Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 270

The Talent Development Center was just about two kilometers from the apartment, very close by. Even by bus, it only took fifteen minutes to get there. Do-Jun arrived nearly an hour early at the auditorium, where the meeting was scheduled to take place. He leaned his suitcase against the hallway wall and sat down.

Yong-Yong, who had eagerly insisted on tagging along with the saying “Where the needle goes, the thread follows,” hadn’t accompanied Do-Jun to the training.

“You mean it’s just lectures the whole time? All five days?” he had said, recoiling in horror at the thought, and declared he would stay home instead.

When asked why he even wanted to come in the first place, he admitted he had expected it to be similar to the school retreat he had gone on with Yoon-Hee. Do-Jun had simply shaken his head.

On the stage, someone was testing the microphone. Judging by the name tag hanging around his neck, he was an employee of the Talent Development Center. Next to him stood a man who looked to be in his forties, observing the test.

“Looks like we’re all set, Director Song,” the staff member said.

“Thank you,” the man responded.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, suddenly spotting Do-Jun and hurrying over.

If it had been an ordinary trainee, he would have just given a passing glance, but this trainee was definitely not an ordinary one.

“You’re here early, Supervisor Lee.”

“Oh, Director Song. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Haha. I’ve been assigned as the instructor for this training.”

Song Jung-Seok, the Director of the Hunter’s Bureau Fissure Management Division, bowed so deeply that it seemed like his head might touch the ground, with a warm smile on his face. To an outsider, it might have looked like a perfunctory show of courtesy, but in truth, his actions came from genuine respect for Do-Jun.

“How are things these days, Director Song? Everything alright?” Do-Jun asked.

“Haha, everything is quite good, thanks to you, Supervisor Lee.”

Do-Jun responded with a light smile.

Before the other trainees arrived, the two briefly exchanged updates. Then, Song Jung-Seok returned to the stage.

Truthfully, having the head of the Bureau’s Fissure Management Division conduct training for seventeen local government employees was a massive misallocation of resources. Still, the fact that Do-Jun was participating as one of the trainees made the situation entirely different.

For Song Jung-Seok, this was a five-day-long opportunity to leave a good impression on Do-Jun. He had never felt more fortunate.

***

Seventeen Fissure management civil servants from provincial governments across the country had gathered. The atmosphere was quiet and composed, but all eyes kept glancing toward one person—naturally, it was Do-Jun.

Among Fissure management supervisors, he was a legendary figure. The S-rank Fissure Command incident at Umyeonsan Mountain, where the Seoul Talent Development Center was located, was still talked about like folklore.

“Please come forward to collect the training materials,” said Song Jung-Seok.

The attendees walked to the box at the front of the stage and retrieved their materials—an approximately 250-page book titled Fissure Management Practices.

Returning to his seat, Do-Jun skimmed through the contents.

He was surprised to see that the table of contents looked quite familiar. Starting with the definition of Fissures in the first chapter and continuing through case studies, the structure closely followed the proposal he had submitted during his brief internship at the Hunter’s Bureau.

After confirming everyone received their copies, Song Jung-Seok spoke. “This is the Fissure Management Practices proposal that received the highest evaluation during last year’s Hunter’s Bureau internship. After discussions with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, it is set to be distributed as an official guideline starting in the second half of this year, so I recommend reviewing it beforehand.”

The trainees leafed through the book with interest. The Hunter’s Bureau was an elite institution that recruited only the brightest and best from across the country. Even the internship program was highly competitive. Just as the civil servants thought the proposal must be incredibly well-written to have earned the highest evaluation, they were left stunned by Song Jung-Seok’s following words.

“Ah, for your information, Supervisor Lee Do-Jun was the intern who submitted this proposal.”

A wave of murmurs swept through the room.

“Wow, that’s insane.”

“Wait, I don’t remember submitting a proposal during my internship.”

“Right? We just went through two weeks of training, and that was it.”

“Oh! That’s right! I heard a rumor about this. Supervisor Lee did his internship with interns who were recruited externally.”

Unlike other public institutions, the Hunter’s Bureau ran an internship program where only those who passed a comprehensive evaluation were converted to full-time employees. These individuals were known as public recruitment interns.

Being ranked the best among the proposals from those elite interns, who were already considered highly qualified candidates, was overwhelmingly impressive.

The murmuring grew louder. Once again, all eyes turned toward Do-Jun as the room filled with astonished expressions.

Watching from the stage, Song Jung-Seok could hardly hide his satisfaction.

***

The training session based on the guideline had gone on for a little over an hour before the trainees were given a brief ten-minute bathroom break.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Do-Jun pulled out his smartphone and opened the messages app to check for any work-related messages. That was when people started gathering around him.

It only dawned on him now that all of these were acquaintances, loosely connected through past interactions. They seemed to be employees with similar years of experience, likely having met during their initial civil service.

A barrage of questions came all at once.

“Whoa, Supervisor Lee, I didn’t expect to see you at this training.”

“Is it true what Director Song Jung-Seok said?”

“Can you tell us more about that time you commanded the S-rank Hunters?”

Do-Jun slipped his phone back into his pocket. The fellow Fissure Management Division officials were eager to chat, reminiscing about his past achievements, such as his contributions during his internship, the S-rank Great Fissure incident at Umyeonsan Mountain, and various other topics of curiosity. However, a few specific issues stood out as the hottest topics. First among them was Seoul City Hall’s contracted Hunters.

“How on earth did Seoul City Hall manage to recruit so many Hunters?” one of them asked.

Unlike Seoul, other provinces struggled to recruit Hunters. They had very few contracted Hunters, mostly F-rank or E-rank, with C-rank being the highest they could secure. Hunters ranked B and higher, whose services commanded hefty prices, saw little reason to work for provincial governments at significantly lower salaries.

However, things were different in Seoul. It had contracted Hunters ranging from F-rank all the way up to S-rank. Not only that, but the total number of contracted Hunters exceeded a hundred, and most importantly, they had secured multiple S-rank Hunters.

“Come on, tell us the secret,” another person urged Do-Jun.

“In our provincial office, even the few remaining D-rank Hunters ditched their contracts and ran off to guilds as soon as they ranked up to C.”

Just as Do-Jun was about to respond, a man sitting nearby with his arms crossed and a sour expression said, “It’s because the Hunter’s Bureau is backing them. Simple as that.”

“Backing them?”

“You really don’t know?” the man retorted, and the room fell silent.

The man clicked his tongue and said, “The Hunter’s Bureau signed a formal cooperation agreement with Seoul City Hall this year, right? Though I’m sure negotiations started well before that. The Bureau provided A-rank, B-rank, hell, even S-rank Hunters. That explains everything, doesn’t it?”

No one spoke, and the man continued, “You seriously didn’t think so? Think about it. Why else would A-rank and S-rank Hunters stick around at Seoul City Hall for a measly 300 million won a year? It’s because it’s Seoul. Conveniently, the Hunter Bureau’s headquarters is also in Seoul. So, if you think about it, it’s only natural, isn’t it? Don’t you agree, Supervisor Lee?”

All eyes turned to Do-Jun, waiting for his response.

Do-Jun let out a brief sigh before starting his explanation. “Does the Hunter’s Bureau have any reason to do that? By your logic, you’re saying the Bureau forced these Hunters to sign contracts with Seoul City Hall. But isn’t it a well-known fact that all Hunters, broadly speaking, fall under the Bureau's jurisdiction but are free to choose who they contract with?”

At Do-Jun’s rebuttal, the man replied, “They probably provided financial support, matching their market value. Sure, contracts are voluntary, but the Bureau must have given them enough incentive to join the Seoul City Hall. That’s the whole point of the cooperation agreement—to prop them up....”

But he trailed off. His name was Im Hyo-Sang, and even he realized that his argument didn’t quite hold water. He was just frustrated. His provincial office had lost a considerable number of contracted Hunters. Even the last two D-rank Hunters had refused to renew their contracts. When asked why, they simply replied that they were heading to Seoul to earn more money.

“Tch.” Im Hyo-Sang turned his head away in irritation.

At that moment, from the podium, Song Jung-Seok checked his watch and called out, “Everyone, please return to your seats.”

The people around Do-Jun glanced at Im Hyo-Sang before returning to their seats. They all knew his argument was exaggerated and logically flawed, but deep down, they couldn’t deny they shared some of his frustration.

Why had the Hunter’s Bureau only signed a cooperation agreement with Seoul City Hall?

***

“Before we continue the training,” Song Jung-Seok spoke into the microphone, his deep voice filling the quiet auditorium. “I overheard something interesting earlier. Someone said the Hunter’s Bureau is only backing Seoul City Hall. Who was it again? It was Supervisor Im Hyo-Sang, wasn’t it? Please stand up for a moment.”

Im Hyo-Sang, who had been sitting with his chin resting on his hand, flinched. He looked around nervously before slowly standing up.

Song Jung-Seok whispered something to a nearby staff member. The staff member walked over and handed a microphone to Im Hyo-Sang, who swallowed hard.

Song Jung-Seok said, “First off, it’s true that the Hunter’s Bureau signed a cooperation agreement ‘only’ with Seoul City Hall. Other provinces saw the news and flooded us with inquiries. Under the agreement, the Bureau shares management responsibilities for Great Fissures and provides support for Hunters directly contracted under the agreement. I understand the dissatisfaction.”

A brief silence followed.

Im Hyo-Sang cautiously said, “I apologize for causing a disturbance. However, I do believe there is an issue of fairness. Why was only Seoul chosen? Our provincial office, for example, has struggled with Hunter recruitment. We’ve transferred most of our Fissure management responsibilities to the local Bureau branch. At this rate, our entire Fissure Management Division might be dissolved. This isn’t something we can just watch happen. The Hunter’s Bureau should be providing support.”

Song Jung-Seok asked, “Why does fairness matter?”

“Excuse me...?”

“Is the Hunter’s Bureau obligated to ensure fairness?”

“I... I mean, shouldn’t public safety be a priority—”

Song Jung-Seok interjected, “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make more sense to dissolve all regional Fissure Management Divisions and let the Hunter’s Bureau take full responsibility? We already have our own branches all across the country. Wouldn’t centralizing operations be more effective? On the other hand, provincial governments could focus on supporting the Bureau, much like how they support the police or fire departments. Rather than wasting local budgets on contracts and equipment, wouldn’t that be a more practical approach?”

Im Hyo-Sand didn’t respond.

Song Jung-Seok glanced at Do-Jun, who remained silent, simply observing.

Anyone in a senior position within the Bureau’s Fissure Management Division who had attended its executive meetings knew exactly how exceptional and important Lee Do-Jun was.

The cooperation agreement? That was just a convenient excuse.

The truth was, from the very beginning, the Hunter’s Bureau never cared about Seoul City Hall itself. It was to secure the assistance of a single individual working there. That was the one and only reason.

“Since there seems to be some misunderstanding, let me clarify this once and for all. There is only one reason why the Hunter’s Bureau urged for a cooperation agreement with Seoul City Hall. Because Supervisor Lee Do-Jun is at Seoul City Hall,” Song Jung-Seok declared.