Yonghoon sat in a café, waiting for Instructor Seo, gazing out the window. The street outside was filled with the energy of spring.
The clothes of the people walking along the street were colorful, and their expressions were bright.
It looked just like the world before the monsters appeared.
The place where Yonghoon was sitting was a high-end café in Gangnam. For a while, even the Gangnam area had been shrouded in gloom, but after the Safe Zone was established and a few months passed, it had returned to its former atmosphere.
Inside the Safe Zone, there was no threat from monsters, so people could live in peace.
On top of that, thanks to the boom in Link Corp’s new energy generator and the reprocessing industry of monster corpses, a special economic surge had created a new wealthy class.
The group that became rich the fastest among them were the superpowered people.
As they returned to the forefront of the streets, the atmosphere of the commercial district brightened again.
Yonghoon’s expression darkened a little.
This kind of cheerful atmosphere couldn’t be found outside the Safe Zone.
Life outside the Safe Zone had become several times harder due to concerns about making a living after losing jobs and the constant fear of monster attacks.
Although it was better than countries where the state itself had collapsed, it was only a matter of time before they fell into poverty.
Yonghoon was a bit confused by Instructor Seo’s call. They had almost never met privately to talk.
Since their last meeting at the hospital, they hadn’t spoken personally, so Yonghoon was curious about what he wanted to say.
A short while later, Instructor Seo entered the café. Wearing casual clothes, he looked around the café and soon spotted Yonghoon.
He raised his hand toward Yonghoon and strode over. As his large frame crossed the store, people standing in the aisle subtly stepped aside.
Yonghoon looked at his approaching face. His face exuded a kind of intensity that suggested a bad temper.
“Long time no see.”
He sat down and gave Yonghoon a broad grin.
“It’s been a while.”
It had been a few months since the last Safe Zone installation in Daejeon last year.
While Yonghoon mentally counted the time, Instructor Seo called over someone to order coffee.
“Hmm. This is nice. It’s a shame this kind of life won’t last much longer.”
Instructor Seo leaned back into the soft chair and muttered.
He was talking about the Dimensional Beasts.
Yonghoon couldn’t tell whether his words were just idle talk or if he was trying to test him.
Ignoring his tone, Yonghoon got straight to the point.
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Instructor Seo delayed his answer for a moment. When the coffee he ordered arrived, he took a small sip.
“Maybe it’s because the original personality is the owner, but this body really craves coffee. I’m more of a beer guy, though.”
Yonghoon quietly waited for him to get to the point.
The coffee in front of Yonghoon had already gone cold.
Instructor Seo seemed to be gathering his thoughts, then spoke to Yonghoon.
“Right now, things are a bit noisy inside the company. The Awakened who’ve been quietly following orders are starting to stir, saying they can’t take it anymore.”
He seemed displeased with the coffee and set it down again.
“Some of the Linkers have started going solo. I mean, they’ve held back for a long time. And a lot of them are thinking they should enjoy what they can while they still can, since this kind of life obviously won’t last.”
Instructor Seo continued, looking at Yonghoon.
“On top of that, even regular Awakened are starting to follow the Linkers without thinking, so it’s getting pretty chaotic.”
Instructor Seo picked up his coffee again.
“But the higher-ups seem too busy to manage anything. The chairman is obsessed with developing new products, and the few who have some sense are all tied up preparing for the emergence of detection-types and dealing with governments.”
In the end, Instructor Seo set the coffee down again.
“At this rate, when a Relic shows up, some idiots will probably go crazy trying to be the first to get it.”
Instructor Seo looked at Yonghoon, who was silently listening to his story.
“Well, that’s the internal situation of the company.”
Yonghoon, who had been quietly listening, asked Instructor Seo a question.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
Instructor Seo smiled at him.
“Whether you’re a hidden Linker or an incredibly special Awakened, I don’t really care. What matters is that more and more people among the Linkers are starting to team up with outside forces. I want to do the same. And you’re the first.”
Instructor Seo finished speaking and crossed his arms. He had now passed the baton to Yonghoon.
Yonghoon fell into thought after hearing Instructor Seo’s words.
It wasn’t a bad offer. Up until now, he’d had very little intel about the inside of Link Corp.
He occasionally kept in touch with Eunseo, but it was extremely difficult for a regular Awakened to know what was happening inside the company.
Yonghoon decided not to reject the hand extended to him, at least for now.
“I don’t know much about the Linkers, but I appreciate the information. However, I don’t think I have much to offer in return.”
Instructor Seo smiled at Yonghoon’s words.
“It’s not about needing something right away. It’s about preparing for the future.”
Instructor Seo drained the coffee in front of him.
“Still, I definitely prefer beer.”
He set down the empty coffee cup and stood up.
“Well, it probably won’t be easy to meet privately from now on. A Linker is coming from HQ. I need to avoid any misunderstandings. She’s quite the beauty, so as long as you can handle her temper, you’ll be fine.”
Leaving those last words behind, he walked toward the door.
“You’d better be careful too. She’s a real pain if you get caught up with her.”
Instructor Seo waved his hand over his head as he exited the café. Yonghoon frowned as he stared at the door he had just left through.
Instructor Seo had left without paying for his coffee.
First class on an airplane was always a comfortable experience.
Due to the surge in demand for air travel caused by the monsters, first-class ticket prices had skyrocketed. As a result, first class had become a place not just anyone could access.
The first-class cabin of this 747 flight headed for Incheon Airport was also filled with a quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
“Aren’t you Miss Grace Kim, by any chance?”
A young man walking down the aisle got excited when he saw a young blonde woman resting in her seat and spoke to her. She removed the earpieces from her ears and looked up at him.
“Ah, I spoke in Korean. Excuse me……”
“Oh, I can speak Korean.”
She brushed her blonde hair back and responded to him. Her beautiful face, which carried both Eastern and Western features, appeared before his eyes.
“Wow! Your Korean is really good. Would it be alright if I asked for your autograph?”
As he pulled out a notebook and made his request, she smiled brightly and replied.
“Of course.”
She signed his notebook. After receiving the autograph, he pulled out his business card and handed it to her.
“If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Well then.”
He gave her a polite bow and returned to his seat.
“Oh, he’s quite the handsome guy and has good manners too.”
She muttered to herself as she looked at the business card he had given her.
“An executive from a famous company. Judging by his age, maybe a second-generation chaebol?”
She glanced at the business card in her hand and let out a chuckle. Her life had taken a complete turn not long ago.
Just five years ago, she had been a poor international student.
To escape the pain of being biracial, she had gone to study abroad in the country of the father who had abandoned her and her mother.
But her father, who had already married someone else, was practically a stranger, and she had no choice but to endure a difficult student life.
One day, a ghost attached itself to her.
The ghost claimed to be her from another dimension, and Grace thought she had gone insane, visiting hospitals repeatedly for a while.
She realized she wasn’t crazy three years ago when the ghost recognized the Link System Company. Back then, it wasn’t a big company, but at the ghost’s earnest request, Grace went to visit.
And there, she saw people just like herself.
Fortunately, she got a job at the company and lived on, half-believing the ghost’s stories.
Then, last spring, the world turned upside down, and she had no choice but to believe the ghost.
“A ghost, huh! You’re still calling me a ghost?”
Her expression changed as she spoke. Her previously soft and slightly dazed face transformed into something sultry.
“Anyway, now that I’ve escaped that dreadful company, I want to live a little and do what I want. After fighting monsters for five years, I thought I could finally enjoy some peace, but here we go again.”
She clenched her fist tightly.
“Besides, the level of those doing Dimensional Movement is rising way too fast. If we just sit around, we’ll never be able to achieve the dreams we had when we were young.”
She looked out the window. In the distance, the lights of Seoul were visible.
She traced the reflection of Seoul’s lights on the window with her finger.
“I’ve returned to this country. Whether I gain fame as a Hunter or as an actress, it’s enough if I can achieve my dream.”
Her face reflected in the window looked strangely sorrowful.
A short while later, the airplane landed at the airport. She smiled at the man who had asked for her autograph and exited the plane.
At the arrival gate, reporters had gathered upon hearing news of a C-rank Awakened visiting Korea.
As she appeared in front of the arrival gate, countless camera flashes burst forth.
“Yeah, this is the kind of scene I’ve dreamed of.”
She flashed a radiant smile at the cameras, showing both innocence and allure at the same time.
Sunhee sat on the stairs, letting out an exhausted breath.
In front of her, Yonghoon and the other team members were fighting insect-type monsters with hard shells, against a backdrop of many sculptures.
The place Team Crazy was hunting in was the Science Sculpture Park of the Gwacheon National Science Museum.
A few days ago, a D-rank monster had appeared at the Gwacheon National Science Museum, located at the edge of Seoul’s Safe Zone.
If left alone, the monster could easily break into the Safe Zone and march straight to Yongsan. With no other choice, the city of Seoul had requested Team Crazy to handle the hunt.
The hunt was nearly complete.
The monster had already been pierced through the chest and abdomen by Dohyeon’s spear and was helplessly being pummeled by the other team members’ attacks.
Thanks to Dohyeon’s support, Team Crazy could now take down even a D-rank monster as long as Sunhee contaminated it.
“Are you okay?”
Next to her, team leader Han asked Sunhee. When she had contaminated the monster, he had carried her to safety here.
Team leader Han looked at Sunhee with concern.
It seemed like she had been overworked for too long. As the team’s only assassin-type, she was responsible for contaminating the Dimensional Core and stopping the monsters.
On top of that, she had trained the hardest in Dimensional Power among the team, saying she couldn’t afford to be a burden.
Sunhee shook her head at team leader Han’s words.
Each day was tough, but she didn’t think her efforts were anything special. There was someone on the team who worked even harder than she did. To catch up to him, she had to push herself more.
Sunhee’s eyes followed Yonghoon’s movements.
A short while later, the hunt came to an end.
Team leader Han immediately contacted Shilla Heavy Industries.
Since the Link System’s monopoly had recently ended, people were free to choose where to deliver monster corpses.
Though the payout wasn’t yet higher than what the Link System offered, for Team Crazy, who needed to extract Dimensional Cores separately, it was better to go with Shilla Heavy Industries.
The team members who had finished the hunt gathered around Sunhee.
They plopped down beside her and began chatting.
“Whoa, phone, phone-Grace Kim came to Korea! She’s having a press conference today, didn’t you see it?”
Dohyeon made a fuss as he took out his phone and sat down.
“Weren’t you in contact with that female Awakened you saved the other time? Did she dump you?”
Dohyeon had recently started exchanging messages with a female Awakened he rescued in the Pyeongtaek Dead Zone. Since she was around his age, they quickly became close.
He had proudly talked about it for a while, but when he suddenly brought up another girl, Jimin couldn’t help but ask.
“Dumped? No way! Things are going well. I’m just a fan of Grace Kim. A fan and a girlfriend are two different things. Totally different.”
Dohyeon crossed his arms and nodded confidently.
“Heh, then I guess it’s okay if I tell her about your little outburst just now.”
Startled by Jimin’s words, Dohyeon immediately clung to her.
“Have mercy! My youth is just beginning. I swear my loyalty to you, ma’am!”
Yonghoon was slightly bothered by Dohyeon’s story.
The female Awakened Dohyeon mentioned seemed to be the Linker that Instructor Seo had talked about recently. Yonghoon couldn’t understand how someone like that could be active on TV, and it made him worry about the future.
While everyone was waiting for the car to collect the monster, Sunhee received a call.
She looked at her phone with a frown, sighed slightly, and walked off to the side with her tired body.
“Hello?”
She answered the call in a calm voice.
[It’s me. You weren’t calling, so I had no choice but to call you.]
Sunhee sighed at the sound of her father’s voice. When she left home, he had said he would treat her as if she didn’t exist. And now, he was asking why she hadn’t contacted him.
Hiding her emotions, Sunhee replied.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call. I hope you’re doing well.”
As if waiting for that, his voice flowed from the phone.
[It’s been tough, but things are starting to recover. The family struggled a lot while you were gone.]
His words carried a scolding tone. If this had been before she went abroad, she would’ve shrunk back. Before leaving home, she would’ve gotten angry and pushed back.
But now, she was calm. Feeling a bit sad about her own indifference, she replied.
“That’s a relief. It must’ve been hard-thank you for enduring it.”
Her words were met with a moment of silence on the phone.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
[So, here’s the thing. There’s something I want you to do. We’re forming a monster hunting team at the company, and I want you to join. It’d be great if your whole Team Crazy could come, but if not, just you is fine.]
She stood quietly, holding the phone to her ear.
The world had changed, but her father seemed unchanged.
[I’ll talk to your mother so she won’t try setting you up with anyone. Now that you have a job, it wouldn’t hurt to find a decent guy at my company.]
A laugh slipped from Sunhee’s lips.
Her father definitely hadn’t changed. He gave her instructions and then mentioned a reward.
‘Wasn’t it always like this?’
She had expected his words to be deeply painful, but her heart didn’t hurt all that much.
She spoke to her father.
“I don’t really want to work at your company. I’ll visit for your birthday with a gift. Please send my regards to the family.”
[What are you saying-!]
As his voice shouted from the phone, she left him with her final words.
“Also, I’ve met someone I like. Take care.”
Finishing her words, she quietly lowered the phone. Her father’s angry voice continued to blare from the device.
She pressed the end call button.