Chapter 19 ….
Hidden Power Public Servant Possesses Too Well
“‘Take it easy?’ What is that even supposed to mean…?”
This was definitely Kwon Ik-sung in front of me, right? Not Pi So-won?
“I mean it literally. The higher-ups are putting on pressure. Seems like Daeyoung wants to keep Choi Woo-jin from ending up in the news.”
“But Choi Woo-jin was at the scene of an illegal arms deal.”
Why does it feel like the situation has flipped?
In the original, Ik-sung was always the one saying things like “We should follow the law”, and the other side would calm him down, saying to let it slide.
“But Woo-jin is a civilian. Not a hunter.”
…Oh. Right.
At this point in the story, Choi Woo-jin was pretending to be unawakened.
He survived several crises thanks to his connections and scamming skills; even when he raided that subspace, he made sure to use expensive items that unawakened people could supposedly use.
All so no one could trace anything back to him.
“If you try to dig too hard into Choi Woo-jin, it’ll backfire.”
Ik-sung’s eyebrows twisted.
The original Kwon Ik-sung had a backstory.
Five years ago, while working in the Hunter Administration’s secret intelligence division, he tried to expose Daeyoung Guild’s corruption. The case blew up in his face, and he was sent to the Hunter Investigation Unit.
It was a demotion.
Ik-sung looked at me with the expression of someone remembering something unpleasant.
“…I heard you caught a terrorist.”
“That was… just luck…”
“And that you got the chairman of Jeongmoon High School arrested.”
“That, well… I didn’t really—”
It honestly just happened while I was doing something else.
That’s what I wanted to say, but… thanks to that incident, our team’s case log went from zero to two. So technically, yeah, the chairman’s arrest counted as our achievement.
“Team Leader Pi used to be full of righteous passion, like you.”
Did they know each other from way back?
I was still puzzling over that strange line when Ik-sung continued.
“I believe that people with a sense of duty should be able to work in this organization for a long time. That’s why Principle No.1 of the Hunter Investigation Oath exists.”
Principle.
The training flashed through my mind.
And Principle No.1 was—
A Hunter Investigator values their own life above all else.
…!
So investigating Daeyoung is that dangerous?
Before I could even ask, he handed me a folder and stood up.
“Investigator Lee Yu-ji is already being watched by the higher-ups. So take it easy. If someone’s going to push it, it’ll be me.”
Why am I being watched?!
But wait—was he… looking out for me?
“We’re not even on the same team. Why are you being so considerate?”
We had stopped in front of the interrogation room. Ik-sung looked down at me, silent.
‘…He’s so handsome.’
That was the curse of meeting your bias face-to-face.
The second I saw his face, every thought scattered into white noise and only he’s handsome remained.
“I said it already. I want people with a sense of duty to stay in this organization.”
His voice was dry, but there was warmth in it.
Exactly like the version of him I loved in the novel.
“First, survive. Only then… can you win.”
But his face darkened on the last sentence—something I’d never seen in print.
“Ask only the questions in the file. No small talk. Absolutely none.”
He opened the door for me, then walked in through the other side.
I entered the interrogation room—and found a man leaning back in his chair, crooked posture, welcoming smirk.
“Nice to see you like this, Investigator. That time was… well…”
His lips curled into a grin.
But his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
Light brown eyes, sharp as a fox.
“…pretty chaotic, wasn’t it?”
‘No small talk. Absolutely none.’
I swallowed hard.
The camera behind me suddenly felt huge.
CCTVs everywhere.
And somewhere behind that glass, Ik-sung was watching this conversation right now.
And I was about to talk… as a possession-traveler… to the novel’s protagonist, a regressor.
Sh*t.
This was a disaster.
But keeping Ik-sung’s rule was impossible.
“What’s your name?”
“Your name is Lee Yu-ji, isn’t it?”
“….”
I was stuck on the first question.
Choi Woo-jin wasn’t just a hidden S-Class hunter. His most terrifying stat was his absurd Intelligence.
That’s why he could game the system, play people, and even work as the hacker “Gamer.”
“Your personal info is already in the file, so we’ll check that later.”
“Ohhh. Team Leader Kwon told you not to answer my questions, huh? Just stick to the script.”
He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, wearing a playful grin.
And then, nonsense spilled out of his mouth:
“Kind of hurts my feelings. I actually want to get close to you.”
WHY do you want to get close to me?! I don’t want that!
You didn’t even have to come here—you came on purpose!
Grandson of Korea’s first-generation hunter royalty, and you still came to bother me?
‘In this life, you’re messing up too many things.’
That line from the original came to mind—and a chill ran down my spine.
If he remembered the other Yu-ji from his previous life…
He might find differences in me.
I stared firmly down at the file.
“When you entered the subspace, were you aware that an illegal weapon deal was happening there?”
My voice was stiff. Woo-jin leaned back like he found it amusing.
He thought for a second, then answered in a generous, almost condescending tone:
“No. I didn’t know.”
His first answer.
I made a note—pointlessly, since everything was recorded.
He’d already testified that the destroyed subspace interior was because he “accidentally touched the wrong item,” so no need to ask anything there.
Total lie, of course.
“Then how did you obtain the item you used to enter the subspace?”
“A club DJ I know.”
Just listening to it sounded scummy.
All part of the act.
“That DJ directly—”
“The DJ said Kevin-hyung left it behind and gave it to me.”
My pen froze.
I slowly looked up at Woo-jin.
“Kevin… as in—”
“Choi Min-cheol. My cousin.”
Ha.
I couldn’t stop myself from glancing toward the camera.
What the hell.
They said not to connect this to Daeyoung at all—
but he just threw Daeyoung straight into the conversation.
Choi Min-cheol: grandson of Daeyoung Guildmaster Choi Jung-gu. A-rank hunter. Rumored successor.
And in the novel?
He did… horrible things.
The real psychopathic grandson wasn’t Woo-jin—it was Min-cheol.
“I heard he bought some things from there… Did Kevin-hyung come today? Oh, right. He’s in the U.S.”
I stared, speechless.
He was feeding me bait—one sugary candy after another—and I didn’t know if I should take the hook, or follow Ik-sung’s warning.
While my brain was melting, Woo-jin spoke.
“Aren’t you curious? Why I want to be close to you?”
“…That’s…”
Crap.
I almost answered.
Woo-jin’s eyes sparkled like I was already caught.
“I knew the moment I saw you.”
Whatever this feeling is—please ignore it.
“……”
“I think Investigator Lee Yu-ji is going to be an important person in my life.”
He smiled wide.
And at the same moment, a window popped up in front of me.
Status Effect Triggered: “Unnamed extras in crime novels always die.”
Quest: ‘Expose Choi Min-cheol’s Crimes! (A)’
Reward: 7,000 gold
Failure: Dismembered → Death
Time Limit: 7 days
Important person my ass.
