165 – Naughty Girl # 1

165 – Naughty Girl # 1

After Nam Ba-da disappeared, I was the only presidential candidate left.

Therefore, the vote became a referendum on my, Ha Nam-jin’s, ascension to the presidency.

The contentious debates only ceased the day before.

Folks flocked to polling stations all across the nation, exercising their right, and only in the dead of night did the count begin.

And so, came the morning.

Tallies completed here and there, the results were compiled.

Out of roughly 1.4 million votes, some 210,000 opposed, and approximately 1.21 million approved.

I, Ha Namjin, had become the President of Korea without any significant surprises.

A man elected with a mere million votes.

A precedent unheard of in Korean history.

So then, what must I, the new President, do now?

Simple.

Uphold the promises I made.

First, I dissolved the National Assembly and sentenced all its members to life imprisonment.

As an example, Ryu Yeoreum’s adoptive father, Ryu Dogwan, was taken.

“Let go of me! You wicked scoundrel! This is absurd! Ha Namjin! What kind of President are you?!”

Ryu Dogwan, the leader of the opposition party, had committed all sorts of atrocities, including human experimentation, since before the world’s near-destruction.

One could hardly say he bore no responsibility for the near-total collapse of the world.

The other assembly members who followed him were no different, so I had all the identified members arrested on camera and thrown into prison.

Those who resisted within their bunkers had Ryu Yeoreum herself melt open the entrances with a thermal lance.

And just like that, I, Ha Namjin, easily seized control of the legislative branch.

Which meant no one could stop the kingly progress of the man, Ha Namjin, any longer.

“Then we must execute the plan to relocate people to the moon. We don’t know what could happen when and where, so the faster we move, the better. Let’s start by sending the volunteers to the moon.”

Thus, the 「Lunar Relocation」 began.

「Lunar Relocation Offices」 were established in each metropolitan city, and material-transfer Espers with abilities similar to Mr. Koga were tasked with sending people to the moon.

Of course, things did not proceed smoothly.

Even after dissolving the National Assembly, there were still those who would stand in the way of Ha Namjin’s ambition.

“Ha Namjin! There’s been a terror attack at the relocation office!”

“No doubt it’s the work of those Gusejun b*stards.”

“Seo Gaeul caught the terrorists, so let’s go take a look together!”

Gusejun’s Creationist Church still vehemently opposed people fleeing to the moon.

They seemed to believe that people who went to the moon would remain frozen like fish until they could return to earth.

“We are the Chosen Ones! This is a new Genesis! From now on, we Awakened Chosen will become the masters of Earth! We mustn’t flee to the moon!”

A boy, perhaps in middle school, was struggling in Seo Gaeul’s grip.

Was he a newly Awakened, a first-stage Awakened?

To awaken at an age rife with chuunibyou… how special he must feel.

Gu Sejun had enticed this sort of kid and turned him into a terrorist.

These types had been appearing frequently as of late.

If the Moon Migration Offices continued to be terrorized like this, there would be setbacks to the plan in many ways.

Fortunately, the solution was simple.

Arrest Gu Sejun, the leader of the terrorists, and prevent him from inciting and brainwashing people any further.

However, Gu Sejun was a very powerful Awakened, so apprehending him would require a lot of effort.

The capable Awakened were focused on protecting the migration offices scattered throughout the country, leaving no one with the spare time to go and capture Gu Sejun.

Yu Yeoreum spoke.

“The Chinese moving around in the confusion are also a problem. Some of the congressmen I went to arrest yesterday were already dead. Here are their photos.”

The skin of the people in the photos was stained a deep, unnatural black.

Just what had to be done to make a person die like that?

Soon, Bbangdaeng stepped in, feigning knowledge.

“That’s Gu poison!”

“Gu poison?”

“A potent poison that only our Baekdang can make! You put centipedes, spiders, and poisonous toads into a jar, and the last one to survive becomes the Gu. If you’re bitten by it, you end up like this!”

So that was what had happened.

“Bbangdaeng-ah, even so, how could you use Kung Kung-ie to kill people? If this goes on, I’ll have no choice but to arrest you.”

“Eing? Not me!”

“Then who else in Korea can make Gu poison besides you?”

“It must be Dang Dal-gi’s doing! The Dang clan in China can also make Gu poison!”

The Chinese operative Dang Dal-gi, huh?

He killed the Korean congressmen?

As I felt doubtful, Yu Yeoreum added.

“The congressmen Song and Kim, who died this time, have been suspected of contacting China for a long time. There were also allegations that they received large investments from China.”

Indeed.

If these congressmen had been arrested this time, interrogations would have revealed many things about whether or not they were colluding with the Chinese Communist Party.

Before it came to that, did Dang Dalgi of China move first, silencing him before he could speak─? It wouldn’t be strange to see it that way.

The problem was the brazen murder of a proper Korean citizen by a foreign special agent. There was no guarantee such a thing wouldn’t happen again.

“Hanam-jjin, I’ll take on Dang Dalgi after all. If that wench truly uses gu poison, there’s no choice but for me, with my toxin resistance, to step up.”

# # #

Baek Yeoul rummaged through the Baekdang’s ancient secret scrolls, searching for information about gu poison.

Difficult Chinese characters filled the pages, but summarizing the gist of it, it came down to this:

A living curse.

Gu poison was the act of turning toxins into a living curse to harm another person.

The poison they possessed was potent enough to kill ordinary people in five seconds.

Even more horrific, it caused great suffering to the powerfully awakened.

“The only way to counter gu poison is to employ an even greater gu poison. So come on, Keongkeong-ah, you need to pull yourself together! Hurry up and get inside the jar!”

━Heeoong….

Baek Yeoul prepared a jar to confront Dang Dalgi and her gu poison. Inside, a swarm of poisonous insects Mi-ppang had caught scurrying through reed fields and dark sewers.

Poisonous toads, mantises, giant centipedes, things like that.

“Puhehe! This Baek Yeoul is very good at catching poisonous insects!”

Baek Yeoul intended to place the wolf spider, Keongkeong, inside that jar. If she could turn Keongkeong into a powerful gu poison, it would be easier to contend with Dang Dalgi.

But Keongkeong thrashed, unwilling to go inside the jar.

Thrash, thrash-.

━Heeoong….

Keongkeong let out a pitiable sound.

It was as if he was begging her not to put him in the jar full of poisonous bugs.

Baek Yeoul’s heart softened at the mournful cry.

“Aish! Let’s just stop this!”

In the end, Baek Yeoul kicked the jar, shattering it with a crash-clang.

Ssshhh-.

All sorts of poisonous creatures scattered in an instant.

Seeing this, Mi-ppang asked.

“Decided not to make gu poison? But Dang Dalgi is stronger than Big Baek Yeoul- strong (强)! Means promise made to Hanam-jjin to arrest Dang Dalgi cannot be kept…!”

As Mi-ppang said, it would be difficult for Baek Yeoul to defeat Dang Dalgi without the power of gu poison.

The suit Dang Dalgi wore was formidable, completely countering and parrying all of Baek Yeoul’s Kwon-gak martial arts.

Of course, Baek Yeoul still held the Joker card of “Death.”

But, Baek Yeoul felt a disquieting certainty that she shouldn’t use that power.

If she leaned on the concept of “Death,” she had a premonition that its immense force would ultimately swallow her whole, causing irreversible damage─.

That ominous feeling kept making Baek Yeoul shrink back.

‘Everything’s going so well. Ha Nam-jjin defeated Nam Bada and became president. People are smoothly- smoothly-emigrating to the moon. I can’t be the one to mess it up.’

“Ugh, jeez! Are there always this many bugs?! Hey! Baek Yeoul! What is all this?! You trying to die?!”

Just then, Seo Gaeul returned to the women’s quarters in the presidential office, furious.

It was because of the bugs that had escaped when the jar broke.

Seo Gaeul stomped- stomped- to chase away the bugs, then asked Baek Yeoul.

“You’re going to catch Dangdalgi, right? You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know!”

“I could help you if you asked.”

It would be reassuring to have Seo Gaeul’s help.

But Baek Yeoul shook her head.

“This is my fight.”

“Alright then. More importantly, about the moon emigration. Nam Bada said that some people should stay behind on this earth, purifying it. I think he was right.”

“Really?”

“And, I was thinking. That Ha Nam-jjin guy, I think he intends to send everyone else to the moon and stay here on Earth himself. He’s not saying it, but.”

Baek Yeoul was greatly surprised.

That Ha Nam-jjin might remain on Earth.

Having seen Ha Nam-jjin up close all this time, Baek Yeoul thought that he was more than capable of doing such a thing.

Seo Gaeul asked Baek Yeoul.

“Could you, if Ha Nam-jjin asked you to stay behind on Earth with him, could you do it? Would you be willing to remain on this land, doing the Earth’s purification that could take 10 years, or maybe even 100?”

Baek Yeoul was lost in thought.

Baek Yeoul’s parents were scheduled to depart for the moon next week.

If Baek Yeoul were to stay on Earth like this, then sometime in the future, when her parents returned from the moon to Earth, Baek Yeoul might already be gone from this world.

In other words, staying on Earth meant a permanent farewell to her family.

In this moment, Baek Yeoul looked deep within her own heart.

That she might never see her mom and dad again was something she hadn’t considered until now.

It would be terribly sad.

But, Baek Yeoul found herself imagining the situation – Ha Namjin, left all alone on Earth. He’d have to endure an awfully lonely and solitary time.

“Mom has Dad, and Dad has Mom. Even without me, honestly, those two will be okay. But…Ha Namjin, he doesn’t have anyone. So, I have to be there for him.”

“…You.”

Seo Gaeul was slightly taken aback.

She hadn’t realized Baek Yeoul thought so much of Ha Namjin.

At this moment, Baek Yeoul also realized how much she wanted to be with Ha Namjin. And so, the fears and hesitations that had been gnawing at her heart just moments ago scattered like clouds.

“I’m going to go catch Tangdalgi right now! For Ha Namjin! No need for loneliness!”

*Thwack-*!

Baek Yeoul bolted out of the lodging.

Watching her retreating figure, little Mibbang cried out.

“This Baek Yeoul, she likes Ha Namjin so, so much…! But…parting with parents, it is still sad, thing…! Ha Namjin, he really decided to stay on Earth, thing…?”

Mibbang wore an expression that looked somehow mournful.

“Actually, even I don’t know. Ha Namjin said it before, didn’t he? That he had a method in mind. With that method, maybe no one will have to part with their families.”

“Hao! Hao! Very good, thing…! Then this Baek Yeoul is going to collect bottle caps, thing…! From bottle caps, ask Jjangshik to make ice cream, so can share with everyone together, want, thing…!”

*Pitter-patter-*

Mibbang left the room with a brightened demeanor.

The lodging became quiet before long.

Seo Gaeul asked softly.

“Does Ha Namjin really have a way?”

— *That’s probably a lie. This planet can’t heal on its own. Someone has to stay on this planet, plant seeds and create a spring where flowers will bloom. That won’t happen just by waiting.*

The Gi dwelling within Seo Gaeul, Namjin, said resolutely.

— *A real man would choose to stay on Earth himself. I would do it that way. The reason why Ha Namjin is the President now is because of that too. To do whatever he wants.*

“So, you’re saying he became President so he could send everyone else to the moon and stay on Earth himself. Jerk. That guy is selfish from beginning to end. He only knows himself.”

*Clench*, Seo Gaeul made a fist and grinded- her teeth.

“If he’s making such a big decision, shouldn’t he at least consult with us?”

Seo Gaeul was truly angry that Ha Namjin was acting as he pleased.

To such a Seo Gaeul, the man inside spoke.

— *Actually, it’s not that there’s no way at all. If you had your strength, that is. With the power of your “Miracle,” you could create a better future.*

“My power?”

Seo Gaeul felt the “Miracle” she possessed pulsating beneath her bloodline.

At once, curiosity bloomed within me.

“…Just who are you, exactly?”

━Autumn, you once fought the thoughts of the old Red King in the Black Pond, didn’t you? When someone holds onto a concept for long enough, a will, like a stray thought, remains. It’s the same for me.

The image of the man dwelling within Seo-gaeul dissolved, like mist dispersing. Revealed then was her true form—a beautiful woman.

Though it was the first time meeting this woman, her presence felt strangely familiar to Seo-gaeul.

“You’re Koreguna!”