Chapter 585 – Old Relationship (4)
The growth engine of the Department of Homeland Security lies in support.
Citizens felt anxious due to this huge disaster.
And when we brought in an expert of his own, the president and the ruling party supporting him keenly felt the need for reform as they watched the politicians waffling and hesitating.
Their passionate support was the biggest reason why the Department of Homeland Security was able to act without hesitation.
It was in that context that the Hunter Association’s investigative rights were taken away in an almost snatch-like manner.
They held two swords – public opinion in one hand and the ruling party in the other – at their throats and threatened to hand it over, but no matter how good the association was, they didn’t have the talent to deal with it.
Meng Ki-yong, the Minister of National Fisheries, knew this very well.
The moment citizens’ interest wanes, their rapid growth also stops.
So I tried really hard.
With the sword they gave us, we used tactics until just before a bad word was said, and achieved results.
These are not results that can be seen only over a long period of time, but results that can be seen immediately even if they are small.
So that we can constantly be fed the commonly called ‘cider’.
In this way, if you can hold their attention for just one day longer, your own and the organization’s ambitions will also advance accordingly.
While cruising, constantly holding on to the reins that were likely to become loose.
A reef appeared out of nowhere, blocking the path ahead.
No, the bow was completely destroyed.
Beep!
Beep!
All the phones in the offices of the building are ringing to the point that they are on fire.
Probably 50% of them are reporters, and the remaining 50% are angry citizens.
Sitting alone in the minister’s office, he was lost in thought while pressing his aching temples.
‘What happened?’
The incident started early today.
After working late into the night, I was about to go home and get some sleep.
An urgent message has arrived from the Chief of Staff.
-“Wow, this is a big deal. The assassin taken over by the Association has escaped from prison!”
At first, I scoffed when I heard that.
It was a story that made no sense.
Jincheon is his superior.
In other words, the only place in this country where he can breathe comfortably is the Ministry of Land Security.
What kind of fool in the world would abandon a comfortable hideout and throw themselves into a place where enemies are everywhere?
At the same time, he knows.
The fact that my chief of staff is not an idiot who wakes up his superiors with lies this early in the morning.
That means.
‘Something happened.’
Something happened at the moment when he was away.
He went straight to work.
And he faced it.
The door to the place where Jincheon was imprisoned, or rather enshrined, was roughly torn off.
Even inside the empty prison cell, with no traces left.
The moment I saw this, an alarm bell rang in my head.
‘What on earth is happening?’
As I said before, jailbreak is nonsense.
Then there is only one case that can be thought of.
‘Someone kidnapped him?’
The explanation would be if an outside intruder broke through security and kidnapped him.
It was right then.
“Ah… !”
Three days ago.
The words that Kim Do-jin, who suddenly visited me, spoke just before he left the minister’s office flash through my mind.
-“Be careful. If he escapes, it will be a pain in many ways.”
I definitely said that.
But I didn’t think of it as a big deal.
I thought it was just a trick to shake my emotions until the end.
It was natural.
Who would have thought that even if he were an S-class hunter, he would break into a government building and kidnap a criminal!
Honestly, I still can’t believe it.
But it was clear in the circumstances.
No, it doesn’t work any other way.
Who in this country is capable of breaking through the tight security of the Ministry of National Defense and taking Jincheon away?
My mind becomes confused.
‘Why on earth are you doing this?’
He wouldn’t have taken him away simply because he couldn’t be questioned.
So what is he really aiming for?
His face suddenly hardens.
It came to mind.
The worst move he could throw at this side.
He became impatient and stormed out of the minister’s office and shouted at the chief of staff.
“Control the media immediately… !”
It was strange.
Even though he is shouting out loud, he is standing still with his eyes fixed on something.
Breathing louder than usual and eyes widening as if torn.
Feeling uneasy, Maeng Ki-yong approached the chief of staff and checked to see what he was staring at.
It was a smartphone.
“…”
To be exact, it is one of the Internet articles that are mushrooming.
【The felon who attempted to assassinate Kim Do-jin escapes from prison! What on earth did the noodle department do?】
It’s late.
* * *
“It’s easy, it’s easy.”
I went for a short walk early in the morning.
Then, I came across a man who had lost both arms, so I brought him in and gave him a warm room.
So, how much do you like it?
“Kim Do-jin, you damn bastard… ! “Better kill me!”
This is the feeling of pride that follows good deeds.
“It’s sweet.”
Maybe I’ll become addicted.
Lastly, after sending a message to all guild members saying, ‘Use of the private room in the innermost part of the training room is prohibited,’ I read a breaking news article as the sun was rising.
“Hey, a felon escapes from prison?!”
A vicious criminal has escaped from prison!
The same guy who tried to assassinate me during the last terrorist attack!
As I watched the articles pouring in, I slapped my forehead and shook my head.
“Oh my gosh.”
I clearly warned you to be a good guard, but you missed it.
“Uh… “Do you suddenly feel a shiver down your spine?”
A feeling of fear comes over me.
It was a tough fight back then, but what if he comes after me again?
What should I do if I am suddenly attacked while walking down the street at night?
Today I…, Will I be able to return home safely?
“Ah, I’m suddenly angry.”
If the Department of Homeland Security had taken better care of criminals, this wouldn’t have happened.
In order to somehow vent my anger, I log onto SNS for the first time in a while and write a post.
These days, friends say they use this SNS to have personal conversations and write down everything that comes up.
“This is my first post since my second year of college… “How many years has it been since this?”
Although it was an account that had not been properly managed for a long time, the number of followers had increased to an extent that could not even be compared to that time.
From what I heard, it’s popular because it’s the only window where you can see my photos before I became a hunter.
The number of followers has now increased to about 300 million.
If you look at the number of followers alone, it is said that it is not only No. 1 in Korea, but also around the top 10 in the world.
I don’t know.
Do you really think that if I write a post here, 300 million people will see it?
Without any consideration of the future, the miserable feelings of the present are expressed in each letter.
「This is Kim Do-jin…
I saw an article posted on the Internet.
It’s miserable.
It was only three days ago that I asked you to please check carefully, as the opponent was so strong that it was difficult for even me to guarantee a winner. I had no idea something like this would happen.
I thought I devoted myself to the country where I was born and raised, but I am disappointed to be treated like this.
I apologize to the citizens, but I think I need to take some time to recharge…”
After pressing the post button without any hesitation, I throw my smartphone onto the mattress.
“Dojin, eat!”
“Yes, let’s go!”
What is the side dish today?
* * *
There is no end to articles targeting the Department of Homeland Security.
This was karma.
For holding their attention so far.
Public attention was both medicine and poison.
When it’s positive, it becomes more powerful than anything else, but when it turns negative, there’s nothing worse than this.
Let’s take action as quickly as possible.
They immediately hold a press conference and invite only reporters who are friendly to them.
And then the Q&A session continues like a play.
“What happened?”
“It appears that someone from the outside broke through the security and helped the criminal escape.”
“Wasn’t the security system lax?”
“It was a security system established in cooperation with Magic Tower. Even the owner of the magic tower, Hunter Joohee Han, personally took part in the in-depth security. There is no way to say that security was lax.”
“So you’re saying the intruding enemy was strong enough to break through the security?”
“At the moment, I don’t think there is any way to explain it other than that.”
Change public opinion lightly.
It’s not just our fault.
This would have happened to anyone, not just us.
“What is the current search situation?”
“It’s difficult to say exactly because information could leak out, but there has been significant progress.”
“People are shaking with anxiety. “Do you have anything to say about this?”
He immediately bent down.
90 degrees.
No, below that.
He appealed, clearly revealing the top of his head that had become slightly hollow as he got older.
“We apologize for disappointing our citizens. “I will risk my life to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”
It’s over.
It will not be possible to completely overturn public opinion.
However, at this level, he may be able to appease the angry hearts of those who are still friendly towards him.
That was enough.
Although we have gone back a bit, it would not be impossible to regain the original growth rate if we increase our support again from them.
It was when I was about to leave the press conference after finishing the press conference, thinking that I had saved an hour.
“Come on, Minister!”
The chief secretary who was on standby called him with an urgent cry.
I was annoyed.
Also, why are they doing that?
“What’s going on?”
“Hunter Kim Do-jin posted a post on his SNS. Look at this.”
The chief secretary handing over his smartphone.
He suddenly received it and looked at the screen.
Kim Do-jin wrote a post on SNS that young people are crazy about these days.
「This is Kim Do-jin…」
A gloomy beginning with three periods.
As he read the content, he felt his hair standing up.
This was clearly an assassination.
It contains a rebuke asking why you missed it even though you were warned so much.
With that one sentence, everything went awry.
The fact that they missed the culprit even after hearing the warning is only proof of their incompetence.
The problem did not end there.
“What should I do, Minister? Hunter Kim Do-jin has over 300 million followers… !”
“300 million… “You mean?”
My mind became dizzy.
He also has a social media account.
The account created as a channel to communicate with young supporters has at most 1 million followers.
This is also the number that was supported when the Ministry of Land Defense was created.
But 300 million?
‘The number far exceeds the population of the Republic of Korea.’
What that meant was clear.
Because of that post, the world’s attention was focused on this incident.
“…”
A huge sense of crisis that he had never felt even when he was ignored by everyone came over him.
