Chapter 109: Coup (2) |
The news kept rolling in about the North Korean climber on Floor 5.
A North Korean climber who wanted to defect to our country had fled to Floor 5, and North Korea was demanding that the Security Corps hand him over.
That the mood between the Security Corps and the Black Star Society was growing tense; that our government was in negotiations with the North Korean side…
It was an unusual incident, and one I couldn’t help paying attention to.
Only part of the story was making it onto the news, but I was able to get a much clearer picture of the situation.
[Chicken Sandwich: They say he’s a Hard difficulty Floor 14 climber named Kang Tae-seong.]
That was thanks to Bilon.
Maybe because it was a Korean matter?
I hadn’t even asked, but Bilon’s people were filling me in on everything.
The finer details will take more digging, but apparently U.S. intelligence has judged Kang Tae-seong’s statements to be credible.]
Whether they had a Security Corps member feeding them information directly, or whether they were getting it shared from the Climbing Bureau.
Bilon relayed every development to me in real time, down to the smallest detail.
[Chicken Sandwich: The North Korean side doesn’t seem to have any will to negotiate.]
[Person123: That puts the Security Corps in a tough spot too.]
[Chicken Sandwich: It does. Apparently complaints are starting to surface internally too. For now Alex, the Security Corps chief, is keeping them in check, but still.]
[Person123: What happens if the negotiations fall through entirely?]
[Chicken Sandwich: With no other options, the Security Corps will end up washing their hands of it. And Kang Tae-seong understands his own situation, so they say he’s signaling he intends to survive on Floor 5 without leaving the Tower.]
In reality, North Korea apparently knew where Kang Tae-seong would emerge and was preparing for it.
The odds of dying the moment he stepped out were extremely high, so staying on Floor 5 really was his only choice.
I felt a little sorry for him.
From what I’d heard, this man Kang Tae-seong had launched the coup because he wanted to make North Korea a place worth living in.
Of course, there was no way to know whether that was true or not.
“Hmm…”
A single word couldn’t hurt, could it?
It wasn’t as if there was no way for me to help.
But just standing by and watching pricked at my conscience too.
Our government was supposedly still in ongoing talks with the North.
A single post from me on the Communication Channel might be a huge boost to the negotiations.
The thing I worried about, though, was whether it would needlessly provoke the North Korean side…
It was a sensitive matter, and acting on my own felt risky.
After mulling it over, I decided to ask our government for its opinion first.
[Person123: Could you tell me how things currently stand?]
I sent a Whisper to Section Chief Shin Su-jin.
*
“…There’s nothing to be done. I know I asked for the impossible from the very start.”
“That isn’t true.”
Shin Su-jin shook her head at Kang Tae-seong’s words.
For days now there had been no progress whatsoever.
Kang Tae-seong was still living inside the Security Corps building.
“I already owe the Security Corps a great deal. I can’t keep being so shameless about it, so from here on, I’ll manage on my own.”
“And what do you intend to do?”
“I’ll just have to keep living on Floor 5. If I hold out here for a thousand years, surely even those people will tire of it eventually.”
If things went on like this, the Security Corps and the Korean government would both end up letting go.
And if North Korea had no intention of yielding, that was the only path left.
But Floor 5 wasn’t exactly safe either.
The North Korean climbers would be after Kang Tae-seong, and the Black Star Society might lend a hand too, and the Security Corps couldn’t stay glued to his side guarding him forever.
Of course, Kang Tae-seong was a powerhouse at level 52.
Bluntly put, it wasn’t even impossible for him to leave Zone 0 and survive hiding out in the monsters’ territory.
Still, however it played out, the life ahead of him would be a grueling one.
Shin Su-jin’s heart ached for him too.
She came out of the Tower, finished her report, and checked the Communication Channel.
But then…
“…!”
She froze in shock.
There was a Whisper waiting from Person123.
[Person123: Could you tell me how things currently stand?]
…So he’d been keeping an eye on this too, after all?
Shin Su-jin gladly filled him in on the situation.
That the negotiations with North Korea were still stalled, and what the stances of the Security Corps and the government were.
Having heard the whole explanation, Person123 spoke.
[Person123: Would it be alright if I helped?]
Shin Su-jin let out a small sigh.
Given his character, his stepping forward was no surprise at all.
Out of consideration for their side, Person123 asked her to check with the government for its intentions.
[Lotus: Understood. I’ll relay it immediately.]
Shin Su-jin went straight back to the Tower Climbing Special Agency Director.
“…Person123?”
The Director’s eyes went wide with shock as he asked again.
“You’re telling me he contacted you directly, Section Chief Shin?”
“Yes. He’s aware that I belong to the Korean Tower Climbing Special Agency.”
Shin Su-jin had denied having any connection to Person123, but there was nothing especially strange about him reaching out to her.
Having heard the account, the Director nodded with a hardened expression.
So in the end Person123 was stepping in. The whole game was about to grow far larger.
The Director immediately conveyed Person123’s intentions to the government.
The government went into full crisis mode.
The President, briefed directly, convened an emergency meeting with his advisors.
This was the first time Person123 had ever requested communication with the government of the Republic of Korea like this.
Whether out of respect for the government given the national stakes, he was asking for its wishes on whether or not he should step in to help.
“…What should we do?”
It was a matter the government had to weigh carefully too.
In truth, the government had been hardening toward the position of dragging things out and slowly extricating itself.
The only reason they hadn’t already let go was their international standing; they had no reason to shield Kang Tae-seong to the point of shouldering an unreasonable burden.
But if Person123 stepped in now, pulling out would become difficult, and there was the risk of provoking the North. That was the problem.
And yet…
“The fact that Person123 has come forward like this practically means he wants Kang Tae-seong rescued, doesn’t it?”
Considering Person123’s character, it was perhaps only natural.
To the government, this also came across as pressure from Person123.
He’d gone to the trouble of conveying his intentions, and if they sent back an answer saying they planned to abandon Kang Tae-seong, so there was no need for him to step in…?
Wouldn’t Person123 be deeply disappointed in the Korean government?
On the other hand, this was also an opportunity.
The whole world already knew Person123 was Korean, but he had never once taken a stance siding with the Korean government.
But if Person123 stepped forward on this matter?
That alone would give the government enormous diplomatic ground to stand on.
It would have to be seen, but North Korea would most likely lean toward accepting the negotiations as well…
Unless they meant to make an enemy of the entire world, surely they wouldn’t go so far as to brandish nukes and make threats?
The result of their deliberation.
The government decided to ask Person123 for help.
And so, once the government’s wishes had been conveyed.
A post from Person123 went up on the Communication Channel.
[Person123: I would like Mr. Kang Tae-seong handed over into the custody of the Republic of Korea. I hope for smooth negotiations between both sides.]
The eyes of the world turned to it.
[Sulfur: Person123 finally stepping in, holy crap]
[Maximus: He’s Korean, so of course he gets involved?]
[Fenrir: A man’s life is on the line. He’d have stepped in even if it were another country’s business]
[Rule: North Korea, quit being so stubborn already~]
[Golden Bell: Whatever it takes, just resolve it fast. You really gonna make Person123 waste his energy on this?]
Naturally, public opinion was entirely on Person123’s side.
The governments of various nations, who had been watching and gauging whether Person123 might step in, immediately took Korea’s side and issued official statements.
“We can no longer take your side either. Negotiate.”
The Black Star Society also flipped its posture the instant Person123 made his position clear.
With everyone dropping the pretense and coming out into the open like that, the North Korean spokesperson was left dumbfounded.
Under the all-out pressure that began pouring in from every direction off a single word from Person123, North Korea had no choice but to come to the table.
*
In the end, after negotiations, North Korea decided to hand Kang Tae-seong over.
There had been an economic condition attached, but it fell well within a range our country could accept.
It was settled that the North Korean side would personally escort Kang Tae-seong and move him to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom.
It seemed to be working out, thankfully, but…
Since I’d already gotten myself involved, I decided to see it through to a clean finish.
If North Korea broke its promise, things were liable to descend into chaos again in all sorts of ways.
[Person123: Bilon, could I get more detailed location information on Kang Tae-seong?]
I got Kang Tae-seong’s exact location from Bilon.
I would warp to that spot to match the time he was set to emerge from Floor 5.
*
“Thank you. I am truly in your debt.”
Kang Tae-seong expressed his gratitude to Shin Su-jin and the rest of the Security Corps members.
He’d resigned himself to thinking he’d have no choice but to live out his days on Floor 5.
He’d never imagined Person123 would step in and things would unfold like this.
Kang Tae-seong moved with the Security Corps members to the portal in Zone 0.
The North Korean side had agreed to hand Kang Tae-seong over, but they had refused the condition of withdrawing the military equipment positioned outside.
Their reasoning was that Kang Tae-seong might harbor other intentions and go on a rampage, so they couldn’t very well receive him with no precautions in place.
The possibility that North Korea would break its word wasn’t zero.
So if it came to that, Kang Tae-seong would die without a chance to fight back, but…
That much was a choice he had to make and a consequence he had to bear himself.
The Security Corps and the Korean government had done everything they could.
“I hope we can meet again in reality, Kang Tae-seong.”
After a final handshake with Shin Su-jin, and farewells exchanged with the Security Corps members.
[Will you exit the Tower?]
Kang Tae-seong stepped out into the world beyond.
The instant his view changed.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
A bullet ricocheted off Kang Tae-seong’s body.
Without so much as reacting, Kang Tae-seong silently glared at Park Gwang-jin, standing before him.
Park Gwang-jin smiled and tossed the pistol in his hand to the ground.
“Relax. It was a joke.”
“…A joke?”
The outskirts of central Pyongyang.
Tanks and missile launchers and drones and other military equipment surrounding the area, and the climbers.
Firing a gun could hardly be called anything but a joke.
A mere bullet couldn’t so much as scratch the skin of a level-50 climber. And yet…
“Let me ask you one thing.”
Kang Tae-seong asked.
“Why did you betray me? The dream we dreamed together, of setting this rotten country right, what the hell was all of that?”
The two of them had been friends since childhood.
As luck would have it, both had become climbers, and they had bided their time, sharing the same cause: that one day they would tear this country down.
It had been a revolution they’d pulled off just so… and Park Gwang-jin had betrayed him at the final moment.
“You’re more than old enough to know better, and you’re still living in a dream.”
Park Gwang-jin clicked his tongue as if in pity.
“Take a look at reality. The strong ruling over the weak, that’s just how this world works.”
“…”
“Tear it down, my ass… Why would I destroy this paradise with my own two hands? Watching that man Ri Hyeok-cheol up close, I only ever had one thought. That I was next.”
Kang Tae-seong let out a hollow laugh.
“I was a real idiot for trusting a bastard like you. Let’s begin.”
Park Gwang-jin spoke breezily.
“Begin? Sure. Let’s hurry and see you off to Panmunjom.”
Kang Tae-seong glared at him.
“Cut the crap. You’ve got no intention of letting me go, do you?”
Firing the gun.
It was to slap a Combat Status on him so he couldn’t flee back to Floor 5.
“You caught on?”
The corner of Park Gwang-jin’s mouth curled. As if he had no intention of hiding it.
“Can’t be helped, Tae-seong. I know you too well; I couldn’t sleep for the unease of it. As long as you’re alive, you’ll come for my life someday. Right?”
“You know me well.”
Park Gwang-jin chuckled.
“It was actually a stroke of luck that bastard Person123 stuck his nose in and made a fuss. If I’d just said I’d let you go easy, you wouldn’t have trusted it and crawled out of Floor 5, would you?”
Breaking the promise and killing Kang Tae-seong here would be an enormous burden to bear internationally, even for a North Korea already taking every sanction in the book.
But Park Gwang-jin regarded Kang Tae-seong’s existence as a threat beyond all of that.
It was right to take the hit and dispose of Kang Tae-seong for certain.
“There won’t be a second time I let you slip away. Let’s end it here.”
Killing intent poured off Park Gwang-jin and the rest of the climbers.
Kang Tae-seong accepted his death and braced for one final battle.
And in that moment.
Whoooosh-!
A massive wave of cold surged outward.
Park Gwang-jin and the North Korean climbers, the military equipment ringing the area, even the drones circling overhead.
All of it froze solid in an instant.
“…?!”
Kang Tae-seong, who had just been about to move, faltered, his face twisting in astonishment.
What… had just happened?
It was a sight he couldn’t comprehend even as he watched it.
Then, sensing a presence, Kang Tae-seong lifted his head, and his eyes flew wide.
Someone was looking down at him from the sky.
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