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Chapter 16
A week before the Formal Assembly.
The day after a palace attendant from the Department of the Royal Palace handed me a letter.
I followed the coordinates written in the letter and arrived at the meeting point they had provided.
What awaited me there was an old-style military radio transmitter.
The kind you’d expect from the early 2000s, outdated and clunky.
—“Kim Chang-woon. That’s you, right?”
“And you are?”
—“Imetal. That’s all you need to know.”
My real name, their codename.
A truly equitable introduction, isn’t it?
“Why shouldn’t I hand this radio straight over to the Royal Inquisition Bureau?”
—“Because there’s a sniper aiming at your head. Is that a good enough reason?”
Oh, well then. Yes, sir.
I nodded slightly as I looked toward the shadow perched on the rooftop of the building opposite.
—“I saw the ambush that happened recently. You couldn’t do a thing even when your own brother threatened your life. Must’ve felt pretty pathetic, huh?”
“Please. If I got caught, my entire family line would’ve been executed by slow torture. You guys aren’t the only ones with something to lose.”
—“Optimistic outlook. I like that. Maybe I sized you up right after all.”
Not many people keep their mouths running when they’ve got a gun pointed at their head.
Muttering to himself, Imetal continued.
—“There’s a plan. One necessary to bring down the noble families and secure the future of Joseon. And we need your help to pull it off.”
And just like that, Imetal laid out the broad strokes of the operation.
Talk of “saving Joseon,” of “corrupt noble clans”...
If you stripped away the decorative language and summed it up simply—
“So you’re saying the daughter of Commander of Iron Tiger Corps attending the ceremony is of royal blood, and Hahoe needs to secure her. That’s why I should contact Yu Sang-hyeon beforehand, inform him of the plan, and have your agents infiltrate the venue to create chaos from the inside?”
—“Exactly. It’s something that must be done for the future of Joseon.”
The idea was that while Hahoe members caused a distraction through a terrorist attack, they’d extract Yu Sang-hyeon and Yu Arin in the chaos.
But after hearing the plan, I gave a clear answer.
“Nope. Not doing it.”
—“…What?”
Imetal sounded momentarily dumbfounded.
—“Why not?”
“The plan sucks. All the noble families attending are Awakened with abilities, and there’ll be dozens of Royal Guards stationed for security. Your guys will just get slaughtered if they try anything.”
—“Some sacrifice is inevitable. That’s how important this mission is.”
“Sure, for you. But I’d rather not die. I plan to live long.”
Imetal’s tone grew noticeably sour.
—“Didn’t you say you weren’t loyal to the noble houses?”
“True. But that doesn’t mean I’m some justice-obsessed hero willing to throw my life away in the name of righteousness, like you people.”
—“What a sellout.”
“Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Seeing that I wasn’t caving easily, Imetal went quiet.
He’s probably thinking I’m more cunning than expected.
A mere fifteen-year-old brat chatting unfazed with someone as dangerous as him, even managing to shake the balance of the conversation.
‘Well, it’s something I did countless times in my previous life.’
As a bootlicker for a noble family, I fulfilled every foul and depraved request of those in power.
To meet those demands, I had to get involved with even filthier people.
I dealt with individuals the nobles didn’t want to touch, dangerous criminals they loathed, the scum they wouldn’t even acknowledge. I worked deals among those they’d spit on.
Compared to that, this little psychological game? Child’s play.
‘But brushing them off like this isn’t the smartest move either.’
I searched my memories from my past life.
Given the current situation, these guys were desperate to find someone who could help them get inside the Formal Assembly.
So they wouldn’t cut communication just yet.
No, they were likely scrambling for another way to win me over.
‘Since I rejected once, let’s see what kind of bait they offer now.’
With that thought, I spoke in a casual tone.
“Honestly, does it really matter that much to you guys?”
—“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about this royal blood you’re so obsessed with. If she’s really legit, then we’re talking about something unprecedented in Joseon’s history. Doesn’t seem like the type to just die so easily.”
It was a fishing question.
But Imetal answered without hesitation.
—“The power of the king that’s just awakened is unstable and full of openings. With the right experts, it wouldn’t be that hard to kill.”
“Oho.”
—“Besides, we’re not just trying to save the royal bloodline.”
Crack.
I crushed the candy in my mouth as I asked,
“Not just the girl? Then who else?”
—“Her adoptive father, Yu Sang-hyeon. He’s a secondary objective, but still essential.”
“Why?”
—“He’s Commander of Iron Tiger Corps, a frontline division stationed in Manchuria to contain the monstrous beasts rampaging there. Though they’re scorned as a penal battalion out on the border, they’re actually the backbone of Joseon’s defense. If their central figure, Yu Sang-hyun, were to suddenly die, the entire frontier could collapse.”
“Wow, look at the terrorist getting all patriotic.”
—“Of course.”
Imetal nodded once, firm.
—“We want to reform Joseon. We’re not trying to destroy it.”
“……Right. Sure you’re not.”
Well, it made sense, especially if you knew what the Hahoe organization originally was.
—“That’s all the information I can give you. Now, I need an answer.”
Like he’d said all he needed to say, Imetal went quiet.
I swallowed the candy dust in my mouth and asked,
“One question. What if I still say no?”
—“Then like I said earlier, the sniper puts a hole in your head. We can’t afford to let this plan leak.”
“That won’t work anymore.”
—“What?”
I’d bought enough time. Now it was my turn.
I spoke into the radio, cheerfully.
“That sniper? He’s currently having a nice chat with my bodyguard.”
—“…!”
His sharp inhale echoed from the other end, he was shaken.
I waved at the rooftop across the way.
“No way—how the hell did you—?!”
“Shut your mouth and wave your hand. Try anything stupid, and you die.”
A curved sword was pressed against the sniper’s neck—drawn by Moo-yeong, who had been lying in wait.
[“Be gentle, Mu-yeong. They’re not enemies yet.”]
[“Understood, Young Master.”]
After a brief exchange of messages, I turned my attention back to the radio.
Now I held the reins of this negotiation.
“Guess I really could send you guys to the Royal Inquisition Bureau now, couldn’t I?”
—“……”
“So tell me. If I don’t join you, what are you going to do? Cancel the mission?”
There was no longer any composure in his voice. He knew the tides had turned.
—“We’ll proceed with the plan… one way or another.”
“‘One way or another,’ huh.”
I echoed his words like a sigh.
Right.
Just like he said, even without me, Hahoe would somehow manage to pull off the operation to extract Yu Arin, the royal heir, from the nobles’ clutches.
But what they achieved was only a half-success.
No, less than that.
‘They couldn’t save the secondary target, Yu Sang-hyun, and even lost key members of their organization.’
In my past life, while serving as a hound for the noble families, I had access to Royal Inquisition Bureau’s video archives.
I saw Yu Sang-hyeon fall while protecting his daughter from the Royal Guards.
I saw Yu Arin collapse, drenched in her father’s blood.
And I saw the Hahoe operatives sacrificing their lives to help her escape.
Now that I think of it… that really was a tearjerking tragedy.
And as a result of that ambush, the very first Hahoe member the noble clans captured…
Was none other than Imetal—Gwak Jae-hyun himself.
‘But not this time.’
Having faced them directly, I knew.
The network of informants that reached even the heart of the palace. The precision of their intelligence operations.
These people… Hahoe was far too valuable a group to be thrown away in some reckless raid.
“You’re saying you’d risk the destruction of your entire organization just to protect the royal bloodline, is that it?”
—“That’s what it amounts to.”
I asked without showing any emotion, and Imetal replied instantly from the other end of the radio.
But upon hearing that, a bitter smirk twisted across my lips.
“Idiots.”
—“…What did you say?”
“That’s why people call you terrorists and treat you like rats in the gutter.”
At that venomous curse slipping from between my lips, Imetal’s tone shifted.
For the first time, I could almost see the expression on his face through the radio.
—“So now that you’ve got the upper hand, you’re planning to toy with us?”
“Toy with you? Honestly, your so-called operation sounds more like a joke to me.”
I mocked him in a deliberately exaggerated tone.
“‘We must save the royal bloodline, so let’s toss aside all the advantages of being an intelligence network and ram ourselves straight into the noble clan’s stronghold. Sure, all our undercover agents might get exposed and annihilated whether we succeed or fail, but who cares—it’s a noble cause!’”
—“What the hell are you…”
“And if the mission fails and one of you gets captured and dragged before the royal court, the whole organization could be compromised—but no worries, right? It’s the royal blood, after all! Let’s all hold hands, climb the wall, and joyfully commit suicide together!”
Tut-tut.
A burst of static crackled through the radio.
He must’ve unintentionally squeezed the transmitter too hard.
“This is what you’re calling a plan?”
I lowered my voice.
“Laying down your life out of loyalty, sacrificing for the nation, the courage to stand against injustice. Fine. I’ll give you that. You’re noble, I’ll admit it.”
But see…
I cut off Imetal’s attempt to argue and kept talking.
“If you’re going to play the hero, at least do it smart. Ditch the pointless martyr complex. Find a way where everyone lives.”
—“…What are you trying to say?”
“What do you think?”
Imagining the intrigued expression now surely forming on Imetal’s face, the grin tugging at my lips deepened.
“I’m not joining your plan.”
—“…!”
“I’m telling you to join mine.”
* * *
—“A stand-in… you’re saying you’re preparing one?”
“That’s right.”
Imetal asked again, his voice full of disbelief after hearing my plan.
“The day before the Formal Assembly, there’ll be the Reception Ritual. That’s when I’ll make contact with Yu Arin and collect her biometric data. Saliva, hair, blood—stuff like that.”
—“……”
“And using that biometric data, I’ll create a substitute—a replica of Yu Arin, the target of the operation.”
What I was suggesting now… was to make a clone?
A clone—meaning a human replica.
Imetal’s reaction was hesitant, clearly disturbed by the word.
But creating a clone…
“It’s a technique flagged under Level 1 Censorship regulations. And even the ones that exist are defective—they die within a month due to erratic cell division rates.”
Among the general public, the tech was nothing more than a novelty toy. But for this operation? That much was more than enough.
All I needed was a biological doll that could pass as Yu Arin.
Bone marrow, teeth, blood, hair… As long as it was vaguely shaped like a human with those attached, it would do the job.
“I’ve already got the equipment set up on my end. Ran a test with my own data—within a couple hours, it spits out something pretty convincing.”
—“…In that case, what do you need us to do?”
“You need to buy me time. Time to secure Yu Arin and swap her out with the stand-in I’ll prepare.”
Hahoe—the most infamous insurgent group in Joseon.
They didn’t have numbers, but what they lacked in size, they made up for in elite training.
Even against Joseon’s strongest military force, the Royal Guards, they could hold out for a while.
That meant if they joined the operation, our chances of success would rise dramatically.
‘Moo-yeong keeps insisting he can handle it alone… but I’m still not confident putting him up against the Royal Guards just yet.’
“While you’re keeping the Royal Guards occupied, we’ll perform the swap at the rendezvous point—replacing the real Yu Arin with the doll. Then we load the stand-in into a vehicle and blow it up to fake her death.”
—“If that works…”
“Then your organization. And the spy network you’ve built inside the noble clans—can remain completely intact while still successfully extracting Yu Arin.”
—“……”
“So? Isn’t that a far better plan?”
Maybe the offer was too sweet, he was starting to sound suspicious.
Imetal questioned me again from the other side of the radio.
—“And why should we accept your plan?”
“If you don’t trust me, go ahead and follow through with yours. Die holding hands, all of you. What do I care?”
That part, at least, was sincere.
If they couldn’t even make this level of judgment, they weren’t worth using in the first place.
“I know you say it’s for Joseon, but you don’t really want to sacrifice your own people, do you?”
—“…!”
I added that deliberately to provoke him, and Imetal fell into silence, as if sinking into deep thought.
But only for a moment.
—“Just one more question.”
“Sure, go ahead, dear guest.”
—“What about Yu Sang-hyeon? What happens with the secondary target?”
The weighing of options seemed to be over, Imetal now wanted to know the next steps.
‘Got him.’
So he took the bait, the promise that he wouldn’t need to sacrifice his comrades.
Yes. This really was the same Imetal I knew.
‘And with Hahoe backing me, my movements become even freer.’
I could now aim not just for the original target Yu Arin, but even Yu Sang-hyeon himself.
Having come to that conclusion, I replied in a light tone.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
By securing Yu Arin, I had already earned my place as a key figure in this revolution.
“I’ll handle that part myself.”
There’s no way I’d let a heavyweight like Yu Sang-hyeon just die.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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