Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The public service Hunter exam this time caused quite a stir.

During the practical exam, Level 6 Assistant Official Im Haecheol had been utterly crushed by an applicant.

He had reached Level 4 and was a talent whose promotion to Level 5 was already guaranteed for next year.

And yet, he had fallen without managing to do a single thing.

Choi Junho, who had appeared like a comet, had already subdued the Unlock gang that had attacked a bank, and was building a connection with Jung Dahyun of the Villain Task Force.

He was the emergence of a talent estimated at Level 4, potentially even Level 5 depending on circumstances.

His age was just 25.

From the government's standpoint—struggling with talent drain every year—he was someone they absolutely had to recruit.

The ethics section of the public service Hunter exam was meant to gauge a minimal sense of justice and the direction a candidate pursued. This exam had never played a decisive role before.

But now it was about to.

The reason for the discord among them was simple.

The debate over civilian safety versus villain subjugation stemmed from Choi Junho's written answer.

"Are we really supposed to pass him?"

One judge, unable to hold back any longer, held up Choi Junho's answer sheet.

[A public service Hunter's duty is the safety of the greatest number of citizens. Eliminating a single villain can keep at least a hundred citizens safe, so eliminating as many villains as possible leads to the protection of civilian safety. Considering that a villain who succeeds in even one crime inflicts exponentially greater harm after 'Awakening of Malice,' it is desirable to prioritize villain subjugation even if some sacrifice occurs······.]

"This is not the mindset a public service Hunter should have! No, even Hunters belonging to major corporations shouldn't have this mindset! This is extremism—literally the mindset of a villain!"

"Is there any reason to put it so极端ly? It seems to me he wrote his answer to protect as many citizens as possible."

"What? You're saying we should pass someone who casually mentions sacrificing a minority?"

"And if we don't pass him? If we fail him, it's obvious a major corporation will happily snap him up."

"Then let them!"

"You're saying we should let a talent that's come into the nation's arms just walk away?"

The judges could hardly narrow their differences.

That was how radical the ideology in Choi Junho's answer sheet was.

It was a middle-aged man quietly watching from a corner who put a stop to the shouting match.

"The National Guard Bureau will take responsibility and take him in."

"······!"

The man with a towering frame was Director Jung Juho, the head of the National Guard Bureau.

He was one of the top five public service Hunters in terms of ability, and the highest-ranking person in this room.

"A well-forged blade is different depending on how it's used. I'm aware that applicant Choi Junho's ideology is dangerous, but according to Official Jung Dahyun, he accepts advice from those around him and possesses a burning sense of justice. We'll take him in and forge him into a sharp blade."

"······."

With Jung Juho saying so, there were no further objections.

* * *

One hour later.

Jung Juho, having returned to the office, spotted Jung Dahyun approaching as if she had been waiting.

"Director, how did it go?"

"How did you know the answer sheet would be a problem?"

"Rather than knowing, I thought his ideology was unusual enough that it might cause issues. I guess I was right."

"For now, we've told them we'll take him."

"That's good."

Jung Juho sank into his chair as if burying himself in it. Then he looked at Jung Dahyun with tired eyes.

"Jung Dahyun. Jung Dahyun."

"Yes."

Jung Dahyun answered, her smile gone.

"I saw the answer sheet. He's not a normal one."

"I know. I saw how he subdued Unlock."

"Can you handle him?"

"I can. And you know as well as I do that the number of villains grows by the day. With the current manual, we can't reduce their numbers any further. If that's the case······."

Jung Dahyun paused briefly, her eyes sharpening.

"We need to bring in a sharp blade. Even if my hand gets cut."

Jung Juho shook his head at the madness behind her words.

"You say you'll do it, so how could I stop you. Just don't let it swing you around."

"Of course."

"And don't swing it too hard."

"Do you really think I would, Director?"

"Yeah. You're more than capable of it."

"I told you, I'm different from before."

"Is being different why you're bringing in that sharp blade?"

Under Jung Juho's piercing gaze, Jung Dahyun turned her head away.

"Because it'd be a waste to leave it anywhere else."

"Anyway, I've done what I can. The rest is up to you."

"Yes."

* * *

"You actually passed?"

"Yeah."

"······."

Yunhee's bizarre expression stirred up the urge to tease her. If I took a photo with my phone right now, she'd probably throw a fit, wouldn't she? Still, should I try it once?

While I was seriously debating it, the girl kept muttering with a shocked look on her face.

"I feel like my common sense is collapsing. To pass after writing an answer like that······."

"Guess it suited their tastes."

"Even for a public service Hunter, to condone such a radical answer······."

"Anyway."

There was no point in dwelling on it further. I'd passed, and that was what mattered.

Now I was a proper public servant too.

"I passed the exam, so let's go eat something good. What do you want?"

"A ghost that eats well is a fine-looking ghost, so let's eat. I want beef ribs!"

"Alright, let's get that."

My little sister and I went to a nearby beef rib restaurant for dinner. At first she couldn't believe I'd passed, but before I knew it, she'd shifted to acting like I'd passed thanks to her—I was left speechless.

After finishing the meal and having a cup of coffee at a café, she said as we headed home.

"Oh, and help me prepare for my exam."

"Exam?"

"Yeah. I think I can pass easily, but the results haven't been good. I think it'd help a lot if you helped me. Please?"

"I'll help."

"Really?"

"Yeah. With your skills, you can definitely pass. You just need to pick up a few tricks."

"Really? If I pass, I'll treat you to something good."

"Sure."

My sister, who in my past life never got to bloom her talent because of me.

For her sake at least, I plan to help her pass. That was the least apology I could offer.

"Why are you making that face? It's gross."

"······."

I guess this is how my little sister shows affection?

* * *

"I'm Choi Junho, the new recruit."

On my first day of work, I dressed in a suit and reported to the National Guard Bureau.

I thought it was a fairly stiff greeting, but the response was heated.

"Ooh! A new recruit!"

"Finally, some fresh blood for us too!"

While there were those who welcomed me—

"Is that him? The one who made a fool of Im Haecheol?"

"Just looking at his face, he doesn't seem like that kind of talent at all."

"It's not just luck, is it?"

There were also eyes watching me with doubt about my abilities. What should I do in a situation like this? Should I grab them one by one and crush them to show my skill?

That seemed like it would annihilate the National Guard Bureau itself, so I ruled it out.

While I was wondering how to earn their acknowledgment, an irritating voice wormed into my ear.

"What's all this commotion about some hotshot showing up? Don't you know it's work hours?"

"······."

The atmosphere turned cold as if doused with ice water. What emerged from among the people was a middle-aged man—short in stature, balding, with a hooked nose and narrow eyes set in a plump frame.

"I'm Wang Juyeol, Team Leader of the Special Team."

"Choi Junho."

"The natural posture of a new recruit is to not get cocky and quietly observe. Don't get cocky, and treat your seniors' words like the heavens. That's all you need to do."

The greed filling his narrow eyes was palpable. He stared me down as if trying to pressure me and said,

"Your answer?"

"Is that what a public service Hunter does?"

"What we do? I suppose so. Hunter or whatever, in the end you're a public servant. Being a public service Hunter means having a sense of belonging to the organization and obeying your superiors. Isn't that right?"

Instead of answering, I quietly looked at Wang Juyeol.

It was clearly a name I had no connection to, yet strangely it stuck in my memory.

That's when a familiar voice came from behind.

"That's enough."

"Oh! Official Jung Dahyun! Are you going to ignore even your Team Leader because you're a parachuted-in hire?"

"I've never ignored you."

"Really? Then why do I feel ignored?"

Wang Juyeol sneered openly.

"That's your misconception, Team Leader. I'll escort Junho. Let's go."

"Do whatever you like. Anyway, new recruit, you'd better keep my words in mind."

"······."

I stared at Wang Juyeol for a moment, then followed Jung Dahyun as she pulled me by the arm.

Wang Juyeol. Wang Juyeol.

Aside from family, there are only two kinds of names I remember.

People who died by my hand, or people who deserved to die.

After following Jung Dahyun and greeting the people of the National Guard Bureau, we moved to a café in the building.

Having been dredging my memory all the while, I looked at Jung Dahyun. Even with barely any makeup, her beauty shone.

She could gain wealth and fame without having to busy herself on the front lines. I was curious about the source of her sense of justice. Especially given the current situation.

"Are you not on good terms with Team Leader Wang?"

"Watch your words."

Rarely startled, Jung Dahyun glanced around and lowered her voice.

"Team Leader Wang's standing within the National Guard Bureau is considerable. So you need to be careful of your surroundings when bringing things up."

"I'm saying this because I know no one's around."

"As you can see. He doesn't like me because I poke around here and there."

Wang Juyeol practically reeked of corruption. I could roughly guess what kind of man he was.

"If he's corrupt, why not arrest him?"

"···There's no evidence."

"If there's no evidence, does that mean you can't catch him?"

"Because that's the rule. Without evidence, he's not a suspect—he's a superior."

It was quite different from what I knew. Back when I was a villain, crimes I hadn't even committed were added to my record.

I still remembered Oh Jongyeop, who used to follow me around, cackling and calling me Blood-Drinking Hong Gildong—Pimahong—for appearing here and there in a flash and drinking blood.

Something about how a hundred-time offender becoming a hundred-and-one-time offender made no difference.

"I understand."

"You'll be moving with me for the time being, Junho. If you're curious about anything or don't understand something, ask me."

"Understood."

"And there's a welcome party scheduled for today."

"A welcome party?"

"You're the first new recruit in a long while."

"So no one wants to come here."

"To be honest, yes. The Villain Task Force is extremely dangerous."

Then she watched my reaction. Even without her saying it, I knew from Yunhee. The National Guard Bureau's prestige was high, but the standards for accepting new personnel were extremely strict.

If there was an opening, there was an opening—but anyone below standard couldn't even set foot inside. The grueling workload and danger added to that.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance."

"It's fine. I know it's dangerous."

"Really?"

"It's the department that arrests villains, so of course it's dangerous."

Naturally, public service Hunters assigned here needed skill and a sense of mission to arrest villains. And among public service Hunters, such talents were few.

That was my thinking, but Jung Dahyun seemed to have been quite worried.

"I'm glad you understand. Phew!"

"I look forward to working with you, Dahyun."

"Yes, Junho."

After coffee, we went up to the office and I started learning my duties. Starting with simple document review, then looking over the National Guard Bureau's internal structure and organization charts—before I knew it, time had flown and it was the end of the workday.

After clocking out, the place I found myself drawn to was a premium hanwoo restaurant.

"Alright, then—to welcome our new recruit."

"Cheers!"

The boisterous welcome party was held in the safest central district in the city.

"······."

I quietly watched my new colleagues let their guard down and drink and eat to their hearts' content.

Eating and drinking with complete ease. To someone like me, who was always being chased and had been isolated from the city's splendor, it was unfamiliar.

Ironically, this feeling made me realize I had set foot inside this world.

Jung Dahyun came over to my side.

"They're good people."

"Is that so."

"Yes. The basic pay and incentives are far from enough. The work is hard, and you're exposed to danger. Even so, they throw themselves into it out of a sense of duty."

In the end, I knew they were nothing but moths to a flame. They conform to the organization and act with a sense of justice.

I had no intention of mocking them, but no intention of sympathizing either. In the end, Jung Dahyun was the same—she had come to kill me and died by my hand.

If she hadn't had conviction, she wouldn't have stepped up knowing she was outmatched.

The reason I became a public service Hunter is to stay within the framework of public authority. I want to avoid the experience of being chased and having my mind worn away.

And yet, I never know when the monster inside me might show itself. I want to live ordinarily, like now.

What broke the mood that was about to turn serious was the appearance of Jung Juho, the man in charge of the National Guard Bureau.

"What are you all talking about so seriously? Here, new recruit! Take a drink."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. You'll be working hard for us from now on."

With a flushed face, he poured a generous amount of liquor into my glass.

"Alright, since today's the new recruit's welcome party, shall we take some time to get to know him?"

"You mean about me?"

"Yes! You're colleagues who'll have each other's backs, so you should know each other well. What's the new recruit good at?"

"What I'm good at."

I paused for a moment. Before I knew it, everyone's eyes were focused on me.

Come to think of it, I'd been intoxicated by greed and lost my mind, and failed to protect my family. My flaws are clear. I have no patience.

So what are my strengths? What I'm good at. The experience I gained as the Blood Lord was, in the end, my strength. After organizing my thoughts, I opened my mouth.

"I'm confident in pursuit, survival, and escape. I have good eyes. I can pick out villains. Above all, what I'm most confident in is······."

Just then, my eyes met Wang Juyeol's.

For some reason, a smile spread across my face.

"Slaughter."

"······."

Killing someone—that is what I do best.

What I'm least confident in is capturing a target alive without injuring them.

"Finding and killing villains—I'm more confident in that than anyone. Please trust me with it from now on, Director."

"···Alright."

Jung Juho had wiped every trace of tipsiness from his face. His eyes had gone hard as he held out his glass.

Smiling, I clinked my glass against his and downed it in one shot.

But everyone's eyes were on me.

Did I do something wrong?