Political Statement (5)
Park Ha-yuri's eyes wavered. Using state secrets to leak talent overseas and exploit them was treason, no matter how mildly you phrased it. But after a brief moment of hesitation, she shook her head.
"I'm a soldier. That doesn't seem like something I should handle."
To her, with her ironclad military ethos, meddling in the legislative process was unthinkable. Ju Kang-rim knew that full well. That's why his plan for her stayed within the bounds of her conscience.
"Think of it less as an attack and more as surveilling and punishing traitors siphoning off national resources. But as you said, Captain Park Ha-yuri doesn't need to do anything."
"Then what?"
"As you know, it's hard for me to operate openly with my identity."
Ju Kang-rim grinned and continued. "I'd be grateful if you'd act as my guarantor for a while."
"Guarantor?"
"Nothing major. Just that when I meet others, I'll borrow Captain Park Ha-yuri's name."
"You're going to name-drop me without knowing who you'll meet or what you'll say?"
Park Ha-yuri asked in disbelief. Even to Ju Kang-rim's ears, it sounded absurd.
"The guts to make that request alone are impressive. But why me? If you need a guarantor, there must be better options."
Ju Kang-rim smiled as if he'd prepared for this. "In this day and age, who could be more trustworthy than Captain Park Ha-yuri?"
Park Ha-yuri looked utterly dumbfounded. But soon, she chuckled and nodded.
"Fine. I'll trust you."
Ju Kang-rim was caught off guard by how easily she'd agreed—far quicker than expected. He'd prepared every argument to wear her down relentlessly, but he didn't need even a fraction of it.
Park Ha-yuri pulled a business card with her name from her drawer and handed it over.
"My number. If anyone doubts your identity, give them this and tell them to call me."
"Uh... thank you for the trust, but you're believing me way too easily and openly."
No matter how much he claimed to be an agent from the Intelligence Agency or Audit Office, they had just met today. Asking her to vouch for him like that could sound utterly ridiculous.
Park Ha-yuri nodded.
"Why would I trust some self-proclaimed intel agent I just met today at face value?"
"Then..."
"I trust my own judgment, of course. I already said I trust you, Mr. Ju Kang-rim."
She tapped her fist and continued. "And if there's any trouble, I'll come handle it myself."
She said it casually, as if it were no big deal. She had the power, the muscle, and the confidence to clean up any mess she made.
Ju Kang-rim forced a smile, vowing inwardly to ensure nothing went wrong no matter what.
Awakeners didn't just shine as zombie hunters. In fact, since zombie hunters faced poor social perceptions, more awakeners thrived in the private sector. Especially those with lower ranks.
The place teeming with such low-rank awakeners was the private security firm Taewoong Group.
Back when awakeners were just starting to emerge, a few who'd been treated like zombie plague carriers banded together to form the company. It was about protecting each other and scraping out a living.
Taewoong leveraged their diverse abilities to tackle any job that came their way, boasting they "didn't turn down anything." Stray awakeners flocked in, and soon Taewoong skyrocketed to become Korea's largest awakener-holding corporation.
A bar near Sejong City.
Amid the chaotic beams from the spinning mirror ball, Taewoong's CEO Park Bin-woo tilted his glass with an old friend. They were friends and business partners on paper, but the deferential way the other poured made the power dynamic crystal clear.
Park Bin-woo leaned back leisurely on the sofa and asked, "How's Milyang?"
"Thanks to you, it's back on track. No more annoying noise."
"Good. Lucky the Gangbuk incident blew up. The market's overflowing with awakeners now."
"Their value dropped, so now they're panicking."
"Hmph, trash like them. They only wise up after a taste of heat. Back in my day, they'd do anything for cash, but now they strut around acting all dignified?"
"Overseas awakeners showing off raised their egos. Not even their own doing. Hilarious bunch."
"Yeah, we spoiled them with too much money. Pay 'em big, and they think their asses are priceless. You gotta grind to make it big like me."
"But we can't settle here. If your uncle keeps pushing..."
Thud.
Suddenly, the bar's lights went out. The hostesses screamed and jumped up.
Park Bin-woo frowned and yelled, "What the hell? Check it out!"
"Yes, sir."
His bodyguard rushed outside. Only phone flashlights flickered erratically.
Park Bin-woo was annoyed at the mood killer but checked the time while lounging. 1:37 a.m. Late night.
Even by 1:40, the bodyguard hadn't returned from "assessing the situation."
Park Bin-woo nodded at the hostesses. "Hey, you girls..."
Thud.
The lights flickered back on unstably, blinking on and off.
In the midst of the strobing, a man suddenly appeared at the door. Dressed in a pitch-black suit.
Thinking it was his bodyguard, Park Bin-woo froze upon spotting the hand axe in the man's grip.
"What the... you..."
The remaining bodyguard activated his ability and charged. As a defense-type awakener, his body coated in steel-like shell—he was Park Bin-woo's strongest asset.
But the man pressed something in his hand, and the room plunged into darkness again.
Crash, shatter.
Glass bottles shattered noisily amid screams. The hostesses bolted out the door.
Thud, crunch.
Sounds of beatings and breaking bones echoed.
Park Bin-woo assumed in the dark his bodyguard was pummeling the intruder, but the illusion shattered quickly.
Thud.
"Guhk...!"
Pain exploded in his gut, wrenching a groan from him. Hit defenseless in the pitch black, it hurt worse.
He vomited up all the evening's booze and snacks.
But the agony didn't stop. His head slammed repeatedly into the table before he was flung to the floor.
Thud.
Lights on.
"Wh-what the... hell..."
Blood streaming from his head, Park Bin-woo surveyed the chaos. The mirror ball spun wildly, but the wrecked room was laid bare: shattered glass and bottles, bodyguards bleeding out on the floor, his partner clutching a broken leg and groaning.
But most jarring was the black-suited man standing before him, hand axe in hand.
"Wh-who are you? Do you know who I am...?"
"Skip the extra who’s-about-to-die lines. Park Bin-woo."
Ju Kang-rim flicked a business card at his chest.
Park Bin-woo's trembling hand snatched it up.
Captain Park Ha-yuri. Bari Unit.
He still couldn't grasp it. "Bari Unit? Why the hell Bari Unit?"
"Bari Unit has authority over awakener surveillance. Not just anti-zombie or abomination combat—they're geared for awakener-vs-awakener fights too. Gotta match power with power."
"So?"
"Especially when an awakener poses a 'grave national security threat', Bari Unit can step in to neutralize."
Bari Unit's mandate was inherently vague. Born from the need to deploy a handful of elite awakeners across fronts, they were more cops or special agents than soldiers. Park Ha-yuri rarely invoked those powers, but Ju Kang-rim planned to wield them aggressively now.
"W-we didn't do anything!"
"Nothing? Hmm, that's not what I heard."
Ju Kang-rim rattled off Taewoong Group's crimes. Park Bin-woo's eyes bulged. Ju knew their core businesses inside out.
Taewoong truly "did it all." Officially, most revenue came from construction and civil engineering, but over a third was dirty money.
"Deny it all you want—it's pointless. They've already spilled."
"Spilled? Who?"
"Forgot the names. Three of 'em."
Park Bin-woo gaped, speechless. Those "three" were the other CEOs who'd built and grown the company with him. No need to verify—Ju Kang-rim knew everything.
He screamed in desperation. "Th-that changes nothing! We have... behind us..."
"Park Tae-hyeon?"
Ju Kang-rim smirked. Park Bin-woo glimpsed his gleaming teeth in the dark and nearly pissed himself.
"Your uncle Park Tae-hyeon? Great. Call him. Ask him to fix this."
Ju Kang-rim tapped Park Bin-woo's inner pocket with the axe—his phone. But Park couldn't reach for it.
Knowing a National Assembly member backed him, and still doing this? Meant ironclad evidence. Even Park Tae-hyeon might cut him loose.
Ironically, Park Bin-woo pinned his hopes on the authorities.
"B-Bari Unit has no right! I'll call the cops!"
"Back to the police in the end? Funny for criminals to run to them, but sure, better than me. Thing is, do you know Bari Unit has absolute authority in one specific area?"
"Abso...lute?"
"Yeah."
Ju Kang-rim pulled out a bundle of plastic bags. The white powder inside was all too familiar to Park Bin-woo.
"On matters involving zombie plague risks—places or people—Bari Unit overrides the constitution."
He sprinkled prepared Shine Sand over Park Bin-woo's head.
Park shuddered, watching it cascade down. "You guys helped distribute this, right? While the Kangryeong faction was flooding Gangbuk."
"I-I didn't know what it was..."
"Kill you here, claim zombie plague symptoms on your corpse—done. Straight talk, yeah?"
Park Bin-woo's teeth chattered. Whatever Ju knew, if Bari Unit caught wind, the whole group was doomed. Even Park Tae-hyeon might lose his head.
Park decided to save his own skin.
"Wh-what do you want?"
Ju Kang-rim was thrilled. He pitied and envied Park Ha-yuri's morality for not exploiting such power—though that's why she had it.
But he'd gathered enough on Park Tae-hyeon. Nothing left to ask Park Bin-woo.
His real request was different.
"I'd appreciate it if you could vouch for my identity."