At Pi Seong-yeol''s summons, Suho made his way to the Special Division Chief’s office.

    Upon his arrival, Pi Seong-yeol greeted him with a sly smile, rising from his seat.

    “You’re here, junior?”

    “Yes, senior.”

    “Have a seat.”

    The room was much larger and more sophisticated than Lee Wan-ik’s office—an unmistakable testament to the disparity in power.

    As Suho sat down, Pi Seong-yeol opened the mini-fridge beside him, pulled out a can of soda, and placed it in front of Suho.

    “I hear you had some fun in the Awakening Division?”

    “Not at all.”

    “Not at all? Word is, your performance there was extraordinary. That’s the Suho I know—always exceeding expectations.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Drink up.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    At Pi Seong-yeol’s encouragement, Suho opened the can and took a sip. Only then did Pi Seong-yeol begin to speak.

    “The first one you caught was Kim Goong-won, right?”

    “Yes, that’s correct.”

    “I heard you went to Acro Tower.”

    “Yes, I did.”

    “Did you see anyone else there besides Kim Goong-won?”

    A subtle expression crossed Pi Seong-yeol’s face. Clearly, he already knew the answer.

    This would make things easier.

    Without hesitation or change in expression, Suho answered, “I also saw Son Baek-geum.”

    “Then why did you leave him there?”

    “I didn’t think he was someone I could handle.”

    At that, a spark lit in Pi Seong-yeol’s eyes, and a faint grin tugged at his lips.

    “Interesting. What makes you think you know what I was going to say about that?”

    “Weren’t you going to talk about Son Baek-geum’s connections?”

    “Pahaha.”

    Pi Seong-yeol burst out laughing at Suho’s response. He took a sip from his own can, still grinning, and set it back down.

    “Exactly. I was going to talk about his connections. So, you left him because you thought you couldn’t handle it?”

    “To be honest, yes.”

    “Then why didn’t you report it to me?”

    “I was waiting for the right justification.”

    “Justification?”

    “Yes. Even though I’m expected to join the Special Division, I’m not officially a member yet. Plus, your name didn’t come up in this situation. I thought it would be presumptuous to bring up Son Baek-geum without proper justification, so I waited. I figured either you or the Vice President would call me eventually.”

    “Hmm...”

    Pi Seong-yeol narrowed his eyes, clearly impressed.

    The response was exactly what he had hoped for.

    With both corners of his mouth now lifted in a pleased smile, he said, “Suho.”

    “Yes, senior?”

    “Well done.”

    “Thank you, senior.”

    “From now on, if there’s anything you can’t handle, report it all to me. I’ll tell you how to deal with it.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    “You’re not even asking why?”

    “You must have a reason for it, so why should I question it?”

    “Pfft... You crazy bastard.”

    Now fully laughing, shoulders shaking, Pi Seong-yeol looked entirely pleased with Suho.

    Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out a card and handed it to Suho.

    “You’ve worked hard. When you’re done for the day, take your close friends out and eat something good. None of that cheap pork belly nonsense—go for Korean beef or seafood. If you want to drink, drink. I won’t care how much it costs.”

    “No, really, I haven’t done anything to deserve this.”

    “Hey, when an elder gives you something, just take it and say thank you.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Yes, boss.”“Got it.”“If you’re asking me to do it, it must be important.”“Hell yeah! Got it.”

    “Haha, then I guess you’ll do the same here in the Non-Awakening Division. By the way, Han Ho-seong from the Awakening Division is my colleague from training. He couldn’t stop praising you—so much that it’s raised my expectations.”

    A critic turned fan is always the loudest, Suho thought.

    It made sense. Han Ho-seong had once been one of Suho’s harshest critics.

    As Suho responded with an awkward smile, Cho leaned forward with a subtle expression.

    “So, are you planning to work solo on this one as well?”

    Ah, so that’s what he was aiming for.

    Fine.

    Suho had been planning to request the same thing anyway, so there was no reason to refuse.

    Suho nodded. “Yes, I’ll handle this one on my own.”

    “Haha, understood. If you run into any issues, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

    “Thank you, I will.”

    Having completed his meeting with the Non-Awakening Division’s officer, Suho stood and prepared to leave. It was time to visit the candidates he had earmarked for registration.

    ***

    Swoosh!

    An arrow flew through the air.

    And then—

    Thud!

    The arrow landed squarely in the bullseye.

    It was Park Goong’s shot.

    The coach immediately shouted, “First place goes to Park Goong! That means Park Goong will be representing us in tomorrow’s competition.”

    “Wooow...!”

    The coach’s declaration drew cheers from the group.

    At the same time, though, everyone reacted as if it were a foregone conclusion.

    “As expected of Goong.”

    “Park Goong never disappoints.”

    “With this level of skill, Goong’s definitely going to win the tournament tomorrow.”

    “Yeah, no doubt about it.”

    Park Goong.

    The pride of Anseong High’s archery team and one of Korea’s brightest archery prospects.

    Everyone believed it without question.

    And Park Goong himself had no doubts about it either.

    After practice, one of his teammates approached him and asked, “Goong, what are you doing after this? We’re planning to hit up karaoke—come with us.”

    “Nah, you guys go ahead. I have to help out at my mom’s shop today.”

    “Seriously? We finished early today because of the tournament tomorrow, and you’re still helping at your mom’s shop?”

    “Sorry, but I’ll feel better if I do.”

    “Man, you’re the only one around here who’s such a good son.”

    “True that. Goong’s the golden child, and you’re the delinquent.”

    “Hey, come on! But okay, I’ll admit it.”

    “Alright, see you tomorrow!”

    “Yeah, sorry about this. See you!”

    Park Goong was well-known for his filial devotion.

    Living alone with his single mother, Park Goong always helped out at her shop on days when practice ended early, just like today.

    He had never thought of it as a burden.

    No, he believed it was only natural.

    He knew that it was thanks to his mother, who supported his dreams despite their tough circumstances, that he was able to be where he was now.

    With that thought, Park Goong headed to his mother’s shop to lend a hand as usual.

    But then—

    “...Huh?”

    He froze the moment he arrived.

    Park Goong couldn’t believe his eyes.

    Standing in his mother’s shop was none other than the famous Ahn Suho, the Hunter.

    Blink.

    Park Goong blinked as he stared at Suho.@@@@