As the morning dawned, Jo Jin-hwi began releasing the special feature articles he had prepared, as per his orders.
Among these were video interviews.
The video started with footage of the entrance to the Korea Veterans Hospital, followed by a young hunter sitting in a daze on a bed, with one arm and one leg severed.
He spoke, as though recalling the nightmare of that time, biting his lips in distress.
"I shouldn’t have entered that Gate. We couldn’t even repair the equipment damaged during the previous Gate raid, yet I had to follow the order to deploy..."
Following this, a calm female voice narrated about how disorganized and unreasonable the system was that the association had been operating at the time.
The narration continued, detailing the difficult life of the man who had been interviewed.
More video interviews followed, featuring individuals who had suffered severe psychological trauma inside the Gates, or others who, without healer support, had gone in as part of an all-warrior team and returned alone.
By the end of the interviews, all the subjects shared the same sentiments:
"If the association had just provided a bit more support..."
"...I wasn’t expecting a higher salary. At the very least, they should have provided equipment or support for our team."
"Even just the loot! If they couldn’t provide support funds, they should have let us earn it ourselves...!”
Their voices were filled with frustration.
This wasn’t acting for the interview.
These were all former public servant hunters who had worked at the association’s early stages.
As all the interview videos concluded, the final shot showed Su-ho covered in blood and wounds, wrapped in tattered clothes, exhausted, as he stood in front of the Dark Gorge portal. The image slowly faded out.
This was both the beginning and the end of Jo Jin-hwi’s special feature. Once the article was released and his interview videos hit the media, it caused a nationwide uproar.
– Wait, it’s not just anyone, these are state hunters fighting for the country—how can they be treated like this?
– This country’s always been like this, damn it.
└ The Imo Rebellion was right.
– Soldiers, firefighters, hunters... do they really think of these jobs as mere livestock?
– Who came up with the loot return policy?
– Wait... they let him end up like that, and still no aftercare? Is this for real?
– How can anyone still sacrifice their life for this country when this is how the state treats its hunters?
– The scary thing is, the treatment hasn’t changed at all. Haha.
– In the end, the only ones left to deal with the Gates are private hunters who pick and choose Gates to line their pockets...
└ But let’s not blame the private hunters. Without them, there’d be no Gate raids.
└ Yeah, don’t shift the blame. Private hunters might not fight with the same patriotism as state hunters, but they still deserve our gratitude.
The backlash was overwhelming.
The arrows of rage were directed squarely at the Daheon Hunter Association.
As expected, the association was thrown into chaos.
Jo Jin-hwi’s special feature, released first thing in the morning, shook the world along with the already hot topic of Su-ho’s injuries. It led directly to intense criticism of the government.
The government was flustered.
They had been caught off guard, even though the corruption was bound to explode at some point.
Of course, they didn’t expect it to happen this way.
Among those most flustered was none other than the head of the Daheon Hunter Association, Jang Kyung-hwan.
Jang Kyung-hwan was in a state of panic.
Just the night before, he had thought the incident with Su-ho’s injury was just a small commotion.
But by morning, the growing public opinion exploded with Jo Jin-hwi’s special feature, hitting the association like a spear.
"If this goes on, my seat will be next...!"
It was a dangerous situation.
He was still at the peak of his career and wasn’t ready to retire yet.
So, he started thinking.
But no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t come up with a solution.
Normally, the way to handle a scandal like this would be to punish the person at fault and make them the scapegoat, or just ignore it and pretend it wasn’t happening. But this time, both options were unavailable.
"If I punish Su-ho, it will only add fuel to the fire, and if I ignore it, I’ll be the one under attack...!"
Just then, there was a knock.
The visitor was Park Gyu-min.
Seeing Park Gyu-min, Jang Kyung-hwan asked seriously,
"What’s going on?"
"It seems like we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"Stuck between a rock and a hard place?"
"Yes, right now, we can’t punish Su-ho, and we can’t ignore the public opinion either."
"Then what do we do? Should I just resign and get it over with?!"
Park Gyu-min, noticing Jang Kyung-hwan’s panic, tried to calm him down and suggested,
"Don’t do that... how about this? There’s an old saying, ‘turn a crisis into an opportunity.’"
"Opportunity?"
"Yes, the core of the issue is that the current field hunters at the Daheon Hunter Association aren’t getting enough support. Why not use the loot return issue as a stepping stone?"
"What do you mean by using it?"
"The loot return issue is essentially referring to the loot ownership law, but we didn’t create this policy, did we?"
"That’s true... Wait, are you suggesting...?"
"Yes, why not direct the arrows toward those who made the policy? We weren’t aware of the struggles of the hunters, so we thought sticking to the old rules was a virtue, but we’ve learned that it’s not. I think this is the best approach for now."
"That’s... not bad. But still, how do we just change the rules overnight?"
"This is a special law created with the awakening of players in mind. Plus, the regulations related to awakened individuals can be modified flexibly according to the situation. Of course, it will need approval from the National Assembly, but we can give the public what they want, secure a breathing room, and maybe even boost your reputation in the process."
"My public recognition?"
"Yes, in that sense, would you take a look at this?"
Park Gyu-min pulled out a stack of printed papers in front of Jang Kyung-hwan. Then he showed him a separate sheet.
"What’s this?"
"It’s the revenue from the loot that the association’s hunters have sold off from the Gates... In the beginning, it was substantial, but as time passed, it dwindled down to almost nothing now."
"Really? Why is that?"
"Because support has been so low, now no one dares to enter the Gates anymore. If their equipment gets damaged or they get injured, they’re left to pay for it themselves."
"Tsk, tsk. Then, just let them keep the loot. It's practically nothing at this point, and giving it to them now wouldn’t change anything in our coffers."
"Yes, that's right. Shall I draft the briefing script then?"
"Ugh... But pushing for a policy change so suddenly because of public opinion, it’s going to look a bit ridiculous... we’ll get called out for just throwing the policy out there."
"Sure, we’ll get called out, but does that really matter right now? The president’s term is running out, so we need to deal with the immediate crisis first."
"...That’s true."
"Yes, that’s what I’d do too."
"Okay, so we just need to change this for now?"
"That seems to be the case. I’ll prepare other things as needed, depending on the situation."
"Good. Get it prepared right away. When the public opinion is at its peak, we give them what they want and make sure my image is firmly established. But... what if the National Assembly rejects the bill change?"
"If that happens, it might actually work out in our favor."
"Why?"
"Because we can shift the blame to the National Assembly."
"Hmm, then those guys won’t just sit back and take it..."
Jang Kyung-hwan frowned and started calculating in his head. After a while, he nodded and said,
"No, actually, that might be better. Then let’s bring An Su-ho in as well. If we’re going to do this, we need to put on a proper show. Where’s An Su-ho right now?"
"He’s at the association, still on duty."
"How’s his condition?"
"He’s fine."
"Huh? Why is he fine? I heard he was badly injured?"
"Well... his class is a healer."
"What? So he can heal himself, but he was walking around looking like that?"
"Haha..."
Park Gyu-min awkwardly laughed, and Jang Kyung-hwan frowned.
"Can’t he just wrap himself up in bandages or make himself look a bit worse? It would make a bigger impact at the press conference."
"...That might have the opposite effect. People know about An Su-ho’s situation. It might actually feel more authentic if we give him a script to follow and have him read it."
"Hmm, that’s not a bad idea. Let’s go with that for now."
"Understood."
After getting the green light, Park Gyu-min sighed in relief as he left the president’s office.
He immediately called Su-ho and reported what he had discussed with Jang Kyung-hwan.
After hearing the report, Su-ho nodded and said,
– Well done. I’ll bring the script over; just kill some time until I get there and pass it along.
"Got it."
Everything was going according to Su-ho’s plan.
In this situation, Park Gyu-min was the only person who could influence Jang Kyung-hwan.
‘Pi Seong-yeol is probably just watching quietly.’
It was best to stay away from dirty business.
Even just being near it could get you stained.
Safety first.
Pi Seong-yeol was that kind of person.
That’s why handling this situation had been relatively easy.
After hanging up, Su-ho grabbed the script from his desk and got up.
He was going to deliver it to Park Gyu-min.
As he stood up, his team members, including Jeong Cheol-min and the Exploration Team, noticed and gave him encouraging fist pumps.
"Fighting!"
They whispered quietly, giving their support, despite the dark circles under their eyes from the hangover.
They might not fully know what Su-ho was planning, but they had formed a bond and a sense of belonging, trusting in Su-ho, so they offered their silent support.
Su-ho smiled without saying anything, raising his own fist in return.
As he walked through the Gate Department corridor, someone turned the corner and bumped into him.
It was Team Leader Oh Bong-sik from Team 1.
"Oh, sorry."
"Su-Su-ho? Ah, no, it’s okay. I’m the one who’s sorry."
Even though Su-ho was the one who bumped into him, Oh Bong-sik bowed and apologized before walking away.
It made sense.
After the Byeolstar incident, Oh Bong-sik had been heavily grilled by Park Gyu-min as per Su-ho’s orders, so he was trying his best to avoid getting entangled with Su-ho and the Special Operations 2 Team.
Su-ho, in particular, was someone he was trying to avoid at all costs.
It wasn’t surprising since even now, Oh Bong-sik still had negative comments about Su-ho’s followers on his SNS.
‘You reap what you sow.’
Su-ho smiled faintly and made his way toward the Vice President’s office.
***
A few hours later.
Jang Kyung-hwan spoke.
"Let’s go."
"Yes, President."
After hours of preparation, Jang Kyung-hwan decided to hold an emergency press conference.
Of course, Su-ho was with him.
Everything was going according to Su-ho’s script.
Su-ho accompanied Jang Kyung-hwan like his assistant, and the two of them walked into the briefing room, where they were greeted by the camera flashes of reporters.
Su-ho stepped back slightly, waiting for his turn.
After scanning the reporters’ seats, he caught the gaze of Jo Jin-hwi sitting in the middle. They exchanged smiles.
The host announced.
"Now, we will begin the emergency press conference."
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Finally, it began.
The first step in changing the deeply corrupt Daheon Hunter Association.