Chapter 19
“HQ, this is Agent 21. The target has descended to the mid-levels of Hanseong and entered Highway 33. Continuing pursuit.”
—Copy that, 21. Report immediately if anything unusual occurs.
The agent, who had been cloaked in optical camouflage, ended his brief transmission and slowly revealed himself.
His eyes were locked onto the vehicle carrying Yu Sang-hyeon, the Commander of Iron Tiger Corps and Provincial Military Governor of Hamgyeong.
He had flatly refused the luxury vehicle offered by the noble clan and instead opted for a common taxi, one used by the general public, to head toward Seoul Station, where the train to Hamgyeong Province awaited.
But it didn’t last long.
Zzzzt. Click.
“…Hm?”
Something was off with the taxi Yu Sang-hyeon had boarded.
The drone that had been tailing the taxi in real-time suddenly shut down. And at that exact moment, the car veered off course and began heading for the lower levels of Hanseong.
“Knew it. He had something else planned.”
He must’ve thought disabling the drone would be enough to escape. A grave miscalculation.
Agent 21 immediately opened communication with HQ again.
“This is Agent 21. The surveillance target has deviated from the expected route. I repeat, the target has—”
But once again, it didn’t last long.
The agent’s face twisted in frustration as he checked his comms device.
“HQ? What’s going on? The signal’s unstable. HQ?”
Just as he asked the question—
Thmp.
“Mmgh?!”
Someone abruptly clamped a hand over his mouth.
He whipped his head around and saw a mask.
Specifically, a Hahoe mask, adorned with traditional red makeup on the cheeks and forehead.
‘No way… Hahoe?! How did those bastards—?!’
“Shhh…”
A shrill, raspy voice tickled his ear.
‘How did they find my position?’
He had been using optical camouflage just moments ago. So how the hell—?!
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. If I did, the entire Royal Inquisition Bureau would tear this place apart looking for you.”
Hearing that, the agent’s mind kicked into overdrive.
“In that case… the moment you approached me, you already lost.”
If they were stopping him, that alone would serve as proof that Hahoe and Yu Sang-hyeon were connected.
But even as he said that, the Hahoe mask figure didn’t flinch.
“We know. That’s why…”
And the very next moment—
“Let’s pretend none of this ever happened. Your pursuit of Yu Sang-hyeon, meeting me—everything.”
“…What?”
At that exact moment, the masked figure jabbed a finger beneath the agent’s ear.
Crk—!
“Gah…! Urrgh…!”
A metallic needle was connected to the finger.
And it pierced directly into the nerve cluster that linked to the agent’s brainstem.
There was agonizing pain.
And with that pain, Agent 21’s vision turned to static.
“Wh—Who are you?! Are you under Yu Sang-hyeon’s orders?! If you dare go against the Royal Inquisition Bureau, you won’t—GAHH?!”
“Shut the hell up and open your mind. Just hearing voices from your damned Royal Inquisition Bureau makes me want to kill someone.”
A deadly whisper.
And in the next moment, he realized what this Hahoe mask was doing.
“Y-You can’t possibly mean…?!”
It felt as if what had just happened was melting into shadows and disappearing.
This person was altering his memory data.
“Ugh. Typical Royal Inquisition Bureau dog. Your head’s jammed with so many security modules, I can’t tell if you’re more man or machine.”
“Don’t—Stop, please… Please…!”
“Specs are top-notch, but the design’s outdated. Makes it easier to mess with.”
‘They can manipulate human memory data on the fly?’
Without a connection to a data center or any external interface?
Just with a human?
Impossible.
It would normally take a team of elite programmers to even attempt something like this, yet here it was, happening in seconds.
‘No. This isn’t the time to be shocked!’
At this rate, he would forget Yu Sang-hyeon’s location and even why he came here in the first place.
He couldn’t let them get away with this.
‘Just a little—just a little resistance. I have to remember… something…!’
Yes. He had to remember.
He had to… remember… remem…
…ber…
Memory…
…
Bzzt. Crackle.
—Agent 21? Your signal is still unstable. Please recalibrate your current frequency. I repeat, your signal—
“…Ahh.”
And in the next moment—
Agent 21 snapped back to awareness and responded to the voice coming through his comms device.
Spacing out during a stakeout mission of all things—unthinkable.
Had a superior been listening from HQ, he’d have been court-martialed on the spot.
“This is Agent 21. The vehicle carrying Yu Sang-hyeon has been successfully loaded onto the express train bound for Hamgyeong Province, as planned.”
—Any external contact?
“None confirmed. Yu Sang-hyeon returned to Hamgyeong alone.”
—Understood, Agent 21. The local agents will take over tracking from here. Surveillance mission terminated. Return to HQ.
Beep.
And with that, the mission was officially over.
As the transmission ended, the agent absentmindedly glanced over his shoulder.
“…?”
Nothing. Just a row of buildings lined up in a desolate stretch of space.
Agent 21 squinted slightly, tilting his head.
“I could’ve sworn… someone was just standing behind me…”
A fog-like sensation clouded his mind.
No matter how hard he tried to recall, nothing concrete surfaced.
Only a strange, lingering feeling that he’d forgotten something important, something he couldn’t quite name.
****
—Mission complete. Damn, my head’s on fire.
“You did great, Bune. Return to HQ immediately.”
From the other side of the line came the voice of the Hahoe Mask, aged at least ten years from exhaustion.
—If you ever make me do this crazy shit again… What was it? I had to disable the Intel agent, but I couldn’t kill him? I had to throw off the pursuit, but the pursuer couldn’t even realize they’d lost the target? Hey! Do I look like some goblin’s magic club to you? Say ‘Gold appear!’ and poof?
“But it worked, didn’t it? I knew you could pull it off.”
—Yeah, well, my neural network is about to burst. If I want to cool down the overheating, I’ll need at least a week off. Just so you know. And one last thing! That noble brat!
Suddenly, Bune’s rambling tone turned vicious.
—You tell that little shit this! If he makes me pull a stunt like that again, I’ll roast your brain instead next time! Got that?!
The transmission ended without even waiting for a reply.
“Next time,” huh…
For someone who usually despised nobles, the fact that he was talking like that meant the boy must’ve earned his respect.
****
“We’ve received the update. The surveillance agent who was tailing us has been taken care of on our end.”
A crumbling church in the lowest depths of Hanseong.
Inside, Imetal spoke while glancing at the middle-aged man trailing behind him.
“To track and shake off a Royal Inquisition Bureau agent… As expected of Hahoe. The reputation is well earned.”
“Appreciate the compliment. And General…?”
Still not letting his guard down, the man following close behind was none other than Yu Sang-hyeon, Commander of Iron Tiger Corps.
His fierce gaze remained sharp, prompting Imetal to respond with a half-wry, half-tired tone.
“Could you please… withdraw your aura power now? A regular person might not feel it, but to someone like me who also has aura abilities, it’s suffocating.”
Despite the request, Yu Sang-hyeon remained unmoved.
“Forgive me. It’s just… meeting a member of the legendary Hahoe in person has left me a bit on edge.”
“……”
‘So I’m still not trusted, huh.’
And rightly so. From Yu Sang-hyeon’s perspective, the distrust was natural.
The Royal Guard had tried to take his daughter and kill her, and the ones who saved her were none other than Hahoe, the most wanted traitorous organization in the nation.
And now Hahoe was offering him protection?
It’s not just his daughter—he himself was released from Royal Inquisition Bureau custody only recently. His mind simply hasn’t caught up yet.
Muttering inwardly, Imetal slowly approached the front of the church and pushed the door open.
Unlike the worn-down exterior, the inside was neatly maintained.
And within…
“Daddy!”
There, among a group of children, was his daughter, Yu Arin, giggling as she played.
“Arin!”
Without hesitation, Yu Sang-hyeon ran forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
Her face was clean, her expression bright.
Only after confirming that did his body begin to tremble—just a little.
The taut string of tension he’d been holding onto finally snapped.
“I’m sorry, Arin…! Daddy… Daddy…!”
“Huh? Daddy, are you crying? Why?”
Clutching his daughter tightly, tears welled up in Yu Sang-hyeon’s eyes.
But Yu Arin, who had been unconscious through the entire rescue, didn’t understand what had happened.
“Did someone bully you again? Was it those grandpas you’re always bowing to?”
She asked with innocent concern as she gently patted her father’s back.
****
“Oh? Looks like everything worked out nicely.”
As Imetal quietly observed the touching scene, a boy emerged from the door leading to the church’s basement.
It was Kim Chang-woon—the mastermind behind this entire escape operation.
“Bune asked me to pass on a message. If you ever make them pull something like this again, they’ll kill you.”
“For someone who says that, they pulled it off pretty well. Toying with the Royal Inquisition Bureau, of all places? Only the top-ranked traitor could pull that off, huh.”
Kim Chang-woon chuckled as he spoke, but Imetal only stared at him in silence.
Then, after a moment—
“…Thank you.”
“Huh?”
At those unexpected words, Chang-woon looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
“Thanks to your operation, we successfully rescued the royal bloodline from their hands. We even saved Yu Sang-hyeon, the Iron Tiger Commander, who was a secondary objective—and now he knows the true face of the noble class.”
“And along the way, we managed to save quite a few comrades too, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Considering the operation they had initially planned, the outcome was beyond miraculous.
Without Chang-woon’s intelligence and tactics, they would’ve lost far more people—maybe even the mission entirely.
“If you’re grateful, pay up. Single-use clone printer, materials for manufacturing… I’m basically bankrupt now.”
“Funds aren’t within my authority.”
“A terrorist with no access to resources, huh? What, are you guys government employees now?”
“I’ll speak to the Elders. They’ll make sure you’re properly compensated.”
‘They’d better.’
Satisfied, Chang-woon hummed a little tune under his breath as if he’d just closed a great business deal.
Watching him bounce between Yu Sang-hyeon and himself, Imetal slowly turned away.
“The operation’s a success. Time for us to make our exit.”
“…What? You’re not even going to say a word to him?”
Chang-woon gestured toward Yu Sang-hyeon.
‘We’re going to be working together a lot from now on, you know?’
But Imetal shook his head.
“No matter how well we’ve shaken the tail, this is still Hanseong. Having a long conversation here is far too risky.”
Just confirming each other’s identities and that they weren’t enemies was enough for now.
Having said that, Imetal turned to face the boy in front of him.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“…How did you know?”
“Know what?”
A sudden, strange question.
When Chang-woon asked, Imetal responded in a weighty tone.
“How did you know we were going to be followed?”
While it was Hahoe who manipulated the Royal Inquisition Bureau agent’s memory, the only reason that was even possible was because of the intel this boy had provided.
The Royal Inquisition Bureau’s common tailing routes.
The model and specs of their optical camouflage generators.
And most critically, the exact access points to connect with the neural networks in Royal Inquisition Bureau agents’ brains.
Every one of those was Class 1 military-level confidential information.
Not the kind of thing even a noble’s son should have access to.
“No. Actually, that’s not all.”
Even during the mission itself.
Even when he first made contact and proposed a deal.
This boy acted as though he already knew everything about how Hahoe operated.
Back then, there hadn’t been time to dwell on it—but thinking back now, it was all deeply strange.
“How could a fifteen-year-old kid possibly…”
“Pull off something this dangerous without blinking an eye?”
Chang-woon finished the sentence for him with a mischievous grin.
“Well, it’s not like I have a special reason or anything.”
He lowered his voice as if sharing a top-secret revelation.
“It’s just… I’m actually from the future.”
“…Hah.”
Imetal let out a hollow laugh before he realized it.
So now he was cracking jokes.
‘You don’t need to know.’
That was probably what he really meant.
With that, Imetal turned away.
“See you next time.”
Leaving just that short farewell behind, he stepped out of the church.
A few moments later—
“…It’s true, though. Figures no one ever believes me.”
Chang-woon scratched his head as he stared in the direction Imetal had gone.
Even when he told the truth, no one believed him.
‘No wonder I ended up sparking a revolution.’
* * *
Step, step.
With heavy footsteps, Kim Junghun walked down the corridor, its floor and frame crafted from aged wood. His ceremonial robes were immaculate, every fold pressed with care.
Trailing behind him were the late-generation successors of the noble clans, including Kim Hyunwoo.
Their destination was none other than the throne hall perched atop the highest level of Hanseong.
“Open it.”
At Kim Junghun’s quiet command, two palace attendants lowered their heads and slowly pushed open the grand doors.
Behind them: traditional Joseon-style patterns painted in vibrant colors, and a dragon carved into the ceiling’s center.
And beneath that throne—
“……!”
The moment their eyes caught sight of what lay before them, everyone who entered the hall simultaneously lowered their heads.
A throne shrouded in a white veil.
And beyond that veil, the silhouette of a human figure already seated.
It was the shadow of none other than King Yi Cheolheon or King Gwangjo*—
The king who had ruled Joseon for three centuries.
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
But their panicked show of reverence lasted only a moment.
Several among them—including Kim Hyunwoo—felt something strange, something they couldn’t quite name.
That aura energy…
It’s not there. Why not?
King Yi Cheolheon was a great hero who had saved Joseon from the monsters.
So why couldn’t they feel any aura power coming from him?
Just as that unease began to settle in, Kim Junghun, who had been staring at the throne in silence, gave a signal to the attendants.
The palace servants, moving with utmost care and protocol, stepped forward and pulled back the white cloth that had covered the king’s body.
And then—
“Wh-What…?!”
Everyone present at that moment could only gasp in horror at the sight revealed before them.
“This… This is impossible…”
That’s right.
Any scholar of Joseon would ask the same question:
How could King, born in the early 20th century, have ruled Joseon for over 300 years?
Even with all the advances in Joseon’s medicine and science, how could they have preserved a man from three centuries ago?
And if King had truly lived all these years… why did the high-ranking ministers and noble families refer to a living monarch by his posthumous temple name, King Gwangjo?
Attaching a temple name to a living king…
How could such blatant sacrilege be tolerated?
No—perhaps that question answered itself.
Because the king of this country—
The hero who saved Joseon—Yi Cheol-heon—
“…is a corpse, isn’t he?”
“Watch your tongue—!”
The moment someone muttered the unthinkable, a thunderous rebuke cut through the still air.
The one who shouted was none other than Kim Junghun.
Maintaining a solemn expression, he addressed the late-generation successors standing before him.
“Everyone, pay your respects properly.”
At his command, the young nobles standing in a line swallowed dryly, hard.
This was Hanseong—a colossal spire of steel and circuitry.
And at the very top, in the throne hall, sat the throne.
And on that throne sat—
“His Majesty, the Father of the Nation.”
The physical remains of Gwangjo Yi Cheol-heon,
Kept alive by a web of life support machines.
[TL: King Gwangjo – this is a title, not a name. It roughly means “The Radiant Ancestor.“]
---The End Of The Chapter---
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