Chapter 27

EP 6 - A Nuclear-Level Major Event (2)

"When will the cast come off?"

"Hmm?"

Yedo-yeon, sprawled on the sofa, lazily turned her eyes to the TV while munching on potato chips. She shook the cast on her right arm.

"It's already healed, right?"

"......Then why are you still wearing the bandage?"

Just thinking about the escape from the Shinbundang Line still sends shivers down her spine. Her right arm had been bent backward and was left dangling by only a few tendons after being bitten by the monster.

After a brief silence, Yedo-yeon replied.

"......Well, it's a bit strange that it healed after just one treatment, isn't it?"

"......Is that so."

"Whatever, just......"

She laughed it off as usual, but...

"I'm just trying to cosplay as a normal person, you know."

She looked a bit sad.

"Big sister, let's go somewhere."

"No."

"Come on? It's been a while. Why are you being so picky about walking together as siblings!"

Yedo-yeon didn't even look at me, raising her middle finger. Her husky and cold voice continued.

"Four days and nights on the goddamn Shinbundang Line were enough. You foodie."

"By the way, aren't you my personal secretary? You keep acting like this when I ask you to go."

"I'll punch you. Have a good day."

Squish. She sprawled back on the sofa, crunching potato chips. Look at her, eating sodium like that, claiming she's given up exercise.

"You're getting really chubby, aren't you?"

Yedo-yeon deflected the attack with a light laugh. She seemed to know she was still slim, though her muscles had slightly diminished, but she was still in good shape.

Yedo-yeon spoke with a tired tone.

"I'm an idol. An idol, really......"

"What?"

"Didn't you see people clinging to us when we went out to buy ingredients for mushroom hot pot yesterday? Are they BTS?"

"I guess I've become a bit more noticeable......"

She brushed it off with a light joke, but it was true that the world was paying attention to this Han Seung-moon.

In troubled times, people seek villains and heroes.

And I had played both roles.

I became a nuisance politician, causing accidents and becoming the target of national criticism for over ten days.

At the same time, I led a miraculous escape from Apgujeong, and the entire scene was broadcast to the world, making me a national hero.

Considering that politicians, whether good or bad, live by consuming recognition, I was enjoying the golden period of my life.

Yedo-yeon, who had finished being prickly as usual, got up and asked me.

"Ah, damn... Where are you going?"

"Hiking."

"Then I can just go like this, right?"

Yedo-yeon got up and stretched. Her messy hair looked like a lion's mane.

I clicked my tongue.

"Are you going to wear those shorts that show your thighs and a sleeveless hoodie?"

"What's wrong with that? It's hot."

"Put on a suit. A suit......"

She asked, looking puzzled.

"Are you going to wear a suit for hiking? Is that normal?"

"Ah, well. We're going by car anyway."

"Ah, where are you going, bastard......"

I see.

"National secret."

*

In the mountains near Chungcheong. We arrived at the foot of the mountain in a darkly tinted Equus.

An elderly driver cautiously spoke.

"We have arrived, Mr. Han."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

The guards waiting outside opened the car door.

We got out of the car with a calm expression. The clear mountain air blew, but the faces of the soldiers milling around were cold.

Yedo-yeon silently pulled out a wheelchair from the trunk.

As usual, her expressionless face made people nervous, but seeing her left corner of the mouth drooping, she was clearly quite tense.

Military control zone. Entry prohibited. Warning sign. 7452 Unit.

The signboard listed harsh words. Yedo-yeon slowly pulled the wheelchair past it.

"Sorry, only Mr. Han can enter."

A soldier blocked our way.

Something feels off.

"......I need someone to pull the wheelchair."

"If you need someone, I can-"

He tried to improvise.

"I won't allow it."

I waved my hand and sternly warned.

"This person is my family, official secretary, bodyguard, and a superpowered individual who was at the forefront during the Apgujeong escape operation. Besides, I need my secretary's help to move around, and this person has been granted access to confidential information to assist me in my political duties."

"Ah, that......"

"Is that a sufficient explanation?"

The soldier hesitated. It was a dilemma for someone who couldn't act on their own.

"I said I need someone to pull my wheelchair. What makes you think you can enter the National Assembly with me? If a secretary can't enter, how can a mere soldier accompany me?"

"Ah, no, the order is to prohibit entry for anyone other than the members of the National Assembly-"

"Is that an order or a law?"

I spoke with a legal air of authority.

I wasn't being arrogant out of spite. I just felt a sense of déjà vu from the name 7452 Unit and the soldiers surrounding the area.

Moreover, a mere soldier suggested entering a Level 0 restricted area with a member of the National Assembly.

It was as if the body was finally showing itself, with three mums approaching and giving a short salute.

"Salute. I'm sorry, Mr. Han. I'm Colonel Jang Seung-yeon. I'll escort you to the coordinates."

He's too young for a colonel and has a suit-wearing vibe.

Moreover, 7452 Unit. I heard about it when Representative Yang Pan-seok served on the intelligence committee.

It's said that the 7452 Unit is sometimes used as a cover name by intelligence agencies because the date of the 7.4 North-South Joint Declaration, when Yoon Bong-gil crossed the armistice line, was May 2nd.

Of course, it's just a widely spread rumor.

And soldiers don't wear expensive watches, for fear of offending their superiors.

In other words,

The National Intelligence Service is in military uniform.

And,

They are deliberately showing it.

*

"Hey, you're here?"

"No, why is it so hard to get in?"

At the end of the path he led, there was a large cabin. I greeted Yang Pan-seok, who was waiting at the cabin entrance.

"Have you met Colonel Jang?"

"He's not a soldier."

"I thought you would recognize him."

He also greeted Yedo-yeon.

"You're here too. Thanks to my wife, I feel more secure."

"Ah, that...... It's been a while, Representative Yang."

"Don't be shy. There are a few chickens in the fridge on the first floor, so you can heat them up and eat. I'll be out with the doctor for a bit......"

Yedo-yeon looked at me with an anxious gaze, and I nodded slightly.

She stayed on the first floor of the cabin, and we went down to the basement. The interior, which looked like a home, changed to a bleak concrete.

We walked for a while. The old man and the disabled person held hands affectionately and limped down the stairs.

I thought about the escape from the National Assembly. It seemed Yang Pan-seok was thinking the same.

"Brings back memories."

"It hasn't even been a month."

"Wow! The world has come to this in less than a month......"

The spiral staircase was very deep. Yang Pan-seok mumbled in a small voice.

"Seven from the Republican Party, five from the Democratic Party. Including us."

"Only 12 people escaped from there?"

"Who knows. There might be more survivors."

Of course, that wasn't the important part.

"......Where were everyone hiding?"

"They weren't hiding."

Yang Pan-seok whispered in my ear.

"They were all rescued before us."

"!"

"......They were captured by Cha Jae-gyun."

*

"Alright, we're here."

"......It's huge."

The underground National Assembly, classified as a Level 0 national secret, boasted a grand size. 300 seats were arranged in a semicircle with authority.

Although the ceiling was low and there were several pillars due to its function as a bunker, it was still amazing to have such a facility underground.

Only 12 people would use this massive hall. What an irony.

People were sitting in the front row among the many empty seats. Yang Pan-seok made a gentle noise.

"We're here."

"Hmm? Ah! Isn't that Representative Han Seung-moon?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Seung-moon."

The elderly men and women, who were eating ginseng jelly, stood up and welcomed us. The National Assembly, with an average age of 55.5, still boasted its experience.

Of course, I already knew who everyone was and what they did. There was no need to memorize. I already knew everyone.

The atmosphere among the 12 people was quite harmonious.

In fact, the relationship between members of the National Assembly is not as hostile as it appears on TV.

Of course, those who appear on TV are usually party representatives or hold key positions (floor leader, secretary-general, policy committee chair), so they often have sharp conflicts.

However, ordinary members would tear each other apart on camera but would shake hands while drinking banana milk in the basement health room (gym and sauna) of the National Assembly.

Among the 12, only three were at the level of appearing on TV.

Four-term Yang Pan-seok. Democratic Party's raccoon.

First-term Han Seung-moon. Hero of Seoul.

And.

"Representative Won Ok-bun. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Representative Won."

A middle-aged woman between an aunt and a grandmother extended her hand to me with a blank expression. Of course, a 17-year veteran in politics wouldn't be unable to smile.

It's just that her face nerves were damaged by a knife.

"I heard about Apgujeong. You must have gone through a lot, Representative Han."

"Ah, no."

The grotesque scar on her left eye.

The milky white right eye due to a long-term blind spot.

Monocle. The charisma exuding from it.

1990. Roh Tae-woo's 10.13 Declaration.

Commonly known as the 'War on Crime'

A strong prosecutor who tore apart gangsters on the front lines.

Five-term Republican Party member. Won Ok-bun.

"Let's do our best in these difficult times. I have high hopes for Representative Han Seung-moon."

"Thank you, Representative Won."

A major figure was still alive.

*

No one stood at the speaker's podium. They sat around a round table and had a free discussion.

Of course, the implicit leadership was with Yang Pan-seok and Won Ok-bun.

Won Ok-bun looked at me with her milky white eye.

"First, I am very positive about the special committee for monster response proposed by Representative Han Seung-moon."

Yang Pan-seok immediately supported.

"In a crisis of national survival, we can't be bound by procedures. Establishing a special committee to form a temporary supra-legal body seems like a good idea."

"First, we plan to temporarily declare the seats of the missing members vacant. What do you think?"

With the two dragons in sync, everyone nodded. In an instant, the number of registered members of the National Assembly dropped from 300 to 12. This is politics.

We handled various issues.

The fact that lawyers are common among members of the National Assembly also contributed to the swift handling of matters. After all, Yang Pan-seok was also a former judge.

Despite the absence of the Speaker and the collapse of the Legal and Judicial Committee, our professional legal experts worked together to make things happen.

First, under Yang Pan-seok's lead, we established the legal legitimacy of the 'Han Seung-moon Foundation'.

Recognizing the public interest in monster extermination, it was a matter of making a few changes to the foundation's bylaws. A crime turned into a legal act in an instant.

Also,

"Ah, do you have any opinions on monster response? Ah, yes. Representative Han, please speak."

There was also a field where I could apply my expertise.

"To take a strong approach, we need to block superpowered immigrants, and to take a soft approach, we need to control the trade of magic stones. The latter is especially essential."

"Magic stones?"

"Gems that come from monster corpses. Superpowered individuals become stronger by absorbing them. Designating magic stones as national strategic resources would mean the government controls the domestic industry."

"Hmm. But companies will strongly oppose this."

"Once we control it, releasing it will no longer be a matter of course. And later, we won't be able to control it at all."

Interpretation: By loosening regulations, we can receive something from companies.

All the representatives smiled. Except for Representative Won.

I continued carefully.

"Moreover, I believe that the original form of magic stones is more valuable than fragments. I think a proportional tax can be applied."

Won Ok-bun nodded.

"Let's do that. Any other opinions?"

"Ah, about the use of force by superpowered individuals......"

We continued the discussion for a long time. Knowing that division was not an option, there were almost no cases of differing opinions.

And,

The most important issue came up.

"......We can't leave the acting president's position vacant indefinitely."