Chapter 104 …
The Aftermath Was Obvious.
Pi Sowon snatched the phone from Lee Yuji’s pocket—the reason she’d been clinging to her arm—and left a message for Lee Yugeom using it.
Unlocking the PIN was done with Kwon Ikseong’s help.
“032784, most likely.”
“…How do you know?”
“Just a feeling.”
“If you hadn’t become an investigator… what do you think you’d be doing right now?”
“Are you saying I’d be a criminal?”
“Yeah.”
“I think so too.”
Kwon Ikseong answered without the slightest hesitation.
What an irritating bastard.
Lee Yuji really needed to see this guy’s true colors.
0327 was Lee Yuji’s birthday, and August 4th was Kwon Ikseong’s birthday—but Pi Sowon, who knew neither fact, simply unlocked the PIN without question.
Because they’d heard that if her younger brother found out she’d been drinking, he’d worry.
He’d worry she might die.
After hearing that, the two of them decided to become accomplices rather than investigators.
Then they found Lee Yugeom’s messenger chat and left this message:
The team dinner ended late today, so I’m sleeping at the team leader’s place. Go to bed first.
The reply came quickly.
Did you drink?
No. Team leader’s the one who’s really drunk.
Worried he might call, Pi Sowon quickly sent the message.
For siblings who supposedly weren’t that close, the instant reply said everything.
The part about the younger brother worrying wasn’t a lie.
And—
‘In case it happens again.’
That worry wasn’t unfounded either.
“Use that great intuition of yours and answer this. When he says ‘in case it happens again,’ does he mean he’s worried because Yuji’s parents passed away… or—”
Pi Sowon couldn’t finish the sentence.
With an annoyed expression, she rolled down the taxi’s rear window.
Cold wind scattered her hair.
The tension in her neck showed as she clenched her jaw.
She desperately wanted a cigarette.
Pi Sowon fiddled with the vitamin stick in her pocket.
The reason she—who had quit smoking long ago—was feeling the urge again was because of what happened after Lee Yuji was found in the unreported dungeon.
Lee Yuji.
This damn partner kept throwing herself into dangerous scenes—and solving them.
Pi Sowon wanted to stop her, yet couldn’t.
[“She’s kind of like that. If I had to put it badly… she’s a bit of a show-off. If I put it nicely, she’s just overflowing with justice. But you know how it is here. The good ones are the first to get hit with stones.”]
Because of those words.
She couldn’t stop Lee Yuji’s sense of justice.
Because she knew what it was Yuji had wanted to protect all this time—even if it meant giving up the exercise she’d done for years.
That was what had sustained this kid until now.
And it kept reminding her of Han Sueop.
If she followed her heart, she’d drag Yuji in and slap her with disciplinary action under some procedural excuse, just to force her to rest for a few days.
But Lee Yuji still showed up to work the very next day—bruised and injured all over.
All while nervously watching Pi Sowon’s mood.
And yet what?
‘I’m worried about you?’
No way.
Pi Sowon was worried about herself.
About herself wandering again after losing another partner.
“We’re almost there. Get out first. I’ll carry her.”
“I’ll carry her. Anyway—your answer?”
The car stopped. Kwon Ikseong handed his card to the driver and glanced at Pi Sowon.
“You already know the answer, don’t you?”
What an irritating guy.
Thinking that, Pi Sowon glared at him and gently shook Lee Yuji.
Yuji pouted and mumbled:
“I seriously… don’t die, you know. Everything I do is so I won’t die. I’m just bad at explaining. It’s frustrating, okay? So could you just… cut me some slack? My head’s basically bulletproof. I didn’t even wear headgear during sparring…”
Pi Sowon sighed.
“There’s no one in this world who doesn’t die.”
She had once lost someone who seemed absolutely impossible to kill.
After replying shortly, she flicked Yuji on the forehead.
“Ah!”
“Bulletproof head, huh? Get on my back.”
Barely regaining some awareness from the stinging flick, Lee Yuji was finally carried onto Pi Sowon’s back.
That was what happened last night.
* * *
And now, today.
While I sat there with a troubled expression, my fragmented memories swirling, Pi Sowon checked her phone.
“News just dropped.”
“What news?”
She showed the screen to Kwon Ikseong and me.
A breaking headline was displayed.
President Baek upgrades the ‘Hunter Investigation Unit’ to the ‘Hunter Investigation Bureau.’ Ministry of the Interior completes review swiftly.
“Our Section Chief Hong is about to become Director.”
…!
Wow, that actually happened.
When the special team—including me—got our special promotions, I’d roughly expected something like this, but I didn’t think the organizational upgrade would happen this fast.
“Faster than expected,” Kwon Ikseong said.
“Well, thanks to someone, the public opinion campaign went great.”
Pi Sowon glanced at me.
I had nothing to say.
It was true the unit got attention thanks to me stirring up that local government head.
And since that guy had undeniably turned out to be a smuggler, even the opposition party—the Korea Party—had nothing left to say.
Meaning even if the President backed the Hunter Investigation Unit, political attacks would be difficult.
“Symbolic, right?”
“Hmm. Probably not just symbolic.”
Pi Sowon tilted her head like she’d heard more.
“Normally they should’ve backed the Hunter Management Agency, but instead they skipped them and ordered our unit upgraded directly through the Ministry of the Interior. That means the President’s will is in it.”
Oh… shit.
Things were getting pretty burdensome.
Still, once the Hunter Investigation Unit became the Bureau, it would be much harder for the Hunter Management Agency to meddle.
And we probably wouldn’t get dragged into ridiculous terror attempts like before.
‘Though from now on, we’ll probably be more shaken by political issues.’
In other words, it was like a local district office employee suddenly becoming a city hall employee.
Regardless of pay grade, it meant we’d now be working under politicians rather than as simple civil servants.
“Our duties will change too.”
“What kind of duties—”
Weren’t we still supposed to be investigating villains?
Just as I was thinking that—
Pi Sowon’s phone rang.
We all saw the caller ID.
“…Why is this guy calling me?”
That bastard Commissioner
Damn, that’s bold.
She really labeled her work phone contact like that.
Pi Sowon answered with a visibly irritated face.
“Yes… Yes…”
Was it even possible to answer a superior’s call with that much annoyance?
Where did she learn that kind of audacity? I wanted to learn it too!
“…Yes?”
Her brow furrowed.
“…Ha… Yes…”
A deep sigh full of irritation and resignation followed.
“Yes… Yes…”
After finishing the entire conversation with six “yes” responses, Pi Sowon hung up.
Then she looked at me.
“Hey. We’re going on GoGo Show.”
“‘We’?”
I stared blankly at her, not understanding.
“What do you mean?”
“You and me. We’re going on GoGo Show.”
“Not Team Leader Kwon?”
“Nope.”
?
I recalled what GoGo Show was.
A TV talk show hosted by the so-called national MC, Shin Gyeongtak.
Usually famous figures appeared, but sometimes citizen heroes or ordinary workers whose vlogs went viral were invited too.
It was the #1 rated variety show in this world.
“Why are we going on that?”
“You know what the number one rule of civil servants is?”
Even as I answered, I hated myself for it.
“…If they tell you to do it, you do it?”
“Correct.”
* * *
And so, two days later, I found myself in the GoGo Show waiting room.
“Hehehe, you see this? I took a photo with Shin Gyeongtak. My daughter’s gonna love this, right?”
Section Chief—no, Director—Hong Jaegyeol looked overjoyed.
Pi Sowon looked at him like he was pathetic.
And beside them stood the Hunter Management Agency Commissioner, wearing a resigned expression.
“You look thrilled. Got your Director title and now you’re flying high, huh?”
“That’s right, sir.”
Hong Jaegyeol answered immediately.
Damn it.
Life as a civil servant is rough.
What’s the point of being Grade 3 when I’m always stuck hanging around Grade 1 officials?
