Chapter 54: Where Are You Right Now?
Chapter 54: Where Are You Right Now?
CIA headquarters had now moved most of its functions to Seoul.
Since Seoul had become the most important city in the world, the CIA had concentrated all of its capabilities here.
The CIA Uber Director had also been in Korea for the past few weeks, and already bald as he was, he felt stress tonight like even the few remaining strands of hair were about to fall out.
“Codename Decoy? Why is this the first time I’m hearing that name?”
“With your security clearance, Director, you cannot access that content. Only the President can view it, and even then, only after becoming aware of the information and submitting a direct request.”
The Uber Director’s head throbbed.
This was exactly why all kinds of conspiracy theories swirled around the U.S. government.
The overnight battle between superhumans in the middle of the city of Daejeon, Republic of Korea, was so unreal it brought Marvel movies to mind.
If you looked at the satellite footage, they weren’t human.
Psychics? Superhumans?
Up to now, it had been an unverified rumor that governments secretly researched superpowers.
But after what had been revealed to the world today, no one could dismiss it as a mere rumor anymore.
“The black man with the codename Decoy is only known to have been in a cooperative relationship with the U.S. government for a long time. The intel route is through the U.S. Army. As for the East Asian man, or the child, we have no information at all. But the woman…”
The man giving the report trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
“She has a connection to Choi Cheolmin.”
“Choi Cheolmin?”
The Uber Director was startled by a name he never expected.
The reason the CIA had practically moved into Korea—everyone crossing over—was because of Choi Cheolmin.
“A black agent embedded at Choi Cheolmin’s side reported that woman is Choi Cheolmin’s swordsmanship master.”
“Swordsmanship master?”
“Our analysts predicted it was meaningless—like the other reports from agents embedded in the motel—but after last night’s fight, it appears to be literal. That woman’s swordsmanship is not human.”
“Just swordsmanship? You saw her arm get cut off and reattached! That’s a monster!”
“Analysts suspect that the supernatural incidents so far were not solely Choi Cheolmin’s doing, and that as originally suggested, there may be a secret group. That woman is almost certainly Choi Cheolmin’s hidden helper.”
“Have you confirmed her identity?”
“She’s Chae Seorin, fifty-three. It only shows she was born in Incheon, and she’s recorded as an orphan. She’s never held a job in her life, but unusually, she’s confirmed as an asset holder with a bank balance exceeding 300 billion won.”
“Does that make any sense? How is that face fifty-three? And how does an unemployed orphan have that kind of money?”
“In the past, Korea’s banking system wasn’t computerized like it is now, and proof of funds wasn’t strictly required. When the account was first opened thirty-five years ago, it held 100 million won, and a European asset investor managed it to its current state.”
“So she definitely has backing.”
“It’s assumed Decoy died after seeing sunlight and burning, like how a vampire burns when exposed to daylight. The East Asian man and the child also clearly fled to avoid sunlight. As for the woman, Chae Seorin—judging from her outrageous swordsmanship—we believe she’s a martial arts master from Eastern legend. In Eastern legends, masters reach a realm where old people become young, fly through the sky, and summon typhoons from their hands. She appears to have reached something like that realm.”
“So putting it together: an Eastern martial arts master fought monsters like vampires, and our U.S. government has known the identity of those vampires for a long time—and even cooperated with them.”
“Ultimately, the President would have to confirm after viewing Decoy’s file, but it’s unclear whether they’ll share that information even with the CIA.”
“What about the reports our agents embedded at the motel sent in about that Chae Seorin?”
“She recently checked into the motel as a long-term guest, and from the moment she arrived, she said she had business with Choi Cheolmin. Choi Cheolmin acted as if he was seeing her for the first time.”
“That seals it. Everything up to now wasn’t Choi Cheolmin acting alone. That woman is part of the same organization. Tell the agents embedded at the motel to keep her under close surveillance—every move, every breath. And can’t we deploy more agents?”
When the Uber Director asked, the other man made a troubled face.
“Sending them in as ordinary guests has limits for intelligence gathering, and any wiretapping equipment goes dead the moment it gets near the motel. Sending them in as staff is also difficult.”
“Then look into turning existing employees and using them as informants.”
“The motel owner rarely shows up, but there’s a manager and two section chiefs. We’ll try to recruit them.”
Hearing the answer, the Uber Director turned his gaze back to the screen.
He wondered if humans could even insert themselves into a fight between non-humans.
“Have you tracked the movements of those who left the scene after the battle?”
“The East Asian man vanished—he’s nowhere to be seen. Chae Seorin is at a bakery in the city, carrying the child on her back, standing in line for an opening rush.”
“What? Where did you say?”
“A bakery.”
She could feel the boy on her back squirming under her coat.
Seorin wrapped a strand of blood whip around the boy’s neck and knocked him out again.
If he was going to wake up, he should wake after the sun went down. If he woke now and caused trouble, he’d be reduced to ash without fail.
She hadn’t been able to deal with Abe Yago, but she had taken Mark out.
Originally there had been seven Discipline Knights—now only three were left. In less than a few months, their strength had been cut in half.
But it wouldn’t matter.
The true power of the bloodkin Elders’ Council was the twelve elders.
Outwardly, the fame of the Discipline Knights was known, but they were merely enforcers carrying out the elders’ orders.
The real power of the bloodkin lay elsewhere.
Even though she’d rushed over as soon as she was done, the line in front of the bakery was already quite long.
Here and there, people tried to cut in like shameless cheats, but the fierce protests from those behind forced them to go to the very back.
8:00 a.m. sharp.
The moment the bakery doors opened, the line began to shrink quickly.
As soon as Seorin entered the shop, she tightly bound the boy on her back with blood whip, then began hunting bread with both hands.
There were quite a lot of people at the motel.
Most importantly, Kang Chan, of course; her disciple, that greenhorn Choi Cheolmin; the women next door; and the room maids who cleaned the rooms every day.
She piled bread into her arms—more and more.
On the train back to Seoul, Seorin took out a bread said to be the most famous and bit into it.
It tasted quite good, but not good enough to be worth lining up like that.
Was it just hype?
Or was it value for money?
Thinking that, she took out another bread and ate it.
Looking at the boy unconscious beside her, she felt a little sorry for him.
He’d never get to enjoy the joy of eating like this…
When that thought came, the boy’s situation felt pitiful.
And suddenly, she wondered if the boy could also come to eat food like she did—would the deep grudge carved into his heart fade?
National Intelligence Service situation room.
“You blocked every media outlet, right? And did you recover the footage from the guys who mobilized a helicopter to film it?”
“Yes. Through the media company, we retrieved the original recordings and disposed of them. The reporter resisted stubbornly, so we handled him a bit roughly.”
“Good. Right now we’re promoting that the Republic of Korea is a drug-free country and a public-safety powerhouse. If footage that absurd spreads and makes society uneasy, we’re finished!”
The NIS Director snapped irritably.
He, too, was so stressed he felt like he was about to go bald.
“But what’s this about drug addiction being cured if you come to Korea? Is it confirmed?”
Since last night, foreigners’ testimonies had suddenly flooded social media worldwide—claiming that if you set foot on Korean soil, drug addiction gets cured.
Because of this, severely addicted drug users saying they wanted to come to Korea were pouring in.
“Based on what we’ve confirmed, it’s true. Even severe drug addicts—whether they enter through Incheon Airport or Jeju—once they step into Korean territory, all withdrawal symptoms disappear. Scholars from every field are researching this mysterious phenomenon, but they haven’t found a single lead.”
“Hah… damn it. This is going to drive me insane. We need to get a grip on something so we know whether to hype it up or lay low!”
The National Assembly was demanding that the government explain what was happening, and the executive branch was raising hell, demanding the NIS hand over information.
But even the NIS Director had no clue—what were they supposed to do?
Drugs, monsters, missiles flying in and then U-turning back…
They’d become an unexpected victor, then a drug-free country, and it even looked like they might become a tourism superpower.
And then monsters started fighting in the city…
There had never been chaos like this.
The NIS Director was seriously worried that next they’d get zombies and aliens, too.
6:00 p.m.
After getting off work and sleeping, I woke up.
Like clockwork, a text came from Cheolmin-hyung.
[Little brother! Let’s eat. How about gamjatang today?]
Oh… perfect.
Thinking of spicy broth and thick meat, I sent my reply.
[Yes. I’ll come down right away.]
Maybe he was being considerate, but Cheolmin-hyung rotated the menu every day so no one got sick of it, and most of the time he suggested good spots.
On my days off, I found myself looking forward to dinner every evening.
When I went down to the first floor, people were huddled together inside the cramped office.
Cheolmin-hyung, Bella, Lauren, and Seorin—back from her one-night-two-day schedule.
And a child wrapped in her coat.
Room maid Yuri, too.
The office was going to burst.
“Little brother, you’re down. Let’s go. Master.”
At Cheolmin’s words, Seorin stood up with the child still bundled in her coat on her back.
“I’ll carry him. Give him to me.”
Cheolmin said to Seorin, but she fell into thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. It’s dangerous. I have to carry him.”
Then Lauren, who was always glued to Bella’s side, spoke to Seorin first for once.
“Who is that kid? Why is he just sleeping?”
But Seorin didn’t answer, acting as if she hadn’t heard her.
It could’ve gotten awkward, but Lauren didn’t show it at all. Smiling, she smoothly continued,
“By the way, the gamjatang place we’re eating at today is supposed to be a hidden gem. Do you like gamjatang, Seorin?”
Seorin, who hadn’t answered the question about the child, shook her head and said,
“I wasn’t going to eat meat originally, but lately, after trying it, it suits my taste. I think I’m naturally a meat person. I’ve never had gamjatang before, but I’ll probably like it.”
Come to think of it, when she first started eating food, she avoided meat.
But after she ate flower sirloin at a Korean beef place with us, she became a food fighter no less than Bella.
I’d bet she’d eat a ton of gamjatang today, too.
The child on Seorin’s back squirmed like he was about to wake, and Seorin knocked him out again.
“Is the kid going to stay at the motel for a while?”
Since it was a day off, I asked Seorin casually.
Because I needed to know whether the kid was a motel guest or just a visitor.
“Yes. Until we decide what to do, I plan to have him stay in the same room as me.”
“Keeping him asleep because it’s still daytime?”
When I asked, Seorin stared at me.
Then she opened her mouth and answered.
“That, too. But because he’s dangerous.”
Dangerous…
If a guest is dangerous, I can block that. But what if he tries to attack other people? If the kid is dangerous because he’s stronger than humans, should I just make him only as strong as a normal kid?
Is that me being nosy?
For now, he’s a guest, so I’ll provide the same level of service Seorin gets…
The rest, I’ll handle depending on the situation.
I coated the boy’s exterior with a thin telekinetic film to block sunlight, and I also applied a telekinetic film to his digestive system and taste buds.
It was the motel’s vampire-exclusive service provided during a guest’s stay.
Now that I thought about it, if you applied this method, you wouldn’t even need sunscreen… What a waste.
If only my telekinesis weren’t a secret, it’d be a perfect business idea.
Just as expected, the seven of us went and ordered twenty servings, and even then there wasn’t enough gamjatang meat.
I ate hard too, not wanting to lose to the food fighters, but it was hard to outdo women with bottomless appetites.
Lauren, the steak nation.
Bella, the Russian mukbang girl.
And the vampire who had now learned the taste of meat.
Room maid Yuri looked overwhelmed as she stared at the mountain of bones the other three women had devoured and piled up.
Just as Bella reached for a big bone, Seorin snatched it a step ahead of her.
Bella glared at Seorin with eyes full of resentment.
Only Cheolmin wore a satisfied expression as he watched the group even fry rice and scrape up scorched rice, eating it clean. No matter how you looked at it, that hyung must have been a philanthropist in a past life.
It was when we were almost done.
Seorin spoke.
“Don’t eat too much. I bought bread in Daejeon.”
Bella’s sharp eyes instantly turned into hearts.
“Don’t tell me?”
At Bella’s question, Seorin nodded.
Looks like a woman’s grudge gets resolved with food.
“There’s a separate stomach for rice and a separate stomach for bread! Seorin is the best!”
Bella said with a goofy grin, and I had no idea where she learned to say stuff like that.