**Chapter 152. Those Looking for Jin Seo-woon.**
"Thank God!" A thin, middle-aged white woman emerged from the underground shelter, dropped to her knees, looked up at the sky, and began to sob.
People streamed out of the shelter behind her; although they squinted at the bright sun they'd seen in so long, their faces were filled with relief and tears were flowing. After more than 40 days of enduring death threats in the shelter, the survivors were finally savoring the satisfaction of survival.
As Seo-woon watched people emerge from the shelter with a heavy expression, a strange man in a black suit approached him and spoke. "I'm sorry. We haven't been able to confirm your aunt's family is in this shelter yet."
The blonde stranger spoke Korean fluently, as if it were his native tongue, but Seo-woon didn't have the energy to realize how unusual it was. At that moment, the man glanced at Seo-woon's somber expression and answered his ringing cell phone.
As he stepped aside to take the call, his expression gradually brightened. "Seo-woon! I found your aunt's family! They just left Shelter 9!"
Hearing the man's words, Seo-woon and his group hurried off with him. Inevitably attracting the attention of the ordinary people swarming the streets of downtown Los Angeles, they began climbing the outer walls of buildings, as running on foot was faster given the traffic congestion and chaotic road conditions.
After running for a while, they saw ordinary people gathered in an area where emergency vehicles had cleared the way for ambulances and fire trucks. Seo-woon's heart sank as he saw the flames rising around him and the bloodied people lying on the ground.
The agent guiding him must have sensed Seo-woon's unease, because he gasped for air and began to reassure him. "It's okay. Oh man… We've confirmed your aunt's family is safe.
Oh man." The man, who had exhausted his strength and drank synthetic energy concentrate as he ran, was surprised to see Seo-woon and his group following behind without breaking a sweat. Seo-woon found the man's pace frustratingly slow, but he knew he was pushing himself to the limit so he didn't say anything.
A few agents in suits recognized the agent running ahead and waved. When he ran over, he saw two young girls who looked like high school students and a middle-aged woman who looked exactly like his aunt sitting on the ground. Seeing the blackened blood on her clothes that looked like they had been worn for a long time, Seo-woon widened his eyes and approached his aunt.
"Are you okay?!"
His aunt looked at the young man who had suddenly approached her with a roll of paper in hand and asked if she was okay, a face full of surprise.
"Are you… Seo-woon?" His aunt, whom he had only seen once when he was young, was a successful and beautiful woman living in the United States. Coming with his uncle, she looked very different now from her elegantly dressed aunt, laden with much-desired gifts.
"Yes, I'm Seo-woon. Were you hurt very badly?"
"How did you get here…?"
Behind his slightly confused aunt, Seo-woon saw some men who looked surprised, as if they hadn't mentioned him to her yet. He carefully examined her blood-covered arm and looked at Seo-woon, who was holding her hand tightly.
"I'm fine. You must be surprised to see me like this." He glanced at his aunt and realized the blood wasn't her own. Only then did Seo-woon turn his gaze to his two cousins sitting next to her. Aside from some bruises on her elbows and knees, she didn't appear to be seriously injured.
"You're Jeong-eun and Go-eun, right?" The two girls nodded, having never met their cousin before.
"But… your uncle…"
Seo-woon couldn't finish the sentence. As soon as the word "uncle" was uttered, all three people's expressions suddenly darkened. Instead of asking the three of them any further questions, Seo-woon turned his gaze to the agents standing behind them, and the man guiding Seo-woon began to speak rapidly. "
He's being treated at a nearby emergency room… I think there was a mistake in the report. He was trapped under the rubble that collapsed during the evacuation…"
"What do you mean?" Seo-woon interrupted the man, asking, and the man tried to rush forward.
– Snap! However, Seo-woon grabbed the man by the back of the neck and handed him the tablet he'd taken earlier. "
Just take a photo of the address." At his words, the man took a picture of the address in surprise. "Please take care of my aunt and my siblings. With the road conditions like these… take them to the emergency room."
After he finished speaking, Seo-woon and his friends began to speed away from the crowded city. The three women stared in surprise after the group, who suddenly disappeared from sight, climbing up the outer walls of the buildings as if they were flying.
***
As soon as they arrived at the emergency room, the staff waiting at the entrance recognized Seo-woon and approached him. "We'll guide you."
Patients were pouring into the hospital, and the hallways and parking lot were overflowing with people. The man led Seo-woon through the chaos to a small hospital room where four patients were crammed together.
In one corner of the room, a small, unconscious Asian man with a bandage on his head caught Seo-woon's attention. Although he'd only seen it once in his life, he was certain it was his uncle.
Seo-woon approached the man, his eyebrows furrowed. Blood was seeping from the bandage on his head. Seeing this, the man finally shouted, "Doctor!" and rushed out.
After the man left, Seo-woon saw a ribbon tied around his uncle's arm. A red ribbon and a black ribbon were tied together. Seo-woon hurriedly pulled a healing scroll from his pocket, forced it into his uncle's hand, and began tearing it apart. Only after he had torn through all five scrolls did his uncle's breathing return. Seeing his uncle slowly open his eyes, Seo-woon hurriedly began to speak.
"Are you…" Before he could finish, the young doctor the man had brought in stepped in front of Seo-woon and shined a medical flashlight into his uncle's eyes. The two men spoke in English.
After briefly checking his condition, the doctor nodded, untied the black ribbon tied around his uncle's arm, and left the room. The agent who had brought the doctor looked surprised and tried to grab him again, but Seo-woon grabbed his shoulder.
Seo-woon nodded to the agent, who turned to him, and began to speak. "There are too many patients here. We can't stop them." The man blushed at Seo-woon's words and bowed his head.
"Uncle. Are you awake? I'm Seo-woon."
"Seo-woon… Seo-woon?!
Is that Seo-woon?"
"Yeah. How are you feeling?"
"I… I think I'm fine. But how did you get here… More importantly, how are your aunt and cousins? Are they okay?"
Seo-woon stopped his agitated uncle from getting out of bed and spoke. "Just lie down. Everyone's safe. They're coming this way."
Seo-woon quietly left the hospital after watching his aunt and cousins reunite, hugging and crying after arriving late to the emergency room. For now, he could breathe a sigh of relief, knowing his aunt's family was safe. Juriell quickly called Seo-woon's mother to report the situation. Seo-woon took out his headphones and put them in his ears.
"Are you still there?"
– Yes! Go ahead and talk.
"Is the commander still there?"
– Yes, right here.
"How about using all the healing scrolls? From what I've seen in the emergency room, patients in critical condition… unfortunately get the same treatment as those who passed away. I understand. The number of doctors who can operate is limited, and a large number of patients will arrive at any moment. We have to save those who can be saved."
– …Okay. After a short silence, Seo-woon nodded at the answer and handed the headphones to the man.
When he walked back in, his aunt and family seemed to have calmed down a bit and asked him about their situation. "So, did you make it this far?"
"Yes. I'm so glad you're safe." Hearing this, his aunt held Seo-woon's hand tightly. "Thank you. Thank you very much."
"No, it's okay."
After saying goodbye to his family, he got permission from the doctor to be discharged. The moment he stepped outside, they got into the car prepared by the agent and headed towards Koreatown, where his aunt lived. Along the way, his aunt and her family looked somber. Every few houses were damaged, and they seemed worried that their own might not be intact either.
"Our family is safe, that's enough." His aunt nodded, holding his uncle's hand tightly as he said these words.
His aunt's house was a small, two-story house. While it looked a little smaller than the others, it didn't look bad. Most of all, it was very lucky that the players survived the battlefield.
"You really grew up very well." Seo-woon didn't know what to say as his aunt held his hand tightly, pulling him into the house. "Come on, everyone." Seo-woon's friends also entered the house with awkward smiles.
While his aunt searched the refrigerator and sink for something to prepare, Seo-woon pulled out the food he had hidden in his pockets. As hot Chinese food and fresh Japanese food began to appear from his bare hands, his aunt and family, ordinary people, stared in amazement.
"This is incredible." Seo-woon smiled at his aunt and uncle, who were also looking in amazement.
– Gurgle. Stomach rumbles were coming from the family members who hadn't been able to eat properly for a month in the shelter.
"Please eat. There's plenty of food." Seo-woon had stocked up on all the food he could find, not knowing how long the game would continue after starting. While eating, Seo-woon answered his younger cousins' curious questions about the player, and time flew by.
"So, are those older sisters your friends? Who's your girlfriend?" Jeong-eun's cheeky question was met with a slap from her aunt. "Don't ask such personal questions." Even as she said this, she looked back and forth curiously between the two women.
"We're both going to marry Seo-woon." Juriell's answer left all four of them speechless for a moment.
"Korea is a polygamous society?!"
"Wow, you're amazing!" Seo-woon blushed at his two cousins words and quickly changed the subject. "Isn't it a bit noisy outside?"
"Huh? I can't hear anything." The family members looked at each other with confused expressions and tried to look outside, but Ki-chan spoke up. "It was definitely noisy before. It sounds like people are gathering." With his sensitive hearing, it was impossible not to hear the commotion outside.
"What?! Really! There are cameras and broadcasters everywhere! Even RNA Broadcasting is here!" Hearing Jungeun's words, who had rushed to the window, Seo-woon's expression began to harden.
With all the victims, it was impossible for the reporters to have come specifically to look for his aunt's family. If they had come this far, they were most likely looking for him.
His younger sisters were chattering excitedly as they watched the people running outside, but Seo-woon was in a difficult position. "We have to leave quietly." He nodded at Ki-chan, who had said this, as the commotion outside intensified.
***
"Don't push! We have the right to report!" A dozen black-suited agents suddenly appeared and began pushing the reporters away, and one of the reporters shouted angrily.
"You're trespassing on private property."
"Stop pushing! This is a pedestrian walkway!" One of the men who had been pushing the reporters gathered in the front yard back onto the walkway stepped forward and spoke. "I don't know how you found out, but there are disaster victims in this house. They need mental calm. Please go home."
"We're dealing with the player who came from Korea. We heard that you stopped a meteor from falling in Beverly Hills. Is that true?"
"There are also rumors that the meteor was magic. Is that true?" The man maintained a consistent stance when faced with the barrage of questions. "I have nothing to say right now."
"Many witnesses saw the government launch an interceptor missile. Videos from that time are constantly being uploaded online. Can you comment on why the government knew a meteor had fallen but didn't inform the citizens and evacuees of Beverly Hills?"
"I have nothing to say." The man behind him remained silent as the questions continued to rain down.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Seo-woon appeared. Reporters ran towards him, their cameras flashing. But the men blocking them didn't move an inch and didn't let them get any closer.
"If you have questions, just ask them quickly and leave. There are people here who need to calm down." When Seo-woon appeared wearing the mask Lee Ling-wei had given him, the agent in front of him translated his words, and questions began to pour in from all directions. Naturally, Seo-woon, who had never spoken English before, waited for his agent to translate.
"They're asking why you're covering your face."
"I don't want my face to be recognized."
"They're asking if you're the hero who saved Beverly Hills."
"I helped, but I didn't do everything by myself. Please translate." He diligently answered the questions for about five minutes, but the reporters' questions seemed endless.
"Tell them to stop. They're harassing the people who live here." Even though his words were being translated, the reporters didn't move and continued asking their own questions. Anger began to cross Seo-woon's face, and he crumpled the paper behind him.
"You seem desperate to find a hero. If I'm the hero you think I am, shouldn't you treat me better than that?" The noisy room fell silent as his words were translated. "It's true that I risked my life to prevent loss of life. But does this interview force me to talk about the harm done to my family?"
"But we have to tell the public truthfully what happened…"
"If you have something to explain, then explain it. Don't harm others just to make money from a story. You want heroes? Go out into the city now. Countless firefighters there are working tirelessly, shedding their blood and sweat to save lives."
The reporter blushed, arguing with Seo-woon's words. "Those who dutifully go into a dangerous battlefield and risk their lives to save others—those are the heroes you're looking for.
Why? Because they're always there, so you think they won't make the headlines? 'A foreign-born hero who saved America'—that'll sell well, right? The death toll hasn't even been confirmed yet. Do you really think creating heroes is information the public needs to know?"
The reporters couldn't say a word at the sound of his cold voice.
"Enough, get out of here. By the way, this person you're talking to isn't the kind of hero you want. He has the power and immunity to use force to the point of hospitalizing you if you bother him."
The moment he said that, a powerful aura of violence emanated from Seo-woon. The reporters and cameramen trying to get in suddenly backed away from Seo-woon. No one dared approach him; they were gripped by a primal fear that couldn't be described as just a shiver.
After pushing them away and entering the building, Seo-woon heard several reporters grimace and mutter to themselves. One of the agents couldn't help but step forward.
"As you guessed, this man is the one who saved Beverly Hills. Without him, we wouldn't have been able to prevent tens of thousands of additional losses. Like him or not, he's an American hero. At least show him some respect. If you're American."
The agent took off his sunglasses and said this as the reporter grumbled and stepped forward, and the reporter nodded and sat down on the ground.
***
Two days after the game ended and Seo-woon found his aunt's family, he decided to leave Los Angeles. His aunt and family were sad, but it was time for him to return.
"I'll bring you to Korea soon."
"Okay. Stay healthy. I'll come visit you soon."
"Oppa! Have a safe trip! We'll be coming to Korea for the holidays too!"
"If you get married by then, be sure to invite us!" Seo-woon smiled at his two mischievous sisters' words and left Los Angeles.
As they boarded the charter plane to Korea, Karina, who was waiting inside, greeted the group. "Well done."
"Yeah. There were some very dangerous moments." As soon as he finished speaking, Seo-woon lay down on the couch, and Karina, who had sat down next to him, glanced between the group and Seo-woon, saying, "As a result of this incident, the United States has granted Seo-woon, his group, and their families honorary citizenship, allowing them to freely enter and exit the country at will."
"But how often will we have a reason to go to the United States?"
"In addition, among the items the assistant recovered, three items that could have been purchased with their money were purchased at an incredibly high price. Ten times their normal market value. Perhaps that's the extent of the goodwill shown by the United States."
"How much is it?"
"About 90 million dollars."
"90 million… 90 billion won?"
"Yes. The money has been deposited in foreign currency into your four accounts." After he finished speaking, he waited a moment for the plane to take off and then pushed the tablet toward Seo-woon. Seeing the video playing on the tablet, Seo-woon's face lit up with joy.
"They're safe!" Ki-chan said. Lee Ling-wei and Juriell also gathered around Seo-woon and smiled at the man on screen.
"I'm glad we did."
"Yes, we did."
"I was so worried when they took the children with them." Seo-woon raised his voice, and the audio from the video became clearer.
"So, you had help from that Asian player."
"Yes. He took care to prevent the bad players from noticing us until the very end. Not only that, he also gave us these items to help with the rescue operation. I later learned that these items were quite expensive."
"Oh, what effect did these items have?"
"They usually increase strength. These items allow you to easily surpass human strength, and thanks to them, we could handle many difficult rescue situations without any problems."
"Were you thrown into the disaster area with a sense of duty and mission without any protection?"
"I never even thought about that. I received a report that the children were trapped, and he happened to be in this location. I believe all the firefighters who helped with me felt the same way."
"I understand." Going back to the beginning, the Asian actor who provided significant assistance in this case is rumored to be a Korean player named Seo woo-jin.
Here's a photo of him from his school days. Is this the same person?
The firefighter, looking at the photo, frowned and said. "I can't answer that. There must be a reason why he hasn't revealed his identity. If this person has been so helpful in this situation, we must respect his privacy."
"I understand. Any final words?"
"I'm trying to find a way to return these items. If there's anyone in the government connected to him, please help me return these items to him."
After watching the video, Seo-woon handed Karina the tablet and said angrily, "Has his identity been compromised already?"
"Yes. The US government thinks the information was leaked from the inside, so they're investigating thoroughly. They said they'll be able to find the leak soon. By the way, this video was uploaded to YouTube and received over 20 million views in 12 hours."
"This is starting to get annoying." Karina smiled at Seo-woon's words and replied, "Everyone in the world already knows you."
"Are those who know privately the same as those who know publicly?"
"But your image is quite good. There are quite positive comments about the video, especially in the US and Europe. Even a small number of Koreans seem to be quite proud after watching it."
"Whatever. The appearance can always be changed. Just be careful not to leak the personal information of the team members."
"Yeah! I've already made sure to be extra careful, so don't worry."
This was when Seo-woon's influence began to grow. In the United States, the video of him saving tens of thousands of lives, rising into the sky like a meteor, and exploding the meteor has racked up hundreds of millions of views on YouTube in just a few days.
Furthermore, videos of Seo-woon and his entourage wandering around Beverly Hills were occasionally uploaded, but they were quickly blocked. The comments under the video were mostly critical.
"Are you trying to make money by posting unwanted images of a hero? Are you crazy?"
"He said he didn't want it, so you want to infringe on his image and get sued?"
"The person who uploaded this video is finished."
"Go to jail. Knock, knock."
As the firefighter's interview spread, negative perceptions of Jin Seo-woon's face being revealed began to spread in the United States. This trend intensified when a video of Seo-woon wearing a mask and speaking coldly was leaked.
Furthermore, the area where Seo-woon stopped the meteor was renamed Seo-woon Park, and videos of children receiving first aid sending messages of gratitude began to spread, starting a trend of "Thank you Su-Won" videos.
Even famous Hollywood actors joined in, sending videos expressing their gratitude to Seo-woon, which spread beyond the United States to Europe and Asia.
A week after Seo-woon returned to Korea, the entire world and South Korea were ablaze with excitement about the player known as Jin Seo-woon.
*