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Chapter 02 …
At last, today was the day.
A tense atmosphere hung over the office of the Special Disaster Safety Department’s Grade 7 officials. Everyone stared toward the entrance, swallowing nervously, and Jaeyoung was standing in the very back row among them.
With a blank expression, Jaeyoung stared absentmindedly at the entrance of the department office.
‘Seorin is really… coming to our office?’
How did that even make sense?
After dropping a bombshell by declaring he would become a civil servant and then leaving the Draft Show, he had actually become one and appeared.
And not just anywhere—he had come to the Special Disaster Safety Department where Jaeyoung worked!
The moment he heard in the conference room that Seorin was coming, nothing else entered his ears.
Letting out a small sigh through his dry lips, Jaeyoung lowered his head.
“Wow, damn. I’ve only ever seen Seorin on TV. Finally getting to see him in person.”
“You never went to the Draft Show? I handled that event a few times. Seriously, he’s ridiculously handsome. His face practically glows.”
“Isn’t he nothing special besides being handsome? I mean, he just got worked to death in PMC…”
“You think someone becomes Rank 1 for nothing? Even if civil servants aren’t included in the rankings, Seorin still crushes everybody. He’s seriously strong. Though I’ve heard his personality is just as insane… ahem, supposedly.”
“Holy crap, that’s hilarious. If someone with that face is a total maniac, I approve.”
“I want a bomb like Seorin….”
“Look at all the Guides stretching their necks waiting. They’re always like this whenever a new Esper shows up.”
“They’re all pretending not to care while desperately looking forward to it. Honestly, even if he’s a total psycho, with abilities like his and something that bi—”
“Hey, are you insane?”
The Guides and Espers nudged each other and snickered.
Looking around at the crowd, everyone was excited and energized.
Who wouldn’t be excited?
The famous Rank 1.
The man who utterly crushed anyone who crossed his path.
Seorin was coming to the Special Disaster Safety Department.
Even the ordinary office workers couldn’t hide their anticipation.
Only Jaeyoung looked as though the sky were falling.
‘…This isn’t the kind of closeness I wanted.’
From afar, he had wanted to watch Seorin succeed.
He wanted to see him dating with that absurdly handsome face, finding a compatible Guide, living happily without getting hurt.
Jaeyoung had been Seorin’s fan for a very long time.
There had been a specific reason at first.
But even without that reason, Seorin was someone who shone so brightly that Jaeyoung would have ended up liking him anyway.
And that idol…
Had become a civil servant.
A civil servant buried under work, paid poorly, and harassed by endless people.
Jaeyoung felt utterly depressed.
‘Maybe if he’d gone into Grade 3 or above….’
That would have made sense.
Those were the places where the real elites gathered.
They did work far more meaningful than a mere Grade 7 department, dealt with no civilian complaints, and even operated internationally.
But according to what he’d heard, Seorin wasn’t even Grade 3.
Seorin.
An S-Class.
Rank 1.
Jaeyoung pouted.
If our Seorin isn’t qualified for Grade 3 or above, then who is?
He wanted to argue exactly that.
Unfortunately, there was no one willing to listen to his feeble complaint.
Fidgeting with his fingers and wearing a gloomy expression, he suddenly noticed the people in front of him beginning to murmur while craning their necks.
Jaeyoung immediately looked up.
“I think he’s here! No way, he’s with Manager Park Daegeon.”
“I haven’t seen Manager Park in ages. Didn’t he leave for Italy last time?”
“Holy shit. It’s Seorin.”
“That’s insane.”
A man who looked to be in his early forties entered through the department’s main entrance alongside a tall young man.
They were Manager Park Daegeon of the Special Disaster Safety Department and Seorin.
For a moment, Jaeyoung stopped breathing.
Unsure where to look, he lowered his head.
The crowd blocked his view anyway, but more than that, he didn’t think he could openly look at Seorin right now.
“Huh… holy crap.”
“Damn, he’s unbelievably handsome.”
The whispers abruptly ceased the moment Seorin and Park Daegeon opened the office door.
The office became silent as a grave.
Someone audibly swallowed.
Jaeyoung clenched his fists.
His heart pounded.
It’s really Seorin?
The real Seorin is here?
The man he’d only ever seen from a distance…
“Looks like everyone’s gathered. The new officer joining us today is a rather special person.”
Park Daegeon chuckled and waved off the department head who came hurrying over.
The department head bent at the waist repeatedly while laughing heartily.
“Manager Park! It’s been so long! You seem even fitter than before—ah, don’t tell me I’m exaggerating? Right, right. I’m just so happy to see you. Haha.”
“This guy, honestly. Hahaha. Anyway, let me introduce him. This is Tae Seorin, who’ll be serving as the head of the Special Activities Division starting today.”
“The head of the Special Activities… Division?”
The department head’s smiling face froze.
Within the Special Disaster Safety Department’s field operations division, real authority belonged to the department head.
The higher-ups were always busy with larger matters and rarely concerned themselves with lower-level affairs.
As a result, the department head had exercised tremendous power.
In other words, he had been doing whatever he pleased.
A Special Activities Division?
Did that mean a new division was being created?
Everyone stared at Manager Park Daegeon in shock.
Still smiling casually, Park answered as though it were no big deal.
“That’s right. Headquarters had been trying to send someone for a while now. There have been repeated criticisms that field management has been neglected. More importantly, there’s a need to better manage ability users ranked A-Class and below.”
“M-Management…?”
“You wouldn’t believe how many complaints we’ve been getting lately. This comes directly from higher command, so make sure you take good care of the new Special Activities Division Head and cooperate with him. The same goes for everyone else.”
Park Daegeon smiled as he looked around the room.
He said “cooperate,” but what he really meant was:
Do as you’re told.
Espers and Guides tended to have strong egos and were always difficult to control.
The department head clearly wanted to protest, but his mouth wouldn’t open.
Sweat poured down his face.
Seizing the opportunity, Park Daegeon pushed him aside and introduced Seorin.
“Ooh….”
Seorin, who had been standing quietly behind him, stepped forward at Park Daegeon’s gesture.
Only then did Jaeyoung raise his eyes and sneak a glance at him.
Even standing still, Seorin gave off an intimidating presence.
The moment he stepped forward and became the center of attention, Jaeyoung felt his breath catch.
Unlike usual, Seorin’s hair was neatly dyed black, and he wore a clean, well-tailored suit.
His slightly upturned eyes held no particular emotion.
Yet they carried an overwhelming feeling, as though they could devour everything around them.
Jaeyoung stared blankly, mouth slightly open.
After slowly sweeping his gaze across the room, Seorin carefully examined every member of the department.
Then he suddenly grinned.
The suppressor piercings that normally covered his ears were nowhere to be seen.
Neatly dyed hair.
A proper suit.
And yet, despite all that, there was something sharp and dangerous about his smile.
“I’m Tae Seorin. Looks like we’ll be living like one family from now on, so please take care of me, alright?”
His pleasant, deep voice descended like the messenger of thunder.
Everyone simply stared at him in silence.
Then Officer Jung Suin awkwardly forced a smile and began clapping first.
The others quickly joined in, welcoming Seorin with applause.
Startled out of his daze, Jaeyoung hurriedly clapped as well.
‘…He’s scary.’
In other words, his first impression was…
‘Did something upset him?’
As Seorin’s gaze swept across the crowd, it suddenly stopped.
On Jaeyoung.
Standing alone in the corner.
A blue glow flashed briefly within Seorin’s eyes.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Still staring directly at Jaeyoung, he added:
“Don’t be afraid. If you need anything, just tell me.”
I’ll listen.
To everyone else, it sounded more like:
“I’ll hear you out, at least.”
Watching Seorin stare straight at him, Jaeyoung subtly hid himself behind the people standing in front of him.
As expected of Seorin.
The greatest Esper forged by PMC.
His intimidation was on an entirely different level.
Experiencing it up close was suffocating.
‘This is why you’re supposed to admire your favorite from a distance.’
Jaeyoung made a miserable face.
Forget being a successful fan.
He absolutely did not want to meet his favorite celebrity at work.
