Running Wild (3)
Ten years ago.
Back when the current Superhuman Disaster Countermeasures Department was still operating under the name of the Monster Disaster Countermeasures Department, there were two men.
A B-class hunter, Lee Do-gyeong.
Though little was known about him publicly, he was officially recognized by the world as the man who had slain multiple B-class monsters.
And then there was his boss.
Choi Jin-seok, the Minister of Monster Disaster Countermeasures.
Despite not being a politician, he had been appointed minister due to his status as an A-class hunter.
He was highly respected and possessed outstanding political acumen.
As the era of monsters drew to a close and hunters transitioned into superhumans, the Monster Disaster Countermeasures Department was rebranded as the Superhuman Disaster Countermeasures Department.
Although Minister Choi Jin-seok stepped down from his post when the department's nature shifted...
Make South Korea Great!
A Strong Nation No One Can Touch!
The Superhuman President, Choi Jin-seok!
...he ran for president.
Many scoffed, asking how a mere department minister—who had never even served as a lawmaker or a mayor—could run for the presidency.
Indeed, he failed to make a significant impact during his first campaign, dropping out after barely securing enough votes to get his campaign expenses reimbursed.
In other words, he got just over fifteen percent.
Yet, finishing third in his first presidential bid put his name on the national map. As the peaceful era of superhumans began, the policies he had laid out during his time as minister started to bear fruit.
The era of the Superhuman League had arrived.
As a powerhouse who could have easily played in the league himself, he expanded the league nationwide, planting the seeds of hope for South Korea's superhuman sports scene.
And that very foundation became the driving force behind his victory in his second presidential bid.
You might ask what kind of driving force results in a measly twenty-third place finish in 2029.
Well, that was the Daejeon Eagles finishing twenty-third, not South Korea.
He focused on nurturing promising S-class superhumans.
Although his greatest success story, Lee Hana, only truly shone after his election, the rough diamonds who participated in the study abroad program he established as minister were now making waves in overseas leagues.
They were known as "Choi Jin-seok's Kids."
There were seven S-class superhumans among them, excluding Lee Hana.
Although they didn't play in the domestic league, the prestige they brought to South Korea from abroad was more than enough to propel Choi Jin-seok to the presidency.
Some critics dismissed his victory, calling him a man who rode to power on the backs of children, but what did that matter?
The superhumans themselves had publicly stated in interviews that without Choi Jin-seok, they would never have reached S-class or achieved their current success.
Normally, political issues would have triggered a lame-duck period, but thanks to a certain existence, he was guaranteed to avoid that fate until the very end of his term.
"Hey, Hana's dad. Where is the modern-day Shin Saimdang who raised our S-class superstar?"
"I'm a man."
"What does gender matter in this day and age? The wealthy mothers in Daechi-dong are all forcing their husbands to support their daughters' studies these days. Haha."
Thanks to my daughter Hana, Choi Jin-seok—my old friend of twenty years, who was a decade older than me but whom I had known since our active hunter days—had become a president with a seventy percent approval rating.
"How is the First Lady?"
"Splendid, of course. Actually, she's been nagging me to have you over for a visit."
"That's the Blue House."
"Exactly, so come on over. By the way, do you want the head coach position for the national team?"
"I've cast aside my own ambitions."
"...Hearing you say that sounds a bit strange, but in any case, it's true that our government has benefited greatly from you on the international stage. Even if it's been twenty years since we first started working behind the scenes."
"..."
Well.
If we were talking about the duration of our "contributions to the government," I had actually been at it longer than he had.
There was a time when I acted smugly as his senior, but now, this man was the undisputed number two in South Korea's official protocol ranking.
Who was number one?
Hana, of course.
S-class superhumans held positions far higher than most politicians, and a World Championship Finals MVP was someone even the president couldn't touch.
In fact, even in a direct superhuman duel, Hana would win.
If the South Korean presidential election were decided by a one-on-one duel between superhumans, Hana would be the next president.
If someone who had fallen into a vegetative state during the monster crisis miraculously woke up today, wouldn't they look at the president and ask:
Why is our country's president a high school girl?
To that, I would declare:
"Because she's cute."
"You're thinking about something weird, aren't you?"
"Me? Never."
"Fine. Now that you seem to have gathered your wits, let's get down to business."
"Which business?"
"The business regarding Hana's father, of course. Thanks to your sudden decision, the Mayor of Busan is currently in a state of absolute panic. The Blue House is too, for that matter."
"Hmm..."
Honestly, I had expected some political fallout.
The entire world was worrying about how Lee Hana's transfer to Busan would affect the 2030 Superhuman League. The Mayor of Busan, who had practically bowed his head and clumsily mimicked the local dialect to promise he would never set foot in Seomyeon again, was likely no exception.
However...
"Is the Mayor of Busan's situation so dire that the Blue House has to intervene? Isn't he from your party?"
Was the president really going to purge the Mayor of Busan?
"If he's from my party, that's all the more reason to keep him on a tight leash. If that idiot annoys Miss Hana just to get a photo op, or worse, tries to hold her hand or put his arm around her shoulder—"
"Mr. President?"
"...Knowing what you might do to him, how could I just sit back and let a guy like that remain in the mayor's seat?"
"Ahem."
So that was it.
I hadn't gathered any specific information suggesting the female players left the Busan team because of the mayor, but if there was some behind-the-scenes drama among the players, it made sense.
"Anyway, as far as the government is concerned, we're just glad you two returned to a Korean team. Whether she goes to Incheon or Busan, the government is thrilled just to have Miss Hana playing in the KCL."
"And if you were to be completely honest?"
"The Seoul Warriors wouldn't have been a bad choice either."
"Is it really appropriate for the president to openly root for a specific team like this?"
"The head coach of the Seoul Warriors was in my party back in our hunter days. It's only natural to favor your own, isn't it? Hahaha."
"..."
To clarify one thing, I didn't have any close ties from my active days remaining in the KCL.
My choice of Busan wasn't out of affection for the city; it was the result of cold, hard calculation.
Of course, the biggest factor was that Hana had made the final decision.
"In any case, I've explained the circumstances behind our move to Busan. Please manage the situation so that Hana doesn't get hurt by any unnecessary backlash."
"Of course. I'll make sure no information leaks that might drive an A-class superhuman to take their own life. And above all... I'll ensure she doesn't unleash her power outside the arena."
"Naturally."
Hana and I had concealed the truth.
In return, we would likely face immense backlash from the Incheon Devils' camp for leading them on before pulling out of the deal.
But that was far better.
It was a small price to pay compared to the alternative: someone snapping under excessive criticism and stress, going berserk, and leveling the high-rises of Songdo, causing trillions of won in damages.
"Would it be alright if I briefed the Mayor of Incheon and Chairman Song Ju-hyeong?"
"Won't that just cause trouble if the word spreads?"
"Those at the top need to hold the reins. It's much better for the mayor and the owner to suppress internal noise than for the government to step in and crush it. Though I'm sure they'll want to tear that woman apart."
"..."
Well, people always make mistakes when making choices.
Yoon Jin-seo.
She had made the wrong choice, one that could have cost her life back in the hunter era.
If asked which was more humane—dying outright, or having the truth leak and being publicly humiliated for the rest of her life—
As someone who had witnessed countless deaths during the monster era, I could say with absolute certainty:
Even rolling in dog dung, it's better to be alive.
"Well then... let's wrap this up. Ah, before I go, let me ask you one thing. Just a personal curiosity."
"What is it?"
"How are you going to fill out the rest of the roster?"
"The roster is the general manager's domain..."
"I'm asking in advance because I'm worried it might blow up into a scandal that shakes the administration."
"?"
How could a team roster shake the administration—
"...Wait a minute."
On a hunch, I put the call on speakerphone and quickly scrolled through the internet.
"Are there already players throwing tantrums to force a move? The league hasn't even started yet."
If there was an issue capable of shaking the political landscape, it would be players in the Superhuman League suddenly trying to force their way out of their current teams.
"It's absolute chaos precisely because the league hasn't started yet. Pfft."
The president let out a hearty chuckle.
"The most coveted destination for free agents flipped overnight. There are probably tons of superhumans packing their bags for Busan right now. If that's not a political scandal, I don't know what is."
"..."
"So, what's your plan?"
"What plan?"
It wasn't that complicated.
"Is that really our concern?"
Hana and I were simply moving our lives to Busan.
If that caused real estate prices to plummet elsewhere or disrupted the grand designs of politicians, that was their problem, not ours.
"If anything, it's something you should worry about, Mr. President. Considering Hana's salary, I can easily afford to give up that twenty million won monthly pension."
"As if you could ever leave South Korea anyway..."
"Careful now. Do you want to see Mount Baekdu and Mount Halla erupt in chain reactions?"
"Tsk. Can't even take a joke, can you?"
President Choi Jin-seok clicked his tongue but chuckled softly.
"As always, thank you for staying in this country. Your hard work will continue to be rewarded, just as it always has been."
"Don't mention it. I'll hang up now. Oh, and to answer your question from earlier..."
As the online communities erupted, I scrolled through the profiles of the numerous influencers and superhumans leaving comments under GM Kim Jin-woo's social media posts.
"First of all, we won't be signing any of the guys who fled Busan."
"And I should let you know in advance that we're even considering recruiting foreign imports from overseas leagues."
Players from all over the world were clamoring for Busan.
For Hana's team.