New sprouts restaurant is open. (3)
Ju Tae-jin fell into thought as he looked at the red-haired woman, Jeok Hwa-ryeon.
She was beautiful enough to be mistaken for a celebrity.
So he already knew.
He had been completely caught off guard.
He had no idea how long they had known, but the fact that they had kept them alive instead of killing them suggested these people might be more benevolent than expected.
“Na-ra. Stay seated.”
Yoo Na-ra, who would rampage with pure madness on any battlefield, had frozen like a mouse before a cat the moment she faced Jeok Hwa-ryeon.
Ju Tae-jin took a deep breath and finally spoke.
“First, I apologize. Our Special Hunter Crime Department, knowing nothing about you, had no choice but to tail you in order to gather information.”
“You followed us because you didn’t know who we were?”
“Yes. An S-class force falling into the wrong hands could cause casualties on the scale of a nuclear bomb. For example, if it ended up with the Hunter Liberation Coalition or with the Chinese side.”
China had waged a fierce war against America and poured every resource into hunter development.
As vast as their territory, they had produced hunters of considerable skill. Many of those who received the resources were foreigners.
“The moment China regains hunter supremacy, we, being right next door, would effectively become a vassal state. Hunters would be drafted to close China’s gates. With chronic manpower shortages, we would slowly rot from the inside out.”
“If it’s to prevent that… then I can understand.”
Kim Min-su nodded.
“However, we want to live very quietly. Does the government know about our existence?”
“The report stopped at my level.”
“Let me see…”
Jeok Hwa-ryeon, who had been watching, stepped right in front of Ju Tae-jin.
She raised the Blood Demon Sword and held it before his eyes.
Ju Tae-jin’s pupils turned red, and his head drooped.
“Chief?”
“It’s just hypnosis.”
The Blood Archdemon could be said to have mastered countless sorceries. Making someone fall into hypnosis and extracting information was child’s play.
When the hypnosis ended, Jeok Hwa-ryeon lowered the sword.
“He really didn’t file a report.”
“At least the man has some sense of duty.”
Ju Tae-jin’s eye color slowly returned to normal.
“All right. I’ll believe that what you said is true.”
Kim Min-su continued speaking while still seated in his chair.
“We want to live quietly. The problem is that this world is too noisy because of the gates.”
“Yes… there’s no changing that.”
“If you continue to keep our secret, and something happens that the hunters or the department can’t handle, we will step in.”
Ju Tae-jin’s eyes widened at those words.
S-class hunter support…
A statement that would be hard to hear in their strained relationship had come from Kim Min-su’s mouth.
“So protect your daily lives as best you can.”
Ju Tae-jin fell into deep thought at Kim Min-su’s words.
The final bastion.
It was an absurdly powerful bastion.
“I understand.”
“And drop by for food sometimes.”
The heavy atmosphere instantly lightened.
Ju Tae-jin smiled and answered.
“Yes, I’ll come often. Thank you for the meal.”
With that, Ju Tae-jin and Yoo Na-ra left the restaurant.
This must be the best choice.
I watched the two of them walk away.
If we used Hwa-ryeon’s power, we could make them forget us completely.
Yet I had chosen conversation because of the consideration they had shown.
Just the fact that they faced Romanoff’s subordinates without fear already reveals their character.
It was impressive enough that they had kept their minds intact and held the line in front of that army.
“No matter how you look at it, they reek of the righteous path.”
“You felt it too, Hwa-ryeon.”
Their bodies were covered in scars from countless battles, yet their hearts were close to the side of good.
“More than that. That girl… she seems to possess a kind of demonic nature. Interesting.”
Jeok Hwa-ryeon appeared particularly intrigued by the woman named Yoo Na-ra.
“It’s about time.”
I flipped the restaurant sign to closed and sat down at a table, waiting for someone.
“They’re here.”
“Whoa, you remodeled the place? Looks awesome!”
My colleagues Jo Seung-min, Ok Jun-woo, and Baek Ji-tae walked in carrying armfuls of stuff.
“Why did you bring so much again?”
“The store’s opening, so we had to bring gifts at least.”
Department head Jo Seung-min had brought a roll cake.
Ok Jun-woo and Baek Ji-tae had brought real housewarming presents like toilet paper and wet wipes.
They were too lazy to think of anything original and just bought the same stuff people bring to new houses. Typical.
Since they were my ride-or-die friends, I let it slide.
“Good to see you again.”
“Now that I think about it, this is the first time Ok Jun-woo is meeting her, right?”
Ok Jun-woo took one look at Jeok Hwa-ryeon and froze solid.
“Blood Archdemon…? It’s really the Blood Archdemon exactly like I imagined…!!”
Oh right. Ok Jun-woo was a novel addict just like me.
Clutching his chest as if he might cry, Ok Jun-woo said,
“So this is what a successful fanboy looks like…”
“Honey, this guy isn’t dangerous, is he?”
“He’s just someone who loves Murim way too much.”
While Ok Jun-woo made monkey noises at the sight of the Blood Demon Sword, I brought out the alcohol.
“Today we drink until our noses go crooked.”
“Hell yes.”
I whipped up snacks with the leftover ingredients.
Looking at the group, it was basically the same as the department dinner from the management bureau, minus Jeok Hwa-ryeon.
“So what are you going to do now? After your vacation ends.”
Jo Seung-min set his glass down with a heavy clunk.
“I’m retiring. I want to focus on my family from now on.”
“Yeah… you made the right choice.”
I looked at the already drunk Jo Seung-min.
He had been the superior who took care of me from the moment I joined the department. I had always respected how he kept the job positive.
Because he was there, the department never fell into a slump and everyone could work with genuine enjoyment.
“How’s Yoo Jun-ho doing these days?”
“Jun-ho? He’s been slinking around like a dead rat. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him strutting around the cafeteria.”
“Exactly, Chief! He doesn’t pick on the junior employees like before and doesn’t even open his mouth to the female staff anymore. Our Min-su gave him proper re-education!!”
Baek Ji-tae threw an arm around my shoulder and shouted.
“It really feels like the whole department atmosphere has changed now that Yoo Jun-ho’s gone quiet.”
Ok Jun-woo nodded in agreement.
I hadn’t realized Yoo Jun-ho had that much influence.
“He really was something else.”
After we talked about everything that had piled up, I called a taxi and saw my colleagues off.
“Chief.”
“What chief? Call me hyung now.”
“To me you’ll always be the chief.”
“Stubborn as ever.”
Jo Seung-min laughed and patted my shoulder.
“No matter where you go, you’re the kind of guy who survives. So square your shoulders and live with pride.”
His words hit me somewhere deep.
“Chief, if anything happens, contact me immediately.”
“Sure. Only if it’s something I can’t handle myself.”
With those final words, Jo Seung-min climbed into the taxi.
He’s probably heading back to the house with the triplets now.
But thinking about it, he has triplets waiting at home and still came home late because a subordinate was retiring?
“Oof… my condolences.”
After sending Jo Seung-min off, I walked over to the other two idiots.
“Uuuuugh… I think I ate too much.”
“Puhahahaha, you idiot… I knew it the second you kept stuffing your face.”
Baek Ji-tae was clinging to a streetlight and throwing up. Ok Jun-woo was laughing and mocking him.
“Seriously… what a pair of morons.”
“You’re the same…!! But damn… I’m so jealous… You’ve got a wife, a daughter, and even a terrifyingly strong Blood Archdemon…”
Ok Jun-woo clung to me and flopped around like a live fish.
“Me too…! Me toooo!! I want a wife who’s the strongest under heaven! Just send me to another world instead!!”
“Bullshit. The other world is way harder than this one.”
I could say that with confidence as someone who had experienced it.
“You’d last a week, dumbass.”
“Fuck… life is so unfair…”
While I peeled the disgustingly clingy Ok Jun-woo off me, I saw headlights approaching from far away.
“Taxi’s here.”
Baek Ji-tae seemed to have sobered up a little after vomiting and had returned to his usual eyes.
“Min-su.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“Thanks? If life ever fucks you over, you know where to go. Come to our restaurant.”
Baek Ji-tae gave a strange little smile, then yanked the still-clinging Ok Jun-woo off my leg and shoved him into the taxi.
“See you next time.”
“Next time it’s my treat.”
With that, the taxi drove off.
I watched the taillights disappear into the distance until they were gone.
“Department life really is over.”
It felt strangely bittersweet.
“Honey, what are you doing out here? Come inside.”
“I’m coming.”
Yes. Now I had people I loved and children I cherished.
My phone rang. A familiar name appeared on the screen.
“Huh…?”
Mom might be coming?
I had no idea how to explain that I now had two wives and two daughters.
My mind went completely blank.