Chapter 19
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 019
Chapter Title: A New Era (1)
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The living room TV had been broadcasting news about Jin Ho-jong all day long.
[The hero's will does not fade. Just as there are those who remember and those who inherit, there were those who protected. Jin Ho-jong, Director of the Anomalous Disaster Response Agency...]
[All the ringleaders of the terrorist plot have been apprehended. Attention is focused on what verdict will be handed down when they face the judgment of the law...]
[With elections just half a year away, the political world is more alert than ever.]
It had already been a day since the trap was sprung, ensnaring the Patriot Party and the Hunter Management Bureau in one fell swoop.
Now in the cleanup phase, the news topics were heating up with speculation about what would come next.
Jeong-woo folded laundry while watching the news.
Or more precisely, he watched the round back of Segi's head as she sat in front of the TV with her mouth agape in a wide "Heh...".
He had tied her hair into pigtails, and after a few tries, he felt a swell of pride at how straight and neat the pale line across her nape looked.
That was when a smile crept onto Jeong-woo's lips.
The reason Segi was paying such unchildlike attention to the news appeared on the screen.
"Daddy's friend is on again!"
"Yeah, the Director Uncle's become a super famous guy. Right?"
"Yeah! I talked to Uncle, and he said Daddy's the best!"
"Really? Guess Daddy needs to be even nicer to Uncle then."
"Yeah! We gotta be friends!"
Segi perked up every time Jin Ho-jong appeared on the news, waiting eagerly just for those moments.
It started after he provided security for them.
The idea of "Daddy's friend" seemed so novel and fun to her that she'd occasionally bring him up, and she always lit up with joy at any news of him.
He must be surprisingly kid-friendly, because not just Segi but all the kids at daycare seemed to adore Jin Ho-jong.
'Well, just hearing about it... yeah.'
Jeong-woo recalled how Jin Ho-jong was the one who first sparked the "Tyranno vs. Mammoth" debate that had the boys at daycare fighting for days.
The teacher had tearfully bowed to him over it, among other things.
It might be a headache for adults, but to kids, it was just novel and hilarious.
'What a peculiar guy.'
Anyway, as long as Segi liked him, that was enough.
Thanks to how well he'd handled things, Jeong-woo had even gotten a free quest stack out of it.
That was the end of thoughts on Jin Ho-jong.
Back to the present.
Jeong-woo sensed it was time to change the subject.
It was a judgment born purely from experience.
"Segi, enough news. Let's watch Bunny Ping..."
But the topic switch failed.
"But Daddy, don't you go play with your friends?"
Segi looked up at him with sparkling eyes full of eager anticipation.
A question about why he wasn't hanging out with his friend Jin Ho-jong.
"Friends are supposed to play together! If you don't play, you're not friends!"
It sounded like she was saying real friends should go play right away.
And that's exactly what she meant.
Segi was incredibly invested in Jeong-woo's social life, which he was grateful for.
She'd stab at his heart with lines like, "If you don't have friends, you'll be a loner," or "Teacher said people who don't cherish friends end up playing alone when they grow up."
And it didn't stop there—she'd insist that with Teddy Warrior and Sea Otter around, they could watch the house, so he had to go play with friends and come back to tell her all about it.
Shin Jeong-woo, 23 years old.
Orphan single dad.
And though he piled on excuses and avoided admitting it, friendless.
So of course, Jeong-woo was at a loss for words in moments like these.
The truth was, Jin Ho-jong wasn't a friend but a workplace superior.
And beyond that, how do you explain to a kid that two old guys hanging out just meant drinking and lamenting their woes?
Innocence can sometimes be more ruthless than malice.
Today, too, Jeong-woo was forced to confront his shallow social life—being "friendless"—and scraped together pathetic excuses.
"Uncle Ho-jong is super busy. No time to play even if he's on TV."
"Can't he play after being on TV?"
"That time's for Daddy to play with Segi."
"I'm okay with that? Daddy can go play?"
"...Daddy wants to play with Segi."
"Really!? Then what should we play?!?!?!"
Segi jumped to her feet, wiggling her hips excitedly as her cheeks flushed bright pink.
He'd dodged the first strike, but the second attack came flying right after.
A child's stamina was like a tank brimming with fuel.
Jeong-woo was doing his utmost to be a good dad to Segi, but with this pattern dragging on for days, it was verging on "difficult" territory.
Time for drastic measures.
"Wanna play house?"
"Yay!"
"Hey, kids."
Bang!
Teddy Warrior and Sea Otter appeared.
Still not getting along, but they behaved in front of Segi, staring blankly at Jeong-woo.
Jeong-woo said to her,
"Okay, roles. Daddy'll be the servant doing housework."
"Eek! Servants are boring?"
"Yeah... Gotta be the most boring role since I'm Daddy."
"Daddy's such a grown-up~!"
"Of course~."
"Got it! Then today we're playing Legendary Warrior! Segi's the warrior, and Teddy and Otter are...!"
Play house began.
Normally he'd join in directly, but today his instincts were off, so it was an evasion maneuver.
To cut to the chase... yeah, Jeong-woo's instincts were spot on.
Segi's play house scaled in difficulty exponentially with her energy levels.
On days like today when she was extra hyped, the whole house turned into a realm of unknown adventures.
And the warrior's companions... no, the warrior's companions had to overcome all sorts of trials and tribulations.
Thud!
Nine PM, when an exhausted Segi finally fell asleep.
Jeong-woo, covered in crayon scribbles everywhere, looked at the two disheveled dolls sprawled out.
The deep resentment in their button eyes surely wasn't his imagination.
But humans are callous to others' suffering, and Jeong-woo was content having survived the day unscathed, lightly brushing off the dolls' grudges.
Jeong-woo smiled faintly.
"Good work."
Bang!
The dolls were unsummoned.
No guilt.
Of course not.
After all, the proof was right there.
Ding!
["The child has completed the adventure!"]
Hot friendship with companions! Reward after trials and tribulations! The best moment! House play is always fun! [Great Parent (3/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock skills!*
A quest stack's approval was Segi's approval.
Anything that made her happy was worth repeating endlessly.
'Gotta do this more often.'
House play with the dolls.
Jeong-woo had discovered prime recurring content.
What was the busiest public institution in Korea right now?
If asked, the answer was the Anomalous Disaster Response Agency, without a shred of doubt.
It had exposed all the Hunter Management Bureau's misdeeds, pushed for its dissolution, and taken over all its duties for investigation and reorganization.
What other agency could be busier than this one, struggling to handle tasks way above its weight class?
The agency's staff were dying on their feet.
Work-life balance was a relic of the past; they split sleep to tackle agenda items that could doom the nation if ignored, only to groan under the next wave of tasks the moment they finished, turning into living corpses.
It was a time when everyone was swamped.
"Director, here are the documents needing your approval."
"Wow, an honor. Our punctual fairy delivering paperwork too."
"You don't stay past an hour of overtime either, Director."
"I'm the Director."
"I'm a natural-born S-Rank."
"So you're gonna drain this old man dry for life?"
"Fifty's prime age."
Jin Ho-jong grumbled as he took the documents.
Ever since descending the mountain peak that day and getting mobbed by reporters, he'd been in this state.
He'd planned to step down from all positions like in his previous life, but with the board set against escape, he was stuck.
But what could be done?
It was inevitable, even from Jeong-woo's perspective.
'Beyond the new organization's structure issues, having the top decision-maker in my corner brings massive perks.'
Jeong-woo had no intention of becoming the top decision-maker himself.
He much preferred a position where he could leverage the infrastructure freely while securing autonomy for his own activities.
Thus, Jin Ho-jong had to remain the new organization's top decision-maker, even on the day the Zero Gate crisis ended—and beyond.
That held true regardless.
"Hang in there. What choice do we have? No one else fits as the next agency head."
"Sigh..."
"Hunter hunters aren't exactly common."
The biggest reason the public had their eyes on Jin Ho-jong now was his aptitude.
The taboo precept.
His overwhelming constraint ability turned all hunters of equal or lower rank into civilians within his domain, serving as a safety net against superhuman terrorism and crime, giving citizens peace of mind.
One couldn't ignore the symbolism of such a power in its wielder's hands.
"Jeong-woo, you're going to hell when you die. Definitely."
"Would you believe me if I said I've already been?"
"Go again. You deserve it."
"Harsh."
Right after their banter, Jin Ho-jong sighed deeply, massaging his temples as he asked,
"So, preparations going well?"
"Which ones?"
"New agency launch."
Jeong-woo nodded.
Officially, the national civil service system known as the Hunter Management Bureau was done.
After the fallout nearly toppled the nation, it couldn't possibly continue.
As the old saying goes, new wine needs new wineskins—time for a fresh agency.
No one disagreed on that point.
And Jin Ho-jong had planned alternatives from the moment he targeted the Bureau's downfall.
'A gate audit agency completely independent from political interests.'
From now on, hunters would be fully separated from politics.
Even from the national civil service framework, operating internally by their own rules to manage and analyze gates in accordance with the law.
However, it wouldn't be a flawless solution, hence the safeguards for systemic stability.
That was the new agency in preparation now.
Past life or this one, this flow remained unchanged.
"In three days?"
"Yes."
Jeong-woo's smile deepened.
"In three days, all major guilds convene. That's when everything gets decided."
The stage for delving into gates in earnest would open.
Yeouido's (former) Hunter Management Bureau headquarters.
Once stripped of function and left with just the building, frequented only by reporters covering its fall, it was packed with crowds today.
"The Hunter Management Bureau headquarters is swarming with people! Today's nationwide major guild summit, hosted by the Anomalous Disaster Response Agency, is set to run from 2 PM without a fixed end time...!"
"Guild leaders are taking their seats now! The owner of Busan's 'Haemu' Guild just entered the building!"
The Management Bureau era was over, but the hunter era endured.
The world still groaned under gates, and guilds had kept managing them, preventing civilian casualties amid countless incidents.
Thus, it was time to move past the scandals and look ahead.
To decide the path forward, Korea's top guild masters gathered.
Along with Jeong-woo and the agency, who had spearheaded the block against corruption and terrorism.
As the seat determining Korea's new hunter order, media attention was at a fever pitch.
Commentary broadcasts on attendees and their agendas filled every network.
In the eye of that blazing spotlight,
The major guild leaders began entering the conference room one by one.
And they faced:
『Please take your assigned seat and await.』
Standing blankly on the podium with a sign around its neck was none other than Jeong-woo's summon, Korea's most famous teddy bear.
One of the entering guild masters tilted his head.
"Huh? Was that teddy always that beat up?"
For some reason, crayon removal marks lingered pitifully all over the teddy's body.
A struggle no one acknowledged.
Traces of proxy parenting.