Don't Worry! You'll All Be Good Soon!

The intense light faded quickly. My vision slowly returned. What I saw was 'me' facing off against a bald Chinese man. 'I' was shouting while trying to throw a diagonal punch at him.

"You! What the hell did you mean when you said you supported the Hong Kong protests?!"

"Die, you son of a bitch!"

But right before the Chinese man's fist could land, a short blade suddenly protruded from the tip of his left foot. He stabbed 'my' right shin with that blade and stomped down hard on the top of my foot.

'Fucking bastard, pulling a knife in a fistfight? What the hell.'

But that wasn't the end of it. The moment 'my' stance broke, the Chinese man threw a long right hook. Just one punch. A single blow was all it took to shatter 'my' face. I watched as the version of me with a broken face collapsed toward the ground and thought,

'Got my ass kicked by a bald, conscienceless fucking chink.'

Setting that aside, it was still pretty threatening. But the current scene made absolutely no sense. At that moment, a voice began echoing inside my head.

[Ughhhhh... Ow... My head hurts...]

'You're finally awake.'

The crazy bitch living in my head had finally woken up. But something was different.

[Who are you? Who are you, oppa? Why am I here?]

'Get a grip. I'm in a hurry right now.'

[Where the hell am I? Who am I?]

Her voice sounded like she'd suffered severe brain damage from the shock. The fact that a hag old enough to be my grandmother was calling me "oppa" was proof enough of how bad the damage was. In times like this, repeated shock therapy was the most effective treatment.

'If you keep acting like this, should I show you that post from Han Daeri on the Shinbi Soolsa gallery again?'

[Shin... bi Soolsa? Han Daeri? Ugh? Something's coming back... AAAAAAHH!!!]

A short scream. Then silence. After a brief pause, her voice returned.

[It feels like I just woke up from a long nightmare.]

Her voice was drenched in fear. I could understand that completely.

[I don't remember anything, but it's the kind of nightmare you should never, ever try to recall.]

'That's not important right now.'

Of course I understood, but that wasn't the urgent issue. Figuring out what was happening right in front of my eyes was the priority.

[Right. So what happened?]

'I'm watching myself get killed in 8K resolution.'

[Oh ho!]

'No, don't just act impressed. Tell me what this is, and hurry. I'm in a rush.'

Her constant dawdling was starting to piss me off. Just as I was wondering if I needed to show her the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠abyss again, her voice came back.

[This is one possibility. A fragment of a future someone has already experienced.]

'And in that future, I died?'

She made a small humming sound, as if confirming my answer was correct. Though I couldn't see her, I could practically feel her nodding.

[Yes. What you're seeing now is the future that bald man is experiencing.]

'But why the hell am I suddenly seeing this?'

[Perhaps this is the ability you awakened.]

Finally, a protagonist-like ability. Now the world was truly mine.

'The era of humiliation and oppression is over. You're all fucked.'

[However, from what this body can tell, it seems you can only see a short span of time.]

Her words were like a bucket of cold water dumped on my burning motivation.

'Way to kill the mood. But how do you know that?'

[Isn't the area around you flashing red? It probably didn't start out that way.]

Sure enough, unlike at the beginning, the surroundings were now flashing bright red. Ah. I got it. This was a signal from the Party.

'Stand at attention, you too!'

[......You really aren't sane either, are you?]

Still, despite her saying there was a time limit, my body felt completely fine. There wasn't even the slightest difference from normal. As if sensing my confusion, the voice in my head continued.

[Of course you wouldn't feel anything. Your real body isn't here.]

'Ah, so when I return to the original timeline, I have to pay a price.'

[That's right. The longer you stay, the greater the price you'll have to pay.]

'Like mana consumption in Anivia's ult?'

[.....Yes. It matches far too perfectly.]

Her voice was full of exasperation. But since I wasn't wrong, she eventually agreed.

The problem was—

'But how do I get back?'

[Just return the way you came.]

The problem was that I didn't know how I'd gotten here.

'I was just staring at some weird mirror shard because it looked suspicious, and then I ended up here?'

[Then where is that shard now?]

'I dunno lol.'

A brief silence. Then her voice returned, slightly sharper.

[This is no time for jokes.]

'No, fuck. It's really gone. What do you want me to do about it?'

[Are you truly brainless? Use your head even a little!]

That stung a bit. I couldn't let that slide.

'If you keep saying things that hurt me, I'll hurt you right back.'

[I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry]

The voice in my head instantly turned pathetic, begging for forgiveness. But nothing had actually been resolved.

'No, what exactly am I supposed to look at? Should I just think about wanting to go back?'

The moment I finished that thought, the surroundings began to slowly crumble. At the same time, my consciousness started flickering.

***

When my consciousness returned, the world was still paused. Right in front of me was the Chinese man, mid-punch. At the same time, I could slowly feel my clenched left fist.

For a PAUSE ability, it was pretty generous. Not bad at all.

'Time to reload, you bastards.'

But the real problem started now. The instant the world resumed at normal speed, an intense wave of exhaustion slammed into my entire body. My arms and legs went limp, shaking like aspen leaves. This must be the price that was mentioned earlier. If it had just slowly drained my stamina, I could've dealt with it. But the real fucker was that it was a one-time lump sum payment. The disconnect between my perfectly clear mind and my exhausted body was the kind of thing that was almost impossible to adapt to. If you had any conscience, you'd let me pay in installments, you sons of bitches. The interest keeps going up and it's killing me.

Still, the fight wasn't over yet. If things continued like this, my head would inevitably explode like a watermelon. So I changed the future.

I forced my trembling right leg up and stomped down half a beat early. The target was the top of the Chinese man's left foot. Just that single action caused a red number to pop up above the Chinese man's head. Only then did he finally realize something was wrong and begin to panic. The shock must have been immense, because even the right hook he'd prepared as a feint seemed to lose all its power. Forgetting that we were in the middle of a fight, he looked at me in confusion.

"H-how did you—!"

"I supported Uyghur independence and suddenly I could see the future!!!"

"W-what did you say?! Is that true?!"

I drove my left fist deep into the Chinese man's abdomen. He staggered back a step. This time, I planted my left foot, used it as a pivot, and spun my body. From outside to inside. At the same time, I extended my right leg long toward him. A spinning back kick from Taekwondo.

"Like I'd actually do that, you dumb bitch. Jet kick!"

"Urk! My gut!"

The kick sank deep into the defenseless Chinese man's abdomen. It was a textbook example of a perfect jet kick. The Chinese man flew backward, smashing through three or four desks before finally losing momentum. Despite being specialized in physical enhancement, his head clearly wasn't, because he passed out pathetically easily.

Of course, my own condition wasn't great either. The aftereffects of using the ability had me collapsing in an undignified heap, gasping for breath.

'Fuck. If I hadn't wasted time yapping, I would've been better off.'

Still, I'd pretty much cleaned everything up. Right on cue, the door to the Records Archive building burst open. The one who entered was none other than Hye-ji.

"Kim Shinwoo, reporting in."

"Hye-ji, how many did you kill outside?"

I asked with a grin, half-joking.

"Only enemies? Or civilians too?"

"...Civilians?"

But it didn't seem like a joke to Hye-ji. When I answered with a question, she snorted and waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm kidding. I haven't killed anyone yet."

".......Yet?"

".......As long as they're still breathing, it's fine, right?"

Hye-ji suddenly avoided my gaze. Still, since she'd subdued them, I figured it was fine and asked about the numbers.

"Three in total. One of them caught fire and they all just went 'GG' after that."

"Classic strong-weak-weak-strong pattern."

At that moment, Jung Ayeon, who still had her hand on the ground, turned her head toward us. Since she was still using her ability, her eyes remained closed.

"Young Master Shinwoo, are you alright? The last part looked truly dangerous."

"Huh? Shinwoo, you almost died?"

Hye-ji gave me a surprised look. But since it was already over, I brushed it off lightly.

"It was a close call with the spicy beef soup. Why? Want me to add some sliced meat too?"

"Can I get a refill?"

"...This humble one is beginning to doubt whether this is even a normal conversation."

Anyway, the total number of people we'd captured was nine. One more than the number we'd originally heard. I contacted the Access Control Department and asked them to come to our location. At the same time, I told them that if they saw anyone having a seizure while watching the CCTV, they should ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beat them without asking questions and drag them away. The broadcast wasn't over yet.

Before long, the Access Control Department personnel arrived. The moment they saw us, they poured out thanks and began detaining all the Chinese men. Watching them, Hye-ji looked regretful.

"But Shinwoo, if the Public Security takes them away, won't this all be for nothing?"

"This humble one also thinks fighting the Public Security would be dangerous."

"I agree this time. Shinwoo, stop doing dangerous things."

Somehow the conversation had naturally shifted to me fighting the Public Security. I tried to protest because it was ridiculous.

"What? I'm not a crazy dog. Why would I fight the Public Security?"

"Shinwoo, have you actually been sane this whole time?"

"I cannot believe it."

"You fucking bitches."

The attack suddenly came from a completely different direction. Anyway, we followed the Access Control Department personnel as they moved. They herded the Chinese men into an unused room inside their building. I spoke to one of the department staff.

"Even if the Public Security takes them, we won't be able to punish them, right?"

"Haa...... That's probably how it'll go."

He sighed as he answered us. But I had no intention of letting them go easily. These were bad Chinese people. At the very least, I had to turn them into good Chinese people.

"Then would it be okay if we did something here for a bit?"

"Just don't kill them."

'Because killing them would be annoying.' he muttered as he left. Anyway, as long as we didn't kill them 'here,' there was no problem.

We entered the room and counted the Chinese men. The number we'd confirmed through CCTV was eight. But there were fifteen people in front of us now. Just in case any innocent people had been caught, we performed the traditional verification method.

"Anyone here who supports the independence of Tibet, Hong Kong, or Uyghur, raise your hand."

Most of the Chinese men ground their teeth and spat curses in Chinese. At that moment, I saw one person trying to raise their hand.

"Shinwoo, that guy's trying to raise his hand."

"He's been trained to raise his hand in situations like this. Don't fall for it."

"These guys are hardcore."

"......This humble one feels like the real poisonous one is standing right in front of me."

From the looks of it, everyone here was indeed Chinese. So there was no need to feel any guilt. Guilt was something you felt toward people. There was no need to feel it toward bad Chinese people like these.

I spoke in a low voice that only we could hear.

"Jung Ayeon. Create one small summon and just check if the Public Security is coming."

"This humble one can only detect the opponent's location through magical power. I cannot tell who it is."

"It's fine. The Public Security will walk confidently. If you sense anything approaching quickly, just tell me."

"Understood."

Jung Ayeon nodded and immediately manifested a summon. Now it was time to ask Hye-ji.

"Shinwoo, what should I do?"

"Hye-ji, pull the pins on these and put one in each of their mouths. Then lock the door."

"These are model grenades, right? The color looks exactly like the real thing?"

Hye-ji hesitated. I whispered quietly to give her back just a tiny push.

"Are you scared?"

"I'm happy, that's why..!! Just give me the order, Captain. Right now!!"

"...This humble one heard nothing."

Jung Ayeon made a face of disgust with her eyes still closed. Leaving Jung Ayeon behind, Hye-ji and I moved in perfect sync. While Hye-ji was stuffing grenades into their mouths, I began collecting the Chinese men's phones. They were locked, but that wasn't much of a problem. The moment a grenade was in their mouths, the Chinese men eagerly cooperated to unlock their screens.

Just then, Hye-ji finished putting grenades in all their mouths and walked over to me.

"Shinwoo, why the phones?"

"I'm going to give them a present."

"But weren't they dispatched from China? Didn't they get issued phones?"

"No, these are definitely their personal phones."

"Why?"

Hye-ji tilted her head in confusion. But I was certain these were personal phones. I could guarantee it.

"They're all iPhones."

"Ah, American products. There isn't a single Huawei."

"Young Master! Someone is approaching!"

At that moment, the door rattled violently. Chinese voices that sounded like complaints followed. It was obviously the Public Security. The Public Security officers were shouting something roughly because the door was locked. And in front of me, the Chinese men were trembling with grenades in their mouths. Preparations were complete.

I turned on the translation app I'd prepared in advance and began giving a speech to the Chinese men. It was loud enough that if they concentrated outside, they could hear it clearly.

The Public Security officers had clearly been listening closely, because even their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠complaining in Chinese had stopped. They were probably focusing on the speech right now.

Meanwhile, the Chinese men's reactions were far too passionate. They all looked deeply moved, their throats tight as they shed silent tears. Those tears were undoubtedly tears of emotion. The joy of the freedom that would soon arrive must have been so great that even in their unfree state, they were twisting their bodies to express their happiness to the fullest. It was incredibly moving.

"Sniff, they all missed freedom so much."

"Shinwoo, that was a truly beautiful speech. I'm about to cry too."

"...Young Master and Young Lady are simply fucking bastards."

I wiped away the tears welling up with my hand. But even the emotion of joy couldn't last forever. Once the Chinese men had calmed down, I started returning their phones and removing the grenades from their mouths. However, they might try to express their joy in words. Since the Public Security was listening outside, expressing joy was dangerous. So even though it pained me, I had a conversation in front of the flinching Chinese men.

- Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

With a power saw.

Only then did no one flinch anymore. That was a relief.

Right on time, two Public Security officers in angular uniforms roughly opened the door and entered. The moment they came in, they started spitting out Chinese. At the same time, they looked around at the Chinese men in the room with open suspicion. After a moment, the officers began dragging all the Chinese men out.

It was about time. Earlier, while collecting the phones, I'd added all the Chinese men's WeChat accounts as friends. Once the entire group had left, I carefully sent each one a touching message.

"Shinwoo, what did you send them?"

"Nothing much. I wrote 'Have a safe trip.'"

"...Young Master, you are insane."

Jung Ayeon glared at me fiercely. It seemed she'd figured out what the messages actually said. But it didn't matter. I'd already sent them one-way.

"Let's go ask the staff to buy us food. I'm hungry after all that work."

"Shinwoo, since American products won against China today, let's ask for Western food."

"How about somen noodles and dumplings at a Korean restaurant? And some Zhuyeqing liquor with it?"

"...Just do whatever you want. This humble one has given up."

Jung Ayeon answered with a gloomy expression. But even then, her determination to get a free meal was firm as she followed us.

Then I remembered I hadn't sent a message to the last one, so I quickly sent it.

- We are the last Falun Gong practitioners. - Be careful not to get caught by the authorities. - Destroy your phone after this is over.

The magic spell that turns Chinese people good.