremony.

From the morning, banners with phrases like 'Good work' and 'Congratulations on your discharge' were hung on the streets. Even the headquarters, which prevented hunters from getting too close to the public, communicated with the fan side for this event and helped with the progress by informing them of the discharge date and time.

The protagonists of today's discharge ceremony were the two people who resolved the 1st-grade dungeon on Bukhansan.

One of them was quite upset even after taking off the hospital gown for the first time in a while.

"Ah, Han Tae-un! You really have no sense!"

Tae-un had brought casual clothes for Soram to wear on the day of discharge at his request. Soram thought it would be fine as long as he brought them from his closet and didn't particularly check. And today, he finally found out what they were. The clothes he brought were a white sweatshirt and light beige cotton pants. It's not like he's protesting being a patient, what is this!

Soram strongly protested. But it was a complaint that the listener couldn't understand anyway.

"What's the problem?"

"Does it make sense to wear white on top and white on the bottom, am I a mummy!"

"...The bottom is, slightly yellow."

"It's not yellow! It's beige!"

"Ah, I got it."

Han Tae-un really brought a white t-shirt and white pants and had a face that didn't know what the problem was. He should have been grateful that hunters wore suits during activities. What kind of fashion sense is this?

If he had combined these clothes and wore them himself, it would have made him angrier. But honestly, he also looked like he just grabbed and wore whatever. He was wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt, jeans, and a navy cardigan. Still, that side was much more decent.

"At least give me the cardigan you're wearing."

"..."

Tae-un took off his cardigan and gave it to Soram, looking displeased. Wearing at least one dark piece of clothing made it look presentable. As a result, Tae-un had to go out in just a short-sleeved t-shirt in the still chilly weather, but Soram didn't care.

As they left the hospital, they could see people gathered from the road ahead. Even Tae-un, who had been informed about the discharge ceremony in advance, seemed a little surprised to see more people than he expected. The crowd was already bustling behind the barriers.

As the two arrived at the starting point of the road, cheers and flashes erupted. It was like the red carpet of a film festival. As hunters rarely had direct contact with the public, as they didn't hold fan meetings or concerts, anticipation was evident on people's faces.

Soram and Tae-un bowed in front of them. Countless people cheered and applauded.

"Thank you."

As meaningful as the discharge ceremony was, fans also set and followed their own rules. They never crossed the fence and refrained from pushing the person in front or causing a commotion. Soram and Tae-un alternated between left and right, bowing as they passed through the path in between. They occasionally answered the loudly asked questions.

"Soram-ah, thank you!"

"You fought so well!"

"Tae-un-ah, thank you! Don't get hurt!"

The cheers for the hunters had a lot of resemblance to those of existing celebrity or sports star fans. Flowers and dolls prepared by fans flew over the path the two were walking on. It was also included in the rules to prepare gifts that were not hard so they wouldn't get hit when thrown.

The gifts that couldn't be picked up were scheduled to be collected and delivered by the staff a little later. However, the two picked up as many gifts as they could fit in their arms. Although embarrassed, it was enough to wash away the pain of injury with a sense of accomplishment for most hunters who received a discharge ceremony.

While walking forward and greeting, Tae-un suddenly stopped. And he stared at the doll he picked up, bending his waist.

It was a penguin species that became famous after appearing in an Antarctic documentary. The Adélie penguin, with its sharp eyes raised upward, was known for its bad temper as much as its grumpy appearance. No wonder it was called the gangster of Antarctica.

As befitting its nickname, the gangster of Antarctica, when something bothers it, raises its arms and waddles over to throw a fit. Due to its bad temper coming from its small body, even much larger creatures than the Adélie penguin would take a step back when they saw it.

"Han Tae-un ssi, what are you doing?"

Soram, who returned to using formal speech in front of people, asked him. Tae-un, who looked at the doll from various angles and approached Soram, held up the doll and pointed at Soram with his finger.

"Me? You're saying it looks like me?"

"Yes."

"Ha, well, I... Where do I..."

"It looks like Soram!"

"It looks exactly the same! The bad-tempered penguin!"

"The delinquent of Antarctica!"

Soram frowned and turned to where the voices came from. There, beyond the barrier, were only fans laughing merrily and clicking their cameras. Tae-un pushed the penguin doll into Soram's arms and walked forward.

"Han Tae-un ssi, this looks like you!"

Soram, who ran over like an Adélie penguin, placed what looked like a large polar bear with a chubby face in Tae-un's arms as if throwing it. The bear, with its upside-down crescent-shaped eyes, had an impression of being indifferent and dull to everything in the world. Tae-un lifted the bear doll by the back of its neck and made a face that said, "What is this?"

"Don't just attach anything..."

"It looks like you, Han Tae-un!"

"It's exactly the same!"

The same reaction as Soram's poured out from the surroundings. In the end, Tae-un was also at a loss for words. Soram smiled in revenge and walked forward with big strides. He had the bad-tempered penguin tucked under his arm.

"...Ha."

It was the day when the smile that appeared on Tae-un's usually expressionless face was shown to people for the first time.

And on that day, the Adélie penguin dolls and polar bear dolls that the two picked up were all sold out on the internet.

* * *

"Did you rest well?"

"You're only giving me ten days?"

Before Director Park Jae-seon even offered, Soram leaned back on the sofa.

"Seeing that your mouth is alive, you must have rested well."

It was something he could say remembering the sight of Soram with injuries all over his body, his lips closed, and only cold sweat dripping. He had gone through the guard floor, public training, and ten days of hospitalization after a 1st-grade dungeon, so it was fortunate that he had the energy left to be like that.

The director was thinking of keeping Soram away from hunter duties and letting him rest for a while anyway.

"I'm grateful that both of you returned without any major issues, and I called you today because there's something to convey."

"What is it?"

"The PR department strongly requested to include broadcast activities and advertisements for both of you."

"Ah... right. We should do that."

Tae-un didn't understand the reaction well, but Soram nodded, saying he expected it.

"Soram, you know the reason why we limit hunters' exposure to cameras, because there's too much talk when they appear in public."

"It's okay. I'm the type who doesn't care about that, and Han Tae-un ssi doesn't seem to know how to use the internet."

"I know how."

"Lies. You said you didn't do anything with your phone at the guard floor before."

Tae-un turned his head, feeling like telling him to stop talking.

"But we also aim to broadcast to a certain extent. Especially right after a big dungeon like this breaks out."

When people were most enthusiastic, not only their popularity but also the awe for their power spread, they were always made to appear on broadcasts. If possible, not in a documentary-like direction, but in a friendly direction like variety shows.

"We are neither gods nor saviors. We just need to show, even in a silly way, that we are the same people. Our shoulders are the same size as theirs to bear the lives of countless people."

The 1st generation hunters who appeared at the beginning of the rifts were literally national heroes. It was natural for them to save the country from crisis, and if they were late or made mistakes, it would immediately become treason.

Even now, it couldn't be said that there was no such atmosphere among the older generation, but it was much better than before. The long time of coexistence with them led to the reaction of "They're also people and civil servants," and the image changed as the number of 1st-grade hunters, which was less than two digits, increased and diversified.

"I am grateful to you young hunters who have shared the burden, and that is why I have no intention of making the people fighting in front of the rifts into heroes bearing the nation again."

The director let out a short sigh.

"Otherwise, we can't endure it."

Of course, the current directors and branch heads in charge of the middle ranks had to maintain a certain level of dignity for the prestige of the organization. However, it was not for the young people who would stand in front of the public for more than 10 or 20 years in the future.

"...If you say that much, Chief Han and I can only say that we will do everything as you tell us to, Director."

Soram said, fiddling with the necktie he wore for the first time in a while.

"It's not like we're being forced to go out when we don't want to. The extra income is good, isn't it?"

"That's true. I heard the head of the PR department had a rainbow on his face. He was desperate to see Tae-un."

"Are you referring to me?"

"You're the newly appeared handsome rookie star."

"...No, I'm not."

"That's right. Han Tae-un ssi is handsome. I said it from the first day I met you, but I guess you already forgot."

"I didn't forget."

Tae-un didn't answer one way or the other about being called handsome. However, his head and gaze turned slightly in the opposite direction of Soram.

"Anyway, both of you, Soram and Tae-un, have no major complaints about appearing on broadcasts, right?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Okay, then it wouldn't be right to take away the opportunity to make a lot of money... I'll call the head of the PR department, so discuss it with them individually. Soram, you have experience, so help Tae-un a bit."

"Did you hear that? If you want help, be nice to me."

"..."