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dbgdbw · 2 years ago

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[외전] V.13

Business Trip

“This is the place.”

Férid snuck a glance at the man standing behind him. The man’s–the Seseung Guild Leader’s–face held not even a trace of concern. Rather, he appeared to be slightly bored.

“Quaint.”

Sung Hyunjae commented, looking up at the fortress that was swathed by searchlights. Atop of the towering fortress wall that surrounded the perimeter, armed guards could be seen circling on patrol.

“It is to obscure the coordinates. Owing to the facilitative terrain, it will remain undetected even via satellite imaging. However, when a signal is sent, the reinforcements will come charging in.”

Tens of helicopters would descend in fewer than five minutes, Férid warned. Seemingly disinterested, Sung Hyunjae smoothed fingers over his black gloves. Because the guide had insisted he don camouflaged clothes, instead of his usual garb, he was decked out in pitch-black top and bottom, with a tactical vest worn on top. He’d turned the face guard down, however.

“As such, presently, personnel are–”

“Kali.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kali, a covert agent of Seseung Guild, took out a weapon. It was a peculiarly shaped bow, which looked as though three crossbows had been overlaid with one another.

Having lined up three small, slender bolts onto the crossbow tracks, Kali aimed it skywards and pulled the trigger. 팟! Flying off silently, each of the bolts arced up in different trajectories before plummeting to the ground. Alarmed, Férid spoke.

“If you do that, then they–…haven’t noticed?”

“It is a Skill. So long as they’re not targeted directly, even in the case of an S-rank Hunter, it should be difficult to discover the bolts .”

Kali continued to launch the bolts. Once the vicinity of the fortress had become littered with tiny metal arrows, Sung Hyunjae took a step forward.

“To communicate.”

Ultimately, it was electricity-powered equipment that was necessary. Sung Hyunjae proceeded to walk towards the entrance of the fortress. It took little time for a searchlight to discover his presence, and a warning issued out from the guard standing atop of the wall.

“Halt! This location–”

차르륵–

Golden chains materialized in the air. Then, without preamble, they shot towards the wall like an arrow.

콰득!

And immediately after the chains had broken through the fortress wall.

콰르릉!

Lightning flashed. A brilliantly eye-searing flash of light burst outwards, and a strong electric current spread out through the corners of the fortress. The electricity that should have originally been scattered after only burning in part, flowed through the pre-prepared bolts and continued to leap dangerously.

“Ugh!”

“It’s an ambush!”

Not only the searchlights, but every light within the fortress was shut off. In the resultant darkness, the sound of thunder rang out–a deluge of golden light spilled down like a waterfall.

As screams issued from every direction, having approached to stand in front of the sealed door, Sung Hyunjae lifted one foot. Then, with an easy swing of his leg,

쿵!

The heavy steel door crumpled easily, falling off of its hinges. Startling, several soldiers began taking aim at him with their guns. But the chains struck faster.

차르르, accompanied by the bright clatter of metal, the soldiers that had been trying to surround Sung Hyunjae were sent scattering over the ground, like bales of hay in the wake of a typhoon. Combat boots tread lightly forwards, as though they were sleek dress shoes stepping into a banquet hall instead.

“All units have been paralyzed!”

“Get a signal flare off, at least!”

In a rush, the fortress soldiers launched a flare; but, the moment it cleared the top of the fortress wall,

펑!

One of Kali’s bolts pierced it dead center. At far too low an altitude, the signal flare was pitifully snuffed out.

Meanwhile, Sung Hyunjae worked his way through the fortress without pause. Non-Awakened, and mid-ranked Hunters and lower were all subdued without being able to mount any significant opposition. The few high-rank Hunters only managed to hold out for a bit longer, before meeting the same fate.

The sound of voices that filled the small fortress began to die out; eventually, it became silent enough to hear the hooting of night owls.

“Shall we head inside as well.”

Kali said, slipping the crossbow into her inventory. Férid, who had been watching the fortress with a dazed look, nodded reflexively and pulled himself up.

With a strong electrical current that flowed even outside the fortressed walls, both the inside and outside were completely dark. 파직, a shard of shattered electrical equipment cracked underfoot. Taking out a hand torch, Férid flicked it on.

“I-I surrender!”

As they stepped down into the basement level, someone yelped. The long, slender rod in Kali’s hand, which resembled a fishing rod, smashed into the back of the man’s neck and knocked him unconscious.

The hallways stretched on for a length of space, and there were several doors set at even intervals. Advancing, Férid shouted in a booming voice.

“This is the International Hunter Association's Awakened Protection Division!”

Typically, Awakened weren’t treated differently from non-Awakened. Both groups still had human rights, and more often than not, mid-ranked and higher Awakened ended up protecting non-Awakened.

However, to the countries and people who had looked down on human rights even prior to the formation of Dungeons and Hunters, the Awakened were seen as valuable goods. Though it might be harder to lay hands on a higher-ranked, mid-ranked and below–especially healer or support-type, specialized non-combatant Awakened–were traded for large sums.

And among those, the most despicable types.

“Children, I see.”

Sung Hyunjae mumbled. Most of the Awakened that had been locked inside had been minors(1). Young children, who had become embroiled in matters during the Dungeon Breaks. Because they were easier to control than adults, they tended to fetch a higher price.

Sung Hyunjae, who had been rubbing underneath his chin, extended a hand towards Kali. She placed the communicator within the guild leader’s hand.

“Please accept my gratitude, that you would come all this long way.”(2)

[ …please relay the situation. ]

From the communicator, Song Taewon’s voice drifted through.

“Five in their early teens, three middling, and seven in the upper range. Three that look to be adults. That being the case, then.”

The witnesses had been secured. So now, the place could be swept clean. With a brief affirmation in acknowledgement, the connection was cut off. Returning the communicator to Kali, Sung Hyunjae preemptively ascended to the ground level. A slender moon hung in the night sky.

“How dull.”

All of these proceedings; they were much too banal.

* * *

“It’s just Section Chief Song that’s suffering again, huh.”

Moon Hyuna said, lowering her car window. Having shed the vest in favor of a coat, Sung Hyunjae bowed slightly at his waist while sending her a smile.

“What can I do, when he adamantly refuses the private jet I’d so prettily packaged for him.”

“As if he wouldn’t. When he already deliberates over just an offer to ride together.”

“Nevertheless, he had a comfortable trip here I assume, thanks to Breaker’s Guild Leader-nim.”

“And why don’t you just desist from creating problems for Section Chief Song in the first place?”

Moon Hyuna beckoned for him to approach, telling him to get in. The amount of times Song Taewon had traveled out of the country for an issue related to Sung Hyunjae numbered thrice, this year alone. This time, as Moon Hyuna had had an overlapping engagement, he’d been able to impose on Breaker Guild’s private-use plane; typically, he would travel by commercial flights however.

Officially, Seseung’s Guild Leader was in Korea. Therefore, it followed that the overseas excursion was unsanctioned. And as the section chief of the Awakened Management Division, because the fact that he was out of the country had to be concealed as well, each time, he would have to employ a recognition-inhibiting Item to disguise his face. Only, as it was only effective up to mid-rank and lower, most high-rank Hunters who were in the know were familiar with Sung Hyunjae and Song Taewon’s relationship(3).

The car the two people were riding in came to a stop in front of the hotel that had been booked out entirely. Compared to the hotels they typically stayed at, it was a shabby and worn building. Having disembarked from the car, Moon Hyuna tossed the car keys to a hotel employee before leading the way inside.

“Even the interior here is sweltering hot. Does the electricity here not run too well.”

Suggesting they have a drink together, she pressed the button for the elevator; the floor numbers changed at a glacial pace. Moon Hyuna clicked her tongue.

“Snag a decent Hunter, then? When I can’t even easily recruit people, must be nice.”

She didn’t make trips outside the country as frequently as Sung Hyunjae did, but the scope of Moon Hyuna’s activities also stretched fairly wide. However, as her guild had been established with the help of corporate lenders, there were a proportional amount of stipulations that came attached. It meant that whenever they attempted to bring in a Hunter by offering favorable conditions, it was frequently deemed a resource sink and met with complaints and dogged pushback.

“Only children, turns out.”

As the elevator went up, Sung Hyunjae let slip a faint sigh. The few that were of legal age hadn’t possessed any Skills that merited his interest.

“So basically, all I’ve accomplished is a spot of charity work. Perhaps I’ve managed to win a few points with Section Chief Song-nim, at least.”

“Even if you spent all year going around rescuing people, I doubt it’d be enough to pull you out of the minus.”

Stepping into the bar that was located at the top floor of the hotel, Moon Hyuna waved for the employees to clear the room.

“He’ll be the one paying.”

Mentioning that it would be fine to even put the price of their entire stock on his tab, she gestured at Sung Hyunjae. The air up there felt stifling as well. She preferred a place with a more comfortable atmosphere than this, Moon Hyuna groused.

“Goddamn ‘propriety’, can’t even freely go to a bar. Just you watch, I’m going to end up shearing my hair within a year.”

Those old geezers really never let up with their griping. It sometimes felt like all she amounted to was just a high-pedigree hunting dog, Moon Hyuna said, face twisting in a scowl as she took a seat on a stool set in front of the bar.

“Oi, Seseung’s Guild Leader-nim, you(4) don’t seem to bother with kids much, unexpectedly? Even though toying with people is your hobby.”

“As it’s understimulating.”

Sung Hyunjae said, slipping behind the bar as naturally as though he belonged there.

“Something that’s been exposed to a diverse environment is more enjoyable. All my intervention would accomplish is the engineering of a socially brilliant, but insipid human being.”

스르륵, a glass slid down the bar counter.

“So a fully matured human suffices. By Korean standards(5), twenty at minimum, perhaps having completed a post-secondary education. I do particularly enjoy prodding at the ones with developmental frameworks that are unknown to me.”

Moon Hyuna looked up towards the man who was going on about how familiar subjects offered little entertainment value with embittered eyes.

“Times like these, you come off real fuckin’ shitty.”

Never mind other people, he was a man who didn’t even view other S-ranks as equals. She maintained a reasonable acquaintance with him, certainly, but every so often, he would make her skin crawl.

Even when compared with the other S-rank Hunter she knew–Song Taewon, Liette, Han Yoohyun–he was altogether different. It felt as though he was the only one standing outside of a boundary. Looking down at the multitude of people, as though observing a nest of ants.

“A real shitty fucking bastard.”

“It certainly did turn out shit(6) this time.”

Sung Hyunjae put on a woeful expression as he mixed a cocktail together.

“If I return to Korea empty-handed, Soyoungie will be disappointed again.”

“Because of the dragon thing? Is the reason you’re so lenient on Soyoungie because she’s young? When I heard ‘Dad’ come from her, I thought I was going to keel over laughing!”

“I do occasionally wonder if I haven’t been too laissez-faire.”

Unlike with the other guild members, he had deliberately refrained from interfering with Kang Soyoung. And in the case of the sole underaged S-rank, Han Yoohyun, he’d extended a hand while ensuring the least amount of influence possible would be exerted on him. With Haeyeon's guild leader brought to his mind, Sung Hyunjae talked as he filled the cocktail glass.

“What do you think, about Soyoungie and Haeyeon's guild leader.”

“Hm? Soyoungie and the young master? No.”

Moon Hyuna's eyes went round.

“Even if they’re around the same age, and they do seem to paint a pretty picture together, I doubt it’d fly. You’re suddenly talking like an ahjussi, though I guess you are one to begin with.”

“A marriage of convenience. Since Soyoungie won’t be swayed by anything other than a dragon, and Han Yoohyun would be incapable of loving another.”

“Hold on, before that. Soyoungie’s real nice and cute an’ all, but she’s an A-rank. Haeyeon would turn it down. I can already picture the steam coming out of Seok Shimyoung’s ears.”

“Seseung Guild’s Korean Overseer.”

A second glass was filled up with a reddish liquid. The surface of the neatly poured cocktail rippled faintly in response. Moon Hyuna’s eyes shook slightly as well.

“...I had no idea you considered Soyoungie so highly.”

“For Seseung at present, she’s a much valuable presence.”

Instead of further clarification, a smile appeared on Sung Hyunjae’s lips.

Kang Soyoung, who possessed a Dragon Rider Skill, exhibited a boldness of character befitting of that characteristic. In particular, as it equipped her with a fear resistance-esque effect against individuals stronger than herself, even in front of Sung Hyunjae–who tended to be daunting to even S-rank Hunters on occasion–she would rarely become hard-pressed. Additionally, she was a young woman who held a cheerful disposition.

Thanks to her, on top of the loosening of the atmosphere within Seseung guild, even Sung Hyunjae’s public image had seen an upwards trend. And that she wouldn’t be pressured by an S-rank Hunter, meant that.

“If it’s Soyoungie, she’d be able to stand on equal footing with even the young master. As long as I’m able to get a hold of an S-rank dragon…….”

Sung Hyunjae pretended to mope. It was getting to the point that Kang Soyoung’s pleading, and then progressively insistent, prickling gaze was starting to tickle slightly.

“Well, even if the world’s changed a lot, you’re not wrong that marriages still are a preferred way of bringing about an alliance. Though with Soyoungie and the young master, it seems like they’d lead entirely separate lives, rather than just going for separate rooms. But you’re really planning on going abroad?”

“As the sole existence that brings me enjoyment in Korea–”

Sung Hyunjae turned his gaze towards the entrance. Song Taewon, fatigue lining his features, was stepping inside.

“Continues to move ardently in pursuit of myself.”

Listening to him say that he held no reservation as a result, Moon Hyuna looked pityingly at Song Taewon.

“I wonder what sin he’s committed in his past life.”

Song Taewon’s condition looked worse for wear. His body was in sound shape, but he was covered in dirt and there were the occasional bloody streaks here and there. One of the arms of his shirt had been ripped off completely, and his necktie was nowhere to be seen as well.

“Hunter Sung Hyunjae.”

Song Taewon said, approaching the bar.

“For the entire duration of your trip, you(7) have remained within the hotel.”

“I’d left quite the mark, I recall.”

“This incident did not involve Seseung’s guild leader in any capacity.”

Song Taewon cut in, insistent. The guild that had been kidnapping and selling off Awakened had been dealt with, but the chance that another guild or organized crime wasn’t involved in the matter was practically nonexistent. If the fact that Seseung’s guild leader had personally taken initiative happened to become known, then the repercussions might end up extending to Korea itself as well.

In the face of Song Taewon’s peremptory attitude, Sung Hyunjae shrugged his shoulders.

“Bo-ring.”(8)

“Goodness. Do try and coax him nicely before he brings the hotel down, John Watson-ssi.(9)”

At Moon Hyuna’s words, Song Taewon twitched an eyebrow upwards, as though in inquiry.

“...Sherlock Holmes is a gentleman, I believe.”

“Don’t watch dramas, do you?”

“...come again?”

From clicking her tongue at him, Moon Hyuna smoothly transitioned into silently rising from her seat. Sung Hyunjae, too, set back down the glass that he had been about to hand to Song Taewon. Song Taewon swallowed a faint sigh.

“It appears that I was tailed. My apologies.”

“Can’t be helped, really. Since, outside a Dungeon, there’s all sorts of things available. Unless you’ve got a handy Skill in your repertoire, like Sung Hyunjae.”

Satellites, drones–there were a variety of equipment that could be used to track one down. No matter how outstanding an S-rank’s eyesight might be, it couldn’t measure up to the capabilities of a reflector telescope.

“The hotel, we’ll put on the Seseung’s Guild Leader-nim’s tab.”

“I’ll be taking a loss, even without this.”

“The hotel employees have already been instructed to evacuate the area.”

“Ohh, as expected of Section Chief Song-nim!”

“...as the amount of times the hotel was left standing, has numbered few.”

쾅!

The sound of an explosion rang out. Flashing her teeth, Moon Hyuna darted forward. Shattering through the glass pane that served as one wall of the room in a blink, she threw herself into the air without hesitation. Below her feet, a cluster of tanks and military trucks could be seen.

“Like I’d said, this place really knows how to steam things up!”

Bullets and shells fired towards Moon Hyuna as she fell. A lance, having materialized in Moon Hyuna’s hands at some point, spun in a semi-circle to split the artillery shell flying towards her in half.

콰앙!

Immediately after the sound of the explosion, cutting through the hazy smoke that drifted up like clouds, accompanied by an even more concussive sound.

콰과광!!

The tip of the lance ripped into the tank. The thick steel plates that comprised the exterior of the tank crumpled like so much tissue paper, cratering into the ground. As the shockwave spread out in a circle, the soldiers were sent rolling away. The asphalt, too, had splintered apart, as though it had been subject to the passage of an earthquake.

“All of you, come at me!”

Hearing the boisterous shout, Sung Hyunjae moved his steps over to the empty expanse where the window had used to be. Standing on the ledge, he turned back to look at Song Taewon.

“Shall we go, then.”(10)

“Please limit things to the hotel.”

“I’ll endeavor so.”

Sung Hyunjae, and then Song Taewon leapt down as well. And then, approximately ten minutes later, the hotel came crumbling down entirely.

* * *

Inside the private plane returning to Korea, as Song Taewon was drafting the report, a cold can of beer was pressed to his cheek. Without so much as a flinch, Song Taewon merely lifted his eyes to look up at Moon Hyuna.

“Take breaks as you work, alright. Here.”

“I am currently on duty.”

“It won’t even get you drunk, anyway. What a waste.”

Saying that the most terrible thing about Awakening was how the alcohol didn’t take, Moon Hyuna took a seat on a long sofa.

“Sometimes, Sung Hyunjae, I think I can understand how you feel.”

The things that she had enjoyed prior to Awakening had become inane in one moment. For Moon Hyuna, who had been a professional athlete, the gulf was even more keenly felt.

The feeling of something you’d toiled towards for a long, long time, being suddenly rendered inconsequential. If it had been a physical activity that had involved setting a clear record, wouldn’t it have been an even stranger feeling.

“That being said, there should be some other fun thing that crops up, so long as you live. Look how long Section Chief Song-nim’s endured for. Unfortunately for him.”

The sound of Song Taewon’s typing stopped for a moment, before resuming. Reclining against the sofa at an angle, Sung Hyunjae looked studiously at Song Taewon.

“Hmm, it seems unlikely that such a thing would recur.”

“And what’s with that uncharacteristically flimsy response.”

“Because it feels as though I’ve already used up this entire lifetime’s worth of luck, with just our(11) Section Chief Song Taewon-nim.”

During this overseas excursion, wrangling Song Taewon onto the private plane had been the most enjoyable part of his trip. The preeminent reason that kept him wondering if he shouldn’t linger a bit longer in Korea, despite the groundbreaking for Seseung Guild being completed.

Turning his gaze, Sung Hyunjae looked through the window, up at the sky. From the overlapping layers of ennui, a musty scent had begun to seep out once more.

“If it’s something that can offer me enjoyment, whatever it may be, wouldn’t I find it to be darling indeed.”

“Section Chief Song-nim, it seems you’ve received a confession. Rather than Soyoungie and the young master, it should be the two of you setting the date for a political alliance.”

“.......”

“And why is Breaker’s Guild Leader-nim trying to exempt herself, I wonder. This holiday season as well, you’ll have to seek safe harbor again, I imagine.”

“Ugh, I’m dreading it already. Pass on the altar diplomacy, but I do have a mind to secretly hide out in Section Chief Song-nim’s bedroom.”

“In conjunction, then.”

Pinned under twin predatory gazes, Song Taewon stoically moved his fingers.

-----

(1) 미성년자 = minor in the eyes of the law, for kr this refers to 19 and below; shj still calls them ‘어린애들(‘young kids’→children)’ bc of how he sees them in relation to his age

(2) a standard format greeting (‘you toiled a lot, coming all this long way’) said in polite, formal 합쇼(하십시오)-체 as a teasing remark

(3) geuseo-nim’s phrasing.. the word used for relationship here is 관계, which can also be read this way:

(4) 너

(5) 한국 기준으로 → how korean age works | 22.12.06 update | repercussions of update (tldr; minimal deviation from preexisting trajectory)

(빠른 = ‘fast’, 년 = ‘year’, 생 = ‘life->person’ → 빠른 ㅇㅇ년생 = ‘fast ㅇㅇ(year they were born)-[lin]er’)

(6) shj is making a play on words with ‘재수 없는’ to deflect, because taken literally, it’s ‘fortune(luck)-less’, as in the speaker is fortuneless to have come into contact with the one in question; what he does is pivot to use it literally, to bemoan the fact that his endeavor proved unsuccessful (luck-less)

(7) 당신 → ‘you’ stw uses to address shj

(8) said in eng:

송태원의 단호한 태도에 성현제가 어깨를 으쓱했다.

“Bo-ring.”

“저런. 호텔 날려 버리기 전에 잘 달래 봐, 존 왓슨 씨.”

(9) god i just had a crisis realizing this franchise is like over a decade old… it’s a reference to the BBC sherlock series, which enjoyed immense popularity in kr during its heyday. this is how the series was advertised in korea btw ('서로가 필요한 그들; 두 남자의 이야기가 펼쳐집니다'), those are unedited official trailers :))) ty for the 성송 geunseo 🙏

(10) ‘가실까요.’ → shj being coy, by using ‘polite’ 해요체 to ‘ask’ while also stating it as an imperative. would fall somewhere between the aforementioned ‘being a little bit sweet’ & ‘princess jokes’

(11) ‘우리’

(resource 1 for charts)

shj → everyone except mha | neutral 하게체

shj ↔ mha | impolite, casual 해라체

mha → stw | impolite, casual 해라체

stw → shj, mha | polite, formal 합쇼체

geunseo afterword excerpt:

for example: when sung hyunjae’s chains slide over his body while retaining an electrical charge, because of the strobing light effect it illuminates him with, the shadows on his face are constantly shifting. this creates quite the striking image, particularly at night. not only his face, but his entire body, as well as the opponent he’s fighting, become cast in a perpetual dance of light and shadow–but there wasn’t a way to effectively illustrate this with words. since describing one by one the refraction of the light playing off of them and how the shadows were cast so on and so forth, couldn’t be penned down. although a visual medium(영상) would have been able to showcase things immediately, considering.

...eventually, in a different city, they also encounter a Light(빛) that wishes to be free.

‘while i’ve been given no choice but to live on in perpetuity, i’ve heard word of a Shadow(그림자) somewhere that can swallow Light’...

+(Q&A)

Q) i was wondering what circumstances or thoughts might’ve influenced you during the creation of the character called sung hyunjae

A) some elements of sung hyunjae’s character originated from something i briefly entertained, far before i began writing the novel^^ at the time, while reading fantasy novels–primarily modern fantasy–it occurred to me that ‘these protagonists really do nothing but work, couldn’t they have someone else take care of some things and play around a bit’. without the intention to turn it into a novel, it went along the lines of ‘what would be necessary to allow the protagonist to be able to play around’, ‘the protagonist usually ends up making enemies with a prestigious guild’, ‘wouldn’t [playing around] be feasible, if they could boss around a really capable guild leader’. while fantasizing, i ended up envisioning a guild leader that was a similar type to sung hyunjae and evelyn. since they’d be doing the work of the protagonist for them, they’d have to be immensely capable. from there, ‘then, how do i have that renowned guild leader help the protagonist without requiring payment, lacking any reasonable cause‘ ‘would something like a curse, that makes the protagonist feel like one’s deceased parents or lover, work?’ was something that was repurposed to be the keyword application effect, and also involved in ‘progression’. however, if someone else does all the work for the protagonist, then they no longer end up being the protagonist, so it only ended as a foolish notion. and so, han yoojin ended up working diligently ^^

when ‘the s-ranks that i raised’ novel was in its beginning storyboarding stages, one of sung hyunjae’s first keywords was ‘a character who does the things that a protagonist might do from beside the protagonist, and therefore ended up a main character’. by taking a being who held the potential to become a protagonist in whichever world, and then having him go through many worlds in practice–but also providing him with a strong enough ego(self-identity) to endure through the process–the current sung hyunjae ended up coming into being.

‘the main character who stands at the highest point’ and ‘his relationship with crescent moon’ gave rise to his traits such as light(빛), chains(사슬), the lightning(번개) and name(복성) that complement him, et cetera. even so, as he’s not the protagonist within the novel, i invested a lot of attention towards this and that to ensure han yoojin wouldn’t end up overshadowed.

+(Q&A)

Q) i’m curious how the character ‘song taewon’ was born

A) as mentioned in the novel, song taewon ‘originated’ from the Eclipse(월식), in order to impede(block) sung hyunjae. the Shadow whose purpose is to swallow the Moon was born as a human, and by growing in accordance with the environment around him, ‘song taewon’ was made. if that environment had been different–if the events with his dongsaeng hadn’t transpired–then song taewon’s personality probably would’ve been somewhat altered. it might’ve been the case that, even before the novel could begin, he’d awaken as the Eclipse, preventing the story from coming to pass altogether. because of that, song taewon’s disposition(성향) of repressing himself coming to be born was an indispensable element.

+(Q&A)

Q) in order to clasp a leash on song taewon, who is a high-ranking government official, i imagine that plenty of marriage interview requests would’ve come in from political and commercial circles; was song taewon the type to just show his face an adequate amount at those kinds of events, or was he the type to straightforwardly refuse? if he did happen to participate in such an event, i’m curious if he’s a wallflower, or if he’s the type to engage in conversation casually ㅎㅎ

A) as he had no intentions of establishing a family in any form, they were generally resolutely refused. however, rather than for political relations, for a lead to a case, he has attended a matchmaking meeting before. pre-regression, while overseas, with undercover infiltration as their objective, he and Sung Hyunjae attended a high-rank Hunter award ceremony-esque event together as well^^ for sung hyunjae, it was an immensely enjoyable time. he’s not quite to the extent of being a wallflower, but he is the taciturn and terse type.

+(Q&A)

Q) you’d previously mentioned that sung hyunjae and song taewon share a cryptograph that only the two of them know, could we know what kind of thing it is?

A) it wasn’t fleshed out in detail, but apart from basic encryptions, they also utilized difficult-to-parse signals that would prove challenging for anyone that wasn’t an s-rank Awakened to catch. additionally, they would improvise with details that were shared solely between the two of them as well.

+(Q&A)

Q) i’m soso curious about section chief song-nim’s info, section chief song-nimㅜㅜ he was probably super popular before Awakening, as well as after, right? whether he’s dated before!! if, at least when he was younger, he was able to have a heart-pounding youthful romance, i hope!

A) owing to song taewon’s nature(특성), he did not maintain close relations with people outside of work relations. pre-regression, the only person he kept close was sung hyunjae, the one he is meant to swallow, owing to an unconscious, instinctual draw. with everyone else–particularly the lower their rank–he established a clear line(boundary). post-regression, and especially so by the epilogue, that line has become much fainter^^

+(Q&A) (this was a troll-y question that geunseo answered at face value)

Q) when section chief song-nim is overseas and a foreign Hunter asks him <are you mister song?>, then will he really answer like \"yea.\"???

A) if he’s in the middle of carrying out official government duties, he will clearly state both his title and name. however, if he’s there in secret because of sung hyunjae, he will not answer^^

+(Q&A) https://twitter.com/Chayunnn1020/status/1543553121929965569?s=20

Q) in the novel, on the topic of confession stories, song taewon answered that he’d had sufficient experience with them; has song taewon had a lot of relationship experience?

A) he was popular both before awakening and after, but as indicated in an earlier answer, he established a firm boundary. even when he was overseas because of sung hyunjae, he received not only confessions, but bouquets and similar gifts as well every so often ^^

+(Q&A) https://twitter.com/LevelSSong/status/1460548461967773698

Q) when sung hyunjae broke his finger while fighting with section chief song-nim, was that perhaps something sung hyunjae did on purpose??

generally, it’s sung hyunjae only pretending to have made a mistake. when song taewon or han yoojin are involved, while acting on impulse(improvising), he does occasionally slip up and make a genuine mistake, but regarding the finger injury, a certain measure of intent had gone into it. of course, song taewon is in the dark about this.

+(Q&A)

Q) when section chief song-nim was driving around a compact car, how did he drive?

A) he picked the car with the highest clearance and longest seat rails out of the selection of compact cars that were available, but even then, it was cramped after all. however, as song taewon felt a kind of reassurance(comfort) from that stifling condition, he paid no mind to the physical discomfort it caused. it’s because sung hyunjae was aware that song taewon’s compact car was one of the methods he utilized to repress himself, that it irked him all the more ^^

+(Q&A)

Q) have any of the respective heads of organizations acted as chief mourner in a funeral for a subordinate who lost their family to a Dungeon break?

A) song taewon and moon hyuna have done so in the past. han yoohyun has not, but even if the occasion had come up, he wouldn’t want to participate in the capacity of chief mourner, which is typically filled by family. pre-regression, han yoohyun’s family comprised only one person, han yoojin–and even as a temporary arrangement, he has no intention of letting another step into a position that’s reserved for family only. in the case of sung hyunjae, the sole person he’d considered to hold a relationship with himself that would merit his involvement as such pre-regression, was song taewon. at present, with song taewon of course being a given, he’s also considering taking up the position of chief mourner for han yoojin’s funeral, as han yoohyun would have already perished alongside him, if it turns out that bak yerim struggles to do so.

+(Q&A) https://twitter.com/Chayunnn1020/status/1546086318563766272?s=20

A) when sung hyunjae needed a pick-me-up pre-regression, he went to tease song taewon. following song taewon’s death, even when he was somewhere with splendid scenery and fresh air, all he felt was endless tedium. post-regression, with han yoojin being added alongside song taewon, the candidates in his selection pool for ‘healing(relaxing)’ increased to two.

+(Q&A)

Q) when sung hyunjae calls han yoojin ‘yoojin-ah’ on occasion, the two seem like they have an easy and amicable hyung-dongsaeng relationship, which is really nice to see~ would there happen to be instances where sung hyunjae occasionally calls him ‘yoojin-ah’ comfortably, outside the lens of the novel? if so, i’m curious what those occasions might beㅎㅎ

and when he refers to soyoungie too, it seems he’ll call her ‘kang soyoung-yang’ while she’s there, but when talking about her with other people, he’ll go ‘soyoungie did x~~’ and such. like uncle and niece, it’s very heartwarming. in the same vein, when yoojinie isn’t there, i wonder if he’d go ‘yoojinie did x~~’ and so forth? i thought i recalled seeing a passage like that, but my memory is a bit hazy on which scene it wasㅠ

A) if he wants to throw han yoojin off-kilter, he’ll call him by a different address(호칭). if it’s for something he wants, he’s capable of saying things like ‘yoojinie hyung^^’ as much as it takes; but since it’ll lose its efficacy if he gets used to it, he’ll probably only do so when absolutely necessary.

in the case of kang soyoung, it’s because she’s his guild member; but as han yoojin is dodam’s director, while in front of others, he’ll typically address him in a formal manner. as he is his partner, so long as he doesn’t have other schemes in place, at least in front of others, he’ll extend the corresponding treatment. although it’s fine if it’s himself doing the crushing underfoot, he’s not the type to just leave others to look down on him.

+(Q&A)

Q) sung hyunjae-song taewon-han yoojin; if these three were able to gather together comfortably post-epilogue, would a day ever come where they might use hyung/dongsaeng address?

A) there’s a chance that they’ll be able to have a comfortable get-together, but as far as hyung/dongsaeng goes–perhaps as a joke, but it seems unlikely that it would ever happen in earnest^^ in the case of han yoojin, he might do so with song taewon, but he’d dislike the prospect of placing sung hyunjae above himself; and as he wishes to have both of them stand alongside him, sung hyunjae likely won’t be particularly inclined to transfer either person beneath himself as a dongsaeng. for song taewon, just being able to achieve peace of mind while caught between the two will probably be difficult enough.

+(Q&A) ideal type(이상형) of the sclass cast

A) sung hyunjae’s is sung hyunjae. for people who aren’t quite at the level of ‘ideal type,’ but have still managed to catch his eye, at least, are han yoojin and song taewon.

for convoluted reasons, song taewon’s is sung hyunjae. from a post-series standpoint, for convoluted and hard-to-explain reasons, han yoojin can be included as well.

A) moon hyuna’s preference is for someone younger, who has a cute(adorable) side. to be honest, han yoojin qualified fairly high in terms of personality and looks, but because he’s physically smaller and she sees him more as a dongsaeng than not, it happened to fall out of bounds ^^ out of the other characters that are around, han yoohyun is younger, but isn’t cute; sung hyunjae isn’t younger, nor is he cute; song taewon isn’t younger, but is pretty cute, so if she really had to choose one, wouldn’t it be song taewon–thinks moon hyuna. out of the s-ranks that have appeared thus far, sigma is probably the closest to her ideal type.

+ there was an incident before where, after finding out about moon hyuna’s preferences, kang soyoung went unnie, it’s a no from me unless it’s a dragon, so don’t fall for me! and received a smack on her back for her trouble

+(Q&A)

Q) author-nim, i’ve really enjoyed my time reading my sclass; in a question loaded with my own personal interest, would it be possible for me and hunter moon hyuna to get married? i’m a fairly capable woman in her twenties, who is physically healthy, with a stable career as well–if in sclass’s korea, whether same-sex marriage is possible^^;;

A) taking into account moon hyuna’s current position--there might be some talk, but it shouldn’t be impossible^^

fun fact, the google doc for this ch is 42 pages long 🙃

#외전 #the s classes that i raised #tsctir #sctir

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