ISAELD 08

Chapter 8 Choice for the Future (２)

Now that the direction was set, continuing to live in this studio apartment was out of the question.

First, he needed to move to a more comfortable environment, and the seed money for that was already sitting in his pocket.

‘S-Rank hunters really are on another level.’

He was realizing that anew.

Not a private corporation, but a government institution.

And not even the main Hunter Management Bureau, but a subsidiary organization—the Abnormal Disaster Countermeasure Bureau—yet the signing bonus alone had brought in three billion won in cash, all at once.

An exceptionally large sum for a public-sector hunter, one that had reportedly required additional budget allocation from the national government.

That was how significant it was for a government-affiliated institution to have an S-Rank hunter, but the unfamiliarity of it all was unavoidable.

‘Before the regression, this would have been beyond my wildest dreams.’

Starting as a D-Rank hunter and scraping his way up to C-Rank.

Even reaching the position of exploration team leader, it hadn’t been a profession that paid overwhelmingly well for one that risked life and limb—that was the past.

And yet, in an instant, everything had changed.

As someone had said, it was a moment of life reversal, and there were times when accepting it wasn’t easy.

Of course, there was no time to be buried in such sentiments.

“It’s so biiig…!”

He had moved to an apartment in the Gangbuk Seo-gu Area, close to the Countermeasure Bureau where he’d be commuting and near a school.

A seventy-six-square-meter south-facing new build—not large, but clean, with a living room and two bedrooms.

There was a room for Se-gi to call her own as she grew, a living room where they could spend time together, and large windows that let in plenty of sunlight.

“We’re going to live here now!?”

“Yeah, this is our home from now on. Do you like it, Se-gi?”

“So much! It’s like a palace!”

“And that makes Se-gi a princess?”

“And Daddy’s a hero!”

In a child’s world, that seemed to be exactly what was happening.

After all, compared to the shabby thirteen-square-meter studio they’d been in, how enormous this place must feel.

Environment had a profound impact on child-rearing.

A gentle, kind disposition was something that emerged from an environment with nothing to sharpen its edges.

After all, wasn’t that the very reason he had once been obsessed with keeping his child well-fed?

Having grown up feeling a lack in everything, the young Jung-woo had believed that children who could have whatever they wanted were happy.

Of course, that was no longer the case.

‘She needs to be loved enough.’

Emotional richness mattered more than material abundance.

Those who knew what it felt like to be loved knew how to love.

That was something shaped by one’s given circumstances, so if Jung-woo had a role to fulfill, he believed it was to hold Se-gi more, to love her more abundantly.

And so, he scooped Se-gi up in his arms and asked.

“Should we unpack later and eat first? What do you want to eat, Se-gi?”

“Fish cakes!”

“You can have something more expensive than that, you know?”

“Fish cakes!”

Se-gi added brightly.

“I like the fish cakes Daddy makes for me!”

Though all he did was heat up a retort pack in the microwave.

Why she preferred that, he wasn’t sure.

It might have been a leap, but…

‘…the days fish cakes showed up were the days I sat at the table with her.’

Maybe that was why she liked them.

Se-gi was a bright and cheerful child, but there were times when she couldn’t quite hide her melancholy about being left alone.

She had learned to hold back her sadness far too early.

Traces like these—ones that made his heart ache—were scattered throughout Se-gi’s words and behavior.

Facing the child who stared at him with round eyes.

Jung-woo spoke, hoping such moments would never come to Se-gi again.

“Se-gi. How about hamburger steak, then?”

“Hm?”

Se-gi blinked.

She didn’t seem to know what that was.

It dawned on him then—a child could only know the world in proportion to what she had experienced, so there was still so much for her to learn.

And the thought that he might be able to give her an unfamiliar joy made Jung-woo decide.

“Let’s go to the mart. We’ll cook together, just you and me. Today.”

And so, Jung-woo left the house with a still-bewildered Se-gi in tow.

It was a joyful time.

【”Children need new experiences!” Let’s go grocery shopping together! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! [Great Caregiver (4/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

【”Children love sweet things!” The child receives as many snacks as she wants! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! [Great Caregiver (5/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

【”A child’s world is a new adventure every moment! And adventures need companions!” The child receives a toy doll! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! [Great Caregiver (6/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

While they were doing things at the mart, the quest progress steadily climbed.

Regardless of how helpful this would actually be, he felt something each time a notification popped up.

‘It feels like I’m being praised for doing a good job.’

And that wasn’t bad at all.

At the same time, one realization.

‘Repeating the same action doesn’t count toward quest progress. I need to bring Se-gi joy in new ways each time.’

The structure grew increasingly difficult, but that was only natural.

If a system existed where you could grind quests through your daughter, the purpose of the aptitude would become rather strange, wouldn’t it?

In any case, he had already filled more than half.

The new skill was most likely an additional summon slot.

‘Skill quests of the same type tend to have similar reward patterns.’

He’d find out when the time came.

He left his thoughts about the aptitude at that.

Because there was a far greater harvest right before him.

“Is the hamburger steak delicious?”

“It’s delish!!!”

【”Cooking class with your child! Making food yourself is also play for a child, you know?” The child learns to cook! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! [Great Caregiver (7/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

Today, Se-gi’s favorite dish had changed.

The media always craved issues.

The newer, more shocking, or more story-rich the issue, the more the public went wild.

From that perspective, the hottest topic of late was the three syllables of the hunter name Shin Jung-woo.

Jung-woo’s appointment to the Abnormal Disaster Countermeasure Bureau.

The news had spread quietly among insiders, but with no official statement from the Bureau, the credibility of the reports was being questioned.

As a result, the only information surfacing online was speculative posts at best.

[Story time: spotted Shin Jung-woo at the mart. Was grocery shopping with a kid. Tall, legs are fucking long. Kid’s cute.]

└ Yet another sighting claimant pops up;

└ This one might be legit? A paparazzi shot went up recently then got deleted

└ Heard he moved to western Gangbuk

└ ??? The Abnormal Disaster Countermeasure Bureau is the real deal? Thought it was BS since there was no follow-up coverage?

└ Whoa if it’s real, property values there are gonna skyrocket lmaooo

└ Local residents’ mysterious real estate win lmaooo

[But why did Shin Jung-woo go there? If it’s real, that’s incredibly shocking]

└ Maybe he’s interested in research?

└ Even so, he would’ve gone to a corporation. A government facility is a real shock lmaooo

└ Shock aside, that’s cool. He’s after something beyond money. I’d never go to a place like that even if you killed me lmaooo

└ True, isn’t he basically the only government S-Rank?

└ Right, the First Bureau Chief was classified as missing, but it’s pretty much the same as dead…

Sighting reports that couldn’t be verified.

And from them, a chorus of voices full of questions.

With nothing but news that couldn’t be definitively confirmed, frustration was mounting.

If the waiting public felt that way, how much more so the reporters who had to dig up the news?

They had been staking out the Abnormal Disaster Countermeasure Bureau building for days on end.

Not a single one of them looked anything less than disheveled.

Their routine over the past few days had been simple.

Like a band of homeless people in a metropolis, they would squat against the wall with dead eyes, then poke their heads out like a colony of meerkats whenever a person or car passed in or out of the building, only to be disappointed and duck back down—over and over.

One reporter let out a deep sigh.

“Hunter Shin Jung-woo… when’s he going to show up…”

“At this rate, I’m going to turn into a grandma. Senior.”

“It’s confirmed, right? Hunter Shin Jung-woo is really coming to the Bureau?”

“That much is certain. If it were just rumors, why would the major broadcasting stations have their top people staked out here for days?”

The junior reporter was right.

If it were mere gossip, the major broadcasting networks—already entangled with insiders—wouldn’t have deployed all their veteran reporters to stake out the location.

The information itself couldn’t be wrong, so they were simply waiting for an arrival day that might come at any moment.

But they were growing weary.

“He has to come. Only then do we get our incentives and…”

“At this point, I just want to go home early…”

After their gloomy exchange, the two chewed on sweet red bean buns.

At this point, even the smell of red bean made them sick to their stomachs.

That was when it happened.

Bureureureureung—!

At the sound of a vehicle, every single reporter popped their head up—Ppaekkom!—without exception.

It was a remarkable sight, courtesy of the human meerkats.

Was it really Shin Jung-woo this time?

Could they finally go home?

They swelled with anticipation, and as had been the case every time before, it deflated in an instant.

“Ah, it’s a compact car.”

“A budget domestic model…”

“No way Hunter Shin Jung-woo would ride in something like that, right?”

“Right. He’s S-Rank. Young, too. Besides, the whole thing started with the intel that the budget for his recruitment fee was allocated. He must have billions on hand—surely he’d at least drive a sedan?”

A boxy white used compact car rumbled into the Bureau grounds.

The reporters, who had craned their necks stiffly, shrank back like wilting leaves once more.

They didn’t know yet.

That the person in the car that had just passed by was the very Shin Jung-woo they had been waiting for.

That Jung-woo simply had no interest in cars and had saved his money there instead.

“Ahh… I miss you, Mr. Jung-woo…”

“Keep your voice down. Senior.”

The reporters were withering away again today.

On his first day of work, Jung-woo was busy from the morning.

First, he finished his shower, prepared a simple breakfast, woke Se-gi, fed the half-asleep child, washed her, and got her dressed.

After that, he dressed in a suit, got in the car, and dropped Se-gi off at daycare.

“Have a good day!”

“Yeah, you listen to your teacher, Se-gi. And don’t fight with your friends.”

“Okay!”

“Please take good care of our Se-gi, ma’am. If any issues come up, please contact me right away.”

“Y-yes, y-yes…! H-Hunter Shin Jung-woo, a-absolutely…!”

There was an incident where the daycare teacher froze up completely, but Jung-woo figured they’d get used to each other over time.

After that, he headed to the Countermeasure Bureau and entered the facility.

Stepping out of the car, Jung-woo let out a long breath.

‘From here on.’

He had to rewrite all of history.

It was still a long and daunting road, but that was no reason to be discouraged before even starting.

Jung-woo entered the Bureau building.

‘The departments here…’

The Abnormal Disaster Countermeasure Bureau was divided into three departments: Research, Disaster Detection, and Field Operations.

Plus the Command Division that oversaw them all.

Jung-woo belonged to the Command Division, without question.

As Korea’s sixth S-Rank and simultaneously the only active government-affiliated S-Rank, there was no way they could place him at the bottom of some department.

For Jung-woo, that was actually a good thing.

‘It makes accessing data easier.’

There was no time to do his job half-heartedly.

But just as important as his duties was reviewing various research data related to gates and directing new research based on that data.

Above all, before any of that.

‘The Hunter Management Bureau.’

He had to bring it down.

Two years earlier than in the original history.

Of course, whatever the case, this was still a workplace, so he needed to start by blending into the group.

‘Would they appreciate it if I brought coffee?’

He’d heard the Command Division had five people including himself.

Thinking he should at least hand out coffee and introduce himself for their first meeting, he stepped into the Command Division inside the building.