Chapter 28
The story continues off the page
Floaties for Everyone
Swim lesson at the water park, and she's demonstrating on you
Creak.
9 a.m.
Meracle’s workday begins.
Kim Yang enters the office.
Kim Yang looks through the things in the mailbox one by one: insurance premiums, official notices related to the business, and so on.
Amid everything piled together, one particularly old-fashioned piece of stationery stands out.
Kim Yang tears open the letter without much hesitation. Kim Juseon isn’t coming in today, anyway.
BLR (Black Line Risk).
Because he had gone to work part-time at Black Line Risk, the Hunter management company.
Kim Yang had sent him off thinking that a cushy job paying 2.7 million won for just three days’ work was too good to pass up, even if it wasn’t Kim Yang’s own paycheck.
-----
To the Great Hero.
Baek Yeonhwa here.
……I received your reply.
The letter I had been waiting for these past few days.
My hands trembled, and I was truly excited.
But.
‘It seems you’ve misunderstood?’
‘I’ll introduce you to a good husband?’
Great Hero.
What exactly did I just hear?
Could it be?
Could it really be that you didn’t read my letter, Great Hero?
Or did you read it but fail to understand it?
A good husband?
Great Hero.
What I want isn’t some dud, but you—the man who defeated me.
The one who stopped me when I went berserk and helped me escape from the Azure Dragon.
Does this look like a misunderstanding to you?
The answer to my question, ‘What would you like to do first when we meet six months from now?’
Is it ‘introduce me to another man’?
Great Hero.
If the opportunity arises, I would like to meet you.
On the day we face each other again.
I wonder whether, on that day, you will give me the same answer as in your letter.
I am truly curious—.
I will wait, and keep waiting.
Your wife.
Baek Yeonhwa, respectfully.
-----
“……”
After reading the entire letter, Kim Yang placed it on Kim Juseon’s desk with a sigh.
Kim Yang had seen all kinds of clients while working at a matchmaking agency, but this was the first client like this.
“R-Right. Why did he have to do something so pointless……”
Sipping coffee, Kim Yang began handling the work Kim Juseon had asked for yesterday.
* * *
The 22nd floor of Black Line Risk.
The first thing visible upon entering was an access-pass scanner.
And a man standing there yawning, his hair stiffly spiked with a generous amount of wax.
The employee ID hanging around his neck read ‘Manager Kang Baram.’
The moment he saw the temporary pass hanging around my neck, he gestured listlessly.
“Mr. Kim Juseon? Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Let’s go.”
There was no explanation, no guidance, not even a greeting.
He simply strode straight inside.
As far as I could tell while passing through, this was essentially a laundromat used exclusively by the male employees.
Beyond the hallway was a huge trailer full of hanging suits. It felt like I had wandered into a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant.
“Find your size and change in the fitting room over there. Then come down to the first-floor lobby within fifteen minutes. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Do you smoke?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then don’t smoke while you’re working.”
Manager Kang Baram headed back out through the hallway, looking annoyed.
‘Is he pissed because I’m a parachute hire?’
I knew that, as such a huge corporation, the Hunters from Black Line Risk tended to carry themselves with their heads held high.
Well, from his perspective, I was probably someone who had happened to befriend the right person and come here to enjoy a cushy three-day job.
‘He’s not wrong.’
Hmm, there wasn’t a single part of that that was wrong.
I’ll milk this job for all it’s worth.
After changing into a suit and going down to the first floor, I found seven people standing in front of Manager Kang Baram.
They stood stiffly with their hands clasped behind their backs, so they seemed to be new recruits.
Once the manager confirmed that I had arrived as well, he immediately began explaining.
“Now, our job today is to provide security for the famous singer ‘Mr. Aul’. You all received Mr. Aul’s schedule through the company messenger, right?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
A booming response.
The other people passing by nearby snickered at the rookies’ enthusiasm.
“What number assignment is this for you?”
“Our third!”
“Right, you’re about to shed your rookie tags. Remember that, as with this assignment, we don’t simply go around hunting monsters at random.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“And—.”
Kang Baram’s gaze fixed on me.
“We have one part-timer here today for practical training. Keep that in mind.”
The rookies turned their heads and stared intently at me.
Every one of their eyes was filled with irritation and displeasure.
They must have been wondering why an outsider had somehow gotten into the company they had worked so hard to join.
“As you all know, Hunter Ryu Seoram will be serving as team leader. This isn’t a particularly difficult assignment, but don’t let your guard down nonetheless.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“We are bound by confidentiality, so remember that nothing you see while working may ever be disclosed outside the company.”
The manager’s gaze fixed on me.
As if he wanted me to hear it in particular.
“Also, regardless of the situation, we put the customer first. Unlike the Association, remember that we don’t work for the public good.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“Good. The team leader will be here soon, so stand by.”
Snap!
The employees waited at attention, their postures rigid. I didn’t like it, but there was nothing to gain from making an even worse impression here.
I followed their lead and stood at attention too.
And a little while later.
Ryu Seoram arrived in a suit this time and burst out laughing.
“Pfft! What the hell is that idiot doing? Did you even know how to stand at attention?”
That fucking bitch.
Ryu Seoram approached, snickering.
As I watched the employees greet her with perfect formality, I stood there awkwardly.
No matter what, I didn’t feel like bowing my head to that woman.
“We look forward to working with you!”
“We look forward to working with you!”
“Yes, yes. Make yourselves comfortable. The security detail hasn’t even started yet.”
As she spoke, Ryu Seoram came over and poked my chest repeatedly with her finger.
“Aren’t you going to greet me? I’m your superior.”
“……Pleased to w-work with you.”
“Pfft! Look at this idiot biting his lip!”
Manager Kang Baram cautiously approached Ryu Seoram as she laughed loudly.
“Team leader, the rookies are watching. If possible, please refrain from being so familiar in front of them—.”
“I don’t work in such a stiff atmosphere.”
Even as she said that, Ryu Seoram took a step back.
“Relax. Loosen your shoulders. You only need to be tense in front of the client. Let’s go.”
* * *
Ryu Seoram definitely kept her word.
From the moment we went out to meet our client, Aul, in front of the company, the Ryu Seoram I knew disappeared without a trace.
The team was divided into Alpha and Beta.
Each team consisted of four members and a team leader.
The Alpha Team’s leader was Ryu Seoram.
The Beta Team’s leader was Manager Kang Baram.
I was assigned to the Beta Team.
Vroooom.
With a heavy engine rumble, the Beta Team’s vehicle entered the Tower-bound lanes. We were passing through a tollgate that led to the Tower.
The lanes gradually widened, and soon an enormous line of vehicles stretched out before us.
At the tollgate, we had to submit our passports, various quarantine documents, and inspection certificates.
“Take the VIP lane.”
“Yes!”
No wonder a major corporation and a famous singer got special treatment.
Our vehicle moved into the VIP lane, completed its inspection, and passed through in no time.
At the end of the road.
Once we passed through the red rift, the world’s scenery changed completely.
The road that had run through the bustling city was now speeding across the Pacific Ocean.
Everyone on the Beta Team seemed to be visiting the Tower for the first time, staring out the windows with startled expressions.
“Wow…… It’s my first time coming to the Tower.”
“So this is a gate. It’s really convenient.”
“We just skipped over several thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye.”
“I hear it’s a little over 5,000 kilometers.”
Manager Kang Baram quietly rebuked the team members, who were marveling at the sight.
“Are we on a field trip? Don’t neglect to watch the vehicle carrying the VIP.”
“S-sorry!”
“We’re sorry!”
Whatever they were saying up front, I rested my chin on my hand and gazed out the window.
A road stretching across a vast blue sea.
At the end of the road stood an enormous Tower that reached high into the sky.
Whenever I came here, the smell of the sea was accompanied by the loud cries of birds.
This area was full of various fish, especially sharks, so it wasn’t unusual to photograph one.
Because—.
There must be countless human corpses buried in this sea.
The Rift Gate.
At first glance, it seemed like an incredible means of transportation.
After all, it let us cross to the Tower in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the blink of an eye.
As I had just heard, the distance was well over 5,000 kilometers.
But.
Neither the magic of the 4th Floor nor the sorcery of the 5th Floor.
Not even the cutting-edge technology of the 6th Floor could create such a colossal Rift Gate.
This Rift Gate was a remnant of the war between the floors.
Back when the demons that had risen from the 1st Floor were spreading across the 3rd Floor.
It was a curse drilled into densely populated cities to make invasion easier.
In other words, its original purpose had been to travel from the Tower to the cities.
‘Nowadays, though—.’
It was used only as a tollgate.
* * *
“Ungh—!”
After arriving at the Tower, completing the procedures, and waiting for a while, we took an elevator up to the 5th Floor.
The old martial world of the 5th Floor was filled with its distinctive forest-like scent.
Since vehicles couldn’t travel there, people had to walk or ride carriages.
“There’s a carriage company partnered with us on the 5th Floor, so I had everything prepared in advance.”
Just as Ryu Seoram had said, three carriages were waiting as soon as we exited the Tower.
Watching the VIP, Aul, get into a carriage, I decided it was the perfect moment to approach Ryu Seoram.
“……Team leader.”
“Pfft! Don’t talk to me. This is fucking hilarious.”
“I feel awkward too.”
“Right, what is it?”
“……I don’t have the itinerary. You said there was a schedule, but it wasn’t shared with me.”
Kang Baram had looked like he never intended to give it to me from the outset.
Ryu Seoram frowned at my words, tapped her phone a few times, and sent it to me in a text message.
“Don’t leak it outside. Hardcore fans will be a pain if they follow us.”
Scratching her head, Ryu Seoram added,
“As you can see from the schedule, it’s just sightseeing. What was it? They say he wants to find some peace of mind and body because of this incident. Anyway, that’s what I heard.”
“Yeah. And one more thing.”
“Our part-timer sure has a hell of a lot of questions, huh?”
“You said I only had to work for three days.”
“Yeah, that’s right?”
“But when you think about it, five hours have already passed just traveling.”
I get off in four hours.
But how was I supposed to get off work here?
“Buddy, you misunderstood because you didn’t look at the schedule.”
“Misunderstood?”
“It’s a two-night, three-day shift.”
“You motherf—!”
I was momentarily enraged and clenched my teeth, about to say something, but people nearby were glancing in our direction.
Manager Kang Baram in particular looked extremely displeased.
I forced my emotions back down and asked,
“Hey, I saw it when I signed the contract. It says nine hours of work per day. This violates the contract and labor laws.”
“It also said that overtime and night work would each come with an additional ten percent pay.”
“……Wait, then—.”
“It’s two o’clock right now, and your shift ends at six. So starting at six, you get an additional ten percent. Once it passes seven, you get another ten percent for night work. Until nine tomorrow morning, your hourly wage will be twenty percent higher. Got it?”
I pulled up a calculator and did the math immediately.
Three days later, total pay—6.28 million won.
Is this guy a god?
“……I almost confessed my love just now, you bastard. Turn your blinker on before you pull in.”
“Pfft! You really say anything to the team leader.”
Then she squeezed my forearm and asked,
“Have you been working out lately?”
“……Sometimes.”
“It doesn’t look like just sometimes. Honestly, I dragged you here because I thought you might have lost your old touch and wanted to see how much remained—.”
She shrugged with a satisfied smile.
“Looks like there was nothing to worry about.”
Anyway, my end of shift had vanished unexpectedly, but I was actually glad.
I just needed to contact Kim Yang.
‘She’s been telling strange lies since way back.’
Well, it wasn’t as though her lies had ever worked against me.
“Team member Kim Juseon! What are you doing? Get in the carriage!”
“Yes!”
“Heh, make a good impression on your seniors, punk.”
Just as I headed toward the carriage with Ryu Seoram’s sly encouragement—
KWAANG!
A thunderbolt suddenly crashed down in a flash.
People looked up at the sky with puzzled expressions.
“What was that? Is it going to rain?”
“Talk about a bolt from the blue.”
“Let’s bring umbrellas, just in case.”
“……No way.”
I pretended I hadn’t heard anything and simply climbed into the carriage.