Chapter 84
Chapter 84: I Am Kim Tae-yang (3)
Late Night.
Chief Han's expression turned grave as she reviewed the documents.
"So this is everything on Kim Tae-yang……"
A resident registration extract, family relations certificate, school records, immigration history, criminal records, medical records, property holdings, and a recent Brave Citizen Award.
Strange details caught her eye.
"Someone who attempted suicide received a Brave Citizen Award?"
A deeply contradictory record.
"Let me read through this again."
First, his high school records contained little beyond a note that he had withdrawn—and the evaluations were far from favorable.
Timid, poor peer relationships, disciplinary action for cheating, even a school violence committee convened after a sexual harassment complaint against him.
His final entry: withdrawal in the second semester of sophomore year.
"Yet his middle school grades were extraordinary."
His middle school records told a completely opposite story.
Top-tier grades. Glowing praise from teachers across the board.
"Can a person change this drastically? Did he go off the rails in high school?"
She closed her eyes.
"Ah!"
Come to think of it, she had heard of Myeongmun High School before.
A private school with high university placement rates.
"That place where only the worst children of politicians and conglomerates go."
Checking Kim Tae-yang's address during his high school years, she found he had lived in a slum district—one of the most disadvantaged areas. His admission had been through a special quota for low-income households.
Kim Tae-yang: a student with poor financial circumstances but exceptional grades.
"He became prey for those spoiled brats, didn't he?"
It was entirely plausible.
The school records with their sudden shift in evaluations would have been crafted by teachers loyal to those in power.
"That's why he spent years as a shut-in recluse. The suicide attempt—it was because of that!"
And yet.
"Someone like that received a Brave Citizen Award? And on top of that, became a disciple of the Nameless Hero?"
Her head began to throb again.
‘Could it be…… That he met the Nameless Hero while living as a shut-in recluse?’
A picture began to take shape.
The Nameless Hero who had passed her the Iron Instrument God's Sword.
He was a deeply considerate man.
"He caught his eye! He recognized the talent, and while disguised as a reclusive shut-in, Kim Tae-yang had been training under the Nameless Hero!"
What remained was the suicide attempt record.
"The police recorded it as a suicide attempt—but the hospital's medical records say something different."
Looking at the clinical notes, everything was documented as normal. He had been eating well and staying healthy.
There was also a psychological evaluation report from treatment following the alleged suicide attempt—it noted minor memory irregularities but otherwise concluded he was entirely normal, even remarkably so.
"The police must have misread the situation. And they probably decided to handle it quietly. If they'd called it an accident from falling off a bridge, they might have faced scrutiny over safety management."
But then—why had he jumped into the Han River?
Could it have been part of his training?
Or a reckless moment after failing to endure the Nameless Hero's grueling regimen?
The more she tried to explain it, the stranger it became. But one thing was certain.
"Since registering as a Climber, his rise has been meteoric."
Some of the Ghost's recorded activities overlapped with Kim Tae-yang's.
"First, the Golden Tower at 30th floor. And Kim Tae-yang sits right at the 30th floor……"
But to call him the Ghost outright seemed off—his earlier records didn't line up.
"The Golden Tower existed before Kim Tae-yang ever registered as a Climber."
And Kim Tae-yang's Climber aptitude result had been D-rank.
How could a D-rank possibly have achieved a rapid ascent all the way to 30th floor?
Another accomplice? Was that person the Ghost? Was Kim Tae-yang just a decoy to conceal the Ghost?
"Could he have been Climbing abroad?"
But the immigration records showed only a recent trip to Japan.
"Ah! Come to think of it—"
The period of Kim Tae-yang's trip to Japan matched exactly with the time she had encountered Jang Ae-guk.
"That's when the Nameless Hero definitely said—"
[I'm on the outskirts of Tokyo.]
[You escaped? How?]
[I had some help here and there.]
"Help……. He said he received help. That was Kim Tae-yang."
Slipping out of Jang Ae-guk's penthouse.
Even for someone like the Nameless Hero, that would have been difficult to pull off alone.
But if there had been an accomplice—and if that was his disciple Kim Tae-yang—then it all made sense.
Then there was the substantial wealth registered under Kim Tae-yang's name.
Assets transferred from the Choi brothers of Baekgyeong.
That Baekgyeong had deep ties to the Nameless Hero was a self-evident fact.
And the brand Kim Tae-yang headed, Handsome Bungeoppang, was also being backed by Baekgyeong Department Store.
"It seems he's been handling asset management, capital flows, and money laundering through Kim Tae-yang and Baekgyeong. As expected……"
‘He has to be the disciple.’
……Whether he was the Ghost remained unconfirmed.
Chief Han opened the files on her computer.
She reviewed photographs and records of every person who had entered the Golden Tower on the day it was established.
She stayed up through the night.
No longer trusting the files compiled by her agents, she went so far as to comb through every single CCTV recording from the Golden Tower during that entire period.
By the time she reached her conclusion, morning had broken.
"Kim Tae-yang isn't there……"
[The Ghost is in Korea.]
If his word held true—
"Kim Tae-yang is not the Ghost."
Kim Tae-yang must have been Climbing in secret abroad, through some specific channel.
As long as he held Korean citizenship, Climbing abroad would still count toward Korea's conquest record.
Whether through bribes or other means, Climbing in a third country was entirely feasible.
Or perhaps he had somehow managed to Climb within Korea while evading Gukmubon surveillance.
Click—
She reached for her cup.
The coffee she had set down had gone empty without her noticing.
Chief Han sank back into her chair.
Her head was pounding.
The secret communication device Kim Tae-yang had handed her.
A clear expression of the Nameless Hero's will—no more contact with her.
And then he had sent Kim Tae-yang here, making that intent plain to see.
"……The secret communication device!"
Her eyes snapped open.
Kim Tae-yang had taken the secret communication device back with him.
It meant exactly that—he intended to communicate through Kim Tae-yang!
Kim Tae-yang's role had also come into focus.
"Kim Tae-yang is a messenger!"
What she found most inexplicable was how readily the Nameless Hero had exposed Kim Tae-yang.
In other words, by sending a messenger to her, he was saying this:
"There is still a chance for me."
Brring—
She called immediately.
"Father!"
‘—What is it? This early in the morning.’
It was Minister Han.
"I'm coming to the house right now."
* * *
Minister Han sat quietly in his study as he listened to his daughter—Chief Han's—report.
The contents of her report clearly struck him as a shock as well; a half-knotted necktie hung loosely around his neck.
"So…… While it remains unclear whether Kim Tae-yang is the Ghost, it seems certain that he is at minimum the Nameless Hero's messenger. And they are offering us one final chance?"
"That is correct."
"That final chance being—cease all investigation into the Nameless Hero and the Ghost!"
"Yes."
"And if we break that promise, they will leave Korea—plunging the nation back into darkness as it was before."
"……"
Minister Han clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out the window.
"The Climber re-registration procedure?"
"It seems we should suspend it."
"What are we to tell the Blue House?"
"The Nameless Hero and the Ghost must come first."
Minister Han spoke.
"We will not suspend it."
"Father!"
"I never expected that procedure to uncover the Ghost's identity in the first place. Now that Kim Tae-yang—the messenger—has received re-registration, they will no longer concern themselves with it."
"But—"
"Jang-mi."
Minister Han turned around.
"……Yes, Father."
Chief Han swallowed hard.
Her father, who always called her Chief Han or ‘my daughter’.
When he addressed her by her given name, Jang-mi, it meant he was about to impart a clear lesson.
Minister Han calmly explained to his flustered daughter.
"King Zhao of Yan asked Guo Wei: how does one draw the greatest talent in the realm? Guo Wei answered: first honor me, an unremarkable man—and the finest talents in the world will come when they see it."
"The story of ‘First Begin With Guo Wei’."
Minister Han nodded.
"King Zhao treated Guo Wei with extraordinary respect—far beyond what his abilities warranted. And upon witnessing that, the greatest talents of the world came flocking. And those talents were—"
"The legendary commander Yue Yi. Zou Yan and Ju Xin came at that time as well."
"Now do you understand? Why the Nameless Hero and the Ghost sent Kim Tae-yang."
Chief Han's expression brightened.
She slapped her fist into her open palm with a sharp clap and answered.
"It is to test us—no, to test Korea itself!"
"Precisely."
How they treated Kim Tae-yang from this point forward would determine the path the Nameless Hero and the Ghost would walk.
Minister Han declared.
"The Nameless Hero and the Ghost—they are our Yue Yi, our Zou Yan, our Ju Xin! No—they are our Zhuge Liang, our Washington, our Admiral Yi! Then what must we do?"
Chief Han answered with conviction.
"Treat Guo Wei—that is, Kim Tae-yang—with the utmost honor."
Minister Han extended his hand and proclaimed.
"From this moment forward, the top unofficial priority of Gukmubon is the absolute protection of Kim Tae-yang and his family! Any problems that arise—I will take full responsibility!"
"Understood!"
"Jang-mi, you will support Kim Tae-yang and his family until they are bursting with happiness!"
"How much support should I provide?"
Minister Han broke into a wide smile.
"Enough for his family to believe Korea is paradise on earth. Enough that the thought of ever leaving Korea never once crosses their minds!"
* * *
"I wonder if they understood what I was telling them."
I turned the words I had thrown their way over in my mind as I tended to my medicinal herbs.
"They're sharp people. I'm sure they caught on."
[Kim Tae-yang asks whether revealing your identity wouldn't be dangerous. +1 Happiness]
"It used to be. But right now, it's the complete opposite."
The period when I needed to stay hidden corresponded to when I had no influence of my own.
But then the Nameless Hero had appeared alongside the Golden Tower, and a deep relationship had been forged with Gukmubon.
On top of that—the Red Dragon Gate.
I had waded in far too deep now.
Especially after taking control of the Red Dragon Gate, I had been struck by something profound.
My enemies are vicious.
Even looking at Hwang Mu-yeol's case—they would stop at nothing to kill me.
"I'm meticulous, but I'm not perfect."
If even a single mistake were made, my family would be in danger.
What if I came home one day to find my family cold and lifeless?
"I might become the Black Bear Demon Beast myself."
I never wanted to lose family again.
[Kim Tae-yang asks whether that's not exactly why you've already hired a private security firm. +1 Happiness]
Perhaps it had shaken him too—unusually, the questions kept coming.
"They're weak. The moment even a single Climber shows up, they become powerless."
[Kim Tae-yang asks, 'What about White Night?' +1 Happiness]
"What if dozens of Climbers came at once? White Night alone couldn't handle them all."
In the end, I needed someone with real power to protect me.
[Kim Tae-yang asks whether the Red Dragon Gate isn't there for that now. +1 Happiness]
"Those people are trash. I don't trust them. I don't even want them knowing about my family."
I never forgot that their hidden blades could plunge into my gut at any moment.
Right now I was keeping them in check through Lee Won-ryong—but whether every last one of them thought the same way, I couldn't know.
One day, they might have a change of heart and raise a blade against my family.
That was precisely why I had chosen Gukmubon.
Whether they suspected me of being the Ghost or not, Gukmubon now had no choice but to cling to me.
They would guard my family with everything they had.
[Kim Tae-yang says he understands now and thanks you. +100,000 Happiness]
I brushed the dirt from my hands and stood up.
"It should be about time for Jo Je-bin to go meet that man."
* * *
Bong Ju-min collapsed onto a park bench near Gukmubon.
Beside him sat a small box—everything he had taken from Gukmubon.
"So they'd just cut me loose like that……"
He had boldly declared he would submit his resignation himself—but he hadn't actually expected them to take him up on it.
He had always been confident in his own abilities.
He had been sidelined after falling out with Kim Tae-yang and Chief Han, yes—but he had still risen to the rank of section chief within Gukmubon, an organization that gathered only the elite.
"I begged them on my knees—not a single word of it got through."
He pulled out his phone and looked at the message he had sent.
‘I'm sorry. I accept it…… Please, just give me one more chance. I have 3 children. I'm begging you.’
The message he had sent to Kim Tae-yang the night before.
No reply had come.
A sigh escaped him first.
"Haaa……. What am I supposed to live on now?"
Loan repayments still pending, 3 children to feed—academy fees were already starting to weigh on him.
"I suppose Tower Climbing is the only option."
It wasn't uncommon for retired Gukmubon agents to join martial arts factions and take up Climbing.
Bong Ju-min was a Climber himself, so the thought had crossed his mind—
"……But who would take in someone blacklisted by Chief Han?"
He had caused quite a stir during this re-registration review, and tongues had been wagging.
Chief Han's fury had erupted, and he had been cast out.
"Word of that must have spread everywhere by now."
Given Chief Han's standing within Gukmubon, taking him in would be a liability rather than a gain.
Being rejected not just by the 3 great factions but even by smaller ones seemed inevitable.
In the end, would he have to Climb as an Unaffiliated Climber?
"I'm going absolutely insane, seriously."
Setting aside how he was to survive—his greater worry was Kim Tae-yang.
At any moment, that guy could show up and press a blade to his throat.
"Haaa……"
He was sitting there, head in his hands, when—
Thud.
Someone sat down beside him.
"Good to see you, Section Chief Bong."
"Jo, Jo Je-bin, Elder?"
It was Jo Je-bin of the Red Dragon Gate.
A man with a fearsome reputation even within the Red Dragon Gate—the rumor went that wherever he showed up, a corpse was sure to follow.
Jo Je-bin was wearing a leather jacket and leather gloves.
That look—like a man who had come prepared for something—made Bong Ju-min freeze on the spot.
‘I figured Kim Tae-yang would make a move—but this is too fast!’
Jo Je-bin had his leg in a cast.
"You're injured?"
Jo Je-bin chewed something, swallowed it, and replied.
"This? The doctor says it'll heal back stronger than before."
"……That's good to hear. But what brings you here?"
Bong Ju-min asked, his voice trembling.
Jo Je-bin said nothing in reply—just looked at him and grinned.
"Hiii!"
Bong Ju-min couldn't help it—that grin sent a chill straight down to his bones.
Jo Je-bin lit a cigarette and said,
"Got a light?"
"Here……"
Bong Ju-min held the flame for him.
Jo Je-bin exhaled a long stream of smoke, then swung his arm around to grip the back of the bench behind Bong Ju-min.
Bong Ju-min's legs went weak.
"So, wh-what's your business?"
"This."
Jo Je-bin held out a neatly folded sheet of paper.
"Sign it."
"Pardon?"
"Puuu……. You've got nowhere to go, haven't you?"
"How do you know that?"
"Oh, you know. Word gets around."
Bong Ju-min unfolded the document, and his eyes went wide.
It was a faction membership contract.
"Sign that, and from today you're one of our Red Dragon Gate's own."
"Ow-own? Not a member?"
Trust a gang of thugs to put it that way.
Jo Je-bin's eyes went wide.
"Does that matter?"
"No……"
Bong Ju-min lowered his gaze.
He turned back to the document.
Jo Je-bin tapped the bottom of the page with the hand holding his cigarette.
Ash dropped onto the paper.
"Don't bother reading the stuff up top—just sign here."
"And if I don't?"
"……"
Rather than answer, Jo Je-bin blew a long stream of cigarette smoke directly into Bong Ju-min's face.
"I'm a bit busy."
"……"
"Suit yourself if you don't want to."
Jo Je-bin moved to take the document back—
"I-I'll sign."
Bong Ju-min threw caution to the wind and wrote his name.
"Your thumbprint next to the name too."
"I don't have a stamp pad."
Click—
Jo Je-bin flicked open a jackknife and swung it open with a sharp schrrring—then held it out.
"Here."
"……"
Bong Ju-min bit his lip.
He couldn't tell whether this was employment or a shakedown.
"Damn it all."
After a brief hesitation, he brought his hand to the blade and drew blood. Pssst—
He pressed his thumb next to his name.
Jo Je-bin took the document and slipped it into the inner breast pocket of his leather jacket.
"Welcome to the family. This is for you."
Thud.
He held out a paper box.
‘Handsome Bungeoppang. Set of 10.’
It was heavy.
A rich, sweet scent wafted from it.
"What is this……?"
"Had some recently—tasted so good it nearly brought me to tears."
Jo Je-bin stood and spoke.
"The current Gukmubon org chart, the Black agent roster, safe house addresses, secret accounts, real estate, and every politician they've got on a leash—compile it all and bring it to me by next week. That'll be all."
He gave a wave and disappeared somewhere.
Bong Ju-min stared after him for a long moment as if his soul had left his body, then opened the paper box.
1 Bungeoppang and some crumbs.
And.
A thick wad of cash.
[A father who has glimpsed hope mutters, ‘Better than gift vouchers’ +3,000 Happiness]