Two days later, Sophia and Joshua’s family shared an emotional reunion upon her arrival in Korea,
and Joshua guided Sophia to an apartment he had already contracted and prepared.
The place was about twenty pyeong—more than enough for a single-person household—and was fully equipped with all new appliances and furniture that Joshua had carefully selected for his younger sister, everything needed for daily life already in place.
It wasn’t far from his penthouse either.
Sophia let out an exclamation at the neat interior.
“Wow… you prepared all of this, Oppa?”
Following Joshua’s instructions, Sophia took off her shoes and stepped inside, marveling.
“Sheesh… there’s furniture and appliances and everything? No way, how did you know how long I’d stay in Korea? I was just planning to crash at a hotel for a bit.”
“Why stay dangerously at a hotel? Who knows who might follow you. Anyway, this is your house, so stay here while you’re in Korea. Think of it as my villa here and use it anytime.”
“Uhh… this is way too much just to shut me up and keep me from nagging, isn’t it?”
“Oh, and this.”
Joshua placed a key on the dining table in the living room.
It was a Benz car key.
“This is your car. Use it comfortably while you’re in Korea. If you end up going back to America, just park the car in the apartment lot and leave the key on the table. I’ll check on the house and car from time to time.”
“…Sophia, I’m sorry. For making you stay in such a shabby place…”
Unlike Joshua, who was proudly explaining this and that, his wife Jennifer felt nothing but sorry for her sister-in-law.
“Just bear with it here for a little while, and we’ll move you to a better place soon. We were searching in such a hurry that this was all we could find…”
“Ah, no. Unnie! What are you talking about? This place is more than good enough. Really. Honestly, it’s much better than the house I’m living in now.”
“Really? Sophia, where do you live now?”
“Manhattan. Goodness, you don’t even know where your little sister lives. Really now.”
“You move around so much. And that neighborhood has expensive real estate, so I suppose it’s understandable.”
Joshua shrugged.
“But Jennifer is right. If you end up staying in Korea long-term, I’ll find you a new place. If you’re just coming by for a few days now and then, just stay here.”
“Honey!”
“No, I’m not wrong. You only look for a proper house when someone’s staying long term. Anyway, I’m telling you again, Sophia, just settle down in Korea.”
“Settle down? Why? Weren’t you going back soon too, Oppa?”
“No, I didn’t go into detail over the phone, but… I’m not going back now. I’m going to live here. For good. We’ve all put down roots here.”
“Really? Why? Did the Hallyu wave suddenly hit you? Connie’s all better now too. Right, Connie? Don’t you want to go home?”
Connie, who had been fidgeting, grabbed Sophia’s hand and tugged, pleading.
“Auntie, you should live here with us like Daddy says. I’ve made so many friends here. In America, I was always lying in the hospital so I had no friends, and actually I barely remember anything…”
“Ah……”
Sophia furrowed her brow, lost in thought for a moment, before asking one more thing.
“Oppa, I still don’t get it. What good is there in this small country? The Admity industry is weak, and it’s economically unstable. There’s always the threat of war too…”
“None of that matters. This country has something special that you can’t find anywhere else.”
“What is it?”
“Jeong Suho, the Admity. You’ve probably heard of him.”
“Ah… I saw him on the news here and there for a while. They said he’s a newly awakened S-grade. Something about the world’s first special class…?”
“Yeah, but Jeong Suho’s specialty isn’t just about being S-grade or not. I assure you, he’s going to restructure the entire world order.”
“Wow… that’s quite the conviction. But, anyway, what does that have to do with you?”
“It has everything to do with me. Because the person I’m serving right now is Jeong Suho, the Admity. I’m his personal bodyguard.”
“Eeh……?”
Sophia’s mouth fell agape.
* * *
Joshua had asked Sophia to extract information from the leader they had captured, and as a result, learned that they were a special forces unit dispatched from North Korea, and that their purpose had been to kidnap Suho and his entire family.
In the process, Sophia also learned that her brother had burned all the intruders to death. She trembled at the unexpected revelation.
Joshua immediately arranged a meeting, gathering Jeong Suho, Lee Danbi, and Han Tae-ung, and shared the information Sophia had provided.
“Th… th… these bastards! Are we just going to sit here?! Last time, we just let Russia off the hook, didn’t we!”
Han Tae-ung exploded with fury.
Whenever he swung his massive arms wildly, it seemed like somewhere in the house would be smashed to pieces, making everyone anxious.
Lee Danbi ground her teeth in the same sentiment, but in truth, she had no sharp move to make.
The precedent was not good.
Although they had uncovered that the Russian government was behind the previous attempt to kidnap Suho’s family, ultimately no measures had been taken.
The South Korean government had submitted an official protest to the Russian government and informed the international community, responding diplomatically, but Russia brazenly denied everything.
Denying all facts, they even criticized Korea.
The Korean government had sued at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, condemning Russia’s actions as violations of international law and demanding legal responsibility, but it ended due to insufficient evidence,
and although they imposed sanctions limiting or halting economic cooperation, Russia only snorted in dismissal.
Efforts to publicize the incident at various international conferences and forums such as the UN, G20, and ASEAN also failed in the end, and even allies like the United States did not properly support them.
The government viewed this incident as a major threat against high-ranking domestic Admities and responded in various ways, but ultimately gained nothing and punished no one.
It wasn’t as though they could start a war.
For one, they were no match militarily, and initiating war was difficult to justify under international law.
If South Korea were to launch a preemptive strike against Russia, it would be diplomatically isolated in the international community and would inevitably face sanctions from international organizations like the UN.
If that was the case with Russia,
then there was even less that could be done in terms of sanctions against North Korea, which was already an isolated, rogue nation treated as a global axis of evil.
Everyone hung their heads with solemn faces when Suho spoke in a clear, ringing voice.
“Why are you all so discouraged? Let’s do this one by one. One by one.”
“…One by one?”
Suho said to Lee Danbi, who looked puzzled.
“Let’s punish them one country at a time. Starting with Russia, who attacked first. It’s true we can’t just sit like this. If this keeps up, everyone will think the Republic of Korea is a pushover country that can’t do anything even when its high-ranking Admities are kidnapped and exploited however they please. Then…”
“They’ll come again.”
“That’s right. They’ll keep coming until they succeed. And then, will I still be the only target? Probably all high-grade Production and Support classes will become targets. It was Russia and North Korea this time, but would elsewhere be any different?”
Listening to Suho, Danbi’s eyes shone with resolve as she spoke grimly.
“Then I’ll infiltrate Russia. All I have to do is behead the leader, right?”
“That would be nice, but how? How would you infiltrate, and how would you approach President Dmitry Petrov?”
“We’ll have to find a way.”
“Realistically, it’s not possible. Even if you could approach, wouldn’t that dictator have high-ranking Admities by his side? There are so many S-grade Admities in Russia. He’ll definitely be surrounded by a massive security force.”
Then Joshua stepped up.
“Infiltration is my specialty. I’ll use my stealth ability to quietly infiltrate…”
But Suho shook his head.
“It’s too dangerous. Stealth abilities aren’t omnipotent. Tell me honestly, Joshua. Against a prepared target, can’t concealment magic be detected?”
“Hmm… if they’re prepared, that’s a different story. The risk of being detected is high…”
“See? How many detection ability users or related items do you think they have?”
“But we can’t just sit here…!”
Tae-ung flared up again, swinging his massive arms with murderous momentum, so Danbi smacked him to calm him down.
“I have an idea.”
Everyone’s gaze focused on Suho.
“I’ll do it.”
At those words, the other three jumped up.
“Suho-nim isn’t from a combat branch!”
“That’s… far too… too dangerous.”
“No matter what, that’s ridiculous!”
Suho’s eyes gleamed coldly, radiating firm resolve.
“It’s true I’m not from a combat branch. You’re right. It’s an ability from a completely different line. But… that’s exactly why there’s something only I can do.”
* * *
In truth, the preparations were already finished.
The flight item, the Core Stone—testing and preparations were complete.
The problem was rather Suho’s internal issue: his mental preparation and resolve.
Whether he was prepared to harm people, and whether he had the determination to spark such an international incident.
“Hoo… alright, let’s steel my heart.”
Suho let out a deep sigh.
Nations that kept sending kidnapping squads because they wanted to use Suho’s unprecedented ability as they pleased.
But the powerless South Korean government couldn’t resolve this issue.
And it was uncomfortable to commit mass slaughter with Suho’s ability. Too inhumane for innocent civilians to be sacrificed on a large scale.
He wanted to eliminate only the masterminds behind such schemes to send a warning, but until now, the method had been unclear.
The Core Stone he had prepared was the countermeasure for that.
Before departing, Suho equipped all his items and checked his gear.
- B-grade Hero-class ring [Tempered Light Ring],
- A-grade Unique-class armor [Elastrin Silk Armor],
- A-grade Unique-class armor [Diatanos Belt],
- B-grade Hero-class armor [Skyfall Boots],
- A-grade Unique-class item [Stormbringer Wings],
- B-grade Hero-class item [Zephyrus Bracelet],
- B-grade Hero-class item [Astral Vision Goggles], and so on, all equipped,
additionally purchasing and equipping a B-grade Hero-class item, [Hidden Shadow Ring], and wearing a simple mask.
It would be troublesome if he were photographed anywhere. Suho was no longer a nameless ordinary civilian.
And the [Hidden Shadow Ring] was an item that allowed him to hide in shadows and move; in darkness, he could almost completely conceal his body.
Its effect dropped significantly in bright places, but he equipped it because its duration was extremely long.
After thoroughly checking his equipment, Suho brushed off Joshua, Danbi, and even Tae-ung, and set off entirely alone.
The reason Suho decided to carry out this operation alone was none other than because of ‘Cheonyangwon’s Subspace Warehouse.’
If he were ever detected or sensed danger, he could take refuge in his subspace warehouse in the blink of an eye.
Even if he were captured, he could just as easily escape.
And since dimensional travel connected to wherever he had entered the subspace warehouse from, he could return home via that route.
But other people were different. Unable to hide or evade as he could, they would have to take risks amid countless variables.
An operation where anyone other than Suho would have to risk their lives.
‘So it turns out I’m the one specialized for assassination… since I can bolt whenever I want.’
Without informing the group of the detailed plan, Suho finished all preparations alone.
* * *
At midnight, when complete darkness had fallen, standing on the penthouse rooftop, rain began to drizzle down.
A good sign. It was the optimal darkness.
Shaaaack—with a sharp sound, wings sprouted from the [Stormbringer Wings], reflecting Suho’s will and rapidly propelling his body.
With the [Zephyrus Bracelet]’s flight speed increase and wind resistance reduction abilities, Suho began to reach considerable speed as he tore through the air.
Flying from Seoul to the East Sea, he traveled along the coast at low altitude, heading for Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
Flying along the coast made radar detection difficult, and the radar network over the sea was relatively lax—a gap he exploited.
Shwiiiiii—
Suho’s figure stretched out long as he skimmed over the water’s surface.
He was flying about 150 kilometers to the right of Tanchon City, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea.
Wheeeeeng— Wheeeeeng—
A sharp, high-pitched siren was heard.
The intense sound, repeating a pattern of growing louder and higher before dropping again, gradually approached.
It was a North Korean patrol boat.
Drrrrrrr dadadadadada—!
Without any proper warning, the patrol boat opened fire with its machine guns.
Chiiiiing— tititidididi….
Immediately, the [Tempered Light Ring]’s shield activated and deflected the bullets.
“Oh, my.”
Suho immediately entered his subspace warehouse. Then he returned home through a different dimensional pathway.
He rested at home, took care of other matters, and re-entered a few hours later.
Since he had been flying alone over the vast ocean anyway, there was no way the patrol boat could track Suho’s trail.
Exiting back to that spot through the subspace warehouse’s dimensional gate, he saw nothing but the empty sea, devoid of anyone.
“Okay.”
Spreading the wings of the Stormbringer Wings, Suho headed for Vladivostok once more.