Chapter 17

EP 5 - The Hunters (1)

Pichaeon.

She sat at the edge of the bed, looking coldly at the bandaged girl. The girl was breathing weakly through a respirator and an IV drip.

...Could she really have seen the future?

The girl opened her eyes. She stared at me without moving, and I did the same.

I looked into Pichaeon's dazed eyes and thought.

If the future vision is real,

it can't be shared with anyone.

We stared at each other in silence for a long time.

I made my decision and immediately took action.

I smiled as kindly as possible and gently held Pichaeon's hands with both of mine. It was a technique Yangpansuk used during election campaigns.

"Thank you so much, Pichaeon."

"..."

"Thanks to you, I survived. I don't know how to express my gratitude."

At that moment, I felt doubtful about whether this was something an adult should do.

However, I am walking a tightrope.

If I slip, I'm dead. I have three dependents.

I smiled skillfully and bared my teeth. I lowered my gaze and smiled sadly.

"......I won't ask how you knew."

I had already made sure no one would reveal that Pichaeon had predicted the helicopter crash.

"Here, this is the military. If Pichaeon's psychic abilities are discovered... probably..."

I used a small silence to stimulate dangerous imagination.

"......You won't be free, as you are now."

A worried look and a firm grip.

I followed up with a direct approach.

"Though it's a bit awkward to say, do you have any relatives to rely on?"

"..."

Pichaeon lowered her gaze without speaking. After a long silence, she shook her head.

"How old are you?"

"......Th, three."

"An orphan."

A direct evaluation, causing a slight discomfort.

"I'm an orphan too."

I immediately turned strong emotions into a sense of shared experience. I changed the atmosphere with a light smile and a higher tone of voice.

"Well, to be honest, my aunt took me in right away."

"......Yes."

"Scary, isn't it?"

A heavy message delivered with a bright voice. The contrast was intense.

And a gaze out the window. Speaking without making eye contact added a sense of sincere confession.

Actually, looking into the girl's eyes and talking was a bit overwhelming. It was such a terrible thing to do.

I tried my best to create a sense of empathy.

"Would an orphanage take you in? What will you eat in the future? With the country in this state, where do I belong..."

"......"

"You'll feel like you're floating, as if you don't exist."

I continued calmly.

"The rooftop door. I locked it so no one else could come in. Do you remember?"

"......Yes."

"I shouldn't have, but I opened it."

I turned to the girl with a sad smile and asked for confirmation.

"......You were saved by me, right?"

"......Yes."

"Then, what do you think about me becoming your guardian?"

Pichaeon's dazed eyes met mine with a hoarse voice.

"......Why?"

I had to answer immediately.

"......Just, I understand the pain of losing parents."

I am a nobody. I have no connections or money.

"Since we saved each other, it feels like fate."

The only way out is to dominate the psychic industry.

"Well, there's no real need for a reason for a good deed, is there?"

Absolutely, I can't let this valuable variable go to anyone else.

"......Pichaeon. I'm going to set up a foundation."

I am walking a tightrope. If I slip, I'm dead.

"If it's okay, would you like to learn and work there?"

I feel really bad about this, but...

You can't get away from me now.

*

"Oom.... Huh! Bro!"

Yang Ilho, who had a boiled egg stuffed in his mouth, smiled and waved. Yi Hojeong, who was always neat, looked at him with a disapproving gaze.

This guy, not only did he replace his broken high heels and torn stockings, but now he's wearing a women's business suit.

"You, what. Your outfit keeps getting upgraded every time I see you."

Yi Hojeong, who had neatly combed her medium-length hair, smiled confidently. Sometimes, her awareness of her beauty can be annoying.

"I traded twenty-eight cans of seafood bibimbap sauce for them."

"What?"

"They don't eat that stuff anyway. After a few laughs at the restaurant, they gave it to me as a gift."

"Isn't that an unfair profit by exploiting the price difference between civilians and the military?"

"Hmm...!"

Well, well, it's settled. I stayed up for three days setting up the foundation, so I'll let it slide.

I tapped the pile of eggshells on the desk and looked at Yang Ilho.

"How can you eat so much and not gain weight? You're like a pig..."

"I saw you at the street fight earlier!"

"Is that still going on?"

Yi Hojeong, looking tired, answered for him. She still seemed to be suffering from the aftereffects of the three sleepless nights.

"These days, people are more interested in politics than ever. Just yesterday, a fight at the Busan city council was the main news..."

"So, what did the variety show say about me?"

"A puppet of Yangpansuk."

As expected.

"An MP who was a former secretary to Yangpansuk, essentially elected by luck, and now just a figurehead for Yangpansuk."

"Yes."

"Can't they at least say something nice, even if it's just a formality?"

"No. They can't."

Unforgiving. I bitterly smiled and muttered.

"Well, from now on, I have to work hard. To have my own territory."

Yang Ilho tilted his head.

"How?"

"Can't the people open their hearts if I approach them sincerely?"

I will dominate the psychic industry.

*

"What are you doing?"

"Ah!"

Gangi, who was scribbling something in a notebook, jumped and closed it. His glasses fell to the floor.

I leaned down from my wheelchair to pick up the glasses and smiled lightly.

"What were you writing?"

"A, ahaha......"

Gangi answered awkwardly.

"Just, well. An essay?"

"An essay?"

"Um. A mix of reports and articles. What should I call it? Ah, right. I'm writing a diary."

It was probably more like a history book. A gate incident written by an international war correspondent.

"It's been two weeks already."

"......Yes."

It had been two weeks since the gate opened.

Estimated deaths: 980,000. Injuries: 3.4 million.

South Korea is enduring a history of blood and tears.

When has it ever been different?

Gangi looked at me with sad eyes.

"If you go 50 km south from here, are many people still dying?"

"......Yes. Do you want to go there?"

Gangi had been a war correspondent in a foreign country, hundreds of kilometers away, before the gate opened.

"......I want to."

Gangi lowered his gentle eyes behind his round glasses.

On his lap, Gan Cheol, wrapped in a blanket, was sleeping soundly.

I had heard enough.

It's not that he doesn't want to go; he can't.

I smiled bitterly and was about to enter the civilian management area, but the TV screen suddenly switched to a news bulletin, interrupting me.

- Breaking news. A large group of survivors has been confirmed in Apgujeong, a level 1 military danger zone. They are primarily 'Awakened'...

Damn.

The screen showed disturbing footage.

It was taken from a helicopter, from the air. The media had broken through the military's air defense. I focused on the screen immediately.

Several people were running on the rooftop, herding a monster. The monster finally reached a dead-end alley.

There were several such monsters gathered. Many people, working in teams, had herded multiple monsters to one place.

A person waiting there extended their hand.

The dead-end alley was instantly engulfed in flames.

My fist clenched involuntarily.

A single person created a flame pillar dozens of meters high.

This. I can't let it be taken away.

Now that it's out in the media, the existence of psychics is as good as officially revealed.

A chaotic country, and rising flames.

A dangerous political situation is about to begin.

*

"The media helicopter is flying over Apgujeong. Colonel Kang, are you not controlling the air defense? Do you want to die?"

"I, I'm sorry."

"It's a question, not a threat. If you don't want to die, monitor the air properly. Did the control room throw a party because no flying monsters have appeared?"

"No. It happened so suddenly-"

"Is there anything not sudden in this situation? Who knows when the gate will open and flying monsters will appear? Just the other day, the gate went berserk and destroyed two Han River bridges, and you still have the leisure to do this?"

Thanks to my good relationship with the deputy minister, I could enter the situation room without any restrictions.

Deputy Minister Chae Jikyun was interrogating a soldier. He glanced at me and nodded, dismissing the soldier, who quickly fled.

Look at that. Chae Jikyun returned to his businesslike tone and nodded at me.

"Good timing, Representative."

I got straight to the point.

"YBC has officially announced the existence of psychics on our behalf."

"......If a state of emergency had been declared nationwide, we wouldn't have let them off so easily."

As always, his tone was slightly fast and indifferent, but the content was far from ordinary.

I slowly calmed him down.

"I'll inform Representative Yangpansuk. We can't stand with those who betray the country in times of crisis."

"This is a broadcasting company that has repeatedly tried to send reporters to the restricted zones and has been caught."

So, the reporter is probably in jail now. This air reconnaissance was likely a form of retaliation.

It seems the side effects of this intelligent man's tough actions are starting to show.

Not a bad thing. A weakened military is fine, and it gives me a chance to expand my influence.

If the military gets too weak and is overwhelmed by the monsters, that would be a problem, but Chae Jikyun is not that incompetent.

The most important thing now is to get the fire mage into the Han Seungmun Foundation. I can't let the National Intelligence Service take him.

"I heard there's a group of survivors in Apgujeong."

"Roughly a few thousand. They are active mainly in the residential areas and large supermarkets of Apgujeong. We've known about them for a while..."

Meaning they knew but didn't help.

"I didn't know there were psychics there."

The situation room screen showed the fire mage burning several monsters at once.

If the military rescues the fire mage and assigns him to the foundation, will he listen?

Judging by Chae Jikyun's greedy look, it seems unlikely.

The military's resources are not infinite, especially with the sea routes blocked. But awakened individuals can be fed and made to fight again. A simple economic principle will greatly increase the value of awakened individuals.

There are probably only a few people in South Korea who know this, and fortunately, I was the first to know and take action. However, the problem is that Chae Jikyun is not an easy person to deal with.

How can I get the fire mage to join the foundation? I don't have the capital, safety, or power that the military can offer.

What to do...!

Bribery, threats, persuasion, nothing comes to mind.

But I can't hand him over to the military. The pillar of fire, as tall as a two-story building, is too impressive. What if he eats mana stones?

He will become a walking bomber, a human tactical weapon.

Moreover, he is the first officially confirmed psychic in the country. He is perfect for propaganda. He's not just a weapon of force.

...I can't compete with the military on material terms. I need to approach this more humanely.

A new gamble.

Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.

I will personally fly in a helicopter to rescue this psychic.

However, like Liu Bei visiting Zhuge Liang, I can't expect Chae Jikyun to send me.

*

When I returned to the newly assigned dormitory, everyone was gathered in front of the TV.

"Hey, this...!"

Yeo Doyeon, who would normally express all her emotions with one word, "Shit," had become more restrained after the Gang Jiyeon incident.

"Yeah, I know."

"No, no...!"

"Apgujeong survivor club. I heard from the deputy minister-"

Yeo Doyeon grabbed the wheelchair and pulled it in front of the TV, pointing at the screen.

Yang Ilho and Yi Hojeong were staring at the TV as if in a trance. Yi Hojeong muttered.

"Seokho......"

"What?"

I immediately focused on the TV.

Gang Seokho. Number 3. The Seokho we left behind in Yeouido was fighting the monsters.

......Hmm.

Well. As a representative, I can't just stand by and watch the isolated survivors in Apgujeong.

A rather beautiful picture came to mind.