Ch.119119. Cyber Joseon

In response to Amon’s calm explanation, Ju Sunhwa’s first reaction was bewilderment.

She looked at Amon with disbelieving eyes, as if she had just heard a story about a devil’s den.

“Such technomagic exists?”

“From our perspective, East Asia is surprisingly livable.”

China ruled by corporations called the Nine Factions and Four Great Houses.

Japan dominated by a single corporation acting as the shogunate.

Joseon continuing its dictatorship through the royal family and military.

From the description alone, these societies seemed to trample on democracy and human rights, but ironically, they were more livable countries compared to the Western world.

“So you don’t need to feel too guilty. Even if there’s no place for you in Joseon, there are plenty of opportunities in the Western world.”

Internal whistleblowing?

That wasn’t even considered a flaw.

In the Western world, where executives betraying their companies for money was commonplace, Ju Sunhwa’s whistleblowing wouldn’t even be controversial.

All that mattered was skill and capital.

In that sense, Ju Sunhwa possessed swordsmanship skills that any company would desire.

‘She was even an ace assassin in the Sword Circle.’

From what he’d heard, before her exile, she had been an ace within the Sword Circle.

In American terms, she would be comparable to something like HOD, meaning she was talent that any company would court.

However, it seemed to sound different to the person in question.

“…Is that supposed to be comforting?”

To her, it sounded like hell awaited beyond Joseon.

Having unintentionally planted a xenophobic monument in her heart, Amon quickly corrected her misunderstanding.

“It’s not like that. I’m just letting you know that options exist.”

“I still prefer my homeland.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“That’s an unexpected response.”

“What did you think I would say?”

“I thought Westerners wouldn’t understand this feeling.”

“Not everyone is the same.”

Amon returned a warm smile.

“But you seem to be feeling better now.”

“So it was comfort after all.”

“Not intentionally, but yes.”

“So, what were we talking about?”

“Originally, I was going to help you return to the Sword Circle… but from what you’ve said, you don’t seem interested.”

“That’s right. I’ve given up on that now.”

Seeing no trace of lingering attachment on her face, Amon accepted her position.

“Then is there anything else I can help you with?”

“There is something, but first, let me ask you one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you helping us?”

At her question, Amon raised an eyebrow and answered honestly.

“I have a modest ability. I can see the essence of souls beyond the material world, and I noticed something strange about the souls of Joseon people.”

“Strange in what way specifically?”

“All their hearts are connected by something like threads or chains. But I couldn’t see anything like that with you and Sunwoo.”

“Ah, that.”

Contrary to Amon’s expectation that this would require some explanation, the answer came immediately.

“My brother and I don’t have PIBs.”

“PIBs?”

“Personal Identification Biochip. PIB for short.”

She answered with awkward English.

With this new term, Amon tucked the word “PIB” into a corner of his mind and focused on her explanation.

“In Joseon, from birth, everyone is implanted with a chip that transmits genetic information, fingerprints, name, family relationships, and more to the government in real-time.”

“Wow…”

“Well, freedom-loving people like you might find it suffocating, but it’s not all bad.”

“I see.”

Amon expressed amazement as if hearing this for the first time.

But internally, he was completely unfazed.

‘What? That’s just like the regular South Korean resident registration system.’

Of course, it was much more severe than South Korea’s system, but thanks to that memory, he could understand this fact without particular aversion.

However, perhaps misinterpreting Amon’s expression, she began extolling the virtues of the PIB.

“PIBs are so convenient. Payments are easy, sharing location with acquaintances is simple…”

Besides that, crime detection was much easier thanks to PIBs, making public safety better than in foreign countries.

In short, it meant that by sacrificing freedom, one could gain security.

“I understand.”

Although Amon already understood all this, he pretended to just now comprehend to avoid further misunderstandings that might lead to more explanations.

In any case, thanks to her explanation, he could understand the mystery of the threads (or chains).

“So the reason you two don’t have threads is…”

“We’re from a treasonous family. We survived thanks to a deal with the Ministry of Justice, but officially, we’re dead.”

“So they removed your PIBs?”

“Yes.”

Amon briefly questioned the government’s actions but soon understood their intention.

This was the result of a dilemma between suspicion and trust.

In a society where guilt by association applied, she had to be punished.

But her early reporting of the rebellion before it began was clearly an act of personal loyalty. Therefore, the government should have rightfully rewarded her as a loyal subject.

The problem was that she came from a family that had plotted treason.

Because of this, her sincerity was inevitably questioned, and her actions could have been interpreted as choices made for survival or personal gain.

In other words, she hadn’t gained complete trust.

“This is both punishment and reward.”

They provided her with freedom and the opportunity for a clean slate as a reward, while punishing her by making her credit-unworthy.

She was impressed by Amon’s analysis.

“Are you really American? How do you understand so quickly? Come to think of it, your Joseon language is fluent too.”

“I have my circumstances.”

As always, Amon brushed it off lightly.

“Well, that satisfies my curiosity. But a deal is a deal, so please tell me what you’d like help with.”

“Really? I’m not sure I can trust a verbal promise.”

“For someone so devoted to Confucianism, why don’t you trust me?”

“Because you’re a Westerner.”

“Ah.”

Amon smiled wryly and took out an electronic contract.

She watched with curiosity as Amon manually operated the tablet.

“Haven’t you had the procedure? You could just send electronic documents directly.”

“I’m the type who avoids procedures.”

“I wonder if some retro trend is popular among Westerners without my knowing…”

“Worldwide, it’s probably just me and my girlfriend.”

Even high-ranking priests in the Vatican received implant procedures, making Amon quite unusual.

While chatting about such trivial matters, Amon handed over the contract.

“Alright, state your conditions and sign the contract.”

She immediately got to the point.

“My brother is participating in something called Hunt Legion. Do you know what that is?”

“What a coincidence. That’s why I came to Joseon. Is the entire Sword Circle participating?”

“Well, it’s a major issue that could turn the country into a ghost den, so the government put in a request.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Amon tilted his head.

Of course, Hunt Legion was dangerous.

Ghosts responsible for the entire world’s year would pour out from one area and possess whatever they could—certainly a calamity.

The issue was the necessity of the Sword Circle.

‘Holy knights or exorcist priests I could understand, but the Sword Circle?’

It didn’t seem particularly useful.

But the government had apparently requested the Sword Circle’s help, possibly fearing the appearance of yodo or yokai (entities).

Not only Amon but Sunhwa also seemed to feel something was off.

“Something’s strange, right? That’s why I’m asking for your help.”

The Sword Circle wouldn’t accept her, and the government wouldn’t let her participate.

Originally, she had planned to ask Amon to protect her brother, but…

“I’ve changed my mind. You said you came from the Vatican to participate, right? Take me there. So I can protect my brother.”

“It will be dangerous.”

“Don’t you trust my skills?”

“I’d have to see them first.”

“When I was possessed by the yodo. That wasn’t even half of my ability.”

“Is that so?”

He still seemed unconvinced.

Perhaps his attitude scratched at her pride, as she furrowed her brows and said:

“Fine. Let’s go to the training ground.”

“Now? At this hour?”

“Obviously tomorrow morning.”

“I’m fine with now.”

“I’m not. You have a lover, right? I don’t know about the West, but in Joseon, it’s frowned upon for a taken man to be with another woman late at night.”

“That’s interpreted similarly in the West.”

“Anyway, let’s meet tomorrow morning. I’m tired too.”

“Understood.”

“Go home quickly. Don’t make your lover suspicious.”

She ushered Amon out as if shooing him away.

“Well, your lover is really pretty. Honestly, she probably wouldn’t suspect you of cheating with an ugly woman like me.”

“???”

Amon was momentarily confused by her sudden self-deprecation.

“Is that some kind of black comedy, or are you serious?”

Normally he would have brushed it off as a joke, but there was a hint of melancholy in her voice that compelled him to ask.

Puzzled by Amon’s question, she replied:

“What are you trying to say?”

“You don’t seriously think you’re unattractive, do you? I’m American, so I might not be familiar with Joseon intonation yet.”

“Oh, that part? Don’t worry about it. These are burn scars I got when I killed my parents. It’s been a long time since then. I’ve accepted being ugly for a while now.”

“???”

Amon once again looked at her carefully with a questioning gaze.

Only then did he notice the face hidden behind her left hair.

Behind the curtain of hair were burn scars covering the area around her eye.

‘Now I understand.’

During their fight, she had let her hair hang down like a virgin ghost, so he hadn’t noticed.

During their second meeting, they had talked in a dark room with only moonlight, so he hadn’t seen.

Plus, she had been covering it with her hair.

But even after discovering her burn scars, Amon didn’t find her appearance ugly at all.

‘She’s just beautiful, what’s the issue?’

Because the original was beautiful, even the scar seemed charming.

Of course, in the hyper-Confucian society of Joseon, it might be considered a flaw in the marriage market, but Amon, being Western, didn’t care.

Besides, a man’s nature transcends culture and religion.

That chunk of fat that more than compensates for appearance…

“Ahem.”

Amon deliberately stopped his thoughts and focused on the woman before him.

“Sunhwa. You are plenty beautiful.”

“You don’t need to flatter me.”

“I don’t lie.”

Amon smiled slightly and borrowed a machine from her hospital room.

Thump-thump. Beep.

His heart rate hovering around 160 served as proof.

“Being alone in a dark room with a beauty like you seems to be affecting me.”

Indeed, Amon’s heart was racing.

Though he had a lover, getting excited in front of an attractive person was a sad aspect of male nature.

This was human nature that emerged after Adam ate the forbidden fruit, so doctrinally it wasn’t a problem.

‘As long as I don’t actually commit adultery, there’s nothing wrong with my heart racing.’

So Amon showed his heart rate to boost her self-esteem.

At Amon’s consolation, she stared blankly at the device before breaking into a smile.

“You’re more amusing the more I see you. Save your flirting for your girlfriend.”

“No need to feel disappointed. Someday, someone will appreciate your charm.”

If he asked people in a busy street who wanted to date her, wouldn’t they line up?

While Amon was thinking this, Sunhwa placed her hand on his back and pushed him out of the hospital room.

“Get out now. I’m tired. Just be early at our meeting place tomorrow.”

Amon nodded and obediently left the room.

After sending him out, Sunhwa returned to her hospital bed.

With a deep sigh, she muttered:

“What kind of guy is he?”

Contrary to her words, the corners of her mouth were slightly turned upward.