Chapter 175

[Title: Is Shooting Star serious with this?]

I get that you wanted an Elemental-type team. But hiring a total newbie with no rank track record or experience?

The Detention Bureau isn’t a playground. Did they even run a real exam???

We seriously need to investigate this as hiring corruption

└ With that face? You could try.

└ Fangirl, fuck off

└ “Hiring corruption,” lmao I’m dead

Unlike when Taeeon, Hojin, and Yeonwoo were revealed earlier, the reaction wasn’t great this time.

Some people really didn’t like that Han Gyeol was a D-rank Awakener.

The harshest were those who were the same rank as Han Gyeol—or higher—but stuck in middling guilds; their attacks only grew louder with time.

It even escalated to some people taking shots at Roy......

[Title: Riding daddy’s coattails and acting all high and mighty]

Everyone keeps chanting “Roy, Roy,” and now he can’t see straight, I guess

They plopped him in the captain’s chair because of his rank, then he calls in his buddies + celebrities and does dick-sucking? Tsk tsk, what a waste of taxes

Shouldn’t we run a full audit on Maru Group too?

└ Already? Damn, the speed. They’re good at their jobs

└ He had a son and the kid turns out to be God Gong...

└ Wish I’d given birth to Roy myself ㅠㅠㅠ

Thanks to the Bureau’s quick response, the atmosphere that was about to boil over cooled fast.

A few stubborn posters kept at it, but those too vanished before long.

Because Roy’s official statement video dropped right after.

[Title: God [N O V E L I G H T] Gong posted an official stance]

(video)

Summary: Shooting Star selected members with “element” as the top criterion, then prioritized growth potential and intra-team complementarity.

Shooting Star is always open; if the team needs someone, they’ll recruit regardless of rank.

However, for now there’s no plan to add more members; they’ll focus on strengthening the team’s core.

└ He literally said no additions for now lol

└ Oh come on, damn it

[Title: I’ll tell you why Roy brought in Seo Han Gyeol]

If you watched the video you know: top selection criteria were “element” and “matchup.”

Kim Hojin (water) and Kim Taeeon (earth) are fundamentally a good match, and Park Yeonwoo (light) isn’t very affected by elemental matchups, so they fit pretty much anywhere.

When Park Yeonwoo awakened, the video made it look like they handle something like lightning too; if that’s right, then the synergy with Kim Hojin is insane.

The problem is Roy (fire). He’s the only S-rank, so the weight class is already different.

You need balance. Water is obviously the worst matchup. Earth and light are better, but they’re just “okay,” not best-in-slot.

It’s not a hard counter, but you can’t say the synergy is great either.

But what about wind?

You’ve seen those autumn wildfire news reports, right? The ignition causes are nothing special.

Mostly a cigarette that wasn’t fully out, or a spark off a utility pole.

And there’s a word that always shows up every time.

★Strong winds★

He’s D-rank so who knows how strong the output is, but the point is Seo Han Gyeol can supercharge Roy’s already broken ability.

Conclusion: I’d have recruited Seo Han Gyeol too.

└ Yeah, that’s my prediction

└ Hongdae

└ lolololololol

└ Wh wh what the hell where did you get that???

└ It’s on the Bureau’s official site main page?

[Title: Detention Bureau status after Shooting Star launched]

(Shooting Star group profile on the Bureau homepage main.jpg)

They’re rowing hard

FYI if you click the banner it links to a board titled “Starlight Fan Cafe” lololololol

└ Minister, nobody does “cafe” activities these days ㅠ

└ Please do more

Once Roy’s video went up, the controversy completely died.

Sure, not every sour look aimed at Han Gyeol disappeared, but that’s the kind of thing you put to rest by proving yourself.

So now Shooting Star just had to focus on the job in front of them.

✧

In front of Exit 6 of Hongik Univ. Station.

Five men conspicuous enough to be suspicious appeared in the forest-trail park laid out along the Gyeongui Line.

Their name: Shooting Star.

Average height, 181.6 cm.

With fist-sized faces and unreal leg length, from a distance their silhouettes made you wonder if they were models.

“Good. Everyone’s here.”

As if they’d coordinated in advance, every member showed up with masks and caps pulled low.

Call it a survival instinct.

Without those, they’d have trouble making it not just to the meeting point but even to the convenience store near home.

“As I said beforehand, we’re moving in two teams.”

Shooting Star’s first field survey site was the chain of Butler cafes clustered around Hongdae.

From the “Kasumi Manor” Hojin flagged as suspicious to the maid cafe targeting men, they planned to hit them all.

But first, there was something to hand out.

“Each of you put one of these on. I recommend attaching it somewhere not easily seen. It’ll be a pain if someone recognizes you.”

What Roy produced was a small gold shield-shaped badge.

“What is it? Is this real gold?”

“Would it be?”

A briefly exasperated look flickered and vanished as he glanced at Yeonwoo.

“It’s an item that blurs the wearer’s impression.”

The badge was a regulated item under the Bureau, issued by exception to Special Team agents as standard gear.

It was one grade lower than the B-rank glasses Kang Saeon wore when he appeared at the live taping of Star Hero, but the performance was solid.

Of course, it wouldn’t mean much in front of an S-rank Awakener.

“Blurs your impression?”

Unlike the other hyungs, who accepted the badge with dazed faces, Han Gyeol lit up with genuine delight.

Ever since debuting as a child actor, he’d longed for this exact thing.

Being able to stroll the streets in broad daylight without worry had been his lifelong wish; he quickly clipped the badge to his inner jacket pocket.

Then he hurriedly took off his mask and met Roy’s eyes.

“How is it?”

“It doesn’t work on me. Ask the others, not me.”

“Oh.”

As expected of an S-rank.

Letting out a small sound of admiration, Han Gyeol turned and gently tapped Taeeon’s shoulder.

“How do I look?”

The response popped out immediately.

“Wow... your basic features are still there, but you look like a completely different person.”

Taeeon was sincerely impressed.

Even more startling, the impression didn’t stick.

If he tried to recall Han Gyeol’s face he’d just seen, the details wouldn’t assemble.

“Ooh!”

“Gasp.”

Hojin and Yeonwoo checked Han Gyeol’s face too, then hurried to put their badges on.

Roy watched his excited hyungs with satisfaction.

Only for a moment, though—he was about to continue with cautions about the item.

“Holy crap, this thing’s cracked! With this I could even rob a bank!”

“...Huh?”

Yeonwoo’s bombshell made everyone whip their heads around.

Right. It’s exactly because of people like that the government regulates items that distort impressions.

And of course that guy had to be on his team.

Roy’s mouth twitched upward.

“Yeonwoo hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Hand it over.”

You’re getting yours confiscated for a while, punk.