The day Adelheid returned to France.
Kim Seo-jun went home and sat down in front of his computer.
He searched for information about the families Adel had mentioned earlier in the day.
But the information he could find through internet searches was extremely limited.
For families so famous, there should be plenty of information circulating, but for some reason, details about the Ten Great Families were surprisingly scarce.
The Rich Rothschild Family, based in Germany, was known as the Wealthy Rothschilds. They were said to be the world’s richest family, with the greatest power and influence, as well as unrivaled political authority.
America’s Heroic Bright Family, often called the Heroic Brights, competed fiercely with the Rothschilds for the top spot.
And then there was the Dark Tian Family.
Renowned as the Family of Darkness, everything about them was shrouded in secrecy—hardly anything was known.
All that was known was that they were rooted in China, and that their hidden wealth, influence, and martial power based on traditional martial arts were predicted to surpass even the Rothschilds or Brights.
‘Adel seemed to be especially afraid of the Dark Tian Family…’
When Adel spoke of the Rothschilds or Brights, she was serious, but when mentioning the Dark Tian Family, she looked genuinely frightened.
Dark Tian.
The so-called Family of Darkness—Kim Seo-jun couldn’t help but wonder if this family was somehow connected to Cheon Gang-woo.
‘Tian’ in Chinese means ‘sky,’ and Cheonma Commander Cheon Gang-woo had the family name ‘Cheon,’ which is written with the same character.
Yet, there was no information whatsoever about the members of the Dark Tian Family.
It was as if any related information had been intentionally erased.
‘Maybe I’ll learn more if I become a Jaeger?’
Knowing that the Jaegers had tremendous intelligence-gathering capabilities, Kim Seo-jun thought he’d be able to learn more about the Ten Great Families once he joined.
‘If the Dark Tian Family really is Cheon Gang-woo’s family, then I’ll probably have to face him as an enemy here, too.’
Since Adel had warned him so strongly not to get involved with the Dark Tian Family, it was obvious that the family was a threat to the world.
But could Kim Seo-jun really avoid running into them just because he wished to stay out of their affairs?
It was more likely that fate would inevitably bring him face-to-face with Cheon Gang-woo.
‘Cheon Gang-woo. If that guy’s with the Dark Tian Family, he’d be thirty-four now.’
Cheon Gang-woo was fifteen years older than Kim Seo-jun.
In the previous world, when they had their final showdown, Kim Seo-jun was twenty-nine and Cheon Gang-woo was forty-four.
Kim Seo-jun also searched for information about the other Ten Great Families. That’s when he stumbled across an old article about the ‘Saint Han Family.’
[Why Did the Heir of Han Group Suffer an Accident?]
It was an article from twelve years ago.
The content was very short and concise.
It reported that Han Du-ho, chairman of the Han Group, had a son named Han Yong-seong.
The article said the plane he was on was hijacked by a criminal organization and eventually crashed, and most of the article criticized the Korean government’s poor response.
Because of this, Chairman Han Du-ho single-handedly eradicated the criminal organization that had brutally murdered his son and daughter-in-law, but almost nothing was reported about this, so it was impossible to know the details.
Among the world’s Ten Great Families, the Saint Han Family sat somewhere in the middle.
Their rightful successor was Han Se-ah, but there were many relatives aiming for that seat, as several articles, which were at least easier to find, mentioned.
‘Se-ah’s life isn’t easy here, either.’
In the previous world, Han Se-ah had also lost her parents at a young age.
Having grown up lonely like him, he had felt a special concern for Han Se-ah from the very beginning.
‘Still, at least here she has a remarkable grandfather, so maybe things are better.’
The Saint Han Family was led by the patriarch, Han Du-ho.
As long as he was her grandfather, it was almost certain that no one in the world could torment Han Se-ah.
Having already experienced losing his own children, Han Du-ho would not repeat the same mistake, and so Se-ah’s protection would be even more thorough than a president’s.
Kim Seo-jun decided to wrap up his research on the Ten Great Families at that point.
After turning off his computer, he picked up his phone and called Detective Choi Kyung-moon.
Fortunately, Detective Choi was also off-duty and answered quickly.
“It’s me, detective.”
-So, have you made up your mind?
Choi Kyung-moon skipped greetings and got straight to the question.
That’s how important Kim Seo-jun’s decision was to him.
“I’ll let you know my decision… in person tomorrow.”
-Tomorrow? Right, better to talk face-to-face than over the phone. I’ll come to you.
“There’s a neighborhood park near my house. Let’s meet at the central fountain at nine.”
With that, Kim Seo-jun made the appointment and flopped onto his bed.
He lay there with his eyes closed, deep in thought for a long time.
*****
Saturday, 8:45 a.m.
Kim Seo-jun arrived at the neighborhood park a little early for their meeting.
There were a lot of people around.
People walking their dogs, families out for a light outing, and so on.
With a mask and hat covering his face, Kim Seo-jun headed for the central fountain.
But Detective Choi Kyung-moon was already waiting at the agreed spot.
He recognized Kim Seo-jun instantly, despite the disguise.
“Hey. So you’re famous now, can’t even show your face in public?”
At the playful remark, Kim Seo-jun gave a faint smile and dropped onto the bench beside the fountain.
“What, should I give you an autograph, too, detective?”
“Don’t go signing things carelessly. Especially when it comes to contracts, remember to read every line carefully.”
“That’s why I wanted to meet in person.”
“…Huh?”
It took Choi Kyung-moon a moment to get it, but then his face lit up.
“You mean you’ve decided to sign?”
“Didn’t I just ask if you wanted my autograph?”
When Kim Seo-jun pulled down one side of his mask and grinned, Choi Kyung-moon burst out laughing.
“Kehaha! You’ve got quite a talent for teasing people. I never imagined that’s what you meant by ‘autograph.’”
“Please take care of me from now on.”
Kim Seo-jun greeted him politely, and Choi Kyung-moon put a hand on his shoulder.
“You made a good choice. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to save a bit of face, too.”
“Did your superiors give you a special mission to recruit me or something?”
He was half joking, but Choi Kyung-moon flinched.
“Was I that obvious? You caught on fast.”
“…It was for real?”
“Didn’t you already know?”
“Ahaha…”
As Kim Seo-jun laughed awkwardly, Choi Kyung-moon realized he’d just confessed too much.
“Man… I’ve been a detective for nearly ten years, and here I am getting played by a student’s words. If my colleagues saw this, they’d say I’d wasted my whole career.”
“I guess I do have a knack for catching people off guard.”
“Well… it’s not just me. No one thought you’d beat three foreign exchange students at the Academy Competition—especially not heirs from the Ten Great Families.”
Choi Kyung-moon clearly knew all about Kim Seo-jun’s performance at the Academy Competition.
He hadn’t been there in person, but he’d watched every second of the recorded footage.
“I was just lucky, that’s all.”
“Luck is a skill, too. For people like us, it’s essential.”
“I just hope my luck keeps going. I’m a bit worried it’ll run out here.”
“What do you mean?”
Choi Kyung-moon sensed that Kim Seo-jun had something on his mind.
“How many candidates are there besides me?”
“You’re the last one, so that makes ten in total.”
“But not all ten of us will become Jaegers, right?”
Having finally decided to join the Jaegers, Kim Seo-jun was a little worried he might be reassigned as a support agent during the special training if his aptitude didn’t match.
“That’s right. Out of all the candidates, only two will be chosen as official Jaegers. The remaining eight become support agents.”
“What do support agents mainly do?”
“‘Support agent’ is just a name. The work is as dangerous as any field agent’s. Usually, it’s information processing and gathering, manipulation too, but sometimes you have to infiltrate enemy lines yourself. Sometimes, you’ll even have to rush to the field to back up the main team.”
Since Kim Seo-jun had chosen to become a Jaeger, Choi Kyung-moon explained everything without holding back.
“Even as a support agent, do the benefits you offered still apply?”
“Of course. That’s given to every candidate. There are some minor differences from the field agents, but nothing big, so don’t worry.”
“That’s a relief.”
Choi Kyung-moon smiled, as if he knew exactly what Kim Seo-jun was concerned about.
“You don’t need to worry too much. In my opinion, you’re clearly the best of all the candidates. Maybe not in terms of magic, but when it comes to real combat, I doubt anyone can match you.”
“Thank you for saying so. By the way, last time I noticed the Jaeger agents all had numbers… Do the numbers mean anything special?”
When Park Dae-man had visited him in the hospital, he’d said that from Number Five to Number Eleven, there were no command rights among them.
From that, Kim Seo-jun had deduced that Jaeger numbers went up to Eleven.
“Ha, those guys… Did they talk about all sorts of things in front of a candidate? Well, since we’re on the subject, I’ll explain.”
Choi Kyung-moon briefly explained the Jaeger numbering system.
Currently, there were eleven official Jaeger field agents.
They were called the ‘numbered agents,’ from Number One to Number Eleven.
The leader of the Jaegers, so to speak, was Number One.
Number One could strip other Jaegers of their authority, call for mobilization, take full command of operations, and handle classified information. He or she mainly met with government officials to ensure the Jaegers could operate freely.
Next was Number Two.
This agent was like the Jaegers’ manager.
Currently held by a woman, Number Two planned and allocated the Jaeger government budget, and was deeply involved in personnel and even personal affairs. According to Choi Kyung-moon, if you got on her bad side, your time as a Jaeger could become very difficult.
Number Three was said to be the strongest Jaeger in the field.
He always led operations and was so aggressive he could crush almost anything with brute force alone, so it was best not to mess with him.
From Number Five to Number Eleven, these were the main field agents, with hardly any difference in authority or skill among them.
After listening this far, Kim Seo-jun had one question.
“Why didn’t you say anything about Number Four?”
“Number Four… is in fact the strongest of all Jaegers. That’s not even known outside. But the current Number Four is missing in action on a mission, so it’s a bit…”
Hearing that Number Four had disappeared on a mission made Kim Seo-jun realize again just how dangerous it was to be a Jaeger.
“In any case, Number Four is assigned to the most dangerous missions, and even the other Jaegers never know what kind of operation he’s on. So there’s not much I can tell you.”
“What happens when there’s a vacancy among the Jaegers?”
“We recruit new candidates, like you, to fill the spot. This time, we’re planning to add up to Number Thirteen.”
So three new agents would be recruited, but only up to Number Thirteen?
That meant one of the three would take the Number Four position.
“Are you saying you’ll pick the new Number Four from among the rookies?”
“The existing members are already set in their roles. In fact, it’s more effective to let a new Jaeger take over as Number Four.”
“Isn’t it just that no one wants the role because it’s so dangerous?”
Choi Kyung-moon hesitated for a moment before answering.
He sighed deeply and continued.
“…Sigh. To be honest, you’re right. Everyone was asked if they’d transfer to Number Four, but they all refused. That’s how tough and dangerous that position is.”
“Isn’t it too much to force that role on a rookie who knows nothing? It’s like telling us to work ourselves to death and be sacrificed when the time comes.”
“We’ll get criticized, but there’s no choice. We can’t leave the spot empty. That’s why the person who becomes Number Four will get massive support from headquarters. In fact, Number Four has authority on par with Number One.”
If what Choi Kyung-moon said was true, then the benefits of being Number Four were immense, commensurate with the risk.
Kim Seo-jun found himself growing more interested in the Number Four spot.
“The authority of Number Four is that great?”
“It is. Except for direct orders from Number One, you can refuse any higher-up’s orders, and you have the right to independent operations. You also get the highest security clearance, so you can access almost all information. Number Four can summon and command other Jaegers, Hunter Bureau agents, and police, and your identity is completely protected. Plus, you get magic stones every month. Since you’re often sent alone on dangerous missions, you get a lot of authority.”
It was truly overwhelming.
Rather than being an ordinary Jaeger, it seemed far better for Kim Seo-jun to aim for the Number Four spot.
He was drawn to the idea of becoming Number Four.
It was dangerous, but having chosen this path, he would have to live with danger anyway.
It made sense to take on a bit more risk for much greater rewards.
Seeing Kim Seo-jun looking quite serious, Choi Kyung-moon patted him on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much. Number Four is never assigned unless the candidate wants it.”
Which meant, if Kim Seo-jun wanted it, he could have it.
“Are there any special requirements to become Number Four?”
“No special qualifications. After one month of special training, the top three candidates are considered, and the one most suited to Number Four is offered the role. If you accept, you start a separate Jaeger training program. Once you complete that, you become the real Number Four.”
So the process to become Number Four wasn’t that complicated.
But he wondered what it really meant to be ‘most suited’ for the role.
“What kind of person was the previous Number Four?”
“Who knows. I didn’t talk to him much myself.”
It seemed Choi Kyung-moon wasn’t particularly close to the previous Number Four.
There was no point asking more about it.
“The special training starts in fourteen days, right?”
“Yes. It begins with the Academy vacation, so just prepare and join then. The Academy will notify your parents in its name, just as a regular training camp, so don’t worry.”
“Alright. I’ll trust you to handle it.”
“Whatever the outcome, I’m glad we’ll be working together.”
“Me too. It’s an honor to have someone like you as a senior.”
Choi Kyung-moon laughed heartily at Kim Seo-jun’s flattery.
“Haha! You’ve gotten better at buttering people up, haven’t you? Here, take this.”
Choi Kyung-moon handed Kim Seo-jun a strangely shaped phone.
It was a phone, but square and brick-like, extremely sturdy—probably wouldn’t break even if you threw it on asphalt.
“It’s a special phone just for Jaeger candidates. From now on, all matters will be communicated only through this. It’s secured with fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition, so it’s safe.”
“So you prepared this expecting me to say yes?”
“Well, yeah. A Jaeger should be able to predict that much, don’t you think? Hahaha.”
With a bright smile, Choi Kyung-moon stood up.
“I’ll get going now. Contact me anytime if you need anything.”
“Yes. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”
With that, the two parted ways.
On the way home.
Kim Seo-jun thought deeply about the authority granted to Jaeger Number Four, and resolved firmly to make that number his own.