Chapter 18
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18. Blind
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Knock, knock.
Late at night. At the sound of the knock on the door, Baek Jeong-ju took off his glasses and set down his clipboard.
"Come in."
The person who opened the door and entered was No. 78. Or rather, since a week had passed since the training ended, should he be called Lee Do-hyeon now? Though it seemed that name wasn't his real one, either.
"Are you feeling alright?"
Baek Jeong-ju asked.
"Yes."
"…Well, you are a Regeneration Type. Sit down."
Jae-hak scratched his head, looking awkward. A Regeneration Type, who barely needs to worry about injuries after an operation, is truly a blessed constitution. The more he fought, the more Jae-hak felt that fact deep in his bones.
"What about Trainee Yoon Ye-eun?"
"Her wounds were significant, but… they said there won't be any severe lasting effects. I heard that if she undergoes consistent rehabilitation, she'll be able to work as a Hunter."
The leg Yoon Ye-eun injured was her left one. The muscle was badly damaged, but they said she miraculously avoided hitting the femoral artery. The fact that she climbed a ladder with one leg and then pulled Jae-hak up with a rope—the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was no ordinary person.
"A pity."
Baek Jeong-ju said, the sound of his prosthetic leg clicking. A pity? Was it because she didn't end up needing a prosthetic leg? Jae-hak took it as a joke and laughed, half-forced. This man really did have some broken parts to him.
"I don't think I've seen you since the training ended."
"Yes. I imagine you've been quite busy."
Jae-hak said politely. It was true. For the past week, Baek Jeong-ju had been incredibly busy. Investigating responsibilities, being investigated, uncovering the truth, and turning Bijeokdo Island upside down.
"Your hypothesis was correct. They really had been sacrificing people to the monster all this time… Once we cornered the son of a Bijeokdo resident who was attending university in Seoul, he spilled everything. They treated it like the Dragon King's messenger because the catch increased on days when the monster appeared. In reality, it was the opposite. Naturally, the monster appeared on days when there were many fish to eat. Truly, a bunch of fools."
Baek Jeong-ju said.
"The cross-verification regarding Kim Dong-hyeon is also finished. Your testimony and Trainee Yoon Ye-eun's testimony matched. As did the circumstantial evidence left at the scene."
"…."
Kim Dong-hyeon had survived even after being shot in the chest. Usually, that would be luck, but for him, it was a misfortune. Military law, general criminal law, and even the Special Act on Awakened. A long, endless trial awaited him. There was no limit to the charges that could be brought against his actions, and the result would likely be…
"The death penalty, I suppose."
Baek Jeong-ju said calmly, taking something out of his drawer. It was a thin, curved canteen. He remembered seeing one in a movie. A container soldiers or mobsters used to carry liquor. Was it called a flask? He couldn't remember. Baek Jeong-ju took out two and handed one to Jae-hak.
"Care for a sip?"
"Thank you."
When he opened the flask, the sweet smell of alcohol wafted out. It was soju. Jae-hak watched Baek Jeong-ju take a drink and then took a sip himself. Hot heat surged through his body, traveling down his esophagus.
"I'm sorry. For everything."
And then, Baek Jeong-ju said.
"…It's not your fault."
"What do you mean it's not? Two trainees died. It's a miracle that you and Trainee Yoon Ye-eun made it back alive; for all intents and purposes, you were dead."
It's my responsibility, Baek Jeong-ju said.
"I've already met with all the bereaved families and apologized. I will leave the final decision on my fate to you."
"…My decision?"
Jae-hak asked, puzzled.
"If you want me to step down as an instructor, I will. If you want me to take off this uniform, I will. If not, well, I can write you a letter of recommendation under the name of the Internal Front Command. I still have quite a bit of pull, you see."
Is he trying to bow out first? Jae-hak was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. But the eyes of Baek Jeong-ju, who was looking at him, were clear. Jae-hak looked into those eyes for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
"…No. If you have already met with the bereaved families… I don't think it's my place to add anything more, as someone who is still alive."
Jae-hak replied.
"Is that so?"
Baek Jeong-ju said, without showing much relief. He was becoming an increasingly unpredictable man. If Jae-hak had told him to retire, would he have really done it?
Baek Jeong-ju downed another sip of soju and said.
"In that case, would you have any interest in enlisting here?"
Baek Jeong-ju said. Jae-hak was momentarily speechless at the completely unexpected proposal.
"What I said earlier about having pull wasn't just empty words. If you're interested, I can pull some strings to have you commissioned into the Internal Front Command's special branch. Think of it as… a scout."
Since the Gates opened, being a soldier, especially one in the Internal Front Command, was a job with very good benefits. While the pay was lower than that of Hunters belonging to private companies or agencies, it held an advantage in terms of workload, stability, and pensions.
But for Jae-hak, it was a path he could not consider.
"…I'm sorry."
"I see. Are you aiming to be a Hunter, then?"
It wasn't exactly that, but Jae-hak didn't bother to explain further. He couldn't exactly say he was helping the National Intelligence Service with their investigation.
"You must have been offended because I looked down on the Hunter industry at first."
"It seemed like you were doing it on purpose."
"…You noticed that much?"
Baek Jeong-ju said expressionlessly.
"That's right. I did it on purpose. It's not that I look down on the Hunter industry. How could I? I gave one of my legs to that path…"
His tone remained as gruff as ever, but for the first time since Jae-hak met him, Baek Jeong-ju showed a glimmer of emotion. A tone brighter than regret, and a tone darker than nostalgia.
"But, you see. I actually wish no one would become a Hunter. It's… too cruel a path. Just because they are human. Because they are humans who are slightly stronger than other humans… and because they are cheaper than tanks, helicopters… or armored vehicles, they get dragged everywhere. Whether they live or die. Whether they wear out their cartilage until they have to use a wheelchair or not…"
"Is that why the training here is so harsh…?"
Jae-hak asked.
"To intentionally make the applicants give up?"
"It would be a lie to say no."
Baek Jeong-ju admitted it surprisingly easily.
"I once worked with a Hunter who was said to be the strongest in the world. But even that guy… was just a human in the end. Do you understand what I'm saying? Hunter… hunter… the name sounds nice. But at the end of the day, they're just humans who are good at fighting. There are really, really very few enemies in this world that can be killed by shooting them with a gun or stabbing them with a knife."
A cryptic statement. What was he trying to say?
"The power one can hold in their own body has a limit. A Hunter is a knife. A particularly sharp knife. Eventually, when the blade dulls and the teeth chip, it just gets replaced by another knife… While the sense of calling to dedicate oneself to that process is certainly worthy of respect, however…"
How many people would truly jump into that thorny path of their own volition?
"I like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have brought up the scouting offer. But you are somehow… blind."
Blind? Jae-hak narrowed his eyes.
"Just the fact that you carried Trainee Yoon Ye-eun all the way out of the monster's den is proof of that. That is not the behavior of a normal person."
"Are you saying I should have… left her behind?"
"No. Absolutely not. But I could understand someone who leaves others behind, even if they are pathetic. Though, as a soldier, it would be more desirable to be someone who can't abandon others due to camaraderie or a guilty conscience."
Baek Jeong-ju said.
"But you… I heard you said this to Trainee Yoon Ye-eun, didn't you? That you hate seeing innocent people cry. That is one of two things. Insane narcissism… or conversely, terrible self-loathing. People who don't love or loathe themselves excessively cannot sacrifice themselves for others to that extent."
There was no need to go that far. Jae-hak clenched his fist without realizing it, then relaxed it again.
"That's why I'm worried. That you won't be able to act selfishly and will get buried and swept away by your goals. That you'll just end up as another broken, discarded knife… I'm genuinely worried."
Silence flowed. Baek Jeong-ju started to add something, then gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"…I'm sorry. This is the problem with getting old. I'm becoming a busybody."
"…It's alright."
"You should get going. If we keep this up, I'll start bragging about my son next."
Jae-hak stood up in silence and pushed his chair in. He debated whether to give a slight bow or a salute, and opted for a slight bow.
"Oh, wait."
Baek Jeong-ju called out to Jae-hak as he grabbed the doorknob and handed him a white envelope.
"I almost forgot."
Jae-hak opened the envelope with a puzzled expression. Inside was the certificate of completion for the Awakened Combatant Training Course.
Name: Lee Do-hyeon. Final completion rank: 2nd place, it read.
"This is…"
"You said you needed it, right? I heard it from Instructor Im."
I felt like I had to send you off with something. Baek Jeong-ju added. Jae-hak was about to refuse, but he changed his mind and tucked the envelope into his coat.
"Thank you."
"Get out of here."
Jae-hak gave another slight bow. As the door closed, Baek Jeong-ju let out a long sigh.
"…You look a lot like him."
Baek Jeong-ju, left alone, quietly muttered to himself. Then, he picked up the flask Jae-hak had left behind. On the bottom, the initials J.D.Y. were engraved in a classic cursive script. Baek Jeong-ju clinked his own flask against his old friend's in a toast.
"Right, Doyeong?"
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"…2nd place?"
Team Leader Park Hyo-seok looked at him with suspicious eyes. The month or so Jae-hak was gone. He had gained gray hairs from how much he had struggled in that short time.
"I heard it was chaotic with the Bijeokdo incident… how did you manage to get a rank?"
"…Yes. It just happened."
Jae-hak played dumb and remained still. He could see Kang Ji-seul behind Park Hyo-seok turning her head to hold back a laugh.
"…Good. Let's work together."
"Thank you!"
Jae-hak bowed his head. Park Hyo-seok gestured for him to go.
"Team Leader Kang. Go and show him the ropes."
"Yes."
Click. As soon as they closed the door and stepped out, Ji-seul laughed until her teeth showed, then suddenly grabbed Jae-hak in a tight hug.
"You little rascal, you little rascal."
"Why… why are you doing this?"
"Why? Because you're impressive, that's why. Honestly, never mind not getting 3rd place, I was really worried when I heard about the Bijeokdo incident…"
Ji-seul started stroking the back of Jae-hak's head like she was rubbing a dog.
"How on earth did you manage to get that? I don't know what kind of trick you pulled?"
"A trick? It's called ability…"
"You're already starting to tell little lies to your sister…"
"I'm not your sister, and you're a year younger than me anyway..."
Saying he had been through a lot, Ji-seul even brewed him a cup of warm coffee. Then, she handed him a thick envelope.
"Open it."
Inside were a resident registration card, a driver's license, a copy of his resident record—all issued under the name Lee Do-hyeon—along with a stack of other documents.
"Your headquarters access pass will be ready tomorrow, too."
Ji-seul said. She explained that due to the nature of National Intelligence Service asset contracts, they never left behind any documents that could serve as evidence.
"You know all about the security protocols, right?"
Just then, a familiar face walked down the hallway. It was David Lin, the Taiwanese-American who worked for the National Intelligence Service—a strange man, to say the least.
But he looked absolutely haggard, like someone suffering from constant overnight shifts.
"Is Mr. Lin busy, too?"
"Oh, you mean Im Da-wit?"
"Im Da-wit?"
"His name is David Lin, so his Korean name is Im Da-wit."
Ah, Jae-hak nodded in understanding.
"He's been swamped lately. Something about North Korea doing a bunch of things again? The intelligence gathering team borrowed him."
"Ah."
"When it comes to signal interception, there's no one quite as capable as Da-wit."
Ji-seul said this, then pulled out a tin box and placed it on the table.
"This is for operations. Familiarize yourself with what's inside, and keep it in a safe when you're not using it."
When he opened the lid, it was packed with various forms of identification. The variety was extraordinary. Police, Financial Supervisory Service, Incheon International Airport Corporation... Jae-hak guessed these were for when he needed to use a cover identity.
"Oh, and make sure to pack your passport."
As Jae-hak was about to close the lid, Ji-seul spoke up suddenly.
"You'll need it the day after tomorrow."
"...The day after tomorrow?"
"Oh, haven't you heard yet?"
Ji-seul smiled brightly.
"We're leaving for Colombia tomorrow. It's just starting to be summer there, so don't forget your sunscreen!"
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