Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Girl He Saved
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Four years ago.
It was right after Wang-sik had met Kang Il-seop, the Bureau Director of the Hunter Management Bureau.
—*You must choose everything yourself.*
He wandered for several days. That time was also a part of his healing process.
Though he had escaped the laboratory and returned to Korea, Wang-sik's mind was in tatters.
Even as he wandered, the Mark of the Guardian wouldn't leave him be.
—*Fear detected.*
He saw people trembling in fear.
No one asked him to, but Wang-sik was always the first to rush in and save them.
Sometimes he got hurt himself, but he never stopped.
Healing.
His wandering ended, and a time of healing began.
He roamed the country, saving countless people.
*'I saved them.'*
Having lived a wretched life, he felt as though he too was gaining life each time he saved someone.
A life that allowed him to live again.
It was a journey for himself, not for others. That's why he couldn't remember whom he had saved.
As he healed himself in this way, he remembered his original goal.
—*Let's save my friends.*
He met Kang Il-seop again and became a secret agent for the Hunter Management Bureau. And saving people in crisis continued, like a habit.
"You saved me, Mister."
He himself didn't remember, but those who owed him their lives remembered Wang-sik.
Whatever the reason, their most precious lives had been saved, so they could never forget.
Gong Yeong-ji was one of those people.
Their lives had briefly intersected four years ago, when Gong Yeong-ji was in the sixth grade.
The life of this ordinary child, no different from her peers, was changed by a fire.
When she opened her eyes to the cries of her mother, who had raised her alone, the room was already filled with smoke.
She came to her senses, but they were already trapped by the flames with no way out.
Just as her mind grew hazy from the acrid smoke.
Someone burst through the wall.
—*Are you okay?*
Only after hearing that voice did she regain her composure.
—*You saved your mom.*
—*Me?*
—*I came because you screamed. Keep protecting your mom from now on.*
Her mother was hugging her tightly.
—*You did great, little friend.*
The man held her and her mother and jumped from the eighth floor of the apartment building. Her mother tried to thank him, but he was already rushing back into the flames.
Afterward, she went around to various fire stations trying to find him, but she never could.
And now, that very person had appeared before her eyes.
"Hmm. I don't remember, but I see."
"You really don't remember?"
"I've probably saved at least five hundred people directly. If you count the ones I saved indirectly, it would be more than the population of our country."
"Hah. That's somehow frustrating. My wish was to meet you again, Mister."
"I'll cherish your gratitude, but for now, how about letting go of my hand? I think your friends are giving us strange looks."
The high school girl, Gong Yeong-ji, let go. She didn't seem to care much about the stares of those around her.
"Still, I want to thank you properly. My family survived thanks to you, Mister."
Gong Yeong-ji politely clasped her hands and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!"
"I'll gratefully accept your thanks. I guess I have done that sort of thing quite a bit."
"Didn't you come looking for me because you knew?"
"Let's go somewhere quiet first. There's something I need to talk to you about."
At Wang-sik's request, they moved to a nearby café.
Once they settled in a place a short distance from the school, Gong Yeong-ji stared intently at Wang-sik's face.
"You can stare all you want; it doesn't bother me at all. A tanker's mental fortitude is harder than steel."
"I'm just looking because it's amazing. I really wanted to see you."
"I'll tell you upfront, you're not my type. I have a very specific taste."
"I don't like you as a man, either. I admire you as an idol."
"An idol?"
"I'm going to save as many people as you have, Mister. That's my life's goal."
"If that's your goal, then I'll cheer you on."
Gong Yeong-ji was a cheerful high school girl.
Her earnest desire led to her awakening as a healer, and despite her young age, she spent her weekends visiting hospitals and nursing homes to provide free treatment. It was simple volunteer work, but the condition of the patients under her care improved dramatically.
"By the way, why did you apply to the Hunter Management Bureau every year?"
"Because I wanted to be like you, Mister. I can't be a firefighter, so I tried to get into the Hunter Management Bureau, which seemed the most similar."
"I'm not a firefighter."
"What?"
"I'm with the Hunter Management Bureau. I came to find you after seeing your application there."
"Wow! It must have been fate that we'd meet again! We'll be teammates soon! Just wait a few more years for me!"
"You like the Hunter Management Bureau that much? You must have been disappointed to be rejected every year."
"I applied knowing that. I knew I'd be rejected, but it was like a pledge to myself that my goal wouldn't waver. Because my goal is to save people, just like you, Mister."
"That's admirable. You're the best, aside from a few adults I've met."
"Hehe. Really?"
When Wang-sik praised her sincerely, Gong Yeong-ji beamed.
*'Seon-yeong used to be a child who smiled like that, too.'*
Gong Yeong-ji's healthy smile overlapped with Sa Seon-yeong's strained one. The thought made Wang-sik's expression turn serious.
"I'll tell you the real reason I came to find you."
Gong Yeong-ji was curious, so her eyes sparkled as she waited for him to continue.
"There's a friend who's the same age as you."
From then on, Wang-sik began to talk about a girl named Sa Seon-yeong. He left out the stories from the Azelan Continent but conveyed everything about the difficult life she had lived.
"I didn't tell you the story to make you cry."
Listening to the story, Gong Yeong-ji shed tears as if it were about her own friend.
*'She's very sensitive. And empathetic.'*
After finishing the story, Wang-sik said to Gong Yeong-ji.
"For that girl to live, an A-rank healer needs to care for her for at least six months, probably longer. Only then will there be even a small glimmer of hope."
"You're asking me to do that, aren't you?"
"That's right. I'm asking you. She's a friend I desperately want to save."
Wang-sik was about to bow his head sincerely, but Gong Yeong-ji's answer came quickly.
"I'll do it."
It was an answer without a moment's hesitation.
"You'll really do it?"
"I'm needed, right? I'm happy I can help you, Mister."
Gong Yeong-ji beamed again.
Looking at her smile, Wang-sik said.
"I'm not an old man."
Gong Yeong-ji just kept smiling.
Gong Yeong-ji went to see Sa Seon-yeong right away.
"Hi."
Gong Yeong-ji greeted her with her characteristic cheerfulness, then examined Sa Seon-yeong's body.
It was a moment where her know-how from volunteering at the hospital shone through.
"I heard we're the same age. My name is Gong Yeong-ji."
"I'm Sa Seon-yeong."
"Hehe. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah."
Sa Seon-yeong's awkward greeting changed in less than an hour. It was partly because Gong Yeong-ji chattered away, but more than anything, her friendliness was truly remarkable.
"Alright, you two have a chat."
"Um, excuse me... Brother Wang-sik."
"Hm?"
Sa Seon-yeong called out to Wang-sik as he was about to leave with Sa Seon-gi.
"How much am I allowed to tell her?"
Gong Yeong-ji had asked why Sa Seon-yeong's body was so broken, so she was asking Wang-sik for permission.
"You decide. If you feel like she's a friend, you can tell her everything."
"A friend?"
"I'm not forcing you. I mean you can do as you please."
Leaving her with those words, Wang-sik stepped out of the hospital room and spoke to Sa Seon-gi.
"There's someone waiting for you."
"For me?"
Sa Seon-gi didn't understand.
Who could possibly be here in Korea, a place he'd returned to after eleven years?
His question was answered only when they arrived at a small park outside the hospital.
"Seon-gi!"
There were more than ten people there.
It wasn't hard to recognize the person who approached him first.
"Dong-il?"
He was the type who was always meddling, talking to everyone and trying to solve even the smallest problems together.
If he lacked the ability to solve a problem, he would cry with you instead.
Once he recognized Yang Dong-il, the faces of the people behind him also began to overlap with their childhood appearances.
"Welcome back. You've been through a lot."
Yang Dong-il came forward and hugged Sa Seon-gi tightly.
The suffocating tightness wasn't unpleasant.
Sa Seon-gi soon found himself hugging Yang Dong-il back, and their other friends gathered around.
Having all gone through the same experience, they knew how much it meant to be able to meet like this.
"It's good to have you back. So good."
"Everything will be okay now."
"It must have been so hard, wasn't it?"
One by one, they all offered words of comfort and greeting.
Yang Dong-il was the first to cry, and soon, tears were streaming from everyone's eyes.
To meet again, alive.
A miracle.
They all thought of that word.
It was a moment when a dream that seemed absolutely impossible came true.
Sa Seon-gi cried, too.
Why?
More tears flowed than when he had cried with his sister. He sobbed so hard he couldn't speak.
*'Because this is a joy in your own life.'*
It was a moment when his emotions not as an older brother, but as Sa Seon-gi himself, burst forth.
Wang-sik also joined the group, and they embraced one another.
"You're all a bunch of crybabies."
He said that, but Wang-sik knew.
Because they had held it in for too long.
There were many tears left to shed.
Fifteen days later.
Wang-sik was leaving the hospital.
"Call me if anything happens. I'll visit often, too."
"Thanks."
Wang-sik, who had been staying near the hospital, decided it was time to leave.
It was because Sa Seon-yeong had stabilized with Gong Yeong-ji's help.
"For now, just focus on your sister. Let's talk again when Seon-yeong is healthy."
Wang-sik didn't press him on anything, leaving it at that.
"I'm off."
Waving goodbye, Wang-sik got into a taxi and headed not to Incheon, but to the Hunter Management Bureau.
—*Plan for the Innovation of South Korea's Gates.*
This seemingly ordinary matter had recently become a major political issue and point of contention.
The problem was that the Hunter Management Bureau was at the center of this dispute.
This was why Wang-sik had come to the Hunter Management Bureau.
"Thank you for your help."
He offered his thanks before getting a clear picture of the situation.
The Hunter Management Bureau's help with the Sa siblings' treatment had been immense. Even if it was part of their original agreement, Wang-sik was sincerely grateful.
"How frightening."
"What is?"
"Your greeting is far too polite. What kind of major twist are you planning to spring on me?"
"I'm just curious about the situation. Don't be so tense."
"Well, the current situation is simple. The new president wants to directly manage the Hunter Management Bureau."
Just then, the chief of staff came in with tea.
"It would be good for you to join our conversation."
The chief of staff took a seat opposite Wang-sik. She placed the tea in front of each of them and began to speak.
"Right now, the most trusted organization in South Korea is the Hunter Management Bureau. But now, it's not just trust; our capabilities have been proven as well. Of course he'd want to control it directly. He'll want to make it his own political achievement."
In a way, it was only natural.
Min Ha-na had become an S-rank, and among their hidden agents was a tanker recognized worldwide.
There wasn't a president alive who wouldn't want to make use of those two.
"So he's ignoring the separation of political powers."
The Hunter Management Bureau was protected by law, allowing it to operate independently except in cases of national crisis.
Of course, it was subject to audits by the National Assembly, but this was a necessary check and balance. Otherwise, its authority was thoroughly recognized, much like the separation of powers.
"He wants to make me his man. Threatening to reveal your identity is one of his pressure tactics."
"So, what are your thoughts on that, Director?"
"I don't trust politicians. What's important to me is protecting South Korea, not advancing my career."
His words were perfectly in line with the founding principles of the Hunter Management Bureau.
This was also Kang Il-seop's personal conviction. And yet, as he spoke, Kang Il-seop didn't seem all that angry.
"I thought you'd be shouting in anger. You're surprisingly calm."
"Is it wrong for a president to want to use his country's power? There would be diplomatic advantages, and it could provide leverage for implementing various policies."
Surprisingly, Kang Il-seop spoke as if he understood the president's position.
"Then what's the problem?"
"It's the potential for corruption that worries me. It's not something the president would be pushing for alone. There's the ruling party, and if we side with them, the opposition becomes our enemy. That's politics. I don't want the Hunter Management Bureau to be swayed by such political games. As you know, I wouldn't refuse anything that benefits South Korea."
"This is why I hate politics."
"Same here."
"In any case, it doesn't seem like a huge problem, which is a relief. If my issue is resolved, you won't really have any weaknesses, right?"
The existence of the two-way gate.
This was an issue that could become a global headline. And yet, a single agent of the Hunter Management Bureau had exclusive control over it.
The justification was that he was guarding the gate, but it was a fact that an individual was using a national asset.
"I will take responsibility and protect you on that matter. That was our contract. The previous president didn't touch that issue, so I doubt this one will cross the line either."
"The important thing is that it's a weakness. Please buy me a little time. I think I have a way to solve it."
A question arose not only in Kang Il-seop's eyes but in the chief of staff's as well.
"Are you saying you'll give up the gate?"
"Of course not. I'll tell you once it's resolved. I still need a little more time."
Wang-sik smiled and briefly mentioned what was to come.
"I guess it's just about time to move."