GSGW c236

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Chapter 236

“Jisan Village.”

After confirming the location of the Happy Ending Sect’s air-raid shelter, the three of us return to Ho Yuwon’s territory for the time being.

The unexpected situation leaves the back of my head throbbing.

By coincidence, all three of us here attended the Jisan Village festival that day.

Well… one of us experienced it while parasitizing someone else’s body and ended up getting exorcised by General Tiger in the end, but still.

“So that cult village was actually a subordinate branch of something like the Church of the Luminous Unknown or the Happy Ending Sect?”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s mutter is half correct.

It seems they were indirectly connected to another sect of the Church of the Luminous Unknown.

I think it was called the Mimicry Sect.

“Ah, right. Roe Deer pulled the golden rod and got captured. Did you hear about that back then? Nicely done.”

Thank you.

For now, let’s go with that explanation.

“But why did they come here? You said they’re a different sect.”

Exactly.

'Even the centipede was sealed and taken away by the Disaster Management Bureau.'

What could possibly remain that makes them come here?

“Hm. Maybe there’s another reason.”

And naturally, that thought makes me recall why Assistant Manager Eun Haje appeared in Jisan Village in the first place.

Could it be because of the well?

If I remember correctly, Director Ho was searching for it. That makes me think it must have been a very special place.

“Ah. Right. The well.”

And if Ho Yuwon was searching for it…

'Is it related to Segwang Special City?'

Receiving both our gazes, Ho Yuwon readily admits it.

“That’s right. I heard that the well is connected to Segwang Special City…”

As expected.

Question: Source

“As I said before, it’s my turn to ask questions right now. It isn’t Roe Deer’s turn to ask. Truly unfortunate.”

/tn. this stingy bastard, i'm about to make a fox pelt out of you

Wow. Seriously.

But even if you don’t say it, there are ways to guess.

'Someone from the Disaster Management Bureau, most likely.'

How else would Ho Yuwon know that information about a catastrophe-class disaster, Segwang Special City, exists in the Disaster Management Bureau’s secret archives?

'He must have connections there.'

That’s separate from whatever feelings Ho Yuwon holds toward the Bureau.

And even now, Ho Yuwon’s interest remains fixed on only one thing.

A catastrophe-class disaster.

“If the Happy Ending Sect is interested in Segwang Special City, then it’s quite natural to imagine a future where they gather information through that well. Right?”

But Assistant Manager Eun Haje is frowning.

“…Tsk.”

Something seems to bother her.

“I’m pretty sure the Disaster Management Bureau came out back then and smashed that centipede’s head clean off…”

The moment the Bureau is mentioned, Director Ho’s smile grows deeper, but neither of us pays attention.

“Those government officials usually handle the follow-up measures too, don’t they?”

Of course they do.

—This Jisan Village… still has many suspicious aspects. From now on, they’ll begin a full search. They’ll look for people and the well.

“Then why didn’t they realize this place underground was a cult hideout?”

That would be…

Perhaps the bunker was moved here after the follow-up measures were completed.

Let’s think it through.

Agents from the Disaster Management Bureau’s scene cleanup team and the Vermilion Bird squad must have come and finished handling the aftermath before leaving.

'They probably dealt with the villagers as well.'

There’s evidence.

The surface I saw earlier through the glass.

There wasn’t a single person in the village.

Not one.

But the strange thing is…

'They said they’d conduct a full search.'

Yet the village looks exactly the same as before.

As if it has been frozen in time since the day of the festival.

Given the situation, agents should have been periodically dispatched to maintain the site. But it doesn’t look like that happened, which is odd.

“Right. It’s unsettling—”

“Perhaps they decided it wasn’t worth searching.”

Ho Yuwon’s gentle voice pours into the silence.

“That government organization always sets priorities. Instead of spending manpower on cases that are already concluded, they’re probably deploying their people to rescue individuals they believe are more valuable.”

Hmm.

'That sounds like a rather malicious interpretation.'

“Well… yes. Local government offices being overloaded with work isn’t exactly new.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje passes over her superior’s remark with blank, fishlike eyes.

Then she returns to the main point.

“Anyway, it would be nice if we could dig into the village above a bit more. There are limits to what we can do from inside here…”

Ah.

“Director, do you happen to have anyone outside we could mobilize? Someone who could investigate this place for us.”

…Well.

About that.

'There is someone…'

I think of the paper boat sleeping quietly beneath my tattoo.

And the local guy from Jisan Village who left it behind.

***

Baek Saheon has just had an absolutely garbage day.

'What kind of ridiculous darkness was that?'

It was some insane boarding school ghost story, and one of his teammates ended up dying with the skin of their face completely torn off. The whole thing felt like going through hell.

'I split off and ran, and I almost died myself.'

Of course, he doesn’t particularly care that his teammate died. The real problem is that after all that suffering, the mission only gets rated D-class, which irritates him to no end.

'…Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.'

His wish to completely escape the village seems to have already come true.

And yet he still works at this company… He doesn’t really know why.

Just like how he still hasn’t buried or cremated his sister’s skull anywhere.

'Fuck.'

Still, it feels good to finally get off work and collapse onto the sofa in the company housing.

But at that exact moment, he realizes something new has appeared on the paper boat.

Hello, citizen.

Have you been doing well all this time?

"...!!"

Baek Saheon nearly rolls off the sofa.

'What the hell.'

The last thing he wrote on the paper boat was a curse telling the other person not to run off after eating for free, since they disappeared after leaving only a quick thank-you message last time.

And now suddenly there’s contact again.

And moreover—

The item is not yet obtained, but

I have found information regarding

the current condition of Jisan Village.

“ …!! "

Baek Saheon grabs the paper with both hands.

The letters… update.

Currently, beneath the village,

there is a religious cult facility.

What?

How did you

figure that out?

I am currently

infiltrating that cult.

“…Are they insane?”

Could it be that this agent’s time spent inside darkness has actually been inside that cult all along…?

'Then of course they couldn’t get the item!'

In a cult, it’s hard to secretly keep personal belongings. At least, that’s what Baek Saheon experienced.

'…Is this person actually an idiot?'

Why would someone walk straight into a place like that on their own?

Baek Saheon writes exactly that onto the paper boat.

And the reply he receives is this.

Someone has requested assistance.

“…What a sucker.”

Yet somehow, a mocking laugh doesn’t come out.

It’s probably because Baek Saheon remembers from Jisan Village that this agent is someone who truly keeps their promises.

“……”

Baek Saheon looks down at the paper.

The agent writes:

I have found a location within this facility

where I can observe the outside.

If you look at my drawing,

could you explain where this viewpoint

is located within Jisan Village?

He begins writing “How shameless—” when another line appears.

If I discover any information about Jisan Village

during this operation, I will share it with you.

Since you are directly involved.

And at the very end, one more sentence is added.

I’m sorry I couldn’t provide the item.

……

“Ha… fuck. Seriously!!”

Baek Saheon grabs his hair in frustration, then finally scribbles a reply.

First, show me the drawing.

***

'Oh.'

Baek Saheon cooperates and shares information about Jisan Village.

Just like last time, things proceed surprisingly smoothly. It seems my assumption that I’m an agent infiltrating a cult works better than expected.

'Maybe telling him information about Jisan Village earlier was the key.'

Or… judging by how he nitpicks every little thing, maybe he’s simply using me as an emotional punching bag.

Either way, I end up memorizing even the rough village map Baek Saheon scribbles with a pencil.

[Oh ho, Roe Deer’s rather ordinary former roommate does have some drawing talent.]

True enough.

The map is easy to read—clearly marking the well, the pine tree, the hanok where we were held captive, and even the location of the village shrine.

And the current position of this authority zone where we looked outside from is…

'…beneath the well.'

—If there’s an entrance, it’s probably somewhere around here.

In other words, the entrance to this underground bunker is near the well in Jisan Village.

It’s a strange feeling.

[Indeed, quite an interesting situation. Do the twins who disappear every lunchtime check the well through that entrance? Or do they head toward another hidden facility inside the bunker?]

[This fact… oh! If things go according to Roe Deer’s plan, we’ll find out soon enough!]

That’s right.

When I indicate that I’ll try to gather information by communicating with someone through an item, Ho Yuwon and Assistant Manager Eun Haje take on another task.

—Tail them.

Specifically, they carefully track where the twins who disappear during lunch go.

They need to figure out what exactly is being prepared inside this underground bunker.

—As I keep saying, we first need a basic understanding of what’s happening here before we can respond to unexpected situations or uncover specific information.

If they stick close to the old lady initiate, they might attract some attention, but they’ll also raise less suspicion even if they wander somewhere unusual.

After all, they already put on quite a performance last night.

'And even if they get caught, it doesn’t seem like Ho Yuwon would go down easily.'

Besides, how should I put it… the executives of the Happy Ending Sect… Well, theoretically they seem powerful, but strangely I don’t feel any real psychological tension from them.

'Their image feels shallow and fragmented.'

Still, the situational mystery and the questions surrounding this place are eerie enough.

So I quietly calculate the angles of the bunker and the map, matching the locations of the facilities with the village landmarks while waiting for the two of them.

And when lunchtime is nearly over—

“Found it.”

Ho Yuwon and Assistant Manager Eun Haje return with something.

Still in the form of the old grandmother, Assistant Manager Eun Haje catches her breath, then urgently begins drawing a map on the floor with her finger.

Including the inside of the bunker.

“Looking at it this way, this side is north. The connected eastern area is the dining hall, and east–west is the living space for the initiates.”

Then—right in the center.

“There’s a large hemispherical chamber where they’ve stacked all those coffins. The place where they deal with the corpses under the pretense of rituals.”

Symbolic.

And then…

“In that space, behind the coffins, there was a passage.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s finger moves downward.

South.

“The twins go this way.”

……

“So? Does it match anything the ‘informant’ you contacted told you?”

Yes.

In my mind, I overlay Baek Saheon’s map on top of the drawing Assistant Manager Eun Haje just made.

And then I realize something.

The place where the twins went—

It’s directly beneath the Jisan Village shrine.

And what used to be beneath that shrine?

'The centipede sage.'

Of course, that centipede is already dead, and the liquor connected to it was completely sealed by Agent Bronze’s bullets. Nothing remains there now.

Only the empty ground where the shrine once stood. But…

What are they trying to do there?

“Hm. That doesn’t sound ordinary.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje frowns after hearing my explanation.

“Then shall we check one more time?”

Hm?

“Just a quick peek at what’s inside. After the twins come back.”

Smiling faintly, Ho Yuwon turns to Assistant Manager Eun Haje.

“Falcon, if you refuse, I might feel sad thinking you don’t find me reliable…”

“Well… sure. Just don’t abandon me and run if things go south.”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje answers reluctantly, then turns to me.

“We’ll check it out and also take a look at the initiates’ situation. Wait here.”

Hmm.

“Don’t worry. We’ll watch the situation carefully, and if anything feels off, we’ll pull out immediately.”

In that case—

Should I go this time?

Wouldn’t it be dangerous for the same people to go twice? Maybe I—

“Uh, Roe Deer…”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje pats my shoulder.

“You do realize… you’re currently walking around trailing black smoke, right?”

Ah.

“Sorry, but when you add that blinking yellow light too, you basically have a full-on entrance effect. Seriously, you’re like a walking advertisement.”

……

Right……

“Just stay here. Instead, if possible, try to figure out the exact location of the bunker entrance. How about that?”

I nod quietly.

“Okay. Then see you at dinner.”

And with that, we head out once again to search.

“Let us all gather and pray for happiness.”

Soon enough, time passes, and the promised dinner hour arrives.

But—

“……”

“Grandma Kim Bokja… didn’t come?”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje and Ho Yuwon do not appear at the dinner table.

 

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