Chapter 125

EPISODE 125

“I am…”

The moment he opened his mouth, countless thoughts passed through the Prime Minister’s head.

A lifetime of pride.

Ever since he was nineteen, when he had decided to become the country’s Prime Minister, he remembered bowing his head to others countless times.

However, it was all just an act. ‘I am different.’

Even though he’d bowed his head and apologized, Prime Minister Murata’s heart had not bent at all.

‘The day will come where I will stand above all of you. I will never break. Someday, I will be the one holding the hilt.’

However, this time, it was all different.

He felt exhausted and broken. He was in a desperate situation where his life as a Prime Minister and as a politician was about to be over.

‘Besides, didn’t I almost become a living puppet just now? In my own home, the Prime Minister’s official residence, I was weak and helpless.’

‘Yes, I was helpless.’

In the end, he was just an ordinary person.

His point of breaking was just a little further than that of others’. He simply hadn’t realized it until it was too late.

“I… I…”

So far, everything that he’d done had only become possible because he’d believed that he was special.

“I was stupid. No, I’m mistaken. I was under a delusion and did something that I shouldn’t have.”

Prime Minister Murata’s words were more critical toward himself than Yoo-seong.

“If only I had been thinking clearly, if I had used my authority to the fullest, made the most of your ability, the Self-Defense Forces and the hunters…”

“That’s it.”

Yoo-seong clapped his hands sharply. At this, Prime Minister Murata raised his head.

“Get up.”

Yoo-seong did not look happy. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Apologizing,” the Prime Minister answered.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but do you think your apology will fix everything? Just because you apologized to me, it doesn’t mean that everything is over,” Yoo-seong said clearly.

Depending on what Prime Minister Murata said and did, Yoo-seong would act accordingly.

“If you think that your apology will correct and cover up all of your mistakes, then you are clearly not a Prime Minister.”

Just then, the Prime Minister felt a lump in his throat.

“With only the two of us here, kneeling down and speaking gibberish means nothing.”

“What then?” the Prime Minister asked Yoo-seong in an emotional voice. “I won’t be the Prime Minister for long. Definitely not after a few days. Thanks to you…”

Prime Minister Murata’s words trailed off. He had clearly said too much.

“Thanks to me? You didn’t do anything yourself?” Yoo-seong asked him.

“Ah, no…”

“Please sit down for now,” Yoo-seong said as he pointed to a chair.

“Sit down. The ‘few days’ you talk about aren’t over yet, so you are still the Prime Minister of this country. I am here to talk to such a person. If you are not who I think you are…” Yoo-seong pointed to the door on the other side of the room, “you can get out of here, and we’ll never have to see each other again.”

Prime Minister Murata got up off his knees. For the first time in his life, his apology had gone over without much effect.

“Let’s start with the most basic matter,” began Yoo-seong. “On my way here, I had an unpleasant encounter with the Director of the Disaster Management Administration.”

The Prime Minister responded quickly. “The Director of the Disaster Management Administration, whatever he’s done, I did not give him direct orders. It was Chairman Sukune’s…”

“That is not an excuse.”

Prime Minister Murata stopped talking.

“Honestly, I don’t know much about politics. I don’t even know the difference between a President and a Prime Minister. However, when a nation’s Special Defense Forces move to capture an individual for personal reasons, doesn’t that mean that the head of state is tolerating it?”

Yoo-seong did not even wait for an answer. He continued to speak as Murata tried to open his mouth.

“Cut it out. It’s not an order, but I hope there will be no more hindrances in my return to Korea.”

“Of course,” the Prime Minister answered.

Yoo-seong’s request would not be difficult to fulfill. However, he also had other things in mind.

“You might be asking yourself, why should you do such a thing?”

“I-I don’t feel that way,” the Prime Minister stammered.

“No, I understand. Whether you feel sorry for me or not, it’s a matter of whether or not you need to take the trouble.”

Prime Minister Murata was about to be dismissed anyway. If he were left with no motivation, then there would be no more reason for him to fulfill any of Yoo-seong’s requests.

“So,” said Yoo-seong, “I’d like to offer something to motivate you.”

The Prime Minister’s eyes lit up. It was an almost unconscious reaction.

“For now, I’d like you to apologize more. Whether on a live broadcast or whatever, I would like you to apologize to everyone for what you said and did,” Yoo-seong explained.

It fell far short of what the Prime Minister expected.

“Now…” He swallowed back what he was about to say. ‘Are you kidding me?’ He took a deep breath.

“If only that were likely to work,” Prime Minister Murata reasoned.

“Whether it works or not, isn’t that what you have to do? You seem to be mistaken – this is not a suggestion. It’s the least you can do to prove yourself to me.”

“Prove?”

Prime Minister Murata didn’t like where this seemed to be going.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m here to talk to the Prime Minister. I have nothing to give to anyone who acts less than human, someone who turns a blind eye to his responsibilities.”

“Me? Less than human?!”

Yoo-seong’s words were getting harsher and harsher. However, more than ever, even though his pride deeply hurt him, Prime Minister Murata did not get up.

‘Would it be more appropriate to say that I can’t?’

The thing was, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Whether it was because of the faint hope that Yoo-seong might give him or the guilt brought on by his own shame, he was uncertain.

“When you came to me, you knew that the cracks that appeared were no ordinary cracks.”

“I saw the report that came up.”

The Prime Minister knew at least as much information as Yang Chang-guk. After all, he was still the Prime Minister of Japan, and he was entitled to know such information.

“This information has not yet been released to the public. I wish, for my own reasons, never to disclose it, but that would be overly optimistic,” said Yoo-seong.

At this, Prime Minister Murata agreed.

There were already cracks that couldn’t be closed in a few countries, and the local governments were shutting down entire regions.

If these cracks appeared at the same pace as before, even countries with the most advanced hunting systems might reach their limits unless they found better innovations.

However, an even more terrible risk was this information becoming public in the future.

“But, as you know, I closed it.”

“How?” the Prime Minister asked.

“I have the ability to do so,” Yoo-seong said casually.

It was the only information he intended on giving.

“The rules are simple,” Yoo-seong continued. “The cracks that need to be closed, I have to visit them myself, not someone else.

Prime Minister Murata immediately understood. If Oh Yoo-seong was right, then the man before him was a hunter who came with expensive labor costs. In addition to this, if luck did not smile upon the technological advancement of mankind, his cost would rise exponentially.

“I don’t think I understand. I don’t know what you’re offering me.”

It would make a huge difference if he managed to negotiate with Yoo-seong and employ his abilities for Japan.

Yoo-seong’s achievements would also be his achievements. And the fact that Yoo-seong was offering him this suggested that whatever conflict they’d had between them had been resolved.

Of course, the public’s criticism would remain, but the crisis that could end his political career could be resolved. As the Prime Minister wrapped his head around his thoughts, Yoo-seong took out his wallet.

Pak-!

He pulled out a small, square piece of paper and placed it on the table. It wasn’t expensive. About 48,000 won had been spent on about a hundred copies.

It was a new business card that Seoyu had made after returning to Korea.

As a hunter’s value increased, the number of business cards with the hunter’s direct number also decreased.

With luxury, after all, came scarcity.

After Yoo-seong placed his business card on the table, Prime Minister Murata tried to reach out for it, but…

Knock-

Knock-

Yoo-seong placed his index finger on the business card, preventing him from picking it up.

“What?” the Prime Minister asked.

“Didn’t you say you that you have no idea what I’m offering you? But you’re going to take it up front when we haven’t even talked about yet?”

For a moment, Prime Minister Murata was dumbfounded.

“Or did you think I was going to give you a ‘ticket’ to call me a few times?”

‘He wasn’t giving me a choice,’ Prime Minister Murata thought. ‘I haven’t even thought about the cost of closing a crack that doesn’t close.’

What Yoo-seong was trying to give him was just a business card.

It was not the product itself. It was just the way to negotiate the price of his service.

“That’s too much confidence. You do things way differently,” the Prime Minister commented as he watched Yoo-seong.

“Not at all,” Yoo-seong said as he closed his wallet with his other hand.

“Take your hand back and think about it a little after you hear it. I haven’t talked about all the terms of the deal yet.”

“Tell me then,” said Prime Minister Murata.

“The facility that Leto operates outside Tokyo. It collects hunters’ CE without permission. You knew all about that, didn’t you?”

Prime Minister Murata could not bring himself to readily answer yes. It was too big of an answer, even for him.

“Close them down and punish everyone involved. And, as I said last time, acknowledge the existence from Korea and hand over all related research results,” Yoo-seong stated.

“Leto. That means tearing down Leto.”

Yoo-seong could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“Let’s not pretend to be weak. As if you couldn’t do it.”

‘It isn’t that I couldn’t do it,’ Prime Minister experiments were not a government initiative. Leto’s image was also not as good as it seemed.

‘Wasn’t there a conflict between the Chairman and his daughter earlier?’

“But,” Prime Minister Murata started as he voiced out his thoughts, “it’s very likely that many political figures maintain a relationship with Leto. Tokyo hunters, numerous companies… My current position and the conditions we are in are different…”

“Hey.” There was a hint of irritation in Yoo-seong’s voice. “Again, I don’t know politics.”

The Prime Minister went quiet at this.

“I don’t really know about your ‘current position and conditions,’ and I believe there is no reason for me to know. I lose nothing if I get up and get out of here right away. You are the one who has some thinking to do, not me.”

Tok-!

Yoo-seong’s finger knocked on the desk once more.

“This is the first business card I picked out after I made the order. This is all I have to give you. Are you going to use this for a chance to make up for what you have done, or will you pay the price and disappear into the shadows?”

Yoo-seong looked into Prime Minister Murata’s eyes. Then his gaze slipped to the business card.

“Choose.”

For a while, there was nothing but silence.

Five minutes passed.

Knock-

Knock-

The door to the Prime Minister’s office closed. Yoo-seong left his residence without even looking back.

He walked out to the street to hail a cab.

“Found him!”

It was a shout loud enough to shake the whole street, and it had come from a man right across from Yoo-seong.

At the same time, countless footsteps started to come from everywhere. People poured out between the sidewalks and the buildings, including the very street where Yoo-seong was.

They were the Sheriffs of the Disaster Management Administration.

Judging from how many they were, as soon as reports about Yoo-seong’s whereabouts had come in, Sheriffs from all over Tokyo must have gathered in a hurry.

No one shouted, “Don’t move!” or, “Capture him!”

Goooo-oh-oh-!

Dozens of Sheriffs started to gather their auras at once. They must have heard how exceptional Yoo-seong was.

Without giving him even a moment to respond, they intended to overwhelm him into a defeat.

Dozens and dozens of sheriffs were starting to activate their Techs. Just then…

Yoo-seong raised his hands.

“I surrender,” he said clearly.

There was nothing in his hands. He was completely defenseless.

The Sheriffs paused while Yoo-seong slowly looked around.

“There’s a lot of you here, huh…”

He soon found Kodama, staring right at him with murder in his eyes. Yoo-seong was about to tell him something when…

“Shut up!”

Kodama cut off whatever it was that Yoo-seong was about to say. “Do not listen to whatever he has to say! He’ll try to deceive you!”

The Sheriffs faithfully followed Kodama’s instructions.

While their Techs were aimed at Yoo-seong, three of their best close combat fighters approached him carefully. They had brought restraint balls with them to subdue Yoo-seong.

“Don’t let your guard down!” Kodama cried out.

When he turned to look at Yoo-seong, he could see that Yoo-seong was trying to mouth words at him.

He did not want to pay him any attention. However, he had no choice but to be concerned. Kodama knew Korean.

Yoo-seong’s mouth kept repeating a short sentence.

“What?”

Forgetting the instructions he’d given to his subordinates, Kodama briefly followed the shape of Yoo-seong’s mouth for a moment. Just then…

Beep!

Kodama’s phone rang.

***

“What the-”

Watching Kodama take a look at his phone, Yoo-seong smiled in pity.

“I tried to tell you earlier, but-”

“You! Shut up!”

A nervous Sheriff saw what was happening and shouted at Yoo-seong. However, when Yoo-seong turned his gaze toward him, he promptly shrank in fear.

No matter how many people came, Oh Yoo-seong was Oh Yoo-seong. If he resisted, not even this number of sheriffs would be able to overpower him.

“Oh, come to think of it, you don’t know Korean,” Yoo-seong said to the sheriff, who noticeably tried his best not to tremble.

“I told you to be quiet!” he screamed, not understanding a word Yoo-seong had been saying.

One of the Sheriffs pulled out the restraint ball with trembling hands. However, when he took it over to Yoo-seong,

Catch-!

Yoo-seong struck the Sheriff right in the pit of his stomach.

“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!”

His body collapsed without a sound. The rest of the Sheriffs were shocked.

Yoo-seong’s resistance meant that he was attacking them. The man in question clenched his fists and prepared for their barrage, but…

Plagak-!

Nothing came at him.

Everyone’s heads had turned to Kodama, who had dropped his phone to the ground. The Sheriffs looked at their Director’s face in bewilderment.

Kodama’s eyes were dead, and his mouth hung open. What had he just read from his phone?

“Oh, I mean…” Yoo-seong broke the silence, startling the Sheriffs closest to him.

Yoo-seong was looking at his phone. He was trying to speak as the translation app had instructed him to.

It was the same line he had been trying to tell Kodama.

“As of this hour…”

With a sincerely apologetic expression, Yoo-seong announced to everyone, “Director Kodama is fired.”