Getting Ready to Go In
Once everyone else had gone home, only three remained at the shop: Sanghae, Sapiens, and Won-goo.
They were drinking soju over a bowl of raw ramen noodles. The rest of Won-goo's crew sat at a table some distance away, sharing the same spread and their own drinks.
“So when are you going to give us a proper introduction to the new member?” Sapiens piped up.
“That's true. That one's been bothering me too, that's the part of it.”
“He's still in shock and can't talk. Just assume that much.”
“Ah... so it's a similar case to when Su-won first showed up?”
“I'd say so, yeah.”
“Then I suppose we'll have to be patient.”
“That's right. That's the way of it.”
With that, Sanghae tipped his glass back and drained it in one go. He'd already put away a considerable amount, yet not a trace of drunkenness showed on his face.
“Best thing about the world ending was that you can't get drunk anymore... and now that I think about it past it, the most damn-awful thing is that you can't get drunk either.” Sanghae grumbled like an old man complaining to no one in particular.
“What's the big deal about getting drunk? Just pretend to be drunk and go on living. Or mix in some Sweets like Sapiens does here.”
“Director Gong. That's just plain disrespectful to the alcohol.”
“Disrespect, my ass—”
“Hyeong-nim. Now that everyone's gone, I'll say it—what exactly are you planning to do?”
He wasn't asking about just anything. He was asking how Won-goo intended to handle Ganjeol.
“Come to think of it, they're the ones who called in Daddy first.”
“Daddy?”
“......?”
“There's such a thing. It's tied to my know-how, so just leave it to me. You ever seen me go back on a word I've spoken?”
“Can't say I have. Seeing things through no matter what—that's Director Gong for you.”
“Then stop worrying. Besides, the odds of that bastard Ganjeol showing up in person are low anyway.”
“There's always the one-in-a-million, though, isn't there.”
“Right, right, and that's what I'm preparing for too, Sapiens. You feeling like your faith in your hyung is slipping these days? You getting counseling or something?”
“What kind of terrifying joke is that? The scars you've already given me are quite enough, Hyeong-nim.”
“Hey. Don't go telling that story everywhere. People will get the wrong idea. Back then—”
“I know. Back then I truly did have it coming. And look at me now—I've adapted just fine, haven't I?”
“Not good enough yet. Sapiens, this habit of yours, making enemies for no reason. You still haven't kicked it.”
“I've kicked it a great deal, thank you.”
“And you, Sanghae.”
“Huh? What about me?”
“You need to read more books. If you're going to call yourself the broker representing the Shelter... you ought to have some culture in you.”
“I read plenty of books.”
“Read more. MORE!”
On the way back to the office after the drinking wound down, Mu Beob-sa fell into step beside him.
“If you've got something to say, say it.”
“What's the reasoning behind that decision, that's the part I'm wondering.”
“You mean Ganjeol?”
“That's right. You're not the type to throw yourself into danger like this, that's the part that doesn't sit right with me.”
“Well, thinking it over—”
“......?”
“Turns out we've got a Daddy of our own to call.”
“Daddy?”
“That bastard Ganjeol called in his Daddy, didn't he? The Number Society.”
“You're speaking of Bohwacheon.” Jeon Hye-ji cut in.
“That's right.”
“Would they truly be the ones offering help? Is it not the part where we should be helping them instead?”
“Why are you judging before you've even met them? You sit them down at the table first—then things start.”
When they arrived at the office, Dan-shin was already outside waiting for them.
“Director. You have a visitor.”
“Oh? Is it the one from before? That granny?”
“Yes, sir. However, Yeom-gwi has not come.”
Dan-shin whispered the update. By now he'd settled completely into the crew's daily life—practically a butler. A butler with a compulsive cleaning streak who scrubbed the place far more often than any reasonable person would, one might say.
“Good. Did you offer the guest something to drink?”
“Yes. Served her promptly and properly.”
“Good work.”
Inside, Allium sat bolt upright in her chair, posture rigid as a soldier's.
“You got here fast.”
“......”
“Where's Granny Yeom-gwi?”
“She has a schedule. Get to the matter at hand, please.”
Allium fixed him with those pitch-black eyes, her gaze pressing down on him like a weight.
“In a hurry, are we.”
“I came this time because it's the first request. I will not respond to requests like this again.”
“You said such nice things when you left, and now you're all prickly. Aren't we allies?”
“Don't flatter yourself. Cheon is handing you work. I've come to deliver a warning about that, nothing more.”
“'We'll work you like a hunting dog and throw you away when you're spent'? That's what it sounds like to me, and it doesn't sit well.”
“Aren't you the director of a service agency? You take requests. You do the work—”
“Keep going and this conversation's just going to leave a bad taste.”
“Is that your answer to the matter at hand?”
For an instant Won-goo nearly spat out, 'What a rude little—' but he swallowed it. She was still Bohwacheon, after all.
The organization touted as the only real rival to the Number Society. Its true nature remained to be seen, but it could only help his plans going forward—it could hardly hurt. And for now, they shared the same goal: dealing with Neo-Mason.
“You know about Ganjeol Point?”
“We do. We also know a confrontation between you and them is imminent, Director Gong.”
“Your information moves fast. Got a straw stuck in their walls or something?”
“......”
“You said get to the point, so I'll ask outright. Ganjeol—Ganjeol of Ganjeol Point. Is he Neo-Mason?”
It was a question thrown out expecting the woman to be caught off guard. But Allium didn't waver in the slightest, and so her answer came without hesitation.
“Ganjeol is not Neo-Mason.”
“You've seen his face?”
“No.”
“Suspicious, that. Everyone at Ganjeol Point wears masks, mostly. A few go without, sure—but Ganjeol always wears one whenever he steps outside.”
“Even so, it is not him. Every Neo-Mason member in that age bracket has already been fully identified.”
“What about the Number Society, then?”
“......”
“The way I read it, Ganjeol Point feels like a subordinate outfit of the Number Society... is my guess wrong?”
“The Number Society is not yet at a stage worth plotting against.”
Pfft.
The corner of Won-goo's mouth curled up.
“What I actually wanted to know isn't whether the Number Society is Neo-Mason. It's whether the Number Society will show up if I mess with Ganjeol Point. So let me ask again. Am I clear to deal with Ganjeol Point? Does Bohwacheon have no connection to them whatsoever?”
“......”
Allium's expression didn't change. But Won-goo caught the faintest tremor in her eyes.
“I get that you're dancing around it because you don't want to give me information... but you should ease off. Keep this up and we'll have no choice but to go our own way.”
“What answer would you have me give?”
“Ganjeol Point. Number Society.”
“It's true that the Number Society supports them. However... the Number Society holds a great many organizations of that kind.”
“So if Ganjeol Point disappears, do they intervene or not?”
“They don't. The Number Society has held that consistent stance. They offer a measure of support, scoop up the ones who perform well, and discard the rest.”
“Then that time I met Number Four and nearly died—that's their way of taking care of their subordinate organizations?”
“......!”
At the mention of Number Four, Allium's expression shifted for the first time.
“There we go. Now your eyes are shaking.”
“You are claiming you met her in person?”
Back to composure, asking her question again.
“Aish... you really are going to probe me right to the end. Number Four isn't 'that' one, you know.”
“......”
“Get out. You disgust me. I can't talk to you anymore.”
“......?”
“Go on. I won't be calling for you again.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What does it look like? I'm seeing a guest out. Ever heard of a farewell escort?”
“Matters concerning Number Four are classified among classifications... I had no choice.”
“......”
This time it was Won-goo who stared at her in silence. After a moment, Allium gave the smallest dip of her head—an apology, of a fashion.
“Let's be civil here. Did I reach out my hand first? You're the one who extended it. Then dial it back a little.”
With that, Won-goo pulled a cigarette from his waistband. Just as he went looking for his lighter, Lee Hyun-sung stepped in close and offered a flame.
“Thanks, Hyun-sung.”
“Not at all, Hyeong-nim.”
And without another word, he withdrew.
That little gesture was yet another showcase. Won-goo's Services was an organization this well-disciplined—cohesive around its head. Sometimes a display like that said more than a dozen words ever could.
“I didn't set up this meeting to bicker with you, so I'll lay out our position simply. You already know we've run into trouble with Ganjeol Point. And either way, we're going to clash with them. Ride that train far enough and we'll end up fighting Ganjeol himself. That's why I asked for help.”
“You want information on Ganjeol?”
“That's not all I'm asking for. I want support. Ganjeol... he's got a survivor-specific Gift, doesn't he?”
“Ganjeol is catalogued as an electrokinetic esper. In raw instantaneous firepower, he rivals even Number Four's magic. But he has a weakness. The cooldown on his ability is extremely long.”
“I already know that part. What we want is help.”
“Dispatch from Cheon will be difficult. You—”
“Call me Director Gong.”
“Director Gong. Just as you've discerned, Cheon and the Number Society are currently checking each other.”
“Watching each other, hm.”
“If we move, they move as well. It is much like chess.”
“One move at a time?”
“For now, both sides are deliberately avoiding open conflict. Neither has full confidence. But if we were to divert our strength toward eliminating one of the Number Society's subordinate organizations...”
Once the words started getting through, Allium began volunteering far more than expected. Which made one thing clear: Allium's position within Bohwacheon was quite high indeed.
“So it'd amount to handing them a free move. The Number Society might act?”
“Our judgment is that conceding a move to an opponent you're locked in mutual check against is fatal.”
“You went through impressive contortions just to tell me, in the roundabout way possible, that you can't help.”
“......”
“I figured this might happen, so I'm not exactly shocked. A place like Bohwacheon—I expected as much.”
Allium's brow narrowed.
“I would like to know the true intent behind that remark.”
“Want it even more blunt?”
“Show Cheon the proper respect.”
“I wasn't sneering—I gave you my honest impression. Isn't that exactly how you stand a chance against the Number Society? The ones they call by numbers. They're Neo-Mason, guaranteed. Which means they started the apocalypse with perks from day one, no?”
“......”
“I don't know how many Neo-Mason sit in Bohwacheon besides you. But Cheon's people didn't start with advantages. If the starting line is different to begin with... then to catch up to Neo-Mason, don't you have to get even nastier?”
This man is truly impossible to predict...
Allium thought to herself. And resolved to report everything about today's conversation to Cheon, without omission.
“The only thing Cheon can offer you is information on Ganjeol. Nothing more.”
“Hmm... we've got more cards to lay on the table, though.”
“......?”
“The value of Number Four.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I'm asking where Number Four stands within the Number Society. From what I've heard, the number doesn't indicate raw strength. Is my information wrong?”
“Aside from Number Zero and Number One, Number Four is the most dangerous.”
“Casts elemental magic without a chant. Of course she's dangerous. Dangerous enough to burn a Named Survivor alive on the spot, even.”
“Come to think of it—you faced her directly. How are you still alive?”
“Barely.”
“You will need to answer this one very carefully, Director Gong.”
Killing intent flickered through Allium's eyes for an instant.
“If you know enough to name the magic she uses, the answer writes itself, no? There were sacrifices. That's how the fight with Ganjeol Point began in the first place, and that's something you can look into yourselves later. Now, here's my proposal. One of the most dangerous and powerful Numbers in the entire Number Society—Number Four. How much will you pay for the method to take her down?”
“......”
“That's beyond your authority to decide, isn't it? Then go fetch the granny. Or call someone even further up the chain. Don't think about beating me down—I already know firsthand exactly what Number Four is worth.”
“......”
“Why no answer?”
“Because I find your words difficult to believe. That you met Number Four face to face, that you survived her attack—I can accept those. But...”
“I told you there were sacrifices, didn't I?”
“And with a single sacrifice, you located Number Four's weakness? You expect me to believe that?”
“My people are more capable than you'd think.”
“Number Four occupies a far more important position than you imagine.”
“Bohwacheon and the Number Society. Powerful enough to tip the balance between the two of them, you mean?”
The smile crept back across Director Gong's lips. The higher Number Four's value climbed, the more he stood to extract from Bohwacheon.
“If your words prove true... Cheon will pay a reward to match. But if they do not... you will pay for wasting our time.”
With that, Allium rose to her feet in one smooth motion. She gave the slightest bow of courtesy and walked out.
Just as Won-goo had predicted, this was far beyond anything Allium could rule on herself.
“Your straw in Ganjeol Point. Tell them to bolt, fast. Unless they're executive-level, they're about to get swept up in something ugly.”
“How did you know they aren't executives? Could it be some form of mind reading—”
Mind reading.
A.K.A. telepathy.
A Gift that let you read another person's mind. Informants of the highest caliber fell into this category. Among information-type Gifts, it was classified as the rarest of all. Jeon Hye-ji's Gift, examined closely, leaned in this direction too, but it couldn't be called the same thing—hers confirmed information, whereas mind reading simply extracted it wholesale from another's head. Naturally, there was a difference.
“Pff. If I had a Gift like that, this conversation would've been over ages ago.”
“......”
Allium stared at him, unblinking.
“I told you, didn't I? I predicted they weren't executives because I didn't know you'd met Number Four. Do I have to spell out every little thing for you?”
“Let me make one thing certain. If this proposal is accepted, Director Gong, you will be stepping deeper into Cheon than ever before. You have steeled yourself for that, of course?”
“Four years. Four whole years.”
“......?”
“I've been rolling in the mud for four years to get this far. I keep my number ticket punched at all times. So I can walk right in and sit down whenever I please.”
Won-goo pointed at the floor with his index finger as he said it.