WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

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◈ How an A-Rank Hunter Lives ◈

Chapter 36: Korean Awakening Alliance Kim Geuk - [3]

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Just as they said, an online article about the incident had already gone up. One look at the title told me it was as provocative as could be.

- Incheon City, Civil Servant's Unthinkable ‘Abuse of Power’ Against Hunter Kim Geuk

Controversy has arisen after an Incheon City civil servant gave Hunter Kim Geuk, known as a key figure in the Incheon Recovery Project, an illegal order unrelated to his duties.

On the 16th, Hunter Kim Geuk had just finished a life-threatening eradication operation that lasted from 10:00 to 18:00. While fatigued from the operation (······), he responded to an off-duty order from an Incheon City civil servant around 22:40 (······)

Civil Servant A, at the center of the controversy, explained, “I sincerely apologize to Hunter Kim Geuk and the citizens of Incheon. However, I didn't realize the order in question was illegal. I was also aware that Hunter Kim Geuk was tired after participating in the operation until late that day, but it was nighttime, so I couldn't seek advice from a superior. Since it was an emergency, I felt that as the person on night duty, I had to do something.”

It was a condemnatory article that had openly decided who the victim and perpetrator were. I could practically feel their determination to half-kill the civil servant assigned to me.

There were other articles too, and they all said much the same thing. Park Mihyeong had clearly contacted reporters she knew and had them write these immediately. Seeing this, I realized she'd been properly furious that day.

Still, I didn't think it would end here.

Were there quite a few reporters lurking on Huntweb too? Plenty of them would probably see the post I'd just written and publish articles about it. I was worried it might even make the news at this rate.

That would be humiliating for Incheon, so I considered deleting my earlier post. Then I decided against it.

When I thought about it, this wasn't something I should just let slide for my own peace of mind. Especially when I considered the other awakened Hunters who might sign contracts with Incheon City besides me.

I thought of Cho E-un. It was unexpected. To think he had been subjected to abuse of power just because he was a foreign worker.

Apparently, some awakened Hunters in Seoul were being used in similar ways too. That was shocking as well.

I'd assumed that once someone became an A-rank Hunter, they all lived without caring what anyone else thought, filled with a sense of superiority. But that wasn't true for everyone.

It really didn't feel like someone else's problem. It felt like finding out that a family member living far away had been mistreated by their superior at some small or medium-sized company...

My heart felt terribly unsettled, as if someone close to me had suffered something like that. It bothered me far more than the 9th-Grade Call I'd endured without even realizing it.

* * *

Since it was my day off and I was sitting in front of the computer, articles about the incident kept appearing without end. I was fairly famous, and it was well known that I loudly professed my love for Incheon. To readers, the articles must've been quite provocative.

Park1994: He got over 50 billion won, so of course he should come running whenever they call him to work. People are making a fuss over some rich man with tens of billions in assets, for fuck's sake. Tsk tsk.

There were some Seoul types like that among the comments, but they were a minority.

Those comments got flooded with downvotes, and most people condemned Incheon City and the civil servant.

5myJesus: Guess they thought he was an easy mark because he kept saying Long live Incheon, long live Incheon? Ungrateful bastards.

Guest12: Even all the Incheon civil servants put together haven't contributed as much as Kim Geuk did over the last half year... Take all the civil servants' salaries and give them to Kim Geuk.

Guest14: If Incheon City fails to renew Hunter Kim Geuk's contract next year, assume it was because of this and behead everyone involved.

I wasn't sitting around leisurely reading articles either.

Calls kept coming in from all over, and I had to keep dealing with reporters and the civil servant assigned to me.

“Ah, Reporter Im Huiseon? Yes, it does make me uncomfortable. Do I still feel like saying Long live Incheon? Of course I do. In the end, isn't this an unfortunate situation where Seoul's bad practices spread to Incheon? The Seoul breed are the problem...”

“...But awakened Hunters being subjected to this sort of abuse of power is definitely something we can't just overlook. No matter how much money they make, they're all people risking their lives at work. There's no reason they should be treated this way. We have to use this opportunity to wipe out this bad practice for good...”

“Youngtae? Yeah, I saw the article. Fine, if you're sorry, that's enough. It's not like you deliberately wanted to treat me like a slave, so what could I do? You're going to suffer for a while, but everyone will forget with time, so pull yourself together somehow. No, don't quit being a civil servant. If you quit, where else would you even work...?”

Incheon City Hall seemed to be in an uproar too.

That afternoon, the busy Mayor of Incheon personally descended upon my home and apologized to me.

“I'm truly sorry. I promise this will never happen again, and I also promise severe punishment for the civil servant who caused this incident.”

“Uh, I'm friends with that person. I don't think it'd be very good if you punish them severely.”

“Still, wouldn't it be difficult to simply let this pass?”

“Even if someone has to be severely punished, shouldn't it be somebody higher up rather than them? From what I could see, this wasn't one person overstepping their bounds. It seemed like a bad practice already widespread among civil servants. When I heard their explanation over the phone, they said nobody told them it was illegal when the work was handed over to them.”

The mayor only muttered an apology, looking troubled.

Feeling frustrated, I asked, “Why does this stupid bad practice even exist? It can't be because civil servants want to establish discipline over the awakened people they've contracted with.”

The mayor looked around at my sharp question. Only after confirming it was just the two of us did the mayor finally open their mouth.

“Well, awakened persons have become far too expensive, haven't they? There are many jobs that need awakened people, but local governments are already struggling because they don't have enough money to hire Hunters to protect the land and its people. Public institutions don't have the means to hire awakened people separately either. So...”

I could roughly understand what they meant.

With Gates opening and superhuman awakened people appearing, it might seem like capable awakened people would be stationed throughout society. But reality wasn't like that.

Even police stations, fire stations, and the military couldn't specially recruit and employ Body Enhancement users or force-field exoskeleton users. Awakened people were simply too expensive.

A powerful, capable awakened person would become a Hunter. If they didn't want to do dangerous work, they'd rather guard an upscale apartment complex than accept a civil servant's meager salary.

Even the prison where I went to visit my younger sister was like that. Considering the awakened prisoners held there, there should've been capable awakened correctional officers to deal with a potential riot. Yet I'd never seen a correctional officer there who seemed likely to be awakened.

Then again, prisons had always operated at a deficit. How could they pay enough to hire awakened people? Before Gates opened and after, prisons were still staffed by potbellied middle-aged correctional officers, ordinary civil servants working under stress.

“I don't think I should shamelessly ask you to understand our difficult circumstances. Kim Geuk, you have contributed so much to Incheon in less than half a year. If we want to maintain a good relationship without making each other uncomfortable, I believe actions, not words alone, are necessary.

“You said you don't want severe punishment, so I think we should focus on compensation. We can discuss that...”

The fact that they were going to compensate me did make me feel better.

I was about to say something gallant, like I cared less about compensation than making sure this never happened again, but I stopped myself.

Come to think of it, there was something I'd planned for a while. I brought it up.

“About that compensation, would it be all right if I made a personal request?”

“Of course. A personal request is fine. Please, tell me.”

The mayor thought about my proposal for a bit, then said it probably wouldn't be too difficult.

I took that as practical approval. Since I was at it, I even called reporters to finalize my plan. I advertised it to them...

A few hours after the article I wanted had been published, I received a call. It was Park Mihyeong.

「Kim Geuk, you're going to build a high-rise apartment building? Right in front of the containment facility?」

“Yes. You can really tell I'm rich, can't you?”

* * *

Q. Is it true that you plan to construct a high-rise building in front of the Incheon Awakened Persons New Home?

- That's right. It is only a verbal promise, but I have already received a promise of construction permission from the Mayor of Incheon. If possible, I plan to build it at least forty stories high. If I don't have enough money, I'll take out a loan.

Q. Cement and reinforcing steel prices have risen sharply, so construction costs won't be low. Is there a reason you are insisting on new construction rather than buying an existing building?

- It's because I want to choose the residents myself. More specifically, I plan to accept Ice Crystal ability users, commonly called ice ability users, as residents too. If I bought an existing apartment building, I would face opposition from the current residents, which would make that difficult. I will build a new one from the ground up so I don't have to worry about anyone opposing it.

Q. You seem particularly generous toward Ice Crystal ability users. Is there a reason?

- My younger sister, my teammate, and Councilor Park Mihyeong, who has often looked after me, are all Ice Crystal ability users. I also know many other Ice Crystal ability users. Through years of activity with Korean Awakened Solidarity, I am well aware of their circumstances (······)

Unfortunately, I understand it would be difficult if ice ability users from other regions gathered in one place. I plan to offer leases or occupancy rights primarily to ice ability users confirmed to already live in Incheon. So I would like to state in advance that there is no reason to fear there will be more Ice Crystal ability users in the area than there are now.

Q. You emphasized that Hunter Kim Geuk himself will live in the apartment building. Is that consideration for nearby residents?

- That's right. The fact that I will personally live there is important.

Q. Please explain in more detail.

- I have heard that Monsters inside Gates decide whether to open a Gate nearby after seeing the awakened people outside it. If a strong awakened person like me is there, even if the Monsters inside a Gate see Ice Crystal ability users, they will think twice before opening one.

Even if a Gate opens nearby, I will be able to respond first. If that lets us reduce Monster damage as much as possible, I believe it will help nearby residents. Residents near the Incheon Awakened Persons New Home often protest, so perhaps my plan will help them as well (······)

* * *

「Wait, you're saying you plan to pour your entire fortune into building that?」

“Yes.”

「Have you lost your mind?」

I coolly answered Park Mihyeong's question.

“I can earn more money. You know I get paid a ton every time I go hunting, apart from that contract payment.”

「Even so, you're insane! Are you sure you can even recover the construction costs if you put up a building in front of a containment facility? No matter how I look at it, it seems like you're throwing money away...」

“Well, I can think of it as charity work.”

「The problem is that it isn't just thinking of it as charity work, it actually is charity work! And it's an even bigger problem because you're spending your entire fortune! I've done charity work before too, but I've never been this reckless. Seriously, why are you doing this?」

Seeing Park Mihyeong get worked up, I could tell she was genuinely flustered. She knew I was doing something for ice ability users, but she hadn't expected me to go this far.

Still, I didn't think spending money on this was a waste.

Because it wasn't for other people. It was for my own people.

Baek Dambi acted on Huntweb as if she were a successful A-rank Hunter. Maybe she wasn't simply putting on airs, but genuinely identified with A-rank Hunters.

Wasn't she someone who had originally believed she would sign a contract with a local government and work as an A-rank Hunter? It seemed that acting while thinking of herself as an A-rank Hunter helped her pride and mental health. Maybe that was why she only acted friendly toward people with A-rank badges on Huntweb and shared a sense of kinship with powerful awakened people.

I was the opposite of her. I'd spent far longer working with Korean Awakened Solidarity than I had as a Hunter.

During that time, I'd spent my days with “insignificant” awakened people and empathized with their position. Until I entered Hunter academy, I had even been intimidated by the fact that I was awakened.

Now I was successful enough to spend tens of billions of won as a powerful awakened person without feeling any anxiety about the future. Naturally, I also felt a kinship with the successful A-rank Hunters on Huntweb.

That meant I now felt that awakened people of every kind, strong or weak, were not strangers to me.

Whether they were iceheads or S-rank Kang Jun-chi, I considered all of them my people, my compatriots. Every awakened person, no matter what they did...

One of my compatriots called me. My ring girl, Baek Dambi.

「Um, Kim Geuk? I saw the article and decided to contact you. By any chance...」

“Ah, are you asking about occupancy rights?”

「Yes, if that's all right...」

I'd planned this after seeing the hallucination in which she appeared in the first place. I spoke with laughter in my voice.

“Perfect timing. I felt a little weird about calling you first because it would've felt like I was forcing a jade heating mat on an acquaintance. Especially since I don't even know whether it'll work out.

“They haven't even broken ground yet, but I should tell you in advance not to expect much infrastructure around the apartment. I do plan to put a supermarket and convenience store inside the building, though...”

When I was young, my father would go on about patriotism at every opportunity.

If he caught me reading Japanese manga, he would curse me out and call me a traitor. Whenever the Korean national football team had a match, he would wake me up in the middle of the night and tell me I had to watch, even though I had no interest in football. He did everything he could to pay less tax to the country, yet in front of his family he acted like some independence activist.

As a reaction to that, I had no patriotism from a young age. I'd never felt a sense of belonging to the concept of the Korean people.

Those people who were supposed to be my parents were the main source of my stress, so I'd never felt much belonging even within the family. Just hearing words like filial piety or patriotism made me feel repulsed. Whenever people said, “But it's your country,” or, “But they're your parents,” I just felt sick.

That childhood way of thinking still influenced me.

I would not recognize any value in things I had never chosen and could never choose, whether it was my country or my parents. I would not recognize their authority, nor would I be loyal to them.

But I would gladly assign value to the things I chose.

I would devote myself to the home I chose to live in and the people I chose to accept as my compatriots.

My compatriots were few in number, the awakened people... They were the group I truly felt I should belong to.

If the non-awakened trash who made up the overwhelming majority of the population ignored their struggles, then as one of their compatriots, I would stand up for them. Not just ice ability users. I had to do something for the others too...

“Right, yeah. Yeah. I'm telling you, it's too early to thank me. Anyway, I hope this works out, for your sake and mine. The Mayor of Incheon is looking favorably on this and agreed to help in several ways, so make sure you shout Long live Incheon before you go to sleep...”

* * *

Footnotes:

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