Isn't It Fun?
Kang Moo-hyuk stopped by the Paju Publishing Complex on his way to Sinuiju. Or rather, what used to be the publishing complex. The district had survived the Great War unscathed, only to be utterly demolished during the Small War.
Unlike the Great War, where frontlines were clearly defined, the Small War had seen gates popping up at random. It couldn't compare to the Great War in scale, but the chaos had been total—no true frontlines to speak of.
The war had lasted only a few months, but entire villages had vanished in that time, regardless of whether they were in cities or the countryside.
The Paju Publishing Complex had fallen victim to that same devastation, reduced to ruins. Now, however, it served as the heart of reconstruction efforts. It had shed its old identity, reborn as a corporate city.
The building Kang Moo-hyuk visited was one of those structures. It looked shabby—an old warehouse converted into something functional—but the equipment inside was rare and priceless, hard to find anywhere else.
The man who had built that equipment was Yoon Il-do, Kang Moo-hyuk's uncle on his mother's side.
"You're here."
"Where's Father?"
"Oh? What miracle brings you looking for your dad? After all that rubbing shoulders with monsters, father-son bonding's suddenly blooming fresh?"
"We need to finish the checkup quick. I'm busy."
"Tch, you heartless punk. You used to have some cute charm as a kid. I always wanted an adorable nephew like that."
"Cut the 'grown nephew' crap. If you're that desperate for cute, get married already and have your own kid."
"Pass. I don't wanna bring a child into this hellhole of a world."
"It's not that you can't have one? Mom used to say you'd be single forever past thirty..."
"Hey, now you're selling out the dead? Don't make up crap your mom never said, punk."
Yoon Il-do flushed red, grumbling under his breath.
"So, where's Father?"
"Sigh, this guy's not a 'nephew'—he's a pain in the ass."
"You and Father saved my life, so curse me all you want. I can take it."
"Makes me wanna retroactively regret saving your sorry hide. Your guild master must be a genius to put up with you. How'd she even think to work with you?"
"Enough chit-chat. If you're here, get inside and prep for the exam already."
The sudden voice made them both look up. Kang Chang-su was peering down from the second-floor railing.
Behind his black horn-rimmed glasses, fine wrinkles creased the corners of his eyes, and dark circles shadowed beneath them.
Kang Moo-hyuk gave a slight nod in greeting, treating him no differently than a stranger. Kang Chang-su merely jerked his chin in response before turning away.
"Like father, like son. From the side, you two look like clones—or some cloning jutsu. C'mon, let's go. With the full exam we skipped last time, it'll take a while."
Yoon Il-do shrugged and headed up the stairs. Kang Moo-hyuk followed.
The second floor was crammed with all sorts of research equipment. While Yoon Il-do prepped for the exam, something caught Kang Moo-hyuk's eye: a document on the computer monitor. A research paper.
"Planning to submit this to the association?"
"How'd you know?"
Kang Chang-su asked as he tied a rubber band around Kang Moo-hyuk's upper arm to draw blood.
"I see the site I checked before open in the background tab."
Gate Science Research Association
Back when he'd received his terminal diagnosis, Kang Moo-hyuk had scoured every organization and institute for a cure. He'd seen that site then, and there it was, open in the browser.
He checked the paper's title.
'Considerations on the Effects of Mana Addiction on the Brain?'
It was exactly the dry, stuffy title he'd expect from his father's research.
"Won't be popular."
"It's not meant to be. Your mana addiction isn't fully cured yet. It could flare up suddenly, or the meds might stop working. We need more clinical trial subjects for a real cure—desperate ones. So even a paper like this helps get eyes on it from other patients. Everyone's given up on treatment. If they see it, they'll jump at the chance. More volunteers mean better for us."
"Even if the first treatment could kill them?"
"We'll get consent, of course. But they'll say yes. It's certain death versus a sliver of hope. That's why we need the desperate ones."
Their casual exchange belied the grave reality of those clinical trials.
Kang Moo-hyuk had been lucky. He'd found a path between life and death.
The treatment had been risky as hell—especially the first round, where he'd teetered on death's edge multiple times. Pushing forward with an imperfect method, surviving had been sheer miracle.
"Doesn't sound like father-son talk. Why so stiff?"
Yoon Il-do signaled that prep was done. Kang Chang-su handed over a patient gown.
"Change into this."
The exam didn't take as long as expected, but it ate up the whole morning.
As Kang Moo-hyuk changed back into his suit afterward, Kang Chang-su spoke up.
"Bloodwork'll take time. Other vitals are still in normal range, but don't skip out like last time. Come in regularly—just in case."
"Can't do it that often. Work's piled sky-high. Plus, the guild master's watching. If I keep coming for checkups, she'll think something's wrong and chase me down. If results come back off, she'll meddle for sure. How am I supposed to show up often? Even today, I had to scrape up an excuse to slip away."
"Once a quarter. Minimum. If you don't wanna die from mana buildup in a special zone like that, keep the dates. Stick around long enough to kill more monsters. And here—three months' injectables and pills."
Kang Moo-hyuk noticed something odd about the package Kang Chang-su handed him.
"This batch of injectables looks different in color."
"Tweaked the formula a bit. Better mana suppression. You said the high mana density during that goblin hunt in North Pocheon dragged you down? Special zones have unstable mana distribution. This should hold up even against mana winds like during the Gangbyeonbuk-ro gate."
He was probably referring to when the goblin queen had spewed black mana to summon that otherworldly thing.
Kang Chang-su had refined the drug based on his son's feedback.
"Nice. The special zone mana was weighing me down heavy. Ran out of injectables right on time."
"You've skipped a few days, so take the pills now to rebalance. Hit the injectable before bed tonight. Call if any side effects pop."
Kang Moo-hyuk nodded and swallowed the pills first. They stabilized the body after exposure to special zone mana. You'd ride that out over hours, then inject.
"See you at the next checkup, then."
As he stepped outside, his phone rang—Park Chung-su from the Guild Cooperation Office.
"Yes, Director."
—Figured you were traveling, so I called your smartphone. Perfect timing. The data you requested last time—sorry it took so long. China wasn't cooperating, so we had to verify with our own records.
"Send it to my email?"
—Just did. You can check now.
"Thanks for the effort."
—No problem. Call anytime you need more.
Kang Moo-hyuk checked his email before getting behind the wheel.
He skimmed the list of naturalized hunters and focused on the guild roster.
Some guilds had nearly a hundred Korean naturalized hunters.
"Hwangryong Guild. China guild ranking 3rd. Collaborated with Baekho Guild in the past. And another one... Yeokcheon?"
Reviewing the guild info, Kang Moo-hyuk sensed things getting interesting.
Hwangryong and Yeokcheon.
Both held large numbers of naturalized Korean hunters and ties to Baekho Guild. And they were bitter rivals.
Especially striking: Yeokcheon Guild had been founded specifically to counter Hwangryong.
According to the info, "Yeokcheon" derived from "rebellion"—the antithesis of Hwangryong, which evoked the emperor.
Kang Moo-hyuk forwarded the data to Joo Se-ah and called her.
"Yes, Guild Master. Just emailed you a list. Check the naturalized hunter roster. Cross-reference with the ones who tried to kill Yi Suk-young Hunter. If there's overlap, we may need to formally challenge their guild—so record her testimony first."
* * *
By the time he reached Ryoncheon County near Sinuiju—delayed by the morning exam—it was evening. Winter sunsets came early; it was already dipping toward the west.
They'd originally planned for morning, but Hyeon Jeong-geon's schedule had pushed it to afternoon. Handy, since it let him squeeze in the mana addiction checkup.
If he'd had more time, Kang Moo-hyuk would've linked up with No Song-rin first to hear the Sinuiju situation firsthand before meeting Hyeon Jeong-geon.
But to avoid being late, he skipped it. No Song-rin's email covered the local dynamics well enough.
'If it's bad enough for Hyeon Jeong-geon to call it serious, probably Sinuiju or Makyung issues. If he needs to meet me in person, he can't be away long. Means he's asking for my help... but no clue what for.'
Kang Moo-hyuk called the number Hyeon Jeong-geon had given him earlier.
—You here? Where? Ah, Ryoncheon Station? Not far from me. Head up Route 1; before Sinuiju, past the bridge between Ryoncheon and Rakwon Stations—there's Lipam Station.
He punched it into navigation. Nothing.
Hyeon Jeong-geon continued smoothly, as if expecting that.
—Won't show on nav. It's an old abandoned station on the Pyongui Line, not the new route. Sending coordinates. Quiet spot, perfect for discreet meets. See you soon.
Kang Moo-hyuk drove to the spot. It was a desolate rural station, overgrown with weeds, chilly wind whipping at his ankles.
Not far off stood an iron bridge. It should've been part of the Gyeongui Line instead of Pyongui, but with no trains to Sinuiju, it was shuttered. Trains now terminated at Ryoncheon, the last stop before Sinuiju.
He parked in front of the station and stepped out. Hyeon Jeong-geon emerged from inside.
"How long's it been, Director Kang?"
"Skip the reminiscing. Say what you came to say."
"Why so stiff? Oh, still sore about me getting kicked out? Pfft, forget it. Water under the bridge for me."
Kang Moo-hyuk cut through Hyeon Jeong-geon's waving hand with firm resolve.
"Booting you was my best call back then. No guilty conscience."
"No guilt? Then why'd you pin my firing on Ma Tae-su? Everyone who worked with you thinks he ran me out."
"Needed a common enemy for team unity. If that bugs you, sorry. But your exit bought us time."
"Nah, all good. I'd have milked it too. Titan was getting stale anyway—perfect timing."
"How long you gonna drag this out?"
Kang Moo-hyuk sliced through the nostalgia and pressed again.
Hyeon Jeong-geon's cheeky grin faded.
"You wouldn't come all this way for nothing. You know the Sinuiju mess?"
"It's a total shitshow. Five minutes from total collapse."
"Five? Try ten-plus already."
"What happened in those ten minutes?"
"Hwangryong, Yeokcheon, Nakil, Daemyeong. Ring any bells?"
Words Kang Moo-hyuk knew well—from that morning's list.
"Chinese guilds."
"Oh, already that far?"
"Lucky guess."
"Luck piling up turns into bad blood. Perfect fit for tangling with the Chinese."
"You meant for me to find out when you sent Yi Suk-young Hunter to North Pocheon?"
"Most folks wouldn't dig that deep. Some never do. Knew you'd sniff it out quick, though."
"So?"
"Those names I dropped? They own the bosses of everyone holed up in Sinuiju. Not out in the open. Plenty more guilds probably, but couldn't confirm 'em all. Got heavy pushback midway."
Kang Moo-hyuk voiced his curiosity.
"How'd you connect with Yi Suk-young Hunter? Word is she's from Hamgyong, active near the Tumen River."
"Tailing those guys, I overheard they were hunting a North Korean female hunter who'd fled Makyung to Sinuiju. That sparked it. Lucky I'm good at tracking—nabbed her first. Posed as a broker. Turns out she sensed something off in Makyung. Didn't know what the 'item' was, though."
"Heard that much. Chinese guilds stirring something at a Makyung gate?"
"Couldn't dig that deep. But I sniffed out another plan."
"Another?"
"Before whatever's brewing in Makyung, they're prepping by swallowing Sinuiju whole."
Kang Moo-hyuk's brow twitched. He grasped the gravity instantly. Serious enough for Hyeon Jeong-geon to call it that.
"Bridgehead."
"Bingo. These bastards are slithering onto Korean soil. Isn't it fun?"