One of the most important aspects of the civil service world was protocol toward those in higher positions. Essentially, protocol in this context involved showing respect to dignitaries at events or ceremonies. Usually, the targets of such protocol were the mayor, council members, or department heads—though exceptions always existed. The subjects of this protocol for the next day were two S-rank Hunters. “Sigh... Stay calm, Kang Cheol-Soo,” Cheol-Soo muttered, swallowing nervously as he reviewed the report. A collaborative A-rank Great Fissure Night Inspection was scheduled for next Thursday from 6 PM to 8 PM at the A-rank Great Fissure near Singeumho Station. However, there was a catch. The collaborative team included one civil servant from Seoul City Hall’s Fissure Management Division and two Hunters from Behemoth Guild under the Hunter’s Bureau. Since the start of 2020, this marked the first official joint task between Seoul City Hall and the Hunter’s Bureau, following the recently signed memorandum of understanding. Cheol-Soo had even heard from the secretary’s office that the mayor himself was particularly concerned about this task. The pressure was immense. He was reading through the preliminary draft of the inspection day plan created by Do-Jun when he suddenly said, “What is this...?” He stared incredulously at the document in his hand. The proposed transportation from Seoul City Hall to the Fissure involved taking the subway and walking, with no options or plans for dinner. Panicking, Cheol-Soo called Do-Jun over. “Do-Jun.” “This plan is going to go all the way up to the mayor for approval.” “Then what’s with this subway nonsense? And where is the list of restaurants for dinner?” Cheol-Soo thought that since this was the city’s first official collaboration with the top Hunters in the country, they should propose something grand, like chartering a helicopter or hiring a world-class chef. However, he didn’t even get a chance to say it aloud because of Do-Jun’s response. “It reflects the preferences of the Hunter’s Bureau, Chief.” “What...?” Cheol-Soo was stunned. The day before the joint inspection, Kang-Hyun and Jun-Yeol entered the subway station, wearing dark sunglasses and baseball caps pulled low. Kang-Hyun approached a young man wearing a shirt that read “Social Service Worker” in bold letters. The young man, engrossed in a game on his phone, looked up. Two suspicious-looking men in caps and sunglasses stood in front of him. Their appearance was enough to make anyone wary. The worst part was that there were two of them, not just one. The social service worker stammered nervously, “H-how can I help you?” “We need to take the subway tomorrow,” Kang-Hyun said. At that moment, Jun-Yeol, looking frustrated, furrowed his brow and took a step closer to the worker. “Sigh. I heard we need transportation cards to ride the subway. Sell us two right now,” he demanded in a clearly hostile manner. The sudden demand left the social service worker confused. Were these two some new kind of robbers? Seeing the interaction, Kang-Hyun chided, “You’re scaring the young man. Stop using such a forceful tone—it’s a bad habit of yours. Fix it. If you talk like that to ordinary citizens tomorrow, it might make the civil servant accompanying us uncomfortable.” Jun-Yeol’s face turned pale. Irritating Do-Jun was something he absolutely could not afford to do. “My apologies...” he said to the young worker. “Oh, no, it’s fine. Actually, there’s no need to buy transportation cards. Most credit cards nowadays come with a built-in transit feature. Do you happen to have credit cards with you?” The social service worker smiled and stood up, trying to diffuse the awkwardness. Kang-Hyun and Jun-Yeol looked at each other before pulling out their wallets. They did have credit cards, but... “Do these have the transit feature?” The two handed over their cards. They were black cards bearing the logo “Merican Xpress.” The social service worker blinked in astonishment. Though he didn’t know the exact details, he recognized the cards as exclusive VVIP items with exorbitant signup and annual fees. “I’m not sure... but I don’t see why they wouldn’t. We can find out by tapping them on the scanner at the gate.” He led Kang-Hyun and Jun-Yeol to the ticket gate. When they tapped the gate as instructed, the scanner beeped brightly and displayed the accumulated fare charge.[1] Kang-Hyun stared at the “1,300” displayed on the screen and asked the social service worker, “What do we do next?” It was the day of the joint inspection. At 6 PM, as the workday ended, the Fissure Management Division office emptied, leaving only Cheol-Soo, Do-Jun, and Hyuk-Soo behind. Even the department head had left, along with the mayor of Seoul and other prominent city figures. This was entirely at the request of the Hunter’s Bureau Chief and Behemoth Guild. Cheol-Soo glanced at Jun-Yeol, who immediately bowed a full ninety degrees upon seeing Do-Jun. Kang-Hyun frowned at this and nudged Jun-Yeol with his elbow. Realizing his mistake, Jun-Yeol cleared his throat and stood up straight. What’s going on...? Cheol-Soo thought to himself. The gesture was far too excessive to be a simple greeting. Jun-Yeol’s attitude toward Do-Jun seemed on par with how Cheol-Soo would treat the mayor. Then, Kang-Hyun turned to Cheol-Soo with a polite smile and gave a slight nod. Snapping out of his daze, Cheol-Soo quickly adopted his professional smile. “Haha, it’s an honor to see you again, Hunter Lee. Not sure if you remember, but I’m Kang Cheol-Soo, Section Chief of the Fissure Exploration Unit. Thank you for making the trip today. Can I offer you some tea?” “No need. Supervisor Lee said that we’d be leaving right away.” Do-Jun was already prepared. He shut down his computer and grabbed his coat. Cheol-Soo quietly approached him and slipped ten 50,000-won bills from his wallet into Do-Jun’s pocket, whispering, “Take the luxury taxi, alright?” But S-rank Hunters had a sharp hearing. Overhearing the comment, Kang-Hyun approached Cheol-Soo with a smile. “We appreciate the thought, but it’s alright. We actually prefer the subway.” “Ah, haha... Sorry? Did you just say you prefer... the subway?” Cheol-Soo asked in disbelief. For a moment, he thought he had misheard. S-rank Hunters usually traveled in private vehicles. When traveling abroad, they used private jets or helicopters. He had even heard they could request personal drivers. “If Hunter Lee says so, we’ll take the subway, Chief,” Do-Jun added. “Oh, uh, sure, then. Have a safe trip, Do-Jun. You as well, Hunter Lee and Hunter Ryu.” Shortly after, Do-Jun and the two S-rank Hunters left the office. Cheol-Soo, feeling his legs give out after the brief interaction, sank into a nearby chair. He couldn’t understand how Do-Jun could stay so calm around these famous Hunters. “What should we do about dinner? If we send them off without feeding them... the mayor will have a fit. Should I check out the dinner options at some luxury hotels? Or maybe a fancy Chinese restaurant? But hey, what are you rummaging through over there?” Cheol-Soo asked Hyuk-Soo. Hyuk-Soo was searching through the supply cabinet, inspecting boxes. He eventually pulled out a box of instant noodles and placed it in the employee break room, which was equipped with a sink, fridge, gas stove, and microwave. He then closed the cabinet and returned to his desk. “Oh, you were restocking the ramen,” Cheol-Soo remarked. Occasionally, employees ate ramen during late-night shifts. “Anyway, Hyuk-Soo, let’s figure out what to serve for dinner.” Hyuk-Soo, already back at his desk, responded, “Do-Jun said we could just have ramen.” “I’m not talking about us. I love ramen, but the S-rank Hunters...” “That’s... what I meant, Chief,” Hyuk-Soo said. “What?” Cheol-Soo was dumbfounded. “He said... we should all eat ramen together.” Inspecting the A-rank Great Fissure was quite straightforward. Do-Jun didn’t even need to step in. The two S-rank Hunters easily subdued the Dark Ogre, and the mapping data previously reported by the Hunter’s Bureau matched the field conditions. On the way back to the office, they walked about ten minutes from the Fissure to Singeumho Station. At the ticket gate, Kang-Hyun and Jun-Yeol tapped their black cards against the reader and walked through with practiced ease. Normally, even C-rank Hunters avoided using public transportation, yet the S-rank Hunters acted as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Since the two had hesitated a bit when Do-Jun first suggested taking the subway, he had prepared to teach them how to navigate the system. But it turned out to be an unnecessary concern. “You’re surprisingly good at using the subway. I didn’t expect that,” Do-Jun remarked. Their total accumulated subway fare was unexpectedly high at 13,600 won. Do-Jun thought, Looks like they use it more often than I thought. What Do-Jun didn’t know was that they had spent the entire previous day traveling back and forth between Seoul City Hall Station and Singeumho Station, practicing how to use the subway. Seeing Do-Jun’s reaction, Jun-Yeol whispered, “Senior, our practice yesterday paid off. He complimented us.” Do-Jun was left speechless. Do-Jun and the two S-rankers arrived at the office, gave a brief report to Cheol-Soo, and headed straight to the break room. Do-Jun filled a large pot with water and started boiling it. Then, he tossed in five packs of instant ramen seasoning. Watching from the side, Cheol-Soo nervously shook his leg. “This is a disaster,” he muttered. Serving ramen to S-rank Hunters who had assisted with the inspection? That was their dinner? Aware of the significance of protocol, Cheol-Soo started to scold himself. He couldn’t stop picturing the S-rank Hunters, smiling outwardly while cursing inside. “Here you go.” Do-Jun served five bowls of ramen and even brought out a container of kimchi from the break room fridge. Cheol-Soo glanced nervously at the S-rank Hunters, almost on the verge of tears, as the room went silent for a brief moment. That silence was broken when Kang-Hyun snapped a picture of the ramen with his smartphone before diving in and slurping his noodles. Huh...? The expressions on the S-rank Hunters’ faces brightened. “It’s... delicious!” Jun-Yul exclaimed. “Take your time and savor it. Supervisor Lee prepared this himself,” Kang-Hyun said. For a moment, Cheol-Soo thought he had misheard. They actually like it...? “Thank you for the meal.” The Hunters, who had even mixed rice into the ramen broth to finish every last drop, looked genuinely satisfied. Their content expressions left Cheol-Soo bewildered. “Next time, I’ll make sure to treat you to a proper meal,” he said apologetically. “No need. This was the best meal we’ve ever had,” Kang-Hyun replied sincerely. That’s what I want to know. Why was this the best? Cheol-Soo wanted to ask, almost indignantly, but he swallowed his words. Are they serious? Or are they just acting? Objectively speaking, today’s protocol hospitality for the S-rank Hunters was a complete failure. The group chat for the “Do-Jun Admirers Club,” known as DAC, suddenly lit up with a new message. The S-rank Hunters, members of the chat, saw an image of ramen appear in the thread. Courtesy comments like “You had ramen, huh?” and “Looks good,” popped up. Official source is N0veI.Fiɾe.net Then, Kang-Hyun, who posted the photo, sent a follow-up message. Kang-Hyun: Cooked by Supervisor Lee himself. Instantly, the chat exploded with notifications. Every single message reflected envy, awe, or shock. Kang-Hyun then recounted the day’s events in great detail, starting with the joint inspection of the Fissure and their subway ride to the Dark Ogre’s Forest. Finally, he described how Do-Jun personally cooked ramen for them as a gesture of appreciation. He didn’t forget to mention that Do-Jun had even complimented him on how well he and Jun-Yeol handled the subway ride. 1. While using the credit card for public transportation fares in Korea, when the card is tapped, the fare for that ride will be deducted from the linked credit account/ card. The accumulated fare is the total of all these individual deductions over the day, week, or trip. The total accumulated charges are automatically calculated by the system with each transaction. ☜