A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 8: Superpowers on the Red Han River (5)

Before anyone could react, Gam Ji-yoon bolted forward.

“Dad…!”

Even after witnessing people crushed to death hours ago, there’s something about the sight of blood that instills a deep chill.

Blood spurted out between the knife wounds, sending shivers down my spine.

The incident unfolded in an instant. The masked man stabbed Gam Chul with a kitchen knife and twisted it.

The bastard glanced around the room, muttering to himself.

“Damn it, why are there so many of you…”

Holding the sobbing Ji-yoon, who clung to her father’s limp body, he sneered.

“If you don’t want to watch the kid die, hand over the cash. Now.”

Chun Hwa-ran collapsed to the floor in shock, and Yang Il-ho, his hands trembling, held a kitchen knife he’d found and pointed it at the intruder.

“Hey, h-hey! G-get out! Now!”

“Ha, look at this pipsqueak, can’t even hold a knife straight. Shut up and get the cash.”

“Dad! Dad…! Get up, Dad!”

Nobody else could speak.

“Hey, brat, quiet down! And the rest of you? Do you people really have no money, living in Seoul?”

Around the crying Ji-yoon, random objects floated in the air.

“W-what the hell is this?!”

The intruder was momentarily thrown off guard. I yelled at the top of my lungs.

“Ji-yoon! Push him!”

Ji-yoon screamed, and all the objects around her—fire extinguishers, flowerpots, shoes, umbrellas—shot off in all directions.

– Thud!

The intruder was thrown sideways, smashing his head against the wall. There was no need for further commands.

– Crack!

In a flash, Yeo Do-yeon launched herself at him, driving her knee into his temple. The intruder dropped his knife and fell sideways.

Yeo Do-yeon straddled him and pummeled his face relentlessly. The brutality of it was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Chun Hwa-ran, on her knees, crawled over to Gam Chul, clutching his bleeding body and sobbing. Gam Chul, pale, reached up with a trembling, blood-stained hand to touch her cheek.

“Hwa-ran…”

“We need a hospital, 119…! Damn it! But there’s no 119…! He needs a hospital…!”

Chun Hwa-ran pressed her hands against his wound, but blood continued to pour out, staining the floor.

Yeo Do-yeon was still pummeling the intruder’s face, while Yang Pan-seok watched, assessing the situation just as I was.

Yang Il-ho was lying on the floor, gripping the knife, and Lee Ho-jung, gritting her teeth, was desperately searching the house for a first-aid kit.

A baby’s wailing echoed through the house.

Then, a miracle happened.

White light flickered at Chun Hwa-ran’s fingertips.

“…Huh?”

Gam Chul, bewildered, slowly sat up, while Chun Hwa-ran fainted.

—

“Hoo… Where are Chun Hwa-ran and Mr. Gam?”

“They’re both cleaned up and resting.”

“I hate that I keep giving orders just because my leg’s messed up.”

“No, it’s okay, hyung…”

Yang Il-ho lowered his head with a glum expression and returned to Lee Ho-jung, who was comforting the baby. Gam Chul’s face was deathly pale from blood loss, and Chun Hwa-ran, too, remained unconscious for unknown reasons.

The house was filled with the metallic smell of blood. Though we’d tried to clean it up with wipes, the shock of it all lingered in the air, mingling with the iron scent.

Yang Pan-seok dropped down next to me.

“He had a dragon tattoo on his arm. Looks like he was scum all along.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The corpse, I mean.”

“…You handled the body too?”

“I may have pulled strings to avoid combat duty in Vietnam, but I saw action when the Viet Cong ambushed us from the rear. I’ve dealt with corpses before. Anyway, I tossed him out the apartment window—let the monsters have him.”

The intruder was dead. It could have been Ji-yoon’s telekinesis crushing his brain or Do-yeon’s relentless punches shattering his skull.

I hadn’t seen the state of the body, but it was probably the latter. She’d beaten him so savagely that his face had likely turned to mush.

Do-yeon knew it, too, which was why she was in the bathroom, vomiting. I covered my face with my hands, sighing. There was nothing else to do.

“…Having this bad leg is so frustrating.”

“Everyone has their role. Frankly, if not for your quick thinking, we’d all be dead by now.”

“…It’s still frustrating.”

“Well, should I be frustrated because I’m old, then?”

Yang Pan-seok pulled out his phone.

“I found a charger, so I charged it. Do you use an iPhone?”

“Yes.”

“I’m all done, so go ahead and plug yours in.”

“Thank you.”

“When you thanked me just now, that was habit, wasn’t it? The aide in you.”

I nodded silently.

“We all have our roles, and as long as we stick to them, society works as it should.”

“…Understood.”

“Looks like I have a lot to teach a rookie politician like you. Here, take a look.”

He scrolled through his phone’s contact list, showing thousands of numbers.

“It’s hard to believe, even for me. Just ‘yesterday,’ what do you think I could have accomplished with this phone?”

I didn’t bother to answer.

“Anything. I could have done anything with it. But now?”

“……”

“It’s useless. I could call the Defense Minister and demand a helicopter, but look at this.”

To make a point about how power depends on social networks, he seemed to be calling the Defense Minister.

-Ring… ring…

“!”

“It’s… it’s ringing!”

But the Defense Minister didn’t answer. In that case,

“Do you have the Vice Minister’s number…?”

“Of course I do…!”

We sat on the couch, grinning as we dialed the number.

-“The person you are trying to reach is currently on another call. Please leave a message after the beep…”

“Yes!”

“Haah…!”

Yang Pan-seok left a message, typing slowly with one finger, a classic “hunt-and-peck” typing style. I wanted to grab it and type for him, but I resisted.

-“Vice Minister Cha, it’s Yang Pan-seok here. I’m currently in Paju…”

“Hey, where exactly are we?”

“Il-ho! Ho-jung! Find out our address! Wake up Mr. Gam right now!”

“Where exactly are we?!”

“Just keep typing!”

-“Vice Minister Cha, it’s Yang Pan-seok. I’m currently in Paju. If possible, could you send some troops here?”

“Is this how you’re going to phrase it?!”

“Then what do you expect me to do?!”

“Give it to me!”

-“Vice Minister Cha Jae-kyun. I appreciate your efforts during this national crisis. This is Yang Pan-seok, four-term Democratic representative. Currently…”

“Hyung! It’s Paju Songpo-dong GS Xi Complex 1, Building 103, Unit 702!”

“What!?”

“Songpo-dong GS! Xi Complex 1! Building 103! Unit 702!”

-“Currently, I am sheltering with Representative Han Seung-moon and nine other civilians at Paju Songpo-dong GS Xi Complex 1, Building 103, Unit 702. Could you arrange for our rescue? One civilian has been stabbed and is critical. Please send a helicopter if possible; the lawmakers can wait.”

Sent.

“Haah…!”

“It’s a masterpiece!”

“Two lawmakers, an injured civilian—those are the highlights!”

“Still, that last line bothers me a bit…”

“Do you think they’d really leave behind two lawmakers? And if this text gets out to the media later, we’d have some insurance!”

“Smart thinking!”

Sure, it wasn’t like we were the only ones hiding in apartments, but if news broke later about us calling in the military to save two lawmakers…

“Councilman, we’ll just say Mr. Gam recovered after the message.”

“Right, right… Ji-yoon’s telekinesis is proof enough.”

Lee Ho-jung, looking curious, peeked out of the bedroom. Rubbing her tired eyes, she watched us with a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on with you guys?”

“Councilman Yang just called the Defense Vice Minister!”

“Wowww!”

She ran back into the room, yelling.

“They contacted the Defense Ministry!”

“Wh-what?! Really?”

“Waaah! We’re saved!”

In a surge of anxiety, I glanced at Yang Pan-seok.

“What if they don’t come to get us?”

“Don’t say that.”

“What if we get a message saying, ‘Evacuate Paju immediately’? What then…”

“Don’t you know saying things like that jinxes it?”

Ding. The cheerful sound of a text message. We stared at the screen with bated breath.

-“All available helicopters are currently occupied.”

“Th-this… damn…!”

For the first time, Yang Pan-seok swore and raised his hand as if to hit me, but then,

-“Are you in a safe location right now?”

He held out the phone, and I carefully took it, quickly typing a reply.

-“We cannot use ground routes, and we are on the 7th floor of an apartment. We were just attacked by an intruder, but it seems relatively safe here. This is a home with adequate food and water, so we can wait as needed.”

Just as I was about to hit send, Yang Pan-seok grabbed my wrist.

“Don’t forget to mention the injured civilian…!”

“Oh, right.”

-“The wounded individual’s injury has been treated and stabilized, though they are weak from blood loss. We do not intend to disrupt military operations, so please assess as you see fit.”

As soon as we sent the message, we instinctively clasped hands in mutual support. The two assemblymen holding hands and praying looked pitifully hopeful, but what did it matter now?

The response arrived two minutes later.

-“Approximately nine hours from now. A transport helicopter will arrive on your building’s rooftop around 6 a.m. We apologize for the delay.”

“Yes!”

“It worked…!”

Yang Pan-seok and I hugged each other, bouncing up and down.

In the face of life and death, nothing else really mattered.

—

“Is… is it true…?!”

“Oh, oh…! Thank you…!”

Gam Chul and Chun Hwa-ran, who had just regained consciousness, expressed their relief in their own ways. I turned to the pale Gam Chul.

“Are you alright?”

“…I truly owe you my life, assemblyman.”

“Can you stand?”

“I’m a little dizzy, but I think I’ll manage.”

Having nearly died from blood loss myself in a previous accident, I could tell that Gam Chul was hanging by a thread.

But he seemed to understand that now wasn’t the time to show weakness.

Ji-yoon sobbed, smearing her father’s shirt with tears and snot. Gam Chul held his wife and daughter close, eyes red, savoring a bittersweet happiness.

Baby Gam Seok also started crying, wriggling his way into his mother’s arms. Lee Ho-jung and Yang Il-ho watched the scene, linking arms affectionately.

Yang Pan-seok stepped out onto the balcony, silently clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed over what was left of Seoul. I leaned against the wall, hobbling over to knock on the bathroom door.

“…Noona.”

Knock, knock.

“…Are you okay?”

The door suddenly swung open. Yeo Do-yeon emerged, her eyes red but with a fierce grin on her face.

“I’m fine. Really.”

It was someone who deserved to die. It wasn’t her fault. Was she really okay? Had she been crying? How was she holding up? I swallowed back the questions, realizing some things are better left unsaid.

“They’re sending a helicopter at 6 a.m. tomorrow.”

“…That’s a relief.”

She gave a sad smile.

—

“What are you packing?”

“Oh, um… just this.”

Gam Chul slung his camera over his neck, offering a sheepish smile.

“This is my life.”

Whether he meant the photos of his family or the importance of his work, I wasn’t sure, but I could tell it was precious to him.

“Ji-yoon! What are you doing?!”

“Hehe!”

Chun Hwa-ran’s scolding voice called out as Ji-yoon floated through the air, swimming in mid-air with her newfound powers, too excited to sleep.

Gam Chul, beaming with happiness, lifted his son into his arms.

“Thank you, assemblyman. Truly.”

“There’s no need to keep thanking me.”

Then, we heard the sound of the helicopter approaching. Worried that others might hear and crowd the roof, we rushed up quickly.

Even in this joyful moment, humanity can be so pitiful.

Yang Pan-seok locked the rooftop door behind us without a word. Aside from me, nobody seemed to notice him do it. Whether they simply didn’t see or chose not to, I couldn’t tell.

He smiled faintly, prepared to shoulder the consequences. The roar of the helicopter blades drowned out everything, and a soldier gestured us onboard, shouting instructions we couldn’t hear.

Some boarded in tears, others trembling, and some smiling. I reached out to grasp the door handle, giving it a hard shake.

The door rattled.

Was it the wind from the helicopter’s rotors? Or were people on the other side banging, pleading to be let in? Perhaps it was a monster clawing at the door.

I stood there, holding the handle, in silence as the others boarded the helicopter.

Yeo Do-yeon motioned for me to get on.

My hands shook.

What would happen if I opened this door?

Maybe dozens of people would burst out, clutching at the helicopter in desperation.

Or maybe a monster would leap out and strangle me.

No one knew what lay beyond the door.

But I couldn’t bring myself to lock it.

This was my responsibility.

On impulse, I opened the rooftop door.

There was no one there.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Kang Seok-ho, who went to save his siblings. The unnamed student who had warned me of the danger. Her two friends. The bodies and survivors we left behind at the Han River.

Tears streamed down my face as I limped toward the helicopter.

When Yeo Do-yeon helped me inside, just as the soldier shouted to the pilot to take off, a woman burst through the rooftop door at full speed.

Behind her, small, two-headed dogs followed, snarling and snapping.

She dropped everything she was carrying, sprinting with all her might, and jumped for the departing helicopter.

I lunged to grab her hand. She clung to me, crying.

Damn it.

My grip was weak.

We fell together from the helicopter.

Through the roaring wind, I heard Yeo Do-yeon’s horrified scream.

I closed my eyes.

“Mister!”

The woman was in my arms, and we floated in mid-air.

Blue orbs, like fireflies, surrounded us. It was Ji-yoon’s voice. That clever little girl was floating through the air, lifting both of us up with her telekinesis.

The unknown woman sobbed in relief, while I stared in astonishment. Ji-yoon, gliding like a fairy, led us back into the helicopter.

Gam Chul captured the scene on camera.

At 6:13 a.m. on the third day of my life as a assemblyman, over Paju’s sky, with the shimmering red Han River beneath us in the morning sun, three people floated through the air onto the helicopter.