Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Awakener Crime Investigation Division (1)

For most people, receiving a sum as large as one billion won would make them leap with joy.

It would be a different story if Soo-ah's family were so wealthy that they considered a billion won insignificant, but as far as I knew, Soo-ah's family wasn't particularly well-off.

"By any chance, is something going on at home?"

"H-how did you know?"

"Usually, when someone suddenly comes into a large sum of money, it's often due to some issue at home."

I'd often seen it during my time at Grand Nova.

Hunters who had entered contracts and received large advances, being badgered by their families every day.

If it was distant relatives, they could at least cut off contact, but sometimes even parents acted that way, causing considerable stress.

After all, being a hunter—especially one affiliated with Grand Nova—meant earning amounts that exceeded imagination.

"If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me a little more? Since I'm your manager, Soo-ah-ssi, I think it'd be best for me to know."

"......well."

Soo-ah turned her gaze out the car window for no reason.

But only for a moment. As if making up her mind, she bit her lower lip and spoke up.

"At first, everyone congratulated me when I won Super Hunter K and became an S-rank hunter."

After Super Hunter K ended, her family initially congratulated her on both her win and her new status as an S-rank hunter. But soon after, while Soo-ah was at home, they started pressuring her every day.

"Your uncle's been going through a tough time with his business lately. Could you help a little?"

"Dad wants to start a business too. Could you maybe help out? If Soo-ah invests, it'll turn a profit. And if it's not too much trouble, maybe give us some publicity too..."

Maybe it was because of the billion won, or perhaps they thought that as an S-rank hunter she'd have access to huge sums—they suddenly began to reach out for handouts.

"If it had just ended there, I would've been fine with it. I wouldn't have minded giving up the billion won entirely."

But then, her mother started interfering with Soo-ah's hunter activities as well, saying even her current career choices weren't enough.

To put it simply, she told her to leave Unique and go to Grand Nova.

"Are you going to keep staying with that third-rate management agency when you're an S-rank hunter? Would you believe it—Team Leader Go Sung-wook from Grand Nova came looking for me, asking if you'd consider joining Grand Nova."

Grand Nova, which had been persistently making offers to Soo-ah, targeted her family when she didn't respond.

They had even explained all the contract terms, making her parents desperate to send Soo-ah to Grand Nova immediately.

Judging by the conditions Grand Nova offered, they'd be attractive enough to make any ordinary person's head spin.

"That's why you weren't looking so happy."

"Yes. So, I've decided to move out. They don't know what Unique is like for me or how Manager Park has helped me... Besides, I'm an adult now; I figure living on my own wouldn't be so bad."

Soo-ah said this with a reassuring smile, but I couldn't feel at ease.

'Living on her own? That could be a problem.'

It wasn't because Soo-ah was a woman and therefore in danger.

After all, what trouble could possibly come for an S-rank hunter?

What worried me was Soo-ah's mental state.

'She's gotten much better since Super Hunter K ended.'

She'd lost a lot of the self-doubt and timidity she once had.

But this was different.

Her family wouldn't give up on her so easily—or might even drive her to the point of exhaustion.

'Usually, this is the kind of trouble where someone experienced should step in and offer support...'

It wouldn't be hard for Unique to arrange a place for her without Soo-ah having to look for an apartment on her own. But I hadn't mentioned that first, because I didn't believe it would be the right solution.

'Wait a second.'

Suddenly, the perfect candidate came to mind.

Someone who lived alone in a grand mansion, with a wealth of experience as a hunter.

"Soo-ah-ssi."

"Yes?"

Soo-ah's gentle smile, her face now completely healed from burns and truly beautiful, answered me.

Perhaps, if she weren't burdened, she would have shined even more.

"How do you feel about living with someone else?"

"...... P-pardon?"

At my words, Soo-ah's smiling face turned to stone—

And for some reason, her cheeks flushed crimson.

***

'Awakener Crime Prevention Ambassador, my ass.'

Superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo already had a headache thinking about the meeting scheduled for today.

The 'Awakener Crime Investigation Division', founded to curtail the rising number of crimes involving Awakeners, was a highly specialized unit within the National Police Agency.

All officers assigned to it were Awakeners; Superintendent Shim Hyuk-soo, in particular, possessed abilities on par with an A-rank hunter.

'I know my team is lacking, but...'

The problem was, other than Superintendent Shim, only one officer was B-rank, and the remaining eight hovered between C-rank and D-rank.

That made it difficult for higher-ups to trust them.

"Damn it, if we want to recruit outstanding Awakener officers into the police, we need to offer better incentives! What is this—appointing hunters as goodwill ambassadors and using them like mercenaries? Are we some backwater army? Lieutenant Yang, don't you agree?"

"Yes, well..."

At Superintendent Shim's string of curses, lieutenant Yang Ji-ho responded half-heartedly.

Shim frowned deeply at the insipid reply.

"What? You were yelling about this bullshit ambassador thing yourself till recently, so why are you playing it cool now?"

"Hunter Lee Soo-ah is coming today, isn't she?"

"Lee Soo-ah? Oh, right, you cheered her on during Super Hunter K, didn't you?"

"What do you mean, 'her'? You should refer to her as S-rank hunter Lee Soo-ah-nim."

"Yeah, yeah, look at you, such a loyalist. Why not just ask her to become team leader?"

At Shim's sarcasm, Yang's face grew serious.

"I really wish she would. If Lee Soo-ah-nim became team leader, all those criminals would be trembling in their boots. She's an S-rank hunter, isn't she? I bet she'd beat you with just two fingers, Captain."

"Hell, you little punk. You always have to have the last word."

"And could you please stop swearing? Please! What if Lee Soo-ah-nim hears and gets upset?"

"When she gets here, I'll take care of it. Don't worry about me—just worry about keeping yourself alive on the field later, got it?"

As Shim Hyuk-soo waved his hand dismissively, lieutenant Yang let out a sigh.

To be honest, there was a reason why Superintendent Shim was so negative about having goodwill ambassadors.

'The previous guys were a total disaster.'

The state had requested three ambassadors from the major broadcasting stations.

Actually, the call wasn't just made to broadcasting stations; any large management agency probably received a message.

Of these, representatives from Korea's three main broadcasting stations—

HSN, NBT, and KDC—each selected one person to attend an initial meeting with the Awakener Crime Investigation Division.

Before their official appointment as ambassadors, they were to be briefed about their responsibilities.

'Why on earth did NBT and KDC pick those kinds of people as their representatives?'

Hunters selected as representatives would have to be featured in all future public service ads relating to Awakener crimes for their respective broadcasting stations.

They must have known this, yet the hunters chosen by those two companies were far from reassuring.

'They're A-rank, but honestly, not even a match for the Captain.'

One was a hunter specializing in swordsmanship, the other a mage.

The combination should have been decent, but the problem was their attitude.

"I'll help out some, but let's keep things casual. I'm busy."

"I'm only here as an ambassador, so let's not cross any lines."

The role of ambassador included providing support to the Awakener Crime Investigation Division whenever they lacked the necessary strength. But these guys had no intention of fulfilling that role properly.

It was doubtful whether they would be any help at all if trouble actually arose.

After encountering two such people in a row, it was natural to be wary of the third candidate.

"They act like that even though they're A-rank. If they're S-rank, they'll think they own the world. And wasn't she originally C-rank? She might be even worse from all the things she's put up with till now."

"She acted so nice on TV, though—there's no way."

When Yang protested, Shim curled his lip.

"You don't know how things work in broadcasting. That's all a crafted image, idiot. Those first two came off like model citizens on TV, but look how they were in person—total bastards."

"Uh, well..."

Yang couldn't argue with that.

As Shim said, Lee Soo-ah's public image could be entirely fabricated.

"And didn't she get a lot of criticism for her personality at the start? She only cleaned up her image later on."

"Well...that's true, but..."

"See? If you hold on to your illusions, you'll only be disappointed."

Shim patted Yang's shoulder and was just about to grab himself a cup of Maxim coffee when the team's youngest member walked in.

"Uh, Captain..."

"What now?"

"L-Lee Soo-ah-nim has arrived. Her manager is with her."

"What? Already?"

With thirty minutes still left until the scheduled meeting, superintendent Shim glanced at the clock in surprise.

'Why'd she show up so early?'

The other hunters had shown up not just late, but over two hours after the scheduled meeting time.

They claimed they were delayed clearing a dungeon, but there was no way that was true.

'Maybe she arrived early because she's busy with something else?'

With a hint of suspicion, superintendent Shim made his way to the division's conference room.

"Oh! Um...hello. I'm Shim Hyuk-soo, the captain of the Awakener Crime Investigation Division."

Upon entering, superintendent Shim was startled twice.

First, by Lee Soo-ah's beautiful appearance as she stood neatly, waiting.

Second, by the sharp gaze of her manager beside her.

'Isn't that guy a gangster?'

After more than twenty years as a cop, he'd seen plenty of gangsters—and they had the exact same eyes.

His looks were clean and respectable enough to get away with it; otherwise, superintendentShim might've pulled out the handcuffs right there.

'Why is this guy so popular?'

Superintendent Shim warily watched not only Lee Soo-ah but her manager, Park Jung-woo.

Since Lee Soo-ah became S-rank, Jung-woo's own reputation had skyrocketed as well.

He had initially gained attention as Shin Ah-yeon's manager and someone who worked with hunters, but now, with Soo-ah's promotion, he was even being praised as "God's Eye" or whatever.

"Hello, Captain Shim Hyuk-soo. I'm Lee Soo-ah of Unique."

"I'm Park Jung-woo, hunter Lee Soo-ah-nim's manager."

"Ah, yes, please have a seat. You'll get tired standing."

Superintendent Shim accepted Jung-woo's business card and glanced at Lee Soo-ah.

"We wouldn't dare sit before you do, Captain."

Lee Soo-ah, noticing his look, smiled and waited patiently for Superintendent Shim to sit first.

'She's a fox, this one.'

Both in manner and looks.

On Super Hunter K, her burn scars and hair had hidden most of her face, but now that she'd recovered, she was almost dazzlingly beautiful.

'Is this for real? Is this really happening?'

With the stark contrast in atmosphere compared to the previous two hunters, superintendent Shim felt almost disoriented.

The previous two had come in and crossed their legs arrogantly from the start, so he hadn't even had the chance to offer them a seat.

"Ah, to explain, as goodwill ambassador you'll help promote our cause, and occasionally we may ask for your assistance in investigations. It really won't be too frequent... At most, it should only be about twice a month, so you don't need to worry too much."

Superintendent Shim carefully delivered his prepared lines.

The previous two had grimaced even at the request for two times a month and demanded it be reduced to once.

People are always sensitive when they think they're at a loss.

Even if she was wearing the mask of an angel now, you never knew when things might change.

"Hmm, would that be all right?"

Sure enough, Soo-ah furrowed her pretty brows at Superintendent Shim's words.

'They're all the same, after all.'

Only the words differed, but in the end, their intentions were the same.

But even if she asked to reduce it, superintendent Shim had no intention of conceding.

Honest truth—it had already been reduced to two times a month to begin with.

"Isn't twice a month a bit too little?"

"... Excuse me?"

"I think it should be at least three times... Ideally, once a week."

What was this woman saying?

Once a week? Was she just overeager and didn't know what the job entailed?

"I did a bit of research into the Awakener Crime Investigation Division and saw that you've been busy with a series of missing persons cases. So at the very least, shouldn't we increase the frequency during particularly serious incidents?"

She had even investigated what the division was currently working on.

So she hadn't misunderstood what she was signing up for.

In other words, Lee Soo-ah was sincerely invested in this role.

"Ah, of course, Captain, I trust your abilities as an A-rank hunter and a veteran. I just thought maybe I could be of help..."

'Is she an actual angel?'

Her character really did match her striking beauty.

Before he realized it, superintendent Shim found himself slowly becoming "converted" by Lee Soo-ah.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
From Lee Soo-ah skeptic to fan.
It's time to convert Superintendent Shim
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】