Ch.166Chapter 7. A Week of Turbidity (2)

At that moment, on the top floor of the Haeguneul Group building in Busan.

“Proceeding as instructed, Chairman.”

“Ah, yes. I see it’s going well. I’m watching the live feed, so continue according to plan.”

Choi Ho-jung, the chairman of Haeguneul, leaned back on the sofa with a satisfied smile as he received the report through his smartphone.

“Indeed. How dare those demons try to enter Busan directly.”

“But, Chairman, those depowered individuals….”

“Tsk. Once a demon, always a demon, Director Jang. Losing their abilities doesn’t mean they’re no longer demons.”

Chairman Choi cut off the director’s words with a resolute voice.

“Why did they become demons in the first place? Because they went berserk. Even if their bodies are human, their minds are demonic. Their souls are already tainted—how can we not call them demons?”

“But rumors say someone called Dueoksini forcibly turned them into demons.”

Director Jang refused to back down.

“Consider the case of that patent rider we wanted to use, Yuk Gi-bong. Dueoksini injected some kind of demon seed into him, and he instantly became a demon.”

“So you’re saying even a virtuous ability user could become a demon with just one dose of whatever that pill or seed is?”

“That possibility exists.”

“Hmm. That changes everything.”

Chairman Choi tilted his head.

“A virtuous hero falling into demonhood is completely different from someone with demonic tendencies becoming a demon. Hmm… ah, let’s go with this.”

Chairman Choi stroked a white-furred cat on his desk with a benevolent smile.

“Those whom Dueoksini turned into demons weren’t virtuous people, but individuals who were rotten from the beginning. Dueoksini simply selected those who were already predisposed to becoming demons.”

“Chairman, that’s an unfounded—”

“In my 90 years of life, what I learned while fleeing during the Korean War when others were learning to read—was how to judge people.”

Chairman Choi pointed to his eyes, then skillfully manipulated his Taeguk Watch to display a list on one side of the TV screen.

“I’ve examined the list of these Zenros… depowered individuals. I cross-referenced data brought by Haeguneul’s HR team and scouts. The results were quite interesting.”

“You did this personally…? You could have asked us.”

“Doing these things myself makes me feel alive. After investigating, I can summarize them in one line: ‘They’re cut from the same cloth as Yuk Gi-bong.'”

Chairman Choi casually popped a small pill into his mouth.

“They have bad reputations, troubled home environments, criminal histories, or have even killed people without it becoming public knowledge. If I were Dueoksini, I would have done the same. Observe people carefully, then select only those susceptible to demonic temptation and plant the demon seed in them. That’s my view.”

“In that case….”

“So there’s nothing wrong with us calling protesters to block them from entering Busan. Who would want to live in the same city with such people? Death row inmates who committed heinous crimes.”

The term NIMBY exists for a reason.

Even if socially undesirable facilities might bring economic benefits, people oppose them. How could anyone remain silent when they’re planning to imprison people who have killed multiple victims or caused property damage worth over a billion won in a research facility somewhere in Busan?

“Garbage dumps and sewage plants need to exist somewhere. But why should they be in our backyard or behind our apartment building? Do you know what Busan residents worry about most?”

“…Typhoons?”

“Yes, typhoons too, but what if one of those Zenros ‘recovers’ their ability?”

“……!”

Director Jang turned pale.

“I asked my wife how it would feel to lose one’s ability. Do you know what she said? She said it would be like all the wealth and assets I’ve built up, and the Haeguneul brand itself, becoming worthless.”

“Is it really… that severe?”

“That was her attempt at an analogy. I’d put it this way: could you live if all your family who would care for you died, and you were left with just your torso, all limbs amputated?”

“…That would make survival impossible without society’s help, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly. Practically impossible—no, they simply cannot exist without society.”

Chairman Choi stroked the cat with a serious expression.

“That’s why we can’t let them into Busan. If they really enter the Busan research facility, it won’t be our hired protesters but actual Busan residents who will rise up. That would be a major economic blow to our Haeguneul Group.”

“Because our group is… secretly supporting the research facility?”

“Yes. Tsk. We sponsor the Ability Development Institute a little, and they want to bring in people who rightfully should be dead for research… aish, tsk tsk.”

Chairman Choi shook his head with an increasingly grave expression.

“We’re planning to build a new figure skating rink near the research facility, but if these Zenros come in, we won’t be able to build it.”

“…Wasn’t it a golf course?”

“Golf course? Golf courses are everywhere, why would we build another?”

Chairman Choi stroked the cat and smiled innocently.

“My wife’s hobby is figure skating, so naturally we should build a figure skating rink.”

“…….”

“Remember this. No matter how much the world changes, there’s one eternal truth in this era. What was it again?”

“Money is everything.”

“That’s right.”

In this capitalist era.

Money can’t buy abilities, but it can hire those who have them.

“Do you think The Syndicate dispatched the Goblin to kill Dueoksini solely for world stability?”

“…Because of money?”

“With the U.S. stock market falling due to threats to peace, and global stock markets crashing, 20% of my assets were about to evaporate instantly. Of course I would have said the same thing in their position. I might accept losing money through my own investment failures, but I can’t tolerate losing it because of someone else. They feel the same way.”

Chairman Choi’s eyes were full of conviction.

“Money has gone to the protesters, but would they really demonstrate so passionately just for some bribes?”

“…Many apartment residents from near the research facility have joined the protests.”

“Exactly. I’m sorry for the government and heroes, but I’m not on the government’s side.”

Click.

Chairman Choi caressed the Haeguneul logo inside his Taeguk Watch.

“I’m on the side of capital.”

* * *

“We have a problem. Negotiations have broken down.”

“Why?”

“They’re demanding we go somewhere else. They say coming here means entering Busan directly.”

“Good grief.”

Baek Seol-hee was exasperated by the protesters.

“What’s so scary about people who’ve lost their abilities….”

“Wouldn’t anyone feel the same if a chemically castrated sex offender lived next door?”

Cheok Jun-gyeong stood beside Baek Seol-hee, sipping coffee with a tired face.

“Is that the same?”

“Yes, it is. Castrated or not, when a sex offender threatens someone with a knife, it’s all the same threat to ordinary people.”

“Haah….”

“Do they look like they’re protesting for money? To me, they look like they’re protesting because someone is threatening them with a knife from behind.”

“Who?”

“Obviously, ‘fear’.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong used his eyes to point at the black transport vehicles at the back of the convoy, something you’d only see in American movies.

“The fear of what happens if they go berserk again. Frankly speaking, you’re on Sejong Island now, but what happens if they’re in Busan?”

“Taejo is in Busan….”

“Are we supposed to rely solely on that guy to live safely in Busan?”

“…….”

Though she wanted to defend Taejo, Baek Seol-hee couldn’t find the words to counter.

“Everyone would rather move to Sejong Island. There are many ability users there, but also many who can respond immediately. Besides, isn’t the Goblin living on Sejong Island now?”

“That’s uncertain.”

“He keeps popping out from Sejong Island, doesn’t he? I believe the Goblin is on Sejong Island.”

“…….”

Baek Seol-hee lowered her head briefly.

Then she pressed her foot firmly on the ground, stared at it, and took a deep breath.

“…I’ll make a quick call.”

“A call? Even if you call the Association—”

“Not the Association.”

Baek Seol-hee left Cheok Jun-gyeong behind and immediately made a call on her Taeguk Watch.

[Ah, hello? Seol-hee?]

“Hello. Are you available to talk right now?”

[Yes. It seems you… haven’t eaten properly this morning. I’m watching the live coverage now.]

Beyond Do Ji-hwan’s voice, she could hear a news anchor reporting on the current situation.

“Where are you now?”

[Me? Ulleungdo. I came to a pension here with someone I know… haha.]

“Someone you know? There’s someone else?”

[Well, someone I occasionally rely on. It was for training, remember?]

“Ah.”

Well, that’s okay.

I’ve already prepared myself for this.

“What would you do in this situation? People are lying down on the road, saying they’ll protest.”

[Hmm…. First, do those people absolutely need to enter Busan? I assume they need to get to the research facility there for vaccines or something.]

“Yes. An official announcement will probably come soon. We need to calm these protesters.”

Should I tell him?

Baek Seol-hee hesitated briefly but decided to trust the feeling deep in her heart.

“The depowered individuals are all going to be sent to Sejong Island. They’re building a separate detention facility there.”

[…Hmm.]

How would Do Ji-hwan react?

[Because you’re there?]

“That might be part of it, but it’s because he might be on Sejong Island.”

[He?]

“The Goblin. …Though he might not be on Sejong Island right now.”

[…….]

After an awkward silence:

“Well, that’s what people are saying. But that can’t be true, right?”

[It’s possible. At least for now.]

“Yes, well. The Goblin appears everywhere anyway. So.”

Baek Seol-hee turned her eyes toward the protesters.

“How can we get past those protesters? They don’t seem likely to disperse on their own.”

[Couldn’t you do what you did for the Goblin yesterday? The Jindo Bridge thing, if your magical power is okay.]

“…….”

Baek Seol-hee closed her eyes briefly, then her expression hardened.

“I was thinking of stopping by Busan to buy a pair of shoes as a gift on my way in.”

[Oh, really? You don’t have to….]

“I want to buy them for you. By the way.”

Baek Seol-hee lightly swept the ground with her foot.

“What’s your shoe size?”