#12 The Leader of 01 Team, Nam Gyuil
Nam Gyuil, the leader of 01 Team, let out a sigh when he saw the person who had suddenly transferred in. Of all people, it had to be this headache of a guy.
“Hey…”
“Private Han Kangsu, what is it, sir?”
The one who had transferred into 01 Team was none other than Han Kangsu.
Nam Gyuil scratched his head.
“Kangsu.”
“Private Han Kangsu.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to come? Why the hell did you come here?”
“I assessed that 01 Team needed reinforcements, so I made the request to the higher-ups and transferred in.”
Han Kangsu lied with bold confidence.
The day before, after losing the sparring match, he had called his father. The request was simple.
—Please help me get into 01 Team.
His father had tilted his head, wondering why he wanted to switch teams, and asked for the reason.
Han Kangsu answered without hesitation.
—There’s a skilled superior there.
Han Kangsu’s father burst out laughing. The moment he heard there was a capable senior, he approved right away. He figured his son was trying to scout that person for his guild. So he granted all the follow-up requests too.
—Please donate top-grade weapons to 01 Team.
As a result, on the very day Han Kangsu transferred in, every member of 01 Team received top-grade weapons.
“Whoa! This is awesome!”
“No way, this shield is insanely sturdy.”
“Armor!! I never thought I’d get to wear armor! Check out this shine.”
The team members were buzzing with excitement. Starting with Lee Chanu, who was grinning ear to ear, Hwang Ilsu silently donned his armor, and Hong Shinu polished her blade with her breath until it gleamed.
Nam Gyuil rubbed his temples. He wasn’t looking at the top-grade weapons—he was staring at Han Kangsu. With this guy joining 01 Team, there must have been all sorts of backlash around.
Nam Gyuil asked Han Kangsu directly.
“What did 05 Team say?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You transferred into 01 Team out of nowhere—it couldn’t have been quiet.”
“Nothing much.”
Han Kangsu put on an indifferent expression. Then he casually detailed everything that had happened on his way to 01 Team.
“First, 05 Team Leader Sergeant Park Taesu blocked the door and tried to stop me.”
Nam Gyuil squeezed his eyes shut. Nothing much, my ass—the first thing he says is already bad news. Park Taesu was the type who’d been using Han Kangsu to coast through life. Nam Gyuil could picture exactly how it went down. The guy probably threw a fit, insisting he’d take good care of him and begging him not to leave. He must have looked like some tragic protagonist dumped by his girlfriend. And in a situation like that, the surroundings would naturally…
“Someone asked if you’d been beaten or verbally abused, or why you wanted to switch teams—Lieutenant Colonel Park Heeryeong asked me. I said nothing like that happened, of course.”
Nam Gyuil’s head throbbed. Asking if there was abuse—that situation alone was serious, and this kid didn’t even realize it.
Han Kangsu kept going.
“And then, my sister…”
“Enough, don’t say it! I don’t even want to hear—!!”
Nam Gyuil scowled and raised his voice. He let out a deep sigh.
Not only did he not come quietly—he turned 05 Team upside down on his way here.
He had no idea why Han Kangsu was so insistent on following him, but for now, he gave the kid some advice.
“Han Kangsu.”
“Private Han Kangsu.”
“Just in case you don’t know—acting like that draws side-eye from everyone around. You get that, right?”
“Yes, sir. I know.”
“You know? You know people will whisper if you force your way like that?”
“Yep.”
Nam Gyuil, frustrated, wiped his dry face and threw out one last question.
“I asked you yesterday too.”
“Yep.”
“Why do you want to join 01 Team? Is it really for the reason you said back then?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Han Kangsu answered without a moment’s hesitation. It was pure, unadulterated sincerity.
Nam Gyuil recalled what the kid had said yesterday.
—If I have to follow a superior’s orders, I want to follow someone capable.
Those words lingered in Nam Gyuil’s mind. To think he’d upended 05 Team and come here for something like that. He let out a long breath in exasperation.
There was nothing to be done now.
Can’t just send the transferred guy back.
Besides, kicking out someone who chased after him of their own accord felt wrong. If Han Kangsu were a total scumbag, he would’ve blocked him from joining somehow.
But he’s got room to improve.
He was clueless, sure, but not rotten to the core. If he were truly bad, he wouldn’t have enlisted in the Hunter Agency using his father’s influence—he’d have dodged it altogether, or at least delayed enlistment.
The bill to count guild activity as Hunter Agency service time is up in the air. He could’ve waited for it to pass and coasted in his guild.
Han Kangsu hadn’t taken that easy road. He’d enlisted honorably. He wasn’t fundamentally rotten, even if he was green.
He was young and full of pointless pride that messed up his relationships, but…
He’s still a kid.
I can teach him.
Nam Gyuil asked Han Kangsu with utmost seriousness.
“Will you follow your superior’s orders?”
“Yes. If Sergeant Nam Gyuil gives the command, I’ll obey.”
Nam Gyuil crossed his arms. The kid had forced his way into 01 Team and caused a stir, but he’d promised to follow orders, so Nam Gyuil decided to keep an eye on him.
“Han Kangsu, listen up! I don’t care about family background or origins. No favoritism. No special treatment. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Alright then. Welcome to the team.”
“Thank you—!!”
Han Kangsu shouted at the top of his lungs.
And just like that, 01 Team gained a new member.
Lunchtime rolled around before they knew it. Nam Gyuil pulled out a card from his wallet and declared boldly.
“We’ve got a new team member, so lunch is on me!”
The Hunter Agency fell under the Ministry of National Defense, so they had rations, but you could eat private food anytime if you wanted. Something unimaginable in regular military service. The country cut national hunters some slack since they suffered so much.
Lee Chanu sidled up to Nam Gyuil.
“Does that include Chef Kim Baek’s course menu?”
“The Chef Kim Baek who’s always on variety shows? That fine dining costing 500,000 won per person?”
“Yes.”
Lee Chanu nodded solemnly, more serious than ever. Nam Gyuil flicked his forehead.
“Ow!!”
“You’d suck the marrow right out of me.”
The Hunter Agency had one branch per region, and the Seoul one—where Nam Gyuil was stationed—was in Yeouido, home to the National Assembly. Naturally, fancy restaurants were everywhere. Especially celebrity chefs’ dishes, which were treats for assembly members.
Going to a place like that would empty his wallet for sure!!
Lee Chanu rubbed his forehead.
“Agh, I was just asking. Why hit me again?”
“You crossed the line.”
“Then yukhoe—!!”
Lee Chanu shouted another pricey dish with unyielding spirit. Nam Gyuil nodded. Yukhoe was doable once in a while. Not cheap, but better than a celebrity chef’s course.
“Fine, yukhoe it is.”
At Nam Gyuil’s approval, Lee Chanu clapped his hands.
“Nice!”
His triumphant yell carried a strange fervor. Lee Chanu was dead serious about food.
Nam Gyuil ordered the yukhoe. A short while later, it arrived.
Everyone gathered in a circle and picked up their chopsticks. They dipped the perilla oil-tossed beef in egg yolk and shoved it straight into their mouths. The chewy texture of the yukhoe, wrapped in the yolk’s savory richness, enveloped their tongues.
“So good!”
Lee Chanu whooped. Hong Shinu, no longer the baby of the team thanks to Han Kangsu, nodded in agreement.
“This is my first time having yukhoe. I had no idea it was this delicious.”
A smile spread across Hong Shinu’s face. The 01 Team members were too busy stuffing their faces with yukhoe to chat.
After gates appeared and food supplies grew unstable, civilians had to rely on artificial meat for protein. It was grown from cultured muscle cells. Sure, it had protein, but no marbling, no fat—just tough, flavorless chewiness. Tasteless in a word. Some brands were even slimy.
So real butchered beef like today’s yukhoe was expensive. Too pricey for casual eating. Most families saved it for special occasions.
National hunters, with their high pay, felt the pinch less.
“Ahh, that hit the spot.”
Lee Chanu patted his belly and set down his chopsticks. The plastic containers were scraped clean, glistening with perilla oil.
The satisfying meal came to an end. Lee Chanu pulled a cigarette pack with a lighthouse design from his pocket.
“Anyone wanna smoke?”
“I don’t smoke. I’ll have some warm coffee.”
01 Team split into two groups: those resting with tea and those heading to the rooftop for smokes.
“Hyung Gyuil, no rooftop? Let’s puff some cloud snacks together. I’ll spot you a Marl.”
Lee Chanu offered a cigarette. Nam Gyuil waved it off.
“I quit.”
“Don’t beg later?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Nam Gyuil replied as he pulled a PET bottle from his bag. Worried it’d interfere with mana cultivation, he’d ditched all his smokes the moment he left the hospital. Naturally, he ended up in the tea-drinking group.
Of course, Nam Gyuil’s drink was a bit special.
“You’re drinking that again?”
Hong Shinu eyed the beverage Nam Gyuil had brought separately. It gave off a sour smell—low-grade elixir.
He downed one after every meal, so everyone was curious. What was it that he carried and drank religiously?
“Just a drink.”
Nam Gyuil said as he chugged the low-grade elixir. He emptied the bottle in one go.
Time to move after eating. Off to training.
Nam Gyuil thought, standing up and heading to the training room.
Lunch break wasn’t even over, but 01 Team had all started individual training. Inspired by Nam Gyuil’s example.
Han Kangsu was there too. He warmed up lightly while gauging his comrades’ skills by eye.
Hong Shinu’s uniquely weak. She’d be dead already without Sergeant Nam Gyuil. Sergeants Hwang Ilsu and Lee Chanu…
Han Kangsu shook his head.
Better than Hong Shinu, but weak all the same.
It was only natural—they were training wrong. Han Kangsu valued ability above all, so he lost interest in his seemingly weak teammates.
The world runs on merit.
Talent or not, you needed results. No matter how hard you tried, without outcomes, it meant nothing.
Han Kangsu’s beliefs were rock-solid. He glanced sideways at Nam Gyuil. As expected, his sword forms were flawless, unlike the others. And he was even practicing that special mana cultivation known only to large guilds.
Han Kangsu watched closely.
That mana cultivation method is a secret taught only to blood relatives in big guilds. And it’s impossible without abundant mana—how’s he doing it here?
He was curious. Just who was Nam Gyuil to know something like that?
Background aside, his skills are top-notch.
Even Han Kangsu felt respect.
The 01 Team national hunters tried mimicking Nam Gyuil’s training. But they missed the key points and got nothing out of it.
Han Kangsu shook his head.
No matter how they copy, they miss the essence. All that wasted effort.
Beeeep—!!
Then, the speaker on the wall blared. 01 Team bolted from the training room and began arming up.