The Stage Is Set
"What on earth is that supposed to mean!"
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD—
Heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor, each stride carrying enough force to crack the floor itself. The man attached to them radiated sheer intimidation with every step — a middle-aged man who loomed just by standing in a room. It was Lee Kyung-moon, Commissioner of the Hunter Administration Bureau.
"You're telling me a Hunter — a Bureau Hunter — is staging a protest?"
"Well, sir, you see... Director Oh Jin-woo claims he's been bullying him, so..."
The executive secretary faltered mid-sentence.
"Bullying? Oh Jin-woo?"
"Yes, sir. With protest signs and chants, like this..."
Kyung-moon took the phone his secretary held out, glanced at the screen, and burst out laughing.
"Bahahaha! Then just leave him to it!"
"Yes, sir, leave him to it— I'm sorry, what!?"
"Are you deaf? Let the man do whatever he wants."
Only moments ago, Kyung-moon had been juggling back-to-back meetings with the press and the politicians over the Baek Kang-hyun incident. He'd taken a relentless drubbing about how the Bureau was managing its people. But that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was why those people had decided to concentrate their fire on the Bureau this time of all times.
They're trying to sweet-talk Kang-hyun into jumping ship, the shameless vultures. Tsk tsk.
South Korea's number one S-Rank. A powerhouse whose name carried weight across the entire world. That was what Baek Kang-hyun represented. And plenty of people believed a talent like that was being wasted, shackled to the Bureau — never realizing just how enormous a deterrent he was to the whole hunter community.
And now that deterrent had a crack in it. The news that Baek Kang-hyun — the very paragon of justice, rectitude, and clean living — had acquired a weakness traveled fast among the powerful. Naturally, they were all scrambling to drive him out of the Bureau and scoop him up for themselves.
And in the middle of all that chaos, there was Lee Ji-hoon. Holding a protest. Against Oh Jin-woo, the newly appointed Bureau inspector, no less.
"He can't possibly know what he's doing. Surely— pfft... bahahaha!"
Oh Jin-woo was a hunter who had swaggered into the Bureau riding the coattails of his family's political connections. A single word from those relatives could move a great many things. It was no exaggeration to say that in political clout alone, he was Kyung-moon's equal — or better. And Ji-hoon had chosen that man as his target.
"Human rights for F-Ranks too!"
"Oh Jin-woo, resign! Resign! Resign!"
Watching the video, Kyung-moon couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
"Get to the site immediately. No — actually, bring me Jin Seo-yoon and Yoon Do-ha as well. The camp's on break right now, isn't it?"
"Ah — yes, sir. The camp schedule's been completely canceled and pushed back because of all this, so..."
"Then if you need anything, just say the word! We'll provide whatever it takes!"
"Actually, Commissioner, Hunter Lee Ji-hoon has made another request."
"What kind?"
"He... says he needs a stage."
A stage? The corners of Kyung-moon's mouth climbed even higher.
"Even better! Tell everyone to gather at the training grounds! Bring in the reporters — and any ordinary citizens who want to watch, too!"
"Civilians too, sir? The training grounds are a restricted area, Commissioner!"
"Do I have to teach you that as well? Get moving. Now!"
Having rescued Baek Kang-hyun, Ji-hoon headed straight for the training grounds at the Bureau's training institute. It was the only place a stage could be erected.
"Ji-hoon, sir! Over here!"
The members of Team C, whom he'd contacted in advance, welcomed Ji-hoon and Baek Kang-hyun with open arms. They'd grown rather attached during Kang-hyun's lessons, apparently.
"Come on in and get some rest."
"Wait — I, um..."
Baek Kang-hyun had no idea what was going on, and Ji-hoon hadn't explained a thing. An awkward tension hovered in the waiting room between the two men.
"What exactly do you mean by 'keep the beat'?"
"You'll find out once the Commissioner arrives."
"The Commissioner is coming?"
He should be busy handling the press and the politicians right about now — or so Kang-hyun was thinking, when—
KABOOM—!
The sound of something enormous slamming into the earth. And mana he could feel rolling over his skin like a tide.
"Th-the Commissioner!?" Baek Kang-hyun blurted, startled half out of his wits.
"That's what I said, wasn't it?"
Everything had gone exactly as Ji-hoon predicted. Lee Kyung-moon loved this kind of show — and if you asked him to host it, he would never, ever back out. Why?
Because — "Our friends here are about to carve their names into the history of South Korea's Gates."
Because — "Twice now, an S-Rank Gate was sealed without a single casualty."
South Korea's Gate-clearing history was being rewritten, and at the very center of it stood Ji-hoon and the pets — Poppi and the rest. So how was anyone supposed to announce something like that in the middle of a firestorm like the current one? Naturally, they'd need a dramatic reversal. A single, decisive counterstroke.
"Truly... Hunter Lee Ji-hoon, you are impossible to predict. Every single time."
"Flattery will get you everywhere. So — I can do whatever I want, as usual?"
"Of course. Hey! Move it along, faster!"
The stage went up, followed by speakers and microphones. Chairs were arranged as well. In no time at all, an open-air concert venue had materialized on the grounds.
"We've handled the publicity, too. Rage to your heart's content."
"Was just about to."
Ji-hoon sent the signal to Poppi, Choco, and Doobu — and the three of them detonated their mana, swelling into their true forms.
KRAAANG!
KREEEEEEE!
HHOOOOOOWWL!
HISSSSSS!
"The performers are all set."
A murmur rippled through the grounds.
"What are they doing out there?"
"I heard Team C prepared some kind of show?"
The hunters attending the Returnee Training Camp filed in first.
"Whoa, so this is the Bureau's training yard..."
"It's huge..."
"It's a training ground, not a yard."
"Whatever. If I'd ever Awakened, I'd have been standing in here too."
"You did Awaken. You're E-Rank."
"Are you trash-talking low ranks right now?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant..."
Next came the citizens who'd been watching Ji-hoon's protest from outside — the Bureau had advertised hard, like it was promoting some surprise guerrilla concert.
The news had already gone viral on social media in real time, and the crowd kept swelling by the minute. The reporters who'd caught the scent poured in as well. Among them, the ones who'd been friendly to Oh Jin-woo looked nothing short of desperate.
"Any word from Inspector Oh?"
"Still... nothing."
"And the National Assembly?"
"They say they're tied up with other business..."
And in this situation, of all situations, no one was showing up. Had they already decided the tide had turned — or were they fighting from somewhere unseen?
"Oh Jin-woo, you weren't actually kidnapped, were you? Someone with Baek Kang-hyun's skill could pull that off."
"Well, there is a difference between S-Rank and A-Rank..."
"Who said anything about a difference?"
Just then, Oh Jin-woo appeared behind them. Drenched in sweat from head to toe, his eyes wide with terror. Someone had evidently gotten to him — there were wounds on his shoulders, too.
"Inspector Oh Jin-woo!"
"Keep your voice down."
Whatever had happened to him, he looked utterly drained. And yet he hadn't lost his trademark bluster. Oh Jin-woo swept his gaze over the gathered reporters and bit down hard on his lip.
"Those sons of b— I don't know what those bastards are planning, but we stop it. Understood?"
"Sir? But how are we supposed to..."
"Any way we can! We HAVE to stop them! Do you all want to be fired? You know perfectly well who my father is!"
The reporters' breath caught in their throats. A politician who had clawed his way up from the top of a media empire — the moment they pictured Oh Jin-woo's father, every implication landed at once. The reporters traded glances with one another, and before long, nodded.
"Use us. And whatever it takes, we shut those bastards down. Got it?"
With that, Oh Jin-woo scattered his mana toward the crowd gathering before the stage — and toward whoever was waiting in the greenroom.
You filthy bastards. You dare humiliate me?
I'll kill every last one of you.
Clamping down on his fury and biding his time, Oh Jin-woo reached out to someone without delay.
"Ahahaha, Choco, stop it! That tickles!"
[You think lying on my big bro's belly for the first time in ages, I can't even manage this much? Tickle tickle~.]
"Hahaha! You little rascal! Take that!"
Choco was sprawled across Ji-hoon's belly, licking his chin. Ji-hoon grabbed both of Choco's front paws and hauled him upright — then forced him into a dance!
"Dance, dang it! Dance!"
[Tch. What a total disgrace. Get your own rhythm, will ya.]
At his feet, Poppi leaned against his legs, golden feathers settling snug and warm over Ji-hoon's instep — so soothing he could have drifted off to sleep at any moment.
[How good it is to lie beside you again, my lord.]
"Same here."
[Your embrace is so very warm, my lord brother. I could not be happier.]
And there were people staring blankly at the whole scene — the members of Team C, and Baek Kang-hyun.
"Um, Ji-hoon? Is it really okay for you to just... play around like this?"
"Of course it is."
"But after everything that's happened, I don't think you should..."
While the nervous Team C members and Baek Kang-hyun fidgeted, Ji-hoon remained the picture of tranquility, romping cheerfully with his beasts. At last, he sat up.
"The stage is set. All that's left is the show."
"The show...?"
"What else would I mean? Honestly, Hunter Baek Kang-hyun — you still don't have a shred of political sense, do you."
Tsk— He jabbed a finger at the man.
"Hunter Baek Kang-hyun, South Korea's number one S-Rank, has begun taming Gate boss monsters — S-Rank boss monsters at that. And the management of those boss monsters has been entrusted to one Lee Ji-hoon, an F-Rank hunter. And somewhere along the way, talk of F-Rank abuse began to spread."
Then he pointed at himself.
"That's how it's been reported so far."
Ji-hoon nodded at Kim Ji-eun's words.
"So what do we need to show them?"
"Uh... that you didn't abuse the F-Rank hunter?"
"Pfft. And who's going to believe that just because you put on a little display?"
"Then what should we...?"
Ji-hoon flashed a sly grin.
"We show them that I'm someone who can control S-Rank boss monsters. Even if the body itself is F-Rank."
"I'm sorry... what?"
"Anyway — just do exactly what I tell you when the time comes. Got it?"
It was all rather bewildering, but for now they had no choice but to trust him. Half-convinced and half-doubtful, Baek Kang-hyun steeled himself all the same. Yes. This hunter had saved him more times than he could count. He would throw himself fully into whatever show unfolded on that stage. It was the only repayment he could offer.
"It's time, everyone! Please get ready!"
Kim Ji-eun and the rest of Team C rose first, followed by Baek Kang-hyun, then Ji-hoon. Poppi, Choco, and Doobu shrank back down and plopped neatly at his side — plop, plop, plop.
"Let's go steal the show!"
A little ways off from the stage lay a small path leading toward the warehouse — the kind of place no one passing by would ever bother to glance back at.
There, Oh Jin-woo was meeting with the hooded man.
"Here. The items you requested."
As he received the envelope and its contents, a fishy smile curled across Oh Jin-woo's lips.
"You can guarantee their effectiveness?"
"Of course. Even Section Chief Bae has used them."
The hooded man accepted the envelope Oh Jin-woo handed over and tucked it inside his coat.
"Do your part well. I've laid out the whole board for you."
"You needn't worry, sir."
Oh Jin-woo's hand tightened around the items, knuckles going white. And his bloodshot eyes gleamed with naked greed.