novelraw Chapter 4 : The World I Created (4)
Chapter 4 : The World I Created (4)
Chapter 4 - The World I Created (4)
I'll be honest.
Speaking informally was a mistake.
'Shit.'
The plan had been to force a breakthrough with a direct confrontation instead of beating around the bush. But he had overdone it, and for a moment, his subconscious had gotten ahead of his rational mind.
Lee Taebaek bit his lower lip. Meanwhile, the air between the two men was rapidly growing cold.
In truth, speaking informally probably wouldn't have had that much of a negative impact on the situation. The problem was that it had been too rash.
Kang Hyunseong's killing intent squeezed his heart like a rope. It was agonizing, both mentally and physically.
“...Where did you come from?”
Kang Hyunseong spat out in a low growl. As if his earlier goodwill had never existed, a dark blue demonic aura rose from his eyes, making him look like a dokkaebi.
“Depending on your answer, you could die today. So answer carefully, Lee Taebaek.”
'Don't get overwhelmed by his spirit. This was the plan, anyway.'
The die had been cast. Whether this opening salvo would be a turning point or just an empty bluff all depended on how well he could talk his way through it.
“Seeing my name and appearance, I thought you would have guessed. That I'm from Korea, just like you, Kang Hyunseong.”
For a brief moment, an eyebrow twitched. Lee Taebaek did not miss that minute change in expression.
“It might be different here in the Western city of Lake City. But back in Korea, it's rare to find someone who doesn't know the name Kang Hyunseong. At least, not among those with a foot in the underworld.”
“Hah.”
“Am I wrong? The One-Man Army of a Thousand Kills... no, should I call you Kang Hyunseong, the Mad Dog Butcher?”
When he brought up the nickname 'Mad Dog Butcher', the change in his expression was clear. Lee Taebaek continued to speak.
“Of course, I only know your face because the organization I was with investigated you separately. A normal person wouldn't know. Ah, and don't worry. When I left the organization, I burned everything, including the files on you. Now, the only person who knows Kang Hyunseong's true identity might just be in this very prison. And since that one person will be gone in six days, no one outside the Resistance will know the face of the One-Man Army of a Thousand Kills.”
“...Lee Taebaek, what organization were you a part of? Make no mistake, that wasn't a question, it was a threat.”
I can't get swept up in his pace. I have to take the lead.
“Kang Hyunseong, do you know what crime I was convicted of?”
Lee Taebaek's pupils were half-hidden by his brow.
“I was arrested for participating in a terror attack in Seoul and charged with National Disturbance. After escaping from Siesta, I cut the throats of ten regular soldiers from the Seoul municipal government. Before that, I was a guard dog for the Siesta Group. A hunting dog.”
As soon as he heard that, shock filled Kang Hyunseong's eyes. Escaping from Siesta, one of the megacorps.
“It's a bit late, but I apologize for casually speaking informally to the One-Man Army of a Thousand Kills. As you probably know, the guard dogs from Siesta are raised and indoctrinated from infancy. I just never had a chance to learn formal speech. You know the saying, 'Rudeness is a sin, but ignorance is not.' I simply don't know how to speak formally.”
Apologizing a beat late was also part of Lee Taebaek's calculation. First, explain the circumstances, then overturn the awful first impression. It was for the reversal effect, so to speak.
“For someone like that, you're quite eloquent.”
“They say a long tongue leads to a short life. I guess that's how I ended up on death row in the flower of my youth.”
If you're going to commit to a role, you have to be consumed by it. A half-assed performance will only backfire.
Lee Taebaek began to hypnotize himself.
'I was a hunting dog for a megacorp.'
The Siesta Group is our god. We are indebted to them for their grace.
Therefore, control everything under the pretext of order and eradicate chaos. Even if it means staining your hands with blood.
"Below one man, but above all others." This was the creed of the Siesta guard dogs.
“A guard dog who escaped Siesta and drifted into Lake City. An interesting script.”
Kang Hyunseong, who had crossed his arms at some point, spoke with a snort. He still looked like he didn't believe a word Lee Taebaek said.
“The strategy of trying to sway me by being from the same country wasn't half bad. I may have raised hell back in Seoul, but my love for Korea hasn't gone anywhere.”
...Did I get him?
“But that alone isn't enough. Bring me something more enticing.”
Shit. He's so damn cautious.
Then again, he was in a position where he had to be suspicious. Lee Taebaek hadn't designed Kang Hyunseong to be a fool.
“Let's assume what you're saying is true. How did you escape Siesta's grasp? As you said yourself, you would have received a thorough ideological education.”
“I grew disillusioned.”
Lee Taebaek feigned a bitter smile.
“It's embarrassing to say it myself, but I was a talented assassin. I was promoted to a full-fledged guard dog before I even turned twenty. Until that day came, I lived with pride as an assassin.”
Lee Taebaek hung his head low. Looking at the floor, he let out a strange, emotional cry.
To deceive others, one must first deceive oneself. It was a role he had improvised on the spot, but his method acting was so good that even he was becoming confused.
'The effect of the Spirit buff really is incredible.'
In Recons, Spirit was a unique stat that affected both the speaker and the listener. The speaker's mind would remain unshaken, while the listener's would be swayed.
Even so, this feels too real.
Or could it be that this body he possessed really was a former Siesta guard dog? That would be creepy as fuck.
“I was on a mission. As usual, I was about to eliminate the target, and he begged me to spare his life. But a guard dog doesn't have a choice. I took his head in a single stroke.”
Lee Taebaek murmured with his head still lowered. He let out a pained groan, as if dredging up a painful past.
“Then, his desk came into view. There was a picture of him with his daughter, who had just celebrated her first birthday. In that moment, I felt like I'd been hit hard over the head. It was the first time I'd ever seriously contemplated the act of killing.”
“What was the reason he was targeted?”
“He was about to expose Siesta's corruption from the inside.”
“Killing people over such trivial matters. That's a megacorp for you.”
Kang Hyunseong clicked his tongue. He seemed quite absorbed in Lee Taebaek's inspired bullshit.
Good, I'm almost there.
He leaned his back against the stone wall, feeling its chill. With his eyes closed, Lee Taebaek elevated his own imagination into a concrete blueprint and brought it to life.
“That Siesta, to which I had dedicated my entire life, was evil. That my life had been polluted by the superficially glamorous word 'order.' That the megacorp simply wanted to control people through fear, and we guard dogs were nothing more than components to that end. Only then did I realize it.”
Lee Taebaek looked at his palm. He could almost feel the sticky texture of greasy blood.
“Let's say I accept your escape from Siesta. Then why did you kill the regular soldiers?”
The narrative had been established. Now was the time. Time to prove Lee Taebaek's worth to Kang Hyunseong.
“Just because.”
“Just... because...?”
The madman strategy.
It's one of the methodologies of foreign policy, where one presents oneself as a madman and warns others not to provoke them. You know, like how a chihuahua bares its teeth and growls at everyone it sees. That should make it easier to understand.
“They came to capture me after I escaped Siesta, so I killed them all. I was born and raised as an assassin. I never learned formal speech, which is why I'm speaking informally to you even though we've just met. And what am I supposed to do when someone who's only ever learned to communicate with a knife has a gun pointed at them? I killed them.”
“All of them?”
“Yep.”
“Even if they take a salary from the Seoul government, those regular soldiers are someone's precious sons. Are you saying you felt no guilt in taking their lives? Do you think what you're saying makes any sense right now?”
“I don't think that's something I need to hear from the One-Man Army of a Thousand Kills, who killed a thousand regular soldiers himself. And Kang Hyunseong, let me warn you about one thing...”
He glared, his eyes cold. Of course, it was a bluff.
“Don't preach to me. It's even more unpleasant hearing it from a traitor who uses an alias from the neighboring country of Japhon, of all things. Have you no shame?”
Kang Hyunseong's lips curled into a grin. It was a sign of favor. To think he'd enjoy being insulted like that.
It was one of two things. Either he had stimulated Kang Hyunseong's nationalism, or the man was just crazy. Come to think of it, it could be both.
“And on top of that, you're here in the Neuro-prison, hiding your name and your crime. I have 'absolutely' no idea what you're plotting, but I'm sure it's something trivial. Anyway, I don't have time to entertain you anymore. Stop bothering me and go jerk off to a wall or something. Kang Hyunseong, or should I say, 'Yamamoto-san'.”
“Kuhahahahahaha!”
Kang Hyunseong suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. It was a chilling sound. It seemed he was also using the madman strategy.
“You, you've got a few screws loose. You were too talented to rot away in Siesta! Just like that soup in the food slot.”
That's it, the madman strategy worked!
“Thanks for finally recognizing it.”
“What's the point? In a few days, you're scheduled to become a ghost anyway. But to commemorate our little chat, let me ask you something. If, and only if, you could get out of this place, what would be the first thing you'd do? Let's hear the grand ambition of a death row inmate.”
Kang Hyunseong rested his cheek heavily on his fist.
“Get out of the Neuro-prison? Goddammit.”
Lee Taebaek said with a deep scowl. Just a little more. Just hold back those twitching lips a little longer.
“They say a tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and a man leaves his name. Think of it as your last words and tell me.”
“First, I'll bring down the Siesta Group. That's why I came to Lake City, where their headquarters is located.”
He aligned his "last words" with the Resistance's goal.
“And while I'm at it… all the other megacorps, too.”
“Hah! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all year! So, why the other megacorps?”
The last line, yes.
This would be the perfect finishing touch for the madman strategy.
“No particular reason. Just because they're shit.”
“......?”
“That's all.”
“......”
They reached a stalemate.
Kang Hyunseong looked speechless. At the same time, the sound of guards' footsteps began to approach from a distance.
Thump, thump.
Lee Taebaek shifted impatiently. He waited for an answer so intensely his eyes felt like they would pop out. Had his gamble paid off?
Soon, Kang Hyunseong parted his lips again. A wide grin spread across his stubbled mouth.
“Lee Taebaek, the day of your execution, at 15:00 hours.”
Finally.
“Let's continue our chat then.”
Success.
......
[#1 Small-Scale] 1.1 Patch Notes
Based on 「Operator Mode」 and 「Favor of the Chaos Goddess」, the world's background and settings will be updated.
Additional emergency fixes or setting changes will be applied while 「Operator: Lee Taebaek」 is asleep.
The contents of the update will evaporate upon the player's awakening and will be completely erased from memory.
※If the update's contents twist the world's lore too severely, the probability of a game error, or 'bug', occurring will increase.
◈ Main Patch
• The character's background setting and profession have been modified from 「Death Row Inmate → Death Row Inmate, formerly a Guard Dog of Siesta」.
• The 「Life」 proportional value has increased (+4.7%). Pain tolerance increases along with health.
• The 「Faith」 proportional value has increased (+5.5%). Recovery ability slightly increases.
• The 「Strength」 proportional value has increased (+6.8%). Athletic ability slightly increases.
• Acquired 「Assassin's Swordsmanship (Beginner)」. The proficiency of the ability is affected by the user's level.
◇ Miscellaneous Patch
• Acquired 「Concept: Psychopath (True)」.
• Concepts can be selectively equipped to your personality. Try using them at your discretion to suit the situation!
〉〉 Auto-saving…….
〉〉 Applying patch.