The Padak of Sejeong-ge
Chapter 83: World Politics Board #4
Sejeong-ge's Padak, huh? I don't know exactly what "Padak" means, but the way they treat Kim Seong-jin like just another user makes it clear that it signifies something incredibly significant.
- What's a Padak?
- The board's administrator. The admin!
"This bastard...! He's a big shot!"
The World Politics Board is a mysterious website that even the Bureau can't trace. Being the administrator of such a site must carry real weight. The text explains that various organizations exist in the shadows of this world beyond just the Bureau. That means there are plenty of hidden ability users lurking in the dark. The admin of Sejeong-ge... he might be one of those exceptional ability users too.
But how did the Fake Bureau guys track this place? The question lingers, though they haven't tracked it perfectly either. There must be some conditions and techniques involved.
"Grong. Find anything?"
"Yes! Take a look at this!"
Jaaldi and Jamtree, who had come over while Spandal was away, peered at the chat window behind me.
"This guy invited me to the chat room. And he revealed that he's the board's administrator."
"That's impressive, Grong. Move over. I'll handle it from here."
"No, no! I'll do it! We can't raise suspicions!"
I saw how she writes posts on the board. What makes her think she can be trusted with this? Jaaldi might be the Bureau's department head, but she's practically a novice when it comes to internet forums. If she starts chatting like that, she'll get nowhere fast. This is that kind of scene.
"Grong. I'm the Bureau's department head. The method for contacting this unknown individual—"
"Alright, alright, Team Leader, step back for a moment. Grong, give it a shot. Honestly, I don't think Team Leader Jaaldi would handle this person well."
Nice, Jamtree!
"I'll show you my skills!"
"Ahem. Well, it wouldn't hurt to assess Grong's capabilities here."
Jaaldi spoke with a blank expression, but I could see her lips twitching slightly—she was clearly quite displeased. Still, it couldn't be helped. It would be better if I handled it now.
This guy. He doesn't want to show his cards.
He's firm.
He's speaking firmly, but this guy threw us the bait first. That means he wants something from us.
Beyond the monitor, between this Padak of Sejeong-ge whose face I couldn't even see and me, it felt like an electric current was flowing. He's the administrator of that mysterious site. The reason he's maintaining and operating this site—I'm intensely curious about that. He must have some purpose or ideology, which is why he's keeping the site running.
His obsession with hiding is obvious. With this kind of disposition, it's no wonder Sejeong-ge has been able to stay hidden until now. But there's something else that bothers me. If he really wanted to hide completely, it would have been better to convince Kim Seong-jin to pretend he doesn't know anything at all. This chat attempt has confirmed their very existence. For the Sejeong-ge high-nicks who want to hide, this is a huge loss and a risk they're taking.
Why would they take such a risk?
"As expected," Jaaldi said from behind.
"Grong. They must have an immediate problem. It seems they want to use our Bureau to solve that problem."
"I think so too. They called because they want something. Plus, even after hearing from Kim Seong-jin, if they're willing to reveal their existence first, that problem must be quite significant."
"Accurate insight. First priority is figuring out what they want. Grong, keep going just like this. The chat method is a bit frustrating, but it's tolerable."
"Yes."
No, Team Leader Jaaldi, you can't be the one chatting. I told you.
What the hell is with this guy?
"Team Leader Jaaldi. This guy has some serious confidence, doesn't he? His swagger is overflowing, and I really like that. If you're the admin of an organization, you need at least this much presence."
"He wants to hold the initiative. But we have no reason to rush."
"Yes."
More than anything, we've confirmed Kim Seong-jin's survival. My mind isn't urgent at all.
"Wanting the initiative means they need the Bureau's power significantly to solve their problem."
"Oh, so because they need our power more, they're trying to take the initiative so they won't be pushed around?"
"Right. So for now, steer the conversation elsewhere to avoid the core issue. If we only talk about other things, they'll get anxious first. They'll try to capture our interest. That's how we'll take the initiative."
Jaaldi gave instructions with remarkable skill.
"Whoa."
I was genuinely impressed. Come to think of it, Jaaldi is the Bureau's department head and the leader of our General Response Team, but she hasn't really shown anything big yet. I knew she was experienced, but I hadn't had the chance to see her abilities properly. But seeing her give instructions like this, I can really trust her.
The conversation reached its peak and completely shifted to something else. I kept pushing that Padak was Kim Seong-jin and went on about friendship. After repeating this, eventually—
No more messages came after that.
"Team Leader Jaaldi? This guy stopped talking."
"This is enough. He'll get anxious soon. Then he'll request a conversation again."
"So you deliberately made the other side heat up."
"Yes."
"Whoa! As expected of the Bureau's department head! Very experienced! This is almost as cool as me and Kim Seong-jin!"
"I wonder just how much inspiration Kim Seong-jin has given you... Leave the chat room as is. We'll wait until they contact us first."
"Understood!"
Following instructions, I left the chat room open and started other work. As Jaaldi said, this guy would soon get anxious and start talking first. Then we could talk again.
Time passed after that.
As expected, he got anxious. Now the initiative has completely shifted to us. As Jaaldi said, Padak will try to capture our interest and strongly express his willingness to cooperate. Through that process, we can figure out his objective. Based on that objective, we can find out what kind of group Sejeong-ge is.
It's not cooperation, it's asking for help.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
"Good job, Grong. Keep pressing. It doesn't matter if the chat falls apart. Padak has already taken the bait. They'll keep responding from their side."
"Of course."
I applied the Kim Seong-jin chatting method once again. Suddenly shifting to a different topic, I went on and on about the true friendship that bloomed between me, the brave agent Grong, and Kim Seong-jin, who was equally courageous. At that point, Padak sent a message.
The Fake Bureau?
Well, their biggest enemy would be the Fake Bureau.
The initiative has completely shifted to our side now.
The chat cut off abruptly.
"Team Leader Jaaldi. It seems they're afraid of the Fake Bureau after all."
"Yes... Suddenly appearing men in black suits. It's only natural to fear that. The fact that they need information about it means the Fake Bureau has limited technology to track them after all."
Jaaldi crossed her arms.
"If we use Sejeong-ge, we might be able to lure the Fake Bureau bastards. We might be able to deal significant damage to those annoying fake guys. Grong, keep digging for information."
"Yes."
As I was about to type something—
What?!
"Team Leader. This guy is making a deal."
"Interesting. Say we want it."
They're offering to provide helpful information in exchange for joining hands. If they provide benefits, they're not a hostile organization.
Padak sent messages in succession.
The Sejeong-ge bastards. They want to hide information about themselves, but it seems they're not in a completely safe environment. The existence of the missing high-nicks proves that. These guys want to sell information to make themselves safer.
"They definitely don't seem like the Fake Bureau. They don't appear to be a hostile organization either. We can consider them a civilian point organization with some special information."
"Is that roughly the assessment?"
"Yes. Grong, accept. I want to see what they're asking of us. Since they're showing their hand first, there's no loss."
"Understood."
Padak requested the resolution of several bizarre phenomena. Knowing about those phenomena would be quite useful.