Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Press Conference
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I got home and immediately called my parents to tell them about it.
Looks like I got a job.
“Mom, I think I got a job?”
-What do you mean by that?
“The National Intelligence Service said they’re establishing a mutant enforcement agency made entirely of mutants?”
-Tell me more.
I relayed everything I’d heard to Mom, including the details about the press conference.
-Good heavens. Wait a minute... so what about college?
“They said I can keep going?”
“By the way, that dragon—was that really you?”
“Who else in Korea right now deserves to be called a dragon?”
-I was shocked when I saw it on the news. Heavens... you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?
“No injuries, but that mutant who caused all the chaos turned into an idiot.”
-We’ll see about that. Good job.
“But it’s basically the same as killing someone?”
-Self-inflicted. It was a vicious criminal who’d already killed several people. You were just protecting yourself.
“That’s true, but...”
-Don’t worry about it needlessly. No one’s going to say anything.
“Okay.”
“By the way, a press conference? Our daughter really does all sorts of things.”
“Yeah... I didn’t expect this either.”
“But handing the leadership of an entire agency to a kid like you—how is that even possible?”
“They said it’s a figurehead position. I just lend my name to the business card, and the actual administrative operations are handled by the person they assign to the agency. What I do is just take down vicious mutants like this time.”
“That person must have multiple bodies or something? Administrative work isn’t easy.”
“Might actually be the case. They looked pretty young...”
“If they’ve climbed that high at that age, they must have something going for them. Anyway, got it. Do well at the press conference and don’t say anything that can be twisted against you.”
“Got it.”
* * *
The press conference was the next day.
I skimmed the script. Memorizing this much wasn’t hard.
No, reporters could ask anything unpredictable, so there was bound to be a situation where I couldn’t rely solely on the script.
I had to stay sharp and be careful not to say anything stupid.
If I spouted my usual nonsense, it’d be a disaster.
I wasn’t particularly nervous.
Maybe it was because becoming a dragon had made me bolder or something. Back then, I would’ve been debating whether to take a calming pill.
Even after all that chaos, the group chat with my classmates was still buzzing.
I smiled faintly as I looked at it. These guys never change.
[Han Tae-hoon: Hey, dragonling, press conference tomorrow?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Huh? Really?]
[Han Tae-hoon: Yeah, it’s in the news]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Oh]
[Jo Min-hyuk: But what’s with the sudden press conference?]
I tapped out a casual reply to Jo Min-hyuk’s message.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: It’s just to say we’re not gonna eat anyone]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Lol got it, good luck]
[Han Tae-hoon: Don’t give them anything to nitpick. Internet ghosts will latch onto any scrap they can find]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Hey, you think I don’t know that?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: She knows better than anyone... she’s one of the internet ghosts]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Fair... no need to worry then lol. If shit hits the fan, just dragon out and sweep them away]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Not a bad idea?]
[Jo Min-hyuk: You’re not actually gonna, right?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Of course it’s a joke lol. You think I’m crazy?]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Lmao]
I chuckled to myself as I read the chat. Honestly, I’d been a little worried deep down.
I’d wondered if they’d start keeping their distance after seeing me transformed like that.
But it seemed like unnecessary concern.
Come to think of it, Seo-ah had seen me back then too and hadn’t said anything weird.
The other underclassmen had even texted to check if I was okay.
Looks like they’d each come to terms with what I was in their own way.
Not bad at all. It gave me confidence.
Sincerity always gets through eventually. Sure, some people might twist it.
But... if I take responsibility for my words and back them up with actions, those people will dwindle over time.
Everyone, rest easy.
I’m not gonna eat anyone.
* * *
Agent Choi Jeong-ho gazed at the podium in front of him. Today might change a lot of things.
Depending on how Seo-hyun spoke up there, the public’s trust in the National Intelligence Service’s new affiliate agency would rise or fall.
‘Workload’s gonna pile up... but this is better.’
Handling mutant-related duties so far had buried Jeong-ho under a murderous amount of work that two bodies wouldn’t suffice for.
If it were just paperwork, it wouldn’t have been this bad. But going out in the field himself to track down and capture mutants? His body couldn’t keep up.
But if this new agency ran smoothly, his fieldwork would drop a lot.
Sure, paperwork might increase, but that was still better than chasing mutants everywhere. Long-term, the workload would decrease, not grow.
...Of course, that assumed Seo-hyun could fulfill her role properly.
Jeong-ho wasn’t worried about that.
Just looking at what she’d done so far, she had no issues taking down mutants.
On the contrary, her mere existence might deter vicious mutants.
Mutants had incredibly sensitive senses, so none of them would ignore the survival instincts screaming at the sight of her.
Given how her past actions and words had already built trust... today’s press conference should go off without a hitch.
Jeong-ho watched as Seo-hyun stepped up to the podium.
She showed no particular signs of tension as she approached the front and tapped the mic.
The mic’s faint hum signaled the start of the press conference.
* * *
The flashing lights were blinding. But I stood tall. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so no need to shrink back.
The reporters stared at me with eyes full of fire. Among them was An So-young, the reporter who’d interviewed me before.
Our eyes met for a moment. I gave her a small smile and nodded.
“An So-young from Korea Daily. I have a question.”
That kicked off the real questions.
“Many people felt fear at the dragon form Ms. Seo-hyun showed last time. A person with immense power tends to inspire unease just by existing. I’d like to hear your thoughts on that.”
I nodded at her statement.
“Honestly, I think it’s a natural reaction. I’d feel the same. Especially after I shot flames high into the sky from the park the other day... it’d be weird not to be scared. Plus, there’ve been plenty of incidents from mutants’ identity crises.”
“So, how do you plan to alleviate people’s anxiety?”
“Well... honestly, even if I stand here and preach that I’m safe, not many would believe it. If this dragon went berserk, their lives would be at risk—how could they? Don’t you think so too, reporter?”
“W-Well... yes?”
“That’s why I’ll show it through my actions. So people can believe I’m safe.”
Then another reporter jumped in.
“One thing I’m curious about.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Why go to such lengths?”
“Hmm. Would ‘because I want to’ suffice? No deeper meaning. I’m doing it purely because I want to.”
“Is it related to suppressing those criminal mutants before?”
“To answer: yes, it is. Right after I mutated, I heard that the world had a pretty bad view of mutants. And believe it or not, I was an ordinary college student. The kind of everyday citizen you’d pass on the street. And I still think of myself that way.”
I took a quick breath and continued.
“You all might not accept it, but that’s how I see it. And there’s one thing an everyday citizen like me wants: to walk the streets without scaring anyone. That’s my biggest wish, and suppressing those vicious mutants was part of that. To show the world that not all mutants cause trouble or threaten people.”
“...I see. Understood.”
Next, another reporter’s question came flying. Looking toward it, I spotted a familiar badge.
Swiftree.
Infamous for yellow journalism.
“I heard the mutant you suppressed this time fell into a vegetative state. I believe murder can never be justified, no matter the circumstances... your thoughts?”
“I agree it’s regrettable. But... it was unavoidable. That demon-type mutant was a hardened criminal who’d already killed over ten people. And its abilities were so threatening that leaving it alone would’ve caused even greater harm.”
“Doesn’t that count as excessive force, even for self-defense?”
As expected, they were trying to poke at me to stir up an issue.
For that guy, clicks mattered more than lives.
Swiftree was the outlet where three reporters had died, as far as I knew.
And yet they were throwing provocative questions like this.
Well... they must’ve figured I seemed mild enough not to snap at something like this.
Better for me, actually.
Just responding rationally to that reporter would boost my image.