Chapter 111 – Remnants [the Remnants]

June 2, 2031, 20:30.

Residential area in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu.

A quiet place where chaebols and those of comparable wealth reside.

A black SUV entered there.

The SUV moved slowly through the alleyways and stopped in front of a two-story house surrounded by a red brick wall, located in a somewhat secluded spot even within the residential area.

“Huh? Is someone here?”

The person in the passenger seat tilted their head upon seeing the lights on the first floor.

“Could it be Kim Seonbae?”

At the driver’s words, the person in the passenger seat shrugged.

“Didn’t that guy say he was going back to his hometown tomorrow?”

“He did say that, didn’t he?”

“Let’s get out first. Well, whoever it is, we can just have a drink together.”

Saying this, the person in the passenger seat, NIS agent Choi, got out of the car.

The driver, NIS agent Park, also turned off the engine and got out.

“Anyway, who else would come here besides us…”

“Right?”

“You think some high-ranking officials would be here? Probably just a few stragglers like us.”

As Choi said, this NIS safe house, which was once used as a retreat or secret party venue for the president, the NIS director, other high-ranking military officials, or those of similar status, had long since transformed into a retreat for NIS employees after the revolution.

Although somewhat exaggerated, the expression ‘used by stragglers’ fit quite well.

“Are the drinks and snacks all stocked here?”

“Yes, Kim Seonbae said he restocked them last week.”

“Let’s go in.”

Choi held his eye up to the iris recognition lens.

A moment later, the gate opened, and the two entered the courtyard.

‘Who on earth is it?’

After the revolution, safe houses scattered throughout Seoul had become empty.

Because those claiming to be revolutionary leaders, like Nam Hanseok or his cabinet ministers and military officials, never visited them at all.

The famous safe house in Gungjeong-dong had even been opened to the public as a museum.

This safe house in Itaewon was relatively favored by NIS employees as a place to gather occasionally, drink away from prying eyes, and share various stories.

But recently, as the Prime Minister’s Office began shaking the NIS again, it had become a place only those with considerable nerve would visit.

To exaggerate a bit, it had become a place almost forgotten by the NIS, to the point where hardly anyone besides Choi and Park visited it.

‘Well, we’ll see when we go in.’

Thinking this, Choi and Park crossed the courtyard, opened the front door, and went inside.

“……”

“Wh-who are you?”

And Choi and Park saw him.

A man wearing sunglasses, sitting calmly at the kitchen table, waiting for them.

“Welcome. Agent Choi Chang-sik, Agent Park Hyeong-seok.”

At the man’s mechanical greeting, Choi and Park fell silent as if struck dumb.

The two exchanged glances, having a wordless conversation.

‘Do you know him?’

‘No. Do you, Seonbae?’

‘I don’t know either, man.’

While they were doing this, the sunglasses man put his hand into his pocket.

Instantly, Choi and Park simultaneously drew their guns and aimed at the man.

“Ah, don’t worry too much. I’m just taking out my ID.”

Saying this, the man slowly took an ID card from his pocket and tossed it to Choi.

Choi carefully picked up the ID card that had fallen at his feet.

‘Agent Hong?’

The front only had the name ‘Agent Hong’ embossed, and the back had the NIS emblem along with the name ‘National Intelligence Comprehensive Planning Office’ – a department never heard of or seen before – boldly embossed in Chinese characters.

Choi and Park looked at the man, Agent Hong, with eyes full of suspicion.

Agent Hong, still seated, looked at them and spoke.

“A secret department directly under the NIS Director. Once carried out orders from the Blue House, but since the last revolution, we only follow the NIS Director’s orders.”

“……”

“Will you continue standing like that?”

Choi and Park exchanged glances again.

The two put their guns back inside their jackets, then slowly went to the table, pulled out chairs, and sat opposite Agent Hong.

Choi handed the ID card back to Agent Hong and asked.

“I’ve never heard of such a department existing, but since the ID doesn’t seem fake, I guess we have to believe it.”

Putting it away in his pocket as he received it, Agent Hong replied.

“If you’re still suspicious, I can connect a call with Director Han right here.”

As he said this, he actually took out a smartphone and tried to make a call.

Choi shook his head and stopped his action.

“Even if things are like this now, I’ve done all sorts of things during my 20 years in the NIS. I can tell well enough that your identity isn’t false, so please stop.”

Agent Hong smiled faintly and put the phone away.

Choi continued.

“By the way, what brings someone from a department directly under the Director to us?”

At that question, Agent Hong erased his smile and began to speak.

“I remember you two were once quite impressive. To the point of being dispatched to the Wolyeong Mutual Aid Association and doing various tasks with peripheral organization members.”

Instantly, the expressions of both Choi and Park stiffened.

Choi’s cheeks trembled slightly, and Park’s complexion turned pale.

Looking at their flustered expressions, Agent Hong continued.

“I trust you didn’t think the National Intelligence Comprehensive Planning Office wouldn’t be aware of even that much.”

At those words, Choi frowned slightly but said nothing more.

‘Did we have such an organization?’

Instead, he could feel the capability of the National Intelligence Comprehensive Planning Office, to which Agent Hong belonged, firsthand.

The fact that he and Park had worked with the Wolyeong Mutual Aid Association and NIS peripheral organizations was a matter kept strictly confidential even within the NIS.

To the extent that even after the collapse of the Hyeon Woongryeol regime and the dissolution of the Wolyeong Mutual Aid Association and peripheral organizations, that fact hadn’t been discovered.

But this person Agent Hong, or rather the organization called the National Intelligence Comprehensive Planning Office behind him, knew all those facts.

“Please continue.”

At Choi’s words, Agent Hong nodded and continued.

“Once, you almost became fully integrated into the Hyeon Woongryeol faction… but that’s all in the past now. Given your current situation, where you can’t even drink at ease and essentially frequent a discarded safe house, you’re practically…”

Wrinkles simultaneously formed on the brows of both Choi and Park.

“What are you trying to say? Don’t tell me Director Han ordered you to mock us?”

At Choi’s prickly words tinged with slight irritation, Agent Hong lightly smiled at the corners of his mouth and answered.

“How could that be? The National Intelligence Comprehensive Planning Office isn’t such an idle department that it would handle such trivial matters, and Director Han isn’t in a situation where he has the leisure to give such orders either. You know that well, don’t you?”

At Agent Hong’s words, Choi swallowed hard and tightly closed his mouth.

As he said, with Prime Minister Nam Hanseok leading the charge against the NIS and all the media acting like rabid dogs trying to tear the NIS apart, the head of the organization couldn’t possibly be at ease.

Rumors said Director Han made dozens of calls a day just to newspaper editorial and news departments, which said it all.

“Then what on earth did you come to us for?”

Instead of Choi, Park stepped forward and asked Agent Hong.

“To deliver the Director’s proposal to you.”

Not only Park, but also Choi, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and mouth shut, flinched and looked at Agent Hong.

“Th-the Director’s proposal…?”

“Director Han…?”

Agent Hong paused for a moment, looking intently back and forth between the two.

Each time his gaze from behind the sunglasses, which couldn’t even be properly discerned, touched them, Choi and Park felt an inexplicable sting and quietly waited for his next words.

After pausing long enough to make their lungs itch, Agent Hong finally continued.

“He wishes to regain the lost glory of old and wants to carry out that task together with you.”

“……”

“……”

For a while, Choi and Park couldn’t say anything.

They just stared at Agent Hong with wide eyes, mouths agape as if their jaws would drop.

Looking at their foolish expressions, Agent Hong closed his mouth as if he had said all he needed to say.

For a while, silence fell among the three.

The silence stretched on and wasn’t easily broken.

Both Choi and Park wondered what they had just heard.

‘Regain… glory?’

‘Is he talking about staging a coup or something?’

While fully receiving their gazes filled with disbelief, doubt, and confusion, Agent Hong did not open his mouth.

In the end, it was Choi who broke the silence.

“What do you mean by that? Regaining lost glory of old… what, are you saying let’s stage a coup or something?”

At Choi’s words, Agent Hong neither affirmed nor denied it.

“And what task do you mean to carry out with us? We are…”

Cutting off Choi’s words, Agent Hong spoke.

“Leftovers.”

Instantly, Park flinched and made a grim expression.

Choi’s expression wasn’t very good either.

But neither took any particular action.

Although the word Agent Hong chose was grating, it wasn’t wrong either.

Agent Hong continued.

“That’s why the Director wants to work with you. Because you are beings with clear motivation.”

“……”

Leaving the speechless two, Agent Hong rose from his seat.

“I have delivered the Director’s intention. Soon, the Director will summon you personally. I hope you clearly decide your stance before then.”

Leaving those words, Agent Hong vanished from the spot like a mirage.

“Gasp!”

“St-stealth?!”

Choi and Park pushed off their seats and jumped up.

“Su… Superhuman?!”

It was an open secret that there were Awakened Superhumans among NIS agents.

That their existence was known only to a very few at the very top, that it wasn’t officially acknowledged.

Everyone believed it was so.

Even NIS employees Choi and Park.

But actually seeing such an existence before their eyes, the two couldn’t help but be greatly flustered.

“Se-Seonbae…”

Park looked at Choi.

Choi just stared at the spot where Agent Hong had been with trembling eyes for a long time.

“Aren’t you too busy these days?”

At Yeo Jeongyeon’s words, Siguk chuckled softly and took a sip of tea.

The atmosphere between the two conversing in the secret space set up in one corner of the Association President’s office seemed more horizontal than vertical.

However, a clear hierarchical relationship existed between the two, both tangibly and intangibly.

“The cartel runs fine without me, doesn’t it? Right?”

“That’s true. But if the Chairman doesn’t pay attention to cartel matters, a coup from below is bound to happen.”

“A coup? Who would stage one?”

“…Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Yeo Jeongyeon showed her teeth slightly and smiled.

As Siguk said, there was virtually no one within the cartel who could stage a coup.

Ivan Ivanov was merely a shareholder and saw Siguk as a potential son-in-law, Kurokawa Minori and Yeo Jeongyeon were Siguk’s lovers, and Marcos lacked the capability to stage a coup.

It was funny, but Yeo Jeongyeon once again felt Siguk’s control and felt a sense of pride along with a slight impatience.

The pride came from the fact that the head of the Asian Villains was her lover, and the impatience came from the fact that such a lover wasn’t someone she could fully monopolize.

Whether he knew her inner thoughts or not, Siguk put down his teacup and began to say what he wanted.

“I’m thinking of placing an organization under the cartel in China.”

Yeo Jeongyeon’s eyes widened as she looked at Siguk.

“In China?”

“Yes.”

“How…?”

“You just asked if I’m too busy these days, right?”

“I did?”

“That’s because I’m busy with preliminary work for entering China.”

Yeo Jeongyeon let out a light exclamation.