Chapter 25

EP 5 - The Hunters (9)

11 hours ago.

"Hey!"

Someone tapped my cheek.

"Hey-yy-yy-oo-?"

The world was dark. Moonlight shone through the window curtains.

In the early morning hospital room, I managed to sit up.

"Hong, Seona?"

"Yee-es! It's me."

A woman with red-tipped short hair, no, hair tips dyed red by magic, had come to see me.

She sat on the bed with a smile.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Ah, yes. I'm fine. Is Hong Seona safe?"

"I heard you're running a foundation."

Her smile became a bit subtle, a face that was hard to tell if she was smiling or expressionless.

"I found out. You're planning to set up a PMC, right?"

"......How did you know?"

"There are awakened people with good hearing, you know."

I nodded as if in agreement.

"Yes, I was planning to visit you when it gets light."

"Mr. Kim Chun-sik?"

"......Yes."

She smiled.

"On TV, they said we're amazing people!"

"......Yes, it's quite flattering to hear that."

"Was getting out of Seoul such a big deal?"

"Seems so."

"No, it wasn't."

Hong Seona's expression returned to a subtle blankness.

"Getting out of Seoul was actually very easy and simple."

"......Really?"

"It's just that moving with civilians is troublesome."

Hong Seona stood up lightly and leaned against the window. Her silhouette in the moonlight was quite chilling.

"But, because the civilians complained about not wanting to go outside, they stayed in Seoul?"

That was why they stayed in Apgujeong. Hong Seona smiled with a hint of regret.

"Hmm. That doesn't seem right, does it?"

"I guess. As a politician—"

"Seung-moon, aren't you a hunter?"

It was the first time she spoke to me informally.

"We've come through that dark and hellish path together, shoulder to shoulder. So, isn't there some kind of connection now?"

"What, not that serious."

"Huh!"

A spark flew from her lips, a small flame floating in the air.

"Yap-yap!"

She gestured in the air, bringing the flame close to my face.

It was incredibly beautiful, and my face felt hot for a moment. She said to me,

"Is it warm?"

And my spine shivered. In this situation, if Hong Seona wanted, I would burn to death.

She smiled softly, sat on the bed, and gently placed my hand in the flame.

"Go ahead, move it."

"......It's beautiful."

"Here, I can make a nightingale, and a fish..."

The flame in the air changed shape freely. A nightingale swam in the moonlight in the dark hospital room.

"Right!"

She extinguished the flame instantly, then acted as if she had just remembered something.

"This is a technique a friend who taught me how to make cheese-tuna-mayo rice cakes passed on to me."

"......Yes."

"That friend controlled water and died while protecting the Apgujeong camp. He was shot."

Hong Seona smiled.

"Was he shot to death? Or did he die listening to the civilians' complaints?"

The situation was getting quite interesting. At this point, I frowned.

"Hey! There's no need to take it so seriously. I'm not, you know, like Magneto! I don't think superhumans should rule the world!"

She smiled and rested her chin on the bed rail.

"Exactly. Awakened people don't have to unconditionally dedicate themselves to civilians."

"......I agree."

"Great. I picked the right person!"

Yap! She playfully extended her fist to me. I smiled formally and tapped her fist.

"Um. You've been criticizing the military a lot lately."

"......"

"You want to get along with superhumans, right? If so, you must be planning to bring us into the foundation? The means are, as you said."

Hong Seona took out a contract from my bag.

"A mercenary company disguised as a private military company."

"......You have quite a bad habit."

"Right?"

"Right."

Hong Seona burned the contract with a smile. The ashes naturally drifted out the window.

"Mr. Chun-sik might not understand. He's too noble to understand us."

"......"

"Many people have always had these thoughts. They just couldn't rebel because they owed their lives to Mr. Chun-sik."

Hong Seona put on a worried expression.

"If Mr. Chun-sik takes a large share and divides the rest like kimchi, some people might feel a bit resentful. Several people got hurt and died while following his romantic ideals......"

"Is that you?"

"Right! So, instead of dividing the shares fairly like the contract, how about this: Mr. Chun-sik 30%, me 10%, and the others 0.5%?"

Interpretation: Create a pretext for internal division.

It's not a bad proposal. This way, the foundation would get a larger share, a whopping 40%.

Hong Seona added,

"Seung-moon, wouldn't it be better to have a buffer in the company rather than just accepting what Mr. Chun-sik pushes through?"

In fact, the buffer was already in place. The entire administrative team of the PMC was made up of Yang Pan-seok and my people.

Still, Hong Seona was a very tempting card.

However,

"Starting a company and causing chaos right away wouldn't be very fun, would it?"

"Don't worry. I know manners. And I don't plan to do that yet."

'Yet.'

"You're looking quite far ahead, aren't you?"

"The death of a friend leaves a lasting impression."

Hong Seona smiled bitterly and held my hand.

"Congressman Han Seung-moon, I'm not trying to oust Mr. Chun-sik and take power."

"......"

"I just don't think awakened people have to play the role of heroes all the time.

The problem is, the hero Kim Chun-sik will eventually pass the burden to us, one way or another."

Hong Seona smiled sadly and tightened her grip on my hand.

"I just don't want to lose another friend."

Looking into her eyes, which were not just melancholic but also pitiful, I carefully considered.

This bewitching gaze.

I can't fully trust it.

She was someone who watched the cage in front of the wolf without using her overwhelming power.

She didn't use her power until David Kim put oil on the wolf's head, and then she shamelessly stuck to me and even apologized.

Hiding her power was the same. While it was related to the organization's interests,

Considering that I am a politician, her lies were more natural than honest.

As always, my judgment was quick.

Her intentions now are not the most important thing.

"......It's a very reasonable proposal."

In the dark hospital room bathed in moonlight,

With a foxfire floating in the air,

A secret handshake took place among the hunters.

Who will eat whom, I don't know.

"It's an honor to work with the best hunter."

A true hunter doesn't discriminate against their prey.

"Thank you, Hunter Han Seung-moon."

Whether it's a monster or a human.

EP 5

The Hunters

END