Chapter 106

Chapter 106. The King of Korea (1)

***

Today, I went to work again. I sat in the reception room, holding my throbbing head. If I took a day off, the country might fall apart.

I was a bit tired today, though.

“Good morning, Director.”

I looked at the person who just entered. In this industry, people’s outfits are almost the same. Black suits. If it’s a bit hot, black vest suits.

No sunglasses, though.

“State your business. You have seven minutes.”

The man began to speak.

“Our country is a great country. Former presidents go to jail. Baseball team owners go to jail. Don’t you think so?”

“That might be a positive point… but is a country good just because it punishes people well? That’s a separate issue.”

I twirled the pen in my hand.

“Anyway. We know, don’t we? The reason those people can go to jail is that they’re not the actual players in the game. They’re not the ones rolling the dice.”

“So, you’re the player?”

“That sounds unnecessarily grand. Let’s just say I’m someone who can have an audience with the true king of this country.”

The Enlightenment Group. The chief researcher of the 8th Research Utilization Division.

The 8th Research Utilization Division is a group shrouded in rumors. Its existence is not known to the public, and it’s unclear if there are divisions 1 through 7.

What’s certain is that the 8th Research Utilization Division is the actual control tower of Korea’s top corporation.

“Yes.”

“The Praetorian Guard was tasked with protecting the Roman imperial family, but because of that, they held immense power and killed six emperors.”

So, the people at the center of the Enlightenment Group, who hold significant money, power, and technology, are the true core of the group?

What’s there to boast about?

“So, what’s your proposal?”

“I witnessed what you did this time. The Foundation mobilized public power to hunt down several hostile groups, right? I was a bit worried that our 8th Division might be a target.”

“You weren’t.”

“As you can see, I’m still alive. Anyway, we’ve determined that this incident has caused a shift in your governance policy.”

“Oh?”

“If you have power, you should use it. It’s a natural step. I’ve heard you’re a very clean and humble person, but wielding power would also help the Foundation’s work.”

I nodded.

“We can be good partners for the Foundation’s activities. We’re different from the evil Pluto Limited Company, incompetent civil servants, or stubborn peacekeeping forces.”

Hmm.

“So, you’re asking for outsourcing?”

“That’s one way to cooperate.”

I need to think about it, but there’s a bit of a tricky issue. It’s not difficult, but it’s something the Foundation staff probably wouldn’t want to do.

“Then, there’s a large abandoned underground facility on the outskirts of Seoul. Can I entrust you with cleaning it up?”

“I’ll need to check what it is… but sure.”

It would be convenient to have someone to offload some work onto. Though I’ll need to discuss it with others.

***

Let’s think more. There are several hostile groups that could cooperate with the Foundation. Of course, we should be wary of all of them for various reasons.

The Korean Special Phenomenon Response Agency.

The Peacekeeping Force’s International Supernatural Phenomenon Management Agency.

The Enlightenment Group’s 8th Research Utilization Division.

Civil servants are the best.

They not only listen to the Foundation but also don’t make special demands. Though they sometimes try to steal technology.

The Peacekeeping Force is a bit more troublesome.

It’s realistically difficult for the Foundation to fight the Peacekeeping Force, and in some ways, they have comparable power. Plus, their methods are much more aggressive.

The Peacekeeping Force isn’t as advanced scientifically or supernaturally as the Foundation, so they tend to solve problems with firepower.

The 8th Division… I still don’t know much about them.

What kind of people are they? They’re so secretive. Of course, if I looked into it, I might find out, but I haven’t yet.

***

And so, the department head meeting began.

Research Department Head Lee Se-ah.

Recovery Department Head Kim Ju-seop.

Medical Department Head Shin Seung-yeon.

Support Department Head Lee Hwa.

And me, five people sitting in the meeting room. The room was quiet.

“Shall we begin?”

Everyone nodded.

“The first agenda. Regarding the war we fought with the Followers of the King of Darkness. I’d like to hear the opinions of the department heads.”

Lee Se-ah raised her hand first.

“Sorry, but does this department meeting have the expertise to discuss this issue?”

“Well… we considered representation more than expertise. After all, the department meeting is more about asking for positions.”

There are quite a few people who complain that decisions are always made by researchers. I can understand why such complaints arise.

Is it better to talk to the field workers?

“First, since the special operation began, the activities of hostile groups across the country have been paralyzed, but it’s questionable whether the Followers of the King of Darkness have been conducting significant activities.”

That’s the opinion of the management department.

“The supernatural phenomena and hostile figures we’ve eliminated on the field. They’re bad people, but it’s questionable how much they’re related to the King of Darkness.”

“So, the series of incidents weren’t closely related to the King of Darkness?”

This time, the Recovery Department Head shook his head.

“That’s not it. Niguras-1, 2, and 3 were all quite powerful supernatural phenomena.”

“So, we don’t know?”

“The Colorless Orchestra might be involved.”

At this point, it’s like saying, ‘The dog ate my homework.’ Every time something suspicious happens, it’s blamed on the Colorless Orchestra.

We can’t be scared. This is a department meeting. If push comes to shove, we can press the Support Department Head for more information, but it probably won’t mean much.

Is this a waste of time?

***

“The second agenda. It’s been confirmed that the Colorless Orchestra is hiding and operating in the underground of Seoul. Any additions?”

I looked around the meeting room. The Medical Department Head seems to have nothing to say. We only invited him out of courtesy.

Only Lee Se-ah raised her hand again.

“…”

“Yes, we need to root out the Colorless Orchestra’s activities as much as possible and figure out what methods they use to hide or operate to counter them.”

I nodded.

“Support Department Head. Is there any particular reason why the Colorless Orchestra is acting up this time? Or is there a reason they’re hard to find this time?”

“The Colorless Orchestra is difficult to deal with because they follow the Foundation’s methodology. Sometimes they’re outright rebel elements within the Foundation.”

Sigh. This is troubling.

What’s more troubling is that this is just a rough briefing or a face-saving measure for the department heads. Ultimately, we’ll need to hear from the field workers again.

***

“The third agenda. Regarding the Foundation’s collaborators, this time the supernatural phenomenon research group of the Enlightenment Group contacted us.”

The real reason for today’s department meeting.

“Yes, I’d like to hear the department heads’ opinions on the Foundation’s collaborators.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Se-ah tilted her head.

The Recovery Department Head spoke up.

“How many times have we been burned? The Pluto Limited Company guys. They delay the subjugation and sell off humanoid supernatural phenomena somewhere. They take supernatural phenomena hostage and demand hundreds of billions.”

“Other opinions?”

“Well… if we can save manpower and money. Aren’t these manageable issues? We also need to build friendly relations with the people who actually rule this country.”

This time, the Support Department Head spoke. Both sides have valid points, but it’s still unclear which is right.

“Research Department Head.”

“I’m against it. Ultimately, the 8th Research Utilization Division people are asking for money, right? It’s a subcontracting concept. Civil servants and the Peacekeeping Force cooperate without asking for money.”

“There’s no guarantee they’ll do as they’re told. Subcontractors will do as they’re told. And we’re not bearing all the costs, are we?”

I thought more.

“Let’s do this. Let’s keep all options in mind and investigate as much as possible. Originally, the Research Utilization Division was directly under the Enlightenment Group’s Information Strategy Office, but the Information Strategy Office has come and gone…”

“Yes.”

The Support Department Head raised his hand.

“Actually, when the Enlightenment Group’s Information Strategy Office disappeared last time, we stopped tracking the Research Utilization Division’s activities. Can we resume that?”

“Right. This time, the Research Utilization Division has declared a resumption of activities to the Foundation.”

***

[Regarding Mimics]

[Author: Humanoid Research Department, Dr. Kang]

[We’re having difficulties with the research. Mimic corpses turn to dust over time. We can’t bring live Mimics into the facility. I don’t know the solution.]

[We tried fixing a freshly killed Mimic in human cell agar. Mimics also have a cell structure. It didn’t look like a human’s, though.]

[Photo attached.]

[As expected, they react to cinnamon and silver. But it seems a bit dangerous. If Mimics can perfectly mimic humans, what kind of disaster would that cause?]

[And. It’s still unclear how the Colorless Orchestra controlled the Mimics.]

***