Everyone was talking about the press conference.
It was the same even at school.
“Yo, Yoon Seo-hyun, I saw the press conference. Pfft—hahaha!”
Look at Han Tae-hoon, laughing the moment he saw me.
He definitely came just to tease me.
To be fair, yeah…
Some of the stuff I said was pretty cringe.
Burning the world and all that.
But honestly?
You’ve got to leave some kind of impact if you don’t want people pulling stupid stunts.
“I didn’t want to say something that cheesy, okay?”
“I know, I know.”
“You say that, but you’re still like this?”
“C’mon, when else am I gonna get to mess with you? But seriously—did you mean it?”
“Of course I did. Look, you probably don’t realize how big of a deal this is, but I’m someone whose only real experience with society is college and the military, and suddenly I’m in a high-level government position.”
“If I don’t assert myself, I’m gonna get dragged around like some glorified errand girl, doing all the worst jobs. I said all that to avoid exactly that.”
“Ohh… so you did think it through.”
“Of course. What, you think I’d get to that kind of position and just start running my mouth without thinking?”
“I mean, I’m never getting into that kind of position, so…”
“…Let’s just stop talking.”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I was watching it seriously. You actually spoke really well. I guess you’ve always been the type to say what needs to be said.”
“Well, if I just stood there looking confused, no one would trust me in a role like that.”
“But didn’t you used to get nervous doing presentations? I still remember you taking calming pills before group project presentations.”
“That, too… is thanks to…”
I trailed off, and Tae-hoon immediately picked up on the vibe.
“Thanks to the graceful aura of the dragon, right?”
“Exactly. Anyway, where are the others?”
“Department lounge.”
“Consistent as ever.”
“You heading over?”
“Eh… not today. I’ve got something after class. Meeting someone.”
“Oho? Who?”
“Government contact. A mutant who’ll be working with me in the new agency.”
“Oooh… what kind of mutant?”
“Vampire.”
“Are you sure that’s safe?”
“I heard they’re super kind. Honestly, I’m kinda looking forward to it.”
“…Anticipated?”
“What? You know how vampires in media always look noble and elegant and all that? They have that fancy aristocratic vibe—plus, I really like the color scheme.”
“You’ve got such weird tastes.”
“Just personal preference, that’s all. By the way, did any assignments get posted while I was at the press conference?”
“Assignments always go up on the course homepage. You can just check there. A new one dropped today.”
“Ugh… sounds like a pain. Anyway, thanks. I’m off to class.”
“Come by and see the others sometime, will you? They’ve been saying they miss you.”
“So this is what it feels like to be popular?”
“Calling yourself an outsider is actually an insult to real outsiders, you know.”
“…Really now?”
“Seriously. What kind of loner actually goes to orientation week? You lost your outsider card right then and there, you fake outsider.”
“‘Fake outsider,’ huh… whatever. I’ll come by next time if I’ve got time. We don’t have any big events coming up, right?”
“There is one—academic field trip.”
“Oh.”
“You skipped last time, so this one’s mandatory for you. Got it? If not, you’ll have to do two in your senior year.”
“Yeah, I know. Ugh, what a pain… Guess I’ll just hope nothing comes up.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Still, after what I said in the press conference, I doubt anyone’s gonna try anything dumb, right?”
“Honestly, anyone who tries something after that… might as well be a death-wish case.”
“Exactly.”
“But remember this, Seo-hyun.”
“What?”
“There are a lot of crazy people in the world.”
“Ugh, can you not say stuff like that?! Bad vibes!”
“What can I say? That’s the world we live in. Most people walk around thinking, ‘That kind of thing would never happen to me.’ Mutants are no exception.”
“Ugh… you’re making me paranoid.”
I shuddered.
“…Still, can’t you just go out there and roast whoever it is with one breath of fire?”
“I could, yeah. But I’d rather not, y’know? I already finished my military service—don’t really feel like getting smacked around anymore. It kinda feels like I’m just sitting around waiting for someone to slap me.”
“Ah… yeah, that’d suck.”
“Exactly. Still, they do pay well for being a department head, so… guess that’s something to be content with.”
“You’re seriously something else. How the hell did you end up becoming a department head?”
“Before people start calling me a wild dragon who needs to be hunted down, I figured I should hurry up and side with the government. Sure, it’ll come with some annoying responsibilities, but I’d rather not be ripped apart and ridiculed by the whole country.”
“Lowkey smart move… I just hope the old guys up top don’t start bossing you around too much.”
“I actually had a quick chat with the Director of the NIS yesterday—the one who recommended me for this role.”
“Oh? What did he say?”
“He said they value their lives too much to treat me badly. As long as I don’t make a fuss, they won’t touch me.”
“Hearing that really drives it home… Like, even the government big shots basically have to tiptoe around you now, huh?”
At Tae-hoon’s words, I tilted my head.
Huh… now that he says it—he’s kinda right.
Oh.
Right?
“Guess so. Anyway, crap—I’m gonna be late. I’m really heading out.”
“Catch you later, then.”
“Yeah.”
After class, waiting for me was Agent Choi Jeong-ho.
Well—technically, he wasn’t just an agent anymore.
He was now Vice Director of the agency.
Oh, and the name of the organization had been finalized:
Mutant Crime Eradicate Agency
I thought they’d come up with something slick and polished, but nope—straight to the point.
Honestly, it did a good job clearly showing what the agency was all about.
The abbreviation was MCEA, but everyone was already just calling it the Eradicate Agency, because using the English name was too much of a hassle.
“So, have they arrived?” I asked.
“The fairy-type mutant—Yoo Ha-rin—hasn’t arrived yet, but the vampire-type mutant, Ha Yeon-hwa, has arrived… You’ll be able to meet her as soon as we get to the agency.”
“…Wait, the agency already has a base?”
“We just secured an office inside the NIS building. No reason to build a whole new building from scratch—it’s a sub-agency under the NIS, after all.”
“An office room, huh…”
“Well, it’s not like we have a large staff yet anyway. So calling it an ‘office room’ makes sense—just think of it as a normal section inside the NIS.”
“Right… yeah, that makes sense. It’s not like we need some flashy high-tech base or anything.”
“True. Though for what it’s worth, it’s actually a pretty spacious office. Clean, organized— the agents worked hard to get it ready.”
“I’m actually kinda looking forward to it now.”
“Haha! Don’t expect too much. It’s just… like the kind of office you see in crime dramas or detective movies. Anyway, Ha Yeon-hwa is waiting there right now.”
“Ah, um… is there anything I should be careful about when I meet her? Any dos and don’ts?”
“Hmm… let’s see. First thing: she’s extremely shy.”
“…Huh?”
“She’s really shy. To put it in modern terms, she’s your classic outsider type. Meeting new people is super difficult for her, so just avoid rushing her or being too forward.”
“I see…”
Well, thinking about the traits of her kind, it wasn’t all that surprising she’d have outsider tendencies.
Vampires, after all, are traditionally weak to sunlight and only active at night.
“Then… does that mean she can only work at night? Since she’s a vampire?”
“No, no. That wouldn’t work for our agency. Her exact classification is a Jinjo-type mutant.”
“Jinjo…?”
“You might not be familiar with the term. Think of it like a higher species of vampire—similar to how High Elves are to regular elves.
There are more vampire-type mutants out there than you’d expect, including quite a few overseas.
But as for someone deserving of the title ‘Jinjo’, she’s the only one.
The fact that she can walk confidently in broad daylight is proof of that.”
“…She doesn’t sound a little scary to you?”
“Haha! No, no—she’s not scary at all. She’s honestly one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. She’s been living entirely off blood packs and animal blood ever since her mutation, because she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”
“…Ah, that’s who she is.”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, nothing. There was this one mutant on the community forums who kept promoting blood donation super passionately… I guess that was her, huh.”
“Haha, yep—that was her.”
“But wait, is that even allowed? I mean, giving blood packs to individuals… doesn’t that count as blood selling or something?”
“Well, she receives them as part of a legitimate agreement. It’s a formal supply with proper compensation, so there’s no legal issue. Plus, it’s not like she needs a ton of them.”
“At most, she consumes about half a pack a day, and even then, she often just drinks pig’s blood instead, because she doesn’t want to trouble anyone.”
“…That’s kinda heartbreaking, honestly.”
“It is. She’s naturally so compassionate—her good nature actually overrides the vampiric bloodlust.
She’s incredibly self-restrained.
Most vampire-type mutants really struggle with that instinct.
Frankly, sometimes I think she might actually be the Virgin Mary reincarnated in modern times.”
“…Wow.”
The Virgin Mary of mutant society?!
With that kind of praise, how could I not look forward to meeting her?
And the moment we stepped into the Eradicate Agency office…
There she was.
A woman with glorious silver hair and deep red eyes, possessing a beauty so overwhelming it felt unreal.
Her entire aura was tinged with something dark yet captivating, an elegance that felt decadent and refined.
Honestly, if I were still a guy, I probably would’ve fallen for her on the spot.
But then… she opened her mouth.
“A-ah… h-hi, h-hello…? I-I’m… Ha… Ha Yeon-hwa. Y-you’re… Yoon Seo-hyun, r-right? N-nice to… um… meet you…”
…Without even meeting my gaze, her eyes glued to the floor, she mumbled every word like she might pass out.
And right then, I realized something.
She’s the real deal.
Even her tone was nothing like what I’d seen in the community posts.