A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 22: Hunters (6)

“…I’m truly sorry.”

I sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by over a dozen people, dabbing at my tear-streaked eyes as I slowly continued.

“It’s because I reunited with my younger brother…”

It was as I expected. Kang Seok-ho was an Awakener, similar to Yeo Do-yeon, and a member of David Kim’s Team 1.

The information I had gained from our brief exchange was minimal—barely thirty seconds of conversation yielded little of substance.

Now, I addressed the core issues to the main leaders of the Apgujeong Camp.

“Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Han Seung-Moon, and I’ve come from the Seoul Emergency Martial Law Command. It’s an honor to meet you.”

At my introduction, Hong Seon-ah clapped brightly, but since no one else followed suit, she awkwardly lowered her hands.

An elderly woman asked me a question.

“Does that mean the government is coming to save us?”

“…Let me get straight to the point.”

—

After explaining the military’s rescue operation in full detail—leaving out the fact that the military had identified and deliberately abandoned the Apgujeong Camp—I concluded my briefing.

“…You’ve been through a lot,” David Kim acknowledged tersely.

The others wore expressions of shock, except for Hong Seon-ah, who continued to smile. She lowered her gaze slightly and asked softly.

“So… does that mean rescue is off the table?”

“No. The original plan, which assumed the skies were safe, has been scrapped. But the nation has not abandoned you.”

“How can we believe that?”

An agitated man interrupted with an accusatory tone, his frustration mirrored by others in the room.

I couldn’t let this man dominate the conversation. If I lost control, I’d be exposed. My survival depended on maintaining the upper hand.

I responded with deliberate gravity.

“I’ve explained the nature of the operation and why it failed.”

Though I smiled calmly outwardly, inside I was seething.

There were two reasons I had come here: Hong Seon-ah and the media.

But everything had gone awry.

It could have been a coincidence—a string of bad luck or the occasional failure.

But I, a physically and emotionally crippled half-wit with barely half a talent, was not allowed to make mistakes. For me, failure equaled death.

I repeated to myself: *I am insignificant.*

And I hammered “humility” and “desperation” into my brain. I would not falter again.

Clenching my teeth, I forced a smile.

“Now, let me explain why I’m here.”

Though I had come to recruit Hong Seon-ah and leverage the media, using Kang Seok-ho and public welfare as a pretext—

“My first reason was to find my dear younger brother.”

The pretext had now become truth.

“My second reason is to reassure you with my presence.”

I decided to wield my position with authority.

“I am one of only two Assemblymen left in South Korea. I am overseeing the military’s task force for Awakeners and am the founder of the Monster Damage Recovery Foundation.”

Even if I was a powerless nobody, I had to bluff convincingly to survive.

“I came here with the promise to escape alongside the last of this camp’s residents.”

Political speech is often just an elaborate bluff.

“South Korea has not abandoned you.”

And so, I resolved to become even more of a politician.

—

“There will be no rescue.”

“Damn it…”

After the camp leaders left, I sat with David Kim and Hong Seon-ah for a casual discussion. These two were the top figures in the organization.

“Deputy Minister Cha Jae-kyun is a very pragmatic man. Cutting people off is something he does without a second thought.”

I deliberately painted Cha Jae-kyun in a negative light.

It was my way of ensuring that they would align themselves with me rather than him.

“We need to prove that we’re worth rescuing.

…Or we’ll have to escape on our own.”

Hong Seon-ah spoke nervously, her eyes uncertain.

“There’s talk among the leaders that the organization is starting to fall apart. It was a patched-together group from the start, and without Uncle Chun-sik—”

“Seon-ah.”

“Oh! Sorry!”

Realizing her mistake, she clamped her mouth shut, but I had already grasped the situation.

This ragtag organization had survived so far for one reason only:

An extraordinary individual had not only founded it but also wielded unmatched leadership to guide them.

A figure with both authority and legitimacy.

David Kim. Korean name Kim Chun-sik.

He was the reason the Apgujeong Camp still stood.

He candidly asked me a question.

“What exactly do you do?”

“I’m the head of all government and parliamentary affairs related to Awakeners. Aside from Deputy Minister Cha Jae-kyun, no one has more authority in this field than I do.”

“Looks like we’ve got a big shot here,” he chuckled and shifted the conversation.

“We’ve discussed escape multiple times. But because we’ve been more stable than necessary, people haven’t wanted to take risks.”

“…You’ve seriously considered escape?”

Hong Seon-ah interjected, sounding slightly bitter.

“Even if Awakeners could manage it, civilians would be risking their lives just stepping outside their front doors. Still, Uncle Chun-sik respected their opinions.”

Like turtles in a pot, too afraid to leave the boiling water, they retreated into their shells.

It seemed David Kim wasn’t as cold as I had thought. I began addressing the present circumstances.

“If fear of the outside world has kept people from escaping, that fear is now misplaced. With flying monsters appearing, even apartments are no longer—”

**Boom!**

“…Safe.”

David Kim sprang up and yanked the curtains open.

“Damn it!”

In the distance, a giant bat clung to a building, extracting people from apartment windows like larvae from a hive.

Several bats were flocking to the scene.

It was a horrifying sight. I saw one person fall to the ground.

“Get out there now!” Hong Seon-ah shouted. David Kim retreated to the back.

And then, something extraordinary happened.

**—!!**

A wave of fire.

Rippling flames engulfed the sky in an instant, sweeping through the swarm of bats.

It was a spectacle unlike anything I had ever seen in any movie. The scorching heat filled the room.

…Didn’t she say she couldn’t create fire pillars?

“…Hehe.”

Amid the burning monsters falling from the sky, Hong Seon-ah mumbled dreamily with unfocused eyes.

“I said it’s hard, not that I couldn’t do it…”

As she collapsed, I caught her. Her hair felt warm, like it had just been dried. David Kim muttered grimly.

“…We need to move quickly.”

—

“Ow, what was that?”

“A monster attacked the apartment.”

“Damn it. I need to check on things immediately.”

The elderly woman known as the “Grandma Doctor,” who had been tending to Yeo Do-yeon, got up and hurried to the front door. She was an elderly figure with years of experience, affectionately called so by the camp residents.

She gave her assessment of Yeo Do-yeon.

“All the wounds on her skin are patched up, but she lost a fair bit of blood, so she’s out cold. But she’s an Awakener, so she’s tough as nails. She’ll be up after a good rest.”

I escorted the Grandma Doctor to the door and returned inside. In the bedroom, Yeo Do-yeon lay fast asleep.

“…Whew.”

Gam Chul, sitting on the living room sofa, let out a deep sigh of relief and spoke to me.

“Somehow, we made it here in one piece?”

“Figuring out how to get back is the real problem.”

According to David Kim, the camp housed about 1,200 people, roughly forty of whom were Awakeners. Either number was staggering enough to leave one speechless.

We silently gazed out at the cloudy sky through the window. It was monsoon season. The Gate was hidden behind the dark clouds.

“Phew…”

I sighed, lamenting the grim reality.

Whether Cha Jae-kyun would help was uncertain, and I couldn’t even contact him. How on earth was I supposed to escape from the middle of Seoul with thousands of people in tow?

I reached a somber and solemn conclusion.

It was hopeless.

“Things tend to work out somehow.”

“Pardon?”

Gam Chul, wiping the lens of his camera with a cloth, smiled calmly.

“Well, I’m about 15 years older than you, Assemblyman. Mind if I offer a little advice?”

Those 15 years were as a war correspondent. I nodded readily.

“What kind of advice requires permission?”

“Well, when you live long enough, all you’re left with is regrets.”

Suddenly, he launched into a philosophical tangent.

“Ah, I should have done this back then, or I should have done that… But when you think about it, that just means we’re always coming up with better ideas after the fact, doesn’t it?”

He chuckled as if to say life was absurd.

“And if you think about it more, it’s not that there’s no solution—it’s just that we haven’t found it yet.”

“…So, what you’re saying is, I need to try harder.”

“Well, that’s my conclusion, but it also means—”

Gam Chul grinned and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Of course…”

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, and Gam Chul broke into hearty laughter, entirely unbothered.

“Heh heh heh…”

“Seems like you’re feeling better?”

“I’ve always been this witty. I’ve just been holding back because of the situation. But one of these days, if I get a chance to drink with you, I’ll make you laugh until your sides split.”

“Ah, sure! Got it!”

Witty, my foot. I shook him off with an exasperated look and grabbed the door handle to the room where Yeo Do-yeon was sleeping.

“Don’t live with such a grim face.”

That’s when Gam Chul casually added.

“You politicians are always smiling, but your eyes are hollow. If you keep living like that, your life will feel empty.”

Now I understood. He wasn’t telling me to try harder.

“Sometimes, it’s okay to just think, ‘Somehow, it’ll work out.’ The fact that I’m still alive is proof of that.”

“…”

“Well, I’m a humanities major, so I say stuff like this a lot. Take what resonates and leave the rest. I just thought you looked a little worn out and wanted to say something.”

Gam Chul smiled enigmatically and went into another room. I stood there, holding the door handle, staring silently at the sofa where he had been.

—

I sat by the bed. Yeo Do-yeon lay face down, her back wrapped in bandages. The white bandages were already stained a deep red.

I gently patted her shoulder. Her taut muscles were smooth yet firm. This was the life she had chosen.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Are you awake?”

She didn’t respond.

I quietly pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. I stayed by her side for a while.

The hair she had started growing out after retiring from her athletic career had grown down to her shoulders. I spent the time braiding it.

How much time had passed?

“You bastard…”

“You’re awake.”

“I told you not to touch my hair…”

She weakly swatted at me. It was so feeble it barely qualified as a slap. I tucked the blanket she had pushed off back around her and spoke.

“This is the Apgujeong Camp. Gam Chul and I are safe.”

“…Uh. Uh-huh.”

“The doctor here treated you. They said Awakeners are naturally immune to infections, so you should be fine. Seems they’ve been researching it here.”

“Ugh…”

She seemed groggy, likely from the medication. Not wanting to disturb her rest, I stood to leave.

“Hey, wait…”

She mumbled like a drunken person.

“Look at me.”

I turned to her as instructed. Yeo Do-yeon, with unfocused eyes, stared straight into mine. In a barely audible voice, she muttered.

“You sneaky bastard…”

“What now?”

“If you’re struggling, just say so, you idiot…”

“…Are you drunk?”

In her dazed state, she continued mumbling.

“Do you think it’s easy to eat people alive…?”

“…”

“Stop looking like that all the time…”

Without a word, I closed the door and stepped out of the room.

**Knock, knock.**

A sound came from the front door. I peered through the peephole, then opened the door with a bright smile.

“Seok-ho!”

“Oh, uh, it’s been a while, Hyung.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come in!”

There was much to do.

I needed to gauge his feelings toward me, understand his role in the organization, and investigate the group’s internal dynamics.

For now, I greeted him with a wide smile.

It was time to return to being a politician.