Chapter 23: Get Your Director Out Here
Seoul's Hunter Management Bureau HQ. A woman was slowly approaching the massive building.
Her hair was a golden hue verging on yellow. She had the neat, refined look of an adult woman—neither overly flashy nor plain. Yet she effortlessly captured the gazes around her, a beauty beyond words. Standing around 170 cm tall, her modest yet ample curves unmistakably marked her as a grown woman.
...But no one could have guessed that inside this alluring adult form lurked the pint-sized Lea, fidgeting with anxiety.
'It'll be fine, right?!'
She'd tested the appearance projection countless times. She'd even snapped photos with a phone completely devoid of mana, so it was certain. She couldn't use the internet, but basic functions worked fine. The images clearly showed an adult woman, so to everyone else, that's how she must look now.
But it wasn't just her looks drawing eyes. Her gait. Her gaze. Her expression. And that indefinable aura. Everything pulled people in.
"Whoa..."
"What's up with her? An idol?"
"An awakener...?"
"Look at her. That vibe is insane."
The murmurs leaked from those around her. Lea kept walking forward, pretending not to notice, but inside she was a wreck.
'Whoa my ass—why are they staring like that...'
Cold sweat trickled down her spine. Sure, she'd switched to an adult form. It was quite different from her original. No way anyone would connect this to the tiny girl who'd rampaged and fled the Bureau before.
She wanted to believe that. '...But.'
Lea subtly scanned her surroundings while keeping a neutral expression.
"Oh my..."
"Damn, she's gorgeous..."
Passersby. Guards at the entrance. Awakeners waiting outside. None outright recognized her. Still, unease gnawed at her.
'They won't figure it out... right?'
If they had, the reaction wouldn't stop here. Someone would yell, grab her, and the crowd would erupt. So she was safe. For now.
'It's fine. It's fine. They haven't noticed.'
Repeating it to herself, Lea reached the automatic doors of the Hunter Management Bureau HQ. They slid open with a soft whoosh, letting in a blast of cool air. The atmosphere shifted the moment she stepped inside.
Suits everywhere. Neatly uniformed agents. Awakeners with faint mana signatures. Countless eyes flicked her way, then away. But that brief glance was the problem. Everyone looked at least once. Not staring outright, but their gazes snagged.
'Why does everyone keep looking?'
Anxiety and irritation surged together. They're just staring 'cause I'm pretty... that's all. She tried to brush it off, but in her situation, even that grated. Forcing a calm face, Lea headed to the first-floor registration desk.
This time, she wasn't being dragged in. She'd come on her own two feet. So she had to act confident, at least.
"...Hoo."
She steadied her breath and stopped at the counter. The woman inside looked up. Her name tag read Jeong Hye-su.
And then. "...Oh?"
She blinked, just for a split second. Lea's heart plummeted.
'What? Why that reaction? Does she know?'
But Hye-su quickly composed herself, flashing a practiced smile. "Welcome. How can I assist you?"
Whew, just surprise. Lea sighed inwardly in relief and spoke. "..I'm here for new registration."
"New registration?"
"Yes."
The clerk placed her hands on the keyboard. "Do you mean awakener new registration?"
"...Yes."
"Understood. Let me confirm your basic info first. May I have your name?"
Lea's expression stiffened ever so slightly. Name? Easy. The problem was what came next. The inevitable questions: full name, resident ID, birth records, address, affiliation, guardian. All impossible for her to answer honestly.
'It's fine, I expected this...'
She lowered her eyes. She knew it. No way a massive organization like this would let her jump straight to the top brass on a whim. Go the normal route, and it'd be info checks, dead ends, suspicions, investigations... a huge hassle.
And above all, she had to make it clear from the start. Who she was. Why she was here. Who she needed to see.
'Sorry, staff, but no choice.'
She didn't want to. Pressuring people like this felt wrong. Kinda chuunibyou-ish too... But without it, she'd never achieve her goal—and might end up in jail. Time was critical.
"..."
Lea drew a slow breath. Then, ever so faintly—just enough not to show—she invoked a sliver of her authority.
Shiiiing—the air quivered thinly.
Her hair, gleaming from reflected light, now shone with radiant brilliance. Hye-su didn't notice at first. But soon, her face slowly hardened, as if an invisible weight pressed on her nape.
Her fingers froze mid-air, halting before the keys. "Uh...?"
Sounds around them began to fade. Glancing around at the odd sensation, Hye-su felt dazed, like she was hallucinating. Only she and the stunning woman before her retained color. People passed right by, yet their footsteps vanished. Nothing moved but her and the woman.
In an instant, the world stopped.
At the same time, the woman's eyes gleamed gold before the clerk's. A sensation of being overlooked from above.
Lea spoke in a voice as cold and low as she could manage.
Hye-su flinched. The ordinary citizen-services counter, moments ago explaining paperwork, twisted into something alien.
Lea slowly raised her gaze, locking eyes with her.
A single short phrase. Yet it rang directly in her mind. As it landed, Hye-su's lips trembled visibly.
"Y-Yes...?"
Not disbelief, but unwillingness to believe. The figure before her differed slightly from the divine agent's video blowing up online, but Hye-su couldn't deny it.
Seeing that, Lea continued.
A faint golden shimmer—barely visible—flickered behind her and vanished. Just a moment. But it chilled Hye-su to the bone. The air inside the counter froze.
Hye-su swallowed unconsciously. The woman hadn't yelled. No mana burst. No threats. Yet refusal felt impossible. Not conviction—instinct. Do not defy. Ask nothing more. Act now.
With trembling hands, she reached for the emergency contact button. "P-Please wait just a moment..."
Her voice barely squeezed out. Hearing it, Lea sighed inwardly. '...Haa.'
Less triumph, more regret for the weird stunt. With that thought, she reconnected the severed space to the world.
The fourth Wing of Divinity: Severance. This authority declares a space as divine domain, isolating it from Earth. No communication in or out, no signals penetrate, exit is impossible, and time flows differently. She'd carefully isolated just the counter to avoid drawing eyes, then pressured Jeong Hye-su into calling her boss.
'Sorry, really.'
Lea closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. 'Please, let this go smoothly for once.'
A higher-up could sort her ID issues and fend off hassles. No way they'd snub someone from the news who'd shown up willingly. Guilt stabbed at her over the clerk, but Lea ignored it, forcing a detached expression.
ㅡㅡㅡ
A small reception room behind the counter. Lea sat there alone, posture impeccable. Or pretending to. Back straight, legs neatly crossed, hands steady. Golden hair softly aglow, eyes cool and deep. An aura no one would trifle with. Intimidating to approach.
...Inside, though. 'Why aren't they coming?'
Lea bit her lip mentally. Hye-su had definitely called someone, face pale and shaking. Right after, people nearby cleared out naturally, and Lea—unable to resist—was ushered here with a "Please wait in here."
So far, so good. The problem was now.
'They won't bring a whole posse, right?'
'Or stalling?'
'Am I just sitting here like an idiot?'
Her mind grew tangled. Scanning nearby mana and presences with her senses picked up only a few presumed guards. She'd prefer someone show up soon. The longer she waited, the more suspicious she felt.
'Did I overdo it?'
The counter stunt replayed belatedly. Trapping a clerk with authority to demand her boss. Straight-up villain move. Sure, goal was ID fix, no malice—but optics were bad.
'...Not going to jail, am I?'
The thought hit seriously. Lea kept her face neutral, eyes down. An untouched teacup sat on the table, brought by the clerk earlier. No way she was drinking it. What if it was spiked? ...Then she felt paranoid and depressed herself.
'Nah, the Bureau wouldn't go that far.'
Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Glancing around to check if anyone saw. No surveillance cameras, luckily.
'...But the Bureau I know treated a healthy me like a patient and dragged me to medical.'
That thought drew a deep inner sigh. '...My appearance projection won't fool the higher-ups, will it?'
Silly worry, but it crept in.
Then.
Click-clack—tap. Click-clack—tap.
Even footsteps from the hall. Neither light nor heavy. But oddly, a heavy thud punctuated each step.
Lea's back stiffened faintly. 'They're here.'
She tried not to look at the door, but her eyes betrayed her. The steps halted outside. Click.
The knob turned, and the door slowly opened.
First came ash-gray short bob hair. Below, a cold, precise face. Impeccable suit, not a wrinkle. And in her hand, a slim metal cane.
Director of the Korean Hunter Management Bureau, Yoo Eun-ha.
The instant Lea saw her, instinct hit. '...Whoa.'
'Scary.'