Before the return, Unified Korea had entered into full-scale war with Japan.
Even then, Unified Korea was not an easy country to contend with.
Unified Korea held a position as a developed nation and was among the top countries in military power.
In particular, the army was so strong that it could be counted among the top five in the world.
Although the army’s abnormal growth left the navy and air force somewhat weakened, the ongoing presence of evil spirits in the northern regions meant that a state of readiness was perfect, and the soldiers recruited through voluntary enlistment were very well trained, so discipline was excellent.
Moreover, Unified Korea maintained a fierce stance: “You may be able to conquer us, but if you dare to attack, we will sever all your arms and legs, and you will soon meet the same fate as us.”
Conquering the country would require a profitable outcome, but how could one approach it casually while witnessing someone frothing at the mouth and eager to bomb their own homeland and crush their army to put them in the same position?
Additionally, the connections with America were on par with Japan.
The United States considered Unified Korea to be the forefront against China and Russia, thus maintaining a close relationship. As a result, if Japan were to go to war with Unified Korea, the U.S. would undoubtedly issue a strong warning, and should they ignore it and proceed with hostilities, severe sanctions against Japan would be almost inevitable.
Therefore, thinking logically, there was nothing but risk and little return.
Unified Korea was like a porcupine, each thorn coated with poison and brimming with it.
Yet, Japan still had several reasons to be confident in victory over Unified Korea.
One was that Korean magic was almost a barren wasteland.
This meant they could start by casting great magic before doing anything else.
Magic comes with immense risks and costs, but the returns could be exceptionally high.
Just by observing that other abilities couldn’t hope to achieve regional or national level changes through the “Great Ritual of Magic,” one could easily grasp the greatness of such magic.
A colossal cost.
Outrageous risks.
But proportionate to that, returns so immense it was questionable whether they had limits.
Being able to start all this without any hindrance was… nothing short of immense merit.
They could unleash plagues upon the enemy, let locusts ravage all their food supplies, or make the soldiers suffer from nightmares daily. They could easily cause metal to rust and wood to decay or increase the white ant population to wreak havoc.
Historically, armies fall prey to plagues and insufficient supplies.
If plagues were to spread among the soldiers through the Great Ritual of Magic, crippling their ability to fight and demoralizing them while ruining their supplies and leaving them to starve…
It would be no different than already winning.
Of course, it couldn’t assure victory by itself.
No matter how much advantage could be gained through the Great Ritual of Magic, the nation of Korea was not one that would easily crumble.
If it could fall from just that, would Unified Korea even be able to exist?
They would have long been swallowed by the proxy group illegally occupying the northern regions or turned into some country called the “People’s Joseon,” or absorbed into parts of China, or if not, they would have been incorporated as a new state of America a long time ago.
Alternatively, during the bubble era, Japan might have even forcefully consumed Korea, making it part of themselves.
However…
What if there were collaborators within?
What if they attacked from the outside and shook things from within?
Then it would surely be a guaranteed victory.
There’s a saying: “Internal strife and external troubles.”
This saying refers to a situation filled with worries both inside and outside a nation.
Here, the external worries refer to outside forces aiming to invade the country.
The internal worries refer to those within the nation who, despite the country being in crisis, do not unite to repel the invaders but rather seek their own survival or chase after immediate gains, destabilizing the country.
This was exactly how it was before the return.
As soon as the war began, Japan shook the nation using those linked to them.
The methods were truly astounding.
They spread tons of rumors using social media.
They churned out fake news utilizing planted journalists and power holders.
They intentionally created anxiety among the people, shaping the discourse that it would be better to surrender now.
They flooded the market with counterfeit money, disturbing the economy.
They helped corrupt military commanders obtain command while eliminating or assassinating the right leaders when necessary.
They indiscriminately distributed the drug known as Philopon, also called “Hiroppong,” throughout Unified Korea.
They united organized criminals in Korea to incite kidnappings and murders.
…
…
Japan seemed determined to shake the nation using any means possible, and in reality, those methods proved quite effective.
However, the error on Japan’s part was that Unified Korea’s asymmetric power was significantly strong.
The capable individuals dispatched to Japan roamed around causing sabotage, and thanks to this, Unified Korea managed to launch a counterattack and emerge victorious in the war.
And then.
When a war ends, certain things inevitably come to light.
Things that must recur in all wars.
Not once has this skipped in human history.
They are none other than heroes and traitors.
Heroes who poured their lives and efforts into securing victory for their country.
And traitors who put in all efforts to ensure their country’s defeat for their own gain.
These two figures appear in every war.
Without fail.
And actor Jung Hoon-sang was… the latter.
A traitor.
Another way to say it is that he was a bastard who bet that “Unified Korea will fall” and went bankrupt.
“Wasn’t it said that a shaman’s fate and an actor’s fate are just one thin line apart?”
At that time, Jinseong was working as a mercenary.
But unfortunately, he couldn’t get involved in the war between Unified Korea and Japan, and as a result, he was in a position where he couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Japanese magic.
Thus, Jinseong did not pay much attention to the war between Korea and Japan.
What would be the point of taking an interest in a war that hadn’t even shown him the ‘letter’ of magic?
It would be far more productive to focus on his mercenary life and gather as much magic as possible.
So he only paid attention to the fact that the Lee Clan was intact, that Unified Korea had won, and that Iserin had made significant contributions in the war.
However, when such a significant issue as ‘war’ arises, there are things you can’t help but hear.
Jung Hoon-sang was one of them.
“So, just as shamans might disturb the nation with their deceptions, might not celebrities do the same to shake the nation as shamans do?”
Jung Hoon-sang’s period of anonymity wasn’t long.
Thanks to the luck of catching the eye of a noble lady from a noble clan in Japan.
By chance, the noble lady took a deep interest in Jung Hoon-sang after seeing him.
What made it even luckier was that she was at a stage where she was feeling particularly lonely.
Her husband, whom she had been arranged to marry, left her with an unfeeling declaration, “We are marriage partners through an arrangement, and I have no intention of being faithful to this family. So, let’s just act like we are married and live as we wish.”
Due to this, she suffered from severe depression and, in the midst of it, ended up falling for Jung Hoon-sang.
She craved the love she couldn’t find in her husband and clung to him, utilizing her connections and money to help Jung Hoon-sang succeed as an actor.
Thanks to her support, Jung Hoon-sang landed leading roles in decent productions, and from there, he began to secure lead positions and achieved tremendous success.
“Up to this point, it’s quite a good story.”
At a glance, it seems like a love story fit for a drama.
However, the difference from a drama is…
That Jung Hoon-sang was truly a vile person.
Jung Hoon-sang was a person who felt no guilt in tormenting others.
He wasn’t mentally disturbed or anything like that.
He was simply a bad person.
He wasn’t a psychopath or sociopath; he was just an ordinary person.
Yes.
An utterly ordinary person, indistinguishable from others.
He was capable of becoming as immensely wicked as anyone could be.
He believed the world revolved around him, having been raised to be loved by all, and he was clever enough to concoct nefarious schemes to maintain that love while being arrogant enough not to feel guilty about tormenting the weak.
This led him to take delight in spreading rumors and inciting other kids to ostracize weaker ones without getting his hands dirty, and he felt no guilt even if a bullied child made the extreme choice.
As time passed, Jung Hoon-sang’s malevolence intensified, eventually reaching a point where he would directly cause someone’s death without feeling guilty.
“There was a mysterious case.”
In high school, he stumbled upon a sports car with the keys still in the ignition.
He stole it and went on a joyride, during which, due to his lack of driving skills, he accidentally hit and killed three pedestrians.
One woman, one man, one child.
A whole family.
However, rather than confess after killing the family, Jung Hoon-sang simply fled, living as if nothing had happened. Furthermore, amidst his escape, he showed meticulousness to avoid leaving any evidence, which is why the incident remained unsolved.
Then, as time passed, Jung Hoon-sang gained infamy as a traitor and was investigated, and it was only when a shaman dispatched from another country confirmed his involvement in the acts of killing that the truth finally came to light.
