Ch.229Chapter 9. Hey, Ugly Korean (4)

A young man full of determination to change his country but still innocent, we left the airport with Nguyen Ong Bac, an A-rank hero.

“The vehicle I prepared…”

“It’s probably under surveillance. We don’t even need to approach it.”

Nguyen immediately became dejected.

“I’m sorry. I thought I did my best with what was available locally…”

“No need to apologize. This is all experience, something to learn from. You’re not a specialist in espionage, but an expert in villain elimination.”

If I were to compare Nguyen to an S-rank in Korea, he’d be similar to Battle God Lee Jun-young.

Someone overflowing with a sense of justice and physically capable, but whose actions are clumsy and who hasn’t clearly seen the darker parts of the world due to youth.

If such a person recognizes the darkness of reality and tries to illuminate that darkness with light, he could become a man capable of enforcing justice against an entire nation—someone like the Lord of Radiant Wings.

Of course, getting there would involve tremendous mental stress and trials.

Even with the Syndicate’s help, confronting the deeply rooted darkness in one’s own country is difficult for anyone.

“Oppa. It looks like they’re catching a taxi to that van over there. What should we do?”

“We’ll also take a normal taxi. But first, Nguyen. We need to cover your face.”

I lightly flicked the black umbrella I was holding toward Nguyen.

“Th-this is…?”

“A disguise tool. We can go as we are, but you’re a hero of this country.”

“…So this is that face-concealing thing I’ve only heard about!”

“Yes.”

Though it’s actually ectoplasm created using mana.

“…Is this good enough?”

“Perfect. Ah, I have one request.”

“What is it?”

“Could you smile while making this pose?”

I made a V-sign with my hand and placed it under my lips.

“…Like this?”

Nguyen showed his white teeth in a broad smile.

Perfect.

The image I created from my memory was spot on.

“Oppa. Who is this supposed to be?”

“I just made him look like an ordinary handsome Vietnamese person.”

“Vietnam…”

Nguyen smiled bitterly at the mention of Vietnam.

“It’s quite remarkable in many ways.”

Even Nguyen, who requested the Syndicate’s help out of desperation over Thailand’s situation, smiles bitterly with self-mockery at the word Vietnam.

“I’m not sure if ‘compensation for historical past’ is the right expression, but…”

If I ever have a chance to visit ‘former Vietnam,’ there will be much to discuss.

To put it simply, Vietnam doesn’t exist in this world.

There is a place that secured numerous ability users faster than any other country through international marriage arrangements, and then converted to become ‘Vietnam Special Autonomous Region’ under South Korea, but that’s it.

Too much, you say?

Exactly.

But that’s the current international situation after the Great Cataclysm.

Small nations disappear one by one, being annexed by neighboring countries, with A-rank or higher ability users leading these annexations.

Because that’s what citizens want.

If there’s an A-rank user next to a country whose maximum output is C-rank, people will either emigrate to the A-rank’s country or demand national merger.

Vietnam was the first country outside the Korean Peninsula that South Korea annexed.

They offered to move forward together beyond the painful pre-Cataclysm history, and Korea had no reason to refuse when they brought their country to them.

Some mock them as “second-class Koreans” or “off-peninsula Koreans,” but while their affiliation has changed, they still maintain their Vietnamese identity.

At the base of the pyramid of Korean Wave spreading worldwide, Vietnam occupies the top layer.

“If you’re ready, get in now. The guide is coming over to take us away.”

Yoon Hye-ra, who had successfully recruited a taxi driver, called us over.

Nguyen was unsure where to sit in the sedan taxi with a prominent ‘H’ mark on the front, but I pointed him to the back seat.

“Sit behind the driver. I’ll take the passenger seat.”

“What? B-but I…”

“Just observe quietly from the back.”

“…Yes!”

After Nguyen opened the car door and got in, I closed the door behind Yoon Hye-ra and took the passenger seat.

“Welcome.”

“Your Korean is quite fluent.”

“Heh heh. These days, taxi drivers can’t get a license without knowing Korean.”

The middle-aged man pushed up his sunglasses and grinned.

Thanks to Yoon Hye-ra’s careful selection among taxis, his car didn’t smell of cigarettes.

“Do you like coriander by any chance?”

“Can’t live without it. These days the government controls coriander so strictly that finding it is harder than finding honey butter potato chips. Are you here for pho? There’s a place where people from Vietnam settled, and there’s a restaurant there that makes amazing pho. They grow coriander at home so they can add plenty of it.”

“Please tell me about that later. For now…”

I pointed at the large van speeding away in front of us.

“Please follow that vehicle.”

“Oh… I sensed something was up when the lady was talking. Is something going on?”

“Yes. I’ll pay you generously.”

“Ah, it’s not just about the money.”

The taxi driver pulled the gear stick as if he were racing, and immediately maneuvered around a parked car to follow the van.

“I can’t resist undercover reporting. I used to be a journalist back in the day.”

“……”

“If this appears on TV, please blur my face. Oh, which broadcasting station are you from?”

“That’s…”

I gripped the small camcorder Yoon Hye-ra handed me from behind and aimed it at the van.

“It’s for VJ’s Notebook.”

* * *

At that same time.

“Hmm, hmm hmm.”

In a spacious room of a luxurious mansion.

A young man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, swimming trunks, and just one slipper smiled faintly at the food on the table.

“Aah. This fragrant coriander smell.”

The white porcelain bowl of rice noodles was topped with a heap of coriander, enough to cover both the noodles and the broth.

Crunch.

Laplace picked up a large amount of coriander with his chopsticks and chewed it raw.

To others, it might have looked like a rabbit munching on grass, but Laplace was savoring the taste and aroma of the coriander slightly warmed by the heat of the pho.

“Let’s see, the farm is…”

Laplace moved the tablet placed next to the pho back and forth.

The screen on the tablet looked like a game managing some island, with various data changing in real-time.

“Ah shit. What the hell. Some idiot brought in Chinese products.”

On the tablet, a small popup window displayed profiles of several men.

“Damn it. How long has it been since passport renewals, and they’re still using last year’s passport? Passport mismatch. Please, if you’re going to forge something, at least bring a proper passport.”

Click.

Laplace pressed a red stamp on the newly appeared popup window.

Soon, a red seal reading ‘Coriander Island’ was stamped on their passports.

“I cannot forgive those who dare to contaminate my farm. Go to ‘God’s Haven’ and contribute to this country’s coriander production. Huh? You want me to name them too? Ah shit. Let’s see… Right. This one is Chang Seventy-Four. This one is Wang Six-Nine. Done. Finished.”

After casually assigning surnames and numerical names to what appeared to be people, Laplace turned his attention back to the pho heaped with coriander.

“Hehehe. Nguyen, what name should I give that guy when I send him to the island? Park Ong-Il? No, that won’t work. It sounds too Korean. It would be troublesome if someone picks a fight over it…”

“Laplace. I have something to report.”

A woman in a business suit approached Laplace, who had just put some pho in his mouth.

“Secretary. What is it?”

“We lost him.”

“…What did you say?”

Laplace frowned and put down his chopsticks.

“Lost him? Did I hear that wrong?”

“No. You heard correctly. Nguyen…”

“You lost him?”

WHACK!

“He was our golden opportunity to track Yimemangryang, and you lost him!!”

“I’m… sorry…!”

Laplace kicked the black-suited agent’s knee with his slipper and fumed, making his Hawaiian shirt flutter.

“We went through all that trouble to get him moving through the deputy prime minister’s bereaved family, and now what are you doing?!”

“D-don’t worry. The memorandum given to the bereaved family is a well-crafted fake, and those recorded in it are just people we want to eliminate later…”

“That’s not what matters! What matters is Yimemangryang! Finding the Syndicate!”

Laplace slammed his hand on the table.

“We need to capture the Syndicate’s agents! That’s how we can negotiate with the Syndicate! To prevent crazy people like Nguyen from becoming the leaders ‘chosen’ by the Syndicate!”

“B-but the Syndicate is an evil organization…”

“Who defined them as evil?”

Laplace pointed his chopsticks at the secretary’s neck.

“They are villains but not villains. They’re crazy people without the professional solidarity that exists among those who commit ‘evil’ acts. They’re lunatics who commit evil while claiming to act for social justice.”

“……”

“If they interfere with this country, do you think they’ll join hands with us? No. They’re the kind who won’t tolerate even this.”

Laplace pinched some white powder from inside the porcelain bowl.

“Tsk. What kind of villains don’t even know the taste of mana powder.”

Crunch.

Laplace took a big bite of the pho sprinkled with white powder along with the coriander garnish.

“Tell the military. Check everyone entering on Korean planes. If there’s anyone not acting according to their stated purpose, they are Syndicate agents.”

As Laplace spread his hand to the side, a large screen on the wall instantly began displaying CCTV footage from all over Thailand.

“We’ll take Syndicate agents hostage to draw out their executives. Understand, ‘Hyangdan’?”

“…Yes.”

The agent, Hyangdan, bowed and retreated.

“Hehe. Just you wait, Syndicate…”

Laplace grabbed his left shoulder with his hand and sneered.

“I will definitely repay this pain…!”

* * *

Screech.

The taxi stopped.

“Ah, not here. PDs, just turn back. If anyone asks, tell them I recommended this place as a good restaurant, and go straight back to your accommodation.”

The taxi stopped in a nearby restaurant parking lot, and the driver pointed across the road with a stern expression.

“You can’t go there.”

“Why not?”

Nguyen leaned forward from the back seat.

“What is that place…?”

“You don’t know? Ah, damn it. That place is the entry point to an island called ‘God’s Haven.'”

“…Get out. Thank you for your help, driver.”

I handed the driver a wad of cash and offered a handshake.

“I’ll do as you say. Would you like to join us for a meal? If you’re uncomfortable sitting together, I can arrange a separate table for you.”

“No, it’s dangerous… Huh?”

“I’ll take responsibility for your safety.”

As I let a hint of black flame flicker in my eyes, the taxi driver’s eyes widened and he licked his lips.

“An ability user…! This, this. Looks like this will be an even bigger story than I thought…!”

“As you suggested, we’ll eat here and return to the hotel. In exchange, could you tell us what you know? What you, as a former journalist, know.”

When it comes to information, locals are always the best source.

“About that island, God’s Haven, that you mentioned.”