episode_0166

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

– We are proceeding as instructed, Chairman.

“Ah. okay. Looking good. Since you are watching live, continue as planned.”

Haeguneul’s chairman, Choi Ho-jeong, leaned back on the sofa with a satisfied smile on his face at the report delivered through his smartphone.

“Okay. Some devils are trying to come right into Busan.”

“Hey, Chairman. Still, people who have lost their abilities…”

“Uh huh. Once a devil, always a devil. Director Jang. Just because you lost this ability doesn’t mean you’re not a devil.”

Chairman Choi cut off the director’s words in a firm voice.

“Why did they become devils? It’s because of the reckless driving. The body may be human, but the spirit is a devil. The soul has already been defiled, so how can we not call it the devil?”

“However, it is said that a person named Duoksini forcibly turned him into a devil.”

Director Jang also did not back down his opinion.

“Consider the case of Yuk Gi-bong, the patented rider we wanted to use. Duoksini injected something like a devil seed into Yuk Gi-bong, and Yuk Gi-bong instantly became a devil.”

“So what you’re saying is that even a good person with supernatural powers can turn into a devil with just one hit, whether it’s a pill or a seed?”

“There is a possibility.”

“Huh. Then the situation is completely different.”

Chairman Choi tilted his head.

“A good hero degenerating into a devil is completely different from a person with devilish tendencies becoming a devil. Um…ah, let’s put it that way.”

Chairman Choi smiled kindly and stroked the white cat on the chairman’s desk.

“The people who turned into demons were not good people, but were originally dark-hearted people. They selected those who could become devils.”

“Chairman, that is unfounded…”‘

“In my 90 years of life, if there is one thing I learned while fleeing the Korean War while others were learning Korean, it is how to look at people.”

Chairman Choi pointed to his eyes and skillfully used the Taegeuk watch to display a list on one side of the TV screen.

“Is this Zenloss…? Those who have lost their abilities. I looked at the list. We cross-checked the data brought by Haeshaune’s internal human resources team and scouts. As a result, one very interesting result emerged.”

“The Chairman himself…? Just tell us to do it.”

“Don’t I have to do things like this myself to feel like I’m alive? So, I did some research, and if I were to give a one-line review of these guys… I would say they are ‘people with the same texture as Yuk Gi-bong.’”

Chairman Choi lightly took the small pill placed on the table and put it into his mouth.

“They have a bad reputation with those around them, they have a bad family environment, they have already dabbled in crime, or they have killed people even though it is not known to the outside world. I think I would have done the same if I were a two-year-old. After carefully examining the people, he selected only those who were prone to the devil’s temptation and placed devil seeds in them. That’s how I see it.”

“Then….”

“It is not wrong for us to call the protesters and block them from entering Busan. Who would want to live in the same city as those people? Those on death row who committed heinous crimes.”

The term NIMBY is not there for nothing.

Even if social hate facilities are economically beneficial, we are opposed to entering them, so how can we remain silent when they say that those who have killed several people or caused property damage worth at least KRW 1 billion will be imprisoned in a research center somewhere in Busan?

“Whether it’s a trash can or a poop container, it must be there somewhere. But why does it have to be in the backyard of our house, behind the mountain of our apartment? Do you know what people in Busan are most worried about?”

“…Typhoon?”

“A typhoon is a typhoon, but what if that Zenroth ‘recovers’ anyone’s ability?”

“……!”

Director Jang became thoughtful.

“I asked my wife. How would you feel if you lost this ability? Do you know what she said? He said that all the wealth and assets I had accumulated so far, as well as the brand called Haegeuneul, were like turning into pieces of toilet paper.”

“Is it that much…?”

“From her point of view, it is a metaphor. I like to compare it like this. Can you live with all of your family members who take care of you dead, and your limbs cut off and only your torso left?”

“…Isn’t it impossible to live without help from society?”

“That’s right. In fact, it is impossible, no, it has become impossible to live without society.”

Chairman Choi petted the cat with a serious face.

“So, they must not be allowed into Busan. If they really come into the Busan research center, then real Busan people will rise up, not just the protesters we called. Then it will be a big economic blow to our Haeguneul Group.”

“Is it because it’s our group that supports the research institute behind the scenes?”

“Okay. Tsk. I sponsored a talent development center, and they said they would bring people who deserved to die and study them… Tsk tsk.”

Chairman Choi shook his head with a more serious look on his face.

” I’m trying to build a new figure skating rink near the research center, but I can’t even build it if genros come into the research center.”

“…Wasn’t it a golf course?”

“Golf course? There are golf courses all over the country, so why?”

Chairman Choi petted the cat and smiled quietly.

“Ahn’s hobby is figure skating, so of course we should build a figure skating rink.”

“…….”

“Keep in mind. No matter how much the world has changed, there is an eternal truth in this era. What was it?”

“Money is the best.”

“Yes.”

The era of capitalism.

This is a world where money cannot buy special abilities, but it is possible to hire talented people.

“Do you think that the reason the group dispatched a goblin to kill Duoksini was 100% for the sake of world stability?”

“…Because of money?”

“The U.S. stock market fell due to threats to peace, and stock markets around the world collapsed. 20% of my wealth is on the verge of evaporating in an instant, so of course I would have come forward and said something like that. I don’t know about anything else, but even if I fail to invest, I can’t stand losing my money because of someone else. Same goes for them.”

Chairman Choi’s eyes were full of confidence.

“Money went to the protesters, but would they really protest so passionately just because they received some kickbacks?”

“…Many residents of apartments near the research institute came forward.”

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

Click.

Chairman Choi stroked the sunshade logo inside the Taegeuk Watch with his hand.

“On the side of capital.”

* * *

“A big problem occurred. Negotiations have collapsed.”

“Why?”

“I will definitely go somewhere else. They say that if you come here, you will immediately come to Busan.”

“Me too.”

Baek Seol-hee was dumbfounded by the people who came out to protest.

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

“If a chemically castrated rapist lived next door to me, wouldn’t everyone do the same?”

Cheok Jun-kyung stood next to Baek Seol-hee, sipping coffee with a tired face.

“Is it the same as that?”

“Yes. It’s the same. Whether or not he is castrated, if a rapist threatens with a knife, it is the same threat to the general public.”

“Ha….”

“Do you think the protest took place because of money? To me, it looks like someone came out to protest with a knife and threatened from behind.”

“Who?”

“Of course, it is ‘fear’.”

With a wry smile, Cheok Jun-kyung pointed at the back of the convoy to a black transport vehicle that looked like something out of an American movie.

“Fear of what will happen if they run away again. To put it bluntly, you are on Sejong Island right now, so what would happen if they were in Busan?”

“In Busan, King Taejo….”

“Just trust that guy and live safely in Busan?”

“…….”

Although he had to defend King Taejo, Baek Seol-hee could not come up with anything to refute.

“Everyone would rather move to Sejong Island. There are many people with special abilities, but there are also many people with special abilities who can deal with it right away. Moreover, goblins also live on Sejong Island now, right?”

“I don’t know that.”

“Even though it pops out of Sejong Island? I think the goblin is on Sejong Island.”

“…….”

Baek Seol-hee lowered her head for a moment.

Then, for no reason, I pressed my foot against the floor, stared at it, and caught my breath.

“…I’ll make a quick phone call.”

“Phone? Even if you call the association-”

“It’s not an association.”

After biting Cheok Jun-gyeong, Baek Seol-hee tapped the Taegeuk watch and immediately made a call.

[Oh, hello? Seolhee?]

“Hello. Well, can you talk right now?”

[yes. I guess I didn’t eat breakfast properly. I’m watching it live right now.]

Beyond Do Ji-hwan’s voice, the voice of a newscaster conveying the situation on site can be heard.

“Where are you now?”

[Me? Ulleungdo too. I came to Ulleungdo Pension with someone I know…haha.]

“Do you know anyone? Is there anything else?”

[Well, sometimes with someone I feel indebted to. It was a practical training.]

“Ah.”

Well, that’s okay.

Because I’ve already made up my mind.

“What would you do in this situation? People were lying down on the road saying they were going to protest.”

[Um… First of all, those people really have to go to Busan, right? Then, the Busan research institute over there will release a vaccine.]

“Yes. An official announcement will probably come out soon. Because we have to calm down those protesters.”

Can I tell you?

Baek Seol-hee thought for a moment, but decided to trust the feeling deep in her heart.

“Those who have lost their abilities will all be sent to Sejong Island. By creating a separate detention facility on Sejong Island.”

[…Hmm.]

How will Do Ji-hwan react?

[Because Seolhee is here?]

“That may be true, but there is a possibility that he is on Sejong Island.”

[that?]

“Goblin. …It may not be on Sejong Island right now, but…”

[…….]

A moment of awkward silence follows.

“Well, people are like that. Is that really true? Right?”

[There is a possibility. for now.]

“Yes, whatever. Because goblins appear everywhere. Anyway.”

Baek Seol-hee turned her eyes toward the protesters.

“How can we overcome those protesters? I don’t think they will disperse on their own.”

[Wouldn’t it be okay to do what you did to the goblin yesterday? As long as you have good horsepower. That’s Jindo Bridge.]

“…….”

Baek Seol-hee closed her eyes for a moment and then hardened her expression.

“I’m thinking of stopping by Busan and buying a pair of shoes as a gift on the way in.”

[Uh, really? You don’t have to do that….]

“That’s because I want to buy it for you. Maybe.”

Baek Seol-hee lightly swept the floor with her feet.

“Shoes, what size are you?”