Ch.42Chapter 42 – The Visit

*Ziiing-*

As Jae-hyuk Shin turned from his poetry book at the sound of the door opening, a woman in a neatly pressed suit entered the hospital room. Her hair was pulled back, revealing a strikingly beautiful face. Jae-hyuk recognized her immediately.

“Hong Ha-rin…”

Hong Ha-rin. His only friend of the same age from the orphanage. Though it had been years since he’d last seen her, her impression hadn’t changed at all. She was exactly as he remembered—a cold beauty exuding an icy aura. Her immaculate formal attire only sharpened her presence further.

“It’s been a while. Even I feel a bit awkward meeting like this.”

Surprisingly, she greeted him casually. If she were the person he remembered, she would have been more businesslike, checking on him with disinterest before promptly leaving. Perhaps she’d matured with age. The prospect of a longer conversation was welcome to Jae-hyuk. He too was glad for this reunion with an old friend.

Jae-hyuk expressed his gratitude first.

“Thank you. I heard you arranged this VIP room for me? Must have been expensive.”

“No need to thank me. It didn’t come out of my wallet—I charged it to the company card.”

She delivered this serious statement in a nonchalant tone. Bewildered, Jae-hyuk asked:

“What? I thought you were a civil servant. Can you use the card however you want without consequences?”

Instead of answering, she handed him a business card. Jae-hyuk read it.

National Intelligence Service, Awakened Management Division Director Hong Ha-rin.

“The NIS?!”

Jae-hyuk was startled by the familiar name. It was an organization he’d encountered frequently while taking on fixer jobs. He’d even hacked their servers several times when necessary. So when she revealed her affiliation, he felt a pang of worry that perhaps his database intrusions had been discovered.

‘Hong Ha-rin in the NIS… It doesn’t suit her—or wait, maybe it actually does?’

Cold judgment and superior intellect. The image matched surprisingly well. And she was even a director! The agent work seemed to suit not just her image but her aptitude as well.

Just as Jae-hyuk was about to ask how she ended up joining the NIS, she struck first:

“You’re an unregistered Awakened, aren’t you?”

Jae-hyuk was shocked again. But thanks to his desperate effort to control his expression, his dismay wasn’t visible.

“What are you talking about? An unregistered Awakened? That’s impossible.”

Ignoring his explanation, she tapped her smartphone screen a few times.

“This is you, isn’t it?”

Hong Ha-rin showed him a video. The same footage he’d seen hours ago—himself chanting divine spells on a rooftop.

“There’s no use denying it. I already know everything.”

She held out something—a bag with its bottom stained red with blood. His own bag, lost during the battle with Belial.

‘Damn it.’

She really did seem to know everything. With his wallet and phone inside the bag, he couldn’t deny it. A clear checkmate.

‘Damn, they must have already secured the rooftop CCTV footage too…’

Jae-hyuk quickly resigned himself. Instead of making excuses, he tried to figure out where he’d made a mistake in concealing his identity.

“But how did you find me so quickly?”

The speed at which his identity was exposed was too fast. It couldn’t have taken even 30 minutes from when he defeated Belial on the building rooftop until he passed out on his way home. How had they found him and placed him in a VIP hospital room?

“You’ve been a person of interest under surveillance by the Awakened Management Division for some time.”

“…Me?”

“When Korea’s first S-class boss, codename ‘Surtr,’ appeared in Gwanak District, there were testimonies that the boss, who was about to attack retreating military forces, suddenly turned around to chase a police car that had ‘injured him.’ The police car belonged to the Gwanak Police Station, and its dashcam survived because it was out of range of the signal interference.”

Oops! That was a mistake. At the time, he’d acted too impulsively, focused only on preventing the summoning of a high-ranking demon. He never considered that his actions might be recorded by dashcams of vehicles parked near the police station. The NIS would have easily collected the footage. Given that his information hadn’t been released to the news, the NIS must have controlled the information.

“That’s not all. Last year, the Christmas E-class gate massacre. You were there too, weren’t you? Thanks to the NIS controlling the information, it wasn’t made public, but we know who cleared that gate.”

Hong Ha-rin herself had gone to control the information about that incident. A major event where one person’s mistake nearly wiped out an entire attack squad. If journalists had learned about it, it would have significantly damaged President Park Ju-gwan’s pro-hunter policy approval ratings, which is why she, as director, personally visited the scene.

And by chance, while reviewing reports, she discovered the name of an old friend she knew well. It confirmed her suspicions from the Gwanak incident.

“…Then why didn’t you come looking for me earlier? Why leave me alone?”

Unregistered Awakened are dangerous entities. Those who hide their awakening despite the penalties are considered potential criminals.

To root out these dangerous elements, the government and Hunter Association mandate nationwide awakening tests every few months. Unregistered Awakened who are discovered must legally serve two years in the Association’s gate assault teams.

When the “Conscription Bill” was first proposed in the United States, it was criticized as a human rights violation, but after an unregistered Awakened massacred dozens of civilians, the Association quickly pushed the bill through with media manipulation. After this bill became the Hunter Association’s standard, other member countries gradually followed suit and passed similar conscription laws. Korea was no exception.

Now it was common knowledge that “unregistered Awakened” was synonymous with “criminal.” And he was an unregistered Awakened who had managed to damage an S-class boss. If the NIS knew about the Gwanak incident, why hadn’t they contacted him earlier?

“There are three rational reasons. First, we needed to understand your motives. If we approached carelessly and you became hostile to the NIS… Honestly, we don’t have the power to stop an S-class Hunter.”

Fortunately, you didn’t seem to be planning any crimes, she added.

That made sense. If a high-ranking Awakened estimated to be S-class went on a rampage, there would be casualties and no means to stop them. Of course, Korea did have Kim Jae-min, an S-class Hunter, but it was uncertain whether he would cooperate with the NIS’s directives.

“Second, there were secret orders from President Park Ju-gwan. He instructed us not to arrest unregistered Awakened of A-class or higher, but to try persuading them instead. The President is currently in a power struggle with Hwang Hee-jong, the Korean branch head of the Hunter Association, over command authority of Awakened individuals. He doesn’t want to arrest high-ranking Awakened, as each strong Hunter conscripted only strengthens Hwang Hee-jong’s position.”

‘So there was such a backstory…’

The second reason was clearly political. But then again, it was inevitable that politics would be involved in such important matters.

‘Then what’s the third reason?’

Jae-hyuk leaned in, focusing intently on what would come from Hong Ha-rin’s lips.

“And lastly… you don’t need to know.”

Hong Ha-rin swallowed the rest of her words. There was no need to tell him that she had strongly opposed his arrest. Even she didn’t understand why she had defended him so passionately. Though ten years had passed, she tried to erase the still-handsome face of her childhood friend from her mind, rationalizing her own actions.

‘Right. There’s no way I’d care about him. I opposed it not for you, but because of Seong-ha unnie…’

Unaware of Hong Ha-rin’s thoughts, Jae-hyuk gave her a suspicious look. Not being told the third reason made him assume there was something fishy about it.

“Then why reveal all this and contact me now?”

Of course, there was a reason for that too. A very important reason.

“The Incheon disaster has essentially confirmed that you’re an S-class Awakened. And more importantly,”

She paused briefly and took a deep breath—a habit before delivering important news.

“His Excellency the President has requested to meet you.”

***

In the luxurious limousine, Jae-hyuk checked the bag Hong Ha-rin had returned to him. Smartphone, wallet, hat, hacking tools, mace—all the belongings he thought he’d lost were there.

He squirmed slightly, uncomfortable in the stiff new clothes. His original outfit had been reduced to rags during the fight with Belial, so Hong Ha-rin had bought him new ones. Jae-hyuk glanced at Hong Ha-rin in the front seat, recalling their conversation at the hospital.

‘Wear this. You can’t meet the President in hospital clothes, can you? And you certainly can’t wear those rags.’

‘…What if I refuse to go?’

‘I already know you’ve been working as a fixer since middle school. You’re skilled enough that there’s no legal evidence to detain you, but what would happen if I told Sister Seong-ha or Sister Grace about this…?’

‘Damn it.’

Cunning woman… holding his livelihood hostage. She really hadn’t changed at all. Still smart, and still heartless.

Jae-hyuk sullenly looked out the window. In the distance, he could see Mount Bukak. The Blue House at the foot of the mountain was the limousine’s destination.

“But why the President? I wonder why he’s calling for me…”

Pondering wouldn’t give him answers. Soon, Jae-hyuk took out his smartphone and opened Namuwiki. He typed “Park Ju-gwan” in the search bar, and information about the man immediately appeared. He thought he might as well research the person he was going to meet during the drive to the Blue House.

***

President Park Ju-gwan.

Korea’s dictator, a great patriot.

This is how the public viewed Park Ju-gwan. A power holder who controlled Korea’s administrative, legislative, and military powers. It would be no exaggeration to say that he held the Republic of Korea in the palm of his hand.

One might wonder how such a dictator could exist in modern South Korea, where liberal democracy is the basic ideology. After all, the internet is full of people who foam at the mouth over politics.

The answer is simple. He was popular.

In chaotic crisis situations, people need decisive and competent leaders. Park Ju-gwan was such a figure.

His political acumen, honed since his days as a military officer, proved useful after he became president. With his already close ties to the military, it wasn’t difficult for him to take control of the government and co-opt lawmakers.

A single word from him moved the military and government.

Society calls such a person a dictator.

Korea historically has many trigger points regarding dictators. Not only were there such presidents in the past, but there’s still a dictator alive and well in the North. To Koreans, a dictator is absolutely a son of a bitch who should not exist.

Park Ju-gwan naturally knew that as his term in power lengthened, protests or riots opposing him would emerge. He also knew that to prevent such backlash, he needed achievements—accomplishments that only he could achieve, that would make the people acknowledge him.

For this card, Park Ju-gwan pulled out radical policies early in his administration. It was a high-risk, high-return strategy.

The celebritization of Hunters.

Park Ju-gwan was the man who initiated the ranking system for Awakened. Impressed by his idea, the Hunter Association implemented the ranking system worldwide. His political standing rose in the Association and at the UN World Summit for Emergency Disaster Prevention. Through his policies, he gained the support of Awakened individuals and their families.

The S-class Hunter mercenary theory.

Korea was one of only seven countries in the world with an S-class Hunter. Park Ju-gwan dispatched his country’s high-ranking Hunter to other countries as a mercenary. The host countries could clear gates without casualties, and Korea could earn foreign currency—a win-win situation. How Park Ju-gwan persuaded Kim Jae-min, an S-class Hunter, remains unknown. Regardless of the process, convincing Kim Jae-min was entirely Park Ju-gwan’s achievement.

Defense-first policy.

Park Ju-gwan invested most of the enormous foreign currency earned abroad in strengthening national defense. Buying weapons, increasing the number of troops, investing in defense projects. There were numerous speculative criticisms: Is he mentally ill for pouring money into the military while the economy collapses? Is he lobbying the military? But he stubbornly increased the defense budget. Provincial cities with insufficient Hunters and military power welcomed his decision.

As always, people took sides on these decisions, debating whether his policies were right or wrong.

Some say he’s a psycho dictator who let the previous president die, simply a dirty politician addicted to power.

Others say that thanks to Park Ju-gwan, Korea has finally been recognized as a powerful nation with a voice and influence abroad.

Some say Park Ju-gwan lost both his son and wife to gates, making him a vengeful ghost gambling the nation’s fate on defense projects.

Others say that rather than having various political parties tearing each other apart and wasting energy, it’s better to follow the path set by one person.

There were as many diverse opinions as there were Korean citizens.

But most people agreed on one thing: that he was quite—no, extremely—competent.

He was a necessary evil.