Shylock's Offer
Oh Yoo-hwa is one of the many negotiation officers serving in the Defense Strategy Department. A negotiation officer’s role is to meet with newly awakened individuals, negotiate contracts, and turn them into official hunters. In an era where hunters are treated as asymmetric strategic weapons, the more formally contracted hunters a nation has, the greater its competitiveness and its ability to respond to monsters. It goes without saying that negotiation officers play a vital role.
Whether for better or worse, Oh Yoo-hwa is destined to become the most famous among them. At this point in time, she is likely in her second year as a negotiation officer, and her notoriety is steadily growing. She is, to put it kindly, an iron-blooded negotiator; to put it harshly, a swindler. She mercilessly forces absurd terms on naive awakeners, while sweet-talking and manipulating the clever, cunning ones into signing the most conservative contracts possible.
I was one of her victims. Back then, I had just lost my father and was lost in grief, half-mad with the desire for revenge against the monsters. Oh Yoo-hwa saw right through me. She presented me with an outrageous contract, and I signed the slave contract without a second thought. At the time, I didn’t care about the terms. For an awakener, she was the worst possible negotiation officer, but for the Republic of Korea, she was the best. Despite her ruthless reputation, her results were exceptional. There was no doubt she was an extraordinary talent. That was Major Oh Yoo-hwa, callsign Shylock.
“I’ve already gathered most of your personal information, Mr. Eun-seong, so we can skip that part.”
Of course. The Defense Strategy Department had been recording everything on video from the moment I arrived at the guard post. Captain Im was no different. Guiding a prospective hunter to register as an awakener? Even a passing dog wouldn’t laugh at that excuse. Captain Im’s real job was to observe and analyze my every move—my appearance, speech patterns, voice, gait, and manner of speaking. Underestimating the Defense Strategy Department of a developed nation like Korea would be a grave mistake.
“First, I’d like to know which role class you’ve awakened into. That way, we can tailor the contract accordingly.”
“That’s a bit difficult.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t think I can tell you.”
“……”
Oh Yoo-hwa fell silent for a moment, caught off guard. But it didn’t last long. She smiled softly and continued.
“You came here to register as an awakener, didn’t you, Mr. Eun-seong?”
“Yes.”
“Then you should at least tell us your role class. If we’re going to offer you the best possible terms, we need that basic information, don’t you think?”
“I understand what you’re saying, Major Oh. But I’m afraid it’s still difficult.”
“Haha.”
Oh Yoo-hwa looked as if she had never encountered such a troublesome person before. She probably hadn’t. Most awakeners were eager to boast about their awakening. Someone like me, who made things difficult from the very start, must have been a first for her.
“Then how would you like to proceed with the negotiation? Please tell me, Mr. Eun-seong.”
“I’d like you to make an offer first. For an awakener of a new role class.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said.”
I spoke casually, as if it were nothing special.
“What would you do if I had awakened into a role class that never existed before?”
“That’s unlikely, but… if that were true, then I would have to offer you the best possible treatment.”
“Then please do so.”
I grinned. Now it was my turn. I was going to make her regret the way she had swindled me in the past.
* * *
Inside the refugee camp tent, Cha Eun-seong’s mother, Park Yeon-kyung, wore a worried expression. It was only natural for a mother to feel anxious when her newly awakened son had gone alone to the Defense Strategy Department early in the morning to register.
“I wonder if we should have found a lawyer first. You should have gone with him at least.”
“Eun-seong is a grown man. We can’t hover over him like he’s still a child.”
Cha Geun-woo smiled.
“But what if he ends up signing a slave contract?”
“I already told him not to agree to anything longer than one year. There shouldn’t be any problems. Besides, sometimes you have to taste bitterness to understand how the world works. A guy who aimed to become a special forces officer can handle at least that much.”
“Still…”
Park Yeon-kyung spoke with clear unease.
“You know how kind and upright our Eun-seong is. He’s exactly the type who’d get scammed.”
“Hmm.”
Cha Geun-woo stroked his beard, looking equally concerned.
“He does have that side to him. He’s better suited to following orders like I did. Easy to take advantage of. And he gets hurt easily because of it.”
“Exactly.”
“What can we do? That’s how the world is. Still, his personality seems to have changed these past few days. He’s been far more bold and decisive than I expected. Our son.”
“That’s true.”
“Let’s just wait quietly for now.”
“All right.”
The couple suppressed their anxiety, hoping their son wouldn’t be taken advantage of by the Defense Strategy Department and that he would handle things well on his own. That was their way of raising him—sometimes stepping back to watch, even when they knew their child might face hardship.
* * *
“Is that really true? You awakened into a role class that never existed before?”
“Yes.”
“Then could you show me the emblem?”
“That much I can do.”
I unbuttoned my shirt and revealed the emblem etched on my chest. The serpent biting its own tail to form a circle, with a star inside, came into view.
“……!”
Oh Yoo-hwa’s eyes widened as if they might pop out. Yes, she was shocked. How could she not be? Even for her, a veteran negotiation officer who had seen countless awakeners’ emblems, mine was something she had never encountered before.
But she was a true professional. Quickly regaining her composure, Oh Yoo-hwa smiled as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
“It’s certainly an emblem I’ve never seen before. Very well. I’ll offer you the best possible terms.”
“I’ll be counting on it.”
“As you can see in the contract, if you sign, you’ll receive a signing bonus, housing, a vehicle, and a monthly salary.”
Oh Yoo-hwa slid the contract across the table.
“Since you’re an awakener of a new role class, you’ll be given a thirty-pyeong apartment in this area, as shown. The vehicle will be a foreign import.”
At first glance, the terms didn’t seem bad. The apartment she offered was a Tier 1 safety-rated building, even if the size was modest. Housing provided by the Defense Strategy Department to hunters was called a Safe House, graded by safety level. The safest was Grade 1, while the apartment I had been assigned before was Grade 3. Of course, it didn’t matter much. As time passed, monster attacks would increasingly defy human expectations.
A foreign import car was decent, but it was mostly for show. Once active as a hunter, I would rely far more on motorcycles, helicopters, and ATVs. The tax-free monthly salary of ten million won wasn’t terrible either.
The real problem was that all of it was just window dressing. A nice house, a nice car, and a tax-free salary? Fine, all good—but the core of the contract lay elsewhere.
Loot distribution ratio 5:5? What a joke. Hunters should take everything, and they’re still skimming fifty percent?
The ratio wasn’t the only issue.
Seven years with fifteen missions per year? Even a slave would get better terms.
A hunter’s life was never guaranteed. People who were constantly thrown into life-or-death battles didn’t deserve a seven-year contract. Standard hunter contracts were one year, three at most. And she was offering seven?
Just like always, Oh Yoo-hwa was trying to take advantage of a mark.
“There are a lot of problems with this contract. The ratio, the contract length—it’s all too long.”
“Then I can lower it to one year. It’s not normally allowed, but since it’s you, Mr. Eun-seong, I’ll make an exception. I can also adjust the ratio from 5:5 to 6:4. Offering these terms on a first contract is…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Then how about five years at a 7:3 ratio? This is already pushing it for me.”
“I heard you loud and clear.”
I stood up.
“I’ve heard Japan and the U.S. offer better treatment. I think I’ll go there instead.”
“M-Mr. Eun-seong?”
Oh Yoo-hwa’s face turned pale. An awakener was a national asset, a strategic weapon. If a new type of emblem appeared and she failed to secure it, letting it go to another country? That was far beyond what a single negotiation officer like her could handle. One wrong move and her identity could be exposed, branding her a traitor and forcing her to live in hiding under constant death threats.
In reality, Oh Yoo-hwa’s end had been horrific. About five years ago, news had broken that she was found as a dismembered corpse. Most people had thought she got what she deserved.
“Mr. Eun-seong.”
Oh Yoo-hwa spoke earnestly.
“Other countries might offer better terms, but as a Korean, you should contract with the Republic of Korea. You were planning to enlist as a naval officer, weren’t you? We’ll take better care of you, so please give us a chance…”
Hah. How disgusting. After offering a slave contract, she was appealing to patriotism?
“I’m sorry, but let’s stop here. Listening to you is making even the patriotism I had left disappear.”
“There must be some misunderstanding. The treatment for new contractors is fixed. So the contract period will be five years, and…”
She was ruthless. Even now, she was still trying to trap me.
“Mr. Eun-seong! Please wait!”
Oh Yoo-hwa grabbed my arm and clung to me.
“If I offended you, I’m truly sorry!”
“Sorry?”
“Ah, I mean, I apologize!”
“Calm down first and listen to me. Mr. Eun-seong, this isn’t something I can handle on my own. So please calm down and wait just a moment, would you?”
“If I wait?”
“I’ll report to the Minister and get back to you. He’ll most likely come in person.”
Good. This was how it should be. The Defense Strategy Minister at this time was someone worth speaking with. Ahn Guk-seon. Callsign Iron Blood. A first-generation hunter who awakened ten years ago when the monsters first invaded Earth.