Ch.32Chapter 2. Seed of the Devil (1)

Saturday.

On my way home after work, I bought “yangnyeom chicken” as instructed in the message on my smartphone.

-No fried chicken allowed.

Apparently, fried chicken was not acceptable.

When I asked if it was a matter of personal preference, I was told that while fried chicken came from America, yangnyeom chicken was our own unique creation, so it was fine.

This world is truly strange.

A world where fried chicken costs more than yangnyeom chicken.

Everything is twisted in its own peculiar way, and I have to live in this world.

On weekdays, I’m Do Ji-hwan the librarian.

But on weekends, I’m the Goblin, an executive of the Syndicate.

Ding-dong.

I stood at the door and pressed the doorbell.

I placed my Taegeuk Watch on the electronic panel of the front door to transmit my information to the person inside, then waited for the door to open.

“……”

The door doesn’t open.

The chicken in the bag I’m holding seems to be getting cold, but the person who should open the door from inside isn’t doing so.

Why not just open the door and go in, you ask?

This isn’t my house.

Since it’s not my house, I can only wait quietly outside.

Until the woman inside opens the door.

[Ah. You did bring the yangnyeom chicken, right?]

“With bones.”

[Good. What about beer?]

“Draft beer.”

I heard footsteps from inside.

It sounded like slippers dragging across the floor, and soon the door opened.

“Hello, honey?”

The woman who opened the door was a foreigner with red hair.

“You brought everything I asked for. Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

I closed the door behind me and entered.

“Is this our first time meeting face to face?”

“Yes. I noticed from afar, but you’re quite handsome. Gob-“

“Do Ji-hwan.”

“…Y-yes. You’re very cautious. I understand. Mr. Do Ji-hwan.”

The woman who almost called me Goblin took the yangnyeom chicken from me—

Clunk.

She immediately put it in the refrigerator.

Not to cool it down, but just putting it in the refrigerator while it was still warm—I felt an indescribable horror.

“Yangnyeom chicken is best eaten in the morning, that’s the rule.”

“…I think it’s a bit much to put it straight in the refrigerator without eating any of it.”

“We’re not going to eat it together anyway, right?”

“That’s true.”

I brought chicken, but not for us to eat together.

It’s just food I brought to look like I’m visiting a friend’s house, to avoid drawing attention from others.

“Have you had dinner? Should I make you something? How about a hot bowl of soup?”

“Yangnyeom chicken?”

“Don’t joke around.”

“I’m kidding. I don’t plan to eat dinner.”

I took out a protein bar from my pocket.

“I don’t like eating before a mission. Let’s begin, Tavern Owner.”

“Alright.”

Though she’s clearly a red-haired foreigner, this woman’s code name in the Syndicate is “Tavern Owner.”

She’s been infiltrating Sejong Island for a very long time, working for the Syndicate, and can be considered the local agent connecting me to the Syndicate’s headquarters.

“I like how thoroughly you take care of your body. Now, let me brief you on the mission.”

As the Tavern Owner lightly pressed her palms together, the talismans attached to various parts of the wall began to glow.

“…Barrier setup complete. It will last for 20 minutes, so let’s get through this quickly.”

The Tavern Owner handed me a stack of documents, which I took and sat down on the sofa.

Handwritten from start to finish.

Being completely analog rather than electronic data or digital files, it won’t trigger any alarms anywhere.

“The Demon’s Seed?”

“Yes. You saw it when you faced Red Scarf, right?”

“I didn’t see the actual item. The President’s dogs took care of him before I could.”

“Is that so? It looks something like this. Down there.”

At the bottom of the paper was a drawing of the Demon’s Seed, resembling a Western still life painting.

Thanks to the drawing, which seemed to be copied directly from a reference photo, I could see what the Demon’s Seed actually looked like.

“It looks like a starfish.”

“Not just any starfish, but one with long tentacle-like legs. The actual size is about as big as a 500 won coin. Though the tentacles vary.”

“At 500 won size, it would be hard to find no matter where it’s attached inside the body.”

“At least it’s not as small as a 10 won coin.”

No matter where the Demon’s Seed is attached, if it’s large, the target area is wider, making it easier to attack.

If you attack the Demon’s Seed, the rampage stops immediately.

“Is my mission to find and destroy the facility that makes these?”

“You know more than I expected. Did someone tip you off?”

“No. I just made an educated guess.”

The problem is that the place researching, developing, and producing these Demon’s Seeds is here on “Sejong Island.”

“The darkest place is under the lamp.”

“Exactly. There’s a research facility somewhere on Sejong Island, whether underground or elsewhere. That’s where they’re developing and producing the Demon’s Seeds. The mysterious substance that corrupts ability users and turns them into demons.”

“…I have one question.”

A fundamental question.

“If it was made on Sejong Island, why is it called the Demon’s Seed?”

“Are you asking why it’s not called the Yokai Seed? Well, it’s simple. If we called it the Yokai Seed, we’d have to treat our traditional yokai as ‘evil spirits.'”

“…So it’s okay to treat Western demons as bad?”

“Not just Western.”

The Tavern Owner shrugged, gesturing in all directions.

“In the East, outside of Korea, who cares what becomes a demon or whatever? That’s what the higher-ups think.”

“I don’t care where the name comes from, but I hope it doesn’t cause international problems later.”

“Well. With so many foreign things already in Korea, is it possible to turn them all into enemies?”

As night was approaching, the Tavern Owner pointed outside the veranda.

“Even Sejong Island has that cross.”

“…Unlike the mainland, hasn’t the ‘Christianization’ ended here?”

“Should a Goblin be saying things that could cause international problems? Hehe. It’s almost time. Have you finished reading the operation brief?”

“Of course.”

While talking, I had committed everything in her handwritten documents to memory.

“I’ll move as soon as the barrier is lifted.”

“Good. Oh wait, just a moment!”

Before lifting the barrier, the Tavern Owner called out to me.

“Do that thing, you know!”

“What thing?”

“That thing you did in front of the restaurant!”

“…Transform?”

“Yes!”

The Tavern Owner sparkled like a child.

“Do you actually say ‘Transform!’ when you transform?”

“It’s less of a transformation and more like releasing magical power, but I don’t say anything when I just do it normally.”

“So you only say it when changing into that Dojirider form?”

“Is that what you want to see?”

“I can’t resist seeing it in person.”

The Tavern Owner gave me a thumbs up.

“Do it for me. Please?”

“…I’ll do it as a gesture of goodwill for our future cooperation in the Syndicate.”

“Yay!”

The Tavern Owner grabbed a can of beer and stepped back, while I released magical power from my fingertips to create the Goblin’s mask.

“You know all this is meaningless, right?”

“Ah. I feel like I’ve just learned some cold, hard truth.”

“Transformation is just transformation. Shouting ‘transform’ when transforming is just that. By saying the word ‘transform,’ it’s like self-hypnosis to make sure you fully embrace your changed form each time.”

“That’s a bit…sad.”

The Tavern Owner touched her beer can with a bitter expression, and I reluctantly spread my legs slightly.

“I don’t do this every day. Not every time. I’m only doing it because you asked. Understand?”

“Oh. Ohhh…?”

“Well then….”

Click.

“Ah, wait. Since I have the boss’s permission, let me tell you one of my ‘secrets.'”

“…A Goblin’s secret with the boss’s permission?”

The Tavern Owner’s eyes began to shine.

“What level of secret is it…?”

“A secret known only to the boss and the four executives. The boss said I could reveal the truth to the Tavern Owner as our local helper, so I’m telling you before I transform.”

“Oh, ohhh…!”

The Tavern Owner knelt down.

“…….”

“…What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. Sniff. It’s just.”

The Tavern Owner suddenly began to cry sorrowfully.

She seemed to be laughing between sobs, and her crying while laughing made me feel uneasy.

“Being able to know a secret about the Goblin, sniff, means the Syndicate trusts me that much. Sob, all the time I’ve spent on Sejong Island as a foreigner… hasn’t been in vain.”

The Tavern Owner wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled broadly.

“Alright. I’ll guard any secret with my life. Even if a knife is held to my throat, I won’t say anything about the Goblin.”

“You can talk if you think you’re going to die.”

“What?”

“I appreciate your spirit, but losing someone who briefs me on missions and has infiltrated Sejong Island for years without getting caught would be a huge loss for the Syndicate. If your life is in danger, just talk.”

“You….”

The Tavern Owner smiled slyly with a touched expression.

“I understand why not only the boss but also the other executives favor you so much. I heard that when you became an independent unit, ‘Taowu’ wept bitterly and even confronted the boss?”

“…That’s ancient history. Anyway, about the transformation.”

I took off my coat.

“When I transform, everything I’m wearing disappears.”

“…Huh?”

“Accessories, the Taegeuk Watch, and even clothes. Everything.”

“…And when you cancel the transformation?”

“I’m completely naked.”

I handed my Taegeuk Watch to the Tavern Owner.

“I’ll bring a lot of spare clothes here, so keep that in mind.”

“…So you’re basically treating me like your local girlfriend? To avoid drawing attention?”

“Something like that.”

Tonight is Saturday night.

“…I don’t have to go to work until Tuesday, so if you hang around here for two or three days, what will people think?”

“Ha. Am I not allowed to get married?”

“You chose to be the Goblin’s supporter.”

“…Hehe. Fine. I’ve become the only supporter of the great S-class villain, so I should accept that much. It’s not so bad.”

“Hmph.”

I took off all my clothes.

Not removing my underwear was my last shred of dignity.

“You can take those off too, you know? You don’t need to be embarrassed… though it doesn’t seem like you would be, so why not take them off?”

“Keeping these on is a feast for the eyes, but taking them off would be visual harassment.”

“I think it would still be a feast for the eyes….”

“Enough.”

I put on the mask.

As soon as I placed the Goblin’s mask on my face, an enormous amount of magical power was released from my body.

[This is transformation.]

“…That’s kind of underwhelming.”

In the mirror, I had become the usual Goblin, a gentleman in a suit.

“So now you’re going to do that…?”

[This is more embarrassing than taking off all my clothes and putting on a mask.]

“Do it! I’ve wanted to see it in person.”

[I agreed to do it, so I will, but don’t say anything.]

Whirr.

I took out the belt.

[Transform.]

READY-!

“Let the execution begin.”

[…Don’t add your own lines, Tavern Owner.]

“I think it works though….”

[…Whatever.]

I pointed to the veranda door.

[Tavern Owner. Open the door.]

Mission.

Start.