After I got home, the first thing I did was call my parents.
I figured… I might’ve just landed a job.
“Mom, I think I got a job.”
What do you mean by that?
“The National Intelligence Service said they’re setting up a whole new agency made up of mutants. Sounds like I’m in.”
Tell me more.
I told her everything I’d heard, including the part about the press conference.
Oh my goodness.
Wait, hold on… what about university?
“They said I can keep going.”
By the way, that dragon on the news—was that really you?
“Is there anyone else in Korea right now who could be called a dragon?”
I was watching the news and nearly fainted. Good grief…
Are you hurt?
“I’m fine. Though, the mutant who caused all that chaos… kind of turned into a vegetable.”
I saw.
Serves him right.
You did good.
“It’s basically the same as killing someone.”
He got what was coming.
That guy was a dangerous criminal who killed multiple people.
You were just protecting yourself.
“That’s true, but still…”
Don’t let it get to you.
No one’s going to blame you.
“Okay.”
But wow… a press conference?
My daughter really does everything now, huh.
“Seriously… I never imagined I’d end up like this.”
But they’re putting someone as young as you in charge of an entire agency?
Is that even allowed?
“They said I’m more of a figurehead. Like, they’ll use my name and title, but the actual day-to-day stuff will be handled by someone they’re assigning to the agency. My job’s just to take down dangerous mutants like the one from yesterday.”
What, is that person supposed to have multiple bodies or something?
Managing an entire agency isn’t exactly easy, you know.
“Yeah, I’ve been wondering that too. He looked pretty young though…”
If he’s made it that far at that age, he must be something special.
Anyway, good luck with the press conference. And don’t say anything that could get twisted against you.
“Got it.”
The press conference was scheduled for the next day.
I skimmed through the script.
Memorizing something like this wouldn’t be hard.
I mean, realistically, there’s no way to know what kind of questions the reporters will ask.
It’s obvious I won’t be able to just rely on the script.
I’ll need to stay sharp and make sure I don’t say anything dumb.
If I start running my mouth like I usually do, I’ll be in serious trouble.
Oddly enough, I didn’t feel nervous.
Maybe it was because turning into a dragon made me bolder or something.
In the past, I probably would’ve been debating whether to take a calming pill by now.
Even after all the chaos, our group chat was still buzzing like always.
Seeing that made me smile.
These guys never change, huh.
[Han Tae-hoon: Hey, Ms. Dragon, I heard you’re doing a press conference tomorrow?]
[Yu Han-gyeol: Huh? For real?]
[Han Tae-hoon: Yeah, it’s in the news.]
[Heo Ji-hwan: Oh.]
[Jo Min-hyeok: But why the sudden press conference?]
I casually typed out a reply to Min-hyeok’s message.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: It’s just to say, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t hurt anyone.’ That’s it.]
[Jo Min-hyeok: Oh lol. Good luck.]
[Han Tae-hoon: Don’t give them anything to twist. Internet trolls will grab onto anything they can to drag someone down.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: You think I don’t know that?]
[Yu Han-gyeol: She probably knows better than anyone… She is one of the internet trolls.]
[Heo Ji-hwan: True… Guess we don’t need to worry then. Worst case, she can just go dragon mode and wipe everyone out.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: …Not a bad idea?]
[Jo Min-hyeok: Wait—you’re not actually going to do that, right?!]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Of course not, lol. You think I’ve lost it?]
[Jo Min-hyeok: lmaooooo]
I chuckled as I scrolled through the messages.
Honestly, I had been a little worried.
That maybe… after seeing me transform, they’d start keeping their distance.
But I guess that worry was pointless.
Come to think of it, even Seo-ah didn’t make a big deal about seeing me like that.
And some of the younger students even messaged to ask if I was okay.
It seemed like everyone had come to their own understanding of who I was.
And honestly… that wasn’t bad at all.
It gave me confidence.
Sincerity always finds a way to reach people.
Of course, some will twist your words no matter what.
But…
As long as I take responsibility for my words and follow through with my actions, those kinds of people will gradually disappear too.
Everyone, don’t worry.
I won’t hurt you.
Agent Choi Jeong-ho stood watching the podium ahead.
Today… things might change more than anyone expects.
Depending on what Seo-hyun says during her speech, the public’s trust in the new agency the National Intelligence Service was preparing could rise or fall dramatically.
“Looks like my workload’s about to increase… but honestly, this might be better.”
Until now, managing mutant-related cases had crushed Jeong-ho under a near-lethal workload.
It felt like he needed two bodies just to keep up.
If it were just paperwork, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
But he also had to go out into the field himself, tracking, confronting, and apprehending mutants.
Physically, it was brutal.
But if today’s newly established agency started running properly, he wouldn’t have to go out so often anymore.
Sure, the paperwork might pile up, but that was still far better than constantly chasing down dangerous mutants.
In the long run, his overall workload would probably shrink, not grow.
…Assuming, of course, that Seo-hyun could handle her role properly.
But Jeong-ho wasn’t too worried about that.
Just looking at everything Seo-hyun had already done, it was clear she had no problem subduing hostile mutants.
In fact, just her existence might be enough to deter them.
Mutants had incredibly sharp senses.
And anyone with half a survival instinct wouldn’t be able to look at someone like her
without sensing danger.
Her actions so far, the way she spoke, the way she carried herself, had already built up plenty of trust.
So this press conference would probably go smoothly too.
Jeong-ho watched as Seo-hyun stepped up onto the podium.
She didn’t look nervous at all.
She calmly walked to the front, tapped the mic once or twice.
The sharp feedback rang out, marking the start of the press conference.
The flashes from the cameras were blinding.
But I stood tall.
I hadn’t done anything wrong—there was no reason to shrink back.
The reporters were staring at me with laser focus.
Among them, I spotted Ahn So-young, the reporter who had interviewed me once before.
Our eyes met for a moment.
I gave her a small smile and a polite nod.
“I’m Ahn So-young from Hanguk Ilbo. I have a question.”
With her, the official round of questions began.
“Many people were frightened by your dragon form during the recent incident. A person with such overwhelming power can naturally make others feel uneasy just by existing. I’d like to know—what are your thoughts on that public sentiment?”
I nodded at her words.
“Honestly, I think it’s a completely natural reaction. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably be scared too. Especially considering the time I fired flames into the sky at the park…
If someone wasn’t scared, I’d find that more strange. There have also been a fair number of incidents caused by mutants struggling with identity issues.”
“Then how do you plan to ease the public’s fears, Ms. Seo-hyun?”
“I… Well, to be honest, I don’t think many people would believe me even if I stood here and said, ‘I’m not dangerous.’ If that dragon suddenly went berserk, people’s lives would be at risk, who’s really going to take that risk on blind trust? Wouldn’t you feel the same way, reporter?”
“…That’s true, I suppose.”
“So I plan to show them—through my actions. To prove, through what I do, that I’m someone people can trust to be safe.”
Right then, another reporter raised a question.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Why go so far? Why do this at all?”
“Hm… I guess the answer is simply—because I want to. There’s no deeper meaning to it. I’m doing this because I want to.”
“Does it have anything to do with the fact that you’ve subdued several criminal mutants before?”
“To answer your question—yes, that’s right.
As soon as I mutated, I heard just how negatively society views mutants.
And whether you believe it or not, I was just an ordinary college student.
Really, I was just a regular person you might pass by on the street, and I still see myself that way.”
I took a breath and continued.
“Whether the public accepts that or not, I’ll leave that up to them. But at the very least, I believe it’s true. And what does a regular person want? Just this, to be able to walk down the street without scaring anyone. That’s what I want most. And when I subdued those violent mutants, I did it with that goal in mind. To show people that not all mutants are threats, that we’re not all out there causing trouble or putting others in danger.”
“…I see. Thank you.”
Another question came flying in.
I looked toward the voice and saw a familiar press badge.
Sweetree.
They were notorious for sensationalist, borderline tabloid coverage.
“In the recent incident, we heard the mutant you subdued was left in a brain-dead state. Don’t you think that, no matter the circumstances, killing can never be justified?What’s your take on that?”
“I agree—it’s a tragic outcome. But… it was unavoidable. The demon-type mutant in question had already killed more than ten people. And his powers were dangerously overwhelming. If we had let him go, far more people would’ve been hurt—or worse.”
“But wouldn’t you say that was excessive force, rather than simple self-defense?”
Just as expected.
Trying to provoke controversy by twisting things.
Was this guy really prioritizing views over human lives?
I even remembered hearing that three reporters from Sweetree had died in past incidents.
And yet, here they were, asking provocative questions like this.
Well… I guess I must’ve looked mild enough that they thought I wouldn’t snap.
Good.
Because if I calmly and rationally respond to this kind of question, it’ll only help improve how people see me.