The Tower
The woman with the long ponytail took a few steps forward.
She was a beauty with a doll-like face, but something about her made it hard to want to get close. She was expressionless, and her gaze carried a considerable venom in it.
Her features were like a sculptor's finest work, yet the most important part of an impression — the eyes — were quite unusual. Her pupils were abnormally black and large. With most of her eyes taken up by pupil, one couldn't help but stare.
"Neo-Mason, you say..."
"Ever heard of them?"
"I once ran into a bastard spouting similar talk, long ago."
"You met one?"
Yeom-gwi's face showed surprise again.
"And why shouldn't I have?"
"No, I suppose it could happen. So what then?"
"What do you mean, so what? I pulled the information out of him and killed him. That's all."
"Good. Neo-Mason must be killed."
"But this doesn't add up. They confirm each other's identities, you say?"
This was something even Won-goo, a regressor, didn't know. At least up through the era he had lived in, there had been no mention of Neo-Mason verifying one another.
"They do. There are conditions, of course."
"And what would those conditions be?"
"If you're curious about that, join us. Our purpose is to kill the Neo-Masons."
"And that's exactly why I can't join you."
"......?"
"My purpose is survival. Everyone has their priorities. Mine is keeping myself and my own people alive."
"Then what if I ask for your help in catching Neo-Mason?"
"That I can help with. I have plenty of grievances against this godforsaken world as it is."
"Klkl. My expectations weren't wrong."
"In exchange, you'll cover the fee. We need to eat to live, after all."
"Neo-Mason has plenty to take. You've caught one yourself, so you'd know."
"Well... I only caught a few. It was early on, so that may be why."
"It'll be different now. Mulg-eoksae."
At Yeom-gwi's call, the one who stepped forward was a heavily built man.
"Allium, Mulg-eoksae. So you all name yourselves after flowers, I see?"
At that, the expressions on Yeom-gwi's side froze for an instant. Their movements paused as well.
Meanwhile, Yeom-gwi smiled and locked eyes with her companions, as if to confirm that her judgment in choosing Won-goo had been right all along.
"And what's your nickname, Grandma? Bo Ahn has it that Yeom-gwi is just your public-facing name... you must have a different one used within your organization?"
"What do you think it would be?"
"I don't know that much about flowers. But you seem to be the eldest among them — Halmi-kkot? Or perhaps Cineraria? Something like that?"
"Klkl. You've grown quite relaxed, I see. Picking only the safe answers to offer."
Then Yeom-gwi took the contract back from Mulg-eoksae. This time, it was not about confidentiality.
"This is a proposal for an alliance, is it?"
Won-goo said after reading through the contract.
"We shouldn't be drawing each other's blood."
"Hmm......"
"We don't operate in this Shelter. So there will be no overlapping interests. Or would you rather make an enemy of us?"
"What good is a pile of enemies? I already have enemies coming out of my ears in every direction."
"Klkl. Then sign it. You've read it, so you know there's nothing sneaky in it."
Won-goo deliberated briefly, then checked the contract once more. And then he asked.
"Before I sign — what's your organization's name? I need to know that much."
"We came from Bohwacheon."
"Bohwacheon? Taken from the Bohwacheon text? The Okchu-gyeong?"
"......"
"......"
"......"
This time, the reaction was different from before. It was big enough that Yeom-gwi and her entire party let their mouths hang slightly open.
"What's so surprising? If names like Donghak, Hucheon, or Seoncheon come up, the roots of that ideology lie in Daoism. And if you add Bohwacheon to that, what else could it be but the Okchu-gyeong?"
"Not many people would know that."
"You all talk as if you never received a formal education?"
"Because it isn't in the formal curriculum."
Won-goo snorted a laugh.
"My academic pedigree runs deeper than I let on. I'm quite fond of Eastern philosophy too. If the world hadn't gone to hell, I'd have had a bit of a scholarly reputation once."
With that, Won-goo pulled out a twist of fried dough and popped it into his mouth.
"I came here meaning to give you a scare, and instead I'm the one walking away surprised. A pleasant kind of surprised."
Then Won-goo signed the alliance contract with Bohwacheon.
The terms were simple. Help each other, and don't touch each other.
"But you're not going to tell me about that? The way they confirm each other's identities."
"What did I say earlier?"
"You said a lot of things."
"Rulers and the ruled. And even within that, there are further classes."
"What do you mean? So you're saying there are ranks inside Neo-Mason itself?"
Yeom-gwi nodded.
"The upper ranks can identify the lower."
"And the lower ranks can't identify the upper?"
"That's right."
"Then that young lady is saying she's among the highest ranks of them all?"
Instead of answering, Yeom-gwi flashed a wide grin.
Seeing it, Won-goo responded coolly.
"Okay. Then I won't ask further on that one. But let me ask just one more thing."
"......?"
"Is the 'Number Society' one of them too?"
"Klkl. They suspect as much. But they haven't confirmed it. You'd have to see their faces for that."
"Well... I suppose that's true. But then, by that logic, shouldn't we suspect anyone who travels with their face covered?"
"There aren't just one or two mask-wearers out there, you fool."
"Fair enough. Even close-by Ganjeol Point has their masked ones... Anyway, understood."
Yeom-gwi rose from her seat and extended her hand. It was an offer of a handshake, and Won-goo did not refuse it.
Once the handshake was done, Yeom-gwi's party swiftly left the office.
The moment they were out, everyone's eyes turned toward Won-goo.
"Didn't you sign that contract a bit too easily?"
Mu Beob-sa was the first to throw out the question.
"There was nothing special in the contract. Not much coercive force either. Just keep your mouths shut and don't touch each other, that's about it. Nothing to worry about."
"Hmm......"
"And I received Hye-ji's signal. Hye-ji — they were all at maximum trustworthiness, right?"
"Yes. That's right. Nothing shifted at all while you were talking."
"Who was the most dangerous?"
"All of them. Every one of them was dangerous."
At that, Won-goo looked at Mu Beob-sa.
"You see? They came here intending to start something. To spill blood if conversation failed. The fact that only that many came means they judged that number sufficient to handle this place entirely."
"So that's why you handled them gently?"
"That's part of it."
"It was strange, though. This sort of approach isn't Director Gong's style."
"Once I heard them out, they weren't our target. They actually share a similar purpose. Why raise hackles over that?"
"That may be so, but... couldn't it be otherwise?"
Then Won-goo lifted himself from his chair and said,
"I've told you before, haven't I? There's a famous saying. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. If they harbor other intentions, staying close while playing the friend may serve us better."
"Hmm......"
"But I think that possibility is low."
"And why is that the case?"
"Think it through. This method is far too convoluted. If they intended to use us or work us over, there were plenty of easier, faster ways than this. This is just too roundabout. For now, we watch. There's still a lot more to hear from them."
"A lot more to hear?"
Jo Mu-sa asked, and Won-goo nodded right away.
"Plenty. From what I gathered earlier, they seem to know things about Cheonmok and 3B as well. Today we only sounded them out this far."
"Waiting for the next opportunity, are we?"
"That's right. When the right moment comes, I'll ask for the rest. With things like this, keeping it natural is what matters."
At that, everyone nodded slightly in agreement.
"You all get what I'm saying at this point, yes? Nothing has changed. Understood? We move just as we've been moving."
"Yes, sir!"
"Ah! I missed one thing."
"What did you miss?"
"I never asked which flower Yeom-gwi is. I should have asked again. Tsk... what a waste."
"There'll be another chance."
"Of course. And if there isn't, we'll make one."
The Bohwacheon members who had followed Yeom-gwi walked in silence for a while even after leaving the office.
Only after they had put a considerable distance between themselves and Won-goo's Labor Services office did the conversation finally begin.
The first words out were a question.
"Allium. Are you certain of what you saw? That he truly is not one of them?"
Mulg-eoksae asked. Allium was about to answer when Yeom-gwi quickly cut in.
"Enough. Allium has no reason to lie about a thing like this, does she?"
"But... if he were of a higher rank than Allium... then it could be possible, couldn't it?"
At that, Allium turned to Mulg-eoksae with a firmly angry expression.
"He is not. Of this I can be certain."
"You can be certain? This is a critical matter, Allium."
"I can. The Neo-Masons in this country who outrank me are few, and I know the full list of those few names. There is no Gong among that family line."
Allium's attitude was resolute.
"Isn't it possible he gave a false name?"
"Klkl... Falsified his name? I suppose that possibility can't be entirely dismissed."
"Exactly. If he had been abroad and merely slipped back into Korea briefly, he too would have been caught up in this place."
"Mulg-eoksae. I grant that it's a possibility we can't simply discard. But did you sense even the slightest unnaturalness from him? That claim is far too improbable."
"......"
"He is not Neo-Mason. He carries none of that distinctive smell of theirs."
"......?"
"That's right. I believe they are different. There are even those among them who believe that creating this apocalyptic world was the correct choice. Even now."
Everyone turned their eyes to Allium. And they asked no further questions. They all knew the reason she had defected to Bohwacheon.
A woman born into the highest rank of Neo-Mason, who had kicked that place away with her own two feet.
And a woman who stood at the very front of hunting Neo-Mason, more fiercely than anyone.
"No matter how I look at it, he is not one of them. He doesn't carry that warped sense of superiority unique to Neo-Mason. That... is not something easily concealed, however hard one tries."
"Director. Hwanggeum-i has gotten too big — I don't think we can keep her inside the Trailer anymore?"
"We widened the Trailer just recently. There's plenty of room. What's the problem?"
Won-goo's Trailer had originally been sized to accommodate only about six people.
But as the household grew, they had expanded the space.
That expansion had consumed a fair amount of gold coins, but Won-goo treated it as an investment and made the bold call without hesitation.
"It's not that. It's just that... her, um, bowel movements have gotten hard to manage inside the Trailer."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. She's just too big."
"Big is a good thing, but... you're saying that's become an inconvenience?"
"Yep."
Jo Mu-sa scratched his head and waited for the answer.
"Then we take her out. Bring her outside. Dan-shin!"
Won-goo rose from where he'd been lounging. Dan-shin hurried over at a brisk pace.
"You can handle feeding the goblin and cleaning up after her around here, right?"
"I can do it."
"Good. I like a crisp answer."
"Is that the safe course of action?"
Mu Beob-sa, who had been meditating, interjected.
"And what exactly would be wrong with it?"
"Didn't we have an incident over this before?"
"I hate repeating my mistakes — you know that well enough. This time is different from then."
"Different how......"
"Honestly... Jo Mu-sa. Go open that door there."
"Excuse me? The door?"
"Yes."
Jo Mu-sa hurried over and opened the entrance.
Won-goo pointed at the beastman visible beyond the door.
"See that? There's a beastman standing watch outside our office, twenty-four hours a day. That's no accident. All of them have come to an agreement with the Shelter Director's elephant calf. Which means what happened before will not happen again. Dan-shin!"
"Yes, Director."
"You're fine with it?"
"Of course. Someone has to."
"Good."
"B-but hasn't the g-goblin reached full size yet?"
"Not yet. I checked a few days ago."
"Sh-she seemed f-fully grown to me, though."
"That's because she's a shaman. She can't help but be bigger than an ordinary goblin. Listen up. The way to tell a mature goblin is to look inside its mouth. A goblin always has fangs, right? When those fangs have grown down to twice the length of the front teeth — that's when its growth is complete."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A visitor arrived, calmly rapping on the open door.
The visitor was Baek Seol, known to everyone.
"Baek Seol. Coming here in person — what's going on?"
It was always Won-goo who went to her, never the other way around. So everyone found it odd.
"Director. Please take on one case for me."
"A case?"
"Yes. A tower has appeared at the entrance of Cheonchu Mountain."
"A tower?"
Baek Seol nodded. And Won-goo looked at her with a smile, as if she were something very intriguing.
"Tell me in detail. A tower, you say? Are you sure?"