CH 37

Ki Tae-yeon heard about Han Cha-soo’s news while he was in the middle of a tirade with the general manager.

“Ki Taeyeon-ssi, do you realize how many people are in trouble because of your stubbornness?”

“…….”

“I thought the Bureau’s motto was to make life easier for the awakened and reduce unnecessary misunderstandings with the general public, but Ki Taeyeon-ssi is doing the exact opposite!”

Min Jong-sik, the head of the Awakening Management Bureau’s First Headquarters, slammed his hand down on his desk. His eyes were fierce as he stared at Ki Tae-yeon.

“If a coworker covers up your misdeeds, you should be grateful for that, but you’re going around assaulting people, are you out of your mind?”

None of this would have happened if the Security Office hadn’t sent Han Cha-soo home in the first place. Moreover, it wasn’t the Security Office that was injured, but the Crisis Management Office.

It’s one thing to freeze someone just to scare them, it’s quite another to actually shoot them.

But the director, who sided with the Security Office, didn’t care.

“You know you’re out of your mind.”

And Ki Tae-yeon didn’t care much either. Behind the Security Office is the chief, but behind him is the bureau chief.

Min Jong-sik, the director, knew that and frowned.

“Team leader Ki Tae-yeon, are you trying to match me?”

“You can fire me if I’m that unpleasant, Mr. Director.”

Ki Tae-yeon smiled, as if he was enjoying the thought.

“Actually, isn’t it an old saying that civil servants are iron-fisted? I’d like to find something else to do, but the director doesn’t allow it. Oh, I meant the National Assembly and the people, not the director.”

“…….”

Min Jong-sik’s eyes were murderous as he glared at Ki Tae-yeon.

Ki Tae-yeon, head of the Crisis Management Office. His name was well known among the citizens.

On the day Min Jong-sik held a luxurious inauguration ceremony with ruling party lawmakers at a hotel. Ki Tae-yeon put down the terror attack at a nearby bus terminal.

If I were to cut him off, it would never end quietly.

“But if I’m not here, who else is going to save you…. Ah, the security office, thank goodness, I’ll ask them to evacuate you well so you won’t be caught on camera this time.”

“Ki Tae-yeon…!”

Min Jong-sik gritted his teeth. He remembered how he was caught on camera running away in a panic.

Min Jong-sik became the center of attention that day. The new head of the department who doesn’t care about the safety of the citizens! That became the new catchphrase for Min Jong-sik.

It was no wonder that the ruling party lawmakers who had wished him well and rubbed his shoulders stopped contacting him.

Min Jong-sik’s face grew wider. Ki Tae-yeon said in a languid voice.

“Oh, by the way. I mustn’t forget this. I’ll have to tell Kwak-ssi before I leave.”

With a crackling sound, he smiled wryly.

“Our General Manager Min Jong-sik, despite being an A-rank hunter, seems strangely afraid to leave the hotel on his own, so please pay special attention to that.”

Sparks flew from Min Jong-sik’s eyes. His snort seemed to reach this far. He jumped to his feet.

The closed door burst open.

“G, General Manager!”

“Can’t you see I’m busy?!”

“I, I’m sorry. But it’s urgent…!”

The story spewed out by the hurried employee was shocking.

“What, an S-rank healer was attacked in his own home… and he’s on his way here now with a patient?!”

Even worse, the patient was Han Cha-soo who had just been picked up by the bureau.

The General Manager’s face grew grim as he received the report.

“Yes, they want to use the therapeutic device that the development office developed with the medical center, and they say it’s an emergency, what should we do?”

“Of course I’ll let him use it, he’s crawled all the way up here with it! Tell him to go get the machine right now!”

The chief looked almost out of his mind, and he was, too. If only he hadn’t let him out….

“You know, if the bureau had kept him safe, he might not have gotten hurt.”

Ki Tae-yeon stabbed the chief in the gut. The chief, who was glaring at him, screamed.

“Get the hell out of here!”

“Yes.”

After being kicked out, Ki Tae-yeon walked the halls in a daze. He was unmoved by Han Cha-soo’s news. In fact, he was relaxed.

Han Cha-soo drank his blood two days ago and was injured today.

‘He won’t die because the blood’s potency is still there.’

Even if his blood doesn’t have the restorative power of his own, it will last for three days, so no matter how badly he is injured, he won’t die.

There was a reason for his leisurely pace.

‘Seeing as how Baek-dam came right away, I guess there are no external side effects?’

It was a good thing. I didn’t want to see a fishman over three meters tall in each government office.

‘Still, I should check it out.’

Some had mental side effects. Like obsessing over water and constantly jumping in it or drinking too much water.

“It should be over by now.”

Ki Tae-yeon checked the time. It had been about half an hour since the head of the department had reported, and Baek-dam was about to arrive at the headquarters, so he should be fine by now.

But Ki Tae-yeon’s peaceful thoughts were shattered when he reached the treatment room.

The intensive care unit was a war zone.

“I’ve managed to control the bleeding, but he’s not regaining consciousness at all. I think he’ll go into a coma at this rate…. What the hell has he been hit by?”

“Hunter Baek-dam, wait, you can’t go in there, you can’t use your healing right now! If the waves are mixed in, we’re in trouble!”

“Help me find Hunter Jung Yiheon, wait, Team Leader Woo. I can’t see Hunter Jung Yiheon!”

“Get out of the way, there’s an emergency patient here! Will you be responsible if someone dies because of you?”

Professionals rushing in and out of the treatment room, empty vials and syringes in their hands, boxes of unknown things, and giant machines rushing in.

And then there were the uninvited visitors who came to see what was going on, and the backdrop of the glass window that didn’t even look at them.

It was completely abnormal. Just then, someone jumped out of the crowd and grabbed Ki Tae-yeon.

“Sir, I just got a call for backup from the basement!”

Ki Tae-yeon received a radio call.

It was a radio call for backup as Jung Yiheon showed up at the detention center and tried to burn the criminals to death.

Fortunately, Han Cha-soo was stabilized before dawn. The cause of his unexplained persistent bleeding turned out to be a curse.

“It must have been a trap that one of them set for hunter Baek-dam. It was the kind of curse that healing skills don’t work on.”

While Baek-dam stayed with Han Cha-soo at the government office, several members analyzed the scene. Ki Tae-yeon crossed his arms and listened to his subordinate’s report.

“Perhaps hunter Baek-dam’s abilities covercome their curse and he was able to stay alive until Han Chae-soo arrived at the bureau.”

The man’s voice was calm. Ki Tae-yeon nodded and dismissed the man.

He swiveled his chair around to face the man standing over him.

“Are you going to sit down if I have to ask you to?”

“…….”

“You’re not supposed to be staring out the window like that, Heavenly Spirit Guild Leader.”

Maybe in the field, but there’s no way he’s going to let him kill him inside the Awakening Management Bureau. Ki Tae-yeon picked up Jung Yiheon, who couldn’t get off the window ledge, and forced him to sit down.

He glared at the criminals being taken to the detention center, his eyes burning.

“They were caught in the act of trying to harm an S-rank healer. They’re not even registered hunters, they’re unregistered awakened, and they’re not going to make it out of prison alive anyway.”

He was asking him to let him kill them so he wouldn’t have to see the outside world. Ki Tae-yeon shook his head at the shameless demand.

“Then I’ll have to do all the dirty work. That’s not possible.”

‘I don’t know how important Han Cha-soo is to you.’

I had heard that Han Cha-soo had saved Jung Yiheon’s brother’s life. But isn’t that too much of a reaction?

‘There’s more to it than just an attitude of gratitude.’

Besides, it wasn’t just Jung Yiheon who was obsessed with Han Cha-soo. Just a few moments ago, the head of the department had come to visit him and turned his life upside down.

“Do everything in your power to keep him alive, okay? You let him in, so take responsibility!”

I don’t know what he meant by ‘take responsibility’ after letting him go in his excitement, but he does know this. Someone at the top was very concerned about Han Cha-soo.

But here he was, handing over the culprit who had turned Han Cha-soo into a bloody mess to the hands of Go Jung-heon.

‘That nameless guy will definitely intervene, and the head of the department will probably get involved too.’

Ki Tae-yeon worried. He weighed the odds of Jung Yiheon atatcking the detention center and the odds of him becoming a nuisance if he handed the criminal over to him.

After fierce calculations, he made a decision.

“Unlike normal people, it’s hard to interrogate an awakened and since they’re unregistered hunters who organized a terrorist attack on an S-rank healer, they’ll probably rebel.”

When Ki Tae-yeon pointed that out, Jung Yiheon’s eyes lit up.

“You might need some help with the interrogation process, like someone who can subdue them if they try to go on a rampage.”

“That would be great. The bureau is understaffed as it is, and I’d be very grateful to have at least an A-rank Hunter with me.”

I’ll let you join us for the interrogation, but don’t think about attacking the detention center.

Instead of killing, you can subdue them roughly, right?

Well, then, have it your way.

Behind the rhetoric, interests aligned.

Having gotten what they wanted, the two men exchanged glances and laughed.

At the same time, Han Cha-soo was being chased in a dream.