The Nonsan Field Office (2)

When I told Hana and Poppy about the assignment after they got back from their walk, they nodded along and looked pleased—which was not at all what I'd expected.

Then again, their usual range of outings didn't stretch much further than Dohwang-ri. Push it and you might get Taean County, or a ride into town in my beat-up old truck. For the two of them, the chance to visit a place they'd never been—a bigger city, no less—was more than enough to get them excited.

I didn't think it was a bad idea myself. Spending time at a Hunter Shelter, surrounded by people like them and getting to know other beastfolk, was an experience they could use.

Then Hana tilted her head.

"But... Unnie, when you say shelter, do you mean like a basement or something?"

"No. They call it a shelter, but it's really more like a big resort. Or a hotel."

Poppy's ears perked up, and she jumped in like she'd known all along.

"Oh, I've heard of those! The ones in Seoul are supposed to put actual hotels to shame! I heard those people have nothing left to spend but money."

She wasn't wrong. In this world, there was probably no organization with deeper pockets than the Hunter Bureau.

Back in the old days, people used to point to chaebol chairmen and powerful politicians as the richest of the rich. They were still wealthy, of course. But in this era, what mattered more than money was, ultimately, force. When an armed organization like that had both deep pockets and deep ties to politics, people calling them a "state-level power" wasn't exactly empty talk.

Still, that was a world I'd never have anything to do with in my lifetime—and I hoped these two never would, either.

Now that I had Hana and Poppy's blessing, all that was left was getting a firearms transport permit from the police substation.

Honestly, this was going to be a lot easier than getting those two to agree. Convincing them took all kinds of bribes and incentives. This was just a matter of following procedure. The Environmental Department manager would already have called ahead to let them know I was heading to Nonsan on assignment. All Inspector Park or Officer Lee would need to do was fill out the paperwork based on that.

The next day, I headed to the substation in good spirits. The moment I stepped inside, a familiar officer spotted me and held out a form, as if he'd been waiting.

Just as I'd figured. They'd already been in contact with the manager—the paperwork was completely filled out, with nothing left but a blank space for my signature.

"All the way to Nonsan, huh? That's quite a trip."

"When else am I going to get to a city that big? Though I wouldn't have minded if it were somewhere in Gyeonggi Province instead."

Officer Lee made a face at my joke.

"Uh... I don't think you'd want that, ma'am."

I just smiled at his reaction and signed my name. I knew perfectly well that Gyeonggi Province, packed as it was with people, was also crawling with all kinds of nasty monsters. Still, it was fun seeing a reaction that earnest every now and then.

When I handed the papers back, he asked,

"Will you be picking up the firearm on Sunday?"

"No. I'm planning to leave first thing Saturday morning."

"Understood. I'll let the Nonsan police station know you'll be coming by on Saturday."

"Thanks. Appreciate it."

Stepping out of the substation, I stretched my stiff body as far as it would go. Mudskippers, then a horned water deer on top of that. The past week had been packed with way too much. And now I had a field assignment waiting. Even a Semi-Awakened body couldn't help feeling sore.

So I spent the remaining days until Saturday taking it easy. Most of that time I spent with the two of them—catching up on neglected housework with Hana, or following Poppy out on neighborhood walks. In the gaps between, I cleaned the gear I'd be taking and packed our bags. All in all, I figured I'd spent the time well enough.

Then, the night before we left, I was doing one last check of our luggage.

My big duffel bag held nothing but hunting gear and a few changes of clothes—and even those were all drab hunting outfits. Hana and Poppy's bags, on the other hand, were stuffed with pretty going-out clothes, like a pair of kids packing for a school trip.

And tucked into a corner of each of their bags, neatly folded and split between them, were the dress and the pretty clothes I'd bought in town not long ago.

Apparently they were determined to dress me up and drag me out somewhere during this trip, one way or another. Part of me wanted to sneak those clothes out and leave them behind, but I decided against it. I already had a hard enough time saying no when they asked for something with those bright, sparkling eyes. If they looked at me all sad, I wouldn't stand a chance. So I just pretended I hadn't noticed.

Once I'd loaded my bag and theirs side by side into the back seat of the truck, it somehow really did feel like a family heading out on a trip.

A family trip... I couldn't even remember if I'd ever gone on one as a kid. I thought about calling my parents to ask, then dropped the idea. If I phoned them, all I'd get was, So how are Hana and Poppy doing? Are you bringing them home for the holidays this year?

I just shook my head and went back inside.

On the morning of our departure, we got up before the sun and left the house. Our first stop was the police substation, where I picked up my gun—now cleared for transport.

Seeing it again after so long, broken down for safety and packed into a long gun case, it looked strangely unfamiliar. At a glance it could have passed for a violin case, or maybe a golf bag. I kind of liked that.

Before leaving the substation, I collected the firearms transport permit from Inspector Park and climbed back into the truck. Sitting in the driver's seat, I gave it a once-over.

Starting with the reason for transport, then the route, the estimated travel time... Beneath the densely packed text were the names of the Taean County Environmental Department manager and Inspector Park, stamped in crisp, unmistakable ink.

Yeah. This is the kind of paperwork I need if I'm going to head out with any peace of mind.

I handed the papers to Hana in the passenger seat and stepped on the gas. Our beat-up blue truck finally began rolling toward our unfamiliar destination: Nonsan.

Getting there meant taking the highway, so we entered the tollgate in the opposite direction from a few days ago. Fortunately, the highway wasn't under lockdown—probably because the Dimensional Anomaly Warning had only just been lifted. If we'd been unlucky, we'd have had to take the long way around on national roads, which would have been exhausting. We'd caught a break.

Once again, soldiers were standing guard at the tollgate. I rolled down the window and handed over the permit I'd gotten from the substation. The soldier checked the documents, confirmed the gun case was in the back seat, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠waved us through without any further questions.

I glanced in the rearview mirror. Poppy in the back and Hana beside me were sitting quietly, not spooked by the soldiers the way they had been a few days ago. I couldn't help feeling a little proud of them.

The highway these days was a far cry from the one I remembered. There used to be rest stops and drowsiness shelters everywhere, for sleepy drivers and travelers. Now those same spots had all been converted into bleak emergency shelters, marked with evacuation signs. You could still pull over at one for a quick rest if you had to, but as a rule, getting to your destination as fast as possible was better for your health.

That was probably why the highway was almost empty, save for vehicles that genuinely needed to move fast and cargo transports. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one silver lining was that there was no traffic to speak of.

I had to keep my eyes locked on the tedious stretch of straight road ahead, but Hana and Poppy were another story. The scenery rushing past—cities and mountains instead of the ocean they always saw—must have been pretty fascinating, because the two of them chattered away at the windows, completely losing track of time.

Seeing that they didn't seem bored, I had a feeling this trip was going to go pretty smoothly.

We drove on without stopping for a long while, and I didn't breathe easy until a green tollgate sign reading Nonsan finally came into view.

I pulled up to the booth, and sure enough, this was a town famous as a military city—the welcome committee made that clear from the start. An armored vehicle sat intimidatingly beside the gate, and the personnel conducting inspections were heavily armed.

But no matter how scary they looked, I had nothing to feel guilty about. My job was to show them the permit. Their job was to search my vehicle and send me on my way. That was all.

The heavily armed soldiers seemed to be of the same mind. They took the permit I held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out, gave it a perfunctory once-over, glanced at Hana and Poppy sitting quietly in the truck—then saluted and waved us through without any further checks.

Only after we'd finally entered the unfamiliar city—downtown Nonsan—did I let out the long sigh I'd been holding in. The tension drained right out of me.

"You worked hard, Unnie."

"Yeah! I thought I was gonna die of boredom just looking out the window, but you must've been even more bored, having to drive the whole way."

Hearing Hana and Poppy's warm encouragement from the passenger seat and the back, I felt strength returning to my aching shoulders. I glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror, let out a small laugh, and took the wheel again.

Our first stop was the shelter operated by the Hunter Bureau, right in the city.

The building that appeared before us was enormous and lavish enough to put most hotels to shame. Apparently even a regional city like Nonsan had money to throw around. But that was only the exterior. The high walls encircling the building like a fortress, and the sharp-eyed guards stationed at the entrance, made it abundantly clear that this was no playground for the wealthy.

I pulled the old truck up to the shelter entrance, and a man who looked like a security guard approached.

"What's your business here?"

"Appreciate the hard work. Would this be valid here?"

I handed him the ticket I'd received from the manager. He scanned the barcode with practiced ease, then handed it back without a word.

"Please wait a moment."

The guard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tossed out those few words and gestured inward. The barrier arm blocking the entrance slowly rose.

Whether he was just naturally that curt, or whether he was looking down on me for being Semi-Awakened, I couldn't tell. Either way, I didn't have the energy to pick a fight over it. All I wanted was to get inside the shelter and rest.

I parked in the lot they'd directed me to and got out. Looking around, I found a row of gleaming luxury cars that would have put our junker of a truck to shame. You couldn't tell from the cars alone whether their owners were genuinely powerful Hunters or just pretentious kids with more money than sense. Still, I had to admit I was a little envious.

Unlike Hana and Poppy, who were looking around with wide-eyed curiosity, I walked through the shelter's massive glass doors with a fresh, vivid sense of the gap between rich and poor.