A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 32: North Wind (3)

Dark circles.
Disheveled hair.
Gloomy and murky eyes.
Trembling hands.
Stuttering words.
Unsteady steps.

That was the Pi Chae-won I knew—a pitiful girl tormented by trauma.

But now, my perception had shifted slightly.

“…What happened to you?”

Pi Chae-won stood at my front door, disheveled and gasping for air. She looked scruffy and worn out, clearly drained from exhaustion.

“You look a lot better than before.”

Only her eyes, despite her youthful face, shone with a sharpness that hadn’t been there before.

“…You said you’d be my guardian, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

She boldly confronted me.

“Just this once, please help me without asking anything.”

—

I let Pi Chae-won inside.

From the Martial Law Command in northern Gyeonggi Province to Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province—how she managed to get here with most roads blocked was a mystery, but it wasn’t the point.

Given she wasn’t an ordinary person, she must’ve figured it out somehow. Skipping the stupid questions, I got straight to the point.

“Well, I’m a bit taken aback by your sudden visit.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, no, since you’ve shown the courage to come to me first, I’ll be blunt too.”

“…Okay.”

“First, take this.”

I handed her a towel. She blinked blankly, staring at me as if to ask what it was for.

“The bathroom is the second door on the left down that way.”

“…What?”

“I’ll prepare some food, so go take a shower first.”

I grinned.

“You look filthy.”

—

Steaming white rice, compactly pressed barley, filled the bowl as I placed a few pieces of raw seabass on top.

“This is seabass. The Zhou Dynasty emperor supposedly looked at this fish and declared, ‘This is it! A united world is at hand.’”

“…What?”

“Maybe that’s why it tastes so good with rice.”

I theatrically declared in a dialect, “Eat this! You’ll love it!”

Sheepishly, I piled side dishes onto her plate. Flustered, she awkwardly ate everything I gave her in a hurry.

She must’ve been starving. After all, traversing the nation without a proper meal wasn’t an easy feat.

Pi Chae-won continued eating, her face flushed red, her head bowed deeply. I smiled warmly as I watched her.

Even just watching our ‘seer of the future’ eat filled me with contentment. Such a lucky charm.

“Hey, careful, she’s going to choke.”

Apparently bored, Yeo Do-yeon shuffled over in her rabbit-shaped slippers and took a seat at the table. Speaking in an authoritative tone, she turned to me.

“Give me a bite.”

Not so much boredom as a craving for a midnight snack, it seemed. I stuffed a piece of seabass laced with wasabi into her mouth and casually asked,

“So, what’s this about? Why do you need my help?”

“…”

As expected, no answer. I decided to stop prying and chuckled.

“Oh, right. You told me not to ask.”

For her to come all the way from Gangbuk without any notice, it had to be something serious.

Especially the fact that she came here herself.

She wouldn’t claim she couldn’t contact me because she didn’t have a phone. That meant it was something that couldn’t leave a record in the system.

For a high schooler to worry about system records, it must’ve been either a grave matter or something illegal and secretive.

There was no need to press further. She cautiously began to speak.

“…It’s about monsters.”

“What?”

“Could you… bring some trustworthy hunters and go to Gangbuk with me?”

Her words were slightly awkward, but her request was intriguing.

Still, I wasn’t entirely convinced.

Even if Pi Chae-won could see the future, I couldn’t fully trust her. I didn’t know the full context and couldn’t rely solely on her judgment—

“…Uncle Cheol said the same thing.”

Uncle Cheol.

Gam Cheol.

Gam’s reporter.

…So. She and Gam had gotten entangled in some kind of incident, and now they needed my discreet assistance. Was that it?

If it was Gam Cheol’s judgment, it was worth considering. I decided to move past this issue for now.

“You’re saying we might have to use force?”

“…Probably.”

“Then do we really need multiple people?”

I placed a hand on the shoulder of Yeo Do-yeon, who was busy shoveling mixed rice into her mouth. Her response was predictably curt.

“…What are you looking at?”

“I like you.”

“Ah, geez…”

I already had my own blue dragon and white tiger by my side, didn’t I?

—

“Come to think of it, is it a vermilion bird, not a blue dragon?”

“Huh?”

“No, no, never mind.”

Driving in circles around the road near the broadcasting station, I had Yeo Do-yeon and Pi Chae-won in the backseat. Yeo Do-yeon suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, isn’t it weird for an Assemblyman to be driving his assistant around?”

“So you ‘do’ consider yourself my assistant?”

Caught off guard, she looked sheepish. She’d just received her salary as a Grade 7 assistant yesterday.

“Hey, I offered to drive…”

“You have a license?”

“We got it together after high school, idiot.”

“Well, you kept it buried so deep I didn’t even know it existed.”

“…”

“Anyway, don’t say such scary things in public. Your license is only good for buying soju, got it?”

In the rearview mirror, her face looked as menacing as a thug about to finish someone off.

It was bad for my mental health.

Knowing I’d be beaten to death the moment I let go of the wheel, I deliberately kept circling the station instead of parking.

Then, a familiar face came into view.

Cold expression.
An Americano in hand.
A beige trench coat.
Subtle red magic shimmering at the tips of her hair.

Hong Seon-ah wandered through the city, her frosty gaze scanning her surroundings.

I pulled up beside her and gave a short honk.

‘Beep!’

“Eek!”

Rolling down the window, I called out to her.

“It’s been a while, Hong Seon-ah.”

“Ah! You scared me!”

“Get in.”

She climbed into the passenger seat, pouting, and glanced toward the back seat.

“Oh my! Do-yeon unni! Long time no see…!”

Ever sociable, Hong Seon-ah clasped Yeo Do-yeon’s hand dramatically, half-tearfully shaking it.

“…Yeah, long time.”

Yeo Do-yeon greeted her with indifference, but I knew her well enough to recognize that she was just awkward and embarrassed. Hong Seon-ah turned to Pi Chae-won.

“Oh, hi there! I’m Hong Seon-ah! You can call me Seon-ah unni!”

“Ah, uh, okay…”

The atmosphere grew awkward as the extrovert squeezed herself between two introverts. As someone who had been an extrovert once upon a time, I decided to step in.

“Why the coat? It’s still late summer; it’s pretty warm.”

“I don’t feel the heat!”

Hong Seon-ah suddenly grabbed the back of my neck.

A strange sensation spread through me.

It was hot, yet not unbearable—almost as if the heat didn’t bother me anymore. The feeling was peculiar. As soon as she let go, the oppressive heat returned.

“Hong Seon-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to hold hands with me all summer?”

“If I hold hands with you, I’ll just remember my trauma, so no thanks!”

She chuckled, strapping on her seatbelt, but her half-joking remark lingered in my mind.

The suffocating darkness, the overwhelming fear, the sudden glowing red eyes sinking their teeth into my neck.

The Shinbundang Line.

Even though I had escaped with her help, just recalling the experience sent chills down my spine. Especially the part where a sewer grate popped open, grabbing my ankle—

“So, why did you call me out here?”

“…Ah.”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I explained my purpose.

“I need a trustworthy hunter who can keep their mouth shut.”

“That’s me!”

She responded instantly, but the expressions on the two people in the backseat weren’t exactly reassuring.

Still, I knew how discreet Hong Seon-ah could be.

For covert, force-dependent operations, a small, elite team was ideal.

If it was a big monster, Yeo Do-yeon would be enough.

For smaller ones, Hong Seon-ah was the best.

Of course, if it got dangerous, she’d be the first to bail, but I decided to double-check before proceeding.

I glanced toward the back.

“Chae-won, do you know who Hong Seon-ah is?”

Hong Seon-ah was a somewhat famous figure, so Pi Chae-won likely had a rough idea of her strength. She nodded slightly.

“Then is this sufficient?”

Pi Chae-won nodded again.

With that, I stepped on the accelerator, heading toward Gangbuk.

—

“Thank you for your service.”

“I’ll assist with the permit, oh, Assemblyman!”

“I’m heading out for a guild-related monster-slaying operation. Can I use the military road?”

“Of course!”

At the soldier’s signal, the barrier was lifted, and we entered the military road.

Had we taken the regular roads, we’d have wasted an entire day meandering on the highway. The military road, aside from the occasional tank or truck, was smooth sailing.

Let’s see. If it’s clear from here to northern Gyeonggi Province…

“It’ll take about six hours.”

“Can I put on some music?”

“No.”

I connected my phone via Bluetooth and played Kim Kwang-seok’s second album.

“I’ll play what I like.”

The melancholic electric piano intro of ‘Love That Wasn’t Returned’ began to flow through the car.

‘Perfect.’ I groaned in satisfaction, soaking in the atmosphere.

Yeo Do-yeon closed her eyes and leaned her head back, wearing an expression that screamed, ‘Here he goes again.’ Pi Chae-won tilted her head in curiosity, trying to figure out the singer.

As the heart-wrenching vibrato of the chorus began, Hong Seon-ah looked at me with a conflicted expression.

“Seung-Moon, so this is what you’re like?”

“What?”

“Never mind. It’s just…”

She left the sentence hanging, her tone unsettling. Accelerating down the empty highway, I asked,

“By the way, why did you ask to be picked up at the broadcasting station?”

“Oh! Right! I was on TV!”

“What?”

She exclaimed excitedly. Now that I looked closer, her makeup seemed especially polished—likely the work of a professional.

“Section TV Entertainment News!”

“…Why there of all places?”

“What? Are you saying I can’t go on shows like that?”

“You’re not exactly a celebrity, are you?”

Hong Seon-ah shot me a disdainful look.

“Oh… Celebrity, huh?”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no, I just thought your choice of words was… mature.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“No, I wasn’t—”

“In Busan, we always say ‘celebrity.’ Everyone does!”

With solemn authority, Yeo Do-yeon, who had been feigning sleep, interjected.

“No, we don’t.”

“Were you awake?”

“I never sleep.”

Hong Seon-ah burst into laughter, mocking me.

“Don’t worry! You’re already old enough at twenty-eight!”

“I’m twenty-seven.”

“Same thing!”

Yeo Do-yeon (28 years old, assistant) flinched in the rearview mirror, but I chose to ignore her pitiful reaction and focused on driving.

“What have you been up to lately, Hong Seon-ah?”

“Hmm, catching monsters, checking out restaurants, catching more monsters, being Uncle Chun-sik’s drinking buddy, catching even more monsters, and appearing on variety shows…”

“You’ve been on variety shows?”

Hong Seon-ah pouted.

“Are hunters not allowed on TV?”

“You’re not a celebrity.”

“Looks-wise, I am.”

“Since when?”

“Since birth?”

A tough one, indeed. She smiled brightly at me, and I continued driving, my expression one of quiet resignation.

She muttered nonchalantly,

“Hmm. Isn’t it similar to politicians appearing on TV?”

It was a pointed remark, implying that I benefited from media coverage too.

A sharp observation. Hong Seon-ah was immensely popular due to her impressive abilities, stunning appearance, and charisma.

And that was precisely what I was wary of.

I didn’t need attention-hungry predators eyeing my hunters. I had to keep my influence over this field intact.

Most importantly, Hong Seon-ah was the type to effortlessly win public favor, which naturally weakened my hold over her.

I responded flatly.

“Well, hunters’ duties are essentially public service. While you may not need to worry, other hunters—”

“Hmm…”

“Journalists are cunning. They could twist things and frame hunters for their gain. So, please, stay cautious.”

Hong Seon-ah gave me a sly look.

“You’re surprisingly possessive, Assemblyman.”

Damn it. She’s perceptive.

She grinned and pretended to pinch my arm.

“Play the radio, and I’ll cut back on TV appearances!”

“Go ahead.”

“Sweet!”

‘Click.’

‘”…We resolve to safeguard constitutional order and hereby notify the National Assembly immediately…”‘

Instead of music, a somber voice filled the car.

It was a familiar voice.

‘”Under Article 77 of the Constitution, martial law is hereby declared across the Gyeonggi Province region.”‘

Acting President Won Ok-bun had just declared martial law.