Chapter 6, A Civil Servant Gets a Girl's Number from a Convenience Store Worker.
Chapter 6, A Civil Servant Gets a Girl's Number from a Convenience Store Worker.
Is it because I showed them an example?
The other hunters followed my commands obediently without a word.
S-rank and A-rank hunters often show their faces on TV, so they already have good discipline ingrained.
In contrast, B-rank hunters tend to have massive egos, making them hard to control most of the time.
'People who think they're hot shit exist everywhere.'
In social life, getting tangled up with those types is the hardest part.
That's why I avoid working with S-ranks or A-ranks...
And stick to C-rank and D-rank hunters.
'You need mental peace when you're working.'
And rightly so—C-class and D-class hunters are mostly the type who have to grind dungeons nonstop, even on weekends.
They're straight-up livelihood hunters, so they work their asses off.
'In that sense, are the part-timers even easier to deal with?'
Same goes for the folks who come as simple laborers to haul gear at gate sites.
Work just a few hours here, and you rake in over 300,000 won easy.
In this economy, there's no sweeter gig.
No way they'd throw away 300,000 won and two days out of some pointless rebellious bullshit.
"A-rank hunters, please head to Waiting Room 1. B-rank hunters, to Waiting Rooms 2 and 3."
I kept directing them smoothly.
I divided them up by hunter rank and guided them to the waiting rooms where they could rest before entering the Gate.
"S-rank hunters, please come this way."
As expected from Korea's big-name hunters.
They moved like grizzled day-laborer ajusshis straight out of a staffing agency.
And with that, I'd guided all the A-rank, B-rank, and C-rank hunters.
A few C-rank hunters grumbled that the waiting rooms were too cramped, but when I asked them to bear with it since there was no choice, they shut up quietly.
'Civil servants are out here resting on plastic chairs in this weather.'
I plopped down on a chair at the waiting room entrance and caught my breath for a bit.
"Ha... Weekend shifts are fucking brutal. My neck hurts."
That's when someone tapped my shoulder.
It was Team Leader-nim.
"Good work. What a mess to deal with on a weekend morning."
Team Leader-nim handed me a canned coffee.
"I'll enjoy it, thank you."
I took it gratefully and chugged it down in one go.
I could feel the cold coffee sliding down my throat.
"What time do you think we'll wrap up today?"
"Who knows... It's a new-type Gate, so no info. The higher-ups say it might drag till late evening."
Team Leader-nim's face wasn't looking too great.
Can't blame him—working weekends puts anyone in a sour mood.
"With S-ranks fully mobilized... Doesn't look like ordinary shit. Be careful out there, Gyeong-ho. This is the front lines."
"Yes, got it."
Team Leader-nim patted my shoulder once more.
"But don't worry. The special duty pay will be fat."
"Thank you."
"I'll go check the other areas. Call me if anything comes up. Oh, and you suspended a B-rank? Good job. You gotta show these rough types who's boss with some roughness of your own."
Heh heh, got praised.
Team Leader-nim hurried off.
With a brief lull, I pulled out my phone from my pocket.
And fired up the Hunter Gallery app like always.
[Title: Gangnam Gate waiting rooms PTCH?]
[Dragged myself here like a slave for 500k today lol]
[You losers quit rotting in your rooms and get to work.]
500? A-ranks get 300, so 500's gotta be S-rank?
S-ranks do Gallery too? FML, country's doomed.
Nah, Jensen Huang chugs chimaek, so why wouldn't S-ranks Gallery?
This fucker got banned (Gallerycon)
500? I want in.
Fuck off and clear a 100k daily Gate, D-Class bro.
Getting 500 and prepping my funeral lololol
(OP) Come out so I can officiate yours first.
Fuck, waiting rooms got massage chairs? Snacks? We're screwed.
That's just for S-ranks, right?
Obviously only S-ranks, you idiot.
[Title: Some B-rank loser punked a Grade 9 and got his license suspended lololol]
[I saw it lol]
9-rank trash pulls "line up" and dude drops "9-rank bitch" then boom, app nukes his ass lololol
Lololol busted.
Does 9-rank trash even have suspension powers?
Management Bureau Grade 9.
9-rank trash. Wanna die?
Management Bureau Grade 9 is like regular admin 7th grade lol;;
(Parrrtak) lololol Grade 9s flexing hard these days, scary shit.
Better than Gallery badge-flexing.
9-rank trash does good work lololol
Good at what, you retard?
B-rank here.
Shut the fuck up.
[Title: Gear-hauling part-time gig 300k lololol This for real?]
50k hourly sweet gig legit? Lol I should've done it fuck.
Hunters' lives + gear costs make it cheap, dumbass.
What life risk for hauling gear, thick-skulled fuck?
You even read the post?
(OP) Grade 9 civil servants getting worked like dogs rn lololol
Civil Affairs Grade 9s too?
(OP) Yeah but they're resting.
Sweet as fuck [
[Title: Ha... I'm a mobilized C-rank and freaking the fuck out]
Let's live to see each other, gays...
C-ranks just do rear support hauling.
Why's a C-rank entering an A-rank Gate?
Write your will...
[Title: S-ranks all out for real?]
One from each guild, looks like. Country doomed?
shivers
This might upgrade to S-rank? I'm out...
Overreacting.
'Hunter Gallery users are everywhere, huh.'
So many dudes slacking off and Gallerying just like me.
Amazed, I went back to that waiting room proof post from earlier.
'S-rank hunters do Gallery too.'
Hard to picture.
S-ranks got money, fame, everything—why bother with this shady community?
Or maybe precisely because they have it all, they're bored enough to.
I peeked into the S-rank hunter waiting room.
Most were on their phones or eyes closed.
No clue who among them was a Gallery user.
For now, I just noted 'S-rank hunter.'
Gallery bans doxxing (friending), but memoing for my eyes only is fine.
Right then, the group chat pinged.
[We'll start sending in the hunters soon.]
I stood up.
Entered the S-rank waiting room and said lightly,
"You should start getting ready now. I'll guide you to the Gate entrance."
All the S-rank hunters' eyes snapped to me.
Their gazes were sharp and cold.
"See you all alive on the other side."
S-rank hunters almost never die, but 'almost' ain't 'never.'
Gates can throw any variable at you.
Messages in the group chat said other staff had already guided the A, B, and C-rank waiting rooms.
I headed to where the part-timers were gathered and helped sort stuff.
Cleaning up trash left by hunters, moving supply crates aside.
"Let's move this together."
"Ah, it's fine... Civil servant-nim..."
"Got free time anyway. Come on, together."
Free time anyway.
Better to move my body.
Sitting idle feels awkward.
Cops and soldiers are busting ass—feels wrong for a fellow civil servant to just sit.
Working up a sweat like rain.
My shirt clung damp to my back.
After helping tidy gear, the hunters had already gone into the Gate.
The Gate entrance rippled blue, making an eerie sound.
I wiped my streaming sweat roughly with my shirt sleeve and headed to the tent where Hunter Management Bureau staff were gathered.
Inside the tent, Kang Hyuk hyung and Ji-hye were sitting, resting.
They waved at me.
Kang Hyuk hyung handed me a towel.
"Wipe off that sweat first."
"Thanks."
As I reached for the towel, Ji-hye snatched it and started wiping my forehead and nape herself.
"Ah, I can do it."
"Stay still. By the way, I saw you cleaning with the part-timers earlier."
"Yeah, just helped out since I had time. Don't worry about it."
We took a break like that for a while.
Peeked at my phone again.
Gallery was now full of posts about Saturday shift pay.
[Title: So how much special duty pay hitting Grade 9 trash today?]
[Weekend 1.5x + special 0.5x = 2x event?]
9-rank trash grinning ear to ear lololol
Hunters get 500 daily but whatever lololol
Why this fucker riding S-rank coattails?
[Title: I'm just chilling, you idiots lol 200k? Why go out on weekend?]
[One round of LoL at home + chicken = max profit]
[Rest on weekends like me, young bloods.]
Legit.
200k got a name?
200k is ten chickens fuck lololol
[Title: Fact) Hunter salary >>>>>> lightyears ahead >>>>>> 9-rank trash salary]
Counter with Grade 9 civil servant or 22 mil salary bitch.
nglfr
Management Bureau Grade 9 here to counter.
(OP) Gugeup-i logged?
Staring at these salary gripe posts made me curious.
"Hyung. How much special duty pay we getting today?"
"Hmm. Let's see."
Kang Hyuk hyung tapped his phone calculator and said,
"Minimum wage at 1.5x plus allowances... Around 200k?"
"Oh, 200k."
"Getting hyped over 200k. Hunters bragging 2 mil, 3 mil a day."
"Still feels like free money, right?"
"Free money my ass. Weekend shift and you call it free?"
Ah, not free money, huh.
Keep forgetting it's for coming in on the weekend.
'10k each for Noona and Younger Sister as pocket money—perfect.'
Right on cue, a text came in.
[Oppa]
[You outside rn?]
[Grab some pads on your way home.]
It was my sister.
Taking care of a hikikomori Younger Sister means her cycle's burned into my brain somewhat.
Sent back 'Got it.'
Pocketed the phone.
In the end, I didn't see the hunters come out of the Gate before shift end.
Relief crew arrived, handed off, and dragged my tired ass outside.
"Good work, Gyeong-ho. Head home."
"You and Ji-hye too, good job."
"See you Monday, oppa!"
They were heading the same way, so off together.
I crossed the crosswalk and went straight.
'Right, convenience store before home.'
Pads text means she's just starting—heavy flow, so large pack mandatory.
Stopped at the store, grabbed a large pack of pads.
Then four canned beers from the fridge and some simple snacks.
Salty jerky and cheese hit the spot.
Set stuff on the counter, handed over my card.
"Need a bag?"
"Yeah."
The clerk scanned barcodes, then spotted my civil servant ID around my neck.
'Ah, right.'
Forgot to tuck it away.
This situation's gonna attract aggro.
"Um... Are you from the Hunter Management Bureau by any chance?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Wow... So you're here for the Gangnam Gate thing? Any updates? I saw a ton of S-rank hunters swarm in earlier."
The clerk's eyes sparkled.
"Nah, I don't know much... We just do site control."
Not classified, but can't spill on new-type Gate info.
"Ah! Right, confidential... Top secret? Sorry! I'm so clueless."
The clerk made a fuss laughing and handed me the bag.
"Thanks for your work."
"Wait!"
I'd grabbed the bag and was heading out.
The clerk called urgently.
"Yeah?"
"Um... If you don't mind... Could I get your number?"
The clerk was pretty cute.
Even to a noona-mosol like me, totally my type looks-wise.
But first time getting asked for my number, so I blanked for a sec.
"Uh... Sure."
I punched it into her proffered phone.
She hit call, and my phone rang.
"I'll text later! No ghosting!"
Even outside the store, I stood there dazed for a while.
'I... got my number asked for?'
With this exhausted face, sweat-stinky shirt?
The civil servant ID?