Jeong Gi-hoon's Intent
“What the hell is he doing?”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, that’s Jeong Gi-hoon.”
“Oh, right. But why’d he go out there? Isn’t he against the pro-Japanese faction?”
“Yeah. Even so, he didn’t strike me as the type to risk his life for saving people.”
Just then, Si-yeon emerged from the gate carrying something, glanced at the TV, and spoke up.
“Isn’t that Deoksugung Palace?”
“Hm?”
It was Deoksugung Palace, one of the ancient palaces located in the area where the gate was expanding. Not far from the plaza in front of City Hall.
And it looked like Jeong Gi-hoon had stepped forward not to save people, but to protect Deoksugung Palace.
At that moment, his voice shouting from the TV reached them.
Grand Lord Jeong Gi-hoon! I have no intention of stopping your revenge. But this place is one we’ll stake our lives to defend. If it expands this way, our grand territory will throw everything into blocking you!
Seon-woo watched the scene with utter disbelief.
“And just like that, the gate changed its expansion direction...?”
He was spot on. The gate halted its expansion toward Deoksugung Palace and began spreading in another direction instead.
Jeong Gi-hoon stood motionless in front of Deoksugung Palace, like a gatekeeper on eternal watch.
“Should we praise him for that?”
At Si-yeon’s words, I paused to think.
Jeong Gi-hoon knew more than I did. And what he’d chosen to protect wasn’t lives—it was Deoksugung Palace.
So why go to such lengths for it? Because he was a descendant of independence fighters? Sure, that could be part of it.
But was that really all? I doubted it.
One hypothesis, though, made his actions click into place.
“Does that mean mutated gates can’t be reversed, no matter what?”
“Huh? You mean it won’t go back to normal?”
“Otherwise, why would Jeong Gi-hoon risk his neck like that?”
Si-yeon looked at me curiously.
“Why? Is Deoksugung Palace that valuable? I get it’s a cultural asset, but worth staking your life on?”
I knew Deoksugung Palace had originally been called Gyeongung Palace, renamed during King Gojong’s reign. A historic palace built in the mid-Joseon era, its cultural value was immeasurable.
But in this day and age, for Jeong Gi-hoon to risk his life over it? If the gate swallowed it and it vanished, that’d be tragic, sure. But something felt off.
“There’s something there. Something’s up.”
Seon-woo stated it flatly.
“Maybe he’s just doing it because he’s a descendant of independence fighters?”
Seon-woo shook his head at Si-yeon’s suggestion.
“He’s a chaebol first. You don’t know what they’re like, but those types don’t risk their lives for stuff like that.”
I agreed with him. This was weird. Why stake his life on Deoksugung Palace?
“Hoya, you know why, right?”
Nyaaang!
Nyaang! Nyaang-nyaang!
“Even you don’t know everything? And you know even less about this neighborhood? Yeah, that tracks.”
Seon-woo, watching Hoya and me, asked,
“You really understand what Hoya’s saying? Looks like a total act no matter how I slice it.”
“What would a lowly human like you know? Professor Hoya and I aren’t like base creatures like you. We communicate perfectly.”
“I thought you were a psychopath before... now you just seem straight-up insane.”
“Hey!”
“Kukuku, kidding. But that Jeong Gi-hoon out there—he’s got the Observation skill, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So maybe he Observed Deoksugung Palace and saw something.”
I smacked my forehead at Seon-woo’s words.
“Whoa, Seon-woo saying something useful for once. You’re not Seon-woo, are you, asshole?”
“Yeah, doesn’t feel like Seon-woo oppa! Reveal yourself, doppelganger!”
“Doppelganger? Those exist?”
“Who knows? With trolls out there, can’t rule it out.”
Seon-woo shrugged, at a loss for words.
“Si-yeon.”
She turned to me when I called.
“Got any Bat-Man suits ready?”
“I do, but don’t expect much defense. It’s just the shape—I slapped it together.”
“Good enough. Not like I’m fighting. Bring it. And for Hoya...”
The moment I tried dressing Hoya, it vanished right in front of me.
But I knew. Hoya hadn’t left—it was just out of sight, still right there.
“Whoa, you can stealth too?”
Seon-woo asked in shock.
“Holy shit! Actual stealth?”
Nyaaang!
Hoya reappeared suddenly. I hadn’t known because Hoya had never stealthed before. Even my Observation hadn’t fully grasped its skills.
So of course I wouldn’t know until it used it right in front of me.
“Yeah, our Hoya’s the strongest in the universe. Aigoo, so cute.”
I scooped Hoya up and nuzzled it. Seon-woo looked exasperated.
“Hey, ask Hoya to teach me stealth later. Super useful for my ranger knights.”
I nodded and told Si-yeon,
“Hurry and bring it. I gotta check that place out too.”
“Okay.”
Si-yeon’s skills were the real deal. She’d perfectly recreated the Bat-Man suit—specifically, the ultra suit from when he fought that massive alien.
Just looking at it, you’d think slipping it on would let you take on an otherworldly behemoth. That vibe.
“This doesn’t actually match the movie’s performance, right?”
“You saw that movie too, oppa?”
“Watched it with you.”
“Oh, right? Anyway, I’ll make the real thing someday. For now, it’s just the look. Not much mithril, so defense is way below the Iron Man suit.”
“The cape’s Mom’s work?”
“Yeah, troll hide. She said it blocks most bullets.”
“Eh, not like I’ll get shot. That’ll do.”
I quickly suited up. It fit like a custom-tailored suit—made with me in mind from the start.
“Whoa, I made it, but I’m still proud.”
“It’s impressive.”
Seon-woo was impressed too. Watching them, I thought what great siblings they made.
Hell, if Seon-woo were her real brother, they’d get along even better than with me.
“You two make a great pair of siblings.”
“Honestly, Si-yeon feels like a real little sister. This is that classic drama birth secret trope!”
“Stop. Mine ended with ‘found on a bridge.’”
“Kukuku.”
They bantered happily. Watching, I said,
“I’m off.”
“Okay.”
“Come back safe.”
They weren’t worried at all.
Getting to the plaza in front of City Hall wasn’t hard. My physical specs were beyond human, so activating Rush let me outpace most cars.
Luckily, my mana pool was full, so sustaining Rush was easy.
Si-yeon’s attention to detail? Or Mom’s touch? Inside the cape was a cozy spot for Hoya, who curled up like a joey in a kangaroo pouch and dozed off.
Not that it was uneventful. Racing at insane speeds in a Bat-Man suit? Impossible to miss.
Camera shutters clicked everywhere, but I ignored them. Plenty of suit designs left to debut.
After about twenty minutes bounding across rooftops, I neared Deoksugung Palace.
The gate’s expansion seemed done. Maybe it expanded bit by bit once a day.
“Halt.”
Jeong Gi-hoon spotted me and shouted.
I replied calmly,
“You’ll regret blocking me now.”
“You...”
“Step aside. I’m not here to mess with what you’re doing.”
He nodded and backed off. No clash—I entered Deoksugung Palace smoothly.
Inside, an astonishing change hit me immediately.
“Huh?”
I’d kept Rush going the whole way, burning mana. Half left, so no big deal even if trouble brewed—but not ideal.
Yet the moment I entered Deoksugung Palace, mana surged back in like crazy.
That alone told me this wasn’t just any old palace.
“Hoya, you feel it?”
Nyaaang.
Hoya sensed the difference instinctively too.
I activated Observation.
Observation skill used.
Sanctuary discovered.
Sanctuary: Deoksugung Palace. A historic palace of immense significance. Concentrated with history and deep aspirations, it has transformed into a new sanctuary.
◇ Staying in the sanctuary rapidly recovers stamina and mana. Most wounds heal naturally just by being here.
◇ Losing the sanctuary weakens the power of all lords in the area.
Now I understood why Jeong Gi-hoon had staked his life on it.
“As expected of Si-woo-ssi?”
“That’s me.”
He’d sought me out separately, so no point hiding.
“So you’re the Iron Man who showed up in Japan?”
“I’m Bat-Man, though?”
“Different person?”
“Who knows. Don’t feel obligated to spill.”
“Ah, I overstepped. Sorry.”
Clean guy—no lingering bad vibes.
“You saw it?”
“Yeah. Got curious, came to check. Didn’t seem like pure righteousness drove you to save people.”
“Kuk, embarrassing, but true. Can’t argue.”
“Got some questions.”
“I’ll answer what I can.”
“First...”
“Yes.”
“Mutated gate areas—can’t revert to normal?”
“That’s our analysis. US is hush-hush, but it’s happened there. A massive forest popped up in the middle of a desert.”
I recalled news of Koreans planting forests in Mongolia’s deserts out of pocket. But a sudden colossal forest? Only mutation explained it.
“So you stepped up to protect the sanctuary.”
“Of course. Jo Mun-seong deserves death. And anyone helping him too.”
“Figures... Any other sanctuaries besides Deoksugung Palace?”
“Can’t you guess? Korea’s strongest is Gyeongbokgung Palace. And there’s a gate there.”
I hadn’t known about a gate at Gyeongbokgung Palace. I was a bit surprised.