Chapter 226
At the end of the world’s most awkward photo session, Gerrity stepped back, wiped his hands and shoulders with hand sanitizer, and walked away. Regardless of that, the Korean reporters gathered around Choi Yeonseung and desperately tried to get one more interesting storyline.
“So Hunter Gerrity asked for help when he was on the verge of death?”
“He didn’t.”
“But he must’ve asked for help with his look, right?”
“How could I tell...?”
“Let’s write it like that, Hunter Choi Yeonseung! That’s cooler!”
“Hunter Gerrity asked you for help with tearful eyes. You were moved even though he is a hunter from a rival clan.”
“Ahh. Wow, that’s nice! I’d better go with that story.”
“...???”
Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded as he listened to them. Were they reporters or novelists?
Despite the absurdity of their headlines, the reporters did a good job of creating a compelling story. With a rich imagination, they freely made up stories and characters that didn’t exist so that they could get a dramatic ending. In any case, Gerrity was American, which meant he wouldn’t read every article that came from South Korea. For that reason, the reporters had the confidence to act like this.
-Gerrity, an A-grade hunter of the Western Shields, tearfully begged Choi Yeonseung for help when his life was in danger due to his injuries. Normally, rival clans do not help each other, but…
“However, one of Hunter Gerrity’s subordinates was a traitor. You managed to omit that.”
“There was no need to say it because he was so remorseful.”
“Oh... That’s good. He listened to Hunter Choi Yeonseung and reflected on himself.”
The Korean reporters excitedly wrote stories, and the foreign reporters were tempted to do the same. It seemed like they picked up a lot of things when chatting with Choi Yeonseung...
“Hey. Go over there and find out what that’s about. It doesn’t hurt to cooperate with other reporters. Gerrity and all the other hunters are gone, so we have to gather information from the Korean reporters over there.”
“I know.”
Ever since Gerrity lost his temper and left, Choi Yeonseung was the only person for the overseas reporters to interview.
It was just that hunters usually had nasty tempers. The reporters from Choi Yeonseung’s country had already interviewed him once, and if they tried to do it again, nothing good would happen. It was better to write something similar to the content of the Korean reporters.
“Oh... Is this true?”
“Yes. I’ve heard a lot of bad rumors about Hunter Gerrity, but this is way different from what I thought.”
“Isn’t it a bit strange...?”
“No. Are you trying to say that I’m lying?”
“It’s not like that...”
***
“A dragon has appeared in China?”
“Shh. You need to lower your voice.”
“Who could be listening here...?”
Choi Yeonseung looked dumbfounded by the reaction of the government officials. He was currently traveling in secrecy in a car sent by the government. It looked like all A-grade hunters in South Korea were called.
‘Indeed, the current situation warrants that.’
The appearance of an S-grade monster in China was an extremely dangerous situation for South Korea. If the monster devastated China and then crossed the sea…
“It’s better to kill it in China, right?”
“...Do you really intend to do that??”
The official in the front seat turned his head in surprise.
“If it crosses the sea and we fight it off the coast, the damage would be too great for South Korea.”
“That... That’s true.”
The official had a hard time adapting to Choi Yeonseung. In a situation like this, most A-grade hunters would say something like ‘Do you want me to go to China? Are you a Chinese spy?’ There was no reason for an A-grade hunter, who knew how incredibly valuable they were, to go to China in the current situation.
“Why? You can’t get used to it because you don’t have to force me?”
“No!”
“I’m just joking. Calm down.”
Instead of arguing with the officials, Choi Yeonseung was actually doing them a favor. The driver also glanced back with a look of concern.
“By the way, you could contact me from anywhere. Is there any need to meet up like this? We’re not in the analog era...”
“The minister would like to talk to you in person.”
South Korea had a separate Hunter Management Department, its minister being the only minister in South Korea to meet hunters in person.
“Oh, so you’re an assistant of his?”
“Yes... That’s right.”
“You’re a high-ranking official.”
“N-No. It’s not to that extent...”
Any assistant of a minister would have power anywhere they went, but not in front of an A-grade hunter. Right now, A-grade hunters were so powerful that the minister had to deal with them personally. Despite their authority, an assistant couldn’t get involved.
Choi Yeonseung curiously asked, “What does the government think about Hunter Kwon Yeongseung?”
“......”
“Just answer without thinking about it. I’ll know if you lie.”
Park Jeongchan, the assistant, was sweating. He felt like the A-grade hunter’s words were not a bluff.
“Hunter Kwon Yeongseung... He has a lot of potential and we believe he could reach S-grade someday. It’s just that he is so flamboyant and sociable that we’re worried he’s not focusing on his duties as a hunter...”
“I see. What about Hunter Jeong Wonuk?”
“Hunter Jeong Wonuk is the most reliable among the A-grade hunters. The only worrying thing is his age. Since he’s the oldest, who knows when his skills will decline...”
Choi Yeonseung suddenly felt heartbroken.
‘I’ll have to send him some good medicine later.’
“Among the A-grade hunters, Hunter Han Seha is the most...”
“I didn’t ask about Hunter Han Seha.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
***
The minister of the Hunter Management Department, Gong Wootaek, had had a remarkable career. It wasn’t common for a hunter to be able to go into politics and become a minister. Even so, Gong Wootaek couldn’t help being nervous. Normally, the people talking to the minister in private would be the ones being nervous, but this time, his speaking partner was too remarkable.
“How many do you think will come?”
“I think there is a 100% chance that Hunter Jeong Wonuk will come. There is a 50% chance Hunter Kwon Yeongseung will come...”
“Hunter Han Seha?”
“She won't come, will she? There’s nothing that she wants.”
“......”
The hunters who were known for their bad character and their desire for wealth were often criticized, but from the perspective of the government, such hunters were easy to deal with. If the government gave them money, they would comply with any requests. On the other hand, the hunters who didn’t want anything were the most difficult to deal with, and Han Seha was exactly like that.
“In the case of Hunter Choi Yeonseung...”
“He might be difficult to deal with, given that he’s very close to Hwang Gyeongryong.”
Hwang Gyeongryong was a man who was highly popular in South Korea. The common people were incredibly fond of Hwang Gyeongryong and reviled the politicians who kicked him out. On the other hand, several politicians would grit their teeth just from hearing his name. There were many people who had retired from politics because of Hwang Gyeongryong, so it was guaranteed that he had some enemies.
Gong Wootaek genuinely wanted to restore his friendship with Hwang Gyeongryong. The latter might’ve seemed crazy, but he wasn’t a bad person. For the sake of South Korea’s future, there was no harm in improving relations with S-grade hunters.
...The problem was that Hwang Gyeongryong and his enemies would have a very hostile attitude towards him. In terms of his political career, Gong Wootaek was still young, and in other people’s eyes, there was no choice but to reject him.
“By the way, I’ve heard he gets along well with Korean hunters.”
“He may not like South Korea, but he can still get along with Korean people. Don’t confuse things.”
Gong Wootaek waited with an anxious expression. Not long after, news came. Four A-grade hunters had just arrived.
“?!?!”
***
“Doesn’t the minister seem a bit strange?” Choi Yeonseung asked in a puzzled manner while he was on the plane. After being called all that way, he was surprised to hear the minister say, ‘Thank you for coming. I look forward to your kind cooperation,’ and then send them back. If he had planned to just say ‘hello’ like that, shouldn’t he have done it on the phone or something?
Of course, the minister hadn’t expected the A-grade hunters to gather so quickly, and he didn’t know whether they would accept his offer, so he was prepared to convince them. However, Choi Yeonseung was ready to go straight away, so that was all for nothing.
Jeong Wonuk, who was close to the minister, tried to defend him.
“Gong Wootaek isn’t a bad person.”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, Hunter Jeong Wonuk is a person who flatters others for power, so don’t trust him,” Han Seha whispered quietly. Of course, the other hunters could easily hear her.
Jeong Wonuk said in an irritated manner, “Flattery for the sake of power...”
“Are the two of you close or not?”
“W-We are close, but...”
“Have you eaten together in the last month or not?”
“We have, but...”
“There you go.”
Han Seha shrugged as if she had known it. Even Kwon Yeongseung looked surprised.
“Ahjussi, were you that close?”
“...Since you guys neglected your duties as A-grade hunters, I came forward to meet him in person!”
Jeong Wonuk was furious. One of them lived as she pleased, and the other never showed up because he was filming movies or dramas. Thus, it was natural that the minister would ask for Jeong Wonuk.
“Why are you playing the victim? Every time you were asked to do something, the government gave you a lot of money.”
“......”
At Choi Yeonseung’s words, Jeong Wonuk fell silent. It was true. No matter how close he was to the minister, he wasn’t stupid enough to work for free.
“I can’t believe the Chinese government asked for help. When we get off the plane, will the army be there to arrest us?”
“Four A-grade hunters...?”
To be exact, there were three A-grade hunters and one constellation, but there wasn’t much of a difference. They were all equally reckless.
“Of course, the Chinese government is like a gangster who never apologizes to others, but they’re not stupid.
“That’s true.”
Jeong Wonuk also agreed with Choi Yeonseung. No matter how arrogant the government was, they had to request help from others if an S-grade monster appeared. From what they heard, it seemed that all the foreign companies that entered the factory district had received requests for help.
The bill would be very high once this was over, but...
If they could stop the whole ordeal, they would end up on the cheap side.
“Will China’s S-grade hunter step up? I would like to see him in action once.”
“That... I think it’s going to be difficult.”
“If possible, I would also like to see him.”
Han Seha and Kwon Yeongseung were very eager to see China’s S-grade hunter. Choi Yeonseung was surprised to hear that.
“Who’s China’s current S-grade hunter?”
“Same as before. It’s Chen Xiezhi.”
“...He’s still an S-grade hunter?!”
Choi Yeonseung was surprised to hear that that old man was still an S-grade hunter. Wasn’t he the oldest one among the first generation hunters?
“Can he still do his job at his age? Do the Chinese think they’re immortal?”
“Some people do think that. To be honest, it’s hard to say that it’s entirely impossible.”
S-grade hunters wouldn’t step out unless it was necessary, but Chen Xiezhi’s case was exaggerated. He hadn’t shown his face in an official position for over a decade. At this time, even Chinese hunters wondered whether he was still alive.
If the Chinese government doesn’t want to give up the honor of having one of the world’s best S-grade hunters...
“It’s a bit like a big brother... Wasn’t Chen Xiezhi’s nickname ‘Big Brother’? It’s ironic.”
Jeong Wonuk smiled slightly at Choi Yeonseung’s words. Unlike Han Seha and Kwon Yeongseung, they had shared memories as first generation hunters.
“Chen Xiezhi was truly a great man.”
“Why are you talking about things that only you know about?”
“......”
Jeong Wonuk was slightly sulky at Han Seha’s words.
Choi Yeonseung calmly responded, “He was really amazing back then.”
“Really??! How amazing?”
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