WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ How an A-Rank Hunter Lives ◈
Chapter 96: Guardian Deity of the Korean Peninsula Kang Jun-chi - [2]
──────
The banquet hall was packed with familiar faces.
There were the Incheon city councilors led by Park Mihyeong, of course, along with the men and women who had followed me around making sure the Hunters were fed. My hunter team's families were here too, as was the director of my Hunter academy.
I glanced over and saw the neighborhood representative chatting with my academy's director.
“Bupyeong Hunting Academy? Is that the one five minutes from Bupyeong Station?”
The neighborhood representative happily recognized him, and the academy director scratched his head.
“Uh, was our academy really that well known?”
“It's beyond well known. It's been drilled into our ears! Every time Hunter Kim Geuk gives an interview, he goes on about Bupyeong Hunting Academy, five minutes from Bupyeong Station! Young people even use it like a meme now!”
“Ah... That explains it. Whenever someone asked the students why they ate so quickly, they'd give strange answers like, ‘If you attend Bupyeong Hunting Academy, this much is the bare minimum’...”
All the effort I'd put in had paid off. The academy I attended had benefited from me in all sorts of ways. Even after splitting its classes into morning and afternoon sessions, applications kept flooding in. Apparently, people now had to wait months just to enroll.
There was one more person here who had benefited from me.
The mayor of Incheon poured me another glass of cola and grinned, so I said, “Man, I should at least pour you a drink, but I just keep accepting them. This is embarrassing.”
“What is there to be embarrassed about? This is a celebration for you, Kim Geuk. Drink up and enjoy yourself!”
“Still, I feel bad just accepting all this. I ought to make a decent political donation or something...!”
I was talking about campaign contributions. The mayor of Incheon was running for a National Assembly seat in next April's general election, and I'd promised to support him then.
The mayor flinched slightly, then gave me an awkward smile.
“Ah, well. I think I'll have to decline the donation you said you'd give me in advance.”
“Why?”
“It seems there are unspoken rules gold-badged lawmakers are expected to follow these days. Apparently, you're not supposed to personally know influential awakened people or exchange private favors with them. The party warned me that accepting political funds from an awakened Hunter could become a problem...”
I widened my eyes at the unexpected answer.
“What, are awakened people gangsters or something? How is accepting political funds from us supposed to be a problem?”
“I think people worry that an awakened person who grows close to a politician important enough to be a lawmaker could become a political thug, or the politician's private army. Even in the United States, there are widespread rumors that Donald hired awakened people to eliminate his political rivals.”
“Isn't that just a conspiracy theory?”
“Apparently, there are quite a few countries where influential politicians and awakened people are joining forces and causing chaos. I suppose that's why they want politicians to keep their distance from awakened people, to prevent such things.”
The mayor added that this was also why no major corporation in Korea currently employed awakened people.
A major corporation could easily gather awakened people and form an organization under the guise of a security company or PMC, but the government watched too closely and prevented it, so corporations didn't dare try.
If a major corporation hired even a few dozen awakened people, it might look less dangerous because of its smaller scale, but in practice, it would mean a corporate army had been created within the country. That was why the government blocked it so thoroughly.
As a result, civilian awakened people could only belong to small or medium-sized security companies or the Hunter Association. All these measures to prevent ties between awakened people and the political and business worlds existed because the country feared awakened people turning into warlords.
I already knew the government feared awakened people organizing... Then Kim Hyeongman's severed head flashed through my mind.
Maybe my expression had turned serious, because the mayor of Incheon looked flustered.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up at such a happy gathering. But I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I dodged the question and gave you some vague answer after you offered to donate.”
The thought of awakened people being oppressed by Nazis throughout society did make me uncomfortable, but I quickly forced the negative thoughts out of my head. I couldn't let my face darken at such a happy occasion.
I made myself smile.
“No, I brought it up first. I'm grateful you told me honestly.”
“I'm just thankful you understand. Still, I have no intention of forgetting the help you've given me, so contact me anytime. All right? I'll actively help however I can.”
“Didn't you just say you shouldn't do that?”
“Even so, it seems every lawmaker has one or two awakened people they know on the quiet. If I went around doing that as a first-term lawmaker, I might draw resentment, but shouldn't loyalty between Incheon men come first?”
I had a rough idea of what loyalty he meant.
While making the Incheon Recovery Project a success, I'd actively cooperated so the mayor of Incheon could make his voice heard every step of the way.
Thanks to that, my Incheon Recovery Project had become one of the current mayor's achievements. His prospects in the upcoming general election were worth looking forward to.
And Park Mihyeong would take over the vacant position of mayor of Incheon. With the support of Incheon citizens and my mental appointment of her as mayor, made in my capacity as the Duke of Incheon, she would rise to the position and lawfully rule the land of Incheon.
Before long, Park Mihyeong, the future mayor of Incheon, came over to me as well.
“Kim Geuk. What have you been talking about with the mayor for so long? Man, you're doing so well that I don't even know whether I can casually talk to you like this anymore...”
“Are you worried people will think you're using your brainwashing ability to precisely control me if you talk to me too casually?”
When I teased her, Park Mihyeong gave me a small glare, then snorted as if I were ridiculous.
“Of course I'm worried about that! Seriously, it's driving me crazy these days. Every time I meet someone, they recognize me and tease me by begging me not to brainwash them...”
“Maybe they aren't teasing you. Maybe they mean it.”
“Don't even joke about that! I'm getting confused myself these days. Not long ago, a citizen I ran into on the street rattled off my city council office number. I was so surprised that I asked how they knew it.
“Then they started demanding to know whether I'd implanted that information in their head with my brainwashing ability. They obviously memorized it after playing around with the meme so much, but it's so annoying.”
I decided to take that as a roundabout way of thanking me for helping this budding politician grow enough that even people on the street recognized her. It probably meant something close to that anyway.
When I grinned, Park Mihyeong gave me another small glare and continued.
“The mayor may have already said this, but when I first encouraged you to become a Hunter, I honestly never expected you'd do this well. Back then, I only suggested it because I thought you'd have trouble making a living otherwise. Then, in the blink of an eye, you became unbelievably successful, and now you're causing all kinds of huge incidents too...”
“The incidents I'm causing, you mean the bus protest and Jin Beom's case?”
“Yes, those!”
“Why? Are you worried because I keep causing trouble?”
“Of course I'm worried. Still, can I stop you? Seeing someone from the Korean Awakened Solidarity doing so well makes me happy. It makes running the organization feel worthwhile.”
As you could tell from how she cheered me on like I'd done something good, Park Mihyeong had probably been even more hardline than I was during her Korean Awakened Solidarity days. She had insisted that awakened people should not give even an inch, no matter what the country's circumstances were...
I smiled at the thought that I'd been praised, and Park Mihyeong smiled too. Then she added one last thing.
“Anyway, it's good to see you doing so well. It would be perfect if only your younger sister could be free now...”
After that, I approached every one of the men and women gathered here to thank them personally. Once I'd greeted everyone and asked for their continued support, I spent time with my hunter team.
Baek Dambi was pretending to be expressionless, even though the corners of her mouth kept trying to reach the ceiling because she must have believed the Golden Arrow Award was secured with this achievement. Lee Jongho and Seong Munyeong were laughing loudly and chatting away, while Jang Byeonggon and Jeong Jinyeong quietly ate with their families. I passed them all and stopped in front of Im Hyeongtaek's family.
Im Hyeongtaek's seven-year-old daughter, Im Saerom, bowed to me.
“Hello, Uncle Kim Geuk!”
This little kid was one of my kind too.
A Heat Ray ability user, and at an astonishingly powerful level.
“Oh, Saerom. Are you still watching magical-girl cartoons these days?”
“Yeah! Moonlight Girl Diana is still really fun!”
I grinned and took out my wallet. After giving the cute little thing some spending money and sending her back to her mother, I spoke with Im Hyeongtaek alone.
“You said Saerom awakened her Heat Ray ability while watching magical-girl cartoons, right? With an aim-assistance ability too?”
“Yes, probably. I didn't see it myself, but I think that's right. They say the condition for awakening a Heat Ray ability is shooting or stabbing something, right? Saerom awakened while playing with a magical-girl toy bow...”
You couldn't underestimate her just because she was seven years old. That kid possessed part of the infamous Behemoth's ability.
Even Kim Hyeongman needed to aim his Heat Ray separately to hit a target. He wore a ring-shaped sight on his index finger when firing it, but she didn't need to go through all that trouble. She only had to roughly point her finger where she wanted and fire, and the Heat Ray would hit exactly where she wanted it to.
Behemoth was the same. They said it shot Heat Rays wildly from the tip of its tail without even aiming, yet still brought down supersonic fighter jets.
She was too young, but if you put her in front of a Monster right now, she could immediately work as an A-rank Hunter as long as she wasn't too frightened.
The fact that an untrained seven-year-old possessed that level of ability showed that the difference between non-awakened people and awakened people was bestowed by heaven, something the government could never deny no matter how desperately it struggled.
Im Hyeongtaek already seemed quite drunk. This man had a bad habit of saying things that didn't suit the situation once alcohol got into him.
Sure enough, a little later, Im Hyeongtaek suddenly said something that caught me off guard.
“Are you quitting being a Hunter this year? Why?” I asked.
Im Hyeongtaek explained.
“I'm starting to feel like I can't keep up. If I were a little younger, I'd hang on to make more money, but now that I'm old, I can't keep going when I barely contribute to the team. There are plenty of young people at the academy desperate to join your team. If someone like me, who doesn't do much for the team, keeps hanging around, I'm only getting in the way.”
What a ridiculous thing to say. If someone was on my team, wasn't it enough for them to work hard at praising me? Why would they need to contribute anything beyond that?
As far as I was concerned, veteran Hunter Jang Byeonggon and middle-aged Hunter Im Hyeongtaek, who had no stamina, were both just unremarkable non-awakened team members... But saying that out loud wouldn't comfort him, so I swallowed it.
“Getting in the way, my ass! Have you been thinking that all this time? Don't say ridiculous things like that!”
When I repeatedly told him not to think that way, Im Hyeongtaek sighed.
“Actually, there's another reason too.”
“What reason?”
“My wife...”
Im Hyeongtaek gestured toward his wife, who was running around while tightly holding their daughter's hand, then continued.
“That immature woman keeps telling me to use my connection with you. So we can get Saerom into the Hunter Academy.”
“Didn't I clearly tell you that school was a complete mess and that you should never consider sending her there? Unless you're in a situation where you can't even pay rent, there's no reason to do that when you have more than enough money to live on...”
“I explained that to her too! But I don't think she's given up yet.”
“Is it because of those Seoul apartments?”
“I guess so. I'm worried she'll secretly enroll Saerom in that damn academy behind my back. I should just stay home all the time and keep an eye on my wife. I'm worried about leaving those two immature ones alone at home...”
I couldn't stop him if that was the reason. I let out a long sigh.
“If you change your mind, tell me anytime.”
“I'm grateful just for hearing you say that. And Kim Geuk? Thank you so much for everything until now.”
“You aren't quitting right here and now, so why are you saying that already?”
“I can say it again right before I quit, can't I? No matter how much I say it, it won't be enough, so it's fine. Let me say it again, then. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking this inadequate old man around with you, and for treating me well instead of oppressing me.”
“Man, you're making me embarrassed...”
“I really am grateful! Even the senior colleague who trained me at my first job didn't look after me this well.”
Listening to him, it really seemed like he intended to leave.
I would miss him. More than I expected. He was my finest praise machine and the oldest member of the team. Whenever the two delinquents on the team got loud, he always calmly quieted them down with dignity. The thought of him leaving my side made me sad enough to surprise even myself.
Still, if I wanted to see him again, I could always meet him...
On the way home, I thought back on everything that had happened today. All the enjoyable, thrilling things I'd experienced.
I replayed those unforgettable scenes in my mind again and again.
Before attending the banquet, our hunter team had participated in a parade. Flower petals had rained down on every street, and dozens of bouquets had been thrown onto the parade car I rode in.
Then I thought of the people who had attended the parade... Tens of thousands? No, there had to have been over a hundred thousand Incheon citizens, even by a rough estimate.
They hadn't come out to cheer for some celebrity performance. So many citizens had come out to cheer for a Hunter.
“Kim Geuk! Kim Geuk!”
The name they chanted still echoed in my ears like a tremendous roar. I should keep that sight deep in my brain for the rest of my life and savor it whenever I felt bad.
I was smiling as I was about to enter my house when my phone rang. I answered it, and an unfamiliar middle-aged man's voice came through.
「Hunter Kim Geuk? This is Hunter Kim Geuk, correct?」
“Yes, I'm Kim Geuk. Long live Incheon. Who is this?”
「This is Ryu Jiseon, Minister of the National Security Ministry. Please come immediately! The address is Seoul...」
His words were polite, but it was practically an order, so I frowned.
“Seoul? Why would I go to Seoul?”
It wasn't just that I disliked being ordered around. The National Security Ministry was the higher organization that had the Special Forces under its command. If I went because they called me, Special Forces members might be waiting there to ambush me.
Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, the minister didn't react at all to my casual speech and quickly continued.
「It's urgent. Please hurry! Use Spatial Teleportation as much as you need to get here as fast as possible! I'll explain the details later...」
“No, how am I supposed to decide whether to go if I don't know anything? If you won't explain properly, I can't go.”
「There isn't time! I'll explain as briefly as I can. The safety of the country is at stake... Kang Jun-chi has left!」
Only then did I realize how urgent the situation was.
“Kang Jun-chi left Seoul?”
「Not just Seoul. Earth! You understand the situation now, correct? We don't have time for a lengthy explanation! Take a taxi or whatever you need to do, but start moving first. All right? Yes? You understand, right?」
* * *
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
