Chapter : 18
Not a Demotion, but a Demotion (2)
News of Seoyul’s promotion from Grade 8 officer to Grade 6 inspector shook the entire Management Bureau.
It was an unprecedented event.
Kim Seong-ho’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Seoyul.
“Wow! Is something like this really possible? Senior, you’re the hope of our department!”
“Hey, shut up. You’re annoying.”
Seoyul, however, did not look pleased at all.
He didn’t care about envy, jealousy, or admiration from others.
Even the sudden reassignment to a dispatch role could be tolerated.
The real problem was the destination.
Ulleungdo.
A four-month deployment.
“They’re really making you run you ragged. Should’ve kept your mouth shut, huh?”
Lee Han looked at him with pity.
From another perspective, it was clearly a disguised demotion.
“I guess living costs will be tough there?”
“Accommodation and meals are provided. Plus a daily allowance of 20,000 won. Even travel expenses when returning to Seoul. Not bad, right?”
“….”
There was no way out.
“Don’t cry. We’ll be just as lost without you.”
“Wait—so we’ll be doing rescue operations without Senior Seoyul?!”
Kim Seong-ho finally realized how serious this was.
Their team’s performance was overwhelmingly high because of Seoyul’s exceptional scouting ability.
But could anyone replace him?
Unfortunately—no.
In reconnaissance skills alone, Seoyul was top-tier.
Kim Seong-ho grabbed Seoyul’s leg.
“Senior! Please don’t go! How are we supposed to handle the field without you?!”
“Let go. You’re stretching my clothes.”
Seoyul sighed and pushed him away, calming his emotions back into a mirror-like state.
Lee Han clicked his tongue.
“You’ll be busy preparing, so you’ll get about two weeks of downtime. Do whatever you want.”
“My last vacation.”
Though he muttered it, Seoyul’s lips curved slightly.
Lee Han noticed and smiled.
“Tch. I can see that.”
“I got caught.”
“Everything shows on your face. Oh, by the way, the director wants to see you.”
“Understood.”
Seoyul rolled up his sleeves.
“Don’t do anything weird and be polite. Very polite.”
“Don’t worry.”
“You always say that. Ah, your reports are piling up lately—”
THUD! CLACK!
The door slammed shut, followed by rapid footsteps disappearing.
“….”
The Rescue Division staff cautiously looked at Lee Han.
His expression looked like he was about to explode.
Then, with a chillingly twisted smile, he spoke:
“You guys do it. You little bastards.”
CRACK!
The previously lively room froze instantly.
Management Bureau Director’s Office
Director Park Gwang-su took out his small tea set.
His office was simple but neat, with shelves of carefully arranged teas.
He selected Darjeeling, carefully pouring hot water over the leaves.
The aroma spread gently through the room.
“Would you like some?”
“Yes, please.”
“Sugar?”
“Yes. I’ve got a child’s taste.”
Seoyul sat on the sofa, slightly tense.
Park added a spoon of sugar and stirred gently.
A small vortex formed in the tea.
“Try it.”
“Yes.”
Seoyul took a sip.
A rich yet clean flavor spread through his mouth.
“You could run a café.”
“Haha, right? People say that. But the cost would bankrupt me.”
Park smiled and took a sip himself.
“Then shall we talk seriously?”
“Yes, thank you.”
In bureaucratic systems, superiors usually speak indirectly.
But Park Gwang-su—known for his political skill—was unusually direct.
Seoyul could sense it.
‘He’s definitely calculated everything already.’
“So,” Park asked, “after a new rank evaluation, what do you think your grade would be now?”
“Not the same as before.”
There was no need to hide it.
He had already been publicly recognized as a disciple of a Weapon Master, and he had defeated a 3-star dungeon boss.
Normally impossible for a D-rank hunter.
“The Bureau needs your power,” Park said quietly.
Then he placed a map and photos on the table.
The map showed Ulleungdo and surrounding waters, covered in dense red markers.
Photos showed ruined villages, schools of Death Piranhas, and Sirens feeding on human flesh from sunken ships.
“….”
“You’re wondering why this area is uncontrollable. We even considered creating a ‘Blue Belt’ system like Yellow Belt zones, but failed. Sea-based hunters are less than 0.01% globally. We have none in Korea. Even large guilds failed.”
“Was evacuation of Ulleungdo impossible?”
Park nodded.
“There are about ten thousand residents. Not easy to relocate such a population. One failure would cause irreversible damage. We’re barely holding the line.”
“….”
“It’s already decided you will be sent. I won’t say you’re the right man for it, but the Rescue Division there desperately needs help.”
After a long silence, Seoyul finally answered.
Surveillance Division Corridor
Overcross executive Baek Jun-hwan walked down the hallway after finishing his investigation.
Beside him walked An Si-woo, a Surveillance Division hunter assigned to monitor him.
“Is Bureau life comfortable?”
“I told you—we are strangers here.”
At her cold tone, Baek clicked his tongue.
“By the way, what do you think of that Seoyul guy? Pretty rude, right?”
“….”
“Silence means yes.”
An Si-woo frowned slightly.
“Why is an Overcross executive so interested in a low-ranking civil servant?”
“He keeps messing things up for us.”
“So you’re sending him to the provinces?”
“Let him suffer. He’ll realize he’s nothing special.”
As they walked, An Si-woo suddenly stopped.
Seoyul was walking toward them.
She stiffened.
But Seoyul passed them without expression.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Inspector Seoyul.”
The words were clearly sarcastic.
Seoyul replied flatly:
“Yeah.”
Baek Jun-hwan stepped forward.
“I heard the situation. Why don’t you quit and join our guild? We need your scouting ability.”
He offered a business card.
Seoyul shrugged.
“No thanks. I’ve got options, and I don’t think Overcross would welcome me sincerely.”
“Why is that?”
“I’ve made your director uncomfortable a lot.”
“….”
Baek’s expression darkened.
An Si-woo quickly intervened.
“Director Baek, you are still a suspect. Please refrain.”
“Ah, my mistake.”
Baek inhaled deeply.
“You must be unhappy leaving your established position.”
“Actually, I’m glad.”
“Normally people would despair.”
“Only cowardly people think that way.”
“Why?”
After a long silence, Seoyul answered simply:
“Because I’m on my way to save people.”
“….”
The two froze.
Seoyul walked past them.
A minute passed.
BOOM!
Unable to control his anger, Baek punched the wall, shattering it.
“Director!”
An Si-woo shouted, but Baek ignored her.
“…So that’s your so-called conviction.”
Later
Before leaving the director’s office, Seoyul had said:
“If you’re going to send me anyway, send me as the right person.”
He repeated those words to himself.
He didn’t care whether it was persuasion or manipulation.
He was no longer the same person as before.
It didn’t matter whether the labyrinth was fate or coincidence.
All that mattered—
was using this power to grow stronger and save more people.
Seoyul clenched his fist.
“I can do this.”
