< 108. Shock and Terror (6) >
Jeong-pal parked the car in front of the agent's house. Min-jun told him to wait for a moment and went inside alone. When he came out a few minutes later, he was still alone, and his hands were empty.
"Didn't you say you were going to get something?"
"I did."
Jeong-pal tilted his head in confusion and then started the car. The next destination was the hospital.
"Kwak Do-chul's wife is currently hospitalized here."
The two of them entered the hospital ward together. Jeong-pal was met with an unexpected scene.
"I was informed in advance by the chairman."
A dwarf in a suit was waiting in the lobby.
"I will make sure you are comfortable during your stay. This way, please."
Pointing in a direction, he introduced himself as the hospital director. Jeong-pal's eyes widened in confusion.
"Why is the director here?"
Min-jun nodded calmly and expressed his thanks briefly. Then, without adding more words, he followed the director.
Jeong-pal was baffled by the situation.
"What's with this chairman all of a sudden?"
Min-jun hadn't made any calls during their arrival. Jeong-pal couldn't fathom how the university hospital director was waiting for them or why they were giving such special treatment.
The director spoke as they walked.
"You might have heard, but it seems the patient's guardian was also contacted. They agreed to allow access to the agent's room, but they are on their way here, possibly feeling uneasy."
Jeong-pal's eyebrows twitched.
The guardian would be Kwak Do-chul's father-in-law.
The father of the woman lying unconscious after her husband's murder and a formidable four-term legislator.
"It doesn't matter."
The director, who had guided them to the VIP room, said they could call him anytime if they needed anything and then left. Once the door closed, Jeong-pal looked as if he wanted to bombard Min-jun with questions.
Instead, Min-jun examined the hospital room with an enigmatic expression.
"It's amazing she's still alive."
Jeong-pal followed his gaze. A single human woman occupied the spacious room. Various tubes and electrodes were attached to her body. Her body was so swollen it resembled a drowning victim, and her face was so badly damaged that Jeong-pal couldn't recognize her original appearance. She looked like a completely different person.
Min-jun turned his eyes to the ceiling for a moment.
A period of silence followed.
"...?"
Just as Jeong-pal was about to speak, Min-jun spoke first.
"Let's wait a little. They say it will take about 30 minutes."
"30 minutes?"
"Let's sit down for a bit."
Min-jun leisurely inspected the room, picked up a magazine placed for visitors, and sat down on a unicorn leather sofa. He crossed his legs and started flipping through the pages.
"Didn't you come here to check something?"
Without looking up from the magazine, Min-jun replied.
"I did come to check."
"Then why..."
"It's not time yet."
Jeong-pal had no way of knowing.
Before coming here, Min-jun had unlocked the basement and released the alien inside.
That priest, unseen by Jeong-pal or anyone else, had followed the car and was now on the hospital roof, following Min-jun's instructions.
Meanwhile, Min-jun was impressed by how short the preparation time was, as promised by Yum-tus.
"I expected treatment to be possible, but only 30 minutes? Impressive."
Realizing that the agent might not provide detailed information, Jeong-pal gave up on asking further questions.
How much time had passed?
"Jeong-pal."
Min-jun, losing interest in the magazine full of elf model pictures, suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir."
The agent changed the subject.
"Are you really going to stay in the police force until retirement?"
Jeong-pal nodded silently. He understood why the agent brought up this topic. The behavior of the second team leader he saw today indicated a lot.
"I'm sorry if it was uncomfortable to see."
Min-jun was taken aback by the sudden apology and awkwardly replied.
"No... there's nothing for you to be sorry about. That guy was just a jerk."
He remembered the name and face. However, Min-jun had a gut feeling that such attitudes were not unique to that one person and that Jeong-pal's treatment wouldn't change even if everyone had the same bizarre affliction.
It was unsettling.
"Instead of working part-time occasionally like now, how about working with me? Quit the police force right away."
"Oh, sir."
"You know, even if you don't work until retirement, the pension amount won't change much. I'll offer you a generous amount that you won't even notice the difference."
Despite similar offers made repeatedly, Jeong-pal had always refused with various excuses.
"..."
After a moment of contemplation, Jeong-pal shared something he had never mentioned before.
"Sir, you know there aren't many orc police officers, right?"
"Yes. And, I know why they are rare."
Many people feel awkward seeing orcs in law enforcement, thinking they are more suited to being apprehended rather than apprehending others.
The problem was that many police officers thought the same way.
"In fact, I'm not the first orc police officer in our country."
"I know that."
"Do you know this as well? Although I wasn't the first, I am the orc police officer with the longest service since the founding of the country. Even though there were predecessors who joined before me."
"..."
Min-jun blinked quietly.
"What you're saying is..."
"Yes, all the orcs who got their badges before me eventually quit midway. Somehow, I ended up being the most senior. Why couldn't they endure? It's not just a matter of aptitude or job satisfaction, as you might guess."
No one had been able to endure. Perhaps it was due to the explosive nature unique to orcs.
But Jeong-pal had persevered.
He had endured, and endured some more.
"I'm confident in my ability to endure. It's not very orc-like, right? Somehow, I've made it this far, and now I only have 5 years left. But having come this far, I've started to desire something. It's not a grand thing, but if I were to call it a dream, it would be to become the first orc police officer to retire with a full term."
He wasn't expressing grand aspirations to leave his name in history.
"I want the kids to see me and understand. Of course, they know orcs can become police officers. No one is unaware that the door is legally open."
While joining is possible, the real issue is what happens afterward.
Jeong-pal pointed that out.
"I just hope they change their thinking a bit. I want to break the stereotype that an orc who gets a decent job will eventually have to quit after seeing dirty things. If even one person sets a precedent, maybe perceptions will change. Instead of giving up without trying, I hope they'll think, 'If that orc could work until retirement, so can I.'"
Most of Jeong-pal's jurisdiction is orc communities. He patrols there more often than any other team member. From bar owners to troublemakers in the playground, everyone he encounters there knows him.
That was his intention. He wanted everyone to become more accustomed to the idea of an orc police officer. He hoped they would focus on the possibility that orcs could be the ones putting on the handcuffs instead of being handcuffed.
Min-jun quietly pointed out.
"So they'll still see dirty things, won't they?"
He omitted the phrase "like you."
But Jeong-pal seemed to have guessed and smiled.
"Becoming a police officer means they'll see dirty things too. And they'll act out. More orc-like than I do. The more they act out, the more things will change. As their voices grow louder."
Jeong-pal hoped for some change in the next generation or the generation after.
"I'm not a civic activist or a revolutionary, so I can't change things immediately with my own hands. But I can endure as I am. Like other wage earners endure. Everyone endures and lives, right? It's not that remarkable."
Min-jun pondered his words for a moment before speaking.
"I understand what you're thinking. Let's discuss this later. We have a visitor now."
At that moment, the hospital room door opened as if on cue.
"I'm a bit late."
The person who spoke was an elderly orc.
He entered the room, gesturing to the accompanying aides to stay outside and then closed the door behind him.
Kwak Do-chul's father-in-law greeted Min-jun.
"It's the first time I'm meeting you in person, agent."
"Is that so?"
The old man's face was difficult to read. His gaze shifted from Min-jun to Jeong-pal and back again. Although he addressed Min-jun, his eyes lingered on Jeong-pal a bit longer. It was a subtle difference.
His gaze returned to Min-jun. Choi Pan-seok, a four-term legislator, spoke.
"I've just learned today that Chairman Jenkinson recognizes you as a 'friend.'"
"...?!"
Jeong-pal's eyes widened in shock. He thought he must have heard wrong, but he hadn't.
"I was surprised when the dragon suddenly contacted me, but it was even more astonishing after hearing the details."
Choi Pan-seok's words confirmed what seemed like a wild notion.
A chilling term that, along with loan sharks and guarantees, ranks among the three major fears of modern people.
Dragon.
'A dragon? And it's Chairman Jenkinson?'
Jenkinson of the Jenkinson Company?
The ancient red dragon who made Korea its domain?!
'This is unbelievable!'
A legendary dragon recognizing a quarter-elf as a friend? It was beyond reason.
While Jeong-pal was in turmoil, the agent calmly asked.
"Did the chairman say that?"
"...!"
Rather than denying it, he even confirmed it!
Jeong-pal felt his breath quickening and his vision blurring.
"Yes, that elder persuaded me."
He looked at his daughter-in-law lying in bed.
"Though she's not blood-related, she's a daughter I've taken to heart. When the immigration agent said they would interrogate her, even though she hasn't been indicted yet, and in such a critical condition, I was worried. When I expressed my concern, that dignified dragon mentioned that 'my friend' would visit. So, I had no choice but to agree. If someone recognized by that person is visiting, it's as if the dragon itself is coming, and who would dare to issue a guest ban?"
The orc turned back to the agent and stared at him intently.
"I've received countless anonymous death threats simply for adopting a human. They say I've violated human dignity. Some even tried to act on their plans. The child I've protected through those trials. So... please, I beg you."
He spoke with a heavy voice, even a tone of solemnity.
"I know you are a dark sorcerer. This child is entangled with a malevolent artifact and is in a very critical condition, but she is not yet dead. If you intend to turn my daughter into a hideous demon to extract information, I will mobilize everything I have to resist..."
"Ah, just a moment."
Min-jun frowned. He realized why the legislator was suddenly going on and on about his situation.
He was misunderstanding.
"I'm not planning to turn the senator's daughter into a ghoul or zombie."
"...?!"
The legislator showed his first sign of panic. Min-jun reassured him.
"I will wake her up."
The old orc shook his head. He knew his daughter's condition. It was an injury that couldn't be healed unless a high-ranking priest arrived. But summoning such a priest was impossible at this point. Despite knowing that he would soon have to say goodbye to his daughter, he was trying to deny it.
But turning his daughter into an undead was out of the question.
"Let me reiterate, I absolutely do not want her to be awakened in that manner."
Min-jun realized that a lengthy explanation was unnecessary. Yum-tus, who had been performing the ritual on the ceiling, had already reported telepathically.
=The preparations are complete, My Lord.=
Min-jun responded mentally.
'Proceed.'
In that moment.
Swaaaaaa!
Since Yum-tus had intended it, the divine power didn't come with a dazzling light or brilliant colors. The invisible, pure divine energy pierced through the building walls and descended. It was a rare sight on Earth. As a result, no one but Min-jun could perceive it.
However, visible and audible changes occurred, and they reacted to it.
Crack! Crackle!
"No, no?!"
The sound of bones breaking and reconnecting drew everyone's attention to the bedside. Choi Pan-seok rushed to the bed, his voice almost a scream.
"Seon-ah!"
Thinking something had gone terribly wrong, he frantically pressed the emergency button. The waiting medical staff rushed in, fearing the worst.
But what they saw was a scene that defied their expectations.
"What, what is this?!"
The medical staff witnessed a bizarre phenomenon. The metal rods embedded through multiple surgeries slid out of the body with a smooth sound. During this process, the bandages tore, and the plaster cast broke, exposing the patient's bare flesh. The swollen body subsided, and the wounds healed. The twisted skeleton began to realign, and the face that had appeared as a drowned corpse returned to its original form.
There was no visible divine light to indicate that a priest was channeling their power somewhere.
It was simply an inexplicable miracle.
"Seon-ah?!"
Something overwhelming surged from the legislator's throat. His adopted daughter seemed to be regaining consciousness, emitting faint moans. Her eyes opened.
"...Dad?!"
The orc cried out in agony.
"Seon-ah!"
The legislator collapsed onto his daughter's body. With him and the medical staff blocking the view, Min-jun could not see her. He decided to give them a moment and then acknowledged Yum-tus on the rooftop.
'Good work.'
=I am merely grateful to serve you closely.=
A storm seemed to have swept through the room. Min-jun spoke from behind them.
"If the medical staff has confirmed that there are no abnormalities, could you please step outside for a moment? There are some things I need to check with the patient."
Noticing the cue, the orc nodded. As the staff left the room, Choi Pan-seok spoke with a voice still trembling.
"Agent... Thank you. Really, thank you!"
The imposing demeanor he had displayed earlier was nowhere to be seen. It was clear that his daughter's survival was due to this man. Indeed, he had declared he would awaken her and had truly done so.
While the orc was overwhelmed with emotion in the face of the miracle, Min-jun's expression hardened into a frighteningly serious look. His gaze was fixed on the patient. The recovered face, which had been unrecognizable due to swelling and then hidden from view, was now revealed.
The face of Choi Pan-seok's daughter.
'What's this? That woman!'
Min-jun recognized her.
The fragile woman who had appeared in an incongruous outfit at the remote cigarette shop run by trolls.
The agent felt confused.
'...That woman from the congressman's murder case!'
Meanwhile, the orc detective was also in a state of confusion.
'Did he really save her?! The critical patient that even a skilled priest couldn't touch... Did the boss actually save her?'
Jeong-pal's mind raced through the events of the day.
He had thought he understood well, but it seemed he hadn't known the full truth. The realization struck him like a shockwave, engulfing his entire being.
The orc looked at the agent.
A man proclaimed a friend by a dragon who controls the nation's economy.
A man who performed the miracle of instantly healing a woman on the brink of death.
Such a person... couldn't possibly be an ordinary quarter-elf.
Jeong-pal felt he was finally starting to understand Min-jun's true identity.
"Hyung..."
Jeong-pal's voice emerged with an oddly twisted, reverberating tone.
He asked with a sinking feeling in his chest.
"Hyung... You've been disguising your identity all this time? Has everyone been deceived?"
The agent turned his head and saw Jeong-pal's serious expression. Their gazes tangled in the air.
A pale voice broke the short silence.
"Hyung, you're actually not a quarter-elf."
Jeong-pal spoke with a half-confirmed certainty, and Min-jun was dumbfounded.
He had even forgotten his earlier shock about the legislator's daughter.
"...Are you actually a dragon hiding your identity?!"
"..."
Min-jun felt a pang of insult.
End of Chapter 108. Shock and Terror (6)