Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Mayor and External Pressure
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Several days had passed.
The Japanese archipelago was abuzz with my name. It was aflame. It spewed fury like Mount Fuji.
It was like a well-crafted variety show.
A reality show that I had planned and starred in, with Korea and Japan as the audience.
[NHK Special Documentary: Shaky Korea-Japan Relations, A City Harboring Criminals]
[Osaka News Emergency Debate: Shock! The True Face of the K-Ninja! How Far Will We Tolerate Korea's Cultural Plunder?]
[TV Tokyo: Undercover Report! Neo Incheon Ninja Town—Is It Truly a Ninja Paradise?]
It was a festival every day.
Sprawled on the sofa in the mayor's office, I munched on potato chips while browsing the portal site.
Since I hadn't responded properly, the Korean media was starting to cast suspicious glances my way.
[Mayor Lee Garam Must Stop His Reckless Actions Harming International Relations]
[Fears of Reignited Korea-Japan Trade Conflict, Business Sector on Edge]
[Emotional Responses Are Taboo—We Must Adhere to Principles of International Law]
A very desirable development. The bigger the controversy, the better. The deeper the conflict, the tastier.
I could almost hear the firewood stacking up neatly for my impeachment.
But why were there still people on my side?
[Hero Daily Front Page: Japan's Anachronistic Interference in Domestic Affairs—Korea Will Not Yield!]
[Column: Why We Must Trust Mayor Lee Garam.]
What the hell! Don't trust me!
[Content: His big picture is aimed at Neo Incheon's future. (Omitted)... Therefore, Mayor Lee Garam's decision this time should be interpreted as a resolve to protect Neo Incheon's sovereignty and the dignity of its citizens, even at the cost of short-term diplomatic friction. His steadfast will to not set a precedent of yielding to unjust external pressure...]
[Reporter: Moon Hyeji]
Damn it, Moon Hyeji, you again!!
There is no big picture! All I see ahead is my own safety, slush funds, and a successful escape—nothing but a tiny picture.
"Mayor."
A cold voice pierced my ears.
"The Ministry of Justice has sent an official cooperation request. This isn't an informal protest—it's an official order routed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice."
Seria thrust a document right in my face.
[Recipient: Mayor of Neo Incheon]
[Sender: Minister of Justice, Republic of Korea]
[Subject: Request for Extradition of A-Rank Villain Pursuant to the International Superpowered Crime Agreement (ISCA)]
"Oh ho."
I sat up on the sofa.
"You've finally come through official channels."
The protest letter from Japan a few days ago had been an informal request.
Naturally, they had wanted to resolve it quietly at first without making a fuss.
Exposing the existence of an ancient assassin clan would be awkward for the Japanese government too.
They must have thought I'd listen if they asked nicely?
Foolish. I'm the type who rebels more when spoken to kindly. You have to be forceful like Seria for me to even consider listening.
I ignored that request and even held a press conference to blow it up.
My "cut open your belly" message seemed to have properly irked the Japanese government across the East Sea.
"Pursuant to Article 3, Paragraph 2 of the International Superpowered Crime Agreement, local autonomous entities must immediately detain and secure the suspect of a villain officially requested by an allied nation."
Seria recited the legal text mechanically.
"In simple terms, it means arrest Mr. Genji and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice."
"Hmm..."
I barely suppressed a rising smirk. I furrowed my brow to feign seriousness.
This was it.
The moment I'd been waiting for.
The bigger the political issue grew, the higher my chances of impeachment.
A local government head defying the central government's legitimate administrative order? How outrageous.
"Ahem. This is a grave matter."
I cleared my throat deliberately to add weight.
"For now... reply that we're reviewing it."
"Are you saying you'll reject the official request?"
Seria's turquoise eyes seemed to pierce right through me.
"Not rejecting. Reviewing. Careful review. I'm a very cautious mayor."
"It just looks like you're throwing a tantrum because you don't want to. Mayor, you are the head of a local autonomous entity under the Republic of Korea. If you fail to perform duties delegated by the central government without just cause, you could be charged with dereliction of duty."
Dereliction of duty! Indictment!
Ah, such sweet words!
"Seria. The law isn't everything."
"In a rule-of-law state, the law is everything. You're making statements like an anarchist right now."
"No! There's something more important than the law! Pride!"
I shot up from my seat. I clenched my fist.
"Have you forgotten what kind of city Neo Incheon is? This isn't just some provincial town! Neo Incheon is!"
Now came the real show. Time to unleash the pinnacle of my acting skills.
Like a theater actor, I lowered my voice dramatically and struck a theatrical pose.
"Neo Incheon is! The global metropolis leading the superpowered era! The home where ten million citizens breathe and live! The cradle of heroes hosting the Korea Super Hero Association headquarters! The invincible fortress where the world's strongest S-Rank hero Jin Yeonhwa resides!"
I kept going.
"The Northeast Asian economic hub with ten of the world's top megacorps headquartered here! The cradle of innovation where superpowered research to change humanity's future never stops day or night! A metropolis practically on the level of a city-state! And you think the central government can boss around the mayor of such a great city with a mere official document?"
My tirade was flawless, even to my own ears.
"Legally, it's still Neo Incheon Special Self-Governing City under the Republic of Korea, though."
Damn. She's a master at dousing enthusiasm.
"Legal affiliation isn't the point! Spiritual independence is! Protecting our citizens is my duty as mayor! And yet, yield to some external pressure and throw one of our citizens—who has repented his crimes and started a new life—into the jaws of death? What humiliation! I will never bow to external pressure!"
I slammed my palm on the desk.
"I! Will! Never! Bow! To external pressure!"
I spread my arms wide and shouted.
"MIGA! Make Incheon Great Again!"
No sooner had my shout ended than Nero leaped out from under the desk.
Neo Incheon's official mascot, Nero.
My elegant tricolor-furred pet and political partner.
He spun gracefully in midair before landing lightly on the desk.
Then he extended his front paw toward my outstretched palm.
Meow!
Clap!
The crisp sound of our high-five echoed.
A perfect joint performance. Worth bribing him with three treats in advance.
Confident in victory, I scratched under Nero's chin.
Purrrr~
The satisfying cat vibration. This was the true victory BGM.
"Heh. See that, Seria? That's the will of the people. Even the cat supports me."
"He just looks like a capitalist cat who sold his soul for treats."
I raised my voice without backing down an inch.
If I yielded here, it was over. My impeachment project would crash again.
"I am the mayor elected directly by Neo Incheon's citizens! The only ones I follow and obey are the ten million citizens of Neo Incheon! No one above me but the people!"
I thumped my chest and shouted.
Of course, it was a lie.
Above me were Seria, Jin Yeonhwa, and even Nero.
Seria let out a small sigh.
"If you want to uphold the people's will so badly, why not just declare independence?"
"W-what?"
Independence? Independence? From the Republic of Korea?
"Neo Incheon Free City. Sounds great. You could be the inaugural prime minister. File for UN membership, issue our own currency, form an army. I'll get started on the practical work for the coup right away. Shall we deploy the Special Task Force to seize the broadcast stations and communication facilities first?"
Seria recited the terrifying plan without batting an eye.
Words like "coup" and "seize" from her mouth sounded brutally realistic, without a hint of joke.
This woman might actually do it.
No, she definitely would. And succeed.
I'd wake up as a rebel leader facing the international war crimes tribunal.
That's not the impeachment I want—it's a revolution!
I just want to get quietly dismissed, grab my slush funds, and bolt overseas!
"N-no! A coup? That's a bit much!"
I waved my hands in panic.
"Who's talking independence? I just... uh... procedure! We're securing procedural legitimacy!!"
I racked my brain desperately.
"The Ministry of Justice document is part of administrative procedure, right? So we have to review it carefully per procedure! We can't blindly follow even a central government order!"
"So what specific procedures do you mean?"
"Plenty! Tons! First, meticulous re-review of the documents, consultations with multiple legal experts! And most importantly! Gathering public opinion! We can't skip that! We have to ask the citizens whether to deport the Kurokumo clan!"
I waved my arms like in a speech.
"And that's not all! We need input from human rights groups! All sorts of things! Convene an expert advisory committee! These all take time! It's not for the mayor to decide unilaterally!"
It was a plausibly convincing excuse, even to me.
"All this takes time! Step by step! Carefully! That's democracy, isn't it?"
The bureaucracy's greatest weapons: procedure and review.
With those two words, you can delay anything indefinitely.
I cheered inwardly.
Could the central government force execution anyway? Dare they in this Neo Incheon?
With the Hero Association holding firm under Jin Yeonhwa and the Special Task Force led by Kang Jiyeong?
And if, by some chance, bigwigs from the Ministry of Justice showed up in person?
Simple. Escort them to Catopia for the full kitten paw massage course, then send them off loaded with limited-edition gift sets from Insimdang.
The core of K-bureaucracy is affection.
Of course, dragging this out and ignoring the document would escalate things.
The central government would view the local autonomy's defiance as insolent and eventually target me in the year-end national audit.
'National audit...'
Ah, such a sweet phrase.
Just thinking of it brought a smile to my lips.
'Finally, the pretext for real impeachment, the prelude to true dismissal is rising!'
I quickly schooled my twitching lips back into a grave, tormented leader's expression.
"Do as you wish, Mayor."
She murmured softly, as if resigned.
"And you'll bear full responsibility."
Click, click, click.
Her heels faded away, and the mayor's office door closed silently.
The taste of success is sweet.
Of course, not my personal success, but the success of my plan toward impeachment.
120 hours after I nicely ignored the central government's document.
The approval ratings poll finally recorded a significant decline.
Still over 50%, but hey, it's dropping.
Cracks were finally forming in my concrete support base.
A very good sign.
A very desirable trend.
New hashtags were spreading on SNS.
[#LeeGaram_Dictator]
[#NoCommunication_IncommunicadoMayor]
[#NeoIncheon_Emperor_LeeGaram]
'Good. Perfect. Just keep going like this.'
Emperor Lee Garam. Not a bad nickname.
Of course, I'm no emperor—just an average Joe dreaming of escape—but solidifying my image as a dictator externally was welcome.
The plan was proceeding smoothly.
Japan's condemnation grew fiercer, domestic opinion split, and central government pressure turned overt.
The perfect scenario.
The stage of my designed downfall was steadily taking shape.
It was right then, as I fervently devoured potato chips while awaiting my downfall.
Beep-
An urgent breaking news alert popped up at the top of my tablet screen.
[Breaking: 'Kurokumo Genji' Appears on Bupyeong Cultural Street, Citizens in Chaos]
"What the hell?"
I stopped chewing.
Bupyeong? What was Gramps Genji doing there?
Promoting a new sushi menu? Or shopping since he'd made some money?
I tapped the alert without much thought.
The screen switched to a Nutube live stream channel.
The location was Bupyeong Cultural Street. Right in front of the central fountain in that vibrant hub of youth and energy.
And in the middle of it, an old man sat in seiza against the backdrop of the fountain's sprays.
Black hakama. Neatly combed-back white hair.
Kurokumo Genji.
Beside him lay a sheathed wakizashi placed respectfully.
The area was already packed with people.
"Huh? That grandpa... isn't he that ninja?"
"For real! Kurokumo Elder!"
"Is that sword next to him real? Gonna do a performance?"
Passersby whispered and pulled out their smartphones.
Click, click.
SNS timelines began filling in real-time with his photos.
[#Bupyeong_Ninja_Spotted]
[#Live_Kurokumo_Genji]
[#Atmosphere_Tense]
Viewer count on the screen was skyrocketing.
Broadcast vans from news stations were arriving. Reporters and anchors bustled with mics in hand.
"Let us begin."
Genji quietly opened his mouth.
His voice carried clearly through the mics.
"Today, in this place, I confess the life of this old man."
Confess? What confession?
"Kurokumo Genji has taken a total of 547 lives over his lifetime."
...Huh?
Wait a minute.
"The first was when I was sixteen. His name was Tanaka Goro. A loan shark. A demon who beat those who couldn't repay debts and sold their families. I plunged my blade into his heart with this hand."
Genji's voice was calm.
As if reciting last night's dinner menu.
"The second was in Showa 52, Yamaguchi-gumi mid-boss Sato Kenzo. A beast dealing in drugs and human trafficking. This old man severed his neck."
"The third was Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Finance Tanaka Makoto. He embezzled national funds to fatten his belly and framed a subordinate, disguising it as suicide. I infiltrated his mansion and cut out his rotten tongue."
"The fourth was..."
"The fifth was..."
His confession continued.
One by one.
547 names. 547 crimes. 547 executions.
Name, occupation, the evils they committed, and finally, how he killed them.
Corrupt politicians. Crooked businessmen. Yakuza who harmed the innocent. Heroes who betrayed comrades. Villains who bullied the weak.
The names flowing from his lips were the dark underbelly of Japanese society.
[Live Chat]
- ?????? What's going on?
- 547 people? For real?
- Ninja Punisher ㄷㄷ
- But all the guys he killed were trash.
- Whoa... Gramps is a real ninja.
- Those scum deserved to die.
The live chat boiled with confusion, shock, and a strange catharsis.
Ratings exploded. News channels cut regular programming to air Genji's confession live.
Wait?
Hold on.
Something felt off.
Why was the mood flowing this way?
"I, Kurokumo Genji, have cut down evils disrupting the world's balance in accordance with Kurokumo discipline. I have never regretted it for a moment, nor been ashamed of the blood on these hands."
There wasn't a tremor in Genji's voice.
"However."
He paused and lifted his head.
The camera zoomed in on his pitch-black eyes.
"This old man's existence, this filthy past, has brought shame upon my lord who granted me new life, Duke Lee Garam."
Lord?
Duke Lee Garam?
Is he talking about me now?
I leaned close to the TV screen.
"This old man's life is worth nothing. But the young of Kurokumo who found new hope in Neo Incheon! Our children who have yet to shed blood are innocent!"
Genji slowly picked up the wakizashi beside him.
"I beseech you—forgive everything with this one life."
He gradually drew the blade from its sheath.
The chill edge caught the afternoon sun, reflecting a menacing gleam.
"My lord, Lee Garam-dono. Meeting one like you... was the greatest fortune of this old man's life."
Genji aimed the blade at his own abdomen.
Seppuku. Harakiri.
Japan's most dramatic form of death.