SOG Ch 89

“I think I’ll be assigned to District 5 next year.”

Jae-chan opened his round eyes wide at the sudden news. Gu Ji-eun’s shoulders rose.

“You know, I’m a wanderer. I like to roam around without a fixed place.”

Before taking up her current position at District 1, Gu Ji-eun was studying abroad in the American Union. Coming back to Korea and staying in one place for a long time was a bit uncomfortable for her. The appearance of her somewhat shy nephew gave her a little energy, but it was something she couldn’t have with her every moment.

“…”

Jae-chan felt uneasy. Since he had no contact with his aunt during this period, he didn’t know where she had been, as she liked to travel around, as she said. Let alone District 5. Wasn’t it the place where the nuclear power plant protest incident was scheduled to take place?

At least the nuclear power plant incident was still a few years away, and that radioactivity and Esper’s abilities were not related at all. That was reassuring.

Checking his aunt’s health every six months should be enough. Jae-chan nodded slowly.

“Aren’t you getting busy too? I heard that not only Espers but also Guides will participate in some kind of combat training at the center.”

Jae-chan was a little surprised by his aunt’s information. Gu Ji-eun didn’t know that her nephew already knew about it, so it was unexpected, and she felt a little regretful. She wanted to convey the surprise like a sudden news.

“Why does it have to be in August? Take care of your nutrition so you don’t suffer from the heat.”

Shouldn’t you be the one taking red ginseng? Putting her regret behind, Gu Ji-eun continued to talk about various things. Her voice was just like his aunt’s voice before he regressed, and Jae-chan’s heart sank. He suddenly felt grateful to Woo-jin for making it possible for him to have such a normal conversation with his aunt. Jae-chan said in a slightly nostalgic voice.

“Auntie, please eat a lot.”

“You saw the health check results.”

His aunt nagged him for a while, saying that she might be healthier than him. But for Seon Jae-chan, it was just a comforting voice. Despite knowing there was a pursuer outside, hearing his healthy aunt’s voice and understanding the possibility of restoring her health made him grateful.

*

The first of the two items requested from Han Ji-Hoon, the ‘investigation records of the Universal Park hostage incident and the kidnapping of Roy Han’, arrived quickly via email. It had been exactly five days since Jae-chan requested it.

Early evening, at the guide accommodation where the summer sun hadn’t completely set. Jae-chan’s eyes were focused on the laptop screen, leaving behind the humming of Jeong Noah in the shower.

[The name of the organization is ‘Black Spirit’ (omitted), believed to have instigated the incident in March to retaliate for the death of reverse engineer Ham Myung-soo, who was killed by the ESOF Unit. The motive seems to be to avenge his death and locate his hiding place.]

The explanation went on to explain that even within the Black Spirit organization, to which the hostage-takers belonged, they were unable to decipher the scientist’s code and attempted to obtain the location of the hideout directly from the military in exchange for the hostages’ lives.

It has also been revealed that they were trying to retrieve illegally accumulated funds whose fate was at risk for the group. However, decoding the black marks alone would take a considerable amount of time. Moreover, the black marks indicating the last location of illegal funds were scattered mercilessly throughout the building, reduced to dust by a ruthless bomb explosion. It was rightly believed that there was no chance the government could trace the 20 billion won.

What troubled Seon Jae-chan was that Woo-jin had flown a helicopter to that area. However, President Gyeong Jeon-seok would not have offended Chairman Go Young-chang just to recover the terrorists’ money, and with Go Woo-jin’s meticulous handling of affairs, it was clear that he had neatly dealt with the situation.

Having a reliable collaborator makes things so much easier.

Seon Jae-chan scratched the back of his foot, feeling that the soles of his feet had already adapted to wearing flower shoes.

Anyway, the conclusion was like this.

With Go Woo-jin’s abilities, there was a high probability that he could safely gain the 20 billion.

In addition, after reviewing the current investigative records, there were several flaws in considering the group ‘Black Spirit’ as a complete predecessor to Black Swan.

No matter how much the initial capital was, Jae-chan thought that 20 billion won would be a slightly insufficient amount to grow into a nationwide terrorist organization like Black Swan within a few years. Seon Jae-chan’s thought became firmer as he saw the size of the Black Spirit. It seemed more reasonable to say that the Black Spirit was later integrated into the Black Swan. Black Mark and Won Seong-il were probably adopted as useful elements in the process.

However, the following items were worth paying attention to.

[The whereabouts of Lee Yun-do, the leader of the Black Spirit, is unknown]

[Unlike other members, the ability user Won Seong-il, who took charge of this incident, harbors intense resentment toward ESOF. It is read as originating from a revenge motive for the murder of scientist Ham Myung-soo.]

Not only had they not caught the leader yet, but the part stating ‘intense resentment toward ESOF’ was especially disturbing.

Jae-chan’s eyes sharpened. In the past, it seemed that Won Seong-il’s resentment could have led to resentment towards Go Woo-jin. Thinking about Woo-jin submitting to the demands and eventually self-harming as a result of Won Seong-il’s unrelenting pursuit, who had been cruelly killing only young patients throughout the Ross Clinic incident, he developed a firm determination.

Won Seong-il must be dealt with.

First of all, he should consider contacting the Ability Detention Center. Several faces came to mind, including Han Tae-hoon and Go Woo-jin, but the first place to ask was obvious. Jae-chan promptly replied to the email he was reading.

Surprisingly, Han Ji-hoon checked the email right away. A phone call came right away.

– Even if it wasn’t like that, I was wondering whether to mention it or not.

Han Ji-hoon added that this was a separate fact from the investigation records.

– There was something unusual happening at the Ability Detention Center. You know the teleporter, Won Seong-il? He fell into a coma.

Jae-chan was speechless for a moment. Han Ji-hoon’s gentle voice continued inconspicuously.

It was said that it all started when Won Seong-il’s Guide, who was imprisoned in the same building, started a rumor. Not only did Won Seong-il always treat his Guide violently, but he also had an inferiority complex about his own body, which led him to selectively drug and murder only children.

– Won Seong-il came seeking revenge on the guide, and precisely at that time, there was a severe fight intertwined with various power struggles within the prison. In the process, Won Seong-il was severely beaten… causing a tragedy for him. It’s a comedy for me, though.

Han Ji-hoon muttered coldly. During the kidnapping period, he was already on edge when he heard belatedly that Won Seong-il had unleashed harsh violence on his son in particular.

Jae-chan couldn’t speak for a moment. Although there was no longer any worry about Won Seong-il escaping or anything to intervene in, something felt oddly ironic.

Did Won Seong-il really cross an irreversible river?

– I will send you an email once I get an answer to the second request.

Han Ji-hoon hung up the phone after softly adding words of promise.

A considerable amount of time passed, and even after his roommate came out of the bathroom, Jae-chan remained frozen in place. He still couldn’t believe it. He felt like he needed to go to the hospital where Won Seong-il had been admitted and see for himself.

*

– What about the teleporter, you’ll do it today or tomorrow? There’s talk of getting a brain-dead diagnosis soon, right?

At the same time, Go Woo-jin, who was at the officetel, was also making a video call with someone. Beyond the smooth cell phone screen, a woman wearing a thin beanie even in the middle of summer turned around and smiled at Woo-jin.

– Isn’t that too harsh?

The woman shamelessly asked a question with a face that didn’t seem serious at all. This was said in reference to Go Woo-jin’s behavior, who had a strangely persistent attitude and looked down on a terrorist named Won Seong-il contemptuously.

“Well, he made his choice.”

Leaning back on the sofa, Woo-jin replied dryly. This meant that it was Won Seong-il’s choice to commit cruel crimes against the underprivileged who were not protected in a blind spot before being imprisoned, to be harsh with his guide, and to seek revenge on that guide.

The woman clicked her tongue as she heard that calm voice. This was because it did not seem like something to be said by the person who mobilized a broker to provoke Won Seong-il’s guide, spread rumors, intelligently isolated Won Seong-il in prison, and then blew the accumulated dissatisfaction of the prisoners.

Of course, it was the woman herself who connected him with the broker.

Anyway, he’s quite a capable guy. The woman rolled over on the bed and smirked.

– I know that you took good care of your people, but when did you include Seon Min-yeol’s son in that circle?

The woman asked, smiling lazily like a satisfied cat. Given the circumstances, it was unlikely that he included him in the circle. Whether Go Woo-jin was aware of it or not, compared to how he had been caring for the people around him until now, she felt it was a bit excessive.

Go Woo-jin remained persistently silent with his normal silent reaction, possibly due to disagreement with what she said or for another reason. It was annoying to react, so the person who was dissatisfied had to decide whether or not to hang up. Looking at the eyes that were as calm as a lake under the disheveled black hair, the woman let out a low hum and thought hard about how she could stir up that guy.

– Have I mentioned it? I’m going to participate in the center’s anti-terrorism training.

Only then did Woo-jin react.

The woman smiled happily as she felt his gaze on her. It was always enjoyable to somehow throw a stone into those indifferent, or rather pretending-to-be-indifferent eyes.

Perhaps Go Woo-jin thought she was going to approach Seon Min-yeol’s son in relation to the prior topic.

– What’s with that expression? Are you worried?

“…”

– Don’t worry, I borrowed someone else’s name because mine stands out so much. Call me ‘Seo Hye-in’ when we meet.

She mischievously whispered. Gyeong Hye-in, President Gyeong Jeon-seok’s eldest daughter who has never shown her face to the public, laughed as she noticed Woo-jin’s smooth forehead furrow slightly.