Chapter 3

1. Kim Geun-won’s death

No. 1 is also related to Go Woo-jin. It was also the first thing to happen in chronological order.

It was the 20th of August, an incident that would take place a few days from now. It was the day after the biggest typhoon of the year passed, so he was lucky enough to infer the date.

Kim Geun-won was Go Woo-jin’s close older brother and a wide-ranging guide. When Seon Jae-chan, the pair guide, was unable to go on-site support, Kim Geun-won played the role. After Kim Geun-won’s death in an absurd accident, Go Woo-jin suffered as if he had lost his family.

And… One of the guides who came to succeed Kim Geun-won later was Nam Hae-sol, and she.

“…”

‘It is not selfish to try to save Kim Geun-won.’

Jae-chan clenched the mouse as he hesitated. He deserved to live. He didn’t mind imagining Go Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol smiling at each other anymore. Rather, he was happy when he imagined Go Woo-jin smiling with his usual twinkling eyes. He continued to scroll.

[Official Incident]

1. A large number of explosives were found buried at a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the inauguration of President Gyeong Jeon-seok

2. Universal Park hostage

3. The kidnapping of the President’s niece Hanroy

4. A group of guides suffered a mental disorder while in pursuit of a drug distribution group

5. Protests and explosions at nuclear power plants in Area 5

6. Rebel ‘Black Swan’ appeared 4 years later

└ Link to ‘Black Swan’ related incident

Jae-chan paid attention to the last item #6. ‘Black Swan’. An anti-government radical terrorist group that is rapidly emerging four years from now.

It was too late at first to realize the truth because they assumed it was just an Esper gang. It was too late when it was later discovered that there were spies in the intelligence service, and when the traitors were apprehended and a countermeasure was hastily prepared.

It was after Black Swan had engulfed the entire society, like mold digging into the dark beneath the wallpaper. In fact, six years later, Black Swan had occupied the eastern portion of District 1 by force.

‘The Ross Clinic incident happened then.’

There was a clinic in the east where his aunt was hospitalized for Esper’s disease. Jae-chan’s blood dried out every day during the Black Swan executions. Because his aunt was the only precious person to Jae-chan along with Go Woo-jin.

‘It doesn’t make sense for such a huge group to suddenly rise.’

Surely it will still be active. There must be a link between these. Jae-chan went through the big events that he had listed again.

This time, Jae-chan was planning to go out to the field and dig the traces of them with his own hands. Prepare thoroughly and gain the upper hand in the war. He bit his lip and scrolled up again.

[Project Goal: ( )]

There were still blanks left. The most important aspect of this project was its goal.

Jae-chan’s life goal before returning was to be ‘successful.’ The strong eat the weak, and the weak were eaten by the strong. The winner takes it all. He considered it to be a firm life motto. He accelerated up the promotion road. He became the best by successively changing the color of the rank, the epaulets, and the youngest title one after another. He was not happy at all. In the first place…

‘I wanted Woo-jin.’

He wanted to be successful in order to have Go Woo-jin. He thought that Go Woo-jin would love him if he dressed up with success.

He thought that if he became more successful and well-known, Woo-jin, who had been estranged from him for some time, would return to him. It was the thought of a 20-year-old nerd who was emotionally immature. Go Woo-jin was simply tired of his selfish behavior and walked away.

Seon Jae-chan opened the messenger app as soon as he remembered it. Unlike other chat rooms at this time of year, Woo-chat jin’s window was quiet. He only sends text messages twice or three times per month, but they were left on read. Jae-chan checked the last text message he sent.

[Woojin-ah, did you get home safely? Haha

You look a bit tired today~!!

2:53 a.m]

What was this stupid ‘haha’? And the tilde? Why did he use the exclamation mark? The content was also strange. It has been a certain period of time since it was sent. Aaaaak.

“…”

It was once again the worst. The messenger was also the core device, which was only used for business purposes, and former Central Intelligence Agency team leader Seon Jae-chan used it for other meanings. Haa. Jae-chan sighed deeply.

‘It was kind of a miserable thought to have a man like this.’

Jae-chan straightened his upper body as he leaned over the keyboard. He typed again. It was embarrassing, but he wrote down his previous life’s hidden purpose.

[Previous life goal: to have Go Woo-jin.]

A terrible hidden goal that made you cringe. Tap-tap e tapped the backspace key twice. This should never be pursued. A new goal was needed. The opposite of the strong eating the weak, and the weak being eaten by the strong was win-win cooperation!

Jae-chan remembered the moment he died. Woo-jin gripped his hand tightly. The body’s warm temperature. He was proud of himself for saving Go Woo-jin’s lover, Nam Hae-sol. He was glad. He hadn’t tasted such a perfect sweetness in years.

Win-win cooperation. Jae-chan’s fingers tapped on the keyboard vigorously while he muttered his plan.

[New project goal: To help Go Woo-jin.]

Seon Jae-chan revised the text while contemplating the new goal on the screen.

[New Project Goal: To help those you care about.]

Blink, blink. The cursor cast a clear light.

‘To help those you care about.’

He liked it. His previous life, which was solely dedicated to Go Woo-jin, was riddled with failures. He currently had only Go Woo-jin and his aunt as precious people, but he thought it would be a good idea to have more precious people.

He also thought that, unlike sacrifice, the word ‘help’ meant ‘survival.’ It was also possible to help someone by defeating and surviving the Black Swan.

This time, he had a feeling that he would be able to live well. Hope sprouts. This was the time to make a proud promise to live a successful life.

Bam! Bam!

A knock on the door startled him awake. Jae-chan stood up with the laptop running a temporary security program.

“Why aren’t you answering the phone?”

It was Park Yu-ram who came to the guide’s dorm. She was exhausted and stood sullenly outside the front door, wearing her glasses.

He appeared to be too preoccupied with the past. Jae-chan analyzed the cause of her puffing. Come to think of it, it seems like he hadn’t seen Park Yoo-ram in the past few years. And she kept yelling.

“You promised to return the books and papers by yesterday!”

Tsk. Jae-chan clicked his tongue.

“Sorry. I will return it today.”

“Whatever, do it now! Do you know what I heard from the librarian?”

Yoo-ram pushed Jae-chan away. She entered the room without hesitation.

Jae-chan bought dinner three days ago in exchange for making Park Yu-ram lose the chance to get the event item. During the conversation, Jae-chan recalled how she used to volunteer at the central library, so he unofficially borrowed dozens of books and papers on the condition that he return them within two days. There were materials among them that could only be read inside the library, so it was a situation that could make her angry in various ways.

“Hurry up.”

Yu-ram said as she looked around the guide’s dormitory, which had two beds in one large room. Jae-chan, who turned on another light, was concerned about being alone with a 21-year-old girl, so he hung his roe foot on the front door.

He threw the towel over his shoulder and grabbed the folding suitcase from the built-in wardrobe. Yu-ram’s face softened as he unfolded it and began to place the materials to be returned.

“Why do you need all this information?”

She asked. In fact, it was mostly useless information. Other information was also distributed evenly to avoid suspicion later. It was a precautionary measure that Jae-chan could take right now.

“I suddenly have a strong desire to read something. Have you never been so before?”

He asked roughly. Librarian volunteers seemed to like books. Eventually, she affirmed.

“There are times like that for me, too. When I want to read books. Not so many, though.”

Yu-ram blinked over her round glasses as she responded. She was actually in a state of panic. She couldn’t believe she was having such a normal conversation with the genius young master, Seon Jae-chan.

The change began three days ago at the cultural center. Jae-chan approached her first, making an odd request to hit him and even asking for help. He asked to lend him about a hundred books as if he was possessed.

Yu-ram honestly spat out on Seon Jae-Chan’s clean face rather than just staring.

“You are unexpected.”

“What.”

“You know. I hit you really hard, but you didn’t wince at all. No matter how much you asked me to do it, I was a little nervous when I hit you. Besides, we eat together and you asked for help. It was weird. Guys like you don’t make much contact with someone like me, do they?”

Yu-ram was embarrassed again after saying it all. ‘Ah, guys like you…’ It was time to apologize and make excuses. Jae-chan then replied.

“I know.”

“What?”

“I am aware that I am a jerk. I used my parents’ support, going out with anyone, and avoiding field work.”

Seon Jae-chan told the facts. He said it casually.

In fact, he only hung out with high-class guides from a good family at the time. He was still a jerk, but it had been much worse in his youth.

He was at his peak at twenty-three years old. A steadfast opportunist with an unstable gold spoon. It was the story that was going around behind him. His nickname ‘snake’ did not change even after he left the intelligence service.