The Tyrant’s Hunting Method (3)
When I came from Busan to Seoul, Go Pil-hun had thrown a send-off party at the Dio Guild under his own lead.
At the time, Na Sang-min hadn’t shown up.
Which made sense.
Knowing Na Sang-min’s personality, he’d naturally have no patience for that kind of childish clown show.
And yet there he was, suddenly appearing at the press conference.
It was practically the same as walking straight into a tiger’s den on his own.
For the record, Na Sang-min was the sort of man who had a million haters because of his rotten personality, the kind of person the public cursed out every single day.
The reporters weren’t about to let a hot potato like that slip through their fingers.
The moment he appeared, they swarmed him like hyenas.
“I-it’s Na Sang-min!”
“What the hell is he doing here?”
“Get a picture first!”
By the time I came to my senses, Na Sang-min was sitting in the seat next to me.
“Hunter Na. What brings you here?”
Na Sang-min answered with an easy grin.
“A gate suddenly blew open, and all the kids got sent out. No choice, so your big brother came instead, punk.”
Na Sang-min wasn’t the type of human being who valued harmony with others, empathized with their feelings, or carried any warm desire to fit in.
The gate excuse was obvious nonsense.
I can’t read him at all.
Then I shook my head.
No. Maybe this was actually a good opportunity.
Life never went the way you wanted, but sometimes disaster did turn into a blessing in disguise.
Na Sang-min took the microphone.
“I had my fortune told yesterday. The fortune-teller said I was born of fire, so my temper flares up whenever it damn well feels like it. Please bear with me if my language gets a little rough from here on out.”
Na Sang-min hated the media and reporters with a passion.
That was why he rarely appeared on television.
There was no point showing up if there was nothing to gain.
He’d always bark out curses, glare at the cameras, and scowl like a rabid beast. Who would like that?
This was the first time he’d ever shown his face at an official event of his own free will.
“Before I say anything else, I want to make one thing clear: I have no personal interests tied to Hunter Choi Yongki. Naturally, there was no money exchanged either. You all know I’m not the kind of petty sellout who moves for a few coins... though, I suppose that depends on the amount. Ahem. Anyway.”
Na Sang-min sat slouched in his chair and went on.
“There’s been a ridiculous amount of talk going around. That Hunter Choi Yongki is some fake, manufactured hero. That he staged all this to go after Representative Go Pil-hun. That he’s just using this to promote the Dio Guild. Let me cut to the conclusion.”
His mouth twisted.
“It’s all bullshit.”
The reporters erupted into a buzz.
Some of them complained openly.
“Tsk. Here we go again.”
“Who knew Na Sang-min could actually say something sensible for once?”
“This is a press conference! Please take it seriously!”
Na Sang-min, who had a million anti-fans, was hated not just by the people of South Korea, but by reporters too.
But he wasn’t the type to care about that.
Even so, I was uneasy.
I wondered if Na Sang-min was about to turn into a murderous lunatic swinging a spear right there in the middle of the room.
He’s not that much of a psycho, right?
In the middle of that taut silence, the reporters, clueless to my growing discomfort, began to grumble one after another.
“Is this supposed to be a joke?”
“Hand the microphone back to Hunter Choi.”
“Stop making a scene for no reason—”
Na Sang-min drew a deep breath and let out a lion’s roar.
“Let me talk too, damn it!!!!”
His voice was so thunderous that the reporters jumped.
“...Go on then.”
Na Sang-min barely managed to rein himself in.
“As you all know, the Dirty Kraken case began with a letter from Lee Chun-bae, who lives in Busan. But there’s something you don’t know. The request to exterminate the monster originally came to me, not Hunter Choi Yongki.”
I hadn’t intended to reveal that.
I didn’t want Na Sang-min getting dragged through the mud.
Why is he doing this?
Even knowing full well the situation would turn against him, Na Sang-min didn’t stop.
“I threw the letter away without even reading it. Hunter Choi Yongki took Lee Chun-bae’s request in my place and went down to Busan. In other words, Hunter Choi cleaned up the mess I made.”
Na Sang-min laid the truth bare without a shred of hesitation.
“And as you all know, the result was Hunter Choi Yongki hunting down the sea monster and returning in triumph. He got the whole country’s attention, and he made a nice stack of money while he was at it. So, let me ask you this.”
Na Sang-min got to his feet.
“South Korean Hunter Regulations, Article 1, Section 1. First, protect civilians from monsters. Second, never use power as a means of tyranny.”
He curled his lip.
“I don’t want to admit it, but... Choi Yongki carried out a hunter’s duty to the letter. A hunter did what a hunter is supposed to do. What more is there to say? And if you still want to throw stones, then throw them at me instead—”
He waved a hand dismissively, then corrected himself.
“No, scratch that. I’ll apologize for him. This is my fault for raising my junior wrong.”
Na Sang-min set the microphone down.
Then he raised his voice and declared, “That is all. I ask for the public’s wise judgment.”
He bowed politely to the reporters.
It was a concise, immaculate speech.
I was genuinely surprised.
I hadn’t expected Na Sang-min to step forward so decisively at the crucial moment and defend me like that.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
I’d intended to clear things up through the testimony of the hunters at the Round Table and my classmates. I had never planned to lean on anyone else.
Only for me, Na Sang-min had willingly set aside the pride of an S-class hunter.
He kept his head bowed and didn’t lift it for a while.
Even the reporters, who had been shouting moments ago, were as quiet as mice.
...I see.
I, a man who’d made a life out of lies, finally understood.
No matter how much slander and manipulation came flying at you, in the end, what won was...
Sincerity.
I stood up.
Then I held out my hand to Na Sang-min.
“I’m sorry, senior. You’ve had to deal with a lot because of this worthless junior.”
Na Sang-min smiled faintly and took my hand.
Then he pulled me into a hard embrace.
The shutters went off nonstop.
We hugged each other as if we were old friends and carried on a quiet conversation.
“Hunter Na. Thank you. You really are a lot warmer than people give you credit for.”
“Shut up. This settles the debt, you bastard. Now turn around and smile. Act friendly.”
Na Sang-min and I stood side by side and raised both hands in front of the cameras like campaign candidates.
“Hunter Na! Please tell us about Hunter Choi’s performance on site!”
“I heard Hunter Choi has been supporting the family of the fallen Captain Um Il-seop. Is that true?”
“What do the two of you think about Representative Go?”
The reporters’ questions came pouring out in a frenzy.
One by one, the lights inside the Dio Guild building went out.
Go Pil-hun hadn’t gone home.
No, he couldn’t go home.
He was chewing at his nails and clutching a bottle of whiskey in the other hand.
Go Pil-hun was under immense stress.
The intruder who had broken into his house still hadn’t been caught.
Worse, they hadn’t found a single clue.
And then, to make matters even worse, Choi Yongki had blatantly held a press conference.
After Lee Yu-seol, Na Sang-min had turned as well.
There wasn’t a single soul left by Go Pil-hun’s side.
Someone knocked on the representative’s office door.
“Who is it?”
Go Pil-hun snapped irritably.
“It’s Secretary Kim.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a woman stepped into the office.
Lee Yu-seol had been dismissed.
She’d been accused of illegally filming and leaking the video of Go Pil-hun issuing a forced execution order in connection with the Dirty Kraken.
Secretary Kim hurried over to Go Pil-hun and said, “Representative. We’re in big trouble.”
“What now? What is it this time, what is it now?!”
Secretary Kim frantically pulled out his phone and played a YouTube video.
Go Pil-hun Black Pearl Suspicion Caught on Camera!
“Th-thi... what...”
Go Pil-hun’s mouth fell open the instant he saw the title.
The more his personal life got dragged into the light, the more it hurt him—and this time it hurt Go Pil-hun himself.
The report had come from a hostess bar employee who’d filed a tip.
On-screen, Go Pil-hun was drunk and inhaling some white substance.
“Heh... feels incredible. Damn. I’m the king. I’m the king of Dio, damn it!!! Come on, you idiots, take one too!”
Go Pil-hun’s staggering, drunken shouting spread across the entire country.
Secretary Kim stammered as he continued, “Representative. I got a call from the lawyer too. He says he can’t take this case...”
His voice shrank away to nothing.
Fraud, embezzlement, bribery, sexual favors, prostitution, and now Black Pearl consumption and distribution on top of it all.
The lawyer who had been defending Go Pil-hun had refused the case, unwilling to stand beside a national traitor.
Go Pil-hun’s brow twitched.
“Damn it!”
An arrest warrant had already been issued for him.
The prosecutors had imposed a travel ban on Go Pil-hun.
He had delayed the investigation as long as possible, but...
At this rate...
Go Pil-hun ground his teeth.
The crimes he’d committed so far were by no means light.
Forget a suspended sentence—he’d be lucky to avoid prison at all.
Where did it all go wrong?
Go Pil-hun had taken over Dio Guild after his brother died and ridden the momentum all the way up.
He admitted he’d been somewhat arrogant.
After taking the representative’s seat and living a life of excess, he’d come to believe he stood above the law.
That was why he’d never been afraid of the illegal things he did.
So what if he used loopholes? So long as he climbed over others and kept rising, what did it matter?
No... Was I wrong?
“Ugh...”
A ringing pain throbbed at his temples, and it felt as though shadows were flickering in front of his eyes.
Someone’s targeting me.
An invisible hand closed around Go Pil-hun’s throat and tightened slowly.
Who is it? Tell me who it is!
Secretary Kim glanced down at his phone, then snapped his head up.
“Representative! Intelligence Division says they found the intruder!”
Go Pil-hun whipped his head around.
The identity of the culprit who had entered his home and vanished without a trace had finally been uncovered.
“He’s called Purple Devil.”
“...Who?”
The name meant nothing to him at first.
Then the fog in Go Pil-hun’s mind gradually cleared.
His own brother.
The man said to have killed Go Ju-hun: Purple Devil.
Go Pil-hun tilted his head.
I thought it was just a rumor... and he actually existed?
The mysterious expert who had stormed into Dio Guild alone had killed Go Ju-hun.
Go Pil-hun had covered the death up as a suicide, more or less.
So it really was Purple Devil?
The fictional existence was slowly taking on flesh.
“Purple Devil? Who the hell is that bastard?”
“We don’t know yet... For now, this is a video sent over by Intelligence. They found it in a car dashcam around your house, sir. Please watch.”
Secretary Kim played the clip.
A man with a loaf of bread bag over his head calmly walked away from Go Pil-hun’s house.
“That’s Purple Devil?”
“Yes.”
His heart thudded, and his pulse began to race.
Go Pil-hun’s fury swelled by the second.
That pathetic piece of trash. Why the hell would he...?
Doubt crept in.
Not just the reporters.
Lee Yu-seol, too. Choi Yongki, too.
What if all of them were being manipulated from behind by this one bastard?
Purple Devil had killed Go Pil-hun’s blood relative.
The note written in purple ink surfaced vividly in his mind.
Wait for me.
I’ll send you to the same place as your brother.
Go Pil-hun’s patience had reached its limit.
“Issue Code X! Mobilize every Dio operative and send them after that bastard Purple Devil—!”
Ping.
His phone rang.
A message from a blocked number.
Go Pil-hun slowly lifted the phone.
Come to Yeongjong Island right now.
Come alone. Don’t chicken out, lol.
It wasn’t hard to guess who the sender was.
That bastard?
Go Pil-hun fell into thought.
Another provocation to follow the last one.
The other side was needling him over and over again.
Ping.
Another alert sounded.
Come alone. Don’t chicken out, lol.
Go Pil-hun felt something snap cleanly in the back of his mind.
Silence fell.
He turned toward his secretary.
“This Purple Devil bastard strong?”
“According to Intelligence Division’s official records, he has a history of attacking C-class hunter Seo Gwang-pal.”
“Seo Gwang-pal? Ah, that bald bastard. Hah...”
Go Pil-hun let out a long breath.
The scent of whiskey spread through the air.
“What rank were those retired hunters he left at my house?”
“Two D-class and one E-class.”
“Hm.”
Go Pil-hun had once reached B-plus.
Even if he had beaten S-class Go Ju-hun...
That was only a rumor.
Go Pil-hun shook his head.
Nobody’s actually seen him fight.
There was no way for Go Pil-hun to know the information Lee Yu-seol had carefully buried.
“Cancel Code X. I’m going myself.”
“No, Representative! That’s too dangerous.”
Secretary Kim flailed his hands in panic.
“At least send another team—”
Crash.
Go Pil-hun smashed the whiskey bottle down onto the table.
His pupils were bloodshot.
He’d barely slept for the last three days.
Go Pil-hun, whose nerves were always stretched thin, became even more violent as the alcohol took hold.
He was the kind of man whose mood rose and fell with the amount he drank.
A true drunkard’s violence.
He staggered, having lost what little reason he had left.
“Looks like it’s time to bring that out.”
Go Pil-hun opened a secret closet.
From the space hidden behind the wall, a suit emerged.
It was a custom order from the Seosan Group, a major corporation that partnered with the Dio Guild.
And it was the suit Go Ju-hun used to favor.
“Hey. Come here. Put this on me.”
Go Pil-hun crooked a finger.
Secretary Kim obeyed without a word.
“Ugh! Was it always this tight?”
The gear pinched hard against the bloated stomach and bulk of fat beneath it.
Secretary Kim said nothing.
The height and the face might have looked similar on the outside.
But the contents inside were nothing like Go Ju-hun’s.
Go Pil-hun finished suiting up.
“I’m going alone.”
“Representative, at least take the support team—”
“Shut up!”
Go Pil-hun, now fully armored, snorted with a burst of false confidence.
“My brother used to say this: a hunter is one who hunts.”
He clenched and unclenched his fists with smug satisfaction.
“I’m a hunter too.”
Looking up at the moon reflected in the window, he curled one corner of his mouth.
“Tonight, I hunt Purple Devil.”
Go Pil-hun strode out of the representative’s office.
Secretary Kim snickered belatedly.
“You’re the one who’s about to get hunted.”
Go Pil-hun had originally been a fairly cool-headed man.
But lately, alcohol and drugs had dulled his judgment.
Secretary Kim sent a text somewhere.
He’s on his way, Director Lee.
“We got the message. He says he’s on his way.”
Beneath the moonlight, three shadows, myself included, gathered together.
One of them was Lee Yu-seol.
She had planted Secretary Kim as an insider and left the guild.
“Okay.”
I nodded and tightened my shoelace.
“Boss! I’m all ready too!”
Karki shot his hand into the air.
Lee Yu-seol tilted her head.
“But who is this person? No matter how I look at him, he seems like an amateur...”
“Hey. Don’t you remember me?”
“Hey?”
Lee Yu-seol lifted her chin.
“Who are you calling ‘hey’? Do I know you?”
“Yeah, you do. You came storming into our factory, you nasty wench!”
“What? Wench? You want to die?”
I reached out toward the two of them as they started bickering.
“All right, stop it.”
In truth, the result of the fight with Go Pil-hun was already obvious.
Go Pil-hun’s skills had dropped so much that he was now barely even a B-class hunter.
He was so weak now that I practically couldn’t lose if I tried.
Still...
I couldn’t take the Dio Guild’s representative seat by force alone.
Capitalist society wasn’t that simple.
“For the sake of professional courtesy,” I said, stepping into the moonlight, “let’s give our chairman a clean death.”