Ch.64Got Screwed Over Because It’s Korea…?

Korea is truly a disgusting country.

A nation pretending to be developed while acting like a third-world country.

A nation that mobilizes the socially vulnerable for military service regardless of gender.

A nation full of old-fashioned people, a nation divided by income levels, a nation lacking consideration in many ways.

That was exactly how Lee Heejeong viewed Korea as a country.

‘Why are we even allies with Japan? Have we already forgotten what happened 100 years ago?’

She submitted applications for transfer to the US headquarters every year.

However, Lee Heejeong had never once seen a recommender’s stamp on those transfer applications.

Simply because the country was Korea.

I’m clearly more talented than the American researchers.

But I just happened to be born in this pathetic country called Korea!

And next door in Japan, thanks to the US-Japan alliance, several researchers were allowed to transfer.

It wasn’t because I lacked ability.

It was simply because ‘Korea’ was being ‘Korea.’

That was Lee Heejeong’s reasoning for why she couldn’t transfer to America.

But even a worm will wiggle when stepped on.

“Miss Lee Heejeong. Here is your American passport.”

“W-wow…!”

That day, it had been worth eavesdropping on Research Director Lee Jin-ah’s soliloquy in the research building.

At the time, Lee Jin-ah had brought alcohol to the research building, gulping down vodka in her office since early afternoon, and then as if wanting to be heard:

“Plans to withdraw US forces from Korea… what an incredible scheme they’re planning…”

“…!”

“Hiccup! But if I help with that, they’ll grant me immediate entry to the US, which is still quite tempting…”

“…Entry to the US?”

She had been drunk rambling, and thanks to that, Lee Heejeong had gone to meet Donzo.

And in reality, half of the plan had already succeeded.

“From now on, you are a US citizen. That means you can work at the research facility at our US headquarters.”

“…! Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”

The US visa she had only heard about!

The fact that it had actually become a passport in her hands made Lee Heejeong repeatedly caress her photo in the passport with an expression of absolute delight.

It was utterly blissful.

But that moment was brief.

“But! Miss Lee Heejeong. You need to fulfill our contract first, right?”

“Ah, yes! Of course! I’ve already mastered everything!”

The condition for obtaining not just a US green card but becoming the next research director of the Hunter Association’s US headquarters.

The terms Lee Heejeong had agreed to were as follows:

“I’ll be controlling this cyborg monster, right?”

“Yes! Just do it like you’re playing a game. Smash the US military bases as you see them, and until the Korean Hunters or military forces gather, running wild is entirely up to you, Lee Heejeong.”

The role of a pilot controlling a cyborg monster from behind.

That was the first contract role from the US that Lee Heejeong had taken on.

In simple terms, she was an experimental subject controlling another experimental subject.

‘I’m going to America… I’m going to America!’

I am the protagonist.

With only that image in her mind, Lee Heejeong was eager to control this monster in the test tube.

And then she wanted nothing more than to leave this disgusting country as quickly as possible.

***

The next day.

‘I need to find Lee Heejeong quickly…’

Arriving at the Hunter Association as usual, I was looking for Lee Heejeong to prevent her American expedition before heading to the workshop.

But the only place she was likely to be was the underground research facility.

‘Should I wait until she comes out?’

Each research facility in the Hunter branch was a place only accessible to high-ranking Hunters or researchers involved in research.

As a mere Hunter Meister, I had no legitimate reason to enter.

So I could only pace back and forth in front of the elevator.

“Damn it…!”

The main story of this scenario.

Was there no good way to stop Lee Heejeong’s American expedition?

Was there really no way to stop her from becoming an anti-Korean propagandist as soon as she got her US green card, delivering the final blow to the US forces withdrawal proposal in the latter part of the story?

“We meet again.”

“…!”

Just as I was considering whether I should use ‘force’ to stop her:

“Director Lee Jin-ah…?”

“I saw you pacing back and forth in front of the elevator like a hamster, so I got curious and came over.”

Lee Jin-ah had somehow approached from behind me.

I was already busy enough with Lee Heejeong’s situation.

How should I get rid of this person now?

While I was pondering this:

‘Come to think of it, she’s the research director, isn’t she…?’

A sudden idea occurred to me.

Lee Jin-ah, who never even appeared in the original work.

She currently held both the position of branch director and research director of the Korean Hunter Association.

In other words, if I used her well, couldn’t I gain access to the research facility through her?

“Actually, I’ve been interested in the research facility lately…”

“The research facility?”

“Yes. Actually, since my school days, becoming a researcher was one of my dreams. But my grades weren’t good enough back then, so I had no choice but to change careers and become a Hunter Meister.”

I subtly began laying the groundwork, using the fact that I was in my early twenties.

“Then shall we go down together?”

“…What?”

But.

A fish caught with just that little bait?

“…Really?”

“Yes, of course. It’s not a difficult thing, and Rolling comes down to the research facility occasionally too. Is there any reason why you, as her son, shouldn’t be allowed?”

Lee Jin-ah placed her hands on both of my shoulders.

“Besides, I’m always ‘indebted’ to Shinwoo.”

“…!”

The debt she mentioned to me.

It was obviously referring to Princess Kurumi, who could only properly communicate with me.

‘She means she’ll do anything as long as I take good care of the princess…’

Give and take.

Having immediately recognized Lee Jin-ah’s true colors, I decided to just accept her offer with the same emotionless smile she wore.

“Thank you. Then please lead the way.”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

So I boarded the elevator with Lee Jin-ah.

There, Lee Jin-ah placed her ID card against the elevator button.

[Do you wish to enter the research facility?]

Along with a guidance voice I had never heard before.

“Let’s go there.”

[Yes. Understood.]

The elevator then began descending underground without any buttons being pressed.

‘I’ve seen this in the game, but it’s still pretty cool…’

This American expedition episode was about a character who was about to be rejected again for a transfer application to the US headquarters and would turn from a heroine to a villain.

The storyline was about somehow reforming Lee Heejeong and making her loyal to Korea again.

In the original work, her family was killed by the entity named Angel, which caused her contempt for Korea to skyrocket.

Such a Lee Heejeong wanted to be assigned to America, the land of opportunity, rather than this small peninsula of a half-country, and that’s how the incident began.

“Why is it a Japanese person again! Why the fuck are Japanese researchers going instead of me!”

Lee Heejeong was basically a woman with severe paranoia.

So she always thought that the reason she couldn’t transfer to become an American researcher wasn’t because of herself, but simply because the national power was weak.

After living as a Korean researcher for five years, she finally reached her limit around this time and crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

CRACK!

“Huff… huff…! Y-you guys did the same thing 100 years ago…! S-so this is just self-defense… p-patriotism!”

If I don’t stop her, two days from now on the transfer announcement day, Lee Heejeong will kill the Japanese researcher who passed the US transfer instead of her, unable to control her impulse.

And if that happens, it would lock in the first step toward the bad ending.

At first, I didn’t think much of Lee Heejeong becoming a criminal.

I just thought, ‘So she was a fake heroine too…’ and eventually forgot about this incident with a light heart.

Yes… until she was secretly released from prison after her talent for monster research was recognized in America.

Until she became the leader of an American extremist group in the final part of the story and had a major influence on the withdrawal of US forces from Korea, I didn’t realize she was such an important character.

So I came to stop her.

Because of Lee Heejeong’s trolling behavior that was about to happen.

‘Since her parents are still alive thanks to me, she probably won’t be as vicious as in the original work, right?’

Unlike the original work, I hadn’t had any confrontation with her yet, but if all else failed, I might have to stop her forcefully.

With the intention of at least getting acquainted with her, I finally arrived at the research facility.

But what was going on here?

“La la la~”

The atmosphere of the research facility at that time was very briefly described in the original work.

After all the senior researchers died in the monster incident, Lee Heejeong unexpectedly became the research director of the Korean research facility.

However, not satisfied with that, she continued to hope for a transfer to America to climb even higher, and the Korean research facility before the announcement day was as cold as ice.

Because of Lee Heejeong alone, the research facility was as silent as a military barracks from the 80s.

…That should have been the state of the research facility at this time according to what I read in the original work.

“Come on, everyone! Let’s all work hard and do our best today!”

Something was strange.

This couldn’t be right.

I spotted Lee Heejeong running around the research facility, laughing and chatting cheerfully, while receiving chilling stares from the other researchers.

And I immediately realized:

The original work had already been altered.