The Hearing (1)
The moment the door opened, Park Junpyo’s fist struck the empty air. A tangible surge of energy tore through the space, flying toward Cheon Yooshin, who had just revealed himself as he stepped through the threshold.
'Got him!'
The stupid bastard. To walk right into enemy territory and stand there with such an unguarded posture. Just as a triumphant smirk began to curl around Park Junpyo’s lips, a black veil materialized in front of Cheon Yooshin, colliding with the blue energy Park Junpyo had unleashed.
"What..."
His attack had literally scattered into nothingness in mid-air. What, what on earth was that? Black energy began to ripple around him. As Park Junpyo stood there, flustered, a chilling glint flashed in Cheon Yooshin’s eyes.
"So, it was you."
The one who ordered the car carrying his family to be crushed. The one who tried to ruin the happiness he had finally reclaimed.
"The MNL Guild really doesn't suit me. Not even for a single second."
With Cheon Yooshin’s mocking chuckle, the ground beneath Park Junpyo’s feet began to crack.
"W-what is this!?"
Shock washed over Park Junpyo’s face. Black energy was beginning to wrap around his ankles through the fissures. It climbed up his body with the speed of a living creature.
"Some cheap trick like this!"
Park Junpyo sneered, coating his entire body in blue energy. It was a shield skill he had purchased for a staggering 200 million won. But his expression soon twisted.
Crack!
The black energy, having pushed past his shield, began to constrict his body, and in that instant, the blue energy shield shattered.
"I-impossible! Aaaaargh!"
A scream of agony erupted from the depths of his lungs. Park Junpyo desperately channeled his mana. Once again, blue energy swirled around him. But a cold smile spread across Cheon Yooshin’s lips.
"Do you really think you can block my Magi with something like that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the black energy constricted Park Junpyo’s entire body even more violently. The shield shattered once again.
"T-this can't be! You fucking son of a bi— Aaaaargh!"
Park Junpyo’s screams filled the room.
"N-no! P-please, spare..."
Park Junpyo’s pleas were cut short as he was completely swallowed by the black energy.
Crunch!
The sound of bones being pulverized—the sound of bones grinding—continued for several minutes. Cheon Yooshin closed his eyes and savored the sound as if he were listening to calm classical music. When the sound finally ceased, Cheon Yooshin opened his eyes.
"This is the price for your sins."
A horrific sight, impossible to describe in words, was spread across the floor. What had once been a human form was now compressed into a sphere the size of a basketball, a tangled mess of bone and flesh.
***
Upon receiving the report, Park Hae-soo immediately rushed to the scene with agents from the Hunter Management Department. The scene was gruesome. The dump truck looked as if it had collided with something massive, and it was half-destroyed; three corpses lay side-by-side on the road. He quickly scanned the surroundings. Then, his eyes landed on a white SUV. Park Hae-soo sprinted toward the vehicle as if he were flying. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he checked inside the car.
Cheon Yooshin’s mother and younger sister were in the backseat, sleeping soundly without a single scratch on them.
Park Hae-soo spoke to his agents.
"Get the family out of here first."
His voice was low and firm, unlike when he was with Yooshin. He then immediately made a call on his cell phone. As soon as the dial tone ended, he spoke.
"Yoon Hye-won! Secure the CCTV footage immediately."
There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"And dispose of everything else."
However, Yoon Hye-won’s reply from the other end of the line was not what he had expected.
[It’s already too late. The police have already moved. They’ve taken all the footage.]
Damn it! His fist slammed hard into the SUV’s hood. Those guys, who were usually slow as snails, were quick when it came to this. They must have smelled something. It was time to activate Plan B. The night was still young, no matter how much work he had to do.
***
Gangwon Provincial Police Commissioner’s Office. Park Tae-ho, the top official overseeing all police in Gangwon Province, stared at the man in front of him. Park Hae-soo, the team leader of the Hunter Conquest Team under the Hunter Management Department, was sipping coffee.
"So. What brings you here?"
"You know well enough. Shall we not waste each other's time?"
"Hahaha. I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean?"
Park Hae-soo set his coffee cup down.
"Let’s erase all the records. Commissioner."
At those words, Commissioner Park Tae-ho’s brow furrowed.
"This is going too far. Do you think you’re something special just because you’re a team leader who gets talked about in the media? And this is a police matter. It’s not for the Hunter Management Department to interfere."
"If you’ve seen the footage, you’d know. It’s an accident involving hunters. Therefore, our Hunter Management Department has sufficient grounds to intervene."
"It’s not an accident, it’s a case. A murder case."
Park Hae-soo shook his head.
"No. This is a simple accident. An accident."
"Hahaha. Dozens of people died. Horribly, at that. And you call that an accident?"
"Erase the footage. If you find it burdensome to do it yourself, hand it over to us."
Commissioner Park Tae-ho smiled and crossed his legs.
"Let’s see? I don’t think I have any reason to cooperate."
This was a massive case. A murder case involving Cheon Yooshin, who was the talk of the media. The brutality of Cheon Yooshin’s actions in the footage was so severe that several veteran detectives from the Metropolitan Investigation Unit had vomited after watching it. Commissioner Park Tae-ho was certain. If he could properly blow up the case and then seal it, it would be a golden opportunity to sit in the seat of the Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency, overseeing the entire organization, not just Gangwon Province. So, even if the Hunter Management Department, which was said to be able to bring down a flying bird, came, he had no intention of budging.
Park Tae-ho glanced at his wristwatch and said.
"I have a press conference in a little while, so if you have nothing more to say, get out."
Then, Park Hae-soo shook his head and pulled a few photos out of his briefcase.
"I didn't want to go this far."
The first photo showed Commissioner Park Tae-ho in a high-end hostess bar, in a pose that was intimate, or perhaps more than intimate, with a young woman. "Is this friend a rookie police officer hired last year? It seems she’s your secretary now... Hmm... I heard the age gap is over 20 years?"
"You! What are you doing right now!"
"Wait. I haven't finished yet."
He threw the second photo in front of him. "Isn't that your car, Commissioner? What era do you think we’re in, loading apple boxes so conspicuously? You must have had a hard time digesting those apples, right?"
Commissioner Park Tae-ho’s face turned pale.
"Are you daring to threaten the Commissioner General of the Police? This is surveillance! This is surveillance! You’ve just confessed that you, no, the Hunter Management Department, is engaging in illegal activities!"
A smile spread across Park Hae-soo’s lips.
"Why would this be a threat? I’m just telling you the facts. What would your family think if they saw you playing around with a woman the age of your daughter?"
"Y-you bastard!"
But the Commissioner could only tremble with rage.
"Don't get excited. As I said, if you cooperate well, these materials will be buried forever."
The Commissioner bit his lip hard.
"Don't get any foolish ideas, Commissioner. I have a few other interesting things besides this. If those are released, you’ll probably have to rot in prison for the rest of your life. Are you confident? I could even put you in the same place as the prisoners you put away. Hehehe. I have at least that much power. What will you do? Will you cooperate? Or will you let the castle you’ve built up crumble and rot in prison, getting beaten for the rest of your life?"
The Commissioner, who looked ten years older in a short span of time, finally nodded his head.
"A-alright. So, all of those..."
Team Leader Park Hae-soo, who had risen from his seat, nodded.
"Of course, Commissioner. You have a press conference in a little while. Please package it well. Now, I’m busy, so I’ll be going."
Park Hae-soo, who walked out of the Commissioner’s office with confidence, smiled at the frozen policewoman.
***
After the short commotion with the MNL Guild, time passed quickly. And as the date of the hearing approached, media outlets that had received requests from private guilds began to spread articles all at once.
Stimulating articles about the Hunter Management Department began to pour out, regardless of whether they were on the internet or in print newspapers. However, the public’s reaction to the media articles was cold, contrary to the tone of those articles.
Public interest began to focus on the hearing that Cheon Yooshin would be attending. Time passed quickly, and the day of the hearing, which everyone was interested in, arrived.
Inside the hearing room, the assemblymen were sitting with tense expressions. Some of them felt even more so because they had the heavy responsibility of cornering Cheon Yooshin after being lobbied by private guilds. Among them, Assemblyman Park Taeseok, the central figure, had a resolute expression.
'He’s just a young kid who couldn't even go to the military. Someone who only knows how to fight wouldn't have been to a place like this.'
Dozens of assemblymen, who claimed to represent the people, sat in a circle around the seat where the guy would sit. Even for himself, having eaten political rice for decades, his arms and legs would tremble if he sat in that seat, but Park Taeseok didn't think for a second that a young guy under thirty would be able to handle it.
Soon, the thick door of the hearing room opened, and a young man revealed himself. It was Cheon Yooshin.