Ch.52Chapter 3. Ulleung, the Island of Miracles and Patriotism (1)

As the saying goes, “Strike while the iron is hot,” I ate the evening soup (…) prepared by the tavern owner and immediately boarded the regular ferry heading to Ulleungdo.

“What’s your purpose for visiting Ulleungdo at this hour?”

“I’m on leave tomorrow! Going to eat raw squid.”

“Fair enough. When will you return? What’s your travel plan?”

“I’ll see Dokdo at dawn when the clouds are bright, buy some pumpkin taffy, and return in the afternoon or evening.”

“Hmm, a perfect tourist. You may pass!”

“Excuse me? Senior, isn’t that reason a bit too casual? I’m trying to enter Ulleungdo.”

“You’re a Sejong Academy faculty member. You’re already a verified ‘citizen,’ so there’s no need for rigorous screening. You’re just going from Sejong Island to Ulleungdo.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

If my departure point hadn’t been Sejong Island, getting in and out of Ulleungdo wouldn’t be so easy.

Even though it’s been inhabited since ancient times, Ulleungdo’s proximity to Sejong Island means access is strictly controlled, almost comparable to Sejong Island itself.

This is especially true for travel between Sejong Island and Ulleungdo.

Since people sometimes try to smuggle themselves to Sejong Island via Ulleungdo, the vessels traveling between them aren’t simple passenger ships but have military-grade exteriors.

Moreover, the entry screening is as thorough as immigration procedures, just like on Sejong Island.

“Shouldn’t we still follow protocol?”

“It’s fine since a Sejong Academy faculty member is going to Ulleungdo. It’s not like you’re traveling with a foreigner. Wait—if you were bringing a foreign daughter-in-law, would that be an automatic free pass? Hehehe.”

It was Sunday evening, and I barely managed to catch the last ferry to Ulleungdo. If the screening had taken any longer, I wouldn’t have been able to enter Ulleungdo like this.

Screech.

The ship arrived at Ulleung Port.

“Stop. Form a line and disembark one by one. You must follow the agents’ instructions until your identity is verified.”

After disembarking from the ship docked at Ulleung Port—which rivaled Busan International Port in scale—I went through entry screening just like when leaving Sejong Island, then exited the port.

‘So this is this world’s Ulleungdo.’

It brings back memories of when I came here with friends to see Dokdo.

There’s just one disappointing thing.

‘Is this Ulleungdo or Guam?’

The Ulleungdo I knew doesn’t exist in this world.

There are Haeguneul franchises everywhere, of course, and even foreign franchises line the streets.

The buildings have weathered the sea breeze but are maintained with designs far more sophisticated than Seoul’s buildings, with neon signs twinkling like Gangnam’s nightscape.

[Welcome to Ulleungdo, the Island of Miracles!]

Below this phrase are various foreign languages, and women in uniform resembling marine outfits are stationed throughout like tour guides, soliciting foreign tourists.

If I had to summarize this world’s Ulleungdo in one line, it would be a government-operated resort.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it Ulleung-Guam or Ulleung-Saipan rather than Ulleungdo. It has become a tourist destination surpassing even Jeju Island.

Because of mana.

People seek the East Sea to absorb as much mana as possible, with Sejong Island at the forefront, and everyone wants to enter Ulleungdo, which is closest to Sejong Island.

Those who enter the island are mostly ability users.

After finding accommodation, they accumulate mana through their own meditation methods.

Because Ulleung accumulates more mana than Uljin or Gangneung.

But many non-ability users also visit Ulleungdo frequently.

Who, you ask?

The residents of Ulleungdo?

No.

“Honey, can we really succeed?”

“We have to. We spent our Hawaii 3-night, 5-day vacation money on this 1-night, 2-day trip to Ulleungdo. I’ll make sure we succeed.”

“Honey, if we really have ‘that child’ later, we’ll raise them happily, right?”

“Of course. We’ll raise them as a patriot, not a villain.”

Mostly couples in their 20s or 30s, especially newlyweds, visit.

You can hardly find young children.

Since ‘ability users under 15’ cannot enter the island.

There’s no reason for children to come to Ulleungdo, this ‘dream island for adults.’

Because this is an island for making children.

“Hey there, young man. Did you come alone?”

An elderly man in a gray suit, appearing to be around sixty, approached me.

When I visited Ulleungdo with friends before, the elderly pickup driver wore a fishing vest sold in the market, but this man’s attire is different from the start.

The Rolex he wears alongside his Taegeuk Watch proves his wealth.

This old man may be aged, but he’s incredibly rich.

And he’s not the only one.

“Where’s your lady?”

“I came alone. I’m a faculty member at Sejong Academy.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s a shame. I thought you were a newlywed couple here for the ‘ability user conception course.'”

“Hahaha….”

Parental feelings are something else.

Parents want their children to excel beyond others, and in this world, even without education or talent, one can thrive with just ‘abilities.’

“As you know, even people like me, born before the Great Cataclysm, can contribute to the country in the age of abilities. By giving birth to children with abilities.”

“Do any of your grandchildren have abilities?”

“My goodness! My son is a B-class ability user. Even if having a child at forty is considered late, childbirth is childbirth.”

“Oh….”

A child born with a silver spoon?

Can that child bend that spoon?

Even silver spoons had to bow before supernatural spoons, and parents tried to help their children awaken supernatural abilities even if they couldn’t leave them vast fortunes.

“Look at the Ulleungdo natives—every family has or had at least one ability user relative. Same with the young singles who come to Ulleungdo. Why do you think so many people come even though we charge 5 million won per night? They all want to make their kids into ability users.”

“‘Pumpkin Honeymoon.'”

“Don’t use fancy words. Well, that’s what keeps us fed these days, but use our language.”

“What is it?”

“Patriotic travel.”

“……”

My child must become an ability user, no matter what.

In such an environment, Ulleungdo honeymoons for ability user conception were created.

Significant statistical data emerged, and children born after honeymoons in Ulleungdo had a considerably higher probability of becoming ability users.

While living in Ulleungdo for a year costs hundreds of millions of won, couples can come for just one night—the night of conception—to receive Ulleungdo’s energy.

In 2025, most couples visiting Ulleungdo choose “auspicious days.”

Not just Korean couples, but foreign couples too, all with the same purpose.

This is a pregnancy destination.

People come here not for tourism, but for conception.

“There’s no reason for a man to come here alone… Are you trying to seduce an Ulleungdo woman? If so, forget it. Even judges and prosecutors can’t touch Ulleungdo maidens.”

“…Haha.”

“What’s with that reaction? Are you an ability user?”

“I’m not an ability user. It’s just that Ulleungdo seems very different from what I heard about when I was young.”

The old man’s eyes gleamed.

“When you were young? Haha, my friend. When you were young, Ulleungdo was already surpassing Jeju Island!”

“I meant when my parents were young and dated in Ulleungdo. I heard many stories from that time.”

“Haha, my friend. You’re talking about Ulleungdo before the Great Cataclysm.”

The old man gazed at the distant sea, lost in memories.

Behind him, incongruously, numerous neon signs twinkled.

“In the past, people here did deep-sea diving and fishing. But there are no fishermen here now. The government forcibly converted everything into pensions and hotels.”

“Was there no resistance?”

“Resistance? If they’d been driven out, there would have been an uproar. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Who would refuse making a hundred or thousand times more money catering to tourists than working under the sun every day?”

The profits were too substantial to refuse.

“The Ulleungdo of your parents’ memories is gone now. This place has only one purpose.”

The purpose of patriotism.

Childbirth is patriotism.

“So is that really why you came alone? Even as a Sejong Academy faculty member, it’s a bit suspicious.”

“Haha. Yes, I came alone. Actually, I’m… this kind of person.”

I took out my business card.

“What kind of business card does a Sejong Academy faculty member—gasp?!”

“Sir.”

I winked at the old man, who quickly handed the card back to me while sticking out his tongue.

“You’re quite the elusive figure… Haha. Mrs. Ju contacted me, and I wondered who it might be. I’m hosting quite an important guest.”

“I appreciate your help.”

This old man.

He’s not only a local Ulleungdo resident but also the manager of a pension directly operated by the Syndicate.

“Welcome to Ulleungdo, the island of miracles and patriotism.”

The old man pressed his car key toward the parking lot, and a black mid-size sedan flashed its lights as if responding to his call.

Whirr.

The car moved forward on its own, and the old man opened the back door.

“This isn’t necessary.”

“Even 5-star hotels in Seoul offer valet parking. How could a 5-million-won-per-night pension not provide this service?”

“You have a point.”

I reclined in the back seat.

“Then… I’ll take you to your destination comfortably, Section Chief Do.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Yes.”

Does this old man know?

That the hot spring on his land and the pension built around it are among the most valuable places on Earth?

He probably doesn’t.

He likely thinks he’s just an ordinary pension manager and a Syndicate collaborator.

No one knows that the hot spring this old man manages has such properties.

“Um, Section Chief Do. This old man is just curious.”

“What is it?”

“…Which of the directors will you bring next time? Perhaps, the chairwoman?”

No matter how much Ulleungdo has changed.

“Perhaps all five…?”

“……”

“Ah. It’s fine if not. I’ll keep my mouth shut even if you bring other women. Hehehe.”

The elders of this country remain the same.

Ulleungdo.

Overseas, they call this place the island of miracles and conception.