Pyongyang Directly-Governed City.
The capital of North Korea, located in the central northwestern part of the Korean Peninsula.
On the slope of Moranbong, about 8 kilometers northeast of central Pyongyang, there stands a complex stone building.
It has been renamed several times and is now known as the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
Also referred to as the Presidential Palace, it houses the embalmed bodies of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and other past chairmen.
Additionally, it is connected to the Pyongyang Metro, located 200 meters underground, and contains dozens of surveillance and checkpoint posts within the palace grounds to strictly control public access.
“I’m in a good mood today.”
Officially, it also served as the office of the current Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Iljeong.
Kim Iljeong, seated in the Presidential Palace office chair, headed to a hidden elevator concealed behind a bookcase.
The elevator, though hidden, was installed quite conspicuously.
“Hmm.”
In fact, in Pyongyang, there was no one who could defy Kim Iljeong, so there was no need to press a hidden button.
Whoosh!
The elevator carrying Kim Iljeong quickly descended 200 meters underground.
“It’s nice not to have to be cautious.”
Kim Iljeong, who had openly declared himself as Pest in South Korea, faced much criticism even within North Korea.
Despite North Korea’s sealed-off nature, survival was difficult without economic exchanges with other countries.
However, Kim Iljeong quashed any opposition by purging those who stood against him.
He possessed forces and power unknown even to high-ranking officials, sufficient for multiple purges.
Where on earth did he conceal what?
Ding-dong!
“It’s been unusually busy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, hasn’t it?”
About 1 kilometer underground from the Presidential Palace.
In this underground cavern, which seemed doubtful for human habitation, there fortunately was air, including oxygen.
Flare… Flare-flare-flare-flare-flare!
As Kim Iljeong stepped out of the elevator, hundreds, if not thousands, of torches were lit.
The revealed size of the underground cavern was as large and vast as if the Seoul Sangam World Cup Stadium had been flipped upside down.
“If we live without lights, our eyes will dim, won’t they, Chief?”
“You’ve finally arrived. It’s been a long time.”
In this vast underground space, there was only one man wearing a hood, similar in attire to the subordinates Kim Iljeong used to accompany, but he carried a distinctly different presence.
Kim Iljeong kicked the gravel on the ground and laughed.
“I gave it to you as a nest; you should have decorated it a bit.”
“It’s a space that will eventually be filled with other things. I’d rather you expand it more.”
“Hmm! Such things should be done by the Chief himself!”
Humanity Resistance Organization, the stronghold of Pest.
This vast and barren space truly was,
“Good to see you, Vice-Chair. It’s been a while, and I’m glad.”
Unknown affiliation, unknown ideology, unknown origin, regardless of race, region, or rank.
It was the headquarters of a global, destructive, murderous, and anti-humanitarian terrorist group.
This underground cavern, while openly accessed by Kim Iljeong, was a secretive place unknown even to the members of Pest.
It was preserved by the Chief’s Edeya from the beginning, so no one except those specially permitted could even be aware of it.
The Chief, grumbling lightly, spoke to Kim Iljeong.
“The second-in-command has disappeared. Who subdued him?”
“Who else? There’s only one bastard in South Korea who could easily do that.”
“Is it Lee Shin? He should have been captured, but he’s disappeared completely.”
“Hmm? The old guy must have hidden his tricks. I got some really good information.”
Kim Iljeong licked his lips and laughed.
“It seems like the first-in-command will appear in the South.”
“Do we know the exact time and place?”
“It’s uncertain. He’ll come back to us at the moment of his death anyway, but I’m quite uneasy because of Lee Shin.”
“If it’s in the South, there’s nothing we can do about it. Especially since that second-in-command brat has already drawn the old guy’s ire.”
“It would be good to get the second-in-command back… Is there no way, Vice-Chair?”
“In the sea, it would be problematic to encounter Lee Shin. Last time, we could only manage some fun while that brat was buying time.”
“I hope that fun would be enjoyable for me too.”
“Heh heh! I can certainly guarantee at least that much amusement!”
“Lee Shin has disrupted a lot of our plans. We need to adjust the power dynamics.”
“That brat doesn’t even seem that strong, why not just discard him?”
“Hmm. Even if we give up on the second-in-command, I really want to secure the others.”
“Heh! It’s the first time I’ve seen the Chief so restless! It’s quite entertaining!”
“Heh heh heh. Instead of laughing and watching, think about moving faster, Vice-Chair.”
* * *
Current time: 9 PM.
Park Jinsung followed the directions given in the message from Fetch and went to the White Goblin Kim family’s main house. This message ensured that Fetch’s number would appear on his phone.
“Tch. I should not save it.”
But while it’s said that he went there, as soon as Park Jinsung stepped outside, a limousine came to pick him up.
“Wow! I’m riding in the boss’s limousine!”
“Boooooooooss!!”
His fellow zombie squad members, who had trained with him and spectacularly failed the entrance test, screamed like girls when they saw that their boss was now riding in a limousine.
“Wow.”
Park Jinsung had to be impressed three times during the ride to the main house.
“Please buckle up, Mr. Jinsung.”
The first time was when he realized that the limousine driver was a very handsome middle-aged man.
Another time was when he realized that the main house was not very far from the base.
And finally,
“Wow, the gate is ridiculously huge. Is this not the main entrance?”
Park Jinsung was astounded when he realized the scale of the White Goblin Kim family’s residence.
“We have arrived, Mr. Jinsung. Welcome to the main house of the White Goblin Kim family.”
The gate he had seen in the photo was not the main entrance but merely a small backdoor.
The real main entrance required going through various procedures and checkpoints. It would have taken at least two hours to reach the head of the household.
Not only that.
He would have been besieged by paparazzi and reporters targeting the White Goblin Kim family, waiting to endure numerous hardships.
This backdoor, looking like any other department store entrance, was located at the end of a convoluted, maze-like path.
Park Jinsung, who had been watching out the window all along, had even lost track of the road because of how often the driver had to turn the wheel.
“Um… Mr. Driver. I’m sorry, but how will I return home later?”
“Don’t worry. I will take you back.”
The route here was actually just ordinary streets, filled with neon signs and brand shops.
“Mr. Driver, don’t tell me all the buildings we’ve seen are owned by the White Goblin Kim family?”
“Yes, that’s correct. You are sharp indeed. The lady would appreciate your acumen.”
That meant,
“Wow, incredible.”
The reason the buildings were erected so chaotically, like a forest or a maze, was solely to disguise this backdoor.
To think they built all these buildings just to conceal one backdoor.
The absence of any noise suggested that a special Edeya might be interfering to some extent.
“Let us proceed, Mr. Jinsung. The head of the household is waiting for you.”
“I’m beginning to doubt if deputy is really part of the same unit as me…”
After alighting from the limousine, Park Jinsung followed the middle-aged driver into the backdoor.
“Wow. It’s even more impressive inside.”
It was confusing whether it was a house or a palace.
There was a stream flowing along the path, and the trees planted haphazardly also had an incredibly antique feel when looked at closely.
Thud-thud-thud!
Absently following the heels of the driver, a tiled house, which should rather be called a palace, appeared.
The statues of goblins placed at each side of the entrance seemed as if they were judging whether he was worthy to enter.
“Please come in, Mr. Jinsung.”
“Th-thank you, Mr. Driver.”
The middle-aged driver gave Park Jinsung a slight bow before retreating.
‘Dad! Mom! Give me strength!’
[My son, how many times must I tell you life is about leisure?]
The father in Park Jinsung’s imagination flashed thumbs up brightly. He hurriedly ended the imagination before his mom, with a fierce expression, could smack his dad on the back.
“Phew. Here I go.”
Breathing deeply again and again, Park Jinsung slid open the traditional Korean sliding door.
Creeeak!
“You arrived quite quickly, foolish one.”
“Uh, um, that is… hello?”
“Sit down quickly.”
“Uh, yes.”
Beyond the sliding door sat an old man who looked exactly like one might imagine an ancestor to look.
The table in front of the elder was elongated, stretching towards the entrance where Park Jinsung was standing, and it seemed he was meant to sit directly across from the elder, near the entrance.
“It seems too far, may I sit a bit closer?”
“Just sit there, foolish one.”
The distance between the old man and Park Jinsung wasn’t just a physical gap; it also symbolized the differences in their ages, abilities, and even social status.
“Wow. There’s a lot to eat.”
The long table was laden with various Korean dishes. Since it was only Park Jinsung and the elder, it was questionable if they could finish it all.
“Eat while you listen.”
“Ah, um, sir… are you the grandfather of Sergeant Kim Seyun?”
“Is that a question? I don’t understand why my granddaughter insists on sticking by your side.”
“Ah… granddaughter…”
The feast laid out seemed like it was meant to embrace and welcome him if it weren’t for the old man’s tone and atmosphere, which suggested otherwise.
“Let me ask you directly. Did you cause my granddaughter to turn out this way?”
“Eh? Me and Sergeant Kim Seyun? What did I do?”
“Are you not responsible for leading my granddaughter down a delusional path?”
Thump!
The elder slammed the table hard, causing a water bottle on Park Jinsung’s side to topple.
“Ah, is Grandpa also into playing Othello or something? Just leave it be. Sergeant Kim Seyun isn’t a child.”
“What did you say…?”
“Wait! Don’t get angry, please hold on! I still want to talk more with you?!”
“What an outrageous fellow. Fine. I’ll listen to everything first and then blow my top.”
“Why are you so desperate to control your granddaughter? And what’s this about Fetch?”
“Outsiders need not know.”
“Wow. This is really tasty. Yum yum.”
A slightly heated Park Jinsung deliberately chewed on the meat skewers more vigorously.
“This, this brat…?!”
“Oh, sorry. You said to eat while listening, so I did. Nom nom yum yum.”
“Hmm. You are trying to test me today.”
“Why don’t we cool off a bit with some light preliminary questions? Do you have any specific questions for me?”
“Foolish one. Would I have called you if there were nothing to ask?”
Annoyed with Park Jinsung, the old man himself took a sip of tea.
“Ah, this is delicious too. What are you curious about?”
“You’ve encountered Pest, right? What did my granddaughter do there?”
“There’s no need to worry about that. Sergeant Kim Seyun performed admirably, not unworthy of the White Goblin Kim title. She saved everyone to the end.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking if she subdued Kim Iljeong by herself.”
“What?”
The elder’s eyes deepened, becoming unfathomably intense. Park Jinsung sighed briefly, having tried to peer into them.
“The best are called the best because they are the best wherever and whenever.”
“Sergeant Kim Seyun always prioritizes human lives.”
“That’s not the point!”
The elder interrupted Park Jinsung again, raising his voice.
“I mean, did she, befitting the Sword Goblin, seize victory?”
“It’s true that Sergeant Kim Seyun fought Kim Iljeong the longest. Didn’t you hear about that directly?”
“Just answer.”
“She must have won… We’re still alive, aren’t we?”
“So it is… Indeed, if she had lost to something like Pest, she couldn’t be called my granddaughter.”
“Grandfather, sorry to say, but I think that statement is a bit off.”
“Keep talking.”
“Sergeant Kim Seyun almost died there. Despite being a sergeant, she’s just an ordinary high school girl.”
“You talk as if it’s serious that she almost died. And my granddaughter is no ordinary high school girl.”
“…Is that so?”
“Didn’t I tell you, foolish one? The best are called the best because they are the best wherever and whenever.”
“What…”
Park Jinsung was at a loss for words in front of the elder.
This man was not one to be reasoned with.
According to the elder’s logic, Kim Seyun, being destined to be the best, was justified in facing death.
“If she’s your granddaughter, what if she had died?”
“How dare you ask what would have happened if Seyun had died in front of me?”
“That’s what you seem to be implying… Ugh.”
“Do not speak out of turn with your careless mouth.”
From behind the old man, a dark, ink-like aura began to ominously rise.
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