A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 23: Hunters (7)

“Ah, hello…”

Behind the towering figure of Kang Seok-ho, a small child peeked out timidly. Unfortunately, I recognized the boy immediately.

“…Hello, Si-ho. Do you remember me?”

The child was Kang Seok-ho’s youngest sibling. Kang Seok-ho was the head of his household, raising four younger siblings on his own.

But why was he the only one left?

—

“They’re… they’re all gone, Hyung,” Kang Seok-ho stammered.

“……”

“When I got there, only one of them was hiding…”

Kang Seok-ho downed six bottles of soju in a flash, bowing his head as he muttered.

There were no tears—perhaps he had run dry.

“Back then, I killed a monster. I’d been hiding in a men’s restroom stall for days. When I finally came out, I met Uncle Chun-sik…”

From there, he teamed up with Hong Seon-ah, occupied the apartment complex, and began gathering isolated survivors. This led to the formation of the organization we see today.

During this process, David Kim displayed overwhelming strength and leadership. He often risked his life recklessly to save others and, through countless daring feats, became a hero to them all.

I knew this story because Kang Seok-ho had repeated it eight times now.

“Hey, hey…”

“If I’d been even half as strong as him, I wouldn’t have lost Woo-jin, So-young, and So-jeong…”

“Hey, the kid can hear you,” I warned, glancing nervously at Kang Si-ho. But the boy only sat silently in his brother’s arms, his expression blank.

Holding Kang Si-ho tightly, Kang Seok-ho murmured for a long time.

“Now it’s just him… He’s all I have left…”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Hyung…”

I knew what he was about to say next.

*Take care of him if something happens to me.*

Kang Seok-ho was erasing all his emotions in preparation for this request.

There was no anger at why no one had come to save him, no blame for those who had fled without him after years of camaraderie.

This man, who had worked part-time jobs to feed his four siblings while graduating from college on a scholarship, now sat before me, bowing his head in despair.

Before he could ask, I gave my answer.

“Yeah. I understand.”

It was the eighth time I had given this answer.

—

In the end, I learned nothing.

I had hoped to use Kang Seok-ho to dig into the organization’s internal dynamics, but instead, I swore twelve times to protect Kang Si-ho before sending him back.

Night descended on a cloudy Seoul, and the dark clouds that had blanketed the city all day transformed into falling rain.

The sound of raindrops seeped through the curtains. I had turned off all the lights, worried even a hint of brightness might escape.

Gam Chul and Yeo Do-yeon were asleep in their respective rooms, but I lay awake, staring into the void at 2:18 a.m.

I didn’t know who I was anymore.

Was I a good person? A bad one?

Or should I be good? Or bad?

I had arrived in Seoul, brimming with confidence in what I thought was a calculated gamble, only to be struck down in an instant by an unforeseen Gate.

Faced with sudden danger, I saved only my own people first, then spent an entire day fingering the dog tags of dead soldiers.

After posturing as calm and capable, I had crawled toward death in front of the wolf.

And now, I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with Kang Seok-ho. A half-wit incapable of doing anything right.

Self-loathing consumed me.

I couldn’t live like Yang Pan-seok.

I reflected on the brightest moments of my life, the times when I had been most useful to society.

It wasn’t during my college years when I earned a full scholarship. Nor was it when I served as Yang Pan-seok’s favored aide, despite being just a driver. And it certainly wasn’t now, as a National Assemblyman.

No, it was when monsters rained down on the National Assembly.

When I gathered my people and led them out of Seoul.

That was when I shone brightest. That was when I was the best leader I could be. I hadn’t realized it then, but I was extraordinary.

So, what had changed between then and now?

Now, I was calculating everything.

Power, family, conscience, morality. Loyalty.

Back then, I wasn’t.

Instead of wasting time on such thoughts, I had found a way forward, saved as many as I could, and provided clear direction to my group.

Back then, I simply did what needed to be done.

I wasn’t trying to be a good or bad person. I was someone who got the job done.

And so, I found my resolve.

Do what needs to be done.

At 2:41 a.m., as the rain poured over a gray Seoul, I found the way forward after eight hours of agonizing thought.

—

“I’ve found a way to escape Seoul.”

I approached David Kim with dark circles under my eyes, my gaze sharp.

“Gather the people.”

Though I had no real authority, I issued a command. David Kim smirked but obliged, summoning all the camp leaders.

“We’ll escape via the subway.”

I unfolded a large map of Seoul that I’d retrieved from the apartment’s security office.

With a red permanent marker, I drew a bold, sweeping line southeast from Apgujeong in the 5 o’clock direction.

“All 1,200 members of the Apgujeong Camp will walk along the Shinbundang Line to Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province. Questions?”

I capped the red marker with a *snap* and let it roll on the desk. No one asked anything at first.

“Any questions?”

Finally, the man who had questioned my credibility the day before burst out angrily.

“Are you insane?”

“What?”

“You think we haven’t thought of that?”

Escaping via the subway was an obvious idea—one everyone had considered.

The problem was that *everyone* had thought of it.

“When the chaos started, people flooded into the subway. And so did the monsters! You wouldn’t know that, since you were in the rear the whole time!”

“I’m aware.”

I had been glued to the commander-in-chief’s side; there was no way I didn’t know. Calmly, I replied, which only made him doubt my qualifications further.

“…Are you really an Assemblyman? Are you trying to get us all killed?”

“I am an Assemblyman. And before that, I was Yang Pan-seok’s aide.”

I picked up the pen and continued my explanation.

“Yang Pan-seok served on the Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee and oversaw inspections related to the Shinbundang Line’s construction. I was there with him.”

The Shinbundang Line.

A subway route connecting Gangnam in Seoul to Seongnam, located southeast of the capital.

“You said the subway is overrun with monsters?”

To escape to Seongnam via the subway, we would have to travel through the Gangnam Station terminus of Line 3—an arduous journey through monster-infested territory.

However.

“If monsters swarm the subways because of people, we just need to go where there were no people.”

I drew a clean, straight line through Sinsa, Nonhyeon, Sinnonhyeon, and Gangnam stations on the map.

There was no subway line there—yet.

“These are sections of the Shinbundang Line’s extension, under construction since 2016.”

I held up the red marker, my voice firm. My heart pounded harder than ever.

“The tunnels are still under construction, but all the pathways are open. I know because I’ve been there myself.”

People began to lean in, paying closer attention to my words.

“Apgujeong Station is right in front of this apartment complex. If we can reach Sinsa Station, we won’t have to take a long detour via Line 3. We only need to clear one station.”

A straight line running southeast from Seoul: Apgujeong, Sinsa, Gangnam, Seongnam.

This was the shortest route I proposed.

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Then, Hong Seon-ah raised her hand.

“Uh, you said Gangnam Station is the terminus of the Shinbundang Line?”

“Yes.”

“So, from Sinsa Station to Gangnam Station, it’s a clear path, right? Since it’s part of the construction zone?”

“Exactly.”

“Then how are we supposed to get from Gangnam Station to Seongnam? That’s part of the existing line, so it’s probably swarming with people… and monsters.”

Her implication was clear: the stretch from Gangnam to Seongnam would be a nightmare.

I calmly drew a large circle over the mountain range that lay diagonally between Gangnam and Seongnam on the map.

“Cheonggyesan, Guryongsan, and Inreung Mountain. These are massive mountains spanning the Shinbundang Line.”

“……”

“And that’s where the 7th Mechanized Corps of the Republic of Korea Army is stationed.”

I stabbed the red marker into the desk with each word, emphasizing my point with bloodshot eyes.

“They are the largest unit in the Korean military,

They possess more than half of the nation’s tanks,

Every infantry soldier is mechanized,

And above all, they’re incredibly fast.

If war breaks out, they’re the only unit capable of immediately pushing into North Korea.”

Having spent time close to Cha Jae-kyun, I’d picked up enough to fake being a military expert.

The effect seemed positive—people began nodding in reluctant agreement.

“We won’t need to walk the long stretch from Gangnam to Seongnam. The 7th Mechanized Corps will come to meet us.”

“Have you made contact with the military!?”

A middle-aged man asked eagerly, but I shook my head and pointed to Hong Seon-ah with the red marker.

“Hong Seon-ah will clear the way.”

“Huh? Me? I’m going to do that!?”

“She will incinerate the monsters filling the subway tunnels.”

Since the Daegu subway disaster, all subway systems had been equipped with smoke evacuation systems. Even without those, smoke would find its way out eventually.

“Think from the military’s perspective. If the high-profile Apgujeong evacuation operation fails, will they be watching us with military satellites? Of course they will.”

It wasn’t out of concern for our lives; Cha Jae-kyun would be monitoring to see if flying monsters left Seoul. There was no need to say this aloud.

“Now, would they miss the sight of 1,200 people entering the subway station from Apgujeong? And if black smoke rises in a straight line that’s visible to the naked eye, will they send the military or not?”

“……”

“If we can clear Sinsa Station and reach Gangnam Station, black smoke will rise into the sky, and the military will come to Shinbundang Line’s Gangnam Station to meet us. I trust in our military.”

“Wait a second.”

David Kim pinched his brow, stopping me.

“Isn’t this putting too much on Hong Seon-ah’s shoulders?”

Without a word, I limped over to her. David Kim added, “Are you seriously telling her to face all the monsters alone at the front? Abilities aren’t unlimited.”

I took her hand.

“W-what are you doing?!”

With my other hand, I ignited a flame.

“……Ha!”

“I can use the abilities of those I touch.”

“Damn it!” David Kim cursed, laughing as if he’d been bested.

“Two of us will clear the way. The remaining Awakeners will secure the rear. As the smoke clears, the 1,200 people can move forward at a steady pace.”

I confidently began explaining the detailed plan. Gam Chul, with an amused smile, captured the entire scene with his camcorder.

—

**Ten days later.**

**July 29.**

With Hong Seon-ah leaning on my shoulder, I emerged from the dark subway tunnel. I wiped my face, black soot smearing my hands.

The acrid stench of smoke clung to my nose, and ash-filled tears stung my eyes.

Coughing violently, it felt as though I was expelling ash with every breath. The coughing wouldn’t stop. Hong Seon-ah half-collapsed against me.

As we exited the tunnel, the deafening sound of rain greeted us. The torrential downpour washed over us, cleansing our soot-covered bodies.

Ha. Hong Seon-ah let out a faint laugh as she looked ahead, then slumped to the ground. I fell alongside her.

Soldiers shouted as they rushed to assist us.

The Apgujeong Evacuation Operation.

– **Total participants:** 1,231
– **Injured:** 754
– **Severely injured:** 95
– **Deaths:** 0

In the monsoon rains of July, in the wake of the Gate Incident, a moment that would go down in modern history had just been forged.