#31 Paju
7 PM. Right about when all the office stiffs are heading out to work out.
Pow, Pow-pow!
“Alright, one-two, three! There ya go!”
Park, the gym owner, was in the middle of an adult class.
“Hello, Gym owner.”
Park blinked as he saw the large guy entering the entrance.
“Cheol-du, what are you doing here so late...?”
Park suddenly got goosebumps on his arms.
‘Shit, today's the day.’
Looks like Cheol-du's finally made up his mind.
I’ve been waiting for this day.
This is gonna be remembered as the day a Korean Heavyweight Champ was born.
“Oh, yeah, Cheol-du. Lee, take over for me, will ya? Cheol-du, let’s go to the office.”
Park led Kang Cheol-du to the office and looked at Cheol-du with anticipation.
“Oh, Jin-tae, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, Gym owner. How have you been?”
“Me? You know, the usual. So, what's up?”
Kang Cheol-du suddenly pulled out an axe from thin air.
“Woah!”
“Gym owner. Check it out, I got this two-handed axe off an Orc warrior.”
Jin-tae raised his hand to cover his face, seeing Cheol-du’s face full of pride and the gym owner’s face full of bewildered surprise.
“Dude, out of nowhere.”
Kim Jin-tae stepped forward and started talking.
“Gym owner. You heard about what went down in Cheongju, right?”
“Huh? The earthquake? Yeah, I saw something about that.”
Looks like they're calling that whole national disaster thing an earthquake.
Figuring the Korean media's still got a tight grip on things, he laid it all out.
Park, who was initially bewildered, listened seriously as Kim Jin-tae continued his story.
“Whoa, hold on, what the hell is all this?”
“Just think about it. Disaster or not, it's always better to be prepared.”
“That’s right.”
Cheol-du nodded his head.
He'd completely forgotten about the whole heavyweight champion thing.
“There’s one thing I want to ask. If you end up doing this whole apocalypse test thing, please take my grandpa with you.”
At Cheol-du’s words, Park replied, still confused.
“Of course, I'll look out for the old man, but... do I gotta believe all this? ...Actually, yeah, I guess I do. Damn...”
Park still seemed confused, but Cheol-du was satisfied with just this much of a response.
It’s not like the world is going to end tomorrow, and he can always help him level up to Novice later.
He's just telling Park to keep an eye on his grandpa while he's gone.
“Alright, I'm outta here.”
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As Cheol-du put the two-handed axe into his inventory along with his words, Park’s face became serious.
Some crazy shit just went down, and there's no denying it.
What is the apocalypse, and what are Nova and Novice?
His head was spinning.
“Catch ya later.”
“See ya.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
Park remained sitting on the sofa for a long time after sending Cheol-du and Jin-tae away, lost in thought.
Abandoned factory
Seo Jong-du looked at the guy tied up, all black and blue.
“Boss. You had a good run.”
“Haha, I never thought it'd be you, Jong-du, of all people.”
“Guess it's all part of the big guy's plan, huh?”
“Heh heh heh, Ha ha ha!”
Goes to show, 'still waters run deep.' The guy who was all about loyalty was the first to stick a knife in my back.
“I know you. You’re not the type to be a boss, who put you up to this? You jump ship to the Palgong Clan?”
The man judged Seo Jong-du’s change of heart as being bought out by another hostile organization.
He knows that Seo Jong-du is not the type to stage a coup on his own without external temptation.
He’s a guy with outstanding loyalty, but not someone to lead the organization.
“You idiot. You think the Palgong Clan's gonna give a damn about you?”
“Boss. You got it all wrong.”
Seo Jong-du drew his knife.
This is the end.
“The Yong-gu Clan is done. We're the Cheol-du Clan now.”
“Cheol-du Clan?”
It’s a name he’s hearing for the first time.
No, isn’t it a person’s name?
‘Cheol-du.’
Is that like, 'Iron Head' or something?
But the man’s question did not last long.
Stab
“Ghk.”
The knife that pierced his heart quickly took the man’s life.
“Hoo.”
It’s over now.
We took care of all the Yong-gu big shots.
“Good work, Boss.”
He saw Lee Cheol-hyeon offering him a cigarette from the side.
This guy was quick on the uptake and decided to follow him.
He didn't like how the guy always played it safe, but at least he knew how to follow the winning team.
“Hoo-woo-woo.”
“Dump the dead weight, hand over what we gotta, and keep the moneymakers.”
“Yes, Boss.”
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From now on, Cheol-du's gonna be focusing on Nova.
“We got any businesses tied to Nova?”
“Yes, Boss. There's already a huge black market for that stuff.”
Earth’s items cannot be taken to Nova, but Nova’s items can be brought to Earth as much as possible.
Most of them are monopolized by the state and used as various research materials, but after large corporations and private companies intervened, the black market also grew in size.
Even companies that aren't in Nova are scrambling for materials. Shit, you could pick up rocks in Nova and sell 'em for a profit.
“We gotta get our fingers in that pie.”
“Yes, Boss.”
To assist Cheol-du, that much power on Earth is enough.
‘Gotta get in good with the Boss.’
I should be aiming for that number two spot, right?
He's gonna be big, so I gotta handle all the small stuff.
That's my whole reason for being.
Ring ring
Looking at the phone, it’s Kang Cheol-du.
“Hup, yes, Boss.”
"- I'm heading to Nova with Jin-tae now."
“I'll get ready and follow.”
"- Nah, just gonna grab some supplies and check things out. I'll be back on the 31st, so get ready to roll on the 1st."
"Will do."
Good, 'cause we still need some time to get the organization sorted.
– Just give me a ride to Paju.
“Yes, Boss. I’ll send a car right away.”
– Yeah, send it to my house.
“Yes, Boss.”
Seo Jong-du hung up the phone and quickly ordered.
“Cheol-hyeon. Clean up this mess and get the guys ready.”
“Yes, Boss. You heading there yourself?”
“Gotta see him off.”
Seo Jong-du grabbed a rookie to drive and took off.
Cheol-du gave them a look when Seo Jong-du and Il-ho showed up.
“You came all the way out here? Thought you'd be busy.”
“We're just about done cleaning things up.”
“Alright, let's roll.”
Cheol-du, like he owned the place, hopped in the back, crossed his arms, and shut his eyes.
Snore
“……”
Kim Jin-tae shook his head.
He's just passed out back there.
“Mr. Jong-du.”
"Just call me Jong-du. Or, you know, Vice Leader."
“Hmm.”
Kim Jin-tae rolled the name Jong-du around in his mouth.
"So, uh, did you have a title or something at your old company?"
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“I was a director.”
“Ah! Then I’ll just call you Director Seo.”
See? Titles make everything easier.
“Hmm, if that works for you, that's fine.”
“……”
Snore
Jin-tae was stuck in the back, feeling super awkward. His buddy was out cold, and he was riding with two goons.
‘Ha, awkward.’
They'd gotten kinda close in Nova, but since they first met 'cause of a beatdown, Jin-tae still felt weird about the whole thing.
"Since we're talking about the company..."
“Ah, yes.”
"We're ditching the Yong-gu Services name and going with Cheol-du Services tomorrow."
“……It would be better to do it in English. Maybe just initials?”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that. I will do that.”
“Ah, yes.”
"Just talk normal."
“Uh, yeah. I'll try.”
He was still just a kid in high school, so getting all this respect from grown-ups was weirding him out.
He had to give it to Cheol-du; the guy didn't give a damn about formalities.
Snore
His insensitivity is indeed innate.
The Paju Gate was, of course, all barricaded up, a civilian restricted zone guarded by soldiers.
"This place is like a fortress!"
“Yeah. Maybe we shoulda brought more stuff?”
We can't even bring Earth stuff anyway.
Everyone's on a level playing field in Nova.
He tried sticking some Earth stuff in his inventory, just in case, but no dice.
“This way, please.”
"Damn, good thing I called you. Woulda been a pain without you."
Seo Jong-du found out how to use the Paju Gate after several phone calls.
They drove around the fortress-like place, found an entrance, and got checked out.
“Lemme see your right hand.”
"You're good. Head on in."
It was crawling with soldiers, like some kinda military base, but they just checked if you were a Novice and waved you through.
This portal's been around for two years, and inside the concrete walls, it was like a whole different world – alien-looking trees and paved roads, all neat and tidy.
Most of it was a parking lot, already packed with cars.
This was Jong-du's first time here too, so he was tagging along behind Cheol-du and Jin-tae, checking everything out.
He was just gonna see them off at the portal.
"Whoa, they even got a hospital."
"And a restaurant over there."
"Seriously, this is nuts. And it's been here for two years?"
He felt a rush, like he was stepping into a whole new life, leaving the ordinary world behind.
He hadn't even known this place existed in Paju. Two years ago, he was just starting high school, and he didn't remember any big disasters on the news.
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Made him think those conspiracy theories might not be so crazy after all.
"They got everything here. Even a pet shelter?"
"Damn, they even got chain restaurants."
"Tons of restaurants."
Cheol-du, of course, stopped at a burger joint.
"I'm starving."
"Yeah, let's grab some grub before we go."
Cheol-du, Jin-tae, Seo Jong-du, and Il-ho put in their orders at the burger place.
"Gimme a Bulgogi Burger."
"Three Bulgogi Burgers, two Chicken Burgers."
“……”
“……”
Cheol-du gave Jong-du and Il-ho a confused look, seeing them just standing there.
"You guys not eating?"
Wait, I thought he was ordering for us.
"Oh! Yeah, I'll take a Bulgogi Burger too."
"Uh, I'll go with a Shrimp Burger."
Seo Jong-du paid, but Cheol-du got all the thanks when the food showed up.
"Thanks for the food, Boss."
"Yeah."
The four of them scarfed down their food, checking out the place.
It was crazy, they had everything you could think of, and seeing all those armed soldiers walking around was kinda surreal.
And those giant trees reaching up to the sky were insane.
"That's gotta be the portal, right?"
"Yeah. You can feel the crazy magic power coming off it."
There was this massive dome in the middle – that was the portal zone.
"Finish up, let's go."
"We're gonna head back."
"Alright. See ya next year."
Jong-du saw them off, and then the two friends got a more thorough check at the dome entrance.
"Kang Cheol-du, Kim Jin-tae. You're good."
"Need your fingerprints for the lockers."
"Lockers C14 and C15."
The two of them went into the huge portal zone and headed for Zone C.
It was like a giant locker room, stretching on forever.
"Damn, this place is insane."
"Looks like a bathhouse."
They stashed all their Earth clothes and stuff in the lockers and threw on the newbie gear from their inventories.
They followed the passage, and there it was – a massive portal in a circular hall.
"Let's do this."
"Okay."
The two friends passed through the portal to New Seoul.
