Chapter 95

Chapter 95

“Then let’s proceed that way.”

At the President’s instruction, the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs bowed and left the office.

Left alone with Cheon Myeongguk, the President grinned.

“Things are playing out quite entertainingly. Wouldn’t you say?”

“……”

“This is the kind of thing you have to see in person. I’ve never regretted being absent from the National Assembly as much as I do now. There’d be a proper mess unfolding by now, I’m sure.”

“You have a truly nasty hobby.”

“What else am I supposed to do? These are people kicking away their own fortunes. I need something to enjoy while I watch. The Equal Application Act went too far.”

The President clicked his tongue. Cheon Myeongguk agreed on that point.

The global trend is gradually moving toward loosening restrictions on the Awakened. Though crimes committed by the Awakened had emerged as a serious social problem, the threat of monsters surpassed it. The fact that the Awakened could leave for another country if their own nation made life too difficult also played a part.

To prevent this, various international coalitions had prohibited the poaching of other nations’ transcendents, but it still happened covertly behind the scenes.

That was how desperately nations were scrambling to court transcendents.

There were even countries willing to partner with villain organizations just to reduce the number of monsters.

From that perspective, the Equal Application Act was clearly a law that ran counter to the times.

That said, it wasn’t as though the law had been drafted after hearing sufficient field experience, as the current controversy might suggest.

“They don’t realize how reckless it is to fight a battle of strength against Choi Junho. I thought Ji Changyong would exercise some control, but his head’s gotten considerably bigger since becoming party leader. He was the one with the best sense of the room, so I helped him out, and now this.”

“But we need the party’s cooperation.”

“I know. That’s why I showed the courtesy of sending the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, isn’t it? Not that they’ll accept it. Whatever the outcome, for now it’s time to watch. Once it’s clear which side has the upper hand, I can mediate after that. However.”

The President spoke in a voice full of certainty.

“Choi Junho’s argument is extremely reasonable. It’s obvious how those caught in the line of fire will react.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Now that I see it, Choi Junho seems to have considerable political skill as well. He’ll be a tricky opponent.”

“Ah……”

Cheon Myeongguk, who hadn’t understood for a moment why those pitying eyes were directed at him, realized that he was the one who would have to deal with him, and let out a sigh.

Damn it, my stomach’s starting to ache.

*

Choi Junho’s statement threw the ruling party into an uproar.

Since the bill had been proposed under the ruling party’s leadership, it sounded like a declaration of war.

The Senior Secretary for Political Affairs came to mediate, but naturally, it fell through.

If anything, the Blue House’s move to shield Choi Junho sent the ruling party assembly members’ fury soaring to the sky.

“This is a mockery of us!”

“Choi Junho! That bastard dares to—against members of the National Assembly!”

“We must push through immediately! Let’s pressure the Blue House!”

“Leader! Please make your decision!”

“……”

Party leader Ji Changyong listened to the assembly members shouting with his eyes closed.

The clamoring of a pathetic lot.

‘The President must be clicking his tongue. I can’t afford to fall out of favor over this.’

Ji Changyong, who had served as a member of the faction since the President’s days as party leader, had a sense for which way the wind was blowing.

The misstep was having run around trying to suppress Choi Junho on their own initiative. He should have guessed when the Blue House started shielding Choi Junho, but he’d assumed their relationship was loose and buttoned the first button wrong.

The problem was that the ultimate responsibility also fell on him.

In the ‘Boxed Meal Incident,’ Choi Hyojik’s son-in-law had been left half-crippled, and he’d harbored discontent over being ordered to exclude him from nomination. Choi Hyojik was called the main culprit of the corruption, but he, the party leader, and Han Jeongmun, the Mayor of Seoul, thought they shouldn’t be treated this way.

Now that the sword had been drawn, they had to cut something, even if it was just water. But he also had to keep the possibility of failure in mind.

Ji Changyong watched the assembly members with veins bulging in their necks, then spoke.

“Assembly members Kim Yongjun, Ha Sangwoo, Kim Seulhye. It was you who said we should put a leash around the transcendents’ necks. Transcendent Choi Junho’s opinion is also reasonable, so how about going to see the field for yourselves?”

The Equal Application Act had been proposed with the three of them at the core. They’d been running around the National Assembly insisting Choi Junho’s behavior was insolent.

The faces of the three singled-out assembly members turned red.

“Leader! Are you trying to abandon us now?”

“If we go to the field, they’ll try to kill us! Have you forgotten what kind of man Choi Junho is?”

“Leader, that would be surrendering to Choi Junho!”

At least none of them are saying they’ll go even if it kills them.

Ji Changyong snorted inwardly while keeping a grave expression on his face.

The real problem was what would happen after the assembly members bravely went.

Could they really return safely?

Why did he have the feeling that no one would come back alive?

The very fact that he had such a thought was the terror that Choi Junho possessed.

Many transcendents had appeared in South Korea so far, but there had never been one like this. They had all wanted to join the inner circle and become members of the cartel. The one most devoted to this was Red Snake Kim Younghwan.

His greed had been excessive enough to become a burden later, but at least he was easy to talk to.

Choi Junho was not.

He had no greed for money, no ambition for honor. If the numbers didn’t add up, he’d resort to force regardless of who he was dealing with. And yet the endless stream of victims continued because so many people held the mindset of ‘It won’t be me.’

Choi Junho was already a bomb that could go off at any moment for the vested interests.

Which meant they had to find a way to control Choi Junho by any means necessary.

“Then what options do we have left?”

“We build practical experience while avoiding Choi Junho!”

“No, why should we follow Choi Junho’s proposal? Let’s push through with numbers.”

“The Blue House will exercise its veto, so how is that even possible? Do you have the confidence to persuade the President?”

“Can’t we just ask the leader to do it?”

What a complete mess.

Splitting apart and fighting like this over a single move Choi Junho made—how could they possibly win?

It was when the quarrel was growing ever more heated. A young man who had been quietly watching the situation raised his hand.

“Leader.”

“Assemblyman Yoo Jungho.”

It was two-term Assemblyman Yoo Jungho. He spoke with a confident face.

“I’ll meet Transcendent Choi Junho myself.”

“Him?”

“Yes. Transcendent Choi Junho came out aggressively, but I believe there must be room for discussion. I’ll meet him personally and persuade him.”

“I know Assemblyman Yoo Jungho’s capabilities, but Choi Junho is, well……”

If even the Blue House had given up on persuading him, that said enough. On top of that, Choi Junho was famous for refusing to meet with assembly members. No—it was more accurate to say he simply had no interest. Plenty of assembly members were furious at being treated as nothing at all.

Still, if the eloquent Yoo Jungho stepped up, a faint hope arose that the situation might turn around.

Ji Changyong changed his mind. If Yoo Jungho succeeded, he could use his strengthened position to keep the other assembly members in check.

“Let’s trust you.”

“I’ll bring back results that satisfy you.”

Yoo Jungho said confidently.

*

Since my interview had become a hot topic, my spar with Jung Dahyun also drew considerable attention.

The praise for Jung Dahyun’s beauty was especially overwhelming—though Jin Sejeong offered what wasn’t quite consolation, saying women were always more favored than men on internet broadcasts.

It was the first time I learned that it was this easy to surpass limits.

Should I try bringing it up with Lee Sehee next time?

Putting that aside, reeling in Yunhee went very smoothly.

“Can I look forward to it?”

“Yeah, look forward to it.”

Having secured an excellent sacrificial lamb, I ended up hearing about internet broadcasts at my meeting with Lee Sehee as well.

Lee Sehee, who was proactive about her own PR, surprisingly didn’t bring up appearing on broadcasts.

“I have to consider not just myself but the Group’s image as well. I can’t help but be more cautious.”

“I see.”

“I have a lot to protect. When you’re playing defense, you can’t help but be conservative.”

I thought Lee Sehee, with all the weight on her shoulders, must be quite exhausted.

“And I like things hardcore the way they are now. I’m not suited for appearing on broadcasts.”

“Fair enough.”

Sometimes Lee Sehee was the one shouting at me to push her harder, to the point where even I wondered if this was okay.

Even as I understood, I felt a pang of regret—which probably meant I’d gotten quite a taste for broadcasting. Then again, considering I was already scheming a hidden-camera content idea after reeling in Yunhee, maybe that was true.

“Dahyun’s intensity seemed a bit weak—she doesn’t do it like that every time, does she?”

“Of course I go harder.”

“Figures.”

Lee Sehee nodded, then moved on to the topic of the Equal Application Act. She praised me for framing it well, but honestly, I hadn’t calculated that far.

My thinking had been at the fundamental level from the start. If they were going to propose a bill, I just thought it would be good for them to build up some field experience first.

A person or two would have to die for them to really understand what it meant to go to a truly dangerous field.

“But a situation where your enemies multiply isn’t good.”

In the past, I would have said killing them all was enough.

I’m a person who grows, after all.

I know that the more enemies you kill and the more allies you keep alive, the better.

“What do you think is the best approach?”

“The best thing is to increase the number of assembly members who follow you. They’ll reflect your opinions in the National Assembly.”

“Do I need to go as far as having them reflected?”

“For minimal defense. The essential point is preventing bills that harm you from being proposed.”

It’s a world where opposition for opposition’s sake happens, just like the saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Lee Sehee’s words were worth taking to heart. Even if I didn’t actively participate, I understood they were necessary for me.

Politicians—having been close to the President, I know that if there’s someone who can understand my feelings, they’re a useful tool.

“Feels like I’m being used.”

“It’s not using you—it’s joining forces. I’ll help you.”

Lee Sehee said she’d employ a strategy of killing two birds with one stone.

It wasn’t a loss for me either, so I accepted.

However, there was one thing about my relationship with Lee Sehee I needed to address.

“And will you be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Lee Sechan.”

“……”

“I know there are all sorts of rumors going around. If it’s a burden, we can keep our distance for a while.”

If Lee Sehee asked whether I was behind what turned Lee Sechan into a fool, I was willing to answer honestly.

He’d crossed the line in front of me, but I’d also thought that Lee Sehee’s path forward would be wide open only if he disappeared.

In fact, that thought hadn’t changed even now.

Though Lee Sehee might feel differently.

“My brother definitely has love and hate tangled up together. As I became an adult and started achieving results, his hatred toward me deepened. I knew it would become a problem, but I didn’t have the courage to decisively cut that tie. So I’m grateful for the current situation.”

Lee Sehee looked into my eyes.

“I don’t care what you did, Junho. I’ll only look forward and live in the present.”

“That’s admirable.”

“Admirable? There’s a bit of escapism mixed in. And are you crazy? Keep away from the goose that lays the golden eggs? I’ll never let you go. You’re mine.”

So I’ve suddenly become someone’s possession.

“My true feelings slipped out without me realizing.”

Lee Sehee smiled sheepishly, then brought up a different topic as if to change the mood.

“Now that the Big Bang Series has stabilized, is there any other good business opportunity?”

“I don’t know.”

The Big Bang Series, strictly speaking, was something I hadn’t even known had business potential—Lee Sehee was the one who revived it.

I don’t have any business sense to begin with.

But Lee Sehee pursued me persistently, her eyes sparkling to a burdensome degree.

“There must be. You’re the goose that lays the golden eggs, Junho!”

“Fine, I’ll think about it.”

……Somehow, this felt like an atmosphere where I’d have to come up with something even if there wasn’t anything.

*

Rather than dying down with time, the reaction to the interview was blazing ever more fiercely. Not just sitting assembly members but TV commentators were also sticking their toes in one by one.

There were people criticizing me, and people criticizing me for having a sudden outburst in the National Assembly.

Cheon Myeongguk tipped me off that a war of nerves between the Blue House and the National Assembly was playing out behind the scenes.

Power is a truly terrifying thing. The Blue House and the National Assembly were on the same side, yet they were engaged in a war of nerves—ultimately, it was a struggle for initiative.

“This is why killing them all is easier.”

Lots of things were being said, but of course my thinking hadn’t changed.

If you’re going to legislate, field experience is essential. That’s why I’d set the condition. Experience the flow of the field firsthand, and if you still feel the same way, I’d support it too. If they had noble intentions rather than ulterior motives, they’d step up.

But looking at how things were going, it seemed their intentions weren’t pure after all.

Just as I was about to tune out, having tossed the ball into their court—

A ruling party assembly member came to see me.

I normally refuse meetings, but the name was familiar, and my intuition oddly intended for me to meet him, so I accepted.

This name, where have I seen it?

“It’s an honor to meet you, Transcendent Choi Junho. My name is Yoo Jungho.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Yoo Jungho was a reformist-faction assembly member within the ruling party, young blood who’d been elected at 35 and won a second term. Seeing that someone in his early 40s was called young blood really drove home that the National Assembly was a pool of stagnant old water.

Transcendents decline with age, but assembly members accumulate seniority and become monsters.

“I came because of the Equal Application Act. I was worried you might harbor ill feelings toward the ruling party.”

“Wasn’t it the ruling party that led it?”

“Not everyone thinks the same way. I, for one, think differently.”

Was he really here just to appeal that?

Then I’d give him the answer he wanted.

“I hold no grudge against the ruling party.”

“That’s a relief. Some people stuck in old memories think of the Awakened as something to be controlled, but I believe we should go forward together.”

“I see.”

“Yes, I believe supporting the Awakened is work for the nation’s future. Furthermore, I think it would be good if the Awakened actively participated in running the country as well.”

Yoo Jungho revealed that he himself was an Awakened who’d reached Level 5, though he claimed he had no great talent. But by my gauging, he seemed to be Level 6, not Level 5.

After emphasizing that he was an Awakened like me, he subtly criticized the assembly members who’d proposed the Equal Application Act while elevating the Awakened.

At this point, his ideology was on a completely different level—so why was he in the same party?

Whether I had questions or not, Yoo Jungho enthusiastically laid out his thoughts.

“The Awakened are being suppressed. Thanks to the current social climate, they’re losing their chances to make full use of their abilities. So I……”

“Ah.”

As I watched him pour out his passionate speech, it came back to me.

No wonder his face had seemed familiar—it was a face I knew.

I’d seen Yoo Jungho on TV before, about ten years older than he was now.

Yoo Jungho. He was a future presidential candidate.

And a spy for the League.

That was what had turned South Korea upside down.

The prey had walked into the net on its own two feet.

Yoo Jungho, unable to understand my reaction, looked bewildered.

“Is something the matter……?”

“I’m just happy to see you.”