011_Daegeon
Silence hung in the air.
"Looks like one of the two things I said was spot on."
"Your Excellency, that's not what I—"
"I don't care what your intentions were. Whether you knew and turned a blind eye or were clueless, it's a problem either way. And... dealing with those hardline military types taught me something. If they're so incompetent that lunatics like that could steal their regime, they're not worth allying with."
"I'm sorry..."
"Still, you came out ahead, didn't you? I took out those hardliners like Major Gwak and Brigadier General Heo that you wanted dead—forty of them, all on my dime."
"..."
He still had plenty more to say, but talking further would just piss me off with no payoff. I stood, folded my chair, and turned to Seo Su-yeon.
"If anything like this happens again, you can look forward to it. You've probably heard through deserters by now, so you know about the drones too. Pull any more bullshit, and that's the end for you. Now get the hell off my land."
I turned toward home but paused, glancing back.
"Let me spell out exactly what happens if this repeats. I'll fly the drones straight to the Reconstruction Government's capital, broadcast your name, and start an indiscriminate massacre of civilians."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good."
Seo Su-yeon's group bowed to me, left the icebox on the ground, and departed.
Back inside, the Han sisters rushed over.
"Master, how'd it go?"
"I warned them that if it happens again, I'll massacre civilians with the drones."
Han Seol nodded.
"But you okay with that? You two were with the Reconstruction faction once. Feels like I was too harsh on their minister."
Han Seol took my hand. "Do-hyun, what are you talking about? I'm fully one of us here now."
Her smiling eyes glistened with moisture. As we gazed silently into each other's eyes, Han Byeol peered out the window and shouted.
"Master! That icebox—is that pork belly? Jackpot!"
"Go grab it. There's more than last time, so we're all eating tonight. Set up the pavilion in the yard, bring out veggies and fruit too."
"Yes!"
No point wasting the meat they left behind—we'd enjoy it. Han Seol suggested storing it in the permanent preservation room, but eating together would let us gorge properly, so barbecue party it was for dinner. Better one big feast than dragging it out in portions.
We laid out the table in the yard, cooked rice, prepped veggies and meat. Once I took the first bite, the residents finally dug in.
"Oppa, it's so good!"
"Yeah, eat up."
"Your Excellency...! Sniff!"
"Don't cry, just eat..."
They were feeling the same awe I'd had with the pork belly. Even Im Jui had ditched her gas mask in the corner, inhaling meat like a vacuum. Watching them eat made me full already.
I had a few pieces, then told them to take it slow, clean up after, and headed inside.
Two weeks passed since Seo Su-yeon's visit. Trade with the Crossroads faction resumed normally, and at five times the price, everyone ate well while stocks piled up.
"Do-hyun, someone's here."
"Huh?"
Peeking through the curtain, I saw over twenty people kneeling before the barrier.
"You tell them to kneel?"
"No, they dropped to their knees the moment they arrived, demanding to see Your Excellency. Looks like people who know about us."
"Where from?"
"Not sure if it's true, but they claim to be from a group trading at the Seonghun Merchant Association. Company name's 'Daegeon'."
"I'll talk to them myself."
I grabbed a folding chair and stepped out the front door.
"Your Excellency!"
They bowed deeply as I approached from afar. I set the chair down in front of them and sat.
"Merchants?"
The face of the presumed leader up front looked familiar.
"Yes, Your Excellency! I'm Kim Dae-geon, running 'Daegeon' under the Seonghun Merchant Association. Pleased to meet you!"
The black-haired man with brown eyes stood and bowed at the waist. Despite being the boss, his clothes were ragged—a sleeveless shirt in tatters, dust and stains everywhere, like he'd just come from a construction site.
"Ah, I remember now. You guys clearing the roads, right?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Calling me Your Excellency's one thing, but your behavior says you know a lot about me..."
"I'll explain everything, Your Excellency."
They reaffirmed their affiliation and launched into it. They cleared roads to make trucking easier for trades with other factions. A few months back, they'd captured a lunatic in military uniform wandering around. His back was melted—untreated, inflamed, rotting. They fed him, asked his affiliation, and he rambled insanely, spilling info about my house. Said they'd raided a place with infinite resources, got wiped out, survivors scattered. They dismissed it as mad ravings at first. Next morning, he screamed about drones coming and vanished.
"What I'm about to tell you is confidential."
I nodded silently, and Kim Dae-geon whispered. Shocking intel, truly classified.
Kim Dae-geon had spies in both the Crossroads faction and the Reconstruction Government, bribing them for info. Around last year, Crossroads—desperate for water—started selling it, even laundered clothes smelling of detergent and softener. Suspicious after the soldier vanished, he threatened his Crossroads spy: cough up real info or we're done. That's when the truth spilled.
Realizing the soldier wasn't crazy, Kim Dae-geon threw his whole crew—and himself—into road-clearing, originally a small op. Infinite water meant his dream business was possible; he bet everything on it. His employees half-doubted.
"Could've just come check beforehand."
"We wanted to, but the soldier warned drones attack anyone entering your domain. The Crossroads spy said only they could trade—others get killed on sight."
"Crossroads lied to keep their monopoly."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
As a trading group's head, ditching business, burning reserves on roads, employee morale tanked—he was about to quit when Reconstruction soldiers showed. A Brigadier General Heo Kyung-tae demanded info on the infinite-water group. Kim Dae-geon played dumb: just road work, never heard. Threats didn't break him, so Heo demanded road rights and left.
True—I'd heard it myself before killing Heo Kyung-tae. They knew about my place but held firm under threat. Way more trustworthy than Crossroads scum.
Two days ago, they finished the road here. After consulting aides, they decided to risk it all and come.
"So you want to trade for water and power?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. We'll pay properly."
"Like Crossroads with their barrels?"
Kim Dae-geon's eyes burned. "Your Excellency, we have four 25,000-liter water tank trucks. We'd like to fill them here."
"Long hose needed to move water from my house."
"All prepared. Two trucks are at our nearby temp base—we can bring them in under two hours."
"Bring 'em."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Kim Dae-geon bowed and left, returning in about two hours with three trucks. Two were the 25,000-liter tanks—50,000 liters total capacity. The third overflowed with wooden crates and cargo.
Kim Dae-geon hopped down. "Your Excellency, we'd like to show our trade goods first. If they please you, please consider the deal favorably."
"Sure."
I called Im Jui to cart their goods over. The Han sisters and her crew hauled crates to the yard.
One of Kim Dae-geon's men carrying a yellow-marked crate cautioned Im Jui. "Handle this one carefully."
"What's in it?"
Kim Dae-geon answered. "Eggs, Your Excellency."
Opening it revealed eggs indeed.
"Your Excellency! Flour sacks in this one!"
"Master! This smells funky—opened it... meju inside."
"Your Excellency, bacon in this crate."
I was genuinely shocked. Leagues beyond Crossroads' junk. Deal was mentally sealed, but I kept cool.
"Eggs are a surprise. Meju and bacon homemade?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. Bacon's salted and smoked for long storage. And this..."
He pulled a plastic tray from the passenger seat: pristine white tofu.
"Fresh-made this dawn."
Clap clap clap clap.
I stood silently and applauded. Residents dropped crates to join in; Kim Dae-geon's crew followed suit, gauging the mood.
"Deal accepted."
"Your Excellency! Thank you!"
Kim Dae-geon beamed, ecstatic.
"So what's the plan for all that water?"
He explained his dream: 'public shower rooms'. Bought an empty building in Seonghun Merchant Association, converting it. Rich folk aside, normals craved showers—he'd charge fair, offer 10-minute sessions.
"Solid. Even some public good there."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
I'd been hunting new routes beyond Crossroads anyway. Kim Dae-geon, tofu in hand, looked like a walking fortune to me.