A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 20: Hunters (4)

We sat silently by the second-floor window, watching the grotesque scene outside.

Monsters filled the sky, helicopters darted around, firing missiles as they tried to escape.

Occasionally, explosions echoed faintly through the overcast clouds. None of us had the energy to speak. The two dog tags in my pocket felt unbearably heavy.

As the dull roar of the chaos outside pierced the air, we simply stared out the window, lost in thought.

* * *

Yeo Do-yeon absorbed a mana stone she had pulled from the rooftop monster’s body and rotated her wrist experimentally.

“A solid gem works better than shards.”

“…Really?”

“After emptying six magazines, I’m starting to get the hang of it.”

Yeo Do-yeon fiddled with a mug she’d picked up somewhere, crushing it like an apple and letting the glass shards fall to the ground.

Gam Chul smiled faintly, impressed.

“Wow, that’s no joke.”

“A-ah, thank you.”

Yeo Do-yeon replied awkwardly. She only acted like a sullen puppy with me, but in truth, she was shy and had trouble talking to others.

Sensing her hesitation, Gam Chul tried to ease the mood with a casual compliment.

“You could probably win any competition with that.”

Not a bad move.

“Thank you.”

Yeo Do-yeon gave a small smile before falling silent. Gam Chul, noting her weary gaze, slumped onto a sofa and closed his eyes.

She quietly turned back to the window, watching the occasional flashes of light and explosions in the murky sky.

Her expression at the window seemed the same as usual, but for some reason, it looked as if she were holding back tears.

It reminded me of her past.

The days when she smoked to rebel against her overbearing “tiger mom.”

Getting caught by an elderly neighbor and practically living at his boxing gym.

Fighting with her mother over whether to focus on school or sports.

Running away from home to crash at my place, taking over my bed.

Losing a tooth in an amateur match but still winning the national championship.

Awakening after the death of her mentor, the old man from the boxing gym.

Coming home with a trophy, getting a dental implant, and facing her family again.

It still amazes me that all of this was the life of an 18-year-old high school girl.

Yeo Do-yeon had lived a life that could have been a movie—someone who knew what effort meant, who had created at least one golden chapter in her life, and who never compromised on her goals.

The rest of her story wasn’t as bright, though.

“Haah…”

I felt particularly sentimental, maybe because I was physically and emotionally drained.

Maybe it was because I had been so ruthless lately.

Or maybe it was because we were staring into the jaws of the tiger.

I couldn’t stop thinking about family.

My aunt, who liked me more than her own daughter because I excelled academically. She poured all her hopes into me, even before my parents passed away.

She was a well-educated woman who had followed the elite path, but there was something stiff and unyielding about her. Still, she wasn’t entirely cold—after all, she’d married my fishmonger uncle.

She often told Yeo Do-yeon to “be more like Seung-Moon,” yet she never once scolded me for it.

Yeo Do-yeon’s rebellious streak—like smoking in middle school—was a problem, sure, but she quit after her mentor’s death.

I sat silently, lost in thoughts of the people in my life. My fingers toyed with the two dog tags in my pocket.

The weight in my chest was suffocating, but I knew I had to keep a cool head.

Slowly, I sorted my priorities in my mind. Then, I opened my eyes and did the first thing I knew I needed to do.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Yeo Do-yeon, on the verge of sleep, opened her eyes. I spoke to her.

“I’m sorry for being so stubborn and risking my life on a gamble—”

*Flick!*

Yeo Do-yeon snapped her fingers against my lips.

“Don’t say such pointless things when I’m about to fall asleep…”

She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. I watched her quietly, then steeled myself. Sentimentality was over—it was time to be a politician again.

Right. Survival first.

Everything I did was to keep us alive.

* * *

Having grown accustomed to working late nights, I volunteered to stand watch for four hours while the others rested. Once the noise outside settled, we began our discussion.

The topic: How and where should we escape?

I started by piecing together my memories.

“Along Olympic Boulevard, there are clusters of high-rise apartment complexes along the Han River. The…”

“Hyundai Apartments? They’re near Sinsa-dong.”

“Yes, those. Extremely expensive real estate. Most Apgujeong residents live there. It’s a key stop for election campaigns due to the population density.”

It was a massive residential area—dozens of apartment buildings crammed together. Apgujeong Elementary, Middle, and High Schools were also nestled among the apartments.

Apartments make excellent bunkers.

Large monsters couldn’t enter.

Small monsters could be blocked at the entrances.

Most could be stopped at the front doors.

But the biggest advantage was that apartments offered cover from the sight of ‘extraordinary’ monsters.

And crucially, there was a Hyundai Department Store in the same block.

“That’s likely their base. It’s the only place nearby that could supply thousands of people.”

Gam Chul quickly added his thoughts.

“Then they must have enough resources to defend against monsters.”

I nodded. A Gate had opened in the heart of Seoul, yet thousands were alive in Apgujeong? That meant they had the ability to fend off monsters.

It was clear we needed to head there. Gam Chul started brainstorming.

“With monsters still swarming the area, should we wait a bit longer…?”

“Or we could kill a few more to help Do-yeon level up. After all, holding hands seems to—”

*Rumble.*

“Did anyone else hear that?”

“…An engine.”

Yeo Do-yeon, who had been quiet, got up and pulled back the curtain. Across the street, a group of about a dozen armed civilians was climbing into a truck.

All were armed with rifles and dressed in civilian clothes.

Armed survivors. Apgujeong Camp.

The decision was instant—there was no time for debate.

“…Now?”

We had to follow them. We scrambled to get moving.

* * *

We hurried outside, but chasing them wasn’t our only motivation.

“If we stick with them, the monsters might only chase one of us…!”

“Let’s hope it’s not us.”

Yeo Do-yeon casually smashed a window and opened a car door. She kicked the head off a stray dog that had approached.

While Gam Chul climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car, I tossed Yeo Do-yeon a mana stone from the dog’s corpse.

She swatted the small gem like it was a fly, absorbing its energy instantly.

*Vroom.* The engine roared to life, and Gam Chul shouted.

“Get in!”

I grabbed Yeo Do-yeon’s hand, letting her pull me into the back seat.

“Don’t bother with a seatbelt. Just hold my hand.”

“Such confidence!”

“Should we take Olympic Boulevard?!”

Gam Chul asked urgently as he hit the gas. I leaned forward, pointing.

“It’s probably jammed with abandoned cars. Head toward the community center. I know the way.”

Gam Chul glanced at the small monsters in the rearview mirror, swore, and floored the accelerator. I calmly began giving directions.

“Don’t merge onto Yeongdong-daero—turn left here.”

“No cameras. Can I cross the centerline?”

“Who’s going to ticket a National Assemblyman?”

“Hah!”

Yeo Do-yeon suddenly pointed ahead and shouted.

“Look out ahead!”

*Thud!*

*Crunch!*

The car jolted violently, and we momentarily floated above our seats before slamming back down.

“Whoa!”

“Roads are still better than Africa,” Gam Chul quipped as he skillfully navigated through the wreckage-strewn street, speeding past obstacles like a scene from a disaster movie.

He glanced briefly at the rearview mirror, prompting me to turn and look back. Grotesque dog-like creatures, their mangled forms illuminated in the chaos, were chasing us in a pack.

Gam Chul grinned.

“Well, something’s chasing us, but as long as we’re not dodging bullets, I’d say this isn’t so bad.”

“What kind of life have you lived?” I asked, exasperated.

Gam Chul ran a finger along a scar on his neck. “Got this from a stray bullet while driving.”

“Uh… okay. Take a right at the Shinhan Bank intersection—ahhh!”

*Bang!*

A grotesque dog leapt in front of the car, cracking the windshield. The creature’s malformed face, bristling with too many eyes, made my stomach churn.

“Just hold your sister’s hand, kid,” Yeo Do-yeon snapped.

I wanted to argue but swallowed nervously as I counted over six monstrous dogs still trailing us. I squeezed Yeo Do-yeon’s hand tightly.

Gam Chul drifted expertly around a corner. “Entering the residential complex!” he called.

We had arrived at the Apgujeong 2nd District residential area.

This place, once the epitome of the “apartment republic,” now stood as a ghost town painted in blood and strewn with what used to be people.

“Please, let them be here…” I muttered, referring to the survivors.

Gam Chul added grimly, “There may be people here, but it’s not defensible. Should we try heading to the department store?”

“To reach Sinsa-dong from here, we’d—”

“Wait! Ahead!”

Yeo Do-yeon pointed urgently at a truck barreling toward us. The screech of tires was deafening as Gam Chul slammed the car into reverse.

*Rrraaargh!*

A bone-shaking roar thundered from the corner of an apartment building.

A monster emerged.

A wolf. Or something resembling one.

The creature’s distorted body bore a second malformed face protruding grotesquely from its neck. Black drool dripped between jagged fangs as its dead, shiny eyes glinted with malice. Its burnt, patchy skin revealed twisted bones and sinew beneath.

It was enormous. Its head reached the third floor of the apartment building. Its length defied imagination.

The sight was paralyzing. The beast let out a low growl, the vibration alone chilling me to the core.

And then—

*ROAR!!!*

Its jaws opened, revealing a maw wide enough to swallow a bus. The sound was like being in the front row of a horror movie theater, except real.

Instinctive fear gripped me.

The wolf pounced effortlessly, crushing the survivors’ truck. A limp arm dangled from the wreckage.

“Dammit!” Gam Chul cursed, yanking the wheel into a sharp U-turn, accelerating desperately. Even the smaller dog-like monsters scattered, fleeing from the wolf.

I didn’t dare look back. The earth shook with every step the wolf took, each quake louder and closer.

“Shit!” Yeo Do-yeon spat, gripping my hand tightly.

*Thud. Thud. Thud.* The wolf’s strides quickened.

“We’re going to get caught—!” Yeo Do-yeon started, but then the wolf stopped.

No, not stopped—it was leaping.

*CRASH!*

Yeo Do-yeon kicked open the car’s back door.

Grabbing me tightly, she dove out with me.

*Screeeech—CRUNCH!*

The wolf’s massive body landed on the car, crushing its rear half. Yeo Do-yeon and I tumbled across the asphalt, rolling painfully.

*SCREEEEECH!*

The sound of tires spinning on shredded metal filled the air. The wolf’s claws hooked onto the wrecked car, its long neck craning to leer at us with a twisted grin.

*Ptooey.*

Something launched from its mouth. Yeo Do-yeon cursed and rolled us both to the side.

*Hiss!*

The ground where we had been sizzled, melting as a corrosive substance bubbled on the surface. Shaking, I got to my feet, gripping Yeo Do-yeon’s hand.

Gam Chul escaped from the car and began firing at the wolf.

The bullets seemed to have some effect as the creature flinched and recoiled slightly, covering its face with a paw.

But it retaliated immediately, swiping its massive claws at Gam Chul.

*Thud!*

Yeo Do-yeon threw herself in front of Gam Chul, taking the hit. Her back tore open with a long, gaping wound, soaking her white shirt in blood.

“AAAAARGHH!”

Her scream was guttural, the kind I had never heard from her before.

The wolf let out a growl, bracing for another attack.

I stood frozen, useless. A man who dreamed of controlling all superhumans, and yet here I was—a powerless, disabled bystander.

The feeling of helplessness was suffocating.

*Bang!*

I raised my pistol and shot the wolf in the face.

I missed its eyes but hit close enough to stagger it. For my first time firing a gun, it wasn’t bad.

The recoil stung, but I steadied myself and kept firing, pouring every ounce of desperation into the shots.

All I could think of was buying Yeo Do-yeon just one more second of life.

The wolf stumbled back, pausing to regain its footing. It locked eyes with me and raised a massive paw, ready to strike.

*VROOOOOM!*

The roar of an approaching motorcycle tore through the air.

A figure riding the bike held an assault rifle in one hand, aiming it skyward before pointing it at the wolf.

*RATATATAT!*

Gunfire echoed as the rider emptied a magazine into the wolf.

As soon as the bullets ran dry, they tossed the rifle aside and hurled a beer bottle at the beast.

*CRASH!* The bottle shattered against the wolf’s face, soaking it in liquid.

From an apartment window, a small fireball flew.

*BOOM!*

The explosion lit up the night as the wolf’s face erupted in flames.

The beast howled, thrashing wildly, slamming into buildings in a frantic attempt to extinguish the fire.

The motorcycle skidded to a halt.

A man in a leather jacket flipped up his helmet visor, casually lighting a cigarette.

“Shiiiit.”