Side Story 2. Perfect Weather (7)

An airplane took off next to Soram's shoulder. A bluish mist overlaid around it. The airplane that came into his grasp was thrust forward forcefully like a baseball. It was an attack imbued with the deep resentment of a civil servant.

Shwaeaeaek–

Crack!

The small 5th-grade rift in the sky disappeared like a breaking twig in front of the charging airplane, and the airplane flew forward without any decrease in speed.

Clang!

And suddenly it crashed.

The cause was a person who hadn't been there until just now on top of a streetlight. Ga-eul, who had knocked down the airplane with her bare hands, also looked up with dumbfounded eyes. Their eyes met.

"Why did you knock it down!"

"When something strange comes flying, of course I block it reflexively!"

"..."

"..."

Then, without speaking, they figured out why the other had come here. It must be the same as their own reason.

Pak!

Ga-eul struck first. The streetlight she hit cracked with a snap. Gaining momentum from that, she shot forward at a speed no less than a flying hunter. Towards the National Assembly building.

Soram also flew after her.

Soram in the sky and Ga-eul on the ground approached the building with the full power of 1st-grade hunters called geniuses. Passersby had no time to recognize them.

"Get lost, Jin Soram!"

"You're the one who should give u... Ugh!"

Soram's feet were suddenly pulled down, and he was thrown onto the grass. The whip wrapped around his ankle was retracted as Ga-eul ran away without looking back.

"So this is how you want to play it...!"

Five airplanes took off from behind Soram, who had sprung up. Ga-eul, glancing back, exclaimed, "Ah, that crazy bastard!"

Clang!!!

The airplanes and whip collided. Ga-eul had known Soram for nearly 10 years since they entered the headquarters together. She was more familiar than anyone with these airplanes that made many hunters struggle when sparring. Of course she would block this much.

"Wow, Kim Ga-eul can block even one of my attacks. Ga-eul-ah, you must be much stronger than me. As expected, you should be the director."

"What are you saying? Didn't you see I barely blocked it? My arms are still shaking."

Soram drew the sword at his waist. Clang!! Weapons clashed quickly with vermilion sparks flying.

"Look at that, all the airplanes are broken now. I just can't handle it at all, not at all."

"My one and only weapon feels like it's about to break. You've won."

As this bizarre scene unfolded on the lawn, onlookers also noticed their identities. Isn't that Kim Ga-eul and Jin Soram? A crowd gathered around, and the eyes of the two clashing weapons also scanned left and right.

"Oh! There's a Ga-eul Light 1st Generation slogan!"

"..."

Even knowing it was an obvious trick, their gazes slipped. In that gap, Soram wrapped blue mist around his sword, pushed away the whip, and flew beyond the crowd.

"Hey!"

Ga-eul also kicked off the ground and leaped over the people in a large parabola.

Hearing the commotion, security guards had come out around the National Assembly building with tense faces. Unfortunately, they would probably have difficulty stopping even one of the two intruders.

As they were about to rush forward, thinking they might as well hit one building since they were going to make big news anyway—

"Ack!"

"Uwah!"

A dandelion growing between the asphalt stretched out, becoming a thick vine stem. The stem that instantly climbed up their ankles wrapped tightly around their bodies. Their weapons, which they had let their guard down with, were also taken by other stems. Soram and Ga-eul twisted their shoulders a few times before giving up resistance.

"What are you two doing?"

It was because it was the ability of someone they knew. It was Shin Chan, the 3rd Team Chief and plant-controlling hunter.

Shin Chan approached the two dangling with a knowing look.

"It's useless. This level of incident is cute. The other chiefs have all just quieted down with age, there's no one who didn't cause trouble at your age. If you couldn't become director because of something like this, the current director would have been cut first."

The expressions of the two turned extremely frustrated, but there were no words of rebuttal.

***

"Can't you do it, Chief Shin? I think you'd do much better."

Ga-eul grumbled with a strawberry banana smoothie in her mouth, sitting in a corner of the cafe. Soram, slurping an iced Americano, sent a gaze of agreement.

"I can't do it."

"If you can't do it, Chief Shin, there's no way we could. You're still in your prime, Chief Shin."

Shin Chan looked at his own warm drink, the only one steaming among the three in the chilly weather, but the two didn't seem to notice the difference at all.

"I'm sorry, but one of you two has to become the director. The reason other team leaders are pushing you two is, well. It's partly because it's fun."

The expressions of the two changed as if they were about to stage a coup at the headquarters right away.

"Actually, there's a bigger reason. When the current director took that position, he was in his early 30s, and of course there were many more awakened people older than him in the headquarters, but there was no opposition at all. Why do you think that was?"

"I guess the director was exceptionally outstanding and brilliant."

"Because he's a once-in-a-generation leader with both character and ability."

Hearing the answers of the two young hunters, Shin Chan keenly saw the results of Park Jae-seon's 10-year image laundering. He wondered if these kids would someday be called calm and virtuous seniors, and felt a chill in his stomach even while drinking a warm beverage. But that wasn't the important point.

"Because he was the undisputed strongest."

The explanation continued in response to their reaction of 'Isn't that obvious?'

"In a way, we're a group based on force. If there's a weak person at the top, no matter how virtuous they are, leadership will crumble. If it weren't for Director Park, all the other branches would have tried to do their own thing. You need to put the strongest person at the top for others to follow naturally without resistance. Unless the person acknowledged as the strongest is utterly incapable of leadership, you two are quite acceptable."

"..."

"..."

The two had grasped power at a young age... before realizing that there are many truly dirty and petty strong people in the world. And in a situation where they could have gone in any direction, they had grown quite soundly. Even without being in Director Park Jae-seon's position, it was sometimes enough to feel proud.

"...I know I'm fortunate to be born with a lot of talent. But I don't agree with part of what you said. Right now, I can't beat the practical experience of other chiefs with my skills."

"Oh my, what are you saying? Chief Kim, you're the opponent other chiefs want to avoid most during open training. It's because now is the time when bones don't heal well if they break."

"No, honestly, why are you acting like an old man when you're not even that old? You're only in your 30s after all."

"That's old enough to be called an old man without a doubt. You two are the only young ones among the chiefs."

"...Really... Think about it, Chief Shin. Is it right for a place we'll have to keep working at to flow through such a ridiculous process?"

"Originally, all company work proceeds creakily amid doubts of 'Can this really be proceeding like this?' It was the same when I was a corporate employee before awakening."

Shin Chan shrugged his shoulders, looking at the two with sullen expressions.

"Yeah, you're right. Actually, there was talk about whether you might be too young..."

"That's right. How can we lead adults at this age?"

Soram quickly replied. Of course, Shin Chan hadn't brought it up to give them a foothold.

"After seeing Seo Min-ki become director in Busan and do well, we thought it would be fine. It would look good to have friends promoted side by side in Seoul and Busan."

"...!"

That was the root cause. The two felt anger rising towards their friend who was living well and diligently. Shin Chan smiled, looking at the two young futures of the headquarters.

"Anyway, do your best. Hmm, I wonder who I should vote for."

In the end, there was not a single grain of persuasion achieved, and only frustration was greatly increased.

***

One week before the vote.

Today was the day to hear the pledges and speeches of the Field Operations Bureau director candidates. The expressions of the people seated looked just like they had come to watch an entertainment program.

Not only headquarters personnel, but also some of those with voting rights from each branch had come up to the headquarters. The few who couldn't participate connected via video call. They were even more serious. They had popcorn in one hand and cola in the other.

Of course, the Field Operations Bureau Director of the Busan branch, who had means to move instantly even from a distance, attended.

"Hey... Haah. Kim Ga-eul, Jin Soram."

Seo Min-ki walked towards the two on the stage in the candidates' seats with an incredulous expression. Sitting side by side with deadpan faces, they looked just like students being punished in the teachers' office after fighting, but these were the director candidates who would become the pillars of the headquarters and the center of hunters nationwide...

"Should I feel like a crisis bigger than the 4th Great Rift has come to Seoul now?"

"Whose fault is this...!"

"You became director and caused this mess, you know?"

"What did I do? I was just quietly staying in Busan."

"That's the problem, because you were quiet. You should have said you couldn't handle being director, that you were quitting, making a fuss. What's the use of teleportation? You should have run away a few times."

"...What nonsense. You want me to get beaten to dust by the director on a rainy day?"

Soram, who had poked his head out and looked around below the platform upon hearing the word 'director', asked.

"Come to think of it, where's the director? Did you come alone?"

The Busan branch was the second largest after the headquarters. Unlike other branches where one representative with voting rights served as both branch head and Field Operations Bureau director, Busan had two: Seo Min-ki and Shin Gi-hyeon. And Shin Gi-hyeon was a precious voter who Soram was certain would never vote for him...