Episode 202
“To what extent has the investigation into the story been conducted?”
“We have submitted a request to the External Cooperation Management Bureau to confirm the facts.”
Normally, this kind of information was obtained with the cooperation of the National Security Agency? I was puzzled because I didn’t know why it was called the External Cooperation Management Bureau.
Jin Se-jeong added, as if she sensed my doubts.
“Director Sangmin Han had a request. I would like to actively cooperate with Choin’s work in the future. “I thought it was not a bad proposal as the Foreign Cooperation Management Bureau was the one with the most advanced information power among the three countries.”
“If that’s the case…”
Since he was obediently convinced that it wasn’t a big mistake, Jin Se-jeong announced that Han Sang-min would be visiting a little later and briefly told him what he knew.
“First of all, it has been confirmed that the mother of the child who wrote the letter has left. When I questioned those around me, I heard that he had been showing symptoms of anxiety disorder on a regular basis, and that things got better after he started believing in religion. “They say they often recommended it to people around them, but no one has ever developed a deep relationship with it.”
If so, the probability that the kid’s words are false would be low.
In fact, cases like this were very common. In an era where monsters threaten the safety of humanity, people who had nowhere to turn desperately longed for the presence of God.
There are countless pseudo-religions that have dug into that gap like poisonous mushrooms.
Jang In-seong’s case was a representative example.
Berserker, who was listening next to him, asked.
“Shall I go?”
“no. Since this matter came to me, it would be right for me to handle it. You take good care of me. “I’ll be waiting.”
“If that’s what you think.”
Berserker said he would not disturb me, packed his bags and left. And not long after, Han Sang-min arrived at the office. Han Sang-min, who had not shown any special characteristics until then, took on a dignified atmosphere after taking office as Director of the External Cooperation Management Bureau.
After all, a place makes a person. As if I had become a superhuman and completely integrated into society.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I’m busy. However, it would be absurd to just overlook it since it is the work of a benefactor.”
“Thank you for at least saying that?”
“Please use it often in the future.” “I’m coming forward because it’s helpful for me to cooperate with you.”
I really liked his honest speaking attitude. Just having frequent contact with me is helpful to Han Sang-min, and I have the advantage of being able to use the information power of the Foreign Cooperation Management Bureau.
I guess this is called mutual aid. Look, Yongyong. If I were crazy, would this kind of mutual help be possible?
[Why am I tripping and falling all of a sudden?]
Think of it as revenge for what happened so far.
I told the story to Sangmin Han.
“This is a very nasty situation.”
Han Sang-min started his conversation like that and talked about the disappearance of the mother of the letter’s protagonist.
“It’s a pseudo-religious issue, but politicians are involved. “That’s why it’s so annoying.”
“Are you providing protection?”
“Not only that, but they are also showing off their history of volunteer work for the underprivileged.”
In addition, there are sponsoring companies and mid-sized guilds behind it.
That meant straddling all fields.
Then he started giving details. The religion of which the child’s mother is a member often appears during the end times and is a place with doctrines that are more faithful to the afterlife than to this world.
Many people who are currently struggling with their lives and have nowhere to focus their minds are taking refuge, and by stimulating people’s anxiety, the church is rapidly expanding.
“The president warned us once and they went into hiding, but they are still active. Rather, they are secretly expanding their influence in the political world to create a shield for themselves.”
“In the end, it’s a place that betrays people.”
It is obvious that the majority of people who convert to religion are people who have nothing but bodies. Starting with various types of labor exploitation, human trafficking, etc. will be intertwined.
I know this very well from dealing with Jang In-seong.
“No, that won’t be the end.”
“I guess there’s more.”
“It was difficult for me to get more information than this. However, there are more awakened people and researchers who have converted to religion than expected.”
“Awakened researcher.”
“It’s a place that smells bad. “When I was Agent Black, we discussed infiltrating here, but ultimately failed.”
It is said that they thoroughly select people before accepting them.
This can be interpreted as meaning that there are a lot of things that one wants to hide.
“What are you going to do?”
“If I didn’t know, I would have left it alone, but I can’t leave it alone since it caught my eye.”
“You mean…”
“Research more information about them.”
“Sure.”
Han Sang-min nodded with a determined expression.
* * *
Lee Seo-jun, whom I visited, was living in a shabby house in Suwon. His father had been injured in a monster attack in the past and was having difficulty engaging in normal economic activities, and he was barely making ends meet with his mother’s meager income and support funds.
Then, after his mother disappeared into religion, he took care of his father alone.
Just standing in front of the door conveyed the weight of despair. This is the life that can befall most ordinary people. The moment one or two things go wrong, it’s a bond you can’t escape.
The government is making special efforts to overcome this, but the reality is that it is not easy.
I realize that poverty is something that not even the Lord can do anything about. No matter how much money you spend, it always disappears during the transit.
Would it get better if I found and destroyed them all one by one? We should discuss it sometime.
“uh?”
I turned my head when I heard a sound from behind me. Standing there was a scruffy but smart-looking 10-year-old boy.
“Are you Lee Seojun?”
“Uh huh? It’s Junho Choi! “It’s true, right?”
“Then I guess Choi Jun-ho is a fake?”
“Wow.”
As I stared at it, I wondered if there was something strange about my appearance.
I got straight to the point.
“I came after reading the letter you sent.”
“Really?”
“It looks like your father is unwell, so should we leave this at home and talk about it in front of me?”
I just came here so I bought a lot of food. This is why Seojun Lee’s eyes were fixed on the items I was holding while talking to me.
After leaving the food in the house, Seojun Lee and I headed to the vacant lot in front of the house.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions.”
“If I answer everything, will Mom come back?”
“okay. Instead, you have to keep it a secret.”
“why?”
“Because if the people who took your mother hear, they might run away.”
“I’ll definitely keep it a secret.”
I like your determined look. Even though he is young, he feels mature. The more difficult it is, the quicker you learn. Some people may feel sorry for that, but I think it is a good phenomenon. In this world where there aren’t many people to trust, it’s good to quickly figure out what’s going on in the world.
I asked Seojun Lee about the appearance of the people who took his mother and the circumstances surrounding his mother’s usual behavior.
The world seen from a child’s perspective was very cruel. Lee Seo-jun’s family was living a very difficult life amidst poor support and difficult circumstances. Faced with a reality that showed no signs of improvement, Lee Seo-jun’s mother fell into religion.
It brought ruin to the family. Seojun Lee, who was only 10 years old, was aware of the collapse of his family.
“I’m scared.”
[It’s pitiful. [It’s pitiful.] Yongyong
feels pity for the young child with tears in his eyes, but I don’t know.
Situations like Seojun Lee’s are widespread in the world. It’s easy to find situations similar to Lee Seo-jun’s in Korea right now, and if you look around the world, there are plenty of people who are more pitiful than this.
[Can’t you just feel sorry for me?]
Not really.
You will have to look at them one by one out of pity, and then look at them all later.
That’s that and this is this.
In fact, the reason I came here was to say that it was a cult rather than to prevent one family’s misfortune.
Although I have experienced Jang In-seong, the harmful effects of pseudo-sects that are spreading like poisonous mushrooms are beyond imagination.
And my intuition was warning me. This incident was much worse than what was written on paper.
“Trust and wait.”
“Sigh! yes!”
“Don’t cry. “I have to show a dependable side to my family.”
“yes.”
Seojun Lee’s eyes turned red as he wiped away tears by rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.
Now that I have the necessary information, I have to go to where the church is located.
When I gave a signal, a dog waiting on the outskirts appeared.
Seojun Lee, whose nose and eyes were red, saw the dog and his eyes grew as big as bells.
“It’s a dog. “It’s so cool!”
As expected, the child’s eyes were pure. The fact that I call him ‘Dogmeong’ proves that my naming sense is correct.
As the dog has gotten bigger these days, Yoon-hee is starting to want to give up the name Yeppi.
They say it’s too big to be a Yeppi.
“Superman! “Please find Mom!”
“I’ll try.”
I patted Lee Seojun’s head and then left.
* * *
The location of the pseudo-denominational organization given by Sang-min Han is located on the border of Osan-si and Anseong-si, passing through Dongtan.
The good thing about this location is that it is on the border with the monster’s sphere of influence, making it difficult for the government to interfere, but at the same time, it is relatively safe due to the government’s power.
They were in a position where they could grab just what they needed. Since it was a sparsely populated place, it would have been easy to avoid prying eyes. Anyway, the heads are rolling well.
I am once again reminded of the saying that evil is diligent.
Well, I guess they could have quietly expanded their influence without my ears hearing.
In the meantime, we arrived at the headquarters of the cult.
[Is that happening these days?]
Yongyong expressed my feelings exactly.
The main complex, located on a mountain that appears to be about 300m high, was almost obscured by the forest at first glance, but had a clear view of the reservoir in front and behind.
It wasn’t a natural fortress, but it seemed like a good place to prepare for an emergency.
[Do you want to go and deal with it yourself?]
“That’s not a bad idea either.”
It’s also the method I like to use the most.
However, this case involves innocent civilians. To be honest, I’m not worried about their safety, but for the sake of my image, I need to show some level of concern.
We also need to secure materials from within the denomination.
To do this, we must separate the members of the church from those who have been taken in by them.
However, it is obvious that if you visit in person, you will not be able to tell the difference with a 100% probability.
[Then what are you going to do?]
“We can just pull out the church members inside there.”
The headquarters has been fortified and preparations have been made to detect the approach of monsters.
This means that they have the power to deal with monsters.
If I bring out those people, it will be much easier for me to infiltrate.
I was about to call the doggo.
bruise!
The dog answered as if it had read my thoughts.
I haven’t even called you yet?
When I turned my head, there was a person in the dog’s mouth. I never gave you permission to eat people?
The dog didn’t seem to want to do that either, so he put the person in his mouth down in front of me.
The man who made eye contact with me was shocked.
“Aaaah!”
“What are you?”
“Could it be that Choi Jun-ho is a superhuman? Hehe!”
I put my hand on the head of the guy who didn’t respond.
“Starting with the name.”
“I’m Jin Yong-ho from Good Morning Dongtan! “I’m a reporter!”
“reporter?”
“Yes yes! “I started reporting after hearing that people were being captured by a pseudo-religion.”
“okay?”
I didn’t know there was a reporter who could smell it.
“Give me what you covered.”
“….”
“You don’t like it?”
Kuuk.
“Ugh! W Here it is!”
As soon as I strengthened the hand holding my head, I immediately presented the data.
hmm. The information he provided was nothing special. The only gains are what appears to be the number of awakened people and the influx of people who appear to be political and business figures?
There was nothing meaningful about what was in there.
After all, I have to move.
I called out to the dog sitting far away.
“You have work to do.”
bruise!
A dog who answers bravely. Maybe it’s because of the gift monster language, but you can tell the nuances of what he’s thinking. It’s probably the same thing.
The dog showed his fighting spirit and said that he would break down the main gate of the fortress as soon as he gave the order.
There is no reason to go that far.
I plan to use a more roundabout method.
He said, looking into the dog’s eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Ask me a monster.”