Grab any student you happen to pass on the street and ask them what kind of job they want in the future. One hundred out of one hundred, one of three answers will come up. Famous Hunter, employee at a large guild, or employee of the Hunter's Association. The less capable kid will waste away day by day, wishing to become a famous Hunter when there's no chance of that happening. The slightly better kid will want to land a job at a large guild where salary is proportional to ability. The smartest kid will choose the Hunter's Association, where the pay is comparable to a large guild and the quasi-civil-service status means a lower risk of being let go. I was the smart kid. Quite a bit of one, in fact. So when I first told my parents I wanted to join the Hunter's Association, they were—unlike other parents—somewhat disappointed. My father had wanted me to become a judge, my mother a doctor. I understood, of course, their wish for their only son to carry on one of their professions. But I had a dream, and that dream was what contributed most to me becoming an employee of the Hunter's Association.
—Why do you want to become a member of the Hunter's Association?
That was the question Chairman Go Gun-Hee tossed at me as I sat stiff as a board in the interview room. The moment those words reached my ears, my mind—which had been berating itself for fumbling through the other interviewers' questions out of sheer nervousness—snapped back to attention. My gaze changed. At least, I remember forcing every ounce of strength into my eyes as I answered.
—Right now, Hunters are risking their lives to protect civilians in many places. Then... who is risking their life for the Hunters?
I raised my voice, declaring that I wanted to stand on the side of protecting Hunters by becoming a member of the Hunter's Association. The faint gasps of "oh" from beside me and from ahead—were those my imagination, born of nerves? But I remember clearly the smile that crept onto Chairman Go Gun-Hee's face at that moment. And just like that, I became an employee of the Hunter's Association—an organization others envied to no end. With my slightly regretful parents seeing me off, I left my beloved hometown and came up here to the Korean Hunter's Association's Seoul headquarters. The first step of my dream—to become a Hunter's Association employee who protects Hunters—had been successfully realized. I was elated. I even harbored the vague hope that maybe everything would go just as I wanted. But on my first day of work, my illusions about the Hunter's Association were shattered. The idea that there was still something only I could do for the Hunters had been a delusion. It had been nine years since Awakened individuals, Gates, and magical beasts first appeared in the world. Society had long since entered a stable period after countless failures and trial and error, and there was simply no room for a rookie employee who had barely taken their first step into working life to intervene. Having been assigned to the "Support Division" in line with my wish to help Hunters, what awaited me was every manner of menial task. "Menial" being the polite word for it—really, it was nothing more than running errands for the Association's affiliated Hunters.
—Hey, the neighboring district gives Hunters coffee and snacks before raids and stuff. Don't we have anything like that? —I've got something urgent to write, so could I get an advance on this month's settlement fees? —If I join today's raid, there won't anyone to look after my kid. Could a staff member cover for me just today?
It was always like this. Even low-level Gates that brought in no revenue still had to be dealt with by someone, and since the number of Hunters was limited, the only option was to cater to their moods. If even a single complaint came in from a Hunter, the worst day imaginable awaited. And if the Hunter who filed the complaint up and quit the Association... While scrambling in every direction to prevent such a scenario, I was gradually wearing down from the gap between my ideals and reality. But as I wore down, I was also undeniably adapting. Then one day, while I was going through yet another listless stretch, a phone call came in. Ring-ring-ring—ring-ring-ring—watching the phone ring, I thought, "Which Hunter is it this time, calling so persistently just to vent another complaint?" I sighed and lifted the receiver. The moment I answered, an agitated voice exploded from the other end.
—I told you not to send Mr. Sung! Why won't anyone listen!
I had no idea what it was about, but the first order of business was an apology.
"I'm sorry, Hunter-nim. It seems there may have been some mix-up in the process of assembling the raid team. Could you please tell me what happened, step by step?" —Step by step, my foot—listen here! I said I don't want to be stuck with the body duty on my team! You keep forcing some weakling who collapses at the drop of a hat into our team and calling him a Hunter—what am I supposed to do when something goes wrong? If this happens again, I'm quitting on the spot!
The line went dead on its end. Carving the character for "endure" into my mind, I hung up the phone and immediately began searching for the file on the Hunter the caller had mentioned—instantly calling complaints before they could pile up. Requests to swap out a team member came in all the time, for all sorts of reasons: refusing the leader's orders, personality clashes, not fighting as well as expected. Up until then, I hadn't given it much thought. But—
"Mr. Sung, Mr. Sung... I think his first name was Jin-Woo?"
When I pulled up Sung Jin-Woo Hunter's personal records, I realized something had gone terribly wrong.
"Huh...?"
His rank was E. And among those E-rank Hunters, his mana level was at the very bottom.
"If you just look at the numbers, this is practically the same as an ordinary person."
Naturally, his file was packed with injury dates.
"Oh my God."
Startled, I shut his file. My heart began pounding. This was... this was wrong. If I turned a blind eye to his situation here, he could really die before long. The aspiration I had declared during that interview flashed through my mind. Hunters risk their lives for the citizens—so who risks their life for the Hunters? I nodded. For the first time. For the first time in roughly a year since joining the Hunter's Association, I had something I needed to do.
* * *
The first thing I did was go to my supervisor. But from my direct superior, to their superior, to that person's boss—nobody wanted to get involved in a troublesome matter. In the end, I had to go to the deputy head of the Support Division.
"Section Chief, this is a matter of someone's life. This isn't something that goes away just because you avoid it."
My section chief wore an exasperated expression at this sudden transformation from the usually obedient, hardworking junior staff member. But I did not stop saying what needed to be said.
"If that Hunter dies during a raid, what are you going to tell his family?" "Now, now, that's a rather grim thing to say..." "It means Hunter Sung Jin-Woo is in that much danger. Look. His hospitalization records. It's practically a miracle he's survived this long." "..."
After scanning the documents I had brought for a moment, the section chief looked up.
"So you're saying the Association needs to take action to prevent Mr. Sung Jin-Woo from continuing his Hunter activities?" "Yes, that's right."
Because if he kept working as a Hunter, he would eventually die.
"You do understand this Hunter's circumstances, and you're still saying this?"
I nodded. I knew that his mother was in the intensive care unit and could not survive a single day without life support. I also knew that he could receive medical subsidies because he was active as an Association-afflicted Hunter.
"But there is no precedent of someone with Shadow Extraction Disease waking up again. A living person shouldn't die for someone who's already dead."
Even now, countless people were dying of Shadow Extraction Disease. It was tragic, but I couldn't keep pushing him to the edge for the sake of his mother indefinitely. He had to be saved too. Despite my section chief's objections and arguments, I never once wavered. Finally, the section chief nodded.
"Fine."
My face immediately brightened, and the section chief added:
"But only if you personally persuade Hunter Sung Jin-Woo. If he agrees to quit, we'll go through with it."
That was what I had steeled myself for. I had never once intended to force him out without his consent. Now the hardest step lay ahead.
"Understood."
I nodded to my section chief with a resolute expression.
* * *
Had I ever worked this hard at anything in my life? That was the kind of thought I had as I prepared mountains of material. Not because I was giving some grand presentation before important people or studying for a difficult exam—but to persuade one single person: Hunter Sung Jin-Woo.
"He's twenty-three... six years younger than me. Basically a kid."
Thanks to my thorough preparation, I felt reasonably confident. I had plenty of grounds and evidence to rebuke his recklessness that was driving him toward death—laid out right in front of me. I planned to leaf through the materials one by one and lay out exactly why he needed to quit being a Hunter. I would even throw in a lecture about how his own life was as precious as his mother's. The café door chimed, and the face I had only seen in profile photos stepped inside. The moment I saw him, I froze. He looked around the café, spotted me, and slowly took the seat across from me.
"Hello."
To him, who had offered me a greeting, I could not bring myself to utter a single one of the words I had prepared.
* * *
"We've been there too."
I drained the soju glass the section chief had pushed toward me in one gulp, my face scrunched in a grimace. Whether it was the bitterness of the soju or the weight in my heart, my crumpled expression refused to ease.
"But... Section Chief, you know, it's just not right. A twenty-three-year-old shouldn't have eyes like that."
I had at least expected that the Hunter called Sung Jin-Woo would show up either brimming with confidence that he would survive, or wearing an expression that said he was looking for someone to talk him out of it. Whichever side he stood on, I was confident I could persuade him. But Sung Jin-Woo was different. He appeared to fully grasp his own situation. He was trembling with fear, yet his faint smile suggested he was barely holding it together. How—how could I push the back of a man who had just barely overcome his own terror off the edge of a cliff? I couldn't do it. And I realized I couldn't blame my superiors for a failure that was mine alone. The section chief, silently refilling my soju glass, asked offhandedly:
"Why did you join the Hunter's Association?" "I..."
The moment that first made me think I wanted to help Hunters. I lowered my head and recalled that day.
"When I was young, I saw a news story. It was about a Hunter who had tried to rescue comrades trapped in a Gate, only to end up trapped himself."
The footage of Hunters lying on the ground, covered in blood, groaning inside an amusement park that should have been full of laughter and enjoyment. I had been curious.
"Those people were bleeding and risking everything to save others—so who saves them?"
My parents could not answer my question, and that was when I made up my mind. If nobody could help them, then I would be the one to help them. I would do everything in my power so that Hunters would not be hurt or killed.
"But in the end, I'm the same as everyone else."
I had been powerless to do anything at all for Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who was facing a life-or-death crisis. There was nothing I could do. Staring at me as I berated myself, the section chief set down his glass.
"What if there's still something you can do?" "What?"
I looked up. The section chief pulled out a file on a high-ranking Awakened individual from his bag.
"There are people who qualify as high-ranking Awakened individuals but don't become Hunters because they have no interest in the money." "...?" "What if we convinced these people to help out the Association's affiliated Hunters?"
My mind snapped to attention. I looked down at the file the section chief held out.
"B-rank Healing Hunter Lee Joo-Hee..."
A high-ranking healer! If someone like this worked for the Association, we could prevent deaths and serious injuries. Even weak Hunters would be able to fight without worrying about dying. The face of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, as I had seen it that day, flashed through my mind. Seeing my eyes light up, the section chief smiled.
"Well? Want to give it a try?"
I had been staring at the file, but now I nodded vigorously.
"Yes. I'll do it!