Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Aftermath
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When America's hero, Decan, arrived at Auckland Airport, the Chinese Awakeners happened to be entering the arrivals hall as well.
Naturally, the two S-Class hunters, E Suo-lin and Wang Jin-chun, approached him to talk.
“We should at least show our faces before we leave.”
They had already heard the news from New Zealand.
The battle had ended four hours ago, and the Prime Minister had already made an official announcement.
Feeling drained, they passed through the arrivals hall and were about to leave the airport when a thunderous applause erupted.
It was a sound they were all too familiar with, but today, it wasn't for them.
The ones stepping out of the limousine provided by the Prime Minister were the four members of Mad Castle.
As they appeared, the crowd that had been waiting for them burst into applause, shouting their thanks.
—Thank you for saving New Zealand!
—We will never forget this!
—We will remember your sacrifice!
They were true heroes.
The four members of Mad Castle waved to the crowd with confident expressions as camera flashes went off all around them.
As he walked amidst the cheers, Wang-sik spotted Decan and his group.
Wang-sik slowly approached, brushing past Decan as he spoke.
“Part of the welcoming party? The least you could do is clap.”
Decan's eyebrow twitched at the mocking words. Then, Min Ha-na added a comment as she passed by.
“Shit, you got here in a real hurry.”
It was a much more powerful blow.
Leaving them clenching their fists and holding back their anger, the members of Mad Castle entered the airport.
“Ah, I just want to go home and rest.”
“Just hang in there a little longer. Giving people hope is part of being a hero.”
Until the moment they passed through the departure gate, they kept their shoulders squared with pride.
The airport staff greeted them, cleared the way, and didn't hesitate to bow their heads.
As soon as they boarded the private jet prepared by the Prime Minister, they threw themselves into their seats.
“Oh man, I'm dead.”
“If we'd stayed for another hour, my back would have broken.”
“Mister, my shoulders hurt so much. I think it's from keeping them tensed up.”
“Look at Seon-gi. He's completely fine.”
Indeed, Sa Seon-gi looked no different than usual.
“Ah, you're breaking the team spirit. Hey! Sa Seon-gi! Show some emotion!”
“I must become stronger. That is all I have learned.”
At those words, Min Ha-na quickly turned her head away.
“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.”
“Me too. I just want to rest today.”
Sa Seon-gi had already taken out his dagger, lost in thought. A virtual battle was unfolding in his mind.
Wang-sik smiled as he watched his teammates.
“You all did great.”
With those words, Wang-sik closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly.
“He must have been the most tired.”
“How did he endure all that?”
Sa Seon-gi quietly got up from his seat and draped a blanket over Wang-sik.
Asleep, Wang-sik was smiling as if having a happy dream. Seeing this, his friends smiled along with him.
Mad Castle asked for nothing from New Zealand.
They said the only thing they took was the spoils from defeating the Death King. They didn't even claim ownership of the S-Class items from the two sudden Gates.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand tried to hand them over to Mad Castle, but they announced they would donate them instead.
In reality, Wang-sik had checked the item options and returned them because no one could use them, but regardless, the story became a huge topic.
—The Earth Defense Force, protectors of peace without asking for anything in return.
—Mad Castle's ideology was true.
The contents of their showcase were re-examined, and the distorted information was now accepted as fact.
The media endlessly chattered about Mad Castle, but one of the heroes who had participated in the battle was facing an unexpected crisis.
“Ack! Mom!”
Gong Yeong-ji's mother smacked her daughter on the back and let out a long sigh.
“Oh, what am I going to do with you?”
Her mother held her forehead and sighed deeply.
The White Angel.
That was the moniker now used to describe Gong Yeong-ji. There were probably hundreds of other nicknames being created for her, but to her mother, she was just her daughter.
“You know. If it wasn't for Mister, we would have already…”
“I know! That's why I can't even try to stop you…”
Her mother's eyes welled up with tears.
Every time she saw Gong Yeong-ji's battle scenes on the news, her heart sank.
“Can't you just give me your blessing happily? Huh?”
“Aren't you scared of things like that?”
“I'm scared too. I'm probably more scared than you are, Mom.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“Because Mister is right. If I don't protect them, everyone will die. Even you, Mom, who I love most, will end up being killed by the things that come through the Gates.”
There was no way to argue against it. After all, that was how people had died in New Zealand.
“Even if I'm scared, I have to do it. It's the only way to protect the people I love. I actually see it as an opportunity.”
To her mother, such logic didn't matter.
“Do you really have to do this?”
“Yes.”
Could she break her daughter's will? Or not?
In the end, this was the mission her mother was faced with.
It was a fight she couldn't win anyway.
There was only one thing she could say.
“You have to be careful. If you die, I'll die too.”
“That won't happen.”
Her mother hugged her daughter tightly. No matter what the world called her, to her mother, she still felt like a reckless child.
“Let's go see Mister.”
They didn't need to travel far.
Because when they opened the door, Wang-sik was waiting for them.
“Ma'am, I will make you one promise.”
Wang-sik said with a confident expression.
“Yeong-ji will not die before I do.”
Her mother was able to find some comfort in that.
This was faith in Wang-sik.
“Please take good care of her.”
Her mother put an end to her worries by bowing her head deeply.
* * *
Kang Il-seop stared at the single document on his desk, lost in thought.
A letter of resignation.
He couldn't bring himself to add the final signature.
He had realized many things through this incident.
The act of protecting the Earth, not just Korea.
Mad Castle had accomplished this magnificently.
“They're insane.”
Just because they had power, did that mean they felt no fear?
Anyone would hesitate to put their life on the line.
“There was a time when I was that crazy, too...”
When he first became the Bureau Director of the Hunter Management Bureau, Kang Il-seop had also clung madly to protecting Korea.
That was why he had made so many political enemies.
“To think I can still feel such a thrill at my age...”
When he received the report that the Death King in New Zealand had been defeated, a shiver ran through his entire body.
He had ignored the president's order, and it was an affair in a distant foreign country, not Korea. So why had he done it?
Like the members of Mad Castle, he had bet everything.
‘So this is the result.’
No one had forced him. But his heart was turning towards Mad Castle.
That wasn't to say he had no reservations.
Having lived his entire life for the Republic of Korea, he wasn't sure if he could adopt a different set of values.
Would he regret it again?
Knock, knock.
Just as his contemplation deepened, a knock came at the door.
It was his chief of staff, who entered with her usual expression despite the major incident.
She handed Kang Il-seop a file of compiled data.
“This is the public opinion regarding the Korean Hunter Management Bureau.”
The Prime Minister of New Zealand had officially expressed his gratitude to the South Korean government.
—The New Zealand government expresses its deepest gratitude to the South Korean government.
He detailed the role the Korean Hunter Management Bureau played in defending against the Gate, which was elevating South Korea's international standing.
—The Government of the Republic of Korea, dedicated to helping other nations.
—Showing through action that the world is one.
Phrases that politicians would kill for were plastered all over the global media.
—A small nation in the East saved the world.
—The Government of the Republic of Korea, a model for a world government.
—A flawless response system that the whole world must learn from.
Of course, the fact that the president had interfered was not known.
“At this rate, not even the president will be able to pressure you, Director.”
Kang Il-seop was aware of that.
“He won't touch me until my term is over.”
No one would dare to oppose Kang Il-seop politically now.
The New Zealand government's announcement that Kang Il-seop had personally commanded the hunters had turned him into a global star.
“You don't have the face of a victor.”
At his chief of staff's words, Kang Il-seop gave a bitter smile. In response, she took an envelope from her pocket.
“What's this?”
“My advice.”
The chief of staff bowed and turned to leave.
Once alone again, Kang Il-seop opened the envelope his chief of staff had left as 'advice'.
“Haha. Well, well.”
Kang Il-seop felt his head clear at the advice.
A letter of resignation.
Unlike Kang Il-seop, his chief of staff had already signed hers.
The President of the Republic of Korea was having a busy day.
But the nature of that busyness changed daily.
Cleaning up after incidents or dealing with criticism was two or three times more exhausting, whereas days like today felt like something he could do for a lifetime without getting tired.
“Yes. Thank you. The Republic of Korea will always approach cooperation between our two nations with a positive attitude.”
After hanging up the phone, the president didn't even have time to breathe before checking the public opinion trends on his desk.
“Hahaha.”
Laughter burst out of him unconsciously.
With the global media praising South Korea, the recent controversy over a cabinet appointment had completely vanished from the discussion.
In this situation, he was expected to achieve record-high approval ratings in next week's polls.
“I wish every day were like today.”
“You have a video conference with the President of the United States in thirty minutes.”
“Understood.”
The meeting with the US president had a delicate issue.
First, the United States had played no role in the New Zealand incident.
It wasn't enough to draw criticism, but it was true that their status as the closest thing to a world government had been shaken.
—Why can't you be like Korea?
—Is the world's number one power only used to protect its own country?
Korea had responded abnormally fast; it wasn't that the US had done anything wrong.
Nevertheless, the media's comparisons with Korea had irked the US president.
“I'll have to share some of the credit.”
He planned to at least pay some lip service, suggesting that the US had made some hidden contributions to the effort.
Considering the cooperative relationship with the United States, there was nothing to lose.
“Your Excellency, Bureau Director Kang Il-seop has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
He had already been notified, so it wasn't a surprise.
“I'll have to placate him. There's no choice but to work together now. The nuisance has started laying golden eggs.”
In politics, there are no permanent enemies or allies.
Kang Il-seop had now become a treasure he had to hold onto until his term ended.
Entering the president's office, Kang Il-seop bowed with his usual strong gaze and firm impression.
“Welcome, Director Kang. You've done a great thing this time.”
The president opened his arms and embraced Kang Il-seop. In his current mood, he felt like he could carry him on his back.
But something was strange.
Kang Il-seop stood rigidly without a word.
Only then did the president realize something was wrong.
“This is my letter of resignation.”
Kang Il-seop didn't say much else.
“Look here, Director Kang. Let's not dwell on the past and think about the future. From now on, I won't interfere with the Hunter Management Bureau in any way. I promise.”
The president belatedly acknowledged Kang Il-seop's position and authority. But Kang Il-seop's expression remained unchanged.
Kang Il-seop slowly walked over and placed the letter of resignation on the president's desk.
“The people around me gave me some advice. They told me to throw my resignation in my superior's face and walk out.”
It was obvious that the 'superior' was the president. With that one sentence, the president knew he couldn't hold onto Kang Il-seop. Still, he couldn't let him go like this.
“Even if there's been some bad blood between us, shouldn't we cooperate for the sake of the Republic of Korea? What's important to us isn't personal feelings, but the glory of our nation.”
The president, who had overstepped his authority to torment him, was now speaking of the greater good.
Kang Il-seop walked toward the president.
The bodyguards nearby moved toward Kang Il-seop. But what they feared did not happen.
Instead, Kang Il-seop bowed even more deeply before the president than he had at the beginning.
It was a completely unexpected situation.
Kang Il-seop spoke.
“Please take care of the Republic of Korea.”
The president closed his eyes.
In that moment, he felt endlessly ashamed of himself.