Chapter 74

EP 13 - International Hunter's Perspective (1)

"......After shedding much blood, we have come to this point."

She ascended the podium calmly, dressed in a black suit, as a sign of mourning.

"Those who have left will not return, but at least we will not send anyone else away."

Her serious voice was a first for us, slightly awkward, but it had a profound and touching resonance.

Hong Seona gazed into the air, maintaining a moment of silence.

Only she knew what she was thinking at that moment.

Just as the silence began to feel awkward, her speech ended with her final words.

"I believe this is the mission of those who remain."

It was the inauguration of the Superhuman Association.

* * *

"Phew...! How was it?"

After finishing the questions from the journalists, she came over to me, sweeping her chest.

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, I recalled the first time I saw her.

Her subtle, ambiguous expression, her overly energetic movements and attitude, and the red magic that dyed the tips of her hair like maple leaves.

Even after a long conversation filled with laughter and chatter, when she fell silent, a sense of emptiness would often be felt. Hong Seona's fundamental loneliness was the kind that could be sensed at this point.

However, she had changed.

She looked a bit more tired than before, and she no longer tried to package herself with a frivolous attitude.

"You suit the short hair."

"Ugh! For a politician, you sure know how to flatter!"

Her hair, which used to reach down to her back, now barely covered her nape. Due to the red magic, her hair still shimmered faintly.

We walked out of the building, exchanging casual chatter.

"I heard that people with high magical aptitude undergo physical changes. Is that what happened to Hong Seona's hair?"

"Ugh... I'm not sure. Am I talented?"

"No, it's not about talent, but aptitude."

I had spent a lot of time researching with Tian Hua, so I could boast of being quite knowledgeable in this area.

The use of magic is boundless.

Type A only enhanced or altered the body, but Type B ability users, in particular, exhibited such characteristics prominently.

Creating flames, emitting lightning, throwing ice, and shaking the ground.

Many awakened individuals use various abilities, but an awakened individual is not limited to one ability. Tian Hua could fill a water cup, heal people, and even create potions by finely controlling magic at the molecular level. This was possible because she could handle magic delicately and had a wealth of the necessary foundational knowledge.

Tian Hua meticulously calculates at the molecular level with a microscope every time she uses magic. It's just a feeling.

On the other hand, there are those like Gan Zhiyun, who can sense magic as naturally as breathing, and those like Hong Seona, who can only produce flames when they release magic.

I know this well from interacting with all three. Each felt and used magic differently.

"So, you're saying I'm an ignorant awakened who can't use magic diversely?"

"Let me remind you again, Hong Seona..."

"Using magic only produces flames, a one-track life of a firecracker—"

"Please stop being so ridiculous."

Just then, a large limousine approached. It was a car sent by GS Group. Although Hong Seona was the president of the association, she was still the guild leader of GS Aegis.

I opened the rear door for her and said,

"Being around you drains my energy. Go quickly."

"See you tomorrow."

"Just go."

I poked her with the handle of my cane, and Hong Seona got into the car with a wide smile.

"Oh, by the way!"

Just as she was about to turn around, she grabbed my arm.

"I heard from our healers."

"Yes."

"Good news is coming soon!"

*

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing."

Lately, I've been feeling uneasy because of the 'good news' Hong Seona mentioned. When Minister Yoo Jae-kyung of the Ministry of Economy and Finance asked lightly, I snapped out of my thoughts.

Right. Now is not the time for this.

I picked up the sweet and sour pork sauce.

"Shall I pour it?"

"Are you trying to do something a socialist would do?"

That was the kind of thing an economic bureaucrat in a capitalist economic system would say.

In the end, I poured only half the sauce. Minister Yoo Jae-kyung of the Ministry of Economy and Finance peeled a pair of chopsticks and passed them around the table. The smell of black bean sauce and spicy seafood noodles filled the air.

The Chief Economic Secretary to the President mixed the black bean sauce thoroughly and passed it to me, while the Minister of State for Government Policy Coordination served the spicy seafood noodles.

There were no deputy ministers or lower at this Chinese restaurant table. The heads of the technocrats who influence the Korean economy were gathered here.

"Oh, Minister Yoo, you look tired?"

"Why? Do you have a stomachache?"

"It's a stomachache, all right!"

"Look, look, look, see how he's laughing and lying on his back because his classmate got promoted. Just."

"Mr. Park, you're also at the ministerial level."

"Is the Minister of State for Government Policy Coordination and the Minister of Economy and Finance the same rank?"

"Hey, you're flattering subtly. Are you already planning ahead?"

"If Minister Yoo becomes the Prime Minister, you can be a minister, Mr. Park!"

Of course, since they were all friendly colleagues from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, it wasn't awkward. In the past, they might have formed factions and fought, but with plenty of high-ranking positions available now, they were all comfortably occupying their seats.

That's why everyone was in a harmonious mood. At least on the surface.

I was the only one without friends here. The only person I knew was Minister Yoo Jae-kyung. This gentleman was the leader of the Korean economic bureaucracy.

He mediated the conversation with a stern look after maintaining a silent smile.

"Hey, hey. There's a legislator here, so don't act so rudely. You're not at a school reunion, are you..."

"This is a school reunion, isn't it?"

"Let's get to the meeting."

Minister Yoo Jae-kyung picked up his chopsticks and started eating the spicy seafood noodles, but from the side, I could see his lips twitching, indicating he was thoroughly enjoying the taste of power.

I laughed lightly.

"There are several ministers here. Is it okay to act like this in front of an opposition legislator?"

As long as there are hearings and national policy inspections, opposition legislators are like overlords to cabinet officials.

However, since this was a special occasion, everyone laughed it off. They were people I had at least some acquaintance with from my days running a foundation.

Most importantly, the leader of the National Party, Kim Jo-in, was a senior economic bureaucrat. In a country where the common sense is that people grow through the support of seniors and juniors, the atmosphere was not bad.

"By the way, is Representative Kim doing well? He's quite old..."

"He's not that old for a legislator. He's in good health."

"That's a relief. When I was in the Policy Coordination Bureau..."

As with high-level conversations, after a long exchange of pleasantries, the main topic finally came up.

"Legislator, didn't GS Group recently shake the market price of magic stones?"

"It's more like they slightly lost control. The reins."

"If it was intentional, it's considered shaking the market."

This was the reason I was here.

The biggest headache for Korean economic officials was GS Group, and the most effective way to influence GS Group was through me.

Originally, legislators were the most powerful lobbyists in Korea.

"Since GS Group practically controls the supply of magic, it inevitably has a significant impact on the national economy..."

"Ha ha..."

"Ms. Cheon Geun-soon is quite aggressive, isn't she? We're in a difficult position, but she's quite innovative."

They asked me about the inside story of GS Group.

"Cheon Geun-soon is said to have made a big deal with the United States, right?"

"It's more like the United States is the mediator, and it's actually with Japan."

"How long has the 7th Fleet been in Japan? Japan is now a puppet of the United States. Just look at how they acted like gangsters with nuclear bombs in the past..."

Translation: This was something that required knowledge of diplomatic relations with the United States, so how did Cheon Geun-soon grasp the U.S.-Korea relationship?

Financial Services Commission, Industrial Bank, and even the Fair Trade Commission couldn't control the wild horse that was Cheon Geun-soon.

"Know your enemy. I've been tracking Cheon Geun-soon all day, and now I even respect her."

"What, what. She is, a product of capitalism, ugh, very, very, the best..."

"Scumbag?"

"Yes! Scumbag...! No, what!?"

Since I had deliberately handed over the magic stones I managed at the foundation to her, she had been disrupting the capitalist market economy like a wild horse that had broken free.

"Even if you tell her not to, she still ruins companies and plays around. When I told her to do R&D, she sent out industrial spies..."

"She has already ruined four companies."

Various methods to check GS Group were proposed. However, to me, they all seemed unrealistic. I answered their questions about GS's internal information appropriately, and I nodded to their unrealistic suggestions, passing the time.

"Samsung is said to have developed second-generation conversion technology recently."

A useful piece of information came in. I frowned and tilted my head.

"First time I've heard of it...?"

"I heard it directly from Lee Jae-yong, so it's half-true."

Conversion technology refers to the technology of converting magic stones into electricity.

I started to talk more seriously.

"Don't be fooled. A month ago, he came to me and said the same thing. He mentioned it casually at a Japanese restaurant."

"Ah, yes..."

"He's trying to secure as much supply as possible because magic stones are not readily available on the market. He's just saying he'll develop it to get it first."

"A month is enough time for new technology to emerge. Why not?"

"All magic stone research in our country is supervised by the government. How can they develop new technology without the government knowing?"

"Ah, there's a new research institute they developed in the Jirisan area."

"Twenty percent of the staff there are National Intelligence Service agents. I know this well because I placed them there. If there was new technology, it would have come from the top, not the bottom."

I said confidently.

"Even if it's inconvenient, it's better to leave it to GS for now."

*

Legislators are the most powerful lobbyists in Korea.

At the same time, they are the most powerful industrial spies.

"You need to be careful, Ms. Cheon. The mood among the bureaucrats is not good."

"Is, is that so...?"

"Samsung seems to be planning to step on you soon. They have a secret underground research institute, and they claim their conversion technology has advanced to the second generation."

Cheon Geun-soon slumped her shoulders and sipped her brandy. She then gathered her coat and bag and stood up.

"Thank you always..."

"Be careful. I've sharpened the knife, so watch your back. I've put up a temporary barrier, but it won't last long..."

"Thank you...!"

"Will you be okay?"

"Ugh! Good news is good, bad news is bad, but it's all about money...!"

I don't know what she usually does, but seeing the bureaucrats use such strong language, I had a premonition that it wasn't something ordinary.

"Are you still fighting with Minister Yoo Jae-kyung?"

"Not really..."

"Then what?"

"That guy is interfering with other people's business!"

Thankfully, I'm not deeply involved. I intentionally keep my distance from Cheon Geun-soon. I've already had my lifespan shortened; I don't want to add more stress.

"Anyway, the Superhuman Association has been launched. I hope we can work well together in the future."

"Don't worry!"

Since the industrial espionage would cost the Superhuman Association about 40 billion won, it wasn't a losing deal.

This should be enough as an opening gift for Hong Seona.

"Phew..."

Now that my back was starting to ache, it was time to go. As I stood up with a smile,

my phone vibrated.

- Hello? Is this Representative Han Seung-moon?

"Ah, yes."

I received the news that my parents had woken up.