Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Return from America
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US President Henry let out a sigh.
Cold sweat had trickled down his back from the tension, but fortunately, he hadn’t let it show.
He was genuinely relieved that his counterpart harbored no ill will toward America.
The president’s pride? What need was there for such a thing?
His opponent was a calamity capable of wiping America off the map in an instant.
He had seen it clearly. The footage shown by the California governor.
The army of the dead marching from northern Mexico toward San Diego was the kind that couldn’t be stopped even if the entire US military were mobilized.
It shattered every bit of common sense... to the point where an aura of terror lingered.
Even the US leadership had no idea how to assemble forces to counter it.
Yet... such beings had been utterly annihilated by Seo-hyun in a mere three minutes.
Facing her directly filled even Henry, who had declared his willingness to meet, with worry.
What if he inadvertently provoked that calamity?
Seo-hyun was a living disaster, an absolute existence no human power could resist.
Fortunately, things seemed to have gone well with Seo-hyun’s side. He quite liked the proposal from the California governor too.
But that didn’t mean support for mutants would start immediately.
Other senators and representatives could react in any way, and various political frictions needed resolving.
Even Seo-hyun’s promise to personally prevent warlords from forming in mutant villages sounded good at first glance, but it came with its own problems.
It meant relying on a foreign entity to solve issues America couldn’t handle itself.
In short, it was a matter of autonomy.
Situations where America couldn’t take the lead would arise, so opposition in the Senate and House would be fierce.
However... that wasn’t important.
Opposition from congressmen? That could be dealt with somehow.
Persuading them just required offering various benefits.
At minimum, benefits they could understand. With that, they’d quiet down.
But they absolutely could not afford to upset the absolute being who had appeared in the present world.
Seo-hyun wasn’t a being swayed by human common sense.
If they failed to fulfill what she wanted and she turned hostile toward America?
That day would be America’s day of extinction.
One should never judge such a being with certainty.
“Don’t worry, she responds to reasonable conversation”? Ridiculous.
No one knew what might happen.
She could suddenly turn and reduce America to ashes.
That was why Henry had no choice but to fulfill Seo-hyun’s conditions to the utmost.
Some might say a national leader was bending too easily.
Henry wanted to retort to such people.
If you strutted your guts before someone who could incinerate the country in seconds, and it got sliced apart, would you take responsibility?
By bending his pride, he could avert disaster, and since her demands weren’t unreasonable, he had no reason not to comply.
No, failing to comply terrified him with the repercussions.
“...I’ll be busy from now on.”
He sighed.
It felt like his workload had suddenly exploded.
His hair was already thinning, and soon he might go fully bald.
* * *
It was about time to head back.
He’d finished his business in America and toured plenty.
To be precise... he was at the point where wandering America more felt exhausting, so he wanted to return quickly.
Whenever he went out, people would flock with “Oh!”, leaving him with a wave of fatigue.
It was different from autograph requests in Korea.
In Korea, spotting a celebrity led to a casual “Oh...” and one signature before it ended, but America felt more intense.
Americans made such a huge fuss upon seeing him, like he was some grand hero, which burdened him.
Some subtly tried to touch his horns, and quite a few were rude knowingly or not.
There were even those influenced by drugs who pulled guns and threatened bystanders.
He’d calmly knocked them out and handed them to the police.
Anyway, having seen all there was to see in America, he prepared to return to Korea without hesitation.
This time, with no urgency, he could finally take a plane after a long while.
Passport issues were resolved with an emergency one from the consulate.
He could’ve flown himself, but... he just wanted to ride a plane for once.
The return flight was just him and the Deputy Director.
Sia had much to prepare with the governor, so she wouldn’t be coming back to Korea for a while.
...What a shame.
Rubbing her soft cheeks had a calming effect on body and mind.
The return flight was, of course, first class.
He, who’d had no connection to first class before, felt the stark change in circumstances.
Enjoying the luxurious first class, he entered the airport confidently.
But unlike a celebrity’s arrival, no massive crowds swarmed him.
He hadn’t announced it anywhere and returned straight away.
“Certainly not many people around.”
“Haha, good things are good. How fortunate to avoid the chaos of a packed airport where even moving is tough.”
“Right? So, you’re heading home now?”
“No. Home? Haha, no way I can afford such luxury. I have to write reports on everything that happened in America and send them straight to the National Intelligence Service Director.”
“...Ah. Let me do that instead, so you can rest. Just give me the format, and I can write it. I don’t feel physical fatigue anyway, so it’s better if I do it.”
“Even so, that’s my job...”
“Hey, you’ve been handling my work too. I’ll do it. What if you collapse from overwork later?”
The Deputy Director seemed hesitant.
As if having him take over his duties was deeply uncomfortable.
This guy... didn’t seem the type, but he’s a closet workaholic.
No, not closet? Makes sense—no one but a workaholic could handle that workload.
Anyway, he received the report format, and the Deputy Director went straight home.
As soon as he left the airport, he spread his wings.
And headed directly for his Seoul studio apartment.
* * *
“How was the America trip? Fun?”
“Nope.”
His younger sibling asked right as he returned.
“Huh? Why not?”
“Don’t ask. It felt like being a superhero from a movie.”
“That intense? The news looked insane... something about mosaics everywhere.”
“Be grateful for the mosaics. You’d faint seeing it with the naked eye, for real.”
Word was, the news had broken urgently in Korea right when the California governor released the footage.
So everyone knew what video it was.
“That bad? Wait, so what’s this superhero talk?”
“Exactly that. America nearly got wrecked. Their latest weapons didn’t work at all, from what I heard. Zombie army and all.”
“Whoa...”
“Yeah. They were debating nukes at the federal level. I stopped it. Came back treated like a movie protagonist because of that.”
“Nukes...? Whoa, close call. So you handled it all alone?”
“Pretty much. Done in three minutes.”
“...Just how strong are you?”
“Dunno. World conquest level if I wanted?”
At his dead-serious words, his sibling gaped. She could tell he wasn’t joking.
“World conquest...? Anyway, you’re a global star now.”
“That’s what you and Sia say...”
“Sia? Oh, the high elf? Why?”
“She called me a global star too.”
“Isn’t it true? You literally saved America. Any special treatment?”
She seemed more curious about how he was treated in America.
“...Yeah, got some.”
“What kind?”
“Visited the White House, met the president in person.”
“The US President!?”
“Yeah.”
She jumped in shock, pondered briefly, then nodded.
“Sounds absurd, but thinking of what you’ve done, it makes sense.”
“I think so too. Things I couldn’t imagine months ago are happening. Kinda unreal.”
“If even you feel that way, imagine me. Wow...”
She let out a hollow laugh, mouth still agape.
“Sigh...”
“Why the sigh all of a sudden? Shouldn’t a global star be happy?”
“There’s a limit. People will cling even more now. Might end up on those national pride TV shows...”
“Ugh, that’s...”
She shook her head like it gave her the creeps.
“And more importantly, it’s not something you can take lightly. The magazines outed you as my sister.”
“Ah.”
Her expression hardened at his words.
She’d probably face way more hassle at school now.
What could be done?
She’d just have to tough it out.
The crime of having a famous family member.