Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Korea Daily Interview
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Korea Daily reporter An So-young was tearing her hair out.
It was because of the person her boss had told her to interview no matter what.
So-young slightly lifted her head and checked the photo that had been making waves online recently.
Huge wings spread wide on both sides, and the child's innocent smile in her arms.
The image of the woman holding the child and smiling as if finding the kid adorable gave a completely different impression from the typical mutants people knew about.
‘Mutant Yoon Seo-hyun.’
That was clearly the name of the person in the photo.
So-young had to go interview Seo-hyun starting now.
‘No way, is this for real? Won’t I get killed if I go? Didn’t three reporters from Swiftree die before? To a Minotaur-type Mutant.’
Her mind was a mess.
Of course, she wasn’t one of those tabloid hacks from Swiftree, but she was still a reporter.
And mutants were extremely hostile toward reporters. Asking her to approach one and get an interview?
It was as good as telling her to go die.
Just looking at the video taken near the park not long ago showed how terrifying this beautiful mutant in the photo really was.
A pillar of fire shooting high into the sky.
Firepower that one couldn’t believe had been unleashed on the spot by a single individual.
Asking her to interview someone who made you doubt if they even belonged in the category of humans anymore?
She had no choice but to protest to her boss somehow or flat-out refuse.
She wanted to live a long life.
She hadn’t busted her ass to get into one of Korea’s top three major newspapers just to die like this.
But… her attempts were destined to go up in smoke right away.
“You’re the only one, So-young. You’re the only one handling mutant columns from the start. It’s your job anyway. Think about it—Korea Daily writing an article on a Dragon-type Mutant who’s right at the center of all the buzz now. How much attention would that pull?”
“No, Senior, this is too much. I really don’t want to die…”
“Hey, the person who wrote that article said the same thing. They seemed like a really kind person. Let’s use this chance to get an interview, okay?”
“People like that are even scarier when they get mad.”
“Tch, you keep this up? I just told you—mutant stuff has always been your beat. Why are you acting up now when you were all in at first?”
“Ugh…”
That was true. So-young had been the one proactively taking on mutant-related stories from the beginning. The mystique surrounding mutants had captivated her.
But that was only before those three reporters got killed.
After that, she had deliberately avoided mutant coverage as much as possible.
She thought it would be fine… but why dump something like this on a lowly reporter from upper management?
“No, but why did the order come down from the top all of a sudden?”
“No idea. There’s a rumor that some higher-ups want to shift public perception of mutants in a more positive direction, even if just a little.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I don’t know the details. How would grunts like us know what the big shots are up to? Anyway, give it a shot. Avoid sensitive topics that could blow up.”
So-young realized there was no backing out anymore. They’d probably asked all the other reporters first, and it ended up with her at the bottom of the totem pole.
If she kept dodging here, it would just keep causing her trouble.
“…Fine, fine. I’ll do it.”
“If the article blows up, your performance review skyrockets. Take it easy.”
“Then you do it, Senior.”
“Oh man, I’ve got other assignments.”
Her boss said that and leisurely slipped away. Damn guy. Whining about wanting better results but not touching risky stuff himself.
She let out a sigh.
Since the mutant Yoon Seo-hyun didn’t have her own SNS or anything, there was no way to get her personal contact… so she had no choice but to head to Korea University.
“Guess I’ll have to camp out in front of the university like a bamboo shoot for a while…”
* * *
Uh, um. What the hell was this situation?
As soon as I stepped into the Humanities Building, some disheveled-looking woman was staring at me with gleaming eyes.
Is she crazy…?
I was thinking that when she came rushing at me at an insane speed.
I looked at the haggard woman who had approached me.
“Um, do you by any chance have time right now?”
“I don’t believe you.”
“No, no! I’m not from Shincheonji or anything…! I’m from Korea Daily! Here, here’s my business card!”
The somewhat clumsy-looking reporter hurriedly handed me her card.
Korea Daily Reporter, An So-young.
Wow… she actually came. A reporter.
Was it because I showed a friendly side to people three days ago? Maybe she came gambling on that.
I figured no one would show up after the unknown killer Minotaur I caught had instilled fear in reporters.
And I’d even put on that flashy fire show yesterday.
Normally, no one would dream of interviewing me… but it seemed like the post from Yoon Seo-hyun’s father yesterday had acted as some kind of catalyst.
Perfect timing, actually. I wanted to tell the world that not all mutants were bad.
“W-Would a short interview be possible if you have time?”
“Ah, I don’t think now works. I’ve got a lecture soon…”
“Oh, yes, of course! Then if you could tell me a good time, I’ll wait in front of the Humanities Building…!”
“Since it’s Monday… um, around four in the afternoon should be when lectures end. See that cafe over there? How about we meet at that cafe?”
“Yes!”
* * *
“What? A reporter?”
As class was wrapping up, Han-gyeol’s eyes went wide when I mentioned a reporter had been waiting for me.
“They said they want an interview later.”
“Then isn’t that great? Korea Daily isn’t some run-of-the-mill rag.”
I nodded at Sihyun’s words beside her. Definitely better than a tabloid like Swiftree.
“Yeah. So I’m thinking of cooperating fully with the interview.”
“Don’t say anything weird.”
“I won’t. Reporters have been burned by mutants so much they can’t help but be cautious, right?”
“…True. Just looking at what you’ve done, they probably won’t dare ask you sensitive questions. Their lives depend on it.”
“That’s why I agreed. I know reporters can’t treat me lightly. In a way, that Minotaur ended up helping me. Anyway, I should head out.”
“See you later. Tomorrow.”
“Yep.”
“See you tomorrow, Senior!”
* * *
“Ah, you’re here! Hello. I’m Korea Daily reporter An So-young. Nice to meet you again.”
“I’m Dragon-type Mutant Yoon Seo-hyun.”
“Um, then could I maybe take one photo? For the article…”
“Sure, whatever.”
An So-young snapped a photo of me right away. Probably for the thumbnail or something.
“Then, let’s start the interview.”
“Yeah. Oh, before we begin, let me make this clear. I know how the public views mutants, and I’m doing this interview to help shift that view even a little more positively.”
“I’ll keep that in mind and proceed. When did you become a mutant?”
“About six months ago. Mutation started in March, and I woke up in June.”
“Aha… so it took three months for the mutation?”
“Yes. The world had changed so much it was disorienting.”
“You’ve been involved in several major incidents since becoming a mutant. Subduing a Minotaur-type Mutant, and there was that incident in the park.”
“Ah, haha. Well… the Minotaur was rampaging right in front of my place, at the cafe by my studio apartment. So I thought I had to take it down quick.”
“Did you have confidence you could subdue it?”
“Yes. It was baseless confidence, but… I just felt like I wouldn’t lose. I fought, won easily, and felt relieved.”
“I heard you called down lightning…”
“Yes. I can wield lightning and fire. I can bring out wings too, but they’re too big, so I keep them tucked away normally.”
“When something like that happens, not many people step up just because it’s in front of their home. I’m curious about what made you step forward.”
“The first thing I heard after waking up was about how the world views mutants. With that recent Minotaur mutant and mutants causing trouble everywhere… I thought, ‘I shouldn’t be like that.’ Even as a mutant, I’m still part of society. I wanted to show the world that not all mutants are bad.”
“Aha… It would’ve been great if more people thought like you, Seo-hyun. Oh, right—you’re a Korea University student. With your abilities now, you could make plenty of money, but why stick to being a student?”
“Hmm, I didn’t want to let all my pre-mutation efforts go to waste. I worked insanely hard to get into Korea University. Sure, now I can do anything and have all these powers, so I’m far from ordinary, but I don’t think that effort back then was worthless. So I definitely want that diploma.”
“What do you plan to do after graduation? Personally, you’ve got the looks to go into modeling.”
“Who knows… I’ll think about it later. I don’t believe this power I gained was given just for my own comfort. If I can use it to help the public good, I’d like to. Well… that’s assuming my situation allows it.”
I smiled sheepishly as I said that. It was the first time I’d laid out my thoughts so openly.