#147
The headline text was very sensational, befitting breaking news.
[South Korea Urges Return of Kidnapped Lee Jaeha]
[Shocked Center Director Hyun Dowoon: ‘Guide Kidnapping is Unprecedented Shamelessness’]
[America’s Silence, Korea’s Lax Awakened Management System]
One striking thing was that despite the articles being about me, there were more photos of those two. I had naturally thought they would have already realized I left voluntarily, so seeing it publicly announced that I was kidnapped made me feel somewhat worried.
My leaving directly was my personal issue, but if it becomes a kidnapping, it turns into an international dispute. Moreover, a thought suddenly struck me when I saw the headline – am I now… an illegal immigrant since I didn’t officially enter with a passport?
‘By the way… how do I clear up this misunderstanding?’
I just wanted to sort out my feelings a bit. This has turned into causing widespread trouble. Honestly, I didn’t feel sorry for Ray and Liam being misunderstood. They did actually kidnap me before. However, it escalating into an international dispute was a completely different matter.
‘There’s no way those two wouldn’t know about these articles being published.’
If it were before, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but staying by those two’s side continuously made me realize how weak the media is to power. Wrongdoings are reported once even if done ten times, while praiseworthy acts are reported ten times even if done once – that’s how articles about those in power are.
Seeing articles even criticizing the two for failing to protect me, it seemed intentional.
[Awakened Center Director to Hold Public Interview Shortly]
Hyun Dowoon is giving an interview about this incident?
My heart suddenly stirred greatly. I didn’t feel ready to see Hyun Dowoon yet, but I felt I should know what he’s saying.
I was debating whether to read the article later or watch the video in real-time. While I was blankly pondering what to do, the live video was already uploaded.
“What… It hasn’t even been a day, why is it like this…”
His gaunt face and red-rimmed eyes stood out. Did he cry? I had only seen Hyun Dowoon cry once before. Even though I tried not to look, having already seen the thumbnail, I couldn’t just pass it by.
As if entranced, I entered, and Hyun Dowoon was calmly speaking while looking at the camera with the most appealing gaze I’d ever seen from him.
“…As an awakened one myself, I deeply regret that such an incident has occurred. Furthermore, I understand the context in which criticisms have arisen regarding my negligence in managing and supervising Guide Lee Jaeha’s safety. Guides are more vulnerable to such crimes compared to espers, which is why we always had guards placed near Guide Lee Jaeha, but there were shortcomings.”
Even though I actively escaped, it seems he had been receiving criticism all this time. If someone is determined to escape, they’ll do it even with hundreds of guards. Seeing Hyun Dowoon bow his head deeply in apology made my stomach churn.
“Going forward, the Awakened Management Center will prioritize confirming Guide Lee Jaeha’s safety and bringing him back unharmed. Of course, we will not neglect our role in ensuring citizens’ safety from dungeon threats.”
I wondered how they planned to find me. Suddenly, I felt a sense of crisis, wondering if I had done something completely unreasonable, but I also felt that I had already come too far and could only move forward.
What I had expected was for them to keep my absence secret and send people to search for me or for those two to move. But to say they would focus all the Awakened Management Center’s efforts on one person, me, was almost frightening.
The feelings of betrayal that had made me tremble cooled off. I had simply left due to an issue of trust between lovers, but now they were talking about national losses, so I couldn’t help but be flustered.
I guess I hadn’t fully realized my position as an unranked guide until now. Thinking about it, if Hyun Dowoon, Shin Haejun, or even any S-class awakened were kidnapped, it would be enough to throw the country into an uproar… But apart from the objective situation, I hadn’t perceived myself to that degree.
Above all, I didn’t expect them to think I was kidnapped. After all, I had talked with hotel staff, would have surely been caught on CCTV while moving, and the process of me leaving the medical center would have been thoroughly analyzed.
“I hope the U.S. government, Raymond Gardner, and Liam Miller will have a change of heart and safely return Guide Lee Jaeha. This incident has greatly threatened the safety of guides, which was previously maintained by goodwill and rules. Research on nationality changes and guide abilities should only be conducted with Guide Lee Jaeha’s cooperation.”
My cooperation.
When I heard the last words, I suddenly felt like Hyun Dowoon was talking to me. Could it be that he knew from the start that I wasn’t kidnapped, but had run away on my own? At least, it seems like he thinks I’m cooperating and is trying to convey his intentions to me…
What was he planning to do by blowing things up this big? Did he actually want to warn me?
If that’s the case, Hyun Dowoon would have known that I left with negative emotions for whatever reason. Yet he handles things like this?
The softening of my heart at his gaunt face was short-lived as anger suddenly surged again. I couldn’t hear Hyun Dowoon’s eloquent words anymore, and I felt upset wondering if this was possible in a normal romantic relationship. To begin with, he has the ability to find me easily if he just spent a little time, even though I ran away…!
“And as the director of the Awakened Management Center, I cannot help but feel the criticism and concerns of the citizens deeply. Accordingly, I intend to step down from my position as director of the Awakened Management Center as of today.”
…What?
For a moment, I forgot my anger and stared blankly at Hyun Dowoon in the laptop with a dumbfounded expression. It was something I had never imagined, and all the strength left my body.
Since I entered this world, Hyun Dowoon had been the director of the Awakened Management Center. As time passed, I learned that Hyun Dowoon’s role was incredibly symbolic and important. He had been the director since the Awakened Management Center was established. As the inaugural director, he was a symbol showing that the treatment of awakened ones had improved.
He had never let go of his role as director since becoming an awakened one. Moreover, no one ever tried to challenge him, so he always reigned as an absolute symbol.
But… he’s giving all that up because of me?
‘If I had said I escaped on my own… I would have been the one criticized…?’
Suddenly, my heart sank. When I came to my senses, tears were flowing freely. Did he say those things hoping I would appear directly?
‘Deceiving me, preventing me from going back to the original world, that was clearly wrong…’
What does it matter if Hyun Dowoon is no longer the director? But I couldn’t think that way. Honestly, I was just frozen and couldn’t think of anything.
“You’re crying. But you know you can’t go back like this, right?”
As I sat blankly without any thoughts, suddenly my shoulder was gripped tightly and I turned my head. Ray and Nikki had arrived at some point.
Sipping wine and shrugging his shoulders, Ray looked down at my face carefully. Nikki was standing beside him, looking at us with a worried expression.
“I…”
“Yeah, I saw too. It was quite something. Do you know Liam and I are being attacked on the internet right now?”
“I… I didn’t know it would turn out like this…”
I muttered softly.
“Ray, Guide Lee Jaeha says he didn’t know it would turn out like this.”
“Well, I didn’t know either. If I had known, I would have released an article saying we were in the process of naturalization first.”
Contrary to expectations, Ray didn’t seem angry. Even though he must be suffering from cyberbullying, he appeared nonchalant.
“Given how things have turned out, you really need to naturalize now. Honestly, it’s not just the awakened world, but international diplomacy is the same – results are what matter. The insults? Even if I had really kidnapped you, if you end up becoming a U.S. citizen, at least within America, no one would be able to insult me. Other countries would probably just watch carefully and then criticize more for letting you slip away.”
“…Ray says he wants Guide Lee Jaeha to naturalize. If you become a U.S. citizen, the U.S. government will protect you.”
Ray explained at length while continuously sipping his wine. And Nikki, probably thinking it might sound too aggressive, completely over-interpreted.
I wondered if things would really go as Ray said, but it didn’t seem entirely wrong. I would become a scapegoat in Korea, but ultimately I would be welcomed in America, and I thought other countries would likely be desperate to persuade me similarly.
Of course, I had not the slightest intention of naturalizing, so I just rolled my eyes.
“Well, don’t worry. America is the land of freedom, so we won’t coerce you. We’d just prefer if you would naturalize.”
Just as I was about to sigh inwardly in relief, Ray’s eyes flashed sharply.
“We’ll show you lots of good things, so I hope you’ll choose voluntarily. Of course, if not…”
“…Ray. That’s enough-.”
“Everything you said when you barged in is recorded, you know. If it gets out, you’ll be a complete traitor in Korea. Do you think you could go back?”
Even if I couldn’t understand the words, I would have known it was a threat from the atmosphere. Nikki tried to stop him, but Ray spoke bluntly, probably thinking I couldn’t understand anyway.
It was completely unexpected. The fact that my directly running away and asking Ray for help was recorded?
“Um, Ray is a guide, right…? Why are you trying so hard to make me naturalize?”
At this point, I became somewhat puzzled. When I asked Nikki, she made a troubled expression.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
