Chapter 22
"I guess it's because you take after me."
"To be precise, wouldn't it be our family trait?"
Faced with Kim Ji-young and Lee Seo-yoon's words, Lee Su-hyeok couldn't bring himself to object.
It wasn't just Lee Seong-jun.
Everyone in the family had a stubborn streak.
They would break before they bent.
Once they set their mind on something, no amount of persuasion could change it.
However, as a parent, he didn't want to just keep receiving without doing anything.
"Instead, I won't quit what I'm doing right away. If I find something I want to do, I'll discuss it with the whole family before quitting."
It wasn't the wholehearted agreement he had hoped for.
But it could be seen as the best compromise he could offer right now.
Lee Seong-jun nodded, a smile curving his lips.
"Okay, I understand."
"And lastly, I'd like this money to be used for the whole family, including you, not just for us."
"What...?"
"This money you gave us, I'd like to use it to move."
It could be considered the wisest use of the money.
Although they had been living there out of necessity due to their circumstances, the safety of their current residence could be described as the worst without exaggeration.
'I guess we've just been lucky so far.'
In fact, ever since he first returned, he had been continuously uneasy about the safety of the neighborhood.
It couldn't be helped, as their current residence was on the outskirts of Gangseo-gu, at the very edge of the safe zone.
Like when they lived in Gimpo in the past, there was no knowing when monsters might invade.
Lee Seong-jun nodded readily.
"That's a good idea. I'll look into it right away."
A bright smile spread across Lee Seong-jun's face as he spoke.
'This is how we change things, one by one.'
Of course, today's change was just the beginning.
Having longed for this life for so long, since his time on the Thousand Continent, he intended to enjoy more things and be happier than anyone else.
Naturally, Lee Seong-jun's eyes turned towards a happy future with his family.
* * *
At the same time, in the office of the Returnee Management Team Leader at the Hunter Association.
Jo Kang-hyun was busy as usual with the flood of work.
It couldn't be helped.
Having lived in another world for a considerable time, most returnees failed to properly adapt to modern life.
As a result, incidents and accidents occurred endlessly.
- Gyeonggi-do Bucheon District, new returnee Kim Ji-hoon detained for causing a disturbance demanding treatment befitting a hero from the transport team, requesting professional counselor support from the Returnee Management Headquarters.
- S-rank returnee Ryu Jin-hyun requests permission to declare the founding of a city, persuasion needed from the Returnee Management Team.
Jo Kang-hyun shook his head as he reviewed the work-related documents.
"They really do everything."
When he was first assigned to the Returnee Management Team, he was so incredulous that he doubted his own eyes.
But after working for 18 years, he had come to accept most things calmly.
'Most returnees are like this, after all...'
They cause incidents and accidents incomprehensible by modern common sense, or make unreasonable demands intoxicated by past glories.
'How nice it would be if all returnees in the world were like Returnee Lee Seong-jun.'
He could say this with certainty based on the actions he had observed with his own eyes.
Returnee Lee Seong-jun must have accumulated enormous wealth and honor during his life in the other world.
The higher you are, the harder you fall; the sense of disconnect he must have felt upon first returning must have been tremendous.
However, unlike typical returnees, Lee Seong-jun didn't feel disconnected from modern life and adapted to modern society without any problems.
Even when he made requests, he only asked for things commensurate with his abilities.
Just thinking about it brought a smile to his face.
'He really is an amazing person.'
He was also a person to be grateful for.
If it weren't for the existence of Returnee Lee Seong-jun, he wouldn't have been able to open up the path that had been blocked by Director Kim Dong-jun.
'Now just a little... just a little more patience.'
He had received clear recognition for his achievement in successfully recruiting Returnee Lee Seong-jun, an talent that could be called unprecedented, along with a commendation, a hefty bonus, and vacation time.
However, these were all secondary matters.
Since receiving the commendation, rumors had been circulating within the Association headquarters that he, Jo Kang-hyun, was a strong candidate for the next Director of Returnee Management.
Of course, until now, it was just a rumor.
But where there's smoke, there's fire.
Given that there was a clear justification, if he continued to show steady results like now, it could become a reality in the near future.
It meant he would no longer have to take orders from Kim Dong-jun, that incompetent man.
A contented smile spread across Jo Kang-hyun's face as he imagined a happy future.
Buzz-!
His smartphone, tucked in his breast pocket, vibrated.
'Who could it be?'
The name that appeared on the screen was all too familiar.
Han Seok-gyu, a childhood friend from even before elementary school, and a colleague who entered the Hunter Association on the same day 18 years ago.
He was also currently the leader of Gate Management Team 1.
This made the question even more puzzling.
'A sudden call at this hour?'
As they both knew how busy they were, it was rare for them to contact each other so abruptly.
'...Could it be?'
Forcefully pushing aside the anxiety that suddenly arose in a corner of his mind, Jo Kang-hyun carefully pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
- Long time no see, have you been well?
"Since when did we use such formal greetings? Just tell me what you need."
- Sharp as ever... Sorry to ask this suddenly, but could you handle a gate for us?
As expected, his anxious thoughts hit the mark.
- The original team in charge, Team 2, had many injuries during their gate conquest, causing a delay in the schedule...
Han Seok-gyu's voice was full of apology.
It couldn't be helped, as one of the busiest teams in the Association was the Returnee Management Team where Jo Kang-hyun worked.
Currently, the number of returnees on Earth amounted to 30,000, while the total number of Returnee Management Team members working at the Association headquarters was only 100.
It meant each team member had to handle 300 returnees.
Given the nature of returnees who constantly cause incidents and accidents, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that when one issue was resolved, two more would appear.
Of course, Han Seok-gyu couldn't be unaware of this fact.
Despite this, the fact that he was making this request meant...
There was a high probability that he had already requested support from other departments and been rejected by all of them.
Therefore, Jo Kang-hyun couldn't bring himself to flatly refuse.
Heaving a deep sigh, Jo Kang-hyun opened his mouth.
"Haa... What kind of gate is it?"
- Are you going to handle it?
"I'll look into it at least, so hurry up and tell me the gate information."
- It's a D-rank gate located in Gangseo-gu. According to the report, the terrain is desert, and the appearing monsters are sand-thorn man-eating flowers. It's not the time for a boss monster to appear, so you just need to reduce the number of individuals appropriately.
As soon as he heard this, one person came to mind.
'Returnee Lee Seong-jun.'
According to the contract terms, Returnee Lee Seong-jun had to handle one gate requested by the Association each month.
Of course, it had only been a week since the official contract was signed, but it was a wise decision to quickly fulfill the quota before being assigned a difficult gate to handle.
'Given that we contracted under the best conditions, if we assign an ambiguous gate, it might cause unnecessary talk...'
Just then, the management team requested support.
It meant he could secure sufficient justification.
'And safety is guaranteed too.'
Sand-thorn man-eating flowers were known as the weakest among D-rank monsters.
In contrast, Returnee Lee Seong-jun had a record of hunting a super gorilla that appeared as a boss monster a week ago.
'Moreover, he's grown by monopolizing an E-rank gate where red goblins appear for a week.'
Handling a D-rank gate without a boss monster shouldn't be too difficult.
'There's just one thing that's a bit concerning...'
The reason why sand-thorn man-eating flowers are avoided by hunters despite being the weakest among D-rank monsters.
It's because the experience points that can be gained are too low.
In other words, the efficiency is not very good compared to the hunting time.
'But gates where we can secure both safety and justification like this are not common.'
Of course, he had no intention of forcing gate handling.
To be precise, he couldn't force it.
'He's someone who can leave the Association at any time if things go wrong.'
The fact that the contract could be renewed at any time meant that it could also be terminated at any time.
He needed to act as carefully as possible, not to offend him.
"Wait a moment."
Jo Kang-hyun, busily touching the screen, composed a message and sent it to Lee Seong-jun.
Buzz-!
As if it had been waiting, a reply arrived immediately.
"Consider yourself lucky, he says he'll handle it right away today."
- Thank you! Really, thank you! I'll treat you to a big meal later.
Han Seok-gyu's voice was elated over the receiver.
"I don't need it, but if you happen to meet Returnee Lee Seong-jun later, tell him thank you."
- Oh, that Lee Seong-jun returnee I know? He's taking it on?
"Yes."
- Okay, I'm the type to repay favors properly, so don't worry. Hey, I've got another call coming in. I'll contact you again later!
"Alright, take care."
A bright smile spread across Jo Kang-hyun's face as he put down his smartphone.
* * *
The next day, he arrived near the D-rank gate that had been requested for handling.
A flat sidewalk with evenly laid paving blocks, originally a path with considerable foot traffic, but now showing no trace of people.
Rather, it was exuding an eerie atmosphere.
Woong-!
Because the red energy flow and resonant sound emanating from the gate were emitting an ominous aura, people were not approaching the vicinity.
Tap.
Thanks to this, an employee of the Hunter Association who immediately recognized Lee Seong-jun as he got out of the taxi quickly ran over and greeted him.
"We've been waiting, are you Hunter Lee Seong-jun?"
Lee Seong-jun nodded lightly.
"I never thought I'd meet such a famous person in person like this, it's an honor. I'm Ha Min-jae from Gate Management Team 4."
Perhaps because he had been guarding the gate entrance where anything could happen?
The smile on Ha Min-jae's face as he greeted Lee Seong-jun was full of genuine pleasure, not just superficial courtesy.
Naturally, a smile curved Lee Seong-jun's lips as well.
"Nice to meet you. Can I enter the gate right away?"
"We'd be grateful if you could."
As Ha Min-jae turned his head and nodded, the soldiers who had been guarding the gate entrance in case of any situation parted to the left and right, opening the way.