Lingering Attachments I Could Not Discard and a New Beginning
"Confirmed the extermination of the Gwerieoknanshin. It looks like the local guardian spirits will be cleaned up soon as well."
"See? Ha Dowol eliminated Gangcheori with the help of Changcheon Amgui's scales. Jogwangshin's intervention and selection. And the placement of the monsters that Gangcheori lured and subjugated—oops, I should call them youkai now. Anyway, even their deployment... Now will you trust me?"
"If you had provided the personal information of those sacrificed to Lee Han, it would have built more trust. One more thing: Lee Han's current location as well. Hmm... I heard that in the Gilded Jade World, they use nicknames instead of names. Do you do the same?"
President Kim Samhyeon asked quietly. Yet beneath his calm exterior, his mind churned with shock and confusion. He wore the iron mask of duty, the obligation to carve out the path ahead, and faced the boy before him.
"Well, do as you please. Using a nickname also carries the meaning of a fresh start. But I prefer my real name, Seo Yulchan. To begin with, the nickname I chose was rather ridiculous. Ah, it's unfortunate, but I couldn't see any information about the people killed by Lee Han. The light known as Kim Yuseong shone so brightly that everything around her simply faded."
"Huh, is that so?"
Kim Samhyeon found himself at a loss for words twice over. First, the tone that casually spoke of abandoning the followers who had sought a new beginning by joining him as guild master. Second, the way he dismissed those who had faded as if they were of little importance. Above all, he wondered why this person had arranged a private meeting after offering the neutral and moderate factions of the Gilded Jade World to the front lines in exchange for his own surrender.
"Enough preamble. Let's get to the main point. If you saw the future, why did you occupy the city alongside the radicals? If you can see the future, you wouldn't have done anything so foolish. You could have made a deal with me, just as Ha Dowol did. And please spare me the boring excuse that you didn't know the future would change."
"Hehe. Hahaha."
At President Kim Samhyeon's piercing question, Seo Yulchan—the guild master of Gilded Jade World—laughed as though something inside him had come unhinged.
"If I had told you what would happen and prevented it in advance, you would surely have trusted me."
"Yes, that's true. A simple warning from you could have saved so many lives."
In the span of two months, too many disasters had erupted at once. Knowing where the next one would strike would have been an overwhelming advantage. Far more citizens could have kept their lives and their property.
"It's a boring story, but the future does change. It hasn't changed yet, but it certainly can."
"I told you to get to the main point."
"Do not trust me—do not trust us prophets, or any human who can only glimpse fragments of the future—too much. Always stay vigilant. Always doubt. No matter how desperate reality becomes, humans must rise with strength."
With those words, Seo Yulchan clenched his fists and thrust out his joined wrists.
"Are you telling me you caused all this chaos simply to say that?"
Kim Samhyeon came within a breath of exploding in fury. When he thought of how much manpower had been tied down by the Gilded Jade World's actions, his teeth ground together. The nation had stood on the brink of collapse.
"But that little prank ends here. Take him away."
The bodyguard waiting behind him lifted a large metal restraint blade. When it opened like scissors, the wrist slots glowed blue. It was a magic-based manacle.
"Well, since you traded with lesser ghosts to gain knowledge, I suppose you would have something like this."
Clack.
The restraint locked into place. Given the vast difference in power between creator and wearer, and without any separate safeguard, Seo Yulchan was now thoroughly subdued.
"From now on you will be monitored twenty-four hours a day. Your basic rights will be restricted, and the Awakened who followed you will be assigned to border guard duty to protect the country rather than sent to prison."
Of course, their personal wishes would barely be considered.
"......I am now completely subdued. Therefore, I have a confidential message for Your Excellency the President."
The bodyguard's gaze turned icy as he seized Seo Yulchan's forearm, silently pressing that such audacity would not be permitted.
"Let me hear it."
Kim Samhyeon was not so faint-hearted that he would fear a restrained Awakened. Yet as Seo Yulchan's whisper continued in his ear, his pupils trembled violently.
"......"
"Then I shall take my leave. Beneath the shining achievements that no one knows about. Under that very lamp... lies a choice that can change the future. And while I said the future can be changed, there are things that will not shift through mere human decisions."
One of the bodyguards led Seo Yulchan away. For a long while Kim Samhyeon remained seated, turning over the faint whisper that still echoed in his ear.
"To our fallen comrades and to those of us who will rise in the days ahead!"
"To us!!!"
The GP commander stood on the podium, raising a glass of chilled soju high as he delivered the toast. The Awakened and soldiers who had fought beside him on the front lines lifted their own glasses in unison. Yuseong, placed in the most visible seat, received her drink as well. Broadcasters who had rushed up from Seoul were frantically filming and transmitting the scene nationwide. They had to deliver the joyous news to every citizen: the colossal enemy called Gangcheori, who had blocked the nation's future, and the troublesome Gilded Jade World had vanished at the same time.
I did not sit upon that podium. Although Yuseong had treated my wounds, the internal injuries had not fully healed and I had exhausted my qi to the very bottom. So I remained in the container being used as an infirmary, content to open the window and savor the festival from afar.
"Omnyomnyom♪"
"Eat slowly. There's plenty of food."
"Yes~! I'll chew each bite properly! Hyeonro, you chew properly too."
"Meow."
The simple fact that I could be in this makeshift hospital room with Dohwa filled me with joy that she was finally living a normal life. I would have to repay the pigeons who had brought her later.
And the Yin-Cold Body. It was a constitution one could be born with or acquire later, caught between illness and curse. The former allowed survival if one possessed an innate sense for yin energy and could learn martial arts to control it. The latter, however, was simply a disease that devoured the body, no different from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians in classic wuxia novels.
But even that was over now. The deal with the president would proceed. My part was finished, and the conditions were not overly difficult, so the transaction would not collapse.
"Dohwa, when you start kindergarten..."
When that began, what would happen? Youkai were not limited in number. They could appear for any number of reasons and in any shape. There was no guarantee that another Gwerieoknanshin like Gangcheori would not emerge.
I was one of the nation's highest combat assets. There would be many tasks that required me. I would have to leave home—and quite frequently. Now that Yuseong had become the Divine Maiden, she too would often stand on official platforms or battlefields.
That meant Dohwa would be left alone.
It was not that the world needed us and so we went out. We fought for our own survival. There was no time for play. People often said that living diligently was part of my values, but in this world, failing to be diligent threatened one's very existence.
If only there were one more person we could rely on at times like these...
Dowol? Hmm... Are all Korean names like this? Ah, I'm Jincheon. I'm simply curious about how real kendo is practiced. Don't mind me—please continue.
Huh? This voice... Dowol? Ah, this is the first time I've seen your bare face... I actually have a few questions. I'll treat you to tea in return.
That's right. The official reason is studying abroad, but I really came to play. The main family is so stiff-necked and always requires such rigid posture that it felt suffocating.
Dowol, did you know? Only when I'm beside you can I talk so comfortably about game stories and all sorts of fun things.
Memories of Jincheon rose unbidden. I had been foolish. To her, I had been the only sanctuary, yet back then I had wished she would show a little more effort. That had been wrong of me.
Uhehe~ Dowol. Come quickly to my nest. It's a bit messy, but... Oh, there's a cockroach.
Ah, what is that daoist bastard doing! If you're going to act like that, at least change the character's dick!
Ah, now that I think about it, I haven't washed since I met you... It's been four days. Yeah, four days.
Then... had it been wrong? No. Even now, I still wanted to correct that ultimate laziness and sloth just a little. Yet Jincheon still remained in my heart. No matter how hard I tried to discard the lingering attachment, Jincheon's smile kept flickering before my eyes. Even the dignified, lady-like face she wore when expressionless refused to fade.
"Yes. When you start kindergarten, I'll bring Sister Jincheon."
"Sister is coming? Wowaaaa!"
Dohwa cheered because she only held good memories of Jincheon. The question was whether Jincheon would accept someone like me now... but I intended to try.
Knock. Knock.
"Young master... I apologize."
From the door of the wide, luxurious executive office laid with red carpet, a voice accompanied the knock. The man who immediately sensed his verbal slip bowed his head even though he remained outside the door.
"I'm confused myself, so how much more so must you all be? You're more used to it anyway, so it's fine. Just don't do it in front of Father. Come in and make your report."
The door opened. A giant in a suit, a knife scar across his face, entered and approached the figure working at the executive desk. She was an expressionless woman, and for that very reason her features appeared sharp and dignified.
"We have identified the person who was investigating the young master."
The beauty addressed as young master paused mid-motion. She froze every action, only her eyes shifting to regard the giant.
"Handle it among yourselves. If it's nothing serious, do not kill him."
The young master showed no further interest. Even while dealing with this matter, work had piled up like a mountain. There was simply no time to spare on someone running a background check.
"...It does not appear to be simple. The man is a Korean diplomat. Moreover, he is connected to a high-ranking official at the director level. What is even more peculiar... he showed no interest in any other information about the young master and only confirmed that you were alive."
Tap.
The young master set down the pen. The report was strange no matter how one heard it, and she sensed that events were taking an odd turn.
"And the boss is calling for you. It seems to concern information on the Gwerieoknanshin captured in Korea."
"No. There is no need to go."
At the dignified voice coming from beyond the door, the giant flinched and looked back. There stood Jin Heon, the boss of the Oryonghoe whom he served. For some reason the man had come all the way here. The giant bowed deeply and respectfully toward Jin Heon.
"It is awkward to speak here, so follow me, Jincheon."