“Tae Rin, over here! Village chief, everyone, let’s go! We don’t have time!”

Ji Chun Bae urgently pushed, and Kim Tae Rin started running in a daze. From then on, she didn’t look back.

However, while running, Kim Tae Rin thought of Choi Yoon.

She wondered what it would feel like to expose oneself to so much hatred.

It seemed no different from the moment of execution that Kim Tae Rin had envisioned countless times.

Just as Kim Tae Rin was a criminal who violated the law, Choi Yoon was also a criminal here.

Unlike Kim Tae Rin, who had to toss and turn all night with nightmares due to the specific chills that came moment by moment, Choi Yoon seemed to have no fear at all.

“Tae Rin, over there!”

Ji Chun Bae shouted softly, and Kim Tae Rin stopped in her tracks, startled.

The movement near the podium was unusual.

People holding flagpoles usually kept their positions neatly at the very front, but a few were swaying back and forth, moving forward little by little.

Ji Chun Bae muttered.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

Kim Tae Rin nodded. She shouted loudly to the neighbors following behind.

“Including me and Uncle Chun Bae, ten of us will go that way! The rest, go to the front row and watch the situation! If it looks suspicious, subdue them immediately!”

As soon as Kim Tae Rin finished speaking, the group split into two. Kim Tae Rin pulled the village chief, who was still standing with a disgruntled look.

“Village chief, come with us too!”

“No, I…”

“Hurry up! Quickly!”

On the way through the crowd, Kim Tae Rin asked for understanding from those around and received flagpoles or pickets. She handed one to each person in her group.

Ji Chun Bae gripped the picket tightly and looked ahead again. He inhaled.

“These bastards, when did they…”

“Let’s go, us too!”

The group rushed forward at once.

The front of the podium was already in chaos.

Five strangers were threatening the protest organizers standing around the podium with flagpoles and such, cornering them to one side.

Kim Tae Rin jumped into the fray, striking the back of the head of the nearest one forcefully.

The neighbors of Soseulli are quite good at working together.

Not only their strength honed by farm work, but they had also captured wild boars several times with just hoes and pitchforks. Of course, Kim Tae Rin always made a big contribution. It was possible because gumihos have far superior physical abilities compared to humans.

By the time Kim Tae Rin had subdued two lackeys and taken away their flagpoles to break them, the village chief had knocked down one guy, and Ji Chun Bae had pinned down another.

Is this the end? Is this really all?

“Over there! There! Tae Rin, over there!”

In the direction Ji Chun Bae was pointing while shouting at the top of his lungs, one guy was seen climbing onto the podium.

Kim Tae Rin immediately launched herself. The guy tried to dodge, but she managed to grab his ankle. As soon as the opponent bent his knee, she rushed in and hugged him tightly. They rolled together.

Some citizens plucked up courage and came to help subdue him.

After confirming that the guy was gritting his teeth with his forehead pressed to the ground, Kim Tae Rin staggered to her feet.

‘Did you check their IDs?’

Suddenly, Choi Yoon’s words flashed through her mind.

‘It would be good to check next time. It would also be good to set such a rule for the entire protest group. Like, let’s check the identity on the spot of those who use violence under the pretext of participating in the protest.’

She lowered her body again. She searched the pockets of the man who was struggling, held by the citizens. It wasn’t there.

The man cursed, asking what she was doing now. Ignoring him, she turned the inner pocket of his outer clothing inside out. A wallet rolled out.

She opened the wallet and pulled out the ID card. She checked the address on the back. She threw the wallet back to the man.

Leaving behind the man who was shouting loudly about why she was taking someone else’s ID, she strode towards Ji Chun Bae and the village chief.

“He’s not from around here.”

Kim Tae Rin showed them the ID card. Ji Chun Bae clicked his tongue, and the village chief looked dubious.

The village chief said.

“People often come from other places to participate in protests. It’s not that uncommon.”

“Let’s check the others too.”

When they gathered and checked the IDs of all the guys they had caught, they were indeed all outsiders.

Ji Chun Bae glared at the guys sprawled on the ground and said.

“Looks like they’re in cahoots.”

“We should hand over the IDs to the organizing committee just in case. We need to distinguish whether they did this impulsively out of excitement or if they came to cause trouble deliberately.”

At Kim Tae Rin’s words, Ji Chun Bae gathered the IDs. He patted Kim Tae Rin’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll deliver them to the representative.”

Ji Chun Bae and the village chief disappeared around the outside of the protest, dragging the guys with the help of some citizens.

Only then did she feel relieved. She turned her head to look ahead.

Choi Yoon on the podium was safe. At last, his voice reached her ears.

“But this is a misunderstanding. The government will never use the full investigation for any purpose other than identifying disguised individuals. I accepted the role of ambassador after receiving this guarantee, and I have reconfirmed it at every opportunity since. There are also related audio recordings that can be disclosed with the consent of Minister Ki Jae Hyun of the Yokai Management Department.”

It’s done.

All the strength drained from her body.

She had protected Choi Yoon. She had fulfilled her promised share.

As she caught her breath, Choi Yoon’s phone rang in her pocket. She took it out and looked.

Lee Kang Woo.

The caller’s name was familiar. Where had she heard it…

Ah, the CEO of Choi Yoon’s agency.

The call ended while Kim Tae Rin hesitated.

Just as the screen was about to turn off, a message popped up brightly. It was from Lee Kang Woo.

[I’m washing my hands of you now]

“Also, there are rumors circulating that the ruling party is conducting a full investigation as a defense against yokai suffrage to prevent losing votes to the opposition party. This is also not true.”

The phone rang again.

Caller Yoo Ji Ho.

“The ruling party has mentioned to me that they, more than anyone, hope that the purpose of the full investigation will not be distorted. The reason I hurriedly came down here last night was also because I was urgently requested by Congressman Jeon Min Seok. The congressman wished for me, the face of the full investigation, to directly clear up your misunderstandings.”

The call rang briefly before ending. Soon after, a message popped up.

[Brother, stay there for now.]

The other party seemed urgent. Every sentence came up short and choppy.

[Don’t come up. The drama and advertisements are all off, so. All sorts of dirty rumors will be circulating soon, so don’t look at the internet. I’ll come to get you when the time is right, so just stay there and breathe as if you’re dead…]

Kim Tae Rin gazed at the podium, at Choi Yoon standing on it, at a certain upright attitude he possessed.

“This full investigation will focus on actively identifying disguised individuals hidden in society.”

[Is this why you told me to trust you? Not only destroying everything you’ve built in one go, but you’re even jumping into the fire carrying firewood? I told you! Im Seo Yeon! She died because of Jeon Min Seok!]

It probably wasn’t the case, but it seemed for a moment that Choi Yoon had glanced this way.

“This is guaranteed by Minister Ki Jae Hyun of the Yokai Management Department and Congressman Jeon Min Seok. Both have affirmed that they will visit this place in person in the near future.”

Ah, no.

Kim Tae Rin dropped the phone. She picked it up reflexively. Despite falling on the hard ground without even a common case, the phone was clean without a single scratch.

No. This can’t be. It shouldn’t flow like this.

She lifted her head, swallowing her breath.

The full investigation itself should disappear. That’s what she had been hoping for while attending the protests all this time.

“The full investigation will be a stepping stone for realizing a just society. I feel great joy in being able to do what needs to be done through the opportunity provided by Star Live.”

Choi Yoon said he came down here enduring a lot. That’s true.

However, Kim Tae Rin, the disguised, was thoroughly excluded from Choi Yoon’s conscience.

No matter how tolerant he became, Kim Tae Rin’s position was outside the social framework.

She was neither a yokai nor a human, and she had given up the right to belong to either on her own.

Because of that paltry dream that couldn’t be achieved.

“I haven’t been able to come here for a long time. Because of my mistake that everyone knows about.”

Choi Yoon removed the microphone from his mouth and then brought it back.

“I lost my father to a disguised individual. I hope such a thing never happens again. I hope there will be no more children who lose their families to criminals disguising their identity. I hope we don’t lose trust because of a minority of disguised individuals.”

Choi Yoon’s low and soft voice carried a firmness like an old tree. He used this voice in public service announcements calling for environmental protection and the like.

“Yokai who cut off their tails or wings and pretend to be human tend to commit crimes without hesitation later on, as they have already risked their lives to break the law. When cornered with the risk of being discovered, they do not hesitate to commit retaliatory crimes against society. There are numerous examples such as the gumiho mass murder case and the arson at the National Assembly building. The full investigation will be the cornerstone to prevent this.”

The crowd was quiet.

“In this regard, I strongly urge the relevant departments to accurately inform the public about the true purpose of the full investigation and put an end to their anxiety.”

The silent people gradually began to murmur.

Sporadic shouts erupted here and there. Soon it swelled, shaking the air.

“Punish the disguised!”

“Detect the freeloading criminals!”

“Government, explain! Clarify the purpose of the full investigation!”

“Explain! Explain!”

Choi Yoon gripped the microphone again. His knuckles were white with the force.

“In an honest world without disguised individuals, we will unite again.”

Her mind was in chaos. She felt dizzy.

If the protest dies down like this and the full investigation is implemented, Kim Tae Rin will be discovered and die. She will be executed in front of everyone.

She had been prepared for this.

When she first got on the operating table. When she received the forged ID. She thought it would be okay to die. If only she could do what she loved.

Now, she didn’t want to say she regretted all those things. Because just walking towards her dream had been overwhelming.

However, the fact that she was thoroughly alone was still as bleak as it was at first.

Now that that clear face, which had been so oppressive towards yokai until now, was willingly sacrificing his career to unite humans and yokai, there was no one anywhere who would take the side of the disguised. Nowhere.

Throughout the time after Choi Yoon came down from the podium and then went back up at the crowd’s cheers to add a few more comments, Kim Tae Rin had only one thought.

How to survive.

She couldn’t stay here any longer. That would be like lying down in a grave. She had to leave not just Hambaggot Restaurant, but South Korea altogether.

She needed to go to a place where they don’t implement full investigations, where humans and yokai are distinguished but not discriminated against, and thus where the concept of disguised individuals is useless.

Several countries came to mind.

However, those few countries were quite defensive about immigration. The screening was strict, and they often required multiple documents from the home country. If her history of forging resident registration in the past was revealed during that process, it would mean execution before even getting to the airport.

That was a path Kim Tae Rin had seriously attempted a long time ago, but she had given up after losing only the deposit money due to being scammed by several brokers.

But now, she couldn’t think of any other way.

She had to leave this country. Before the full investigation is implemented.

She needed money.

It was an amount she couldn’t handle on her own.

Even that was the rate from a few years ago, so they might demand more now. Or the route itself might be blocked, beyond just a matter of money.

The future was so dark that she couldn’t even begin to fathom it.