A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 24: Hunters (8)

We armed the military veterans in the group with rifles scavenged from the corpses of nearby soldiers.

From the Hyundai Apartments to Apgujeong Station—a distance of less than 50 meters—we fought through waves of monsters, leaving a literal mountain of their bodies in our wake.

From Apgujeong Station to Sinsa Station, a single stop, Hong Seon-ah collapsed five times, and I fainted three times. Yeo Do-yeon and David Kim saved our lives over ten times throughout the ordeal.

The 20 Awakeners tasked with securing the rear ensured that all 1,200 evacuees reached Apgujeong Station without a single death. However, seven of them were severely injured.

During the transfer from Sinsa Station to the Shinbundang Line, both Hong Seon-ah and I collapsed twice more. The elderly doctor treating us passed out at this stage and never regained consciousness until we escaped.

As we traversed the long underground tunnels of the Shinbundang Line, a massive monster ambushed us. David Kim single-handedly defeated it, losing one arm and one eye in the process.

The shockwaves from the fight triggered an assault by smaller monsters. Hong Seon-ah and I incinerated them, but the resulting smoke inflicted burns on hundreds of survivors.

At Gangnam Station, we encountered a special forces unit hastily dispatched by Cha Jae-kyun. Unfortunately, large-scale support was not forthcoming. Six more Awakeners were permanently disabled during this phase.

At Yangjae Station, remnants of the Capital Defense Command, previously isolated at Umyeon Mountain, miraculously joined our group.

Finally, at Cheonggyesan Station, all 1,200 survivors emerged to the surface.

—

I awoke in a hospital bed.

“…Uh? Ah! You’re awake!”

Yang Pan-seok immediately stood and called for someone. I, still groggy from the medication, was dragged around to undergo various procedures and check-ups.

Eventually, the nurses guided me back to my bed, and my mind began to clear.

I sat there, staring blankly at the TV.

In the footage, dozens of red-eyed wild dogs charged through a dark tunnel in unison.

– “One o’clock! Squad Two, fire!”
– “Hunting team, commence entry!”
– “Absorb the mastic residue and ignite Exit 4! Move!”
– “Hey! Sis! Sis! Damn it, shoot! Shoot!”
– “Fifteen seconds of frontal fire! Everyone evacuate! Stay low!”

It was my voice.

Yang Pan-seok, casually peeling an apple, spoke with a relaxed tone.

“Gam Chul sure knows how to get the perfect shot.”

“…Don’t even get me started. He wouldn’t leave the front line for anything to get that footage.”

“Well, I heard his wife gave him quite the scolding.”

Yang Pan-seok chuckled as he popped a slice of apple into my mouth. I chewed absentmindedly.

“I never thought I’d live to eat an apple peeled by you.”

“Consider yourself honored. I only peel apples for my granddaughter.”

Which, apparently, didn’t include his children. In my dazed state, I muttered a question.

“…Is everyone safe?”

“Some need hospital care, but no one died.”

“What about my sister?”

“In the ICU. According to Director Chun Hwa-ran, it’s considered severe by normal standards but mild for an Awakener.”

“…Director?”

“The research director. You established the institute—how do you not know that?”

“Ah, right.”

Yang Pan-seok smiled warmly as he remarked.

“Do you know how much flak you caught nationwide after you went missing?”

“…I deserve it.”

After all, I’d been a politician sticking my nose where it didn’t belong, causing trouble for everyone.

“Your aides did a decent job with media play.”

“…What?”

“Especially Lee Ho-jung? That kid sobbed, saying, ‘Our Assemblyman risked his life to save a friend,’ during a press conference. It was a real tearjerker.”

Yang Pan-seok beamed as he slid another apple slice into my mouth. I could only chew silently.

“Well, I helped from behind the scenes, but there was only so much I could do. Anyway, that press conference flipped the narrative entirely.”

It seemed others had worked just as hard in their respective positions. I sighed deeply, my emotions conflicted.

“…I felt adrift, but things seem to have turned around.”

“Hmm?”

“If you exaggerate a little, you’d win the presidential election if you ran today.”

On TV, my voice continued to echo loudly. I was screaming orders to set fires, shoot here, and evacuate there.

“…Forget elections. We shot a disaster movie. A hardcore slasher, at that.”

“Slasher, whatever. People love heroes, don’t they? Like Marvel? My granddaughter just loves those movies…”

Yang Pan-seok suddenly fell silent. He then lowered his voice and spoke with measured seriousness.

“You’ve silenced the local government heads.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Using your predicament in Seoul as an excuse, a lot of people started calling for the dissolution of the National Assembly. That’s what I mean.”

I shivered. This meant the executive branch and military had likely been gearing up to take down the legislature, riding the wave of public opinion.

“…What’s their status now?”

“Well, you’ve given me the leverage I needed. From here on out, I’ll have to roll up my sleeves.”

Yang Pan-seok smiled kindly.

He was a man who hated making enemies.

And indeed, he had very few enemies.

This wasn’t just because he occasionally took losses to avoid conflict.

“Seung-moon, keep an eye on the news.”

It was because once he made an enemy, he utterly destroyed them.

“I’ll make sure they know that sticking their noses into my business will get them smothered.”

—

Kang Seok-ho remained in a coma, reportedly due to burns in his lungs. While his Awakener status meant recovery wasn’t an issue, his condition was still concerning.

“The world’s funny, isn’t it?”

“…Huh?”

“Finish chewing before you answer, punk.”

Yang Il-ho, Lee Ho-jung, and I were eating cheese tuna mayo tteokbokki in Kang Seok-ho’s hospital room. Lee Ho-jung took a bite and exclaimed.

“Wow, this is delicious! What is it?”

“It’s a specialty from the Apgujeong survivors. Eat it with gratitude for being alive.”

“Man, the calories on this thing must be insane…”

Clearing my throat, I resumed my earlier point.

“In just a day, my life hit rock bottom, and once I pulled myself together, I climbed right back up.”

“…Right.”

“Life leaves you with nothing but regrets, right? But when you look back, you realize there was always a better way. In other words, even when things seem hopeless, there’s always a solution if you think harder.”

Lee Ho-jung loudly slurped up some sauce, saying, “Nom!” She could have gone without that sound effect, but at least she didn’t burp.

“Did I sound like an old-timer?”

“Very much so.”

The wisest person here was former attorney Yang Il-ho, who avoided the argument entirely, silently picking the cheese out of the tteokbokki.

After fishing out all the cheese, Yang Il-ho placed his plastic fork down.

“Hyung, I’ve roughly sketched out the foundation plans.”

“Really?”

“For now, Dr. Chun Hwa-ran is already running the research institute, but there are too many orphans for the orphanage to be ready immediately. As for the labor force, we’re short on Awakeners.”

Hmm.

“Why do you think there’s none?”

—

A day passed.

“The Grandma Doctor is bedridden for the rest of her life.”

“……”

“Sixteen of our hunting team members are crippled.”

“My condolences, David.”

David Kim smirked bitterly, fiddling with the eyepatch covering his lost eye. He had paid the price for their success, losing his left arm and eye in the brutal struggle.

“You and I, we’re both disabled now.”

Caught off guard, I nodded. He stared blankly into the air, muttering.

“It’s punishment, I suppose. For how many I’ve killed.”

He chuckled dryly, as if amused by his own grim joke.

“I’ve killed a lot of people. In Iraq.”

Opening a bottle of soju he had smuggled past the nurses, he took a swig before pointing at me.

“You’ve killed people, haven’t you?”

The grin he flashed me was sharp and knowing.

“The ones who kill for the first time… they always go crazy trying to save people afterward. Their eyes lose their shine, and they can’t shake their hero complex.”

“……”

“That’s why I supported your idiotic plan. That’s why sixteen of my little darlings are now disabled. Got it?”

“……”

“Because I understood how you felt.”

I nodded heavily.

Though the success of the escape made me a rising star, the real credit belonged to the Awakeners of the Apgujeong Camp.

They had held the line, defending the middle and rear of the column as the monsters attacked relentlessly. Of the forty Awakeners, sixteen were left maimed.

Their survival was thanks to the healers scattered among them and their own exceptional abilities, far beyond what I had anticipated.

The public praised my ingenious plan, but it wouldn’t have succeeded without the unity that David Kim had forged in mere weeks.

“Let me keep this short. As a former U.S. soldier, I trust you’ll understand what I’m about to propose.”

With practiced nonchalance, I slid a contract across the table, invoking the spirit of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

“Let’s work together.”

—

“What’s this?”

Hong Seon-ah blinked her wide, doe-like eyes at me. I smiled warmly and began to explain.

“Have you heard of a PMC?”

“Uh, what?”

Before she could puzzle it out, David Kim answered smoothly, his pronunciation impeccable.

“Private Military Company.”

“Exactly. I’d like you to establish such a company—a monster-hunting company, to be precise.”

David Kim read the contract carefully with his one eye, while Hong Seon-ah peeled a mandarin orange beside him.

“…So, basically,” David said, “you want us to keep running a combat group of Awakeners like we are now, but focus on monster hunting?”

“That’s right.”

“And me, specifically?”

I nodded, smiling.

“I’d like the Hunters to operate in southern Gyeonggi Province, eliminating monsters in civilian areas where heavy artillery can’t be used.”

“So… cleanly deal with the monsters and leave, huh?”

“Exactly. You’ve got it.”

Hong Seon-ah raised her hand eagerly, like a child in class.

“Uh, what’s this part about social welfare activities?”

“Things like rescuing civilians, working on construction sites—public service using your powers.”

I added with a sly tone, “Though calling it public service is a bit of a stretch. It’ll basically be a lucrative part-time job. You know how it is with laws—loopholes exist.”

“Hah! You’re a natural politician, aren’t you?”

David Kim chuckled as he pushed forward the proposed profit-sharing ratios.

“This, I like.”

—

**Monster Damage Recovery Foundation: 40%
David Kim: 30%
Hong Seon-ah: 10%
Remaining 40 members: 0.5% each**
**CEO: David Kim**
**No dividends to the Monster Damage Recovery Foundation**

—

David Kim smiled contentedly.

“Does this mean we can support the ones who got crippled this time?”

“That’s right. As the business grows, they’ll be living comfortably.”

I elaborated further.

“Eventually, the military or the National Intelligence Service will try to co-opt Awakeners. In fact, the orders I received were more aligned with that.”

“……”

“But while we can create an environment where Awakeners contribute to the nation, I don’t think putting them on a leash is the way to go.”

“Seung-Moon…”

Hong Seon-ah suddenly threw her arms around me.

Suppressing a wave of nausea, I endured her enthusiastic embrace.

As she hugged me, I patted her back with a smile and turned to David Kim.

“By the way, what should we call the company?”

David Kim grinned.

“Guild.”