Magical Girl of Seoul Subway Line 2
Gangnam station is full of people trying to get on the subway as it opened up and subways started to come back in. Once the situation is completely over, a person who seems to be the manager of the hunter team at the scene walks in.
Kang-Joon was part of the Raeshen agency for a while. He is familiar with some hunters and managers. Although he has never seen the hunter team who he fought with as he was there for only a short amount of time, the manager who is walking into the scene right now is someone Kang-Joon knows.
“Thanks for your effort. How’s the result?”
“40 B-Rank Cores extracted and that person over there got 10 as his share because he helped us out in the process.”
Though the area may be a designated spot for the Raeshen, it is a custom among the hunters to let others take their share if they contributed to the hunting. Hence, the hunter team from Raeshen does not seem to have any evident complaints. Even though technically, the majority of the extracted Cores are supposed to belong to Acacia, Acacia has never seemed to be interested.
The manager, as well as taking care of the hunters, is also an overseer to ensure that the hunters do not pocket or under-claim the extracted resources from the hunt. About ten of the forty Cores being distributed to a complete stranger, the manager turns and looks at Kang-Joon.
“Uh, you…”
“Ah, long time no see.”
“Kang-Joon…”
The manager frowns. He taught Kang-Joon a few things when Kang-Joon was at Raeshen as his direct senior. However, above all that, he was the one who was busier wasting his time by making Kang-Joon do unnecessary ch.o.r.es and scolding him for nothing to boast his supremacy at work.
“Did you quit managing and go back to your original job or something?”
“Nope. I’m still a manager. “
“Ah, is he the one…?”
Only then the other hunters put their hands together as they remember the words about a manager with a hunter background who was at Raeshen for a short amount of time. The manager scowls at Kang-Joon with a mocking smile.
“You joined somewhere else? Where?”
“Hero Management Inc.”
As he is well aware of other firms around, he sneers at Kang-Joon.
“Oh, that collapsed management?”
“Well, it does seem to be pretty small.”
Kang-Joon does not get stirred up by the manger’s cheesy taunt.
“They don’t have any hunters under contract. Who do you actually manage then?”
“Well, I’ll have to look for them.”
Against the manager’s mocking att.i.tude, Kang-Joon only stays completely calm. Even when Kang-Joon was at Raeshen, he used to constantly try to p.i.s.s Kang-Joon off in different ways. He demanded Kang-Joon’s complete respect and kept trying to show off his supremacy by forcing Kang-Joon to do something completely unrelated to work. Every time, Kang-Joon still did whatever the manager told him to do with an empty look on his face and that made the manager think Kang-Joon considers him easy with his hunter background. So, his demands got more and more ridiculous everyday. For example, he once told Kang-Joon to punch a total stranger in the face and scolded him for not carrying out the senior’s orders. Nevertheless, he survived in Raeshen even after Kang-Joon quit and has now become a manager in charge of a C-Cla.s.s hunter team.
“It’s not like there’s going to be any good thing out of that half-bankrupted company. You might as well go get a part-time job at a convenience store or…”
“Hey.”
One of the A-Cla.s.s emergency hunter team speaks out. A female hunter is looking at the manager with a disgusted look. Since the A-Cla.s.s team is indeed a valuable a.s.set to Raeshen, the manager gets tensed up and answers.
“Y…Yes.”
“What kind of bulls.h.i.t are you talking to a person who risked his life? He saved our hunters from a trap when he had nothing to do with any of this. What are you to talk to him like that? Do you still call yourself a manager when you lack basic etiquette?”
The manager is someone in charge of C-Cla.s.s hunter team, who has nothing to do with the A-Cla.s.s hunters. It is obvious that they do not know each other considering the ma.s.sive size of Raeshen.
“No, it’s not that, I was just advising my junior manager since I haven’t seen him in a long time and…”
“Advice? Looks like picking a fight to me?”
“Ah, please don’t make a fuss about it. I’m alright. Thank you.”
To the A-Cla.s.s Knight who tried to stand on Kang-Joon’s side, he shows his appreciation. With black hair and an elegant look, the Knight still seems to be rather charismatic from her att.i.tude. The manager who was sneering at Kang-Joon shuts up with his face blushing of embarra.s.sment.
“I’m sorry. I appreciate your help. You must have panicked in the emergency as well…”
If Kang-Joon did not notice the Trap Core, the C-Cla.s.s hunter team would have panicked, completely oblivious about how to react in the situation. If so, the scene could have been a terrible scene of ma.s.s slaughter. Hence the hunters very well know what Kang-Joon has really done in the situation. Kang-Joon puts up a smile as the female leader of the A-Cla.s.s team reaches out her hand for a handshake.
“If I heard it right, you are a B-Cla.s.s hunter.”
“Well, retired now.”
“Ah, yes…”
She looks at Kang-Joon with her eyes filled with respect. Pure human hunters without any special abilities are losing their spots as the number of Knights and Mutants keep increasing. Hence, B-Cla.s.s as a pure hunter has come to mean that person has done everything they could as a hunter with no ability. To what Kang-Joon has achieved without any special power, she is showing her admiration and respect.
“Ho-Yeon. I’m a Knight.”
“Yes, Kang-Joon. A manager from Hero Management Inc.”
The face of the manager who was making fun of Kang-Joon until then gets even worse as he witnesses an A-Cla.s.s Knight, who is almost like a G.o.d to him, shaking hands with Kang-Joon. He comes to be reminded of the cla.s.s gap between Kang-Joon and him again.
“If there is no more business, I should get going now.”
“Ah yes. Sorry for holding someone busy like you for too long. Thank you again for today.”
“Yep.”
The C-Cla.s.s hunter team sends a goodbye with respect for Kang-Joon saving their lives today. Kang-Joon replies with a light bow, then speaks to the manager.
“It was good to see you again. By the way, I got something I want to know…”
“Uh, well…ask if you want…”
“What was your name again? I don’t quite seem to remember…”
As Kang-Joon asks with a grin, the manager’s pride comes breaking down. After everything that he forced Kang-Joon to go through, Kang-Joon does not even remember his name.
“Suk-Won. You forget names that easily?”
“Ah, I don’t seem to remember something unnecessary. Well, keep up the good work.”
Kang-Joon turns after tapping on Suk-Won’s shoulders a couple of times. Those taps indeed had a lot of meanings and Suk-Won comes to realize that he has been completely looked down upon.
Kang-Joon heads home with his Cross Bag(E/N: anyone who reads EER feels like this is a reference?) packed with his own share of Cores. As he walks away, one thought seems to fill up Kang-Joon’s mind.
‘That A-Cla.s.s Knight… I swear I heard her name from somewhere…’
Kang-Joon comes to think that the victim of million dollar fraud, whom he heard about from Miss Seol, might be the very Knight he just met.
Already, the problems with Suk-Won has been wiped off Kang-Joon’s mind. He does not even seem to think about some things that are not so important in his life. Of course, Suk-Won has to deal with his boiling inside as he heads back to the office, thinking about how he got completely made fun of by his former junior.