Chapter 199 – Park Do-joon

Episode 199

“…?”

Kim Junghyun, sensing something was wrong when Park Do-joon froze like a statue, turned to look at him.

He followed Park Do-joon’s gaze to the monitor, his face questioning.

“……!!”

His eyes widened in shock.

It was because of a word that was clearly displayed in the corner of the monitor.

[Gold]

The ‘Gold’ rank, the highest of the five ranks used to classify customers at Finder.

This rank wasn’t determined by skills, reputation, or status, unlike the other four ranks.

It was a rare rank, personally assigned by Park Do-joon to a select few VVIPs.

‘I’m not seeing things, am I…?’

He rubbed his eyes and checked the word again.

It was the first time he had seen a ‘Gold’ rank customer since he started working at Finder.

“…Hey.”

Park Do-joon’s voice startled him.

“Close the door and go outside. Don’t come back in until I call you.”

Junghyun got up without a word.

He knew that ‘Gold’ rank customers were to be met by Park Do-joon alone, as per company policy.

He quietly locked the front door, flipped the sign to [Closed], and left through the back door.

Now alone in the shop,

Park Do-joon and the customer, Kim Jinsung, stared at each other in silence.

‘So this is Park Do-joon, Park Jin-woong’s older brother.’

Kim Jinsung studied Park Do-joon’s face, remembering the text message Park Jin-woong had sent him the day before he left for the New Continent.

…One last thing.

If you don’t join a well-known Major Clan in the New Continent, there will definitely come a time when you need information.

When that happens, please visit ‘Finder’, an information broker run by my older brother in the R2 Zone.

It’s a small operation, but their information network is as good as any Major Clan’s.

I’m not just saying this because he’s my brother, but he’s incredibly talented in gathering information, especially for his age.

If you mention my name and my younger brother’s name, he’ll treat you well. I’m not sure if he’ll give you a discount, though, considering his strict personality.

Keep this in mind if you need information in the New Continent. Good luck.

The three brothers in the photo inside Park Sung-tae’s necklace, his comrade who had died in the Fight Club.

The oldest brother was Park Do-joon, standing before him.

‘I wasn’t planning on coming here…’

He was currently disguised as ‘Josh’, a new identity.

He had no intention of using Park Sung-tae’s name to get special treatment, as Park Jin-woong had suggested.

‘It’s just that this place was mentioned in Karen’s notebook.’

The ‘Key Figures’ notebook he had found on Karen’s desk in his secret hideout.

Finder was listed in the notebook.

※ Information Broker Park Do-joon

Request & Information Broker

Location: R2 Zone, 3rd Street

Direct Contact: None

Notes: Favors Ukobachi members. Highly skilled for his age. Uses advanced equipment, unlike other secret information brokers. Strict standards for accepting requests.

There were many similarities between the notes in the notebook and Park Jin-woong’s text message.

Highly skilled for his age, strict personality, etc.

‘If both sources match this much, it’s reliable.’

As he was thinking,

“Can you show me what you placed on the scanner?”

Park Do-joon, who had been silently observing him, finally spoke.

Kim Jinsung picked up the badge from the scanner and showed it to him.

Park Do-joon’s eyes widened as he saw the burning skull badge.

“Ukobachi…”

He muttered, his gaze changing as he looked at Kim Jinsung again.

“…I thought they were all dead.”

“Everyone says that.”

It was true. Both Cesare, whom he had met at the secret request agency ‘Adria’, and Luis, who had forged his identity, had reacted the same way.

“May I ask how you’ve been?”

Kim Jinsung answered Park Do-joon’s question,

“I spent most of my time recovering from the damage we suffered during the ‘Daynight Mountain Extermination Operation’.”

“…Hmm.”

Park Do-joon nodded.

The Daynight Mountains, where Ukobachi members had secretly gathered, had been attacked by a coalition of Major Clans, who had tried to wipe them out.

Over 95% of Ukobachi members had been killed, and the survivors had reportedly been hunted down and eliminated, according to the official announcement from the Paladins.

The operation was called the ‘Daynight Mountain Extermination Operation’ by the Major Clan coalition.

“After that, I gathered strength to carry out our mission.”

“What mission?”

“Operation ‘Red Moon’.”

“……!!”

Park Do-joon’s eyes widened again.

Operation ‘Red Moon’ was the reason Ukobachi was created, their ultimate goal.

“That operation… Are you ready to execute it?”

“That’s why I’m back in the world. And that’s why I’m here talking to you.”

Kim Jinsung got to the point, seeing Park Do-joon speechless with shock.

“To be blunt, I need funds to carry out Operation ‘Red Moon’. I entrusted a portion of those funds to you. Do you remember?”

Park Do-joon nodded silently.

“Do you know how much is in there? I forgot, it’s been a while…”

“Hold on.”

Park Do-joon suddenly interrupted him.

“You’re doing this in the wrong order. Why are you talking about funds first?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think you should prove that you’re Ukobachi first?”

Kim Jinsung raised an eyebrow.

“What more do I need to prove? Don’t you see this badge, which only a few information brokers connected to Ukobachi can identify?”

“You could have killed someone and taken it from them.”

Park Do-joon replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

“My entire livelihood is tied to Ukobachi. It’s too risky to confirm your identity based on a single badge.”

“Then how can I prove it to you?”

“Show me with your actions.”

Park Do-joon met his gaze, his eyes fixed on Kim Jinsung’s.

“If you’re truly Ukobachi, act like one. You know what I mean.”

Act like Ukobachi.

Kim Jinsung understood immediately.

“You said you’ve gained enough strength to carry out Operation ‘Red Moon’. Then it shouldn’t be difficult to ‘act’ like Ukobachi, right?”

“Right.”

Kim Jinsung nodded in agreement and asked,

“Would you believe me if I bombed the ‘Celcecheong’?”

Park Do-joon froze again,

just like when he had first seen the ‘Gold’ rank label.

“…Did you just say ‘Celcecheong’?”

“Yeah.”

“That place… We failed to attack it before, right? And it was the reason for the Daynight Mountain Extermination Operation…”

“That’s right.”

Kim Jinsung nodded and asked,

“Wouldn’t attacking that place again be enough to prove my identity?”

“…It would be more than enough.”

Park Do-joon answered honestly. It was more than enough, it was overkill.

The Sselepoh City National Tax Service.

Commonly known as the National Tax Service in Korea, it was simply called ‘Celcecheong’ in the New Continent.

And it was probably the most infamous place for all New Continent residents, except for those belonging to Major Clans.

“They take an average of 30%, and sometimes even more than half, of the earnings of those who aren’t affiliated with Major Clans. But Major Clans don’t pay a single penny in taxes.”

Kim Jinsung explained, as if reciting from a book, and looked at Park Do-joon.

“Ukobachi was created to destroy that place. We can’t give up just because we failed once.”

Park Do-joon nodded in agreement. Everything Josh was saying was true.

“Alright. If you bomb the Celcecheong, I’ll believe you’re Ukobachi, even if the operation fails.”

“You’re going to settle for just believing me?”

“…What?”

Kim Jinsung continued, seeing Park Do-joon’s bewildered expression,

“If I prove myself by bombing the Celcecheong, you should also prove that you’re worthy of our trust. Don’t you think so?”

“……!”

“How do I know you haven’t changed your mind and become a puppet of a Major Clan?”

He met Park Do-joon’s gaze, his eyes fixed on his.

“Prove it to me now. Show me why I should risk my life and my comrades’ lives to bomb the ‘Celcecheong’ just to prove my identity.”

He waited for Park Do-joon’s answer, their gazes locked.

Park Do-joon, after a long silence,

“…Heh.”

Chuckled.

“Right. This is Ukobachi. Wait here.”

He worked on his computer for a moment and then turned the monitor towards Kim Jinsung.

“This is a portion of the funds you entrusted to me, Ukobachi.”

Kim Jinsung looked at the amount displayed on the monitor.

550 billion.

“…That’s not much.”

He said bluntly.

It was a paltry sum for a large-scale ‘terrorist attack’.

“Heh, you’re right. It’s not nearly enough for Operation ‘Red Moon’.”

Park Do-joon chuckled and continued,

“I’ll transfer half of this amount to your account right now.”

“…Right now?”

“Give me your phone.”

He took Kim Jinsung’s smartphone and tapped on it a few times.

He then returned the phone, showing a screen with 275 billion deposited.

“I’ll transfer the rest as soon as the Celcecheong bombing is successful. That should be enough proof, right?”

Kim Jinsung nodded silently in agreement.

Even in the New Continent, 500 billion wasn’t a small amount to transfer so easily.

And he had transferred half of it to Kim Jinsung, a complete stranger, without any conditions. It was enough for Kim Jinsung to trust him.

“Alright.”

He stood up.

“When will you start?”

Park Do-joon asked as he turned to leave.

Kim Jinsung answered,

“Tonight.”

—