The Serpent's Demand
In this world, coincidence took the form of that voice, that presence, and the talisman-wielding bastard. I wasn't sure if Lee Han was his real name, but he was definitely the one I had been hunting.
"As expected, he contracted with Gangcheori."
I steadied my energy. Mixed feelings had washed over me when the bastard glided down atop a single talisman from above Gangcheori's head, but because of that contract, attacking him right now would bring Gangcheori down on me.
"Unfortunately we weren't able to exchange proper greetings three days ago. As I mentioned earlier, my name is Lee Han."
"...If you're a terrorist, just state your demands."
"Not having a blade flying at my throat is already tremendous progress. Before I get straight to the point, I'd like to meet the person in charge here."
That was obviously impossible. There was no guarantee he wouldn't attack the moment he met someone—just as I had done to him—and the old man was a civilian. In the end, the only thing I could offer Lee Han was silence.
Yet Lee Han sat down cross-legged right in front of me, as if he'd anticipated exactly this. The bastard clearly planned to camp out here until someone arrived to negotiate.
Then he stared at me with an odd glint in his eyes and a peculiar expression.
"Don't you find it strange? Until two months ago you possessed strength that let you stand above others regardless of rank or command."
"Sorry, but I preferred my old life. It was bleak after my parents died, sure, but it was peaceful."
And Dohwa had been living healthily, untouched by the sickness.
"There are those who feel differently."
"So you're selling drugs because you feel sorry for yourself?"
Even then, this crossed every line. While plenty of Awakened had turned to violence against powerful figures they resented, this was nothing more than venting rage on innocent people who had nothing to do with their grudges.
"Personal revenge. That's acceptable. But for the greater cause, it can be set aside for a while."
"...How old are you?"
"I've lived long enough to see my great-granddaughter."
Whether this new body couldn't cure his senility, whether a severely delayed case of chuunibyou had finally erupted, or whether he was simply lying, at least I confirmed that his way of thinking was far from normal.
And then I saw a sight that made me doubt my own eyes.
"Sorry I'm late. I am Director Kim Moon-mok, GP chief with full authority delegated over border special operations."
"A director who still runs his own operations in times like these? Not bad at all."
-Whoosh!
Suddenly Gangcheori was engulfed in flames unlike anything we'd seen before. Everyone, including me, tensed immediately. A trap after all?
"Haha, no need to be so nervous."
Lee Han stood up, laughing as though something delighted him immensely. The moment he turned his gaze back to Gangcheori—if I wasn't seeing things—
"It's shrinking?"
It really was shrinking. Along with the flames, Gangcheori's massive form was contracting. The shape that had rivaled a giant building grew smaller and smaller as it slowly approached. When it finally reached human size, the fire died away, and a red-haired woman walked toward us.
Her eyes were exactly like a snake's.
"Wow! So it could transform into a human too?!"
The GP Director let out a gasp of admiration. I was stunned as well. Monsters disguising themselves as humans was common enough. Most lingered in unpleasant valleys and were quickly seen through, but high-level monsters wielded sophisticated sorcery that let them take the form of beautiful humans far beyond ordinary people.
Yet Gangcheori was a rage-maddened creature. Its mind was filled with the single thought of destroying everything rather than resorting to such tricks. I hadn't even known it was capable of this.
"Hehehe. How adorable, reacting to every little trick like that. Lee Han, you could stand to learn a thing or two."
"...Bullshit."
At least I now knew their relationship wasn't particularly close. He used perfectly polite speech toward me, his enemy, yet had no qualms about speaking crudely to his own contractor.
Still, the people needed for the deal had now gathered. My role was simple: make sure the GP Director didn't die.
I rose to my feet, gripping the bandaged sword that served in place of a scabbard.
"I'll speak plainly. The moment I ascend, make every human in this country call me a dragon. Do that, and we can avoid any unnecessary fighting between us."
Goosebumps erupted across my skin the instant I heard those words. Whatever the method, it meant Gangcheori had a way to become a dragon.
Slurp!
Turning dislike into fondness wasn't actually that difficult. When you treated someone well and they showed genuine gratitude and enjoyment, it was only natural to warm up to them in return. The old man followed the textbook example—exactly how one should eat at someone else's house so the host feels good about it.
"Thank you, thank you. Thanks to your kindness, this old man has gained the strength to keep going."
The old man wiped his mouth as he spoke. In truth he'd only been served instant noodles and a bowl of rice, yet he looked thoroughly satisfied. He took out a Monggeukhwa blossom, intending to give it to Dohwa, but—
"Oh dear."
"Zzz..."
By the time the old man looked for her, Dohwa was already sprawled on the sofa, lost in dreamland. He smiled kindly and placed the blossom gently beside her head.
"Now will you tell me? What exactly you know."
Yu Seong emerged from the café kitchen, her voice laced with wariness. She walked slowly and sat down across from the old man.
The old man began his story with eyes that seemed to carry a trace of nostalgia.
"The origin of this flower goes back to a time when nightmares spread across the world due to a god's cruel prank. Unable to bear it, Jogwangshin caused these flowers to bloom."
"...I have so many more questions, but fine. Let's start with the flower."
Yu Seong's curiosity lay beyond the blossom itself, but she judged that persuading this stubborn old man with her usual approach would be difficult.
"So humans could easily find them and prepare against nightmares. They grow in sunny spots and at night release the yang energy absorbed from sunlight, glowing on their own. Placed beside the bed like this, they prevent nightmares."
Yu Seong glanced at the Monggeukhwa beside Dohwa's head. The child's utterly peaceful expression lent credibility to the old man's words.
"Since he had already begun interfering with dreams, he decided to bestow further grace. Once the flower bloomed, what would come next? The fruit, of course. Eating just one allows you to have wonderful dreams. But... that was the problem."
"Why? Driving away nightmares and letting people have good dreams sounds like a good thing, doesn't it?"
"He made it too well. Whenever anything unpleasant happened, humans began eating the fruit of the Monggeukhwa. Once, twice, and eventually ten times a day. People started living inside dreams instead of reality. They would simply fall asleep and starve to death with increasing frequency."
"It sounds like it was simply too much for humans."
"No. Jogwangshin was simply foolish. He didn't consider the future. Once he realized the problem, he placed a curse on his own creation. But the god who had originally inflicted nightmares on humanity twisted that curse, strengthening the fruit's power. In the end, to remind everyone of past mistakes, the fruit was named the Dream-Soul Play Fruit."
"What?"
Yu Seong's mind went blank at that final word. The very thing her master had warned her about so fiercely was sitting right beside the head of the child she was supposed to protect.
"Don't worry. The fruit only shows its worrying effects once it has ripened. While it's still a flower, it drives away nightmares just as I said."
"Even so, I have to report this. Because of that thing, the police and my master went through so much... Wait. Why do you even have it in the first place? Don't tell me you're the one who—"
"I was simply sitting in a dark alley, looking at a flower that had bloomed there."
"You're saying it's a coincidence? That we happened to pass by right when you were looking at the flower?"
Yu Seong refused to believe it was coincidence. The timing was far too convenient.
"No. It is inevitable. Fate decided it so."
The old man denied coincidence. He went further, calling it fate. Nonsense. He was claiming something as absurd as destiny. Yet in this world, the concept of absurdity no longer functioned properly. Imagination and illusion had become reality and now threatened people. An ominous premonition flashed through her mind that fate, too, might have become real.
"Well then, I should be going. I'd like to stay longer, but the young lady is rather sharp, haha!"
"Wait! I still have more questions—!"
Yu Seong jumped up in a panic, but after a single blink the only thing left was an empty ramen bowl.
"I refuse."
"...So you wish to die."
The initial offer had been rejected. I was ready to draw my sword at any moment, and the people behind me would have prepared to catch the GP Director if I pulled him back.
"In the first place, this is an issue even the president couldn't take responsibility for."
"Wasn't that man supposed to be a king?"
"It's different from being a king. No matter how much power one holds, one cannot defy the justification written into the constitution. This contract would be impossible no matter which human on this Earth came forward. A president is simply someone who represents the citizens."
"So it's not a top-down command structure but one that rises from below. But that's idealism, not reality."
"Yet it is the proper way. This contract cannot be established at all."
"But Changcheon may judge differently. I've changed my mind. Bring that president before me."
"More nonsense."
"Then it seems only battle remains... Do you think you can handle it? I already know you people are nothing but puppets with internal energy."
"Then can you withstand a barrage of 155mm shells coated in mana? If I die, every piece of firepower this nation possesses will converge on this spot."
I refused to back down. Neither side had any reason to yield. I'd bought enough time. The shells were ready for immediate use, and combat helicopters armed with ki-coated armor-piercing rounds circled overhead. Preparations were perfect, and many had already resolved themselves to die.
But something felt off. It seemed as though Gangcheori was deliberately changing the subject to stall for time.
"Now that I think about it, I'm curious about the current time."
Gangcheori asked with feigned nonchalance. The real problem was that the faint killing intent that had been radiating until moments ago had suddenly vanished.
"...Ten minutes until midnight."
Unease prickled down my spine. It felt exactly as if Gangcheori had been waiting for midnight to arrive.