EP 19 – The sword should be used as a blade, not as a body (3)
I woke up to the cold breeze coming through the window.
The morning sky is a dull blue. When he got up, his long, straight hair that came down to his back was tangled all over his body.
With a hazy mind, he opens the blanket and brushes his teeth. I came to my senses when I was on my way out of brushing my teeth and found a Purojak in the corner of the table.
Place a pill on your hand. I have been taking antidepressants every morning for half a year, but my heart doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
Still, it doesn’t get any worse, so I swallow the medicine quietly. In the frame next to the vial was the family. I hope that one day I will be able to look at them calmly.
turn on the radio Even though the house was spacious, there was no TV because it was a newly prepared official residence in the midst of a tight treasury.
[…As all listeners know, was there a memorial service for the 1st anniversary of the disaster last week? Yes. To be able to survive like this and commemorate them-]
“……”
One year has passed.
A year has passed since a hole in the sky had passed, a year had passed since I began to feel people’s feelings, and a year had passed since my parents passed away, but it didn’t seem like anything had changed.
If you ask me if it’s flowing, I’ll shake my head. A heart that has sunk as heavy as a stone shows no sign of rising.
It was just a year that just flowed by.
In fact, many people died while struggling to escape from the flow of life, so life seems to have changed passively.
That’s why, there were only three clothes in the closet. I never thought of buying clothes.
The tattered school uniforms with dried scabs were almost ragged to be clothes, and there were two suits that Han Seung-moon took to Busan Shinsegae Department Store to match.
“……”
In the old days, I used to bully my parents to buy clothes, and I went to look at clothes with my friends all day, but now it feels like all my hobbies have been erased.
So quietly, she put on a monotonous shirt.
After locking about 4 buttons, I realized that today was not going to work, but a day for climbing.
“…!”
what to wear
* * *
“…the minister didn’t come.”
Pi Chae-won, who wore a women’s suit and Nike sneakers, asked with an absurd look. There was little pitch in his voice, so it was more like muttering than asking.
“I’m sorry, but that’s how it happened.”
Yeo Do-yeon in the black Equus driver’s seat frowned and clicked her tongue.
“In the morning, I suddenly got a phone call from the president, and the red-headed redhead came over, and that’s why we shouldn’t get involved with Mr. Lee. Just- where are you going?”
I’m probably referring to Lee Chung-bin. Although the appearance became funny, Pi Chae-won asked a question with a glimmer of possibility.
“Uh… Then can I go back today?”
“The two of you have been gone.”
Yeo Do-yeon’s eyes were too scary to resist.
“……All right.”
“Come on.”
Pi Chae-Won got on the passenger seat at the back.
After fastening the seat belt, Yeo Do-yeon stepped on the accelerator.
Rumble – !
stepped too deep
“Ugh…!”
“Hey!”
The two men’s murmurs rang out at the same time.
*
The vehicle headed towards Mt. Jirisan in silence. Only the radio music playing, however, calmed the awkwardness.
Neither of them were sociable in the first place, and Pi Chae-Won had very little acquaintance with other people because Han Seung-Moon was particularly cheap.
Although he was close with the cold man who followed Cha Jae-gyun and filmed a spy movie together, the memory itself became terrifying to recall, so Pi Chae-won would avoid him slightly.
When there were more mountains than buildings in the scenery of the highway, I decided to do something about this atmosphere as an elderly person, but Yeo Do-yeon, who hesitated for a long time, opened her mouth with a big heart.
“Hey, what if a monster comes out today?”
Pi Chae-won accepted a joke that didn’t even sound like a joke as a fact.
“Because the Chungcheong Defense Line itself is south of the range of small gates. Wouldn’t that be the case?”
“……but. right.”
Chae-won, who had just realized that it was a joke, responded belatedly.
“…well, you never know when and where the gate will open.”
“……but.”
After the brief conversation, the atmosphere subsided even more.
“……”
“……”
After all, the truth was the more terrifying or unavoidable, the more difficult it was to accept, and this was the unavoidable terrible truth.
They knew they were thinking the same thing, but they didn’t say it. It is nothing more than empty feelings or pick up.
“…a year has passed.”
“Iknow, right. I don’t think I’ve done much…”
“Has nothing done? The Chungcheong Defense Line was also established. A portrait management department was also established…”
Yeo Do-yeon’s words became more and more blurred, and in the end, only silence remained.
“……”
“……”
It was a simple reason.
Because I didn’t know when and where the gate would open. Because it was a world where everything we had built up until now could be destroyed in an instant.
If the gate opens in Busan right away, the country will be destroyed. If a monster that humans cannot overcome appears, humanity will perish.
I was ignoring it implicitly, but the anxiety that had been deeply embedded somewhere in my heart began to rise.
When Pi Chae-won keeps her mouth shut because she is reluctant to even spit it out.
“……No, what.”
Yeo Do-yeon, who was roughing her middle and middle hair, opened her mouth shyly.
“If you come out, you can catch it again, right?”
“……”
“I’ll catch you better than last time. If a building collapses, you can build it again. Also, are you well prepared for that? Yes? and……”
Yeo Do-yeon wasn’t eloquent, and the longer she talked, the more she couldn’t get the hang of it.
“Ugh, what are you talking about? What……”
It was just that pair.
But,
“Let’s do our best in the time we have the time to do things in a complicated way.”
Yeo Do-yeon was a person who could draw conclusions with certainty,
“……is that so?”
“then! If the world rolls around in a hurry, well, something will happen.”
“……Yes.”
Pi Chae-won didn’t like that person either.
*
Usually, when I hate the world, I go to the mountains.
However, living in the mountains is accompanied by many inconveniences than expected.
It cannot be expressed as a disconnection between electricity and water.
The sweltering heat of midday and the cold of midnight, a centipede in a shoe at some point, or even a slug on her belly when she woke up wet.
Especially at night, when I woke up to go to the bathroom and mistakenly recognized the curtain fluttering from the window as a person, the feeling of fear was not something that humans could tolerate.
However, in retrospect, the people living in the mountains hated the world more than the inconvenience and fear.
Knock – !
Knock – !
So Jinwoon Seol didn’t like the knock at all. He put down the wooden sword he was cutting and went out to the front door.
“Who are you-”
“high! Long time no see!”
It was Hong Seon-ah.
“… now you have to stop. President of the Association.”
“Our Vice President, are you a natural person now?”
Hong Seon-ah smiled warmly and pinched Seol Jin-woon’s arm slightly.
“Shave a little and live!”
It was telling me to stop and crawl out into the world.
“…because I only put my name on the association.”
“Ew, don’t do that! Isn’t it fun to work for an association?”
“…if you just come back to me-“
“Do you eat well? Now, let’s start with this!”
Hong Seon-ah naturally bites Chukgaek-ryeong and brings in the seasoned chicken. Seol Jinwoon didn’t just eat grass, so he brought her into the house.
“Oh, do you still have the bread I brought you last time?”
“…you just gave it to me.”
“Do you hate bread? Would you like to buy another one next time?”
“Oh, no… it’s not that I hate it, it’s a bit embarrassing-”
“don’t worry! I’m not even living with my own money!”
In fact, it was Hong Seon-ah who was feeding Seol Jin-woon, who was locked up in Mt. Jirisan. Wearing a wallet called Cheon Geum-soon, he procures all kinds of seafood and seafood every time.
So Jinwoon Seol couldn’t possibly bite this uninvited visitor who came two or three times a week. And the uninvited guest said the same thing every time.
Hong Seon-ah sat on the floor and tugged at the chicken radish package.
“okay. Now, do you feel like you are slowly becoming the vice president?”
“no.”
“Hmm…”
Hong Seon-ah’s subtle gaze always bothered me. Seol Jinwoon tried to avoid that gaze.
It’s always been like this. Hong Seon-ah asked the same question every time, and every time she was rejected, she went back with a little grumbling.
That was the set sequence.
But,
“really?”
It seems to be a little bit longer today.
“You really don’t want to be the vice president, do you?”
“……sorry.”
She started writing respectful words.
Hong Seon-ah looked at Seol Jin-woon for a long time with a subtle expressionless expression that did not know whether she was smiling or not. It was only when Seol Jinwoon swallowed dry saliva that she asked the question again.
“Are you really going to beat the Hunter?”
“…that’s not it.”
“then?”
“…it needs a little more time.”
eating.
All that came back was her smirk. Seol Jinwoon’s eyebrows furrowed subtly.
Hong Seon-ah urged.
“okay. How much longer do you want to be well-being in Mt. Jirisan?”
“……that.”
Seol Jinwoon stopped talking and hesitated for a while. The length of that hesitation was the same as the boy’s sense of debt. The feeling of debt was for those who were carrying it on their shoulders.
“…at least until the organization called Dongdaemun Camp is completely disbanded.”
“Ahh.”
Hong Seon-ah smiled brightly as if she understood only then and nodded her head.
“Ugh. Yes. But isn’t there a place that needs Hunter Seol Jinwoon’s abilities? Even now, Pyeongtaek is said to have a hard time catching monsters coming down.”
“…Now I know that there are many other PMCs.”
“I do not know. Yeah, it’s not as good as Seol Hunter. It wasn’t on the news, but maybe five people died the day before yesterday? Mr. Chun said he was going to cover it up, so he sold his arms.”
“……”
Seol Jinwoon’s silence lasted as long as his guilt.
in other words,
It was subtle.
“……sorry.”
“ha……”
Seol Jin-woon’s shoulders trembled at Hong Seon-ah’s sigh.
“okay. Actually, Hunter Seol and I are in a similar situation, so I understand. I feel bad when the person below dies. Even more so when that person is a comrade.”
“……”
“But I think like this.”
uhm. what is it
“Isn’t the world crazy? right?”
Seol Jinwoon had no choice but to nod his head. Hong Seon-ah smiled satisfactorily and continued the explanation.
“Are there two things that didn’t exist before?”
She raised her index finger.
“One is a monster.”
she made a stop
“One superpower!”
Hong Seon-ah acted like a kindergarten teacher teaching children.
“By the way, if a psychic touches the magic stone, the monster dies? And if you eat manastones, you even get stronger? Then, isn’t a psychic job created to catch monsters?”
“……”
“I know. that’s dog shit But I mean. Isn’t it a kind of responsibility to help those who are not capable? although not obligatory. Isn’t it our duty as a human being to live and devote ourselves to the community?”
Chiik – !
The sound of popping Coke cans echoed in the room. Hong Seon-ah smiled softly and took a few sips. She put the Coke can on the floor and crossed her legs.
“Especially in the case of Seol Hunter and me. There is a saying that with great power comes great responsibility. Spider-Man did it.”
“It’s his uncle.”
“Anyway.”
The conversation between the two top hunters continued in the shabby valley container house.
“If you can save it, you should. If you can save it, you should. If you have the strength and the reputation, you have to take the lead.”
“……”
“I know. After all, isn’t it just a fancy word like Patriotic Pay, Passion Pay? Isn’t it a kind of brainwashing ethic to commit to community? I don’t think that’s a very reasonable idea, is it? If only I could live well.”
“……”
“But this is usually called Dory. We are not rational creatures, are we?”
Hong Seon-ah smiled brightly, and Seol Jin-woon protested in front of him.
“…have you done enough?”
It could be said because of the performance.
“What more am I supposed to do here? Hundreds of people have died under me alone. Isn’t the association a place where you can’t go back to without a high school student like me?”
“yes.”
“…But, isn’t it much better now than it used to be?”
“Risk is always relative.”
“…is there any reason why it has to be me? Do you have to take responsibility for being able? How long?”
“If a child dies in front of you, won’t you save him?”
“…even if you know that someone is starving to death in Africa. And even if you have the money to feed them. Did you not live well without much thought? But why do you keep insisting that you come here now, look at me, help me, and live?”
“It is because the child who is starving to death is not a bastard, but ours.”
“Are you kidding me…?”
“Oh, don’t make an impression. We can just talk lightly like this with adults!”
When Seol Jin-woon showed signs of being hit, Hong Seon-ah smiled softly. But he couldn’t stop the words coming out of his crooked mouth.
“…as far as I know. I heard that Hong Seon-ah, the president of the Association, also split the guild in half because he did not want to jump into danger indiscriminately.”
Hong Seon-ah answered indifferently.
“Ahh. it? It was in the old days. Chun-shik is under his father. just. What.”
“…have you changed your mind now?”
“Ugh. I do not know? Looking back, I realized a little bit.”
She smiled lightly. But in Seol Jin-woon’s eyes, it didn’t look like a smile.
“It was possible because of a yangban who eventually jumped into the fire instead of me. Not anymore.”
“……”
“Isn’t it?”
Seol Jin-woon, who felt something sinister at Hong Seon-ah’s strange smile, remained silent, and Hong Seon-ah laughed and continued to persuade.
“Actually, I don’t think that hunters have to die for ordinary people unconditionally. Still, the knights who write articles act as if they put our lives in jeopardy…”
“……”
“However, it is my personal opinion, as long as I am overwriting the feeling of being the president of the association. It is true that we have to take care of the interests of the Hunters, right? right?”
“……”
“okay? Isn’t it?”
“……That’s right.”
“That’s why we need a Seol Hunter.”
Hong Seon-ah drank the Coke again, burps a little, and then smiled mischievously.
Although he was very arrogant, Seol Jin-woon remained silent in front of him, unable to move.
because of magic. Suddenly, this room was dominated by Hong Seon-ah’s magic.
“Ugh. Yes. How far did you say it?”
“……”
“ah. okay. Did I mention that the world is a little bit safer now? What, are you talking about the Chungcheong Defense Line?”
Seol Jinwoon nodded his head slightly.
“I do not know. I am more afraid of a single person than the things that swarm in Seoul.”
“……yes?”
“No, what. Actually, I didn’t mean to say this. Surprisingly, our vice president is not very interested in Patriotic Pay, so I would like to say something special? Is this officially a secret?”
Hong Seon-ah lightly tucked her shoulder-length hair behind her ear. Red magic flickered softly.
“They say it’s Seoljinwoonpa. Minister Han Seung-moon contacted the children last evening.”
“……yes?”
“There will be an international dispatch soon. They say they leave their education to their faction.”
“……”
“Well, actually, I am the president of the association, but I am not very popular. At least he’s the representative of the Apgujeong hunters, but there were a lot of people who didn’t like me because he took half of it and threw it away.”
“……”
“Of course, the GS guild members below me are not mine. It’s correct to think of me as the CEO of Mr. Chun rather than me. People who win with money are loyal to the water owner.”
Seol Jinwoon remained silent all the time, but he could not hide his astonishment at the following words.
“I am Minister Han Seung-moon, no. I was a senator at the time. I don’t think even a member of Congress would have known that. That I will not be able to take control of the Association.”
“……yes?”
“Think about it. An intern who just graduated from college leads a group of thousands of armed forces? Of course, there are things that Chunshik saw and learned next to Uncle. But, running an organization is not just leadership. After a few months, I know.”
“……”
“Han Seung-moon gave the association to Cheon Geum-soon.”
Seol Jinwoon asked, unable to grasp the back and forth of the situation.
“…what do you mean by that?”
However, Hong Seon-ah’s speculation did not wait for Seol Jin-woon’s understanding.
“Of course, as long as Cheon Geum-soon is behind the scenes, we cannot completely control the association. In the end, he would need help from the politicians. Who would that be? This is Han Seung-moon.”
“…No, this. what-“
“At the end of the day, I sat down with several middle managers and became the owner. that senator. In a situation where Won Ok-bun is expected to be the next president, he thoroughly ate the Hunter Association alone.”
Hong Sun-ah discussed a new threat.
very,
It was a very fatal threat.
“By the way, did the person who took the lead even become the Minister of Portrait Management?”
“……”
“The only variable that Han Seung-moon could not predict was that our Seol Hunter was locked up in Mt. Jirisan. Originally, Seol Hunter was supposed to keep me in check. This will make it easier for you to influence the association.”
“……”
“But look. Seollal Hunter is completely locked up in the mountain. Then I No, CEO Cheon Geum-soon will wipe out the entire Hunter Association, right?”
“……”
“Then Han Seung-moon will leash the hunters. You can’t get it out of your hands.”
“……”
Hong Seon-ah was determined.
“And it would be very lethal. I don’t know what it will do, but I’m sure.”
“……”
“Don’t you understand? Was my explanation too difficult? If Hunter Seol is locked up in Mt. Jirisan, will Han Seung-moon draw his sword to kill the hunters?”
“……”
“So, if you don’t want to f**k everyone together, stop acting like a natural person and gently accept the honor given by the minister.”
Hong Seon-ah smiled brightly.
“Answer?”