Like a capricious typhoon, the storm of public opinion that had been raging toward Miracle Management and Han Siu flipped overnight.
The arrows of malicious comments and criticism that had flown at Siu until just yesterday were nowhere to be found, and praise calling him a true CEO and a principled businessman filled their place.
Meanwhile, Jenia Management had fallen into the abyss.
It had been branded an ugly corporation guilty of abusing its power, attempting to bury a powerless fledgling management company with media manipulation, blinded by jealousy.
Buried deep in the office sofa, Siu stared at the TV screen.
The news anchor’s crisp voice from within the screen filled the office’s silence.
[…The prosecution announced that it is urgently reviewing a raid-and-seizure investigation into Jenia Management on charges of raising suspicions regarding an unfair contract with Hunter I Jia and attempting to manipulate public opinion. Furthermore, the Hunter Association’s Ethics Committee is…]
The Association had stepped in directly to begin its investigation, and the situation had escalated into an intensive probe alongside the prosecution.
Jenia Management’s situation was truly like a candle in the wind.
Compounded by successive contract termination lawsuits from its affiliated Hunters and a plummeting stock price, it was racing toward the worst possible outcome.
“Hmm.”
Siu lifted his teacup, a faint smile touching his lips.
Recalling the events of a few days ago, he savored the aroma of his coffee.
It was nothing more than cheap instant coffee, but today it tasted sweeter and more aromatic than any premium bean coffee.
A few days ago, he had gone to Jenia Management.
He had wanted to see with his own two eyes the downfall of his former workplace.
As expected, Jenia’s headquarters was utter chaos.
Phones rang incessantly everywhere, and shouts and curses flew wildly.
The employees were in a panic, scrambling about in disarray.
The moment Siu entered the office, silence fell as if time had stopped.
In the office now quiet as if it had never been a marketplace, everyone’s gaze locked onto him.
Deputy Bak was the one who broke the silence.
“You… what do you think this place is, coming here!”
Deputy Bak approached him, bloodshot eyes bulging.
His face had aged drastically in just a few days.
Siu lightly brushed aside his hand and spoke.
“Why shouldn’t I? What exactly did I do? Did I manipulate the media with lies, or did I fabricate facts to slander Jenia Management?”
“Y-you son of a bitch…!”
Deputy Bak spat curses and clenched his fist, but ultimately couldn’t swing it.
Because he had no rebuttal. Everything was a mess of their own making.
Siu looked down at Deputy Bak coldly and said,
“Besides, we at Miracle are far too busy to spare any attention for other companies. The CEO of a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop doesn’t have the time to worry about a major corporation, does he?”
“Wh-what? You…! How busy could a pathetic startup company possibly be!”
“Yes, a fledgling management company. But so many Hunters are coming to us that we’re short-staffed and in a difficult situation. That’s why we plan to conduct new recruitments in two days. Regardless of experience or position, we intend to look solely at ‘ability.’ Of course, we plan to guarantee your original annual salary as well. If you’re from Jenia, we might even give you preferential treatment.”
“Who asked?! Get out now! You’re bad luck!”
“…I was merely answering your question about how busy we are, though I answered kindly.”
Siu politely bowed his head and walked out of Jenia Management’s office with his head held high.
From behind came Deputy Bak’s venomous shriek, but to Siu, it sounded like nothing more than the death throes of a loser.
And today was precisely that day—the day of the new recruitment, two days later.
Siu snapped out of his recollection and looked out at the office beyond the CEO’s office.
Whether thanks to Miracle’s reputation or Jenia’s downfall, far more applicants had gathered than expected.
Among them were familiar faces—quite a few capable employees from Jenia were mixed in as well.
Siu straightened his tie and checked his attire.
He opened the door wide and called out the first interviewee’s name.
“Please come in.”
**
The next morning. When he opened the office door, a vibrant atmosphere greeted Siu.
The empty desks were filled, and the sight of employees bustling busily filled the office.
The clacking of keyboards and the sound of phone calls rang out vibrantly.
Deputy Im Jisu, who spotted Siu first, sprang to her feet and bowed.
“CEO, you’re here!”
Deputy Bak Hyeyeon, who was on the phone, also greeted him with a look.
Siu gave a light nod and entered his office.
Just as he was hanging his jacket on the coat rack and about to sit, the CEO’s office door opened and Jeong Hoyeon, who had been appointed Finance Team Leader, entered.
“CEO, these are documents for approval.”
Siu quickly scanned the documents handed to him by Jeong Hoyeon.
Meticulous and flawless work was evident.
He nodded in satisfaction and signed.
“Um, CEO.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Jeong Hoyeon gauged Siu’s mood for a moment before asking cautiously,
“Do you not yet have any plans to hire a scout team? Looking at the current organizational chart, we only have a finance team, publicity team, and contract team.”
After all, the core of a management company was inevitably the scouts who discovered good Hunters.
Typically, management companies operated three or more scout teams to competitively recruit talent.
It was only natural for Jeong Hoyeon to have questions.
“Should we post a separate job opening? We have secured a talent pool, however.”
“No, we don’t need one yet.”
“Yes? But for the CEO to handle so much work alone…”
Siu’s gaze landed on the poster of I Jia hanging on the office wall.
Her appearance radiating magical power with a confident expression.
“What I’m aiming for isn’t a quantity offensive. It’s royal management. I don’t need random nobodies. Rather than a hundred C-Grade Hunters, I will focus on a single A-Grade or S-Grade Hunter. All of you need only package and manage the finest rough stones I bring in to the highest standard.”
For a moment, Jeong Hoyeon was at a loss for words.
Had an ordinary CEO said such a thing, he would have argued that it was reckless; but with I Jia as living proof, he could not refute it.
“Then I’ll be going out for a while. There’s a gem I need to unearth.”
“Yes, CEO. Please go ahead.”
Siu left the office with light steps.
**
Having arrived at the Republic of Korea Hunter Association Central Center, Siu entered the lobby with familiar movements.
Having now become a veritable celebrity, attention naturally focused on him.
“Huh? Isn’t that CEO Han Siu?”
“That’s right! I saw him on the news! The guy who discovered I Jia!”
“Wow, he’s way younger and better-looking than I thought.”
The gazes of passersby were no longer contempt or mockery.
They were filled with goodwill, awe, and curiosity.
Even some aspiring Hunters glanced around furtively, lingering nearby in hopes of catching Siu’s eye.
‘[Mind's Eye]’
When Siu activated Mind's Eye, transparent data windows began floating above people’s heads.
[Name: Gim Yeongcheol]
[Grade: E]
[Potential: E]
[Notes: None]
[Name: Bak Sujin]
[Grade: F]
[Potential: F]
[Notes: None]
[Name: Choe Hyeonu]
[Grade: D]
[Potential: D]
[Notes: None]
As usual, there were no notable Awakened.
Most were ordinary or below.
‘Well, it’s not like Re-Awakened are common enough to trip over.’
Siu was not disappointed.
He knew that most days were like this.
After slowly scanning the waiting room and finding nothing of note, he turned around without hesitation and headed for the exit.
It was just as he was about to leave the waiting room.
A commotion of voices came from behind a pillar in a corner of the lobby.
“Ah, geez! You don’t get it! I said no!”
A young man’s irritated voice rang through the lobby.
Siu stopped walking and approached the scene. A scout in his early twenties wearing the jacket of a mid-sized guild, Rean Guild, was roughly shoving a middle-aged man in a worn-out suit.
“I-I’m sorry. I… I’ll really work hard. I’ll somehow manage to do the work of two people, so please… just give me a chance.”
The middle-aged man bowed his waist at a 90-degree angle, pleading abjectly.
His salt-and-pepper hair, deeply sunken wrinkles, and worn-out shoes spoke of a life of hardship.
“You think F-Grade porters are one of a kind? An old man your age with no tact, no tact at all! There are young, healthy kids lined up; why would we use an old man like you?”
The scout slapped the crumpled resume the man held out onto the floor.
The papers fluttered weakly to the ground.
“Get a grip on reality, please! I’m busy to death; this is bad luck.”
The scout stormed off, giving the middle-aged man a sharp pat on the shoulder as he passed.
The middle-aged man staggered and sank powerlessly to the floor.
People around them clicked their tongues and watched, but no one stepped forward to help.
There were only sympathetic gazes of ‘that poor man.’
With trembling hands, he gathered the resumes from the floor one sheet at a time.
His back shook slightly as he wiped the dust-stained resumes with his sleeve.
The weight of life seemed to crush him.
Siu watched that sight impassively.
He appeared calm on the outside, but inside he was tangled in complex thoughts.
Because the information he had seen of the middle-aged man through Mind's Eye was listed in red letters in the system window.
[Name: Choe Minseok]
[Grade: F]
[Potential: S-Grade Re-Awakening / D-30]
[Notes: Re-awakening triggered by shock from a specific incident. Probability of rampage extremely high (98%). Current life expectancy: 30 days.]
Siu’s pupils shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck, upon seeing that information.
He had finally found one.
The first S-Grade Re-Awakened discovered since I Jia—no, one with potential even greater than hers.
But he couldn’t simply be happy.
‘His life expectancy is 30 days?’
The problem was his life expectancy.
The re-awakening was in 30 days; the life expectancy was also 30 days.
The meaning was clear.
‘In 30 days, an incident occurs, and the shock forces a re-awakening. But an unprepared body and mind cannot endure S-Grade power and will go on a rampage… resulting in death.’
If left like this, that man was fated to receive the god’s blessing of S-Grade as a curse and meet a miserable end.
The rampage of a Hunter was dreadful.
They drove not only themselves but everyone around them to destruction.
Having finished his calculations, Siu’s eyes sharpened.
‘Absolutely not. I can’t just let an S-Grade die.’
He began quietly following Choe Minseok, who was staggering out of the Association building. Like a shadow, silently.
About one hour later.
The place Siu arrived after following the man was atop Mapo Bridge.
A cold river wind struck his cheeks, and beneath the railing, dark blue river waters surged with gaping jaws.
Choe Minseok stood precariously, gripping the railing.
He had taken off his suit jacket and stood in his dress shirt, looking down at the river.
On the smartphone screen in his hand was a photo of a teenage girl smiling brightly.
A girl in a hospital gown making a bright V-sign.
“Jiyu…”
Minseok’s lips trembled.
Tears flowed down his cheeks and fell toward the river.
“Dad… I’m sorry, Dad is useless… This is all Dad can do for you…”
Though terrified and trembling like an aspen leaf, he did not let go of the railing.
His daughter’s hospital bills, mounting debts, and a reality with nowhere left to retreat had driven him to the edge of a cliff.
A father’s desperate choice—wanting to leave even the death insurance money from his own life for his daughter.
Weeping, he climbed onto the railing.
His worn shoes slipped precariously.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut and loosened his grip on the railing.
He was on the verge of leaning forward.
“Even if you jump from there, you won’t get a single won in insurance money.”
An icy, dry voice spoke from behind him.
Startled, Minseok tried to turn around and lost his balance on the railing.
“Uwaah!”
The moment his body tilted toward the river, Siu swiftly snatched his arm.
A powerful grip dug into Minseok’s forearm.
“U-urk!”
Siu roughly pulled his arm.
Minseok was abruptly dragged inside the railing and fell hard on his bottom.
“Ugh…”
Minseok raised his head with a bewildered expression.
His face shadowed by the backlight.
Siu, dressed in a neat suit, looked down at him with an expressionless face.
“Did you check the suicide exemption period? If it hasn’t been two years, you won’t receive insurance money. Don’t waste your effort.”
At Siu’s cold, pointed words, Choe Minseok’s pupils shook.