The Price of Deception
"Whew." I arrived at the Central Headquarters building. I asked the staff where Kim Hyoeun was and made my way straight to her office. When asked about the nature of my business, I simply replied coldly, "Does a Hunter need a reason to visit their own handler?" and they didn't dare ask again. I didn't bother knocking; I just shoved the door open.
The eyes of every staff member in the room snapped toward me. These were all handlers, the people responsible for managing us. Judging by the anxiety in their gazes, it seemed my intuition was correct—a Hunter showing up in person at this office was never a good sign. Perhaps the staff member at the front desk had already tipped them off.
I took a deep breath and approached the nearest desk. "Excuse me. Where is Handler Kim Hyoeun?"
"Y-yes?" The eyes that had been glued to me vanished, and everyone went back to staring at their monitors or shuffling papers, but I could feel the entire office's attention focused on me. It was all a hollow performance.
"Ah, well... um..." The unfortunate staff member I’d cornered couldn't finish a sentence, just stuttering and stammering.
Creak—
Just then, the door to a private office opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. "Ah, are you Hunter Yoon Suhyun, the Hunter assigned to Handler Kim Hyoeun?"
"Yes."
The man offered a benevolent smile, but for some reason, it made my skin crawl. I felt a deep-seated prejudice and disgust toward non-Hunter staff members taking root in my heart.
"Why don't we talk in my office?"
"..."
The man opened his door and waited for me to enter. I scanned the room, but everyone was avoiding my gaze, making it impossible to identify which one was Kim Hyoeun. With no other choice, I followed him inside.
"Please, have a seat. Coffee? Or would you prefer tea?"
Once I was inside, he closed the curtains so we couldn't be seen from the outside. On his desk sat a black nameplate that read: [Administrative Division 3, Section Chief: Im Songhyun].
"Let's get straight to the point..."
"Yes?"
"We're both busy. Let's just get to the point."
My cold tone made him cough a few times. He walked over to the water cooler, filled a paper cup, placed it in front of me, and sat down opposite me.
"Hmm... very well. Are you here because you want to change your handler?"
It seemed this wasn't the first time he'd dealt with this; Im Songhyun already knew why I was here.
"Yes."
"May I... hear your reasons?"
I explained why I wanted to replace my handler. I had organized my thoughts hundreds of times on the train to the Association, so I spoke without hesitation. I told him how Kim Hyoeun, for the sake of her own performance record, had completely omitted the background and danger levels of the mission, effectively throwing me into a meat grinder. I pointed out that if nothing had happened, she would have shamelessly asked, "So, did any bloodshed actually occur?" and that now that a terrorist attack and casualties had actually happened, she was keeping her mouth shut. I also mentioned that the atmosphere in the office made it clear everyone knew why I was here—which meant Kim Hyoeun was sitting somewhere out there, fully aware of her mistake, hiding in silence.
Im Songhyun listened with a serious expression, rubbing his chin. He nodded occasionally, implicitly agreeing that my points were valid. When my long explanation ended, he closed his eyes, nodded, and stood up to bow.
"First, as your superior, I apologize for what you had to go through, Hunter Yoon Suhyun."
His polite attitude softened my anger slightly.
"However."
But the words that followed immediately turned my softened heart back to hostility.
"However, changing your handler will be difficult. No, it is impossible."
"Why?"
Min Serin had clearly told me that a Hunter could change their handler whenever they wanted. Yet, Im Songhyun was sitting there, boldly telling me it was impossible.
"Isn't Handler Kim Hyoeun your first handler? It's unheard of for a Hunter to request a change after their very first mission with their first handler..."
Im Songhyun shook his head with a smile, as if the request were absurd.
"Ha."
A dry laugh escaped me. I remembered what Min Serin had said that morning while drying her hair before leaving the motel. She had warned me that the administrative types would show unnecessary hostility and refuse any request to change handlers. If a handler was replaced, the work would be transferred to another team, and to them, that was no different than losing an A-rank Hunter to a rival team right before their eyes. She predicted they would use pathetic excuses like "it's unprecedented" to reject me. And her prediction was spot on.
When the topic of handlers came up, Min Serin had openly expressed her disdain, calling the administrative staff a cancerous organization within the Association, even though she didn't have a handler herself, being directly under the Association President and Bureau Chief Kang Hyena. I hadn't understood it at first, but now that I was in this situation, a deep sense of disgust and rage boiled up inside me.
"..."
As I stared into space in silence, Im Songhyun stood up as if the conversation were over and patted my shoulder. "For now... why don't you proceed with a few more missions? If problems arise again, I will take responsibility and change your handler then."
His condescending, command-like tone made my hands tremble. I remembered the other method Min Serin had suggested, since I didn't want to ask Hyena for help.
'Ah... I really didn't want to do this.'
In the end, I chose the last resort Min Serin had advised.
"These vermin... they always think they're above you if you ask them politely..."
"Excuse me? What did you just... say?" Im Songhyun looked at me, flustered.
"Never mind. I'm transferring departments, so consider that a done deal."
At my informal tone, Im Songhyun laughed as if he were dumbfounded. "To where?"
"Information Investigation Bureau, Investigation Team 7."
As the words "Investigation Team 7" left my lips, Im Songhyun's expression stiffened instantly. Investigation Team 7 was a place filled with human butchers, one of the top three most feared departments in the entire Central Headquarters. Min Serin had suggested this because I had already completed two missions related to the Investigation Bureau, so it wouldn't be strange for them to scout me, and the administrative staff were terrified of the mere mention of the Investigation Bureau.
'Even if it's a lie, it doesn't matter.' I recalled Min Serin, holding a hairdryer, smiling and shaking her breasts as she said that. She had told me that from a third-party perspective, a Hunter who had been wandering around low-rank gates without any real activity for years, only to suddenly enter an S-rank gate, be selected as the second-highest contributor, be deployed on two secret Investigation Bureau missions, and rapidly promote to A-rank, was no different from a "Black Ops agent who had been secretly performing Investigation Bureau missions all along."
The ease and laughter vanished from Im Songhyun's face. His expression began to fill with terror and dread.
Three years ago... two high-ranking administrative officials who had been in conflict with the Information Investigation Bureau were found hanging in their homes along with their families. The Administrative Division had strongly protested, claiming it was a hit ordered by the Investigation Bureau Chief, and a massive internal investigation was launched, but the case was closed without finding a shred of evidence or suspicion. Even then, the prevailing public opinion was that the Investigation Bureau had begun to flex its muscles, but the case ended without any proof linking them to it. While the public sentiment turned against the Investigation Bureau, leading to the Chief's resignation, for the Administrative Division, that incident was a total defeat. Furthermore, the Investigation Bureau Chief who resigned returned as a Headquarters Director less than six months later. The current Incheon Headquarters Director, "Park Junghu," was that very former Investigation Bureau Chief at the center of that incident.
Im Songhyun stared at me, mouth agape, unable to speak.
'It's even more effective than I imagined.'
Of course, I had no intention of joining the Information Investigation Bureau. I was just bluffing. I picked up the paper cup, downed the water, and stood up. I glanced at the photo behind his nameplate—Im Songhyun with his wife and young son—and then at the ring on his right ring finger, murmuring, "It's a shame... you have a family, so why on earth... Your son is still so young, it's tragic..."
"Y-yes...?"
Im Songhyun looked at me with a face that seemed to say his world had collapsed. Seeing his expression, it was clear he now perceived me as: 'A Hunter who was an Investigation Bureau agent deployed on secret assassination missions without officially promoting, but is now trying to return to being a normal Hunter.'
"I was just trying to spend the rest of my Hunter life quietly, clearing gates like a normal person... but people just won't let me."
With that, I walked out of his office. As I stepped out, the whispering staff members went deathly silent. I walked slowly through them, and soon, I heard the sound of Im Songhyun's office door bursting open, followed by hurried footsteps.
"H-Hunter Yoon Suhyun!"
Hearing the desperate call, I turned my head slightly to see Im Songhyun looking at me with a deathly pale face. I stared at him in silence, and he grabbed a file folder from a nearby desk, walked over to someone, and smacked them across the head.
Thwack—
The staff member who was hit stared at Im Songhyun with a dazed expression. On that staff member's chest was a name tag that read: [Kim Hyoeun].
"You were blinded by your performance record! How dare you deceive a Hunter and drive them into a death trap!"
Thwack! Thwack!
Im Songhyun shouted and struck Kim Hyoeun's head two more times with the file folder.
'Ah, this is a bit...'
Kim Hyoeun, a seemingly ordinary woman in her mid-30s, began to tear up.
"What are you crying for! Apologize immediately!"
At Im Songhyun's shout, Kim Hyoeun stood up, came before me, and begged.
"Sob...! I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry!"
'No... this is too dramatic...'
The effect far exceeded my imagination, and I was the one who felt flustered. I quickly approached Im Songhyun, patted his shoulder, and said, "Let's keep what happened here today... a secret. Keep your team members in line... and please, take care of that department transfer."
Im Songhyun nodded his head up and down rapidly. With that, I left the office.
'Damn it... I hope word of today doesn't reach the Investigation Bureau.'
Since my lie was told only to Im Songhyun in private, if he keeps his mouth shut, today's incident will blow over quietly. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a lie. When did I ever say I was part of the Information Investigation Bureau? I just said I was considering joining them.
'Looking at his face, I don't think he'll be telling anyone...'
It was a bit different from what I expected, but after completing the department transfer, I took the train home.
"Whew... I want to eat Yuna's cooking."