WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ How an A-Rank Hunter Lives ◈
Chapter 110: Lawmakers - [1]
──────
After hearing that the Awakened Persons Anti-Discrimination Act had been voted down, I returned home and immediately called Park Mihyeong.
When I asked how things had gotten so messed up while I was away, Park Mihyeong let out a deep sigh loud enough for me to hear through the phone, then explained.
「Well, what happened was...」
According to Park Mihyeong, there were three major reasons the bill had been rejected by such an overwhelming margin.
The first was that a major incident had taken place in the United States, which was relatively tolerant of awakened people.
「An ability-based terrorist attack occurred during an American political debate. The presidential candidates were attending, you see? Someone in the audience was an extreme supporter of Candidate Donald, and I guess they got angry after seeing Donald lose the argument. So, right there, the Democratic candidate...」
“So a politician died in America?”
「More precisely, another one died.」
“They've had countless things like that happen already, and they still haven't taken any measures?”
「They do assign elemental ability users to determine whether people are awakened, but... you know how it is. America doesn't have a culture of keeping awakened people from even approaching important figures. At official events with lots of attendees, there's no way to control every single person...」
The second reason was that Korea's already bad situation had grown even worse after the Behemoth incident.
「You saw Seoul yourself, so you know the situation there. Public safety in Seoul has been terrible lately. Livelihood-driven violent crime has increased sharply, you see? So many people are going out to loot, saying it's all the government's fault. Naturally, more ice ability users struggling to make a living have been getting involved in crime too...」
In short, given the current state of society, people were not in the mood to go out of their way to look after ice ability users.
「What's the last reason?」
Park Mihyeong answered in an irritated voice.
「Obviously, there was never going to be public support for a law meant to look after ice ability users in the first place. Even without the first two reasons I mentioned.」
After ending the call, I searched online for the incidents Park Mihyeong had mentioned.
Looking into them, both really were the sort of things that could affect public opinion. The political assassination in America and the increasing crimes by ice ability users in Korea had both caused quite a stir.
But why was I supposed to take that into account?
No matter how I looked at it, it was none of my concern.
All I had to care about were my own kind and Incheon's lambs. There was no reason to watch my step around non-awakened trash just because some trash had died. None at all.
I tried to contact various awakened people to organize a group protest right away, but it wasn't easy.
When I first contacted the awakened Hunters who had joined the bus protest, they seemed willing to sign if the Association wanted to issue a statement of regret, but they had no intention of joining anything beyond that.
Besides, awakened Hunters were all busy people. It wasn't easy to contact every one of them individually.
If Kim Hyeongman were still alive, one call to that old man would have been enough to gather everyone's opinions. Now even that had become difficult.
I was at a loss. Should I at least contact the newly elected Hunter Association president, someone whose face I had never seen and whom I had only spoken to a few times on Huntweb? Should I demand help from the Association?
That was when I received a call from an unfamiliar number. I answered it anyway.
「Am I speaking to Hunter Kim Geuk?」
“Long live Incheon. This is Kim Geuk. Who's calling?”
「This is Assemblyman Park Jun. We met once before, didn't we? Oh my, you really do say 'Long live Incheon' in everyday life? It's wonderful to see such love for your hometown...!」
He had the genial voice of an old man. While he rambled on, I quickly searched his name online.
Only after seeing the politician's face in the search results did I realize who he was.
“Assemblyman Park Jun, you were there during the bus protest?”
「That's right, that's right! You remember me? I'm quite knowledgeable about Hunters, you see. So whenever something like this happens, I'm the first to step up for my party. This time too...」
“What do you mean, something like this?”
「Why, I hear Hunter Kim Geuk is concerned about the situation in many ways. About the Awakened Persons Anti-Discrimination Act.」
How did he know that too?
Understanding how Kang Jun-chi must have felt, I asked sharply.
“Were you listening in on me?”
「Oh, no, not at all! You already called Councilor Park Mihyeong to ask about the situation, didn't you? Councilor Park Mihyeong then contacted several people for advice. And you contacted people from the Association too... it eventually reached my ears. So, would it be possible to meet in person?」
“Why meet in person?”
「To talk in person. Would that be difficult?」
The next day, after arranging a meeting, I sat alone across from Assemblyman Park Jun.
I had seen him during the bus protest too. Though he was over sixty, he looked healthy and energetic. Perhaps because he was always smiling, there weren't even many wrinkles on his forehead.
Park Jun spoke to me in an extremely friendly manner.
“Hunter Kim Geuk, you look even more impressive in person. How nice it would have been if I'd had such a physique when I was young! But I hear you act like a baby online? I had such a good laugh when I saw that!”
He was clearly trying to create a comfortable atmosphere before getting down to business, but I barely listened.
I had already learned before coming here that this bastard was purebred Seoul stock. He was practically Satan's own kin.
I couldn't let myself be fooled by the words coming from that snake tongue.
I kept my face twisted the whole time, yet the smile never left Assemblyman Park Jun's face.
Then, suddenly, he spoke in a joking tone.
“We're about to discuss something sensitive, so you're not recording this conversation or anything, are you?”
Though I didn't answer, Assemblyman Park Jun continued.
“Your younger sister is currently in prison, which is quite unfortunate, isn't it? So the President said that, considering Hunter Kim Geuk's contributions, perhaps we should consider an early release for your younger sister...”
As he spoke, he subtly watched my face, seemingly gauging my reaction.
I answered immediately.
“If you were going to pardon that bitch, you should've done it long ago. Do you know how much I've accomplished?”
“Everyone knows Hunter Kim Geuk's achievements are enormous! The entire nation owes you a debt, don't they? What you did in Incheon, what you did against that giant Monster, and bringing Kang Jun-chi back from Soweol this time...”
“So instead of letting my sister out right after I accomplished all that, you contacted me now because you think I'm about to do something crazy again... you want to make a deal? You'll let my sister out, so I should stop causing trouble?”
“Oh, no, not at all! I only mean that I hope this might ease Hunter Kim Geuk's anger somewhat.”
Wasn't that exactly what he meant? What a devious bit of Seoul stock.
I growled.
“Forget it. I don't even like that bitch.”
“Don't say things you don't mean. There can't be many older brothers who care about their younger sister this much. Are you feeling shy?”
“If you looked into how many times I visited her in prison, you wouldn't say I didn't mean it. Especially if you'd seen what that bitch looks like.”
One eyebrow of the devious Seoul stock rose.
“Haven't you devoted years to human-rights activism for your younger sister's release? I even heard you awakened during that process...”
“That was that. Even if it's something I don't care about, it's still mine. When someone else damages it, it pisses me off. Like when someone kicks an old junk car you're about to scrap anyway, and it makes you want to snap that bastard's leg bones right there.
“That's why I'm angry. I'm not angry because my dear little sister is suffering. But you're saying you'll let my sister out if I stop pretending to be a human-rights activist? That's ridiculous.”
“Mr. Kim Geuk. It's not as though I'm suggesting you become a coward for your sister's sake...”
“Enough. That bitch was getting out this year anyway. Why should I make a deal just to see that ugly face a few months earlier?”
“Are you saying you have no interest at all in your younger sister's release?”
I only nodded, arrogantly enough that even I could feel it. Assemblyman or not, that was how I was supposed to act around non-awakened trash.
Then I said,
“Shouldn't your side keep the promise from that day first? Instead of proposing some deal.”
“The promise from that day, you mean the demands you made during the protest? Haven't all of those already been carried out?”
“They've all been carried out?”
“Yes. We let the Hunters choose the Hunter Association president as they wished, and the Special Forces changed its policy so it couldn't mobilize Hunters. As for the Awakened Persons Anti-Discrimination Act, you must have seen that it passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. We didn't just put on a show. We properly prepared and introduced it. You have no idea how hard our staff worked to get that bill passed.”
“But it didn't pass the plenary session in the end.”
“That couldn't be helped. Given public opinion at the time, it was remarkable that it even received forty votes in favor, let alone a majority.”
“I didn't demand that you introduce a bill. I demanded that you make a law. If the law wasn't made in the end, then you broke your promise.”
“Mr. Kim Geuk.”
“Public opinion, the atmosphere, whatever. If you made a promise, you should keep it.”
“I understand that you're frustrated, but...”
“So when the hell is that law going to be made? Do awakened people have to gather again and hold another bus protest before it'll happen?”
Was he angry because I kept speaking informally, or because of what I was saying?
The expression of the Seoul stock, who had only smiled genially no matter how rude I was, turned serious.
Assemblyman Park Jun closed his eyes, then opened them.
“Man, does that make any sense? Powerful people show up and throw their weight around, so all the Assembly Members come together and instantly make a law? Does that make any sense?”
“You make laws you like unanimously just fine.”
“The party can issue certain guidelines! Some laws can pass absurdly easily! Even so, individual Assembly Members can oppose something or support it. How are we supposed to control that?”
Assemblyman Park Jun paused to catch his breath, then continued.
“If that were how things worked, this would be the Korean Empire, not the Republic of Korea! No, acting like that would make it North Korea, not even the Korean Empire! Are you saying that because you really want to turn this place into North Korea?”
Assemblyman Park Jun finished, his voice raised as high as it could go.
“This is a democratic country, man! Why would elected officials do politics if they weren't going to care about public opinion and the atmosphere? If they value the words of superhumans over the people who elected them, is that a democratic country?”
Hmm. I didn't know much about politics. Maybe there was some logical rebuttal to what he said.
Still, I knew how to shut that mouth.
“Could you say the exact same thing in front of Kang Jun-chi?”
The moment I said that, Assemblyman Park Jun glared at me. That was all.
Nothing like, “If you're going to bring that bastard Kang Jun-chi here, then bring him! I'll say the same thing to his face!” came out of his mouth.
He must have already known that I was acquainted with Kang Jun-chi. He was probably worried that if he provoked me for no reason, I might actually bring him here.
Of course, shutting him up like that didn't make me feel any better. Wasn't this just borrowing someone else's power?
Considering that Kang Jun-chi wouldn't help with this matter, it was nothing but empty bravado too.
Before coming here, I had contacted Kang Jun-chi and asked for his support. What had that bastard said?
“Shouldn't I be lying low instead of making a scene right now? You know I caused a massive incident this time. How could I have the nerve to pull that shit? I've even stopped filming those righteous-punishment videos because I'm worried about what people will think, and now you're telling me to suddenly make noise about ice ability users' human rights? That's a little...”
“It's not human-rights activism for ice ability users. It's human-rights activism for awakened people.”
I told him that once people got used to oppressing ice ability users, they would oppress other elemental ability users too, and once they got used to oppressing elemental ability users, they would oppress other awakened people as well. It didn't work.
“Maybe that will happen eventually, but... why do you or I need to care?”
“What do you mean, why do we need to care?”
“Even if they try to tie awakened people down with laws, won't they only tie down easy targets? How could they use laws to tie down someone like me, or someone like you who jumps from place to place with Spatial Teleportation and has a nasty temper? What we should worry about isn't the law, but the Special Forces suddenly walking up and stabbing us with a blade...”
It had been the same during the Jin Beom incident, and Kang Jun-chi had no intention of stepping forward this time either.
He said it wasn't his problem, but I wasn't surprised. I had expected it.
I remembered that, during the days of Korean Awakened Solidarity, we had tried to bring in not only ice ability users but also powerful awakened people strong enough to work as Hunters. It hadn't gone well. Even when we went to the homes of famous awakened Hunters to speak with them, we were treated like peddlers and thrown out.
But unlike during the days of Korean Awakened Solidarity, I knew people listened when Hunter Kim Geuk spoke.
I had learned that during the disturbance at the police station. Just like then, I knew what I had to do now.
“Who are you? Put that down...”
A few hours later, I stood in front of the National Assembly Building with a hammer clenched tightly in one hand.
* * *
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
