The police gestured towards the back. The barrier blocking Choi Yoon’s path rattled and rose.

The police looked at Choi Yoon again and said firmly:

“The check is complete. You may go now.”

However, Choi Yoon did not move.

Who do they take for a fool? I can’t leave now.

He spoke cheerfully.

“I’ll just turn back around. Please move aside so I can make a U-turn. The road is quite narrow.”

“You’re going back?”

“Yes. Didn’t you say someone escaped? A disguised person. I want to see what they look like.”

“…But if you don’t leave now, I don’t know when you’ll be able to leave. Are you sure?”

Choi Yoon widened his eyes, pretending to be surprised.

“Then if I leave now, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back in, right?”

The police officer frowned. He looked annoyed.

Completely ignoring him, Choi Yoon gripped the steering wheel. He turned it sharply. The car swerved roughly. The police officers stepped back hesitantly before holding their ground.

Choi Yoon waved his hand carelessly out the car window.

“Would you all please move aside. Before I hit you. I’m not very good at driving.”

“Delicious!”

“Is it okay?”

“Yes. It’s so good. Just like usual?”

“I’m glad.”

Kim Tae Rin felt relieved.

Ever since parting with Choi Yoon, everything had been a mess.

She had burned the meat several times and spilled a dish she had barely managed to complete before even serving it to customers.

While her cherished plates shattered and customers stepped in to clean up, Kim Tae Rin was completely out of it, wondering why she was acting this way.

She had slapped her own cheeks repeatedly and remade the food.

Even as she carefully plated it, she was inwardly anxious that it might not taste good enough.

After the protest ended, instead of going home, the villagers decided to have a late dinner at Sunflower Restaurant as usual.

As she busily served the dishes, Kim Tae Rin observed the atmosphere. The neighbors were engrossed in sharing the food. Though everyone was perplexed by Choi Yoon’s speech, there was somehow an intoxicated feeling.

It felt like a cautious feast day.

The village head still looked like he had no appetite. He was huddled in a corner, eating half-heartedly with a complicated and stubborn expression that said he had no idea whether he should side with Choi Yoon or not.

Kim Tae Rin placed a cup of ginseng tea with plenty of honey, which the village head usually enjoyed, on his table.

One of the neighbors said while scooping some pumpkin soup onto their plate:

“But celebrities really are different.”

“Right?”

“That thing about their faces shining brightly wasn’t just a figure of speech. It was true.”

“I heard he was quite pretty even as a child, with distinct features.”

“My daughter was crazy about him too. Being a celebrity isn’t for just anyone, I guess.”

Kim Tae Rin immediately agreed.

There must be some kind of Choi Yoon-specific filter on cameras that tones down his handsomeness before broadcasting.

Otherwise, there’s no way he could be that striking in person.

Setting aside her personal resentment, Kim Tae Rin had to struggle to separate Choi Yoon’s appearance from his personality throughout their encounter.

And that wasn’t all. There was a unique aura that enhanced his looks.

Perhaps from having his every move watched by everyone, he never moved carelessly. Even moments like brushing back his hair, touching his chin, or tilting his head had a weight to them, like a black and white film noir.

And his height was so tall that just standing near him felt overwhelming, like being swallowed by his shadow. And what about his obviously firm build that even thick clothes couldn’t hide?

One of the neighbors helping Kim Tae Rin serve food suddenly said:

“But is what Choi Yoon said true?”

“I know. Why are his words different? He told Tae Rin that the government would use the full investigation to discriminate and that he came to stop it, right? But why did he say the opposite on stage?”

“He said he has evidence. He said there’s an audio recording too.”

“Then why doesn’t he release it right away?”

“Didn’t he say he needs permission from the Monster Management Department minister? I guess it would be a bit awkward to just release a recording of a private conversation.”

“Then we just need the minister’s permission, right? Once we hear the recording, the situation will be clear.”

Kim Tae Rin placed an onion on the cutting board and skillfully chopped it as she spoke.

“I think they’ll be careful even to respond, let alone give permission.”

The villagers all turned to look at Kim Tae Rin.

Kim Tae Rin put down her knife and raised her head.

“Do you think such a recording actually exists?”

The atmosphere grew quiet. Kim Tae Rin wiped her hands on her apron and took a breath. But her voice came out heated.

“Don’t you know what kind of person Jeon Min Seok is? And what about the Monster Management Department? We should be thankful they didn’t say they’d eliminate all monsters. You think they said they’d lead the full investigation properly in private? That’s impossible.”

The neighbors’ faces darkened instantly.

Ji Chun Bae hesitated.

“Then what’s this recording Choi Yoon mentioned?”

“In my opinion, it might be…”

Her head felt like it would explode from wracking her brain. Kim Tae Rin tried to think from Choi Yoon’s perspective. It was something she had never done before in her life.

“…another recording to blackmail the government.”

Kim Tae Rin leaned on the counter with both hands. Tapping the counter lightly with her fingertips, she spoke slowly.

“Choi Yoon said the government called him in and told him to cooperate because they wouldn’t give voting rights to monsters. Wouldn’t he have recorded that conversation? So I think the recording he mentioned refers to that conversation.”

Ji Chun Bae’s eyes widened.

“Then why didn’t Choi Yoon speak honestly in front of the citizens?”

“I think he wanted to give a warning in a roundabout way. He’s not just risking his own life, so he’d need to rebel while being careful, right?”

Ji Chun Bae didn’t look like he understood at all. Kim Tae Rin added:

“He made a preemptive move. Since he has the government’s weakness, he’s saying he’ll release the recording if pushed. Even with widespread monster hatred, openly oppressive policies are risky for the ruling party too. It could end up strengthening the opposition party. With the presidential election coming up, they’d want to approach this carefully.”

Ji Chun Bae swallowed.

Kim Tae Rin straightened up from leaning on the counter and said:

“By siding with the citizens first and making a big deal of it, he knows the government won’t be able to deny it afterwards and will have to follow his words.”

Ji Chun Bae crossed his arms. He pressed his lips together firmly before nodding.

“I see. So the government can’t openly deny it…”

“Right. Even if they want to strengthen monster oppression policies through the full investigation, they can’t reveal that on the surface. They probably planned to implement it gradually, but now that Choi Yoon has made it public like this, it’ll be quite troublesome for them.”

“What if the government side tries to drag it out until this incident is forgotten?”

“Now the whole country knows we’re protesting. Everyone will be watching. As long as Choi Yoon isn’t forgotten by the public, people won’t forget the issue he raised either.”

Ji Chun Bae uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin.

“What if Choi Yoon stops mentioning it…”

“He came all the way down here in person. Accepting disadvantages as we expected. Unless something major happens, I think he’ll keep paying attention to it. Unless he receives death threats or something…”

Her voice trailed off unconsciously.

Choi Yoon unhesitatingly handing his phone to Kim Tae Rin.

Lee Kang Woo’s text. Yoo Ji Ho’s voice.

She flinched at a stinging sensation. A reddish line had appeared on the tip of her index finger, which she thought had only been slightly nicked by the knife.

Covering her hand, Kim Tae Rin said:

“If Choi Yoon doesn’t release the recording, the public will doubt the government, and the government can’t say Choi Yoon is lying either. In the end, the government will have to take the position Choi Yoon wants. And if anyone from the government side comes down and confirms Choi Yoon’s statements are correct, there’s no need to verify the recording.”

Kim Tae Rin continued:

“Jeon Min Seok and the Monster Management Department have never been favorable to monsters. But Choi Yoon explained the suspicions first and threw the responsibility of proving it to the government. He took the initiative first so that the government has no choice but to go along with it.”

As she spoke, Kim Tae Rin felt a strange feeling.

None of this benefits Choi Yoon at all.

Then what made him act like this?

What’s the motive for this good deed?

“This is good for us, right? So Choi Yoon is on our side, right?”

Kim Tae Rin tried to smile.

“I think so.”

Ji Chun Bae let out a long breath. He looked visibly relieved.

“That’s a relief. It would be troublesome to have someone like Choi Yoon as an enemy.”

Speaking with slight excitement, Ji Chun Bae suddenly closed his mouth. He said:

“But Tae Rin. You don’t look well at all. Do you want to go up and rest for a bit?”

“There is one thing I’m worried about.”

“What is it?”

“If the government tries to suppress Choi Yoon, there will be retaliation. We won’t be free from that retaliation.”

Ji Chun Bae said firmly:

“Then we’ll support him. We’ll all endure together with Choi Yoon at the forefront.”

Kim Tae Rin wanted to say something in response. But it wasn’t easy. She was beside the point in this entire conversation.

“Choi Yoon took our side. This alone is encouraging.”

Ji Chun Bae was right.

All media outlets were talking about Jangcheon County all day long. It had been needless worry that interest might quickly fade since it was a protest supporting monsters.

The media focused on the many humans who participated in the protest. In a social atmosphere that viewed monsters as potential criminals or lower class, the will of humans who took to the streets for their monster neighbors seemed to give some kind of inspiration.

Many articles described how humans living in Jangcheon County willingly held up pickets out of concern for the rights of pitiful monsters. Between those lines, Kim Tae Rin sensed an imbalance of power.

Sitting among the neighbors who had finished their meal, peeling fruit and searching the internet together, they huddled close to watch the 9 o’clock news as well. There was no media that treated humans and monsters equally.

However, just having the protest exposed in the media was a big achievement. The neighbors tried to remain cautious but couldn’t hide their joy.

Hope gently swelled that this long fight might finally see the light.

“Maybe we won’t have to gather at the county office soon.”

“That’s a relief. Now we can get some work done too. The fields are a mess.”

“We don’t know how the situation will change from now on, so let’s keep watching and moving.”

“Tae Rin, you must have had a hard time packing lunchboxes all this time? You worked hard.”

The weather turned bad as she saw the guests off. The sky was heavy with rain clouds, pregnant with rain.

She locked the gate. She hung up the closed sign.

A typhoon was coming.