Chapter Title: Off to Incheon
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'NIS?? Why the hell is the NIS here. And what's with those stats??'
"Y-Young Master?"
"No. Keep going. Continue."
"Ah. Yes."
Why the hell was a woman like that even a candidate for my secretary?
Things just got complicated.
If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have cared, but now I knew there was an NIS spy in the secretary pool.
And she was a candidate for my personal secretary, no less.
What if I picked her as my chief secretary right here?
I'd be keeping an NIS spy right by my side.
'Hmm... What to do?'
If I didn't pick anyone, a spy would infiltrate the group.
If I did pick someone, I'd have a spy right next to me.
Honestly, with the family ties severed, I didn't really give a damn if a spy slipped into the group. But it still felt off.
"I'm Seo Eun-mi, Young Master."
"Seo Eun-mi?"
"Yes."
The woman had lied about her name.
And her age, too.
Her entire resume and career history were probably fake as well.
'This one's out.'
I didn't think the NIS would bother with a total screw-up like Go Mu-yeol, but there was no need to take on unnecessary risks.
That said, I didn't want some burly guy as my secretary either.
If I was going to live it up as a wastrel, I needed a hot babe as my secretary.
'The stats are a shame to lose, though.'
"You're all terrible."
"..."
As I stood up, everyone adopted more demure postures.
"I'll find someone myself."
"...We're sorry."
Manager Han bowed deeply, and the other candidates lowered their heads.
They were probably cursing me out inside. In terms of specs, Go Mu-yeol didn't even come close to their toenails.
"I'm heading to Incheon, so get a car ready."
"...You're really going to hire someone yourself?"
"Yeah. Myself."
"Understood."
Manager Han withdrew, and I spent some time sightseeing Pyongyang before getting the call that the car was ready. Then I headed down.
"Young Master."
Manager Han was waiting in front of the car.
"Why are you standing around waiting? Didn't you get reassigned? You must be busy—head in."
"Incheon is dangerous. You can't go alone. I've notified contacts there, so travel with escorts."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Yes. I'll take my leave then. Stay safe."
Manager Han gave a polite bow and walked off into the distance. The car door opened.
With the setting in 2076, cars in this era all had perfect autonomous driving.
But chaebols didn't use it because it felt uncool.
They usually had drivers or secretaries do the driving.
Since I had neither right now, I activated autonomous mode.
It was the first time since buying the car, from what I remembered.
"To Incheon."
.
.
It took about four hours from Pyongyang to Incheon.
The holographic billboards visible from afar and the dizzying forest of dingy skyscrapers made me think, 'Ah, so this is the famous Incheon.'
"...Infernal Incheon."
It was just a meme in the possession novel world, but not here.
It really was a demonic realm, hence the name Infernal Incheon.
The most populous city in all of Korea, and the one with the highest crime rate—a fully isolated advanced city.
Why isolated? Because it was the only city on the peninsula where North Koreans and Chinese could live.
After World War III, Korea had seized vast lands and populations. To minimize chaos, it divided citizens into three categories.
Koreans
North Koreans
Chinese
It sounded absurd from a pre-war perspective, but postwar, mega-corporations centered around Goryeo Group had seized power. So they rolled out blatantly discriminatory policies without batting an eye.
All for profit.
These three citizen types had tiered legal rights.
Koreans could travel and live freely across the entire country and had voting rights.
North Koreans could only move between Manchuria, Liaodong, Shandong, the northern peninsula, and Incheon. Voting rights were granted only after completing mandatory Korean education and reaching age 40.
Chinese were restricted to the same regions plus Incheon, with voting rights only in Central Plains local elections and Incheon-related ones.
Even then, they needed decades of residency, and in Incheon, it started from the next generation. Effectively, Chinese were treated as second-class citizens.
Anyway, the Korean Peninsula was the most economically prosperous place in Korea—no, Asia.
To make money, you had to come here. North Koreans and Chinese alike flocked to permitted Incheon.
As a result, Incheon boasted 30 million people—not just the old and new downtowns, but 14 new cities, plus full redevelopment of Ganghwa Island. More than Seoul and Gyeonggi combined.
Beep beep.
Lost in thought while gazing at Incheon's skyline, I suddenly found police motorcycles swarming my car with sirens blaring. Holographic Taegukgi flags fluttered on either side of the bike noses.
"What the?"
The car AI responded to my question.
- Incheon Autonomous Police Bureau requests to share your destination for escort purposes. Approve?
"Ah. Must be what Manager Han mentioned."
As I recalled his words, a call connected almost forcibly.
- Oh, Young Master! Hello! This is Jang Kyung-su, Commissioner of the Incheon Autonomous Police Bureau. Haha, it might be a bit inconvenient, but my officers will escort you safely. I hate to say it myself, but Incheon's a rough place. Haha. Being a coastal city, you know, traditionally speaking? We've got some tough folks. So—,
"..."
A chatty older guy chimed in.
'Police Commissioner?'
The Incheon Autonomous Police Bureau handled all security in Incheon under the 'Future Incheon Security Headquarters.'
They called it police, but it was basically a military force. And now its commander was calling me directly.
'A commissioner wouldn't normally talk to a punk like Go Mu-yeol...'
Position-wise, he outranked Go Mu-yeol by miles, but the intimidation of 'Goryeo Group' must've made him reach out.
Manager Han had mentioned it too, and it didn't seem bad, so I shared the destination.
Not that there was much to it—just the Incheon branch of Goryeo Hotel.
Jang Kyung-su yammered on before signing off.
'Come to think of it, this guy gets offed pretty early in the story, right?'
Executed under some anti-corruption pretext. The protagonist uncovered his secret drug factory, it all blew up, and he was made an example of.
Note: 'Execution' here didn't mean a court death sentence.
It meant getting whacked by someone way up the chain. Tail-cutting, basically.
'No need to worry about him.'
+++
I unpacked in my room, lay on the bed for a bit, then headed to the lobby.
I never wanted to touch drugs again, so my top priority was removing the 'Drug Addiction' trait.
For that, I needed to take the drug item 'Ninelord,' only available in Incheon, the hub of the global black market.
It was hidden so discreetly that normals couldn't even glimpse it.
But I knew where to get it.
For free, even.
"Ah, there you are."
I stepped into the hotel lobby. The cops who'd escorted me—who'd been sipping coffee in the lobby chairs—rushed over.
Four of them total. One woman: long wavy blonde hair, haughty eyes—a stunning beauty.
She handed me her business card.
Inspector Im Soo-ah, 3rd Public Service Support Team Leader, Songdo Innovation Future City Police Station.
A big shot in her district, yet she'd personally come out near Bucheon to start my escort.
Either she had nothing better to do, or she took my protection seriously.
Considering the direct line from the Police Commissioner, this was probably par for the course.
"We'll be protecting you for the time being."
"You personally?"
I scanned her.
She had an outstanding figure for a woman, especially her large breasts.
A body perfect to look at and even better to hold—but a hindrance in intense combat.
Unless she'd loaded up on cyberware, which she didn't seem to have.
Reading the skepticism in my eyes, she flashed a friendly grin.
First impression: aloof ice queen. But her bright smile gave a slightly loose vibe.
She formed a circle with her thumb and index finger below her ample chest.
"We're on the take. No need to worry."
"..."
Stunned, I stared for a second before shoving the card in my pocket.
Even if it was an open secret, I didn't expect her to say it outright.
"Alright then, let's go."