VS the Association
“Keira! Elena!”
I called their names. Nothing more needed to be said.
Elena shut the hospital room door and planted her shield across it. Keira closed her eyes and began her chant.
“Keeper Lee Jungmin! Comply with the Association’s orders. This is a formal recommendation. Refusal will result in forced detention!”
The voice shouting outside was probably a civilian. Another of the Association’s clever little tricks. The moment we caused even the slightest harm to a civilian while escaping, they would brand us as “Keepers who attacked civilians.”
“You are surrounded. Any further delay will only work against you in the investigation.”
I moved to the window and looked down. A crowd had gathered outside the building—roughly a hundred people. Most of them looked like Keepers. I couldn’t gauge their strength from here, but if the Association had assembled them to take us, they were at least B-class or higher.
Break out through the window and punch through them? Entirely possible. With Keira’s magic and Elena’s physical prowess, that many wouldn’t be a problem. The real issue was the new brand that would stick to us afterward.
Keepers who ran wild in the city streets. In other words—villains.
Yesterday I had been the master of the White Flower, a hero who protected people. In a single stroke I would become a villain. Clever. They had almost certainly prepared countermeasures for magic as well. There was no real way to stop Keira’s spatial transfer, but they would almost certainly attack the very act of using magic itself—spinning it as me helping a demon teleport into Seoul.
It was baseless nonsense, but once suspicion is planted, believers always appear. That is how framing works. And I had to run from here looking exactly like a man with something to hide. There would be people who took my side and called the accusations absurd, but the moment someone asked, “Then why did he run?” they would have nothing left to say.
So should I just quietly let myself be taken? Absolutely not. I had no intention of finding out what they would do to me once the Association dragged me in.
“Jungmin, it’s ready. Elena, over here!”
Keira laid a hand on my shoulder. Elena stepped away from the door and took Keira’s hand. The door burst open at the same instant blue light swallowed my vision.
I would give them credit for the first punch. I would repay it tenfold.
In front of the GGC Crew building, dozens of Association Keepers stood locked in a standoff with the GGC crew members.
“…What exactly are you trying to do here?”
Kim Nari asked. The Association Keeper standing at the front of the line answered.
“Just wait a moment, Leader. Any second now…”
He opened his phone and held it out to her.
“Here. Search warrant. Satisfied?”
“…Understood.”
“…Unnie!”
Nari shook her head at Nayeon’s shout. Once the Association came at them like this, even she had no room to maneuver. There was no evidence, and the suspicions themselves were full of holes, but the Association was riding public opinion and shoving forward without the slightest regard for the fallout.
“No need for major concern. We’ll only investigate matters related to the villain known as the ‘Demon.’ Unless, of course, you’re hiding them—then you have nothing to worry about.”
“…Everyone, make way.”
“All right. Let’s go catch ourselves a demon.”
The Association Keepers filed into the crew building. Nari gave orders to her people.
“Extend every courtesy so the Association can conduct their search smoothly. I’ll forward the contents of the warrant. Stop them if they go beyond its scope.”
The crew members followed the Keepers inside.
“Unnie, this is—”
“Wait. This isn’t how it ends.”
Nari had no intention of simply taking the hit. She was confident. She already had a method prepared. Her only real worry was Jungmin—she could no longer contact him. With a search warrant issued, every number they had used until now was compromised. If she had known this was coming she would have prepared a clean line under another name, but she had not thought that far ahead.
Even in summer the nights get chilly…
[Leader, it’s Keira. East building rooftop. Distance about three hundred meters?]
Nari startled at the sudden voice in her mind, but she did not glance around in panic. A poker face was her specialty. She calmly drew up her lust and mana. Exactly as Keira had said, she felt three signatures on the eastern rooftop. Two months into her life as a succubus, her sex magic was already quite usable. From her perspective it was less learning than remembering, which explained the rapid growth.
[It’s me, Keira. How is Jungmin? Is everyone all right?]
[Don’t worry about us. More importantly—do you have a way out of this?]
[Of course. Leave that to me.]
[Understood. Then I’ll contact you again here in three days, ten in the morning.]
[Got it. Three days from now, ten a.m.]
Nari felt the three signatures begin to move. Confirming they were safe eased the tightness in her chest. All that remained was to bring the Association down.
“Garam, I think we need to get a clearer picture of the internal situation.”
“Leave it to me, Leader.”
Then Nari picked up her phone. There was somewhere she could turn for help.
“Where do we go from here?”
After putting a good distance between ourselves and the GGC building, we stopped on the roof of another high-rise.
“Hmm… Soyeon’s place… no, that won’t work…”
Not only the GGC building—every crew member’s private residence was likely to be searched. Under normal circumstances that would be unthinkable, but the Association was being this heavy-handed.
“I can stay here for three days without issue, so long as you’re all right with it, Jungmin.”
“I’m fine either way.”
Elena and Keira offered their opinions in turn. I was fine with it too. We only needed to hold out for three days—what did the location matter? Besides, we had magic. We wouldn’t have to endure the usual miseries of sleeping rough, especially where cleanliness was concerned.
“…No choice, then? All right, first we need to find somewhere to grab sleeping bags or—”
“Jungmin! Keira, this way.”
Elena stepped in front of me and called to Keira. I was about to ask why when I saw someone sprinting across from the neighboring building.
“…William Park?”
“You’re fast, as expected. Hah…”
William raised both hands. Elena’s blade was already at his throat.
“Jungmin, what should I do?”
“W-wait, Jungmin? I didn’t come here to—just let me explain—kh…”
William looked thoroughly aggrieved. I didn’t believe he had come to capture us either. The people of Shinyongsan had been consistently friendly. Still, some things needed to be checked before we moved on.
“Keira, any Keepers nearby?”
“No groups that look like Keepers within three hundred meters.”
“Good. Elena, let him go.”
“Understood.”
Elena withdrew her sword, but William still didn’t lower his hands right away.
“Uh… can I put them down now?”
“Yes, you can lower them.”
“Whew. Thought I was going to die. Didn’t realize I wouldn’t even be able to react.”
William rubbed his neck as he spoke.
“What brings you here?”
“That… you’ll want to hear for yourself.”
He pulled out his phone, switched it to speaker, and held it out to us.
“Oppa! Are you okay? You’re really okay, right?”
It was Suyeon. Her big eyes on the video call were brimming with tears.
“…Hey, the one who almost died was me…”
William muttered under his breath, but Suyeon clearly didn’t hear him.
“Why does half your face look like that? This won’t do. Just come here. We’ve got tons of rooms, okay?”
Shinyongsan?
Huh. That actually worked.
The moment we arrived at Shinyongsan, William led us straight to the Leader’s office. Suyeon was already there, wearing an expression that said she might throw herself at me any second.
“Welcome.”
Kim Mujin, Leader of the Shinyongsan Crew, still had that deep, resonant voice. For all the incidents that had piled up, the way he treated me had not changed.
“Thank you for offering us a place to rest. I will repay this debt.”
“Debt? The word doesn’t suit friends. I’m simply glad for the company.”
Suyeon nodded vigorously behind him.
“I’m grateful you see it that way. I’m glad for this meeting as well. Given the circumstances, I can’t celebrate fully—please forgive that.”
“I understand. The Association stabbed you in the back.”
“Yes. I never expected them to come at us like this.”
I had always known the Association would try to use me, Keira, and Elena eventually. I just hadn’t imagined it would look like this.
“Do you have a way to resolve it?”
“My head’s still spinning a little, so I’ll have to think it through step by step. Fortunately GGC is already preparing a rapid response.”
“Leader Kim Nari of GGC… a capable operator. Nothing to worry about on that front, then.”
“That’s how I see it as well.”
I trusted the Leader. Right now she was the only person I could trust. And she would answer that trust.
“Then would you allow us to put a spoon in the pot as well?”
“Pardon?”
The words caught me completely off guard. They had come straight from Kim Mujin’s mouth—not even from Suyeon’s.
“We want to help. It’s a friend’s business. Of course we help.”
Suyeon nodded even harder. Did her presence weigh that heavily on Kim Mujin? And when exactly had Suyeon become this earnest? The signs had been there ever since the Ttanttani left arm, but still.
“That’s the personal reason. From the crew’s perspective the reasons are more than sufficient. We can’t simply sit and watch the Association try to bury one issue under another. At this rate they could even monopolize the Eternal Gate. We need to put the brakes on them here. What do you say? Will you join us? Lee Jungmin—and Leader Kim Nari?”
Huh? Leader?
A hologram of Nari’s face appeared above the table. Her poker face was intact, but worry showed in the eyes that offered a slight bow.
[This is exactly what I wanted to request. If Shinyongsan stands with us, we can truly corner the Association.]
“You said you needed testimony that Han Seongmin ignored William Park’s advice and entered the Eternal Gate, correct? But reconnaissance is something Han Seongmin would have been expected to do. That alone won’t be enough. Is there more we can do?”
[Could you make contact with overseas Keeper Associations? We need a Keeper with the trait ‘Knowledge of Demons.’ Most domestic Keepers fall under the Association’s influence.]
“That much is simple—hand over a little Ttanttani and it can be arranged anytime. We can also accept testimony regarding otherworlders. You’ll need that as well, I assume?”
[Thank you. As expected of Leader Kim Mujin. If you gather the overseas testimony, we will take full responsibility for the domestic political situation. We have already compiled evidence of various corruptions involving the Association President and everyone below the Director level.]
The two of them exchanged words at high speed. It was impressive. Barely four hours had passed since everything blew up, and it already looked as though every preparation was complete.
“When a former Director of the National Intelligence Service steps in, things fall into place immediately. Just tell them once not to dig into my past and I’ll sleep with both legs stretched out.”
[I’ll speak to Grandfather, but the Leader of Shinyongsan has nothing to worry about. I know better than anyone that you are far more upright than you appear.]
Former NIS Director? Grandfather?
I had always felt GGC was solid beyond its size, but I never imagined the background included a Director of the National Intelligence Service. Even when Leader Nari said she would keep my parents safe, I had assumed it was some chaebol heir’s influence—not the NIS.
“Still, no one comes out completely clean when shaken down. A man has to stay careful. I’m not young like this friend here—the same friend who didn’t even realize he was already speaking with Leader Kim Nari.”
That was fair. Keira had mentioned it to me midway through, but I was still far too ignorant about electronic devices. If I had been more sensitive to them, the Association would never have been able to use the footage shot from Park Sena’s point of view.
[The fault lies with the Association. Jungmin has done nothing wrong.]
“Ah… now I’ve made a joke and nearly gotten myself burned. I know that. Jungmin has done nothing wrong. Though watching him put off answering like that is a little hard on the eyes. Well? Will you join us?”
Right—the answer. I realized I still hadn’t given one. Honestly there had been no deliberation at all. Of course we would do this together. Even saying “together” felt arrogant. I would gladly accept their help. The reason I had thought I already answered was that my mind had wandered elsewhere.
Both Leaders were preparing a thorough response, but would that be enough?
“Of course I’ll join. You’re helping me with my own problem—I’m the one who should be thanking you. I will repay this debt. But this still feels insufficient. You’re planning to clear Keira and Elena’s names by showing that otherworlders have appeared in other countries as well, and to have a Keeper with ‘Knowledge of Demons’ demonstrate that ‘demons’ and ‘Demonic Power’ are different things—that what I use is only Demonic Power. Correct?”
[Exactly. What Jungmin uses is simply power. We will show that he is not a demon, and that he is not some figure trying to dominate the world the way the Association claims. Of course this alone will make it hard to strip away the ‘demon’ frame already fixed on him—but we can stop that frame from hardening further by attacking the Association itself.]
Corruption materials prepared by a former NIS Director, plus the backing of Shinyongsan—the strongest crew in Korea—would be enough to overturn the entire Association from the President downward. The Director who had screwed us over would drop straight into hell. But to win completely, we still needed a few more cards.
“But then won’t labels like ‘demon sympathizer’ stick to Shinyongsan and GGC because of me? If we can’t also prove that even Demonic Power itself is nothing special, those labels will become problems later.”
[That part… I believe we have to accept it for now. There is no method available at present.]
“I agree, and I’ve already decided to accept it. If we pay a little attention to public opinion afterward, it shouldn’t become a major issue.”
That was the confidence of a Leader who held both a dementia cure and Ttanttani. In truth, if they simply pushed with raw power it looked like they could manage it—yet something still felt incomplete. Was this a kind of foresight whispered by the traces of divinity and the faint lust inside me?
“Even so, hanging labels like ‘demon sympathizer’ or ‘demon’s advocate’ on all of you because of me sits too heavily on my conscience. I’ll find a way to resolve this myself somehow.”
The foresight had been sudden, and the conclusion arrived from an equally unexpected place.
“Um… I think I can solve that part?”
It was Suyeon.
“If Oppa grants me just one favor.”
Her expression was half playful, half full of expectation.