[Haeju. It’s Doctor. Where are you right now? Call me immediately.]
He had just finished writing the text and was about to press send. Director Im Suhyang, who he had talked to earlier, called him again.
“I told you not to call.”
— Doctor Min! You’re not with Seo Haeju, are you? Why is Seo Haeju here!
Director Im’s panicked voice burst out from the phone. Her voice was so loud that Im Junwoo and Han Daesik also heard it all.
“…He really went to find Doctor.”
Im Junwoo’s low voice rang out solemnly. From beyond the phone, caw caw, crow cries and people’s screams echoed. Even without seeing, he could tell. It’s five minutes before complete chaos. Soon the call was cut off abruptly.
“Hello. Hello!”
He shouted at the phone where the call had ended, but it was useless.
“Why the hell did that bastard Haeju go to the Center?”
“Then where else would he go to find you, Doctor?”
At Im Junwoo’s words, he finally thought, Ah. He was right. Where would he go to find Yeojin? Haeju wouldn’t know Yeojin’s home address, and phone calls wouldn’t connect either, so he had no choice but to go to his workplace.
My excuses that Haeju isn’t a monster, that he’s not that kind of kid, are meaningless.
“Let’s go to the Center first. We’ll talk while moving. Doctor, keep trying to call Haeju.”
Im Junwoo said that and walked out with large strides.
“Awesome! This is going to be super fun.”
Han Daesik also jumped up excitedly. Ha, this is driving me crazy. His head was throbbing, so he pressed his temples hard and sighed deeply. Kkamang, who had been tilting his small head and looking up, fluttered up and perched on Yeojin’s shoulder.
***
While moving to the Seoul Center in Im Junwoo’s car, he heard many things.
As Yeojin had guessed, Earth was split into two branches.
The moderates who continued Leader Park Wiyeol’s teachings even after his death, adhering to nonviolent peace and coexistence, and the radicals consisting of young and hot-blooded groups centered around Wi Seokwoo.
Both the minister assault incident and the operation to seize quarantined people during their transfer from the Seoul Center were all acts committed by Wi Seokwoo’s group.
“Honestly, it’s unfair to lump us all together as Rebels. We are the basic foundation of ‘Earth’ that Leader Park Wiyeol created. Wi Seokwoo’s gang split off from us.”
Im Junwoo said it was unfair, but from the government’s perspective, they would all be the same. Whether moderate or radical, they were all Transcendents who escaped government control. Dangerous elements.
“Wi Seokwoo was someone who held resentment against Leader Park’s ideas even when he was alive. While following him like a real father, he constantly put the brakes on his opinions at every turn. Even within New Peace Town, he was someone who kept agitating the young people, saying things can’t continue like this and that reform is needed.”
“What the hell is that bastard, that young punk’s goal?”
That son of a bitch almost slipped out, but he held back.
“War? Turning Seoul into a sea of fire? Smashing and overthrowing the government that oppressed them?”
“Probably the last reason. They don’t know their exact goal either. What moves them is anger. Revenge against the organization that oppressed us. If you look at it only as an intention to create an organization to overthrow the existing government, it’s similar to a coup, but its nature is different from a typical coup. They are an organization, but they’re not that organized.”
“Honestly, they were a ragtag bunch.”
“Yes. That’s right. They’re youngsters overflowing with power. But the problem is that they have too much power overflowing. They’re at the most hot-blooded age even if they lived as ordinary citizens, but they’ve gained superhuman strength on top of that. Moreover, they’re in a completely uncontrolled state. They will become like monsters appearing in the city center. Monsters that suddenly appear and smash up the entire city center with tremendous power.”
Listening to Im Junwoo’s story reminded him of what Wi Seokwoo had said.
〈The leader described us as monsters appearing in the city center, but that’s wrong too. The monsters in movies are villains, but we’re not villains, right? Don’t you think?〉
Thinking about it, it was funny. While trying to be recognized as not being villains, aren’t they doing all the villain stuff? Not “will become like monsters,” they were already monsters.
“The young guys who had been accumulating resentment against the government burst because of the government’s raid on New Peace Town. Even if Leader Park Wiyeol had been alive, they were guys who would have caused big problems eventually.”
“Not all young people are like those bastards. There were many among the young ones who hated Wi Seokwoo’s gang.”
Han Daesik grumbled from the back seat.
“They’re just like thugs. Junwoo hyung knows too, right? Wi Seokwoo created a gang within New Peace Town and ostracized those who didn’t follow their opinions behind Leader Park’s and other adults’ backs.”
“I don’t know exactly. Didn’t Wi Seokwoo’s youth group have an age limit? I was cut off by age. For being old. I’m only 31 years old. I think he cut me off using age as an excuse because I picked fights with him at every turn.”
“Whaaaat?”
At Im Junwoo’s words, Yeojin was startled. Just like the reaction the two men showed when he introduced himself as Min Yeojin earlier. Im Junwoo was also startled.
“What? Why are you so surprised?”
“31 years old? You’re the same age as me?”
Honestly, he thought he was in his 40s.
“Yes. Doctor, you’re also the same age as me. I’m more surprised by your age. I thought you looked young.”
“Ah, yes. Im Junwoo, you must have, um, suffered a lot.”
Ah, he thought after speaking. Maybe I should have said that more tactfully. Euhahaha! Han Daesik laughed loudly from behind.
“Junwoo hyung does have an old-looking face!”
“It’s that Doctor Min looks so young for his age. I look my age.”
He couldn’t bring himself to agree with that, so Yeojin laughed awkwardly. Han Daesik was dying from laughter.
“Anyway, Wi Seokwoo’s gang is probably drunk on their sense of victory right now. Both operations succeeded.”
“Didn’t the minister assault incident fail?”
“There was no intent to kill from the beginning, and it was probably just for simple intimidation. They would have known that they couldn’t deal with a high-ranking National Security and Peace Maintenance Department official with such a clumsy operation.”
Yeojin stroked Kkamang, who was nestled docilely in his arms like a puppy, and countered Im Junwoo’s words.
“It might have also been a live combat test as well as intimidation.”
“Yes. And thanks to that bold attempt, they made their existence known, so it was probably an operation where they gained more than they lost.”
Han Daesik’s grumbling continued.
“Wi Seokwoo, that bastard, was an attention seeker. Queen bee type. A bastard who had to stand out the most everywhere. Even if New Peace Town had continued to exist, that bastard Wi Seokwoo would have eventually stabbed Leader Park in the back. Among the insane guys, there were bastards who followed Wi Seokwoo like fanatics, thinking he was cool. And those forces were growing more and more.”
“Hearing what you say, Daesik, internal division would have eventually occurred.”
“That’s what I’m saying?”
After listening to Han Daesik and Im Junwoo’s words, he roughly understood the character named Wi Seokwoo. There’s always a loud-mouthed guy who opposes the existing policy everywhere. Those kinds of guys always have influence and excellent execution ability, leading their own forces around. They inevitably cause big and small problems and split the team.
“But may I ask one thing? Earlier when I pointed my gun at you two, why didn’t you attack me?”
That had puzzled him earlier too. The two of them are Transcendents, so why did they just stay still?
“You’re a civilian, aren’t you, Doctor? It’s not too late to use force after resolving things through dialogue.”
“You could get shot doing that.”
“You didn’t shoot. If you were going to shoot, you would have shot already.”
Im Junwoo said that and laughed good-naturedly. I feel anew that these people are definitely different from Wi Seokwoo’s gang.
Kkamang, who had been dozing quietly, suddenly stuck his head out and made a growling sound while looking outside the window. Wondering if there was something outside the car window, he turned his gaze and saw a crow flying. Yeojin quickly rolled down the car window.
The crow that had been flying low to match the car’s speed cawed from outside. Kkamang also chattered, and the two communicated with each other. In the meantime, the car entered the approach road going up to the Seoul Center.
“Look at that!”
Han Daesik suddenly thrust his head toward the driver’s seat and shouted. While pointing at the front windshield with his finger. He could see crows sitting in rows on the pillars of the Center’s main gate, above the door, and on the utility poles. At a rough estimate, there were dozens of them. With those pitch-black things stationed there like that, the sense of intimidation was considerable.
There should have been a security guard controlling outsiders, but the guard station was completely empty. The security guard must have run away too.
“Wait a moment. Stop the car here.”
Yeojin shouted toward Im Junwoo. The car screeched to a halt in front of the Center’s main gate.
“What are you going to do?”
“Keep the car by the door. I’ll bring Haeju out.”
“What? Will that be possible?”
“If not me, who else will bring him out?”
If not Yeojin, no one else could drag Seo Haeju out. Even if Haeju could be persuaded and brought out, the crows would be the problem.
Yeojin flung open the car door and jumped out. Kkamang flew above Yeojin’s head. The crows guarding the entrance only glared threateningly but didn’t attack Yeojin. Fortunately. As expected, it seemed Haeju’s crows no longer recognized Yeojin as an enemy.
