IDSTD 08

Chapter 8

A Choice for the Future (2)

Now that he had decided on his policy, he could not keep living in this studio apartment forever.

First of all, he needed to move to a more comfortable place, and fortunately, he now had the seed money for it in his pocket.

‘S-Class Hunters really are different.’

He felt it once again.

It was not even a private company, but a government agency.

And although it was not the main Hunter Management Bureau, but an affiliated organization called the Anomalous Disaster Response Bureau, he had received around 3 billion won in cash all at once just as a contract payment for joining.

It was an unusually large amount of money for a government-employed Hunter, and apparently, the plan even included an additional budget allocation from the government.

It meant that having an S-Class Hunter in a government-affiliated organization was that important, but he could not help feeling strange about it.

‘Before my regression, this was something I could never even dream of.’

He had started as a D-Class Hunter and struggled his way up to C-Class.

Even after becoming the leader of an exploration team, he had not earned overwhelmingly large amounts of money considering how dangerous the job was.

But now, everything had changed in an instant.

As someone had said, this really was a moment of turning his life around, so there were still times when it was difficult for him to fully accept it.

Of course, he had no time to become absorbed in such feelings.

“It’s biiiiig…!”

He had moved into an apartment in the western part of Gangbuk, close to the Response Bureau where he would work and with a school nearby.

It was a clean, south-facing newly built apartment.

It was not huge, at 23 pyeong, but it had one living room and two bedrooms.

There was a room that growing Se-gi could use by herself, a living room where they could spend time together, and large windows that let in plenty of sunlight.

“We live here now!?”

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

“Very much! It’s like a palace!”

“Then Se-gi is a princess?”

“Daddy is a warrior!”

It seemed that such things were happening in the child’s world.

Well, compared to the shabby studio apartment that had been barely four pyeong, how large must this place feel to her?

The environment had a huge influence on raising a child.

A gentle and kind personality came from an environment where there was little reason to become bitter.

After all, wasn’t that the reason he had once been obsessed with making sure his child had enough to eat?

When Jeong-woo was young and always felt that he lacked something, he had thought that children who could have whatever they wanted were the happy ones.

But he no longer thought that way.

‘She needs to be loved enough.’

Emotional abundance was more important than material abundance.

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

Since that was something greatly affected by one’s environment, Jeong-woo thought that if he had been given a role, it was to hug Se-gi more and love her more.

So he picked Se-gi up and asked,

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

“Donggeurangttaeng!”

“We can eat something more expensive than that.”

“Donggeurangttaeng!”

Se-gi added brightly,

“I like the donggeurangttaeng Daddy makes!”

It was nothing more than retort food heated in the microwave.

Why she liked it more than anything else, he wondered.

It might have been a leap in logic, but…

‘The days when donggeurangttaeng came out were the days I sat at the table with her.’

Maybe that was why she liked it.

Se-gi was a very bright and cheerful child, but sometimes she could not completely hide the sadness she felt when she was left alone.

She had learned how to endure sadness far too early.

Those traces that made his heart ache were scattered throughout Se-gi’s words and actions.

As he faced the child staring directly at him with her round eyes,

Jeong-woo wished that Se-gi would never have such moments again, and said,

“Se-gi. Then how about hamburger steak?”

“Huh?”

Se-gi blinked.

She seemed not to know what that was.

That was when he realized that a child was at an age where she only knew as much of the world as she had experienced, which meant there was still so much for her to learn.

And thinking that he might be able to give his daughter unfamiliar joys as well, Jeong-woo made up his mind.

“Let’s go to the supermarket. Daddy and you can cook together. Today.”

And so Jeong-woo left the house with Se-gi, who was still looking puzzled.

It was a fun time.

【“Children need new experiences!” You go grocery shopping together! One Praise Sticker is given! [Wonderful Parent (4/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

【“Children love sweet things!” The child gets as many snacks as she wants! One Praise Sticker is given! [Wonderful Parent (5/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

【“A child’s world is a new adventure every moment! Adventures need companions!” The child gets a stuffed toy! One Praise Sticker is given! [Wonderful Parent (6/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

While doing various things at the supermarket, the progress of his quests continued to increase.

Regardless of how useful this would eventually be, there was something he felt every time an alert appeared.

‘It feels like someone is praising me for doing well.’

He did not dislike it.

At the same time, he realized one thing.

‘Repeating the same action doesn’t count toward the number of quests. I have to give Se-gi joy in a new way every time.’

The difficulty was increasing as he went along, but that was only natural.

If he could simply grind quests by repeatedly doing the same thing with his daughter, wouldn’t the purpose of the aptitude become too strange?

Anyway, he had already filled more than half of it.

The new skill was likely to be an increase in the number of summoning slots.

‘When it comes to skill quests, rewards tend to have a similar context when they’re the same type.’

He would find out when the time came.

That was as far as he thought about the aptitude.

There was something much more important that he had gained right now.

“Is the hamburger steak delicious?”

“It’s yummy!!!”

【“A Cooking Class with Your Child! The experience of making food herself is also play for a child!” The child learns how to cook! One Praise Sticker is given! [Wonderful Parent (7/10)] Collect stickers to unlock skills!】

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

The media always wanted an issue.

And the newer, more shocking, or more interesting the issue was, the more excited the public became.

From that perspective, the hottest topic lately was the three syllables of a Hunter’s name: Shin Jeong-woo.

Jeong-woo’s appointment to the Anomalous Disaster Response Bureau.

It was news that had spread quietly among the people involved, but since the Response Bureau had not yet made an official statement, the credibility of the reports was being questioned.

As a result, the only news appearing online was speculation.

[Spotted Shin Jeong-woo at a supermarket. He was shopping with a kid. He’s tall, legs are damn long. The kid is cute.]

└ Another alleged eyewitness;

└ This one is probably real? A paparazzi shot came out and was deleted recently.

└ I heard he moved to western Gangbuk.

└ ??? The Anomalous Disaster Response Bureau is really official? I thought it was fake because there was no follow-up report?

└ Wow, if that’s true, land prices around there are gonna skyrocket lol

└ Random neighborhood residents: unexpected real estate victory lol

[But why did Shin Jeong-woo go there? If it’s true, that’s insanely shocking.]

└ Maybe he’s interested in research?

└ Even if he was, he would’ve gone to a company. A government facility is seriously shocking lol

└ Setting aside the shock, it’s cool. It means there’s something he wants to do besides money. If it were me, I wouldn’t go there even if I were paid lol

└ Agreed. Isn’t he basically the only active S-Class government Hunter?

└ Right. The first director was officially listed as missing, but that’s basically the same as being dead….

Unconfirmed eyewitness reports.

And from there, several voices filled with questions branched out.

As only news that could not be confidently declared as “This is it!” continued to appear, people’s frustration was growing.

The public waiting for the news must have felt that way, but what about the reporters who actually had to bring them the news?

They had been staking out the building of the Anomalous Disaster Response Bureau for several days.

There was not a single reporter who did not look filthy.

Their daily routine over the past few days was simple.

They would crouch against the wall with dead eyes, like a group of homeless people in a major city.

Then, whenever a person or car came in or out of the building, they would stick their heads out like a group of meerkats, only to slump back down in disappointment.

One reporter let out a deep sigh.

“Hunter Shin Jeong-woo… When is he going to show up…?”

“At this rate, I’m going to become an old lady, sunbae.”

“It’s official, right? Hunter Shin Jeong-woo is really coming to the Response Bureau, right?”

“That’s certain. If it were just a rumor, why would the main broadcasting stations have their top reporters here for several days?”

The junior was right.

If it were merely a rumor, even the major broadcasting stations, which would already have connections with insiders, would not have sent all their experienced reporters here to stake out the place.

There was no way the information itself was wrong, so they were waiting for a workday that they did not even know the date of.

But they were slowly getting tired.

“He has to come. He has to come so we can get our incentive and—”

“I just want to go home early now…”

After their gloomy conversation, the two reporters chewed on red bean bread.

By now, they were sick of the smell of red beans alone.

Then it happened.

Brrrrrrr―!

At the sound of a car, every reporter stuck their head out.

It was a spectacular sight created by human meerkats.

Was it really Shin Jeong-woo this time?

Could they finally go home?

They became filled with anticipation, but as had happened every time until now, it quickly faded away.

“Ah, it’s a compact car.”

“A basic domestic model….”

“Even so, Hunter Shin Jeong-woo wouldn’t come in something like that, would he?”

“Of course not. He’s S-Class. He’s young, too. More importantly, didn’t the information that he was coming here start with the news that the budget had been allocated based on his recruitment fee? He must have tens of billions of won. Wouldn’t he at least drive a sedan?”

A white, boxy used compact car went puttering into the Response Bureau.

The reporters, who had been holding their necks stiffly, withered again like drooping grass.

They did not know yet.

That the person inside the car they had just watched pass by was the very Shin Jeong-woo they had been waiting for.

They did not know that Jeong-woo simply had no interest in cars and had chosen to save money in that area.

“Ahhh… I want to see Jeong-woo…”

“Lower your voice, sunbae.”

The reporters continued to wither away today.

On the morning of his first day at work, Jeong-woo was busy from early morning.

First, he took a shower, prepared a simple breakfast, woke Se-gi, fed the half-asleep child, washed her, and changed her clothes.

After that, he put on a suit, got into the car, and drove Se-gi to kindergarten.

“Have a good day!”

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

“Okay!”

“Please take good care of our Se-gi, teacher. If anything happens, please contact me right away.”

“Yesyesyesye…! H-Hunter Shin Jeong-woo. Of course, of course…!”

The kindergarten teacher had completely stiffened up at the sight of him, but Jeong-woo thought that they would probably get used to each other little by little.

Afterward, he headed to the Response Bureau and entered the facility.

Jeong-woo got out of the car and let out a long breath.

‘From here.’

He had to rewrite all of history from the beginning.

The road ahead was still long and daunting, and it did not feel easy, but that was no reason to be intimidated in advance.

Jeong-woo entered the Response Bureau building.

‘This department….’

The Anomalous Disaster Response Bureau was divided into three departments: the Research Department, the Disaster Detection Department, and the Field Operations Department.

And above them was the command department that oversaw everything.

Needless to say, Jeong-woo belonged to the command department.

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

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

‘It’ll make accessing the data easier.’

There was no time to slack off on his work.

But just as important as his duties was checking the various research data related to Gates and using that data to order new research.

Most importantly, before any of that….

‘The Hunter Management Bureau.’

He had to bring it down.

And he had to do it at this point in time, two years earlier than history.

Of course, regardless of anything else, since this was still social life, he first had to become part of the group.

‘Would they like it if I brought them coffee?’

He had heard that there were five people in the command department, including himself.

Since it was his first meeting with them, he thought he should buy them coffee and introduce himself, so he entered the command department inside the building.

At that moment—

“Director! This needs your approval!”

“The density of the Noryangjin Gate is rising in real time!”

“We’re short on field personnel! Those fucking bastards ignored the density standards again!”

Jeong-woo’s mouth fell open.

It was chaos.

Director Jin Ho-jong was looking over some documents with an unhappy expression, while beside him, a nervous woman with bloodshot eyes was demanding approval.

A small man with glasses sitting in front of a computer was muttering with a pale-white face, while a huge man holding a telephone was swearing loudly.

Jeong-woo had never imagined that just four people could create such a chaotic atmosphere.

As a result, he stood frozen at the door for quite some time, unable to say anything.

“Hm? Ah, Shin Jeong-woo, you’re here?”

Click―!

The moment the director spoke, the entire space froze.

All four pairs of eyes turned toward Jeong-woo.

Jeong-woo gave an awkward smile and greeted them.

“Hello?”

At that moment—

“Good timing. We’ll introduce ourselves later, but can I borrow your help first, Jeong-woo?”

Ho-jong slowly got up and approached him, placing a hand on Jeong-woo’s shoulder.

Then, with his usual unconcerned expression, he said,

“We need to go respond to something in the field. It’s a Gate Shock.”

Jeong-woo’s expression hardened.