# 015. The Era of Great Awakening (8)
“So you’re the last Awakened One to arrive.”
“Who… are you?”
Surprised by the sudden appearance of the man, Jaehee took a step back.
The man was tall, about the same height as Jeongwoo. Looking at him, Jaehee was reminded of his father. His father, an executive at a major corporation, wore similar attire. But unlike his father who gave off the impression of a company employee, this man seemed somewhat more flamboyant.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Shin-hoo Lee, operating the Sahae Guild.”
At the mention of the Sahae Guild, Jaehee looked at the man. The man smiled and offered a business card. Jaehee reluctantly accepted it. The card showed his name, Lee Shin-hoo of Sahae Guild, and his contact information.
Hadn’t Yong-tae just mentioned that Sahae Guild was a representative guild?
The softly smiling man was quite handsome. This man is the guild master…?
“Sahae Guild…?”
“Having just come out of the tutorial, the situation here must be unfamiliar to you. Currently, we Awakened Ones have organized guilds to work for the human rights of Awakened Ones and social stability. Though we haven’t been operating for long, thanks to the help of many capable people, Sahae Guild is currently the largest guild in the country.”
“Ah, yes….”
Seeing Jaehee’s cautious attitude, Shin-hoo Lee stepped back slightly.
“I happened to be in the area on business today and heard that new Awakened Ones had arrived, so I came to say hello. If you ever need help, feel free to contact me anytime.”
“Yes…. Thank you.”
“If it’s not too presumptuous, may I ask your name?”
Faced with Shin-hoo Lee’s courteous manner, Jaehee belatedly blushed a little. He wondered if he had been too rude.
“…Shin Jaehee.”
“Nice to meet you. If I may offer one piece of advice, don’t sign any document the Management Bureau recommends without reading it carefully.”
“Pardon?”
“The Management Bureau is currently suffering from severe manpower shortages. Of course, everyone would want to join the Management Bureau if the conditions were good… You understand what I mean, right? I don’t want to put it this way, but you could end up being a modern-day slave if you’re not careful.”
“Ah….”
In truth, Jaehee had been somewhat tempted by the Management Bureau’s offer. He had only been thinking about taking the college entrance exam and going to university, but suddenly all his future plans became uncertain, which was bewildering. In this situation, Yong-tae’s suggestion to become a civil servant seemed quite appealing.
Even at school, there were friends who gave up on going to university and studied to become civil servants instead. And now, becoming a civil servant without even having to take an exam. Plus, entering as an Awakened One, he probably wouldn’t start at the bottom rank. Actually, Jaehee didn’t mind even if he started at the lowest rank. He just wanted to live inconspicuously among people, as if he didn’t exist. But that didn’t mean he wanted to work like a slave.
“Is there… a lot of work at the Management Bureau?”
“Hmm, to be honest, in the current world, Awakened Ones have a lot of work regardless of where they are. Even guilds aren’t exactly leisurely. But while guilds guarantee a certain degree of personal freedom, being affiliated with the Management Bureau makes everything a duty. Besides, since the Management Bureau also has to manage all these Awakened Ones, they have more work than guilds do.”
“I see…. I thought civil servants just clocked out on time…. It seems quite different from what I imagined. Anyway, thank you.”
“Naturally, Awakened Ones should help each other. That’s what guilds are created for. If you have any difficulties or questions, please contact me.”
“Still… thank you.”
As they were about to part with warm farewells, Jaehee noticed Yong-tae and Jeongwoo standing askew nearby. Seeing Yong-tae’s frown, Jaehee felt a twinge of guilt, though he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Hey, Shin-hoo-ssi, what’s this about? Gossiping about us to the newcomers?”
“It’s been a while, Section Chief Lim.”
“Come on, if you go around badmouthing me to these young people I have high hopes for, what does that make me?”
“Haha, I just came to greet the new Awakened One when I heard they had arrived.”
“If you came to greet them, just do that. Why are you badmouthing our perfectly fine Management Bureau? This is why we’re short on people. Keep this up, and I’ll dump all the work on Sahae Guild.”
Jaehee’s eyes darted between the bickering Shin-hoo Lee and Yong-tae Lim before he spotted Jeongwoo and waved at him. Strangely, Jeongwoo wasn’t looking at Jaehee but at Shin-hoo Lee.
“Lee… Shin-hoo…?”
“Ah, this is Lee Shin-hoo, the head of Sahae Guild, and since it seems he and Jaehee-ssi have already had a nice chat badmouthing the Management Bureau, I’ll skip the introduction. This is Woo Jeongwoo-ssi. These two are the last Awakened Ones from the tutorial.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jeongwoo-ssi. I’m Lee Shin-hoo, the head of Sahae Guild.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Shin-hoo Lee offered a handshake to Jeongwoo with the same smile he had shown Jaehee. However, Jeongwoo’s expression as he looked at Shin-hoo Lee was peculiar. His furrowed brow made him seem somewhat displeased, though it also looked a bit sad from another angle.
“But really, Shin-hoo-ssi, how could you do this? Instead of telling these promising young people about the advantages of the Management Bureau, you say things like that? Well, I can’t deny that there’s a lot of work, so I can’t say it’s not true… I was hoping to recruit some fresh blood, but you’ve ruined it. Still, I haven’t lied, so don’t think badly of me. Nothing I said to Jeongwoo-ssi and Jaehee-ssi was a lie.”
“Haha, I’m sorry, Section Chief. I had no ill intentions. Besides, Sahae Guild has been working hard to help the Management Bureau.”
“Well, I appreciate that. I acknowledge that Seoul has been reclaimed this much thanks to Shin-hoo-ssi. But poaching newcomers is different.”
Despite their bickering words, Yong-tae and Shin-hoo seemed to get along quite well. As Jaehee was trying to figure out when to excuse himself, Jeongwoo approached him.
“Jaehee. Have you contacted your father?”
“Huh? Oh… no, not yet.”
“He’ll be worried even if the Management Bureau has contacted him. We should go see our parents now. We’ll take our leave.”
In fact, Shin-hoo Lee already knew about Shin Jaehee and Woo Jeongwoo. Their background checks had begun as soon as it was reported that the last Awakened Ones from this tutorial had been discovered.
Though it was an unspoken theory, there was a belief that the later one emerged from the tutorial, the stronger an Awakened One they were. While it wasn’t possible to know the exact order in which Awakened Ones had returned, making it mostly speculation, this theory had generally held true for most cases.
So if one were to rank by tutorial scores, these two would be joint valedictorians. It was only natural that each guild and the Awakened Management Bureau would be interested in the last two to emerge. Shin-hoo had just been quicker. In all likelihood, the crafty Yong-tae had probably already assigned people to keep an eye on these two.
The world was rapidly finding its place in the midst of chaos, but Awakened Ones were needed for that. And in the stability regained through this process, the status of Awakened Ones would become something never before seen.
Shin-hoo Lee smiled enigmatically as he looked at Woo Jeongwoo. The inorganic gaze, which was difficult even for him to read, lacked the excitement or emotions typical for someone of that age.
It wasn’t the kind of demeanor an ordinary high school student would have, even if they were an Awakened One.
While Shin-hoo liked Shin Jaehee, who still seemed young and innocent, he hadn’t paid him much attention. That is, until he saw Woo Jeongwoo. Seeing that kind of guy closely attached to him, Shin-hoo’s interest in Shin Jaehee grew significantly.
“Jeongwoo-ssi. I’m Lee Shin-hoo. I’d like to invite you to a meal sometime.”
Shin-hoo extended his hand to Jeongwoo, who was about to leave. Jeongwoo paused momentarily, looked at Shin-hoo’s hand, and then shook it.
“Right now, I need to meet my parents first.”
“I understand. Then please make time next time. Jaehee-ssi, could you give me your contact information?”
“Since we have your business card, we’ll contact you, Guild Master Lee Shin-hoo.”
Jeongwoo cut in before Jaehee could answer. Even Shin-hoo had no choice at this point.
He gave a wry smile, shrugged lightly, and stepped back.
After all, there are other days besides today.
