Chapter 6: IKnowit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: IKnowit
Chapter 2 – Rodri, the Hunter Specialization Company
1
The next day, I found myself tightening my tie, wearing a suit I’d bought ages ago.
I never thought the day would come when I’d wear this suit again.
As I stared at my awkward, suited-up reflection in the mirror, I thought back to the job offer I’d received yesterday.
Rodri.
A new company specializing in hunter development.
Being a new company, there was little information available, which made it suspicious.
But after a phone call yesterday using the number on the offer, I decided to take the job.
「How does a monthly salary of 3 million won sound, with bonuses depending on the situation?」
Naturally, I accepted on the spot.
How could someone with zero experience like me turn down 3 million won a month?
When I asked how they knew about me and sent the offer, they said a professor who had thought highly of me back in the day had recommended me.
I’d assumed that bitch’s influence still lingered, but don’t they say the perpetrator is always the first to forget the victim?
It seemed she had finally forgotten about me and stopped telling every company in the vicinity to never hire me.
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that the world was still a shitty place.
Still, thanks to that, my suspicions were eased, and I quickly expressed my intent to join.
With next month’s rent looming, I didn’t care what kind of company it was.
Though, there was another reason.
The incident with the returnee, Orjia, yesterday.
The dimensional gate that opened in the middle of Hongdae had caused quite a stir on TV.
And thanks to that, I was reminded of a goal I’d set for myself long ago.
A world where returnees could come home in peace.
It was an old dream I had once cherished.
It’s a pretty vague, old dream, though.
It was hardly realistic and far too grand in scope, but a dream was a dream.
The face of my sister, now gone, from my childhood was reason enough for me to want to create such a world.
Not that I think I can actually achieve it now.
I stepped out of my house.
Still, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to dream a little.
Of course, the moment I was outside, I changed my mind.
I want to go home.
I had severely underestimated Seoul’s morning commute.
Packed inside a subway overflowing with people, I experienced hell.
You want me to go through this every day?
I’d rather bite my tongue and die.
With that thought, I stepped outside, loosened the tie I had so carefully knotted, and took a moment to catch my breath.
A glance at my phone showed I still had some time to spare, so I decided to cool off a bit and walk slowly.
While I’m resting.
I opened a random chat app on my phone.
It was a chat system linked to Lord of Academy.
Even if you couldn’t play the game, the app let you talk to people who were logged in or using the app.
As I checked who was online, I spotted a familiar nickname and sent a message.
[Doremi Fasol: Juksim-nim, hi.]
[Jugeumbitgwa Simjangnimi: Raises a hand in greeting.]
[Doremi Fasol: What are you up to today?]
[Jugeumbitgwa Simjangnimi: Eyes sparkle, saying they are going to buy potato chips.]
Those are delicious.
Maybe I should empty the rest of my bank account and buy some on my way home.
[Doremi Fasol: Have you gotten into going to the convenience store lately?]
[Jugeumbitgwa Simjangnimi: Says it’s fun because there are many things that suit their taste.]
[Doremi Fasol: Still, you’re getting out a lot these days.]
She was an even more extreme homebody gamer than me.
Jugeumbitgwa Simjangnimi.
Juksim for short.
I don’t know what inspired her, but she always typed in that manner. At this point, I was used to it.
More importantly, she was the only Challenger-rank player in our guild and had even hit rank 1 before. A true pro.
While Lord of Academy was fundamentally an RPG, it also had a ranking system, and her rank points contributed greatly to our guild’s standing.
For the record, I didn’t even know her gender.
Just like with Ahyu, I never bothered to ask.
Besides, she was a chatter, so I’d never even heard her in-game character’s voice.
[Jugeumbitgwa Simjangnimi: Asks why you are awake at this hour.]
[Doremi Fasol: I got a job at a company lol]
[Jugeumbitgwa Simjangnimi: Says a skull will fall on your head if you lie.]
Why a skull?
After a few more exchanges with Juksim, who clearly didn’t believe I’d gotten a job, I arrived safely at the Rodri Company.
For a new company, Rodri surprisingly occupied an entire building.
Then again, if your main business was hunter development, you’d need a lot of space for various things.
Hunters these days are even on YouTube.
It was natural for anyone to want to be popular, and hunters were no exception.
As a result, quite a few hunters were also internet streamers.
The hunter profession itself, with its special abilities, was great for attracting attention. And the more well-known you became, the more money you made, so it was a win-win.
Though it’s not like only handsome men and beautiful women become hunters.
Still, as hunters, they honed their bodies, so they were in good shape, and their unique auras were naturally captivating to people.
Because of this, it seemed many hunter development companies encouraged promising hunters to get into YouTube or TV to build their public profile.
I don’t know which rich person started a hunter company.
As long as I can make money, that’s all that matters.
The building itself was large, so it was unlikely they’d run off without paying my salary.
The elevator.
After glancing around the rather large first-floor lobby, I soon spotted the elevator.
I was assigned to the 3rd floor, in the Hunter Development Support Department.
From what I’d been told, the work wasn’t much different from what I’d learned in university.
Things like creating systematic training programs tailored to hunters, devising countermeasures for dimensional entities, and providing material support.
I stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the 3rd floor, and was about to press the close button when I heard the sound of urgent footsteps from a distance.
The owner of the footsteps was clearly trying to catch the elevator, so I quickly pressed the open button. Standing there was a woman in a suit with silver hair.
“Thank you.”
The silver hair that flowed down her shoulders as she gave me a brief word of thanks was so beautiful I almost mistook her for a goddess.
She’s not an ordinary person. A hunter? I heard some hunters’ hair color changes when they awaken their abilities.
Or maybe a returnee.
Returnees weren’t exactly common, but this was a hunter development company.
In a building this size, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have hired a returnee or two.
As I stared at her, mesmerized, a recent memory surfaced, and I quickly averted my gaze.
If I keep staring, I might actually get sued this time.
Just then, for some reason, she started staring intently at me.
Her gaze made me a little uncomfortable, so I glanced at her and said, “I like men.”
“Ah, I see.”
Why did she just accept that?
Does she think I look like I like men?
My ultimate move didn’t work.
I had expected a reaction similar to Ahyu’s. As I stood there with a dumbfounded expression, she smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry. Our company doesn’t care about things like that. For the record, I was looking at you because I haven’t seen you before.”
Does she have telepathy or something?
If she was a hunter or a returnee, it was a real possibility, so I quickly corrected my thoughts.
“I’m a new employee starting today. My name is Kang Ha-chan.”
“Yes, Mr. Ha-chan, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Baek Seol-hyang.”
Just as she finished her smiling reply, the elevator dinged and stopped on the 3rd floor.
I said, “Well then, I’ll be going,” and as I left, she gave me a light wave goodbye.
They said this company was founded recently. Does she know everyone’s face already?
It was a ten-story building, so there must be quite a few people working in each department.
More importantly, when I glanced back, the elevator was going all the way up to the 10th floor before it dinged and stopped.
In most companies, isn’t the top floor the chairman’s office?
“Hmm, probably not.”
Believing it couldn’t be what I was thinking, I began my first day of work.
2
Rodri Company, 10th floor.
The person who stepped out onto the floor, which was inaccessible to anyone but special guests, was Baek Seol-hyang, who had just encountered Ha-chan.
Her long legs extended from beneath her skirt as she walked slowly, soon leaning her head against a door.
What do I do? I met him and talked to him.
Her composed expression from moments ago was gone. Her face, even her ears, was flushed bright red, and she didn’t know what to do with herself.
The fact that she had met the man she had longed for made her heart pound uncontrollably, and she couldn’t bear it.
How many years had it been since she’d seen his face in person?
She didn’t know.
But he didn’t seem to remember her.
That was to be expected, she supposed.
She had changed so much.
“What should I do? Did I say anything weird? I introduced myself, at least. And I didn’t bite my tongue.”
Anyone who knew her would have been shocked to see her acting like a pure, innocent girl.
Unable to control her racing heart, she was pressing her hands to her face when the door clicked open.
Standing there was a very tall woman in a suit, bowing her head.
The moment she saw her, Baek Seol-hyang’s expression instantly returned to normal.
The blush on her cheeks had vanished, and in its place was the woman who always overflowed with composure.
“Eunhyeon, did you handle the matter I asked of you?”
“Of course. Who do you think asked me?”
The memory of running into Ha-chan on her way up made her ears turn red again, but she skillfully hid her emotions, walked inside, and plopped down on the sofa as if she owned the place.
The room, which looked incredibly luxurious at a glance, was completely out of place for a new company.
“Take good care of him for the time being. Subtly, of course. You know what I mean, right?”
“Yes, I will ensure he does not become suspicious.”
“But make sure he leaves on time at the end of the day. And don’t call him in on weekends. I can’t live without him, you know.”
The woman called Eunhyeon bowed her head again and said she would do so.
For her, the words of the woman before her were an absolute command.
“So, what’s the latest news?”
“One new returnee has appeared. In the process, we’ve confirmed that the returnee Heavenly Demon, Cheon Hong-ryeon, and Mr. Kang Ha-chan were involved in the subjugation.”
“The Heavenly Demon… the Heavenly Demon.”
She began to tap her fine cheek with her index finger.
S-rank returnee.
A returnee who had laid waste to Jung-gu, Incheon in an instant due to a dimensional shift.
However, she had closed the dimensional gate with her own power and cleaned up the dimensional erosion in a single moment.
That alone was enough to classify her power as S-rank, one of the few in the entire world.
She showed no intention of being active after that. Why would she move again?
The image of Kang Ha-chan, whom she had seen today, appeared in Baek Seol-hyang’s eyes.
She stretched her red lips with her finger, a chilling light glinting in her eyes.
“Heavenly Demon… I suppose I’ll have to meet her again after all this time.”
“Shall I schedule a meeting?”
“Please do.”
“Understood, Chairwoman.”
Chairwoman of the World Returnee Association.
The Iron-Blooded Empress.
S-rank returnee, Baek Seol-hyang.
Her nickname in her favorite game, Lord of Academy, was ‘IKnowit’.