A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 3: I Lost My Job (3)

Right after the oath-taking ceremony, something fell from the sky.

Someone was struck by a chunk of cement, bleeding as they collapsed.

I couldn’t quite make out what it was. Just… a massive lump of muscle with sharp horns sticking out.

It spread out, smashing the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Deputy Speaker beneath its weight.

I was always quick to judge a situation, and I was already limping out of the assembly hall on my left foot.

Some people ran ahead of me, others stood there in shock, while others were caught and torn apart by… whatever that thing was.

Fortunately, I was among those escaping, but the biggest problem was the seating arrangement in the assembly.

The more senior you were, the farther back you sat—meaning long-serving members were seated toward the rear.

As a freshman assemblyman, I was seated right up front. Right near the monster.

Luckily, being a member of the Democratic Party, my seat was in a far corner. Meanwhile, rookie Republican representatives were already getting pulverized.

I couldn’t escape to the back. My left foot was a prosthetic, which made running difficult. If it broke, I wouldn’t even be able to walk, and then I’d be dead.

I had to walk—carefully—without bumping into anyone or stumbling.

Everyone was fleeing in the opposite direction of the monster. I first called Yeo Do-yeon, who was waiting for me outside. The last thing I needed was for her to rush in to help me.

Then I rose from my seat and moved in the opposite direction. The creature was pummeling the people darting around, oblivious to my slow, steady approach toward the exit.

The creature was already on the stairs, crushing desks and people alike. I watched as a politician with a 24% approval rating for the presidential race was killed.

Tring, tring. The phone kept ringing as I walked.

There was an emergency exit along the edge near the front of the assembly hall.

Yeo Do-yeon finally answered.

“Hey! What the hell just fell from the sky—”

“Don’t come inside the National Assembly. There’s an attacker killing people. I’m making my way to the emergency exit.”

If I said it was a monster, she wouldn’t believe me.

“What?”

“Yes, stay calm. Don’t wait by the front entrance—drive around to the back. Let’s keep the line open.”

“Okay… the back? The back entrance?”

“Yeah, drive carefully and head to the back entrance. I’ll meet you there.”

It must have looked insane, calmly talking on the phone as I walked through the assembly hall while a three-meter-tall monster was busy tearing people apart.

Thankfully, it was too preoccupied with its killing spree to notice me.

I reached the emergency exit and was just about to close the door—

—when a wrinkled hand jammed into the gap.

“Ah…! You’re here? Thank goodness.”

Pale and gasping, Representative Yang Pan-seok pushed through the emergency exit. He closed the door behind him and even locked it.

Yang Pan-seok was a four-term assemblyman. He’d have been sitting at the back, so he must have gotten out right away.

Yet here he was, with me at the emergency exit near the front of the assembly hall.

Which meant…

“Is there a monster at the front entrance too?”

“Yes. L-let’s go.”

He grabbed my hand, visibly terrified. It wasn’t like him, but I held his trembling hand firmly. He had never treated me poorly as a boss.

Neither of us would be able to escape alone. I had a bad leg, and he was a frail man in his sixties.

Supporting each other, we slowly descended the emergency stairwell. Yang Pan-seok, panting heavily, spoke to me between breaths.

“I-I must say, you’re staying remarkably calm.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised myself.”

“I’ve seen monsters like that back in Vietnam. You’re reliable.”

He was a Vietnam War veteran.

We descended, clinging to each other tightly, locking the emergency doors on each floor as we went.

At the time, I did it automatically, but looking back, I realize it might have been my subconscious preparing for the chance that a monster might follow us through the emergency exit.

If a crowd tried to rush through, we could easily be trampled. I casually informed Yang Pan-seok,

“My sister’s waiting by the back gate.”

“In a vehicle?”

“I got a K5.”

“A local brand, good. An assemblyman should support domestic cars.”

We talked like lunatics, step by step down the stairs.

“I suppose being a cripple and an old man makes us a little slow.”

“Can’t you carry me?”

“I could let go of your hand.”

“Seems like you’ve lost your manners since becoming an assemblyman.”

Perhaps he was trying to keep his nerves in check, but our mad chatter didn’t stop.

“We’re here.”

“Be careful with the door. Who knows what might be outside.”

I opened the door cautiously.

Outside the National Assembly was a field of bright green grass. It was a place where I occasionally strolled with Il-ho, Ho-jung, and Seok-ho, chatting away.

Now, the field was red.

There was more than one monster.

A gaping blue hole had opened in the sky, and creatures were writhing their way down to earth.

People in suits screamed and scattered, while indescribable monsters rampaged, killing everyone in sight.

One creature clamped down on someone’s head, sending blood spurting high into the air. Arms and legs twisted like insect limbs, scattering everywhere.

Yang Pan-seok vomited, splattering a bit on my suit and shoes, but that hardly mattered now.

I held onto him and picked up my phone. Priorities had shifted.

“Noona. Are you okay?”

“Jesus Christ. Damn it.”

I could tell she had her phone mounted on the dashboard in speaker mode while driving.

I could hear screams, crashes, deathly sounds, and the screech of brakes through the receiver.

“Where are you?”

“I’m just outside. Heading to the back gate.”

Screams burst from the phone. “Aaaaaah!”

“Holy crap! Damn it! There’s someone next to me! Aaaah!”

It sounded like Yang Il-ho, Lee Ho-jung, and Kang Seok-ho were with her. They must have planned a surprise party for me after the inauguration. They all had each other’s numbers.

Dragging the retching Yang Pan-seok, I guided him toward the back gate. I was ready to ditch him if it came to that, but the old man kept up with surprising determination.

Earning a life-debt from a four-term lawmaker could pay off well.

“Do you have anyone with you?” he asked.

“Let’s just focus on getting to the back gate.”

Though he hadn’t denied it, he seemed disinclined to think of joining anyone. It was a calculated decision. We made our way quickly to the quieter back entrance.

With a clear path on flat ground and the urgency of impending death, we made it to the back gate at a decent speed.

Hand in hand, Yang Pan-seok and I ran for it—the perfect pairing of an old man and a cripple.

“Where are you now?”

“Gate 5 of the National Assembly—no, wait.”

That wouldn’t mean anything to her.

“The exit closest to the river. We’re on our way.”

The K5 was a four-seater.

Me, my sister, Yang Pan-seok, Il-ho, Ho-jung, and Seok-ho.

Six people in total.

“A car will be quicker, but there’s a big parking lot just over there, right? We could find a larger van…”

No. That wouldn’t work. Even if the whole of Seoul wasn’t trashed, this entire area was. People would be scrambling to escape in cars. Getting in one now would mean traffic jams, maybe even a fatal accident.

“Noona, Noona!”

“What?”

I could hear Yeo Do-yeon’s furious steering as she weaved through traffic, with Il-ho, Ho-jung, and Seok-ho crying in the background.

“If you go directly behind the National Assembly, there’s a marina called Seoul Marina.”

“What?”

“Let’s take a yacht.”

I smiled as I held tightly to Yang Pan-seok’s hand.

He must have heard enough of the call to understand, and his face lit up.

This old man had pulled strings to get himself sent to Vietnam as a state-decorated veteran; he knew how to pilot a yacht.

Even now, he took one out often.

* * *

We exited through Gate 5. From afar, I saw a monster pulling someone off the roof of the Hanok Lounge at the National Assembly and devouring them.

The president himself would sometimes come here for meals.

“Watch out!”

As I lingered for a moment, absorbed in the scene, Yang Pan-seok pulled me back.

A car zoomed past at 120 km/h, missing us by a hair.

We nearly died.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re going to the marina, right?”

“Yes. Monsters are chasing the people who are trying to escape.”

“Then we need to avoid crowded places.”

Running was impossible, so we had to pick a precise route.

Yang Pan-seok, with over 12 years in Yeouido, led the way. While he navigated, I focused on my call, seizing a brief moment of respite.

“We’re heading to the marina.”

“Heuh, huh… heuh…”

I could hear Yeo Do-yeon sobbing.

“Was… was that you just now?”

It seemed she’d been driving the car that nearly hit me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but just get to the marina.”

“I-I almost ran over… I almost hit someone…”

“Cut the nonsense and just get here, okay?”

“O-okay, I’m on my way…”

The essential skill in politics is lying.

* * *

Yang Pan-seok’s route selection was flawless.

We reached the marina, passing through landscaped groves around the National Assembly and only crossing two small crosswalks.

It may not have been the shortest path, but miraculously, we didn’t encounter a single person along the way.

While we saw many people dying in the distance, at least our own path was clear.

“There… the marina.”

“Do you need the yacht keys?”

Would we need to get them from the Seoul Marina building?

“I keep a spare under a flowerpot on the yacht itself.”

Yang Pan-seok was drenched in sweat, panting heavily. I gave him a little support—he would need the strength to steer.

The National Assembly is in Yeouido, on the southern bank of the Han River. If we were to escape by road, we’d need to go south.

That meant the marina was relatively deserted. While a few people were jumping into the river, no one was trying to sail away.

“Which yacht is yours, sir?”

“Second dock, third one from the left.”

Limping, I supported him as we made our way over.

“I’m at the marina! Where are you?”

“Do you see all the yachts?”

“Yeah, I found it!”

Her battered car rattled as it made its way toward us.

The white car was smeared with red.

Whether it was human or monster blood, it didn’t matter—what mattered was that she was alive.

The door flew open, and Yeo Do-yeon ran to me, throwing her arms around me, crying. A fierce, spirited woman, but lately, I’d been seeing her cry more often.

“Seung-Moon! My little brother…”

Smack!

I slapped her cheek hard.

Then, as she stared at me, wide-eyed and tearful, I took her face in my hands and kissed her forehead a few times.

“Noona. I love you. I’m so glad you’re alive. But please, could you carry this gentleman? We need to get him to the second dock, the yacht with the orange stripe and black-and-white flag.”

“Oh… okay.”

“I’m really sorry, but we’re short on time.”

Quickly, she hoisted Yang Pan-seok onto her back.

“Miss, that way… over there…”

She ran in the direction he pointed.

Il-ho and Ho-jung crawled out of the car, pale as sheets.

Ho-jung, ever tidy, had vomit dribbling from her mouth, while Il-ho had a cut on his forehead, bleeding.

“Il-ho, Seok-ho, give me a hand.”

“Hyung, what… what is going on…”

“P-people… oh god…”

The two looked dazed and disoriented.

“Please, just help me. I can’t move my leg properly.”

I seemed out of it, too.

“…Where’s Seok-ho?”

Only Il-ho and Ho-jung had come. The somewhat composed Ho-jung spoke up.

“Seok-ho… his kids…”

I understood immediately.

Kang Seok-ho was the sole provider in his family. He had two younger siblings, and they were likely at the daycare in the National Forestry Center, just past the main entrance of the National Assembly.

We were at the Seoul Marina, which was behind the National Assembly and quite far from there.

“Let’s get on the yacht first.”

“What?”

“Let’s get on the yacht and then go back for Seok-ho.”

Taking a yacht to rescue someone on land didn’t make much sense.

“Got it, Hyung.”

“Come on, Ho-jung, let’s go.”

“Y-yeah! Let’s do that…”

Right now, we didn’t need explanations—just a pretext.

* * *

With a loud roar, the large yacht left the dock. We collapsed into the yacht’s cabin, breathing heavily and struggling to calm down.

Yang Pan-seok was steering with an intensity I hadn’t seen before.

Yeo Do-yeon stared blankly at the crumbling city.

Il-ho laughed hysterically, on the verge of tears.

Ho-jung sat there, numb, fiddling with her broken shoe.

Somehow, I was the only one who seemed completely okay.

“…Assemblyman Han, look over there.”

Yang Pan-seok, his face drained of color, pointed.

A creature the size of a two-story building was smashing through the National Assembly. The blue dome lay in ruins.

Other areas were similarly devastated. Nothing was left untouched. I could only hope the monsters wouldn’t venture onto the water, though whether that hope would be realized was uncertain.

Nothing was clear; nothing was certain.

Except for one thing.