Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of Ascend falling from the machine at a steady pace could be heard.
Even amid the noisy machinery, that sound rang out with unusual clarity.
I just stared blankly at the Ascend as it dropped.
Watching it made all sorts of thoughts come to mind.
Is this really right?
I found myself wondering whether this was really what I had meant to do.
The reason I thought of this in the first place was because drugs had spread too far in Korea.
I started it to try to reduce that.
Defensively, I would integrate the organizations within Korea and block the distribution of drugs,
and offensively, I would distribute drugs in China, the very country selling them to us.
But now that the drug I intended to distribute in China had actually been made,
and that drug had begun production, my mind grew complicated.
If I released drugs into China, would the amount of drugs in our country decrease?
If I made China drown in drugs, would drugs stop coming into our country?
Could I stop drugs in our country?
No matter how hard I tried, would that even be possible?
Would it be possible with my strength alone?
Is it truly justified to stain China with drugs just to stop drugs in our country?
People with nothing to do with any of this might suffer.
That was why I had asked them to make it something that would, if possible, cause no abnormalities in the body.
Those useless thoughts kept circling in my head.
Of course, there was a very high chance that these worries of mine were meaningless.
My plan was likely to fail miserably before it even properly began.
No, I should assume it would fail.
I alone could not stain that vast China with drugs.
Even filling China with Ascend would be difficult.
Of course, it would be a little better if I had collaborators, but that would not be easy either.
The more people I knew, the higher the chance I would be caught.
This had to be carried out secretly and quietly.
And I had to do it alone.
Contrary to my thought of staining China with drugs,
there was a high chance I would go under without even recovering the cost of building this factory.
Maybe I would get caught selling this and be executed.
That was why I was even more conflicted.
Was this really something worth risking my life for?
It wasn’t as if doing this would stop drugs from entering Korea,
and it wasn’t as if I was trying to make money from it.
I already had more than enough money.
Useless doubts about whether I really had to do this filled my head.
Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle.
Indifferent to my worries, the Ascend that fell from the machine was packaged one by one.
Transparent candies about the size of a fingernail came out one at a time, each wrapped in pretty packaging.
The packaged Ascend was neatly piled into the bag I had set down.
At some point, the bag was filled with Ascend.
I put the bag full of Ascend into my inventory, took out a new bag, and set it down again.
Ascend began falling into the empty bag one by one once more.
After setting the bag down, I waited for the Ascend to fall and fill it, and once again began having useless thoughts.
.
.
.
I’m tired.
I spent the whole day sitting in front of the machine.
All I did was sit there and change the bags a few times, but I was exhausted.
More than anything, my ears felt muffled.
Even though I had been wearing earplugs, my ears still felt clogged.
I could still hear the sound of the factory machines.
To forget my fatigue, I took out a beer and drank it like part of a routine, then opened YouTube.
The fastest way to see news from Korea was through YouTube.
“Next news. According to a report from a Chinese state-run media outlet, claims have been raised that the culture appearing in the recently popular animation K-pop Devil Hunters belongs to China. According to the article, the traditional Korean houses that appear throughout the video of K-pop Devil Hunters are claimed to have been stolen from traditional Chinese houses. Not only that, but it also reported that the characters’ clothing, weapons, musical instruments, props, and even knots were all stolen from China. Experts responded by saying, ‘There is no historical basis whatsoever,’ and stated that these are clearly cultural elements originating from Korean tradition. Reporter Lee Hanguk brings us the details.”
As I watched the news on YouTube, a dizzying report came on.
An article claiming that K-pop Devil Hunters, which I had recently enjoyed watching, had been made by stealing Chinese culture.
At first, I was bewildered when I saw the news.
But after a moment, I thought, Ah, right. It’s China.
In truth, this was not the first time I had seen news like this.
They claimed that hanbok, our country’s traditional clothing, was copied from “hanfu,” the traditional clothing of the Ming dynasty.
They included kimchi, samgyetang, and bibimbap as part of China’s cultural heritage.
They tried to incorporate the history of Goguryeo and Balhae into Chinese history.
On top of that, they insisted that Arirang, talchum, and even our traditional hat, the gat, were Chinese.
It happened every time, so it was not even surprising anymore.
If anything the Republic of Korea had looked even slightly good, became a global issue, or seemed competitive, China would first insist that it was Chinese.
They insisted, then forgot.
And when another issue arose, they insisted once more that it was Chinese.
I don’t know why.
They had burned all the fine cultural assets they possessed with their own hands.
I could not understand why they coveted and lusted after what belonged to others.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
I felt pathetic for having spent days agonizing out of concern for people like this.
Because their land was big,
because their population was large,
because their economy was strong,
because their military was powerful,
they were a country that always trampled, oppressed, and persecuted neighboring countries.
For economic and political reasons, they tried to force numerous ethnic minorities within China’s borders.
If there were ethnic minorities who refused or wanted independence, they stood before them with guns and swords.
Their leaders disappeared overnight,
and countless independence activists were locked in prison.
They moved Han Chinese into the places where those cultures lived and breathed, and planted the Five-Starred Red Flag there.
They tried to erase those cultures and leave only the culture of the Communist Party behind.
If people like that saw a culture they coveted, they insisted it was theirs.
How amusing.
I had been worrying about bastards like that.
The problem wasn’t the Chinese bastards.
It was me.
Me.
I would not agonize anymore.
There was no need to agonize.
All I had to do was run straight ahead.
*******
Sin Junggi was sitting in a cramped hotel room, staring only at his phone.
I’m sick of this.
I want to get out of here as soon as possible.
The Philippines did not seem to suit Sin Junggi.
Nothing suited him.
The food, the weather, the people, the culture.
There was not a single thing he liked.
He had stepped outside briefly to eat, but everyone stared at him strangely.
Had they never seen a Korean before?
He was starving, but what the hell was with the hygiene in the restaurants?
Unable to eat and thoroughly irritated, he had picked up something to eat from a convenience store and returned to the hotel.
It was not as if Sin Junggi wanted to be here.
He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
He wanted to leave and go to Europe.
He wanted to live in Europe with a new identity.
But the account had not been settled yet.
When he told them to handle it quickly, all they said was that it was difficult right now and asked him to wait a little.
Lazy Chinese bastards.
He did not understand what was so difficult about simply giving him Bitcoin and creating one new identity, dragging it out like this.
They just kept telling him to wait.
Here in Mindanao.
.
.
.
Sin Junggi recalled the day he first met them.
It was on his way home after work, like any other day.
That day, too, he carried out the same routine as always.
Sin Junggi believed in routines.
He woke up at the same time every day, ate the same food, took the same subway, got off work at the same time, and ate dinner at the same restaurant.
To others, that might have looked strange, but to Sin Junggi, it was necessary.
The sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies inherent in him, along with his extreme personality, made him isolated.
His violent thoughts and impulsive nature made him dangerous.
But he had a brain that surpassed those things.
Thanks to that brain, he had been able to enter the Agency for Defense Development.
With his genius intellect, he held his own life together.
Stimuli brought out impulsive tendencies.
That was why he brought routine into his life.
Through obsessive control, he reassured himself and believed he could keep his balance in a world full of stimuli.
He firmly believed that only such a life could protect him.
For Sin Junggi, who had been an orphan, maintaining his life was more important than anything else.
He deceived himself and deceived the people around him.
He would eat at a restaurant near his home, walk once around the park, and return home.
That was Sin Junggi’s after-work routine.
Dinner was always pork kimchi stew.
From one day onward, whenever he ate, a woman would be eating alone at the next table.
She was fairly pretty.
But unlike her appearance, the sound of her smacking her lips.
The sound of her slurping soup. The sound of her setting down her spoon with a clack, scraping the bowl, even blowing her nose.
Everything irritated Sin Junggi.
Even so, Sin Junggi endured it as much as possible.
He paid no attention.
He thought even paying attention to it was a waste.
He blocked off his senses as much as possible and focused on eating.
But he could not endure it.
So he put down his spoon and left the restaurant.
It seemed he would have to find another restaurant.
How long had he searched to find a place that was quiet and empty, while still guaranteeing a certain level of hygiene and taste? And yet this woman had taken Sin Junggi’s restaurant away.
She had also taken away his evening routine.
Having no choice, he went around looking for other restaurants.
But he could not find a restaurant he liked anywhere.
At restaurants he did not like but considered settling for, she appeared without fail.
When he was eating in a quiet restaurant, she would appear, slurp away, and blow her nose with a honk.
Killing intent rose within him.
Ever since his routine had been broken, his life was becoming a mess.
He could not concentrate.
He thought that if only she were gone, his life could return to peace.
So Sin Junggi made a decision.
He spoke to her with a smiling face.
“We’ve been seeing each other often lately.”
“I know, right? I’ve been looking around for good restaurants near here too. You seem to know a lot of them.”
“No. Rather than good restaurants, I prefer quiet and clean places.”
“Ah. I see.”
“I know a decent cafe around here. Would you like to have a cup of coffee after your meal?”
“Sure.”
The two finished their meal and got into Sin Junggi’s car.
The car climbed a fairly high mountain.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a very quiet cafe I go to sometimes. If your tastes are similar to mine, I’m sure you’ll like it.”
And then they arrived at the cafe.
They had arrived at a cafe deep in the mountains.
There was indeed a cafe building, but perhaps it was not open for business, because it was dark.
Sin Junggi got out of the car, went to the cafe, and knocked on the door.
But there was no response from the darkened cafe.
Returning to the car, Sin Junggi lightly tapped the passenger-side window.
“I guess they’re not open today. I’m sorry, after bringing you all the way here.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“But now that we’re here, you can see the stars incredibly well. Would you like to look at them?”
“Really?”
When the woman got out of the car, Sin Junggi guided her.
“This is the best spot to see them.”
“Thank you. But it’s a little dark.”
“The stars are easier to see when it’s dark. Come this way.”
“Okay…”
She lifted her head and looked up at the sky.
The night sky really was densely packed with twinkling stars.
“Wow! It’s really pretty…”
Thud.
Sin Junggi found a stone nearby and struck the woman, who was looking at the stars, on the head.
“Ah, fuck, I thought I was going to die from how annoying you were. Chattering, chattering, you talked so fucking much.”
Sin Junggi spat his irritation over the fallen woman.
The woman had been struck, but she was not dead.
She opened her eyes and looked up at Sin Junggi with a pitiful gaze.
As if begging him to spare her.
At that woman, Sin Junggi raised the stone again.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
When the woman’s movements had completely stopped, Sin Junggi breathed heavily.
“Haa…”
Sin Junggi could now return to his daily life.
He could enter the world he had created for himself once more.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The sound of applause came from somewhere.
When he turned his head, several sturdy men were recording the scene.
“Oh my, Doctor. You’re impatient. Thanks to you, things have gotten a little easier for us, though.”
“Who the hell are you?”
Sin Jung-gi asked in surprise.
He hadn't thought there would be anyone else here.
“We? Who might we be? For now, we're that woman's guardians? That seems like it would be most effective.”
“What bullshit is this?”
“You killed our family member, and we have evidence. In 4K video, no less. If you just cooperate, we'll delete the video, and we'll take care of that woman too.”
“Cooperate? What do you want?”
“We're modest. We don't ask for much. I heard you succeeded in developing next-generation radar? The core technology and blueprints for 'Project Mangwol.' That's all we need.”
“Hahahaha. You crazy bastards. Do you think that's possible? I only have access to a very small part of the project.”
“That's your problem to solve now.”
“Just report me.”
“Why would I?”
“Aren't you threatening to report me?”
“That's right.”
“Then just report me.”
“I will. Just not now. When you're on the verge of forgetting about this, before you climb to the very top having forgotten this, right before you succeed—I'll dig this back up. Then I'll slam you into the ground.”
“What?”
“Until then, live well with your heart in your throat. There are plenty of people besides you who can bring us something like this.”
“I'll just go turn myself in.”
“Do you even know that woman's name? You're going to report it without knowing who she is?”
Come to think of it, Sin Jung-gi didn't even know her name.
“You're going to say you killed someone without even a body? You think the police will believe that?”
“So fucking what? What do you want me to do?”
“Just bring the core technology and the blueprints. We'll handle the rest.”
“I told you I can't. I don't have access to the technology.”
“If you bring it, we'll give you 30 billion won in cash. And a new identity. You don't even like your life here that much anyway. Take this chance to go to another country and live a new life. This is actually a good opportunity for you.”
At the nod of the man who seemed to be the leader, the men standing behind him began to clean up the woman's corpse.
Sin Jung-gi couldn't stop them, and simply stood there blankly.
He looked as though he had given up on everything.
Watching them clean up the body, the leader spoke in a low voice.
“We chose a pretty agent, intending to try a honey trap, but I never thought you'd kill her outright. I was a bit taken aback when you hit her with the rock earlier. I thought you took her to the mountain to try something, which is why I was filming.”
The leader laughed as if enjoying himself.
“I did intentionally try to get under your skin a bit. That way a fight breaks out, you think of each other and get close—there has to be conflict for there to be reconciliation, right? I wrote the script with a lot of effort, but I never thought this rom-com would turn into horror. I was flustered too.”
"······.."
“Don't think of it as unfair; think of it as a good opportunity. Let's turn your life around with this chance. When are you going to buy a house and a car on that measly salary of yours? Let's get it all done at once this time.”
Sin Jung-gi quickly thought of a way to escape this situation in his head.
But there was none.
Not a single one came to mind.
He only thought that he could just kill them too.
But realistically, he couldn't.
They looked much stronger than he had thought.
He couldn't beat even one of them.
Sin Jung-gi had no choice but to nod helplessly.
.
.
.
Sin Jung-gi carefully gathered the materials.
It was tricky, but entirely possible.
Thanks to Sin Jung-gi's security clearance being higher than expected.
Rather, once he made up his mind, he felt at ease.
It was so enjoyable that he wondered if this was his true self.
Guilt?
Conscience? Shame? A sense of sin? Traitor?
What are those?
Why expect those things from me?
Is it okay to expect those from me?
If you want something from me, shouldn't you at least do something for me first?
Even beggars hold out a piece of gum when asking for help.
But the country, society, the region—they expect loyalty from me now, without having done a thing for me?
Why should I?
He had received nothing, so he had nothing to give.
He had created the core technology, so he would take it.
Once he simplified every problem, the answer became clear.
He took the data and contacted them.
They said they would arrange a boat to China.
But that didn't seem like the answer, so he smuggled himself into the Philippines.
He felt that if he was taken to China, that would be the end of it.
He told them to come to the Philippines.
With Bitcoin and a new identity.
But they just kept telling him to wait.
He wanted to leave this damned Philippines quickly.
But he couldn't.