Chapter 5

“So…”

No. It wasn’t soft. Something like pity. Lee Bobae stopped working and got up.

“I just got a call from the HR team.”

The Four Seasons Guild prohibited bringing in electronic devices such as cell phones for internal security reasons. Therefore, if there was an urgent need to contact the staff, it was communicated in this way.

“They called urgently because of a family matter.”

In an instant, Lee Bobae lost strength in her legs and nearly collapsed. As she held on to the chair, the team leader’s expression of pity intensified.

Lee Bobae only had three family members.

And the fact that Lee Bobae only had three older brothers was famous within the guild. Everyone knew that only one of them was working.

This was because Lee Bobae’s case was often used to promote employee welfare, which was one of the best in the industry. It was hard to believe how good it was.

Come. Four seasons guild is the best, jang jang jang*.

*T/N: Sound effects

The eldest brother had been missing for 6 years, the second brother was a porter, and the third brother was vegetative.

If Lee Bobae was contacted urgently due to family affairs, it had to do with one of them.

Either something happened to the second brother or the third brother died.

“I didn’t hear the details because it was personal information, so go to the HR team. You can pick up your phone there. I’ll put it on the table for now.”

The team leader gently dragged her towards the door. At the kindness of the team leader who had always been unfriendly, Lee Bobae barely managed to recall that the world was not always cruel.

Yeah. The world wasn’t so cruel to her. Although she lost her parents, her eldest brother supported her, and she awakened when he disappeared. Even though the youngest brother couldn’t open his eyes, her second brother stayed with her.

Let’s stay calm.

It could be the news that the second brother had awakened. It could be the news that the youngest brother had woken up. It may also be news that the second brother was seriously injured, as there were not often urgent calls.

Lee Bobae ran to the HR team. The HR staff, who was waiting for her, handed her her cell phone.

“Lee Bobae, the Crack Awakening Bureau has contacted you. They didn’t tell me the reason, they said it’s a family thing.”

“Yes, yes. The Bureau?”

Crack Awakening Bureau. In fact, it was a national institution that managed all aspects to do with Cracks and Awakening, but everyone called it the Crack Awakening Bureau or the Hunter Management Bureau.

For Lee Bobae, who didn’t even go near a crack, it was a place where she did not go again after registering as an awakened person.

The main agent of the sudden contact was the Hunter Management bureau, so nothing happened to the youngest brother.

“Second brother!”

When she watched him go out in the morning, thoughts of her second brother, who she couldn’t even greet, filled her head.

‘What’s going on? Are you hurt? Are you hurt a lot? Was it too greedy to wish for awakening?’

These days, there was no way the management bureau would urgently call a family member about a death or similar injury. So, there must have been an unusual accident.

‘Maybe second brother also disappeared, no. It’s probably not that.’

Lee Bobae shook her head repeatedly to shake off the negative thoughts that were eating into her head.

‘He may have awakened as an A-rank or an S-rank. Starting brilliantly, the hard work you’ve done so far will be rewarded.’

“Miss Lee Bobae, your application for a half-day vacation has been accepted. Please report briefly after work. It’s a call from the management bureau, so I’m sure you understand, right?”

Lee Bobae let the words of the somewhat rude HR staff out one ear. She ran out of the office and caught a taxi.

Before she arrived, she called her second brother’s number to get an overview of the situation. But no matter how many times she called, he didn’t answer.

Her second brother’s cell phone was completely turned off.

Lee Bobae looked at the news without saying anything. She searched for the crack name and region that her second brother gave her the day before, but nothing was found other than the announcement that it was going to be attacked on the strategy blog.

‘I did not join because the annual fee was expensive.’

She didn’t know that she would be so regretful not to sign up for a membership site where you could join if you were awakened, because she didn’t think she’d need it for the rest of her life.

It was too late to join now, so she could only hope for the taxi to arrive soon.

Instead, Lee Bobae called the hospital.

An answer returned saying that there was nothing wrong with her youngest brother and that it was the same as before. Then her anxiety subsided a little.

‘Think about it, Bobae. Think carefully.’

If something happened to the crack, even a small article would have appeared. The Sinla guild could control the press, but it was not such an important crack.

Lee Haegi’s smiling face saying he felt good about it made Lee Bobae bite her lower lip.

The youngest brother was fine, and the second brother said he felt fine. Then all that’s left…

The wind blew into her desolate heart that had long since given up. Lee Bobae bit her lips harder.

‘Surely…Probably not.’

Denial did not stop the wind of hope from blowing. She couldn’t give up hope for 6 years, so despair hurt more.

‘It’s time to accept it. It is time to give up.’

Lee Bobae closed her eyes tightly. Her eyelashes trembled like sand in a desert and her heart pounded nervously.

Lee Bobae kept calling her second brother even though she knew the power was off. If she didn’t do that, she couldn’t calm down.

‘Please, brother.’

She had three older brothers, but now there was only one who answered her call.

If even one of them disappeared, Lee Bobae would not be able to stand it.

‘Please be safe.’

Lee Bobae prayed more earnestly than ever.

***

The taxi stopped in front of the bureau. Lee Bobae looked at the management bureau’s building. She wanted to go in, but her feet stuck to the floor and didn’t move.

‘I’m scared.’

Anxious and afraid. Her head was dizzy as if hundreds or thousands of eyes were watching her. Lee Bobae patted her own cheek.

‘Calm down.’

Everyone in the management building looked unhappy. In reality, that was not possible, so it must be because of her mood, but Lee Bobae’s mind became more anxious.

An employee at the administration bureau asked Lee Bobae to present her identification card. When she presented her certificate of registration, a question came.

“You are indeed Lee Bobae, what is your relationship with Mr. Lee Gwihan?”

Oh my god.

Lee Bobae could not answer right away and covered her face. She was about to burst out crying or screaming, so she barely suppressed it.

“I am his younger sister. His birthday is this, blood type B, height 183 cm, his upper right canine was broken and received dental treatment, and when awakened, his occupation was a hunter. And.”

“That’s enough, I needed a family confirmation. Please listen to the person in charge for detailed explanations.”

Her heart raced wildly at the words of family confirmation. Ignoring Lee Bobae, who wanted to hear more by grabbing the employee, the employee called the next visitor.

Taking Lee Bobae away, the staff led her to the basement of the building. Lee Bobae, who was about to ask questions, became speechless after hearing a brief explanation underground.

The Hunter Management Bureau was in charge of all tasks related to Awakening, such as registering awakened people, updating ranks, job placement, and managing cracks. From the standpoint of the awakened, it should be a more familiar place.

However, as you could see from the fact that Lee Bobae went to the management bureau only when registering as an awakened, most awakened people stayed away from the hunter management bureau. Because the Hunter Management Bureau not only oversaw all the work related to the Awakened.

It was also dedicated to crimes by Awakeners.

A legend was passed down about the basement of the Hunter Bureau. It was similar to the legend of a place in Namsan.*

*T/N: Not sure about this since it didn’t seem to fit but I did find a legend about Namsan (South Mountain), and according to Wikipedia: “According to legend, one day in 69 BC Seobeol—chieftain of Goheo village—spotted a white horse kneeling by Najeong well. When approaching the site to take a closer look, the horse disappeared, but he found an egg. From the egg hatched a boy who was chosen to become king at the age of 13.”

All the crimes she had ever committed in life were swiping a few bottles of discarded defective potions. Still, when she took the windowless elevator and went down to the basement with an unknown number of floors, she felt nauseous. An unfamiliar feeling from the moment she got out of the taxi disturbed her senses.

“Don’t be too scared. The rumours were exaggerated.”

Even if the staff spoke kindly, it was of no use.

It’s a cliché of this genre that people were kind outside but changed as soon as they closed the door to the interrogation room.

I got off the elevator and went down the hallway a bit. Lee Bobae was still scared and anxious. Anxiety continued as if someone would grab her right away.

“It’s a little strange. I think the other people weren’t in a good mood, and I think I’m in bad shape too.”

It seemed that Lee Bobae was not the only one who thought so. Lee Bobae could not respond to the kind words of the staff. It was best for her to keep walking.

The staff smiled bitterly and opened the door. The interior was similar to an interrogation room, as expected by Lee Bobae. To be precise, it was a space to watch the interrogation room.

One of the walls had a glass window, and you could see the inside. You probably couldn’t see it from the other side.

On the other side of the window, a man with his upper body bare wearing only sleeping pants was sitting. He had a familiar face. He was very familiar.

At the same time, Lee Bobae realised. An unknown aura that had disturbed her since her arrival at the bureau. That energy was felt in the man.

Lee Bobae called the man without realising it.

“Older brother?”

The man on the other side of the glass was Lee Gwihan, the oldest brother who disappeared six years ago. Lee Bobae was trying to find the way into the room on the opposite side and found something she was worried about.

‘Young?’

Lee Gwihan was 22 years old at the time of his disappearance. Six years had passed, so he should be 28 now.

However, his appearance was not significantly different from that at the time of his disappearance. On the contrary, he even looked younger because he was not tired.

‘No, time could flow differently in a different world.’

Just because six years had passed here, it didn’t necessarily mean that six years had passed in the world where Lee Gwihan was. Lee Bobae was convinced by recalling the cases of other returnees.

In fact, there was something stranger than the current appearance. It was the expression. Even before Lee Bobae came in, the man was smiling.

Laughing was personal freedom, so there was nothing to say, but that laughter was really strange. He contorted his face and laughed nonstop, as if crying.

That wasn’t the end. Even more strangely, Lee Gwihan’s gaze turned straight to Lee Bobae. Even if he couldn’t see from the other side of the window.

“Huh? Are you smiling?”

“He started laughing all of a sudden 20 minutes ago. I feel bad.”

She was distracted by the man across the glass. As a result, Lee Bobae only noticed the presence of another person inside after they spoke to her.

As soon as she saw that person, Lee Bobae opened her mouth. Lee Bobae, who travelled to and from home, work, and hospital, saw a celebrity who could be recognized at a glance.

“Park Mano!”

Park Mano, who was a first-generation awakener, the youngest A-class hunter in Korea, and the strongest female hunter in Korea, waved her hand.

“Yes, I am the famous Park Mano. Would you like to sit there first? I have a few questions.”

Lee Bobae’s pupils trembled.

“I know that Hunter Park Mano is not in charge of missing people…”

Rather, it was Park Mano’s job to investigate crimes of strong people. Arrests using extreme violence were a bonus.