Lee Soo-Won suppressed his rising anger. The Chuncugwan1 was filled with complaints from the reporters entering the Blue House. The chief secretary and even the lowest-ranking employee in the office were absent, so the reporters had been left unattended.

This was impossible. The relationship between politicians and journalists was intertwined, making it challenging to distance themselves from each other. Therefore, creating a significant gap between them was nearly impossible.

It wasn’t only because the extraterrestrial beings had been repulsed. This was the moment when the invasion marked a pivotal moment for humanity as it had come to an end and people began to move forward towards a new beginning. The Blue House was responsible for actively releasing related information to the press.

However, the only thing known was the fact that three hundred thousand Koreans had entered the Stage of Advent and fewer than five hundred had returned alive. This was already disclosed at Lee Tae-Han’s press conference.

Reporters wanted to know who Odin and the surviving five hundred Awakened were, how they defeated the monsters, and what stance the government would have on the Awakened in the future.

The Blue House remained silent, and it was a terrible sign of neglect from them. The impeached government had been like this two years ago. Lee Soo-Won was certain that outdated media policies like this were the cause of the eighteenth political power’s impeachment.

What are they going to do by just pushing the press away?

If he and his colleagues hadn’t been seriously insulted there… If the Blue House didn’t treat the media poorly, then the entire media wouldn’t have turned its back on them. If so, then the eighteenth political power wouldn’t have collapsed due to impeachment.

“I guess they learned nothing from there. Reporter Lee, do you know anything about the Awakened?” a reporter sitting next to Lee Soo-Won asked.

Lee Soo-Won was about to answer, but he closed his mouth as he suddenly felt chills going down his spine. The nineteenth government understood the media’s power better than anyone. They had witnessed the downfall of the previous government due to their harsh treatment of the media, and the current government was the one who benefited the most from it.

In fact, Lee Soo-Won had the itch to write something. He could condemn the government as much as he could for the destruction of the southern part of Gyeonggi-do. He could create a crack in the nineteenth government’s iron fortress-like approval rating. But the government knew about this, but they were in an inevitable situation where they couldn’t stop it from happening!

This meant an absolute power, which was stronger than the authority held by chiefs and administrators in the eighteenth regime, lurked behind the current government. They had sealed the Blue House’s mouth. Everyone knew who they were. It was so obvious that it was embarrassing to mention them.

Jeonil Group.

They had dominated the government and business of this country since the fifteenth regime. Ironically, their black-haired foreigner was in Korea when the first democratic government that everyone had longed for was born. Over the past twenty years, they completed a sanctuary that was absolutely inviolable unless the Proletariat Revolution2 occurred in Korea.

They are too powerful.

Lee Soo-Won was astounded at the fact that no one had survived after challenging Jeonil Group. Although he wouldn’t face the same physical torture in the Central Intelligence Agency3 as he would have in the 1970s, those who challenged the group still faced the destruction of their social standing. Politicians, legal professionals, businessmen, and reporters had been ruined. After the Jeonil Gate incident, the extent of their destruction worsened…

People called the current government a ‘democratic regime,’ but it was more correct to refer to it as the ‘Jeonil regime.’ Therefore, Lee Soo-Won decided to proceed with the work through a foreign journalist who had more freedom. Before entering the Blue House to work as a reporter, he had worked as a correspondent in North America for more than three years.

Thanks to this, he was able to register as a member of the foreign press club in Seoul where he met Carrie. She happened to be in Seoul.

The next day, it was late afternoon when Soo-Won pulled over his car on the shoulder of Seoul City Hall Plaza.

「 We pray for the safe return of the Awakened and the souls of the departed. 」

People from all walks of life came to light incense in memory of the deceased.

A foreign woman approached him when she saw the hazard lights he had turned on. Lee Soo-Won got out of the car and opened the passenger seat.

He said, “The Stage of Advent began and ended in this country. Isn’t it too early for you to return home?”

Joshua von Karjan had announced the start at the Jeonil Resort, and Lee Tae-Han had finished at the Ilsung Hotel in Seoul, Korea. As Lee Tae-Han had stated, the defining moment for humanity, the “torrent,” was occurring in Korea and nowhere else. However, Carrie was eager to leave.

“This country is too restricted,” she answered.

He responded, “It’s because of the Jeonil Group. I can’t access them, but you can in many ways. I want to help you.”

“But it won’t help you in your career,” she said.

Carrie hit the mark. She was saying that even if he collaborated with her to make a scoop about Jeonil, he wouldn’t be able to publish it as an article. She was well aware about the ecosystem in Korea.

He insisted, “Jeonil Group is a mountain we have to overcome one day in Korea. Opportunities won't come back unless the country gets trapped in an emergency situation like this.”

He paused and continued, “Who knows? The current government might follow in the same footsteps of the old regime because of them. What if the Jeonil Group’s secrets are revealed during the process? You know the impeachment situation last year, right?”

Carrie asked, “Is your purpose to investigate the corruption of the Jeonil Group? That is a totally different direction from ours.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s a little different. I want to know exactly who they are. It is no longer a presumption that they have close ties to the World Awakened Association.”

“I can tell you something about that. You know the Bilderberg Club, right? You would.”

“Of course.”

Carrie stated, “Jeonil Group’s female president is one of them. This has been confirmed several times, and it is expected.”

Soo-Won responded, “Yes, I knew that. But the Bilderberg Club was…”

She interrupted him, “Do you really think that the world's political leaders and big movers and shakers in the financial industry meet up to drink wine and dance in the ballroom? Like the way they describe the club? Don’t tell me that you believe in that.”

Carrie paused and then continued with a bitter smile, “It is the most secret organization among the countless groups. It’s not a big deal why the public doesn’t know much about them. It’s because the power of club members is so immense that no one even dares to reveal their identities. It must be the image that you feel toward the Jeonil Group as a citizen.”

Lee Soo-Won listened carefully to Carrie, who had a broader perspective than himself.

Carrie continued, “The Bilderberg Club has a long history, and the wars of modern and contemporary history had all come from them. It’s up to them to decide when to start the war, how long it will last, and when to end it. This war against alien civilization was no exception. They marked the beginning, and it ended in their hands as they predicted.”

“That is true…” Lee Soo-Won pursed his lips.

“Going through the Jeonil Group is one of several ways to approach the Bilderberg Club. And they don’t look at those who approach them with folded arms. There were incidents that I can’t bear to talk about here. The people who tried to get close to the Bilderberg Club had gone missing. In addition to controlling the media, they have no qualms about using physical force on others.”

This kind of secrecy was common. He didn’t need to consider global events like the OECD General Assembly, G8 meeting, WTO meeting, or World Central Bank General Assembly to think about this issue.

The evidence was clear in daily life. The executives of his apartment building also colluded and acted based on their own interests, determining building prices and the construction of expensive sports facilities on empty lots through their private agreements.

Theft is never good, try looking at .com.

Despite this, Lee Soo-Won found it hard to accept that the same forces of control and power existed at a global level. He knew the reality, but it felt like a situation that was happening in a different dimension.

“Mr. Lee, the World Awakened Association is bound to have a tight connection with the Jeonil Group. However, do you think we are withdrawing back to our country because we don’t know about that?” Carrie asked.

She then stated, “You’d better listen to this carefully. If you are willing to continue, then you should be prepared to risk your life along with many of your friends. However, more urgent matters are happening quickly to be stuck in this issue. You should stop blinding yourself. There is a log of cases we should pay attention to, Mr. Lee.”

Buzz. Buzzzz-

Even then, Lee Soo-Won’s phone was vibrating. As he was acquainted with many people while working as a reporter, there were so many funerals to attend. The amount of condolence money he had to give already exceeded his monthly salary. One of his nephews had also died.

He was still a kid.

Anyway, Lee Soo-Won was unable to stop Carrie from exiting the vehicle. The work related to the Jeonil Group posed a serious risk to one’s life, and it was clear that he would face isolation if he pursued the matter related to the mysterious Jeonil Club.

But…

He was already in front of the funeral hall, which was located near Gimpo International Airport. It was quite far from his home. He held a cigarette in his mouth as he looked up at the red light of the international flight, flying away in the night sky.

Some of those who had entered the Jeonil Resort must have been on that plane. According to records that were not yet deleted by the immigration office, there were significant numbers of people who entered Korea the day before the Day of Advent. After all, the families of Joshua von Karjan, Jonathan Hunter, and other important figures entered the resort. The Group had guaranteed their safety.

At first, Lee Soo-Won wondered why Jeonil had installed a huge barrier around the luxury resort, but he now realized that they had a valid reason to endure public criticism.

Jeonil Group… Everything was happening in our country.

Lee Soo-Won regretted not finding out sooner. When everyone’s attention was drawn to the relationship between the current regime and North America and nuclear issues in North Korea, he should have changed his perspective and tried to reveal the whole story of the great event.

The president of the World Awakened Association was Korean, and he was the chairman of the Ilsung Group. Among the few directors, there was one more Korean guy named Kwon Seong-Il. There were two Koreans in charge of the association, and they stood shoulder to shoulder with world-class superpowers such as Jonathan Hunter and Joshua von Karjan.

Lee Soo-Won walked back into the funeral hall. The funeral home was busy. The fact that three hundred thousand people had entered and only five hundred returned made the number of returnees meaningless.

It was difficult to book a burial service as almost three hundred thousand had died overnight. Only those with money and connection succeeded in reserving a spot.

Lots of wreaths filled the first floor. In the meantime, Lee Soo-Won was drawn to the direction where mourners were looking at. People made more fuss about the wreath than the garlands that the high-ranking government officials had sent.

「 Rest in peace. Director of the World Awakened Association, Kwon Seong-Il. 」

Huh?!

The title ‘Caliber’ disgraced his identity, but Kwon Seong-Il was indeed the most notable name in the world right now. Kwon Seong-Il!

However, the wreath had been delivered to his nephew. The deceased’s name was Kang Ja-Seong, and the chief mourner was Soo-Won’s maternal uncle.

This is it!

It didn’t appear that other reporters had figured this out yet. If so, then they would have swarmed around here. It meant that he shouldn’t have been busy chasing the other Awakened whom he couldn’t even talk to.

Lee Soo-Won lit incense and said after bowing back to the chief mourner, “This is so heartbreaking.”

***

Seong-Il phoned me.

Compared to what would happen in the future, Seong-Il’s problem was just a minnow in the ocean. In fact, I didn’t give freedom just to Seong-Il. Some Awakened were still staying at the Gwacheon Hotel like Yeon-Hee and me, but many had already left.

I only asked them to stay quiet without causing any trouble until the association was completed. The urgent issue wasn’t derived from Awakened who left to seek a new life in Korea. They were just inevitable measles at the junction of old and new eras. The real problem was still in the talk on the television.

“While the World Awakened Association urges Awakened around the world to wait ‘calmly’ until the registration date of the Awakened, they expressed deep regret and warning to countries who attempt to control their Awakened, including China.”

The announcer continued, “Also, the global financial group, Jonathan Investment Finance Group, has spent a massive one trillion dollars on the World Awakened Association. The funds were intended for the benefit of Awakened individuals who played a role in saving humanity and the families of those who lost loved ones. The Awakened will soon be able to receive debit cards with two hundred thousand dollars worth of funds through SOBs4 and partner bank branches around the world at any time. Ten thousand dollars worth of consolation money will be given to the forty-five million victims’ families.”

Yeon-Hee asked as she indulged in some ice cream, “What are you going to do with China?”

When I opened my mouth, the sweetness from Yeon-Hee’s spoon filled my mouth. She gazed at me affectionately as I rested on her lap.

My goal was to bring China under control and ensure their cooperation with the club’s future endeavors. This would demonstrate that their belief in the club’s limited influence was misguided. I had to show them that our true power lay not in physical might.

“In the 1990s, the United States killed Iraq.”

I opened my mouth to eat more of the ice cream that was going into my mouth and added, “We will impose the highest level of economic sanctions on China.”

1. A building in the Blue House, where press conferences are usually held. ☜

2. A political movement that seeks to overthrow capitalism and establish a socialist society. It advocates for the working class to rise up against the ruling class and take control of the means of production. It is also known as the Communist Revolution. ☜

3. The decade the reporter is referring to was characterized by authoritarian military rule under the regime of President Park Chung-Hee. The government implemented controversial policies, including censorship, media control, and human rights abuses during this time. Of course, various political and social groups opposed them, leading to protests, demonstrations, and unrest throughout the decade. The government caught everyone who disagreed with them and ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to torture them. Many of them died during the torture, and some of them were innocent college students who weren’t involved in the protests. ☜

4. Sun of Bank. ☜