DL Episode 140

#136

Assemblyman Tak didn’t stop there and spoke to Baek Seung-woo as if he were listing off some great accomplishments. Ah-rang’s energy suddenly growing to a threatening level, Ha-gyeom holding out inside it, even the story of the dead mercenary. Baek Seung-woo watched the assemblyman, who was so busy talking he forgot to sit down, with a calm, elegant expression.

“So I’ve already begun the procedures. Since this will become a large-scale operation, I plan to pour in every resource to prepare for it.”

Ha-gyeom, who had been staring blankly at the plate the attendant placed before him, lifted his gaze. Baek Seung-woo, who had expected him to look at him with blame, had already wiped any emotion from his expression. Even though Ha-gyeom saying he would go on the exploration without discussing it first must have bothered him, the eyes that met his were dry.

“If you mean resources.”

When Baek Seung-woo asked, Assemblyman Tak quickly answered, as if he couldn’t wait.

“Not just Ha-gyeom. Several S-class ability users will also be accompanying the team. We’ll finally be able to see who has the ability to withstand that place.”

Failing to withstand it meant losing one’s life. The gravity hole was far larger than any other anomaly, and it wouldn’t be strange if things worse than what Ah-rang had faced lurked beyond it.

Ha-gyeom had trained and seen the inside of the anomaly, and he had endured it, but he had never found a solid justification for exploring an unknown territory. If anything, he believed the priority should be preventing anyone from getting anywhere near it.

“Even Espers?”

Baek Seung-woo, still keeping both eyes fixed on Ha-gyeom, asked Tak. The assemblyman didn’t seem to have any intention of asking after Baek Sa’s condition, even though he’d only just regained consciousness. He was excited, utterly caught up in pouring out his plans.

“Seeing that you came back in one piece, Baek Sa, doesn’t that mean Ha-gyeom proved it once again? Not only can a properly qualified ability user survive, but they also have the ability to carry out the true objective—‘exploration.’”

“……”

“If we pull three S-class Espers and three S-class guides to form a team, it’ll turn into a respectable operation. If they manage their energy organically, they might be able to exert even greater power.”

Even in 0 District, which possessed the highest number of ability users in the world, sending six people—especially top-tier ability users—on such a dangerous mission wasn’t a rational decision. Losing even some of them would mean an enormous loss of resources, so it was impossible not to think of it as reckless.

Knowing that Baek Seung-woo had been left with a wound that wouldn’t heal, that Ha-gyeom himself had come close to becoming a vessel for something unknown, and that Ah-rang had already been overtaken and lost himself, it was even harder to agree with the assemblyman’s decision.

“Now that we have results, it seems the time has finally come.”

As Ha-gyeom barely swallowed his dissatisfaction, Assemblyman Tak spoke and placed his hand on the table. Only then did he sit down and add solemnly,

“I intend to announce it to the leaders.”

“Announce it?”

“Yes, announce it. I’ll gladly present my achievements and the large-scale operation to come in front of them.”

Only then did Baek Seung-woo look at him with a puzzled expression. Around that time, the luxurious spread was finally complete. Ha-gyeom hesitated to even pick up his fork, worried his hands might tremble. Truthfully, all his attention was fixed on the two men at the table, leaving him unable to move.

“Weren’t the trainings and operations classified until now?”

“That was so nothing would go wrong and give anyone an excuse to point fingers. But now that we have results, there’s no reason to hide it.”

Whether Baek Seung-woo had predicted the assemblyman’s sudden move or not was unclear, but he neither agreed with nor rejected the exaggerated claims. Seeing his calm face, Assemblyman Tak grew impatient and raised his voice.

“Among the leaders of 0 District, who else has foresight like mine? They may hold the title of leader, but the work they do is always the same. Most of them are predictable fools.”

Though Tak’s bluster was overwhelming, the information Baek Seung-woo had gathered over the five years he lived here as Baek Sa showed that at least among core leaders, there was no strict hierarchy. Including Tak, there were five core leaders. Ha-gyeom wondered why he was putting them down before even getting to the point.

“I’ve proven I’m the only one capable of carrying this out, so there’s no reason to hide the results. I’ve achieved what they couldn’t, so why should I settle for the same status as those who failed?”

As that faint suspicion struck him, Assemblyman Tak drove in the final nail.

“I’ll announce the results I’ve achieved, and claim the power I deserve!”

The implication of the word power was obvious. Ha-gyeom asked before he could stop himself.

“…Power?”

“Yes, power. Authority befitting my abilities!”

Tak shouted triumphantly, laughing loud enough to shake the reception room. The noise was so sharp Ha-gyeom nearly covered his ears on the spot. Power, authority. After sacrificing the lives of so many, was that really all he wanted? Even knowing this, it was still horrifying.

At the same time, Ha-gyeom remembered what Tak had said beside Ah-rang’s overwhelming energy, eyes bulging.

“To move toward a much bigger picture from here on, is that your way of saying you’ll gladly join me?”

Was this the big picture he had meant? What greater power could he possibly be aiming for? Didn’t he already hold more than enough authority?

“The so-called leaders are on a completely different level from me.”

That ominous intuition didn’t end as a mere feeling. If he planned to create distinctions and form a hierarchy among the core leaders, the others would never quietly accept such a shift.

Ha-gyeom recalled each face he’d seen at the leaders’ meeting. Then he replayed the words Tak had shouted in front of Ah-rang.

“The chief will be delighted!”

Now, those words didn’t sound like simple praise. Was Tak in a special kind of alliance with the chief—different from the other leaders? Was that why he intended to ride on the chief’s authority and claim a higher position than the core leaders?

“Twelve years have passed since 0 District was built, so the time has come. Everyone must acknowledge that I’m not just some ordinary leader, but the true leader no one else can surpass.”

Under the lavish lights of the reception room, Assemblyman Tak’s eyes gleamed.

‘The true leader no one else can surpass.’

When Assemblyman Tak made his meaning a little clearer, it no longer seemed like he simply wanted a position above the other leaders. Could he really be aiming for something even higher than a leader’s seat?

That was clearly rebellion.

There wasn’t much information about the Chief. Since the Chief didn’t show themselves even to the people here, their presence was faint, and in truth, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this place was practically being controlled by Assemblyman Tak alone. If he had even set his sights on taking the Chief’s position, there was no way to know how far the leaders’ backlash would go.

Rebellion and backlash would bring chaos. And there was no better time to strike than during chaos. Just like long ago, when the powerful figures of 0 District seized awakened ability users during the turmoil that followed the invasion.

While everyone except Assemblyman Tak held their breath, Ha-gyeom lowered his trembling eyes, and Baek Seung-woo curled his lips into a smile. He seemed to have given up on judging Tak from the start, and asked calmly,

“Are you saying you will correct—or rather, rebuild—the order here.”

“Yes. What do you think, Baek Sa? Personally, I think this decision came far too late.”

“I always thought the day would come.”

Rather than dissuade him, he encouraged him, feeding the assemblyman’s momentum.

“Exactly! There’s still a long road ahead, but with talented ability users at my side, I already feel secure. You wouldn’t betray me, Baek Sa. You’re no different from a son-like subordinate to me.”

When Assemblyman Tak gave him a meaningful look, Baek Seung-woo added,

“You won’t be disappointed.”

Even knowing Baek Sa and Baek Seung-woo were not the same person, Ha-gyeom’s heart pounded in his chest. He, after all, could hardly pretend to support the assemblyman’s plans, even falsely.

Assemblyman Tak pressed on.

“Knowledge is power. If all you do is handle the tasks given to you and waste food, how are you any different from a parasite? 0 District only became this solid because people with foresight gathered together, right? But once they got comfortable, warm, and well-fed, everyone seems to have forgotten. Someone has to go ahead, and someone has to dig deeper. Who exactly were the beings that threatened humanity, and what’s coming next.”

Ha-gyeom clenched his fists under the table, and soon met Baek Seung-woo’s eyes. Eyes that held neither blame nor sympathy—eyes that felt unmistakably like Baek Sa’s, and now strangely unfamiliar. Because Ha-gyeom had already fully accepted him as Baek Seung-woo, who had once thrown himself in harm’s way for him.

“…What if that curiosity ends up stirring a hornet’s nest?”

Ha-gyeom asked, because he already felt the future closing in.