Zero Point

#007

At those words, Lee Eunseok looked at the list of matching rates that was still scrolling up.

He looked again at the screen now showing matching rates with C-grade hunters after passing through A and B. Most were displaying percentages in the 60s and 70s, with 50s and 80s appearing and disappearing rarely.

“They’re high,” Lee Eunseok said briefly. The middle-aged man nodded hastily.

“Yes, they’re high. Very high. Usually, a 60% matching rate makes guiding smooth, and people form pairs when approaching 70%. But to exceed 90%…”

The middle-aged man took off his glasses and rubbed his face as if trying to calm his excitement.

“Ah… To think such an incredible talent has appeared in Korea. This is really…”

The middle-aged man seemed lost in emotion for a moment, unable to continue speaking. Then, after glancing at Choi Hanseo, he managed to speak again with difficulty.

“Since the matching rate is this high with most hunters… Even if the matching rate with White Tiger Guild Master is exceptionally high, I think it might be beneficial for the country and the safety of citizens if you don’t form a pair…”

Choi Hanseo glanced at the middle-aged man. The man visibly flinched at that look.

“O-Of course, forming a pair is entirely up to the individuals involved. Just consider it a personal recommendation.”

The middle-aged man quickly sputtered out words as if making an excuse. Lee Eunseok chose silence instead of saying anything. It was better not to voice any conclusions until the situation was fully understood.

“There’s no need to watch further. Shall we go?” Choi Hanseo said, looking at Lee Eunseok. Lee Eunseok nodded in agreement.

***

After briefly looking out the car window, Lee Eunseok examined the hard Guide ID card in his hand.

Lee Eunseok (S-class)

A hastily taken photo, captured just before leaving, was printed clearly on the Guide ID. Every slight movement of the card made the hologram over the photo emit an intricate light. Lee Eunseok carelessly pushed the card, which would likely prove his identity from now on, into his pocket.

Choi Hanseo, sitting in the next seat, was still focused on his tablet.

As the White Tiger Guild was considered Korea’s top guild, the guild master surely had a lot to do. But Lee Eunseok could subtly feel that while Choi Hanseo was busily tapping on his tablet, he was also keeping a thread of attention on Lee Eunseok.

Time passed with both being aware of each other but without any conversation or eye contact. Finally, the car pulled up in front of a high-rise building. The large building, which looked like it could be a major corporation’s headquarters, had a white tiger logo and the words “White Tiger Guild” prominently displayed at the top. There were no other signs visible. It seemed the entire building was used by the White Tiger Guild.

The car stopped right in front of the main entrance. The driver got out and opened the door on Choi Hanseo’s side. Lee Eunseok reached out to open his own door as he had done before, but a young man in a suit had already opened it for him.

As they got out of the car, Lee Eunseok noticed several young men in black suits standing in front of the main entrance. The men, wearing earpieces, were large and solid in build. Judging by their posture and the slight bulge in their suit jackets, they were clearly carrying holsters and guns under their jackets.

Despite significant calls for the need to carry personal firearms after the Gate incident, South Korea was still a country where civilians were prohibited from carrying guns. So what qualifications did these security guards of what was essentially a corporation have to possess firearms?

“Shall we go in?” Choi Hanseo invited in a soft voice. Lee Eunseok nodded and followed Choi Hanseo into the building, habitually checking the number, build, and positioning of the security guards.

As they entered the first-floor lobby, a fragrant coffee aroma wafted over. There seemed to be a cafeteria on the first floor. But before Lee Eunseok could locate the cafe, he was suddenly exposed to a flood of stares.

People wearing employee badges around their necks, who had been going about their business, stopped as if time had frozen, staring at Choi Hanseo and Lee Eunseok beside him.

For Lee Eunseok, who was used to carrying out covert missions, being the center of attention like this was not very welcome.

“You’ve arrived?” A familiar face of a woman approached, cutting through the stares nonchalantly. It was Lee Eunju, the White Tiger Guild’s chief of staff who had visited the motel.

“Let’s go up,” Choi Hanseo said in a low voice, and the stares focused on Lee Eunseok scattered in all directions as if fleeing.

Subtle glances poked at the back of Lee Eunseok’s head as he walked towards the elevator following Choi Hanseo and Lee Eunju. Fortunately, the elevator doors opened quickly.

As they entered the elevator, Lee Eunju tapped her employee badge on a pad below the floor number keypad and pressed a button. It seemed that each individual had designated floors they could access.

No one spoke as the elevator ascended. For Lee Eunseok, who didn’t particularly enjoy unnecessary small talk, this was welcome.

Ding.

The elevator stopped with a light sound.

As the doors opened, a space decorated with luxurious interiors mixing black, white, and gold appropriately revealed itself.

“I’ll show you to the conference room first,” Lee Eunju said in a low but clear voice as she led the way.

The click-clack of her low-heeled shoes on the clean marble corridor guided the way. Apart from being a bit excessively luxurious, the interior wasn’t much different from a typical corporate building.

Lee Eunju stopped, opened a door, and entered Conference Room 1. Inside, the interior looked not much different from a regular corporate conference room.

“Please, have a seat,” Lee Eunju said, pulling out a chair on the right side of the table. As Lee Eunseok sat down, Choi Hanseo took the central seat. Their seats seemed to have been predetermined, with unopened bottles of water placed in front of each of them.

Lee Eunju placed neatly arranged document folders on the table in front of both Choi Hanseo and Lee Eunseok.

“We’ve prepared a draft contract. This is the standard contract used by our White Tiger Guild for guides. Please review it and feel free to mention any parts you’d like to modify. We can also call in a lawyer immediately if you need one to review it with you.”

“I’ll look at it first,” Lee Eunseok said as he picked up and opened the luxurious document folder. Lee Eunju stood behind Lee Eunseok and summarized the key points verbally, matching the pace at which he was carefully reading through the contract clauses.

“The initial contract period is 3 years. The stated annual salary excludes basic performance bonuses, and of course, there are separate risk allowances and performance bonuses for special activities. Although it’s an exclusive contract with White Tiger Guild, our guild strictly adheres to the government’s special law on guide protection, so there will be no forced guiding activities or pressures you don’t want.”

“You mean sex, for instance?”

“That’s correct.”

When Lee Eunseok asked for confirmation, Lee Eunju answered immediately without any reaction.

“However, please note that there’s a clause stating that as an exclusive guide of White Tiger Guild, you must always prioritize guiding our guild’s hunters over external hunters. Also, since the time and place of gate openings are unpredictable and sporadic, the time and place where guiding is needed are equally unpredictable and sporadic. Therefore, from the moment you sign the exclusive contract, you are obligated to wear a smart watch at all times that has location tracking, wearer’s biometric signal monitoring, and 24-hour notification functions.”

“You mean I’m on 24-hour standby?”

“That’s right. However, our guild appropriately distributes work schedules to maintain the health and daily life rights of our hunters and guides, so we don’t place excessive burden on any one person. You can rest assured about that.”

Lee Eunseok carefully read through each clause of the contract. Even as his focus and attention were fixed on the contract, he could see Choi Hanseo in the corner of his vision. He was sitting with his legs crossed in a relaxed posture, hands clasped on his knee, tapping the back of his hand with one finger. He’s probably bored, Lee Eunseok guessed.

After taking considerable time to review the entire contract, Lee Eunseok finally looked up.

“Are you satisfied?” Choi Hanseo asked, as if he had been waiting.

“For the most part,” Lee Eunseok answered, closing the document folder with a thud.

“For the most part?” Choi Hanseo tilted his head slightly. There was a hint of the unusual light in his eyes that Lee Eunseok had seen before.