Reclaim Earth: Warriors Free from Hypnosis (9)
Few knew that a single woman had sneaked into one of the towering buildings in Jamsil—a symbol of wealth that many Koreans admired and envied. Park Jisoo, the former strategist of W.L.K., had been holing up in this hotel for some time now, never once stepping outside.
She handled showers, meals, and even light exercise all within her room, avoiding even the hotel's gym or lounge. Her extreme caution stemmed from her meticulous personality. Park Jisoo was a woman whose sharp mind came paired with paranoia-level vigilance.
Even during strategy meetings, she'd close her eyes and cover her ears whenever Kim Hoyoung's photo or footage appeared, going to absurd lengths to avoid any contact with him. She believed even indirect exposure could trigger hypnosis.
Even when hypnosis-immune Himeko, or even Scarlett or Sumire, assured her that photos posed no risk, it fell on deaf ears.
"Better safe than sorry," she muttered to herself today as she settled for room service, her mind drifting back to the day she first encountered Kim Hoyoung.
Yes, she was one of the rare few—like Himeko—who had faced him in person.
Even as the entire world fell into his grasp, very few had actually come face-to-face with Kim Hoyoung. Most of humanity had succumbed through broadcasts of his face and voice.
But Park Jisoo was different. Back when she had just passed the senior civil service exam and started working at a government agency, she had glimpsed him from afar as he was being transported by vigilantes to the courthouse.
Is that the hypnotist everyone's talking about? He looks like an ordinary young guy. Isn't it weirder to fall for hypnosis? No normal person would.
At that time, she hadn't yet grasped his danger. Everyone thought slapping handcuffs on him was enough.
Kim Hoyoung was being dragged along like any common criminal, and people assumed this trivial news—hot on internet headlines for a bit—would fizzle out.
"Haa~ Boring. This sucks too. Hey, cops. Unlock these handcuffs. They're annoying."
"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll unlock them."
That was before he dropped the act and unleashed his hypnosis for real.
What the hell? Why are they unlocking him?
Park Jisoo felt chills as she watched the escorting officers free the criminal with their own hands.
"Ah~ And everyone here, listen to me carefully. From now on, forget about laws or morals. The only thing that matters is what I, Kim Hoyoung, say. Got it?"
"Yes, understood."
"We'll just ignore laws from now on~"
"We'll live only to discern Young Master's will."
With her quick wits—or perhaps ghostly survival instincts—Park Jisoo realized hearing his voice was dangerous and clamped her ears shut. She didn't catch his exact words, but she was horrified to see the gathered officials kneel one by one before him.
"Hmm... the vigilantes or whatever who caught me. What happened to them?"
"Yes, the police chief is preparing commendations."
The cop who had looked so menacing while hauling the hypnotist now answered like a loyal subordinate. It was like a scene from hell.
Was this what it felt like when a bad joke turned real?
"Commendations my ass. Throw them in prison and give 'em life sentences."
"Yes, sir! We'll fetch them right away!"
"Yeah, yeah... Hmm? What's this? Why are you just standing there?"
Kim Hoyoung noticed Park Jisoo, who had blocked her ears to evade hypnosis.
As he approached slowly, he looked to her like a demon spreading its wings.
"W-who are you?"
"I'm Kim Hoyoung."
"How did you get such power?"
"Someone gave it to me. None of your business."
"Why... why are you doing this? What did these people ever do to you?!"
"Who knows...? Typhoons and earthquakes kill without reason, don't they? At least I won't kill anyone, so don't be so scared. More importantly, blocking your ears to shut out my voice? You're a sharp one—quick reflexes too."
"Demon...!"
At that, Kim Hoyoung paused briefly. He didn't seem hurt. His expression and voice remained eerily calm and serene amid the madness.
"You see an erupting volcano and call it a 'demon'? My power, my actions—they're just natural disasters. So call me a god instead. The ancients saw nature and thought of gods, after all."
Park Jisoo bolted, ears still plugged. She'd trained her body diligently even amid studies, and with her life on the line, she ran at full speed for hours without tiring, never looking back.
In truth, Kim Hoyoung didn't pursue her. From his perspective, there was no need to obsess over hypnotizing every single person, nor any merit in the effort.
"Huff...! Huff...! That was close!"
Catching her breath in some nameless alley, Park Jisoo foresaw the world sinking into Kim Hoyoung's hypnotic mire—but she spotted a sliver of hope.
"His power is too overwhelming. A god? Fair enough. But that's his weakness."
If he had ordered others to capture her even without chasing personally, she would've had no escape. But he hadn't bothered.
Probably too lazy.
"Overconfidence always breeds openings. Someday, I'll exploit yours and kill you."
By the time she got home, even her parents had fallen to the hypnosis from watching his broadcast.
Leaving her mother—who urged, "Come bow to Master Hoyoung too"—behind, Park Jisoo never returned home.
Alone, she scoured the internet for like-minded allies, eventually connecting with Himeko and becoming an indispensable strategist for the previous W.L.K. generation.
Even now, from her hotel hideout, she was coordinating with surviving comrades.
Sumire finally got in touch.
"It's been quite a while since then. Don't you think it's time we met up and planned our next move?"
<Yeah, I think so too. The damage is spreading while we sit idle.>
"One thing that's been bothering me: why hasn't Kim Hoyoung retaliated against us after nearly dying to Scarlett?"
<Who knows... Maybe arrogance, like you said?>
Arrogance. Meaning assassins like them weren't even worth guarding against?
Plausible, coming from that Kim Hoyoung.
<But where are you right now, Unni?>
"Sorry, can't tell you."
<Aw~ Come on, between us. I'll tell you my location.>
"We said security is life, remember? Even Himeko doesn't know where I am."
<So where should we meet?>
"Before that..."
Sumire was prying unusually hard about her location. Park Jisoo glared, suspicion dawning.
"What is Kim Hoyoung to us? Say it, Sumire."
<……………….>
No way. But considering Sumire's personality, she might have charged at Kim Hoyoung alone to rescue Scarlett—and gotten reverse-brainwashed.
"Why can't you say it?"
<More importantly, where are you, Unni?>
"Kim Hoyoung is a motherfucker. Say it."
<Aw~>
"Can't do it?"
<Do we really need to? We're not strangers. Where are you?>
"Kim Hoyoung motherfucker."
<Don't curse over the phone. Let's meet and talk.>
"You've been brainwashed, haven't you?"
Her voice was so bright and bubbly, just like always. Maybe it was all in her head.
"...Fuck."
<Just do whatever Master Hoyoung commands without thinking. That's natural, you know? We've been wrong all this time. Right now, I'm licking Scarlett-unni's panties with him. We even get to sniff them and masturbate first—top-tier treatment! Where are you, Unni? Where?>
Click—click—
"Fuck!!"
She nearly hurled the phone but stopped herself. It could be tracked, so she had to smash it and switch hotels... but first, one last call.
<...I see. Even Sumire.>
The former leader of W.L.K.'s previous generation, Himeko—the one person in this mad world untainted by Kim Hoyoung's hypnosis. She was the only one Park Jisoo could trust now.
"Sorry about your daughter, but now it's just us two."
<...No time to waste.>
"What now? Shall we two proceed with the assassination?"
<Before that, can you pass a request to Sumire for me?>
"What request?"
"Himeko... you...!"
<Please.>
She dialed Sumire's number again—the one she'd nearly erased. (Hello? Where are you, Unni? Huh? Mom wants to meet Master Hoyoung? Hmm... I'll pass it along. But where are you, Unni?) Thus, she arranged a meeting between W.L.K.'s former leader and the hypnotist.
"I once dreamed of becoming a diplomat... Tch. Guess it happens like this."
Park Jisoo's mutter wasn't exaggeration. The meeting between Kim Hoyoung and Himeko was indeed a summit between titans holding the world's fate.
The two met alone in the hotel lounge (all guests cleared out) at the appointed spot. Upon seeing Kim Hoyoung, Himeko gracefully lifted her skirt in noble courtesy, and he nodded lightly in response.
"You're Himeko? The one immune to my hypnosis?"
"Yes, Mr. Kim Hoyoung. Humanity's worst criminal."
"Why'd you want to see me?"
"I have something to say to you."
"Yeah? Hear me out first."
"Pardon?"
Kim Hoyoung suddenly pointed at Himeko, who had appeared in an elegant kimono.
"Take off the kimono, shout 'Japanese are an inferior race', and masturbate your ass."