#280. Is It Finally Starting?
Hamilton felt things were taking a sinister turn after hearing the suspicious details from Kang Moo-hyuk.
Joo Se-ah's guild master visa approval is fishy enough, and the deportation ban makes no sense. Illegal export of strategic materials? Even if it's a unique crafted item, raid loot belongs to the hunter who claimed it first. Sure, there's taxes, but Kang Moo-hyuk said he'd handle that too—no issues there. Damn it, pulling this crap on the guy who saved this country. It's embarrassing, really.
He immediately started making calls. First up, naturally, was the White House.
"Sorry, Director. Orders from above. Can't share any info."
Hamilton held one of the highest security clearances in the White House—second only to the President—but now he was locked out.
I knew this was coming when I met the governor. It was basically flipping off the White House.
The U.S. Army Hunter Special Forces team that had come to back him up had already pulled out.
Should he take solace in still holding onto his director position? Even that wouldn't last once the President returned from his European tour.
"The problem is, word's already spreading everywhere."
Once sidelined by the White House, he was poison everywhere else too.
Hamilton's only lifeline now was his old intel network.
But that had zero relevance to the Joo Se-ah situation.
In the end, his only option was a direct approach.
Consular affairs fall under State Department jurisdiction... but we've worked together face-to-face. She'll at least pick up.
The number Hamilton dialed was a secure State Department hotline straight to Secretary of State Madeline.
"Hello?"
"Hamilton here."
"......"
"Madam Secretary. Don't hang up—spare me a minute."
"I was just about to call you, Hamilton."
"The Secretary of State waiting on my call? Guess we do have a connection."
"Still in LA?"
"No flight back, and things here are still a mess. Looks like the President's in a bad mood. His spokesperson said full support for this crisis, but nothing's materialized yet."
Madeline sighed at Hamilton's grumbling.
"Meeting the governor was reckless."
"Nitpicking politics during a national disaster—that's the real recklessness. Whether it's the President's orders or his staff's advice, this is a massive screw-up."
"Fine. We'll leave that since someone's got to take the blame anyway. So, what do you think we 'connect' on?"
Madeline played coy. Hamilton was certain she meant the Joo Se-ah matter.
Right now, the only thing worth the Secretary of State's attention in LA—especially toward him—was an S-rank hunter.
"It's about Guild Master Joo Se-ah. Who approved her visa? You, Madeline?"
"Ears still sharp even when you're on the outs, huh? Guy claims he's swamped with monster incursions, yet he's already sniffing around that. Ex-spy instincts?"
"Spy nature doesn't fade. Being back in the field after so long, I hear everything even with my ears plugged."
"How much did you hear?"
Hamilton clammed up. Only breathing came through the line. Neither was ready to show their hand—not when they didn't know where the sparks would fly.
Madeline prodded slyly then.
"You won't see Washington anymore, Director, but I've got a full plate ahead. Want my side? Open up first."
"Spies don't spill easy. Principle in our prime, anyway. Fine—my ask first. Do you know Guild Master Joo Se-ah got a U.S. entry visa, came to LA, then hit a deportation ban?"
"Heard the report."
"Knowing that and not lifting the ban—is that your call, Madam Secretary? And pulling her in the first place?"
"I'll say this: I had zero involvement."
Madeline spoke carefully. That was enough for Hamilton.
"White House after all, then. The President?"
"Who knows. Oh, right—heard one of the consular deputy assistant secretaries handling this has ties to the campaign."
That was Madeline laying it all out.
Pinpointing a suspect means she's already investigated. But with the President involved, she can't act rashly.
Hamilton posed the question Kang Moo-hyuk had asked him to check.
"Key part now. Joo Se-ah's U.S. trip was unscheduled. Meanwhile, the President's on his Europe tour."
"Being in Europe doesn't mean S-rank hunter movements reach him late."
"I know. In this era, info lag is nil. But there's order in reporting."
"What're you getting at?"
"Did the visa request come up from the embassy in Korea? Or down from State Department HQ?"
"Obviously..."
Madeline faltered.
She'd meant to say the former—standard procedure—but Hamilton's point stirred unease.
Gates had shrunk cross-border travel for myriad reasons. Civilian tourism and business had picked up lately, but hunters were different. Most countries exempted them from visa waivers.
S-ranks especially preferred domestic vacations for peace of mind.
Hunters were special cases. Embassies and consulates screened them rigorously from the start.
Yet if department heads below the Secretary were unaware of S-rank movements, that basic protocol was already broken.
She'd been doubting internal processes lately.
"Hold on. Why ask that?"
"Simple. If it followed procedure but got yanked as an S-rank issue and reported straight to the President bypassing you—"
"Then?"
"State's a mess, and the President's wrecking executive order."
"Leave my mess aside. So?"
"If it bypassed State altogether—embassy or side channel to President first, then down through unofficial State lines for the visa—that shakes the system's foundations."
"President's still head of the executive. Procedural hiccups aren't an issue, especially national security."
"Granted. He appoints cabinet secretaries. But cabinet's advisory for governance. No joint party liability means departments operate independently. Bypassing chains, stuffing cronies everywhere, ignoring command? That's running a shadow cabal. Hand that to the right people, and it's impeachment territory."
Madeline panicked.
What the hell is this guy saying?
Teaming with the California governor and now gunning for the President outright?
Or using this to rebuild bridges back to D.C.?
Maybe Joo Se-ah was bait from the start. And she'd bitten.
Politically tied to the President, Madeline couldn't ignore Hamilton's threat. He knew that.
Then it hit her.
No. Hamilton's smart, but not that political. Spy habits die hard. He's negotiating. Otherwise, the quiet type wouldn't ramble like this.
So what did he want?
Simple.
Before Madeline voiced it, Hamilton beat her to it.
"Not gunning for the President, so relax. I just want to know who started the political hit on the hunter who saved countless lives in this LA mess. Telling them feels like the bare minimum as an American citizen."
"Patriotism or traitor excuse? Hard to say."
"You know the President's inner circle, but you won't make the mistake of defending them by attacking me, right?"
Do the math. Madeline got it.
"Fine. What do you need checked?"
"Visa approval order. Origin to path. Just trace the route."
"I'll call back."
Call ended. Hamilton rubbed his puffy, sleepless eyes.
Hunter business is rougher than spying. Wrap this up and never look back.
After hanging up with Hamilton, Madeline called the President—still in Europe.
"It's me. Joo Se-ah thing. Just talked to Director Hamilton. Yeah. He knows stuff he shouldn't. See, I warned you about hiring ex-spies. And seems like there's a lot even I don't know? No, not disappointed—just miffed."
The silence on the line irked her. Complaints bubbled up.
"When I first learned about the deputy assistant secretary issuing the visa on your say-so, I suspected Hamilton or other lines. Didn't expect you'd bypass me. I formed an investigation team myself to clean it up, turned them into veggies. Used White House name for off-books ops to approach Joo Se-ah's side. All because the White House schemed behind my back. We need to coordinate at least."
Lame excuses followed. Not intentional, meant to tell her after the tour, urgency left no choice.
Madeline didn't buy it. But she couldn't show it.
Good thing I played dumb in front of Hamilton, leaked just enough to point fingers at the President. Gotta leash him too. Can't sink alone. Even now, one slip and it's secrets without me.
She'd freaked when Hamilton suggested all-out war using the President's weakness.
It was self-preservation scheming—not joining him to topple the regime.
Luckily, Hamilton wasn't radical.
She relayed his not-quite-threat.
"One thing I'll nail down, Mr. President. Who orchestrated this? If revealing the path gets you in trouble, I won't hear it. But we need to feed Hamilton something. You know how tenacious he is. Won't drop it if we stonewall."
Moments later, Madeline's face twisted oddly.
Hamilton sought out Kang Moo-hyuk soon after his follow-up call with Madeline.
He handed over a slip of paper.
"What's this?"
"What you asked for."
"Already?"
"No dragging feet. Nothing compared to what you did for America."
"Monster-slaying doesn't care about nationality. Just hunt 'em."
"Taming psycho hunters in someone else's country, risking your life? Not just anyone. I don't speak for America, but as a citizen and lifelong public servant, thank you sincerely."
Hamilton flushed—out of character—then bolted.
Kang Moo-hyuk ignored him. His focus was solely the note.
Opening this feels like Pandora's box. Writing it separately instead of telling me means there's reason.
The Hamilton he'd known didn't act without cause. As he'd said offhand, spies find motives in breaths; they attach reasons even to sips of water.
Handing info in writing? Maybe drawing a line post-delivery, or claiming no ties.
Interpretations varied, but confirmation was simple: read it.
"Alright."
Kang Moo-hyuk exhaled and unfolded the note.
Chung-soo. Park.
"Park Chung-su? Why him?"
An unexpected name.
One he hadn't anticipated at all.
The first Guild Cooperation Office official he'd spoken to after becoming raid leader of Taeseong Guild, Iron Will's predecessor.
He'd connected Kang Moo-hyuk to Department Head Cha Gil-ju for the North Pocheon base and goblin tribe raid.
Park was still Iron Will's handler.
Most likely suspect, in a way. Guild Master would've notified Cooperation first on visa requests. But why would Section Chief Park pull this? How reliable is the intel? Hamilton doesn't strike me as reckless with info.
Kang Moo-hyuk quickly regained composure. Cool analysis clarified the picture.
"Thought it was embassy tricks, but this flips everything."
Initial shock faded; dozens of hypotheses swirled.
Most pointed to one destination.
"Highest probability... After lying low, is it finally starting?"