The Director
“Director.”
“Is that even possible?” Pacific asked.
“It's possible. Shelter Directors can communicate with each other to a certain extent. We're going to draw up a contract, too. So for three hours, we can do whatever we want in there.”
“Well… Slow only ever gets used by Ganjeol Point, so keeping it hidden wouldn't be hard,” Sapiens mused.
“I still don't get it. Is that really somethin' that can be done?”
It was a matter that even Montage found hard to swallow. A lone survivor talking directly with a Shelter Director was strange enough on its own — but arranging an incident like this on top of it? From where he stood, it was beyond comprehension. Nothing like this could ever have happened at the shelter he'd lived in.
“A Shelter Director can do a lot if they set their mind to it. Plenty of things that happened here got buried, too. Just take my word for it, Hyeong-nim. What would I possibly gain from joking around about something like this? If it goes wrong, we all die.”
“Fair point.”
“That it is. But what're we gonna do 'bout the Arctic Giant sittin' there like that?”
“For now, we hold the status quo.”
“Director Gong. Wouldn't it make more sense to deal with the Arctic Giant first? Once you call in the info brokers, an estimate comes out quick enough,” Sanghae offered.
Won-goo shook his head. “I didn't call in more brokers because I can't afford them. And what happens if the estimate comes back and the numbers don't work?”
“Won-goo hyung-nim's right on this one. Ganjeolgot got sucker-punched. There's no rule saying they won't be lying in wait for the exact moment we go hunting the Arctic Giant again,” Sapiens agreed.
“Most of Ganjeolgot's been dismantled. What's even left to move?”
“Ganjeol himself is still standing, isn't he?”
“Ganjeol is…”
“That's one of our last resorts — Ganjeol moving personally. If he comes out to us, that actually makes him easier to catch, so it's fine in a way… but there'd definitely be collateral damage. Up to now we've engineered every incident to keep casualties close to zero. If that bastard bursts out and starts trashing the place, all that work goes down the drain.”
“Fair 'nough. Lookin' at what them Ganjeol Point bastards've been doin', they'd shit on everything and then some.”
“That's exactly what I'm saying.”
“Right, the incident itself is all well and good. But how're you planning to split up that ogre? Everyone's got expectations piled sky-high. That's no small matter,” Pacific cut in — merchant to the bone, the first to raise anything involving money.
“Do we actually need to split it up right now?”
“You sayin' we don't?”
“Why bother?”
“Director Gong, that ain't right. Money matters need settlin' clean. Us, fine — we know you, we can let it slide. But the others won't.”
“No, I'm not saying I'll take it and run.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“We split whatever comes out of Slow. Am I right? Hyeong-nim?” said Sapiens.
“That's right. Exactly.”
“We settled Buri Island the same way. Went off without a single problem.”
“Sapiens has it. Hand over the ogre, and we pull out something worth more than it. That's what makes a good deal. Once we take Ganjeol's head in Slow, that place becomes an empty shelter. We take it over, and we build it up like Sabbath.”
“So you're sayin' the pie's a whole lot bigger than guttin' the ogre right now?” Montage asked.
“That's the idea. It'll vary by contribution, but each crew could get handed a business of their own in there.”
“Right. So it's a far bigger reward than the ogre.”
“And if you don't feel confident running a business, you can just sell it. Or you can use the place as your home. Slow is plenty spacious.”
“What about you, Director Gong? You planning to run a business there yourself?”
“Why would I? Plenty of survivors will be paying good money to get in. Selling entry alone would be no small profit.”
“Hmm…”
“Eh… we can worry about all that after we've dealt with that bastard Ganjeol.”
“But can we actually keep it? If the Shelter gets involved, the whole thing's void. Right, Director Gong?” Pacific pressed.
“That shelter did nothing, which is why Ganjeol Point occupied it in the first place. That's just how that shelter's Director operates. You think that changes overnight? Besides, no matter how powerful the Administrators are, there's very little they can do to survivors inside a shelter — as long as we don't start an incident in there.”
“So what you're sayin' is we eat it the Ganjeol Point way? Set up a checkpoint outside the entrance and control the flow?”
“That's one option. But that's a problem for later. Catching Ganjeol comes first. He doesn't have many executives left around him. The one to watch out for is a guy called 'Tak' — basically his secretary.”
“What about the sons?”
“They're about the same level as the executives we've already worked over. Read the files and plan accordingly. The problem is this 'Tak' bastard… and this one's a whole different breed of son of a bitch than Ganjeol.”
“The files you gave us before didn't have anything special in them,” Sanghae said.
“The files keep getting updated.”
With that, Won-goo held a hand out behind him. As if he'd been waiting for the cue, Lee Hyun-sung stepped forward and placed the documents in it.
“There's barely anything new in here?” Sapiens said, flipping through the pages.
“The photos were added. Sharper ones this time.”
“Why these?”
“Sanghae, Sapiens. Take a good look. You don't recognize him?”
“……?”
“……?”
“What are you on about?”
“You've seen that bastard somewhere before. I'm telling you.”
The two men tilted their heads, furrowing their brows as they stared hard at the photograph.
“Oh! This… this is—”
“Yeah. About two years back? There was a guy who stirred up an incident here in Sabbath, remember?”
“That's him, isn't it? The orphanage one.”
“That's the bastard. The one who dragged those little kids around with him. 'The Director.'”
“He was alive this whole time?”
“He was. Didn't you take care of it, Director Gong? You said you killed him.”
“Why are you asking me, Sanghae?”
“……?”
“You were the one who wrapped it up. Ask your own men.”
“…”
Only then did something surface in Sanghae's memory. And his mouth fell open, natural as breathing.
“Right. We never actually confirmed the body back then.”
“What's the story? Let me in on it too. Is this bastard really that dangerous?” Montage asked.
“Dangerous isn't the word. Filthy is. He trained little kids and shipped them out into the Field.”
“Don't folk like that show up now and then? Gotta do somethin' to survive, don't they?”
“There are degrees, though. This bastard was bad to the bone. And the way he used them was basically the same as the Fishers.”
“Usin' 'em as consumables, you mean?”
“What can I say. Kids take to brainwashing a lot better than stubborn old fools do. Add one sweet injection to the mix? They practically become berserkers.”
“That's insane. He wasn't even human, was he?”
“That's why we handled him ourselves back then. But who could've guessed that after laundering his identity, he'd end up at Ganjeol Point?”
“So you're sayin'… when we go for Ganjeol, them kids might come at us?”
“That's exactly the problem. Who wants to get children's blood on their hands? However upside-down the world's gotten, some things still turn the stomach.”
“But hyung-nim,” Lee Hyun-sung ventured.
“What?”
“If he laundered his identity, isn't it possible he isn't doing the same thing anymore? This 'Director's' Gift was related to training, wasn't it? He could be using his ability on Ganjeol Point's members instead of children…”
“Everyone, dig through your memories carefully. What the Director did wasn't just infamous here in Sabbath. The rumors spread all through the region. You think Ganjeol didn't hear them?”
“You're saying he knew and brought him in anyway?”
“And that Tak bastard supposedly never shows his face outside Ganjeol's side.”
“That's right.”
“Why wouldn't he come out?”
“Because there might be people who'd recognize him?”
“That's my read. And look at everything Ganjeol's done so far. Does that bastard strike anyone as human?”
“…”
“…”
“He's a sly, conniving snake of a bastard. He's definitely got one card tucked away in the hidden slot.”
“He hasn't made them public, but…”
“He can't. The public image. Ganjeol Point doesn't exactly look bad from the outside, does it? But look at what they do behind closed doors. I'd bet they've gone plenty far already.”
“Then we need contingencies in place. Director Gong? Don't you have something in mind?”
“The best-case scenario is we get in, finish Ganjeol immediately, and keep this from getting any uglier than it has to.”
“That'd be ideal, aye.”
“But it won't happen just because we want it to. That's why you matter, Pacific.”
“Me?” Pacific blinked.
“That's right. Nobody knows the inside of Slow better than you. Once we're in, you're our guide.”
“That part ain't hard… but I've barely been inside half the places in Slow myself. You know that. There's a mountain of areas you can't enter without being Ganjeol Point.”
“You've been in often enough that you won't get lost.”
“Hmm…”
“And you're not just there to guide. I'm building a map.”
“Of the inside of Slow?”
“Yeah. I'm squeezing intel out of the Ganjeol Point prisoners, so it's going to be pretty detailed. We'll draft the operation from that. Avoid contact wherever we can.”
“And if we do end up runnin' into 'em? What then?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
A brief silence settled over the group. But in every set of eyes, there was a hard, unshakable resolve.
“Judging by the sins we've all already committed, we're all headed to the deepest hell anyway. I won't hesitate.”
“Aye. That's the truth of it.”
“I just hope my worry turns out to be an overreaction.”
“Right. There's a chance of that too.”
“We took a proper beating, Representative.”
Ganjeol, lounging on a sunbed and soaking up his light therapy, had kept his eyes closed. Now he opened them quietly. Without turning his gaze, he spoke.
“How bad are the losses?”
“Only Sde and the Sajung made it back. The rest…”
“All dead, you think?”
“No information is coming in. But rumors will circulate soon enough…”
“That can wait. Badugi can't. Badugi knows far too much.”
“Yes…”
“Forget the rest. Focus only on Badugi.”
“Shall we arrange for his… cleanup?”
“Can you get your hands on him?”
“…”
When Tak offered no answer, Ganjeol slowly rose from the sunbed.
“Let's have ramyeon. It's been a while.”
“Yes, Representative.”
“Gong Won-goo has sharp instincts — sharper than most. He'll figure out in no time that the information Badugi holds is the valuable kind.”
“Yes. Judging by his movements so far…”
“We underestimated him badly.”
“…”
Tak fell silent again.
“Look into ways to deal with Badugi. But don't overreach. If it gets out that we commissioned it, that becomes its own problem.”
“Yes.”
“What was that method we used last time? That one looked clean enough.”
“That target was on a regular medication regimen, which made it simple. Badugi is not in such a position.”
“So you can't use anything that straightforward?”
“No.”
“Then it won't be an ordinary job. Look into it anyway. In the meantime, keep sending him positive signals so he doesn't open his mouth.”
“It will be done.”
With that, Ganjeol and Tak sat down across from each other at the table.
“More to the point — the balance has tipped their way now, hasn't it?”
“We've lost far too many executives. The Sajung are down one as well.”
“One of the Sajung gone, so I suppose they're the Three Monks now?”
“Yes. Although… they've hinted that they wish to withdraw.”
“Hmm. Well, they did say they'd never formally join us under any circumstances. Isn't that right?”
“It is. Shall we have them dealt with?”
“I suppose we must.”
“Yes.”
“No. Better to leave them be. That way we can keep up the image that Ganjeol Point still stands intact. Let them go — and pay them handsomely on the way out.”
“Understood.”
“More importantly, Tak. Are the children ready?”
“Ready at any moment, Representative.”
“We took a heavy blow, but we simply start again. Gong Won-goo has to contend with the Arctic Giant, so we need only watch for our opening here.”
“Representative.”
“…?”
“I believe we still need to decide how far we intend to go.”
“You're telling me to lower the objective?”
“I am. The children can be deployed whenever you wish, but they alone cannot win everything back.”
Ganjeol responded with a lazy stretch and a shrug of indifference. Even with the situation far graver than before, it was hard to find any trace of crisis in him.
At least, none on the surface.
“You're right. When you fail, you have to know when to set things down. Let's make it our goal to return to the way things were. Sabbath and Ganjeol Point, neither encroaching on the other's territory. What do you think? Is that much achievable?”
“Not immediately. We'll need to keep pressuring Sabbath until they come to the negotiating table themselves.”
“Then do it that way. Staying holed up in here doesn't mean we surrender everything anyway.”
“Yes. I'll proceed accordingly, Representative.”