NOVEL NEXT Chapter 174
Chapter 174: The Heavy Proposal
“Is something going on these days?”
As I sat in the break room, deep in thought, Kang Baek approached me and started a conversation.
“No, nothing’s up.”
Although I answered like that, internally I muttered to myself that he was quite perceptive.
Since starting my job as a correctional officer, I had been living alone, and I had grown so accustomed to it.
However, I found myself unexpectedly cohabitating with a girl that was nearly young enough to be my niece.
Of course, she was young, but she was quite mature for her age, and she never whined or caused any trouble.
Still, since she was a girl—not a boy—there were many things I had to be cautious about.
For example, when changing clothes. And cleanliness was something I had to pay special attention to as well.
So, I ended up cleaning the bathroom and tidying up the place more often than before.
But still.
‘…It’s not too lonely.’
When I used to live alone, there were moments after work when I returned home to a dark house and felt an indescribable loneliness.
No matter how used I was to living alone, that feeling occasionally visited me.
However, these days, it was hard to feel that way.
When I got home from work, the illuminated living room always welcomed me.
And there, on the sofa, To-ya was munching on snacks while watching TV.
Seeing that scene, a warm smile inevitably crept onto my face.
“Oh really? I thought you were in some trouble.”
Kang Baek said as he sat down next to me.
“Man, of course, I have troubles. Who doesn’t have issues?”
I replied with a chuckle as I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To the Section Chief.”
I waved my hand and exited the break room.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Hello.”
The staff members I passed exchanged salutes with me.
It was a perfectly normal greeting between employees.
However, lately, I felt a strange discomfort every time I received those greetings.
Young correctional officers openly gazed at me with admiration and envy.
It all started after rumors spread around the facility that I had tamed inmates to such an extent that I could put those arrogant American guards in their place.
They seemed to take it as their own proud achievement.
It felt entirely different from the excitement one would feel when a sports player or celebrity succeeds abroad.
Although it had nothing directly to do with them, I was one of them—a fellow correctional officer. Moreover, we worked at the same facility.
So, it was only natural that they felt a greater sense of empathy.
And on top of that, it was America.
To think of it as an incredibly great country, where it felt only right to bow down to them.
I had gone to the world’s first special detention center in America and taken down a formidable monster that had killed William in one swift blow.
Ordinary people might not resonate with this, but among correctional officers, it was a feat that could easily be headlined on the 9 o’clock news.
For these reasons, I had become an object of admiration and envy, especially among the young correctional officers in the facility.
However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of pressure from those gazes.
Now that there were expectations around me, I felt that I couldn’t make even a single mistake in my work.
But if I thought about it, this burden was nothing compared to the life-and-death crises I had faced multiple times.
Determined not to think about it, I stepped into the Security Chief’s Office.
◈ ◈ ◈
“I’m curious. Why has our hero correctional officer summoned me?”
The Security Chief smiled as he spoke.
Normally, it’s an unusual situation for a junior staff member to request an audience with a superior officer.
And if someone requested a meeting, it meant there was something special on their mind.
“Don’t worry, I’m not quitting,” I joked.
“Ah, that’s a relief! If our hero correctional officer quits, I’d be next in line for a reprimand!”
The Security Chief joked back, but I quickly got serious.
“Actually, it’s something else.”
“Oh? What is it? Tell me!”
“It’s about Choi Gang-hyuk.”
“Choi Gang-hyuk?”
The Security Chief looked as though he was pondering who that inmate could be.
“I’m talking about the awakened serial killer, Choi Gang-hyuk.”
I added more detail.
“What? That Choi Gang-hyuk?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
A front-line correctional officer wouldn’t usually have anything to do with him, so he never imagined I’d be referring to that Choi Gang-hyuk.
“What’s going on?”
The Security Chief’s expression shifted to one of seriousness.
Since correctional officers didn’t typically handle his case, Choi Gang-hyuk was indeed someone we kept a distance from.
However, it remained a fact that he was the most crucial individual in this special detention center.
“I’m…”
I too took a serious tone as I began.
“…I received credible information that a group is planning Choi Gang-hyuk’s escape.”
I was candid in my report.
Choi Gang-hyuk’s situation was not just a personal matter for me.
It concerned the entire detention center.
If the Emperor truly initiated problems to facilitate Choi Gang-hyuk’s escape, countless correctional officers could lose their lives.
So, this was definitely not something to keep to myself.
Furthermore, it wasn’t something one could prepare for alone.
This matter involved the Emperor, who was a terrifying monster that killed William with one stroke.
It was far beyond what I could handle by myself.
I needed to do whatever I could to prepare for it.
“What?”
The Security Chief looked both shocked and bewildered by my sudden statement.
But I was serious. He could tell from my unusually grave demeanor.
That was when he realized the situation could not be dismissed casually.
“Is that really true?”
“Of course,” I replied without hesitation.
“Goodness, who in the world…”
“That’s something I also can’t specify…”
I avoided mentioning the Emperor. It was something that no ordinary person should be made aware of.
Such details were meant for those who were in the know.
“Hmm… I see. If you hadn’t said it, I’d just have brushed it off as nonsense.”
The Security Chief frowned as if he were troubled.
My credibility was on a different level compared to other staff members.
Particularly, the incident at Ganghwa Island left a deep impression on everyone.
No correctional officer could have failed to notice my determination to save people, risking my own life.
“…We need to contact the Hunter Association immediately.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The responsibility for Choi Gang-hyuk falls under the Hunter Association, not the Correctional Headquarters.”
“As expected,” I nodded as he anticipated my thoughts.
It seemed that it wasn’t just a matter of allowing special oversight from the government but also transferring full responsibility.
That said, I still needed to inform the higher-ups in the detention center.
“Then I’ll go and speak to them directly.”
I declared.
“Really? Then please do that!”
The Security Chief readily agreed.
After all, it would be better for the person with the information to deliver it directly.
“Okay.”
“Great, I’ll inform the Warden on your behalf.”
◈ ◈ ◈
For the first time in a while, I stood before the 10th floor of the Hunter Association building—specifically, the Inspection Bureau.
There was only one person I could think of to discuss such a crucial matter with, someone I was familiar with and held a high position.
Team Leader Seo Yong-gil from the Inspection Bureau.
Certainly, he was the right man to talk to about this.
“This way, please.”
When I mentioned I had an appointment with Team Leader Seo, a staff member guided me to his location.
The nameplate for the Deputy Director’s Office was visible.
‘Deputy Director?’
I raised my brows in confusion as the staff member knocked on the door and said, “Lee Si-hyun, Section Chief, has arrived.”
“Come on in.”
I could hear Team Leader Seo’s voice from inside. The staff member gestured for me to enter.
I nodded slightly in acknowledgment and stepped inside.
I sensed the staff member carefully closing the door behind me.
“Welcome. It’s been a while.”
Team Leader Seo greeted me and invited me to sit down.
“It feels like it’s been a few months since we last met. It seems you’ve been promoted since then.”
“Indeed.”
“Congratulations.”
I smiled and replied, taking a seat across from the Deputy Director.
“Thank you.”
The Deputy Director responded with a smile.
“By the way… it makes me uneasy that a Hunter has come looking for me. After all, you have this tendency to stir up trouble.”
Though he said it jokingly, there was no mistaking it for a mere joke.
The Deputy Director was one of those who knew precisely the troublesome matters I had been embroiled in since my days as a Face-avoidance Technician.
Thus, it was only natural for him to speak in a half-joking tone.
“Actually, I’m here today not as Hunter Lee Si-hyun but as Correctional Officer Lee Si-hyun.”
I said, adopting a serious tone.
“Ah, now I’m even more anxious…”
I chuckled lightly, but the Deputy Director’s expression had turned serious.
“I’ve received credible information that there are those plotting Choi Gang-hyuk’s escape.”
My voice was low, but the ripples it caused were significant. It was enough to unsettle even the normally unflappable Deputy Director.
He fixated on me with a stern expression.
Had it been another lower-ranked Hunter of the same level, he would have dismissed it as utterly ridiculous.
However, the Deputy Director didn’t view me as just any trivial Hunter.
The experiences I had survived were those that not even A-rank Hunters could guarantee their survival in.
And yet I had emerged alive.
Not just alive—I had thrived in the battlefield, proving myself during the Ganghwa Island Disaster and against the Giant Monkey.
In simple terms, despite my lower rank, I was a warrior who had survived fierce battles against overwhelming odds.
Thus, for him to consider my words as anything other than mere fabrications, I had to come here personally to convey this information.
This was not something to be taken lightly.
“Hmm….”
The Deputy Director leaned in closer to me.
“Who exactly provided you with this information?”
“I can’t disclose that.”
I answered immediately.
“But if you don’t know who the informant is, then it’s hard to validate the credibility of the information.”
“The informant could be in danger.”
If I successfully prepared for the Emperor’s plan to go awry based on the information from To-ya, they would surely try to trace how that information reached Korea.
And they would never let that informant be free.
It was clear their life would be in jeopardy.
Thus, I had initially resolved to keep the informant’s identity secret.
“It’s natural to keep the informant’s identity thoroughly under wraps. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Of course, Deputy Director, I trust you. However, the enemy’s scheming ability is exceedingly powerful. They could easily extract information from the Inspection Bureau if they set their minds to it.”
“Hmm.”
The Deputy Director furrowed his brows slightly.
The security within the Inspection Bureau was the highest even within the Hunter Association.
Truly important pieces of information were locked down tightly, known solely to the upper echelons.
Feeling the undermining of such robust security, the Deputy Director couldn’t help but feel a sense of displeasure.
“The security of the Inspection Bureau is more stringent than you think. I’m curious just who this enemy is that you’re referring to.”
“He is…”
I began.
What followed were words heavier than any had ever dropped in that room.
“…the Emperor.”