Side Story 16 – The Next Day – The President of Finance, Park Choong-Sik

“It is filled with soondae[1] to the brim and tender intestines in a hot pork broth. Soondae soup is a traditional Korean dish that refreshes your weary everyday life. Among the five heroes, Caliber Kwon Seong-Il chose soondae soup for his post-war meal. Let’s listen more from Reporter Kim Joo-Hee.”

“Inside a small soondae soup restaurant in Seoul, a crowd gathers. The hero Caliber Kwon Seong-Il is dining with the citizens. He continually expresses his amazement at the taste of soondae soup, which he is enjoying after decades of war.”

She continued, “He is dressed casually and stayed for an hour before leaving the shop. He even offers a toast to the citizens and all humanity.”

“What did Odin give to us? Time and life! So, we should love each other in this beautiful moment we are given by the heavens~”

“Cheers for Odin~”

“The entire shop area was on high alert with many security personnel due to the continuous influx of people and numerous domestic and foreign media. Camera flashes neverendingly pour out as Kwon Seong-Il prepares to return to the headquarters of the World Awakened Association, and citizens cheer. He shows a humane and relaxed demeanor, waving and winking in gratitude.

Today is the second day since humanity regained peace, virtually confirming another ceasefire declaration after His announcement yesterday.”

Park Choong-Sik swallowed his saliva and asked, “Where is that? The food looks really tasty.”

“I will find out.”

“Tsk. You are too slow. Have you already forgotten the Kim Eun-Sil case? How long do I have to take care of everything?”

Park Choong-Sik’s heart was pounding in a state of urgency. He still remembered the name Kim Eun-Sil as he felt so bad for her. His son Park Woo-Cheol immediately stood up and took out his phone.

Kim Eun-Sil. She used to own a Korean mart in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Her life dramatically changed after it was reported that the King of Hell, Jonathan Hunter, had ordered soft tofu stew from her through his secretary.

Now she was too busy to meet through normal contacts. The White House put in lots of effort into hiring her as their head chef by offering her a thirty-year long-term lease at high-end accommodation in Washington D.C.

However, it was said that the best offer she got came from the Chinese Communist Party. It was expected because China was the most desperate in the world at the moment. From China’s perspective, it would be a breath of fresh air for them if they could win even a little favor from the King of Hell, Jonathan Hunter.

Anyway, the offer that China suggested to Kim Eun-Sil was something that anyone would have accepted. However, she chose to stay in her home, the United States, and it was a decision that Park Choong-Sik found understandable.

When a person faced their twilight years and thought about death, the most important thing is not money but the stability of their family and their own health. Only fools blinded by money and power could not take this to heart, creating a situation where they failed themselves.

They did not realize how people with authority survived their twilight years. If they lost their health and discorded brews within their inner circle, everything they had been holding onto would slip through their fingers like grains of sand.

In Kim Eun-Sil’s case, she was neither a person in power nor at an age daring enough to gamble with her life. The same went for the old owner of the soondae soup restaurant that Caliber loved. In other words, the owner was also likely to stay in Korea.

Nonetheless, that didn’t mean Park Choong-Sik could be complacent. He needed to embrace her as one of his own before the Blue House or other power holders reached out to her first. He had no intention of dismissing the soondae place owner as insignificant, but he also did not plan to overstate her value.

However, that was what reality was. Caliber was one of the few in humanity who could communicate directly with Him. The dish that he had shown admiration for would have tremendous economic value, at least several hundred million dollars.

The old owner herself might have not realized her value to that extent, but the world’s power figures were likely looking at her with a similar perspective.

Winning the favor of someone who had everything and lacked nothing was difficult. However, it was not impossible. The key was to serve delicious food as it tended to lower one’s guard. Even the Awakened who had isolated themselves from humanity for a long time could not help but enjoy food.

That was why Caliber sought out soondae soup right after the war, and the King of Hell looked for soft tofu stew after he defended the world. Jonathan Hunter definitely did not forget his life in Seoul, which was the starting point of his first heyday.

He had experienced great power and kept feeling his taste buds becoming stronger. It was a craving for gourmet food. Losing his sense of taste as he aged meant he would just be waiting for death lying in bed, so maintaining health was not just for the sake of holding onto power.

Therefore, the world leaders should not have been enraged because they could not bestow a medal upon the former president of Jeonil Bank. They had to focus on finding food that could win the favor of Na Jeon-Il.

Then, the awaited call came in.

<Hello, sir. Nice to talk to you again.>

It was the current president of Jeonil Bank, the direct junior of the former president Na Jeon-Il.

<I have been waiting for your call because I have a question to ask. You must be busy as well, but thank you for calling me.>

<You’re welcome. Thank you for looking for me again, sir.>

<I will invite you to my place sometime. It is fine if you come now, actually.>

<If you call me, I will come right away.>

<Let’s discuss the details face-to-face. But I have one question before that.>

<Yes, go ahead, please.>

<It’s about His father…>

<Ah… Yes.>

<What kind of food does he like? I feel like you would know well.>

<I know of a Japanese restaurant he often visited.>

<Does he like sashimi?>

<He likes sushi.>

<That’s good to know. Then, let’s meet there, not here. Our Chief Prosecutor will join us. Can you make a reservation?>

***

The location was somewhere Park Choong-Sik certainly knew. It was close to City Hall. Jeonil Investment had expanded into Jeonil Group, and one of the real estate properties they acquired was now called Jeonil Hotel.

Despite the appearance of Park Choong-Sik, who was the treasurer of Jeonil Group and a long-standing influential figure in Korea’s business world, the hotel staff only directed their polite greetings to his son, Prosecutor General Park Woo-Cheol.

Only the hotel’s general manager, who had hurriedly come down, guessed Park Choong-SIk’s identity and began to instruct the staff to offer their best service.

Park Woo-Cheol said, “Please make sure the staff maintain discretion.”

The Japanese restaurant His father used to frequent was located on the twentieth floor of the hotel. The neat and elegant vibe pleased Park Choong-Sik, and Park Woo-Cheol had also been here a couple of times.

“I heard the ingredients are flown in directly from Japan, Father.”

“The problem is radiation.”

“If you decide to go through with it, then I will personally oversee the verification process.”

He wanted to bring not only the best Japanese chef to Jeonil Hotel, but also chefs from Japan’s imperial family. However, there was a risk of leaking progress to outside parties. Intelligence agencies around the globe would undoubtedly be focusing all their efforts on this situation. All of them pondered how best to greet both Him and His Father.

“How is the soondae soup project going?”

“I will head there after the meeting.”

“Good, you should take care of it yourself. Don’t delegate your work to subordinates.”

“Don’t worry, Father.”

Park Choong-Sik and Park Woo-Cheol entered the room prepared for guests. Despite the current bank president’s early arrival, his cushion was not warm from body heat. This was a meeting where those in the highest positions of the Blue House and Prosecution came. On top of that, the President of Finance, who had been on the top of Korean politics and business, would attend the meeting as well.

The president of Jeonil Bank stood waiting for their arrival and opened the door as their shadows approached.

“Allow me to greet you again, sir. I am Kim Doe from Jeonil Bank.”

The president of Jeonil Bank was about to lower his head deeply when Park Choong-Sik shook his hand, halting the descending motion.

“Meeting you in our group’s property is refreshing. It is not good to just sit in the office.”

“If you frequently show up, the morale of the whole group would improve.”

“Nah. It would be inconvenient for them. Our feelings must not be the same.”

Though this was the first time Park Choong-Sik and the president of Jeonil Bank faced each other, there was no awkwardness as if they had known each other for years. They were there for a reason.

Park Choong-Sik cut to the chase.

“I am preparing a gift for His father, but finding an appropriate liaison is challenging. It is inappropriate for either myself or our Prosecutor General to go. I heard His father had promoted you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have a difficult favor to ask. Can you take my son along when you serve as a liaison? It would serve both our interests. Then, I will never forget about today until my death.”

“I will, sir.”

Park Woo-Cheol added a comment. The bank president was not surprised as he had anticipated this. However, his head lowered even further when Park Woo-Cheol spoke.

“How could I refuse anything from you, sir? But…”

“Don’t worry about that. His father will let you in if it is you. You must know this far, but the important thing is this. If He gets even slightly uncomfortable, you must discreetly leave.”

“He?”

“Yes, ‘He.’”

If it was a matter that directly involved Him, it was an issue beyond his capabilities. Did global powers approach his father because they were idiots? No. The more they looked into it, even making contact with ‘Him’ with pure goodwill should have been avoided. One’s destruction could be instantaneous.

What happened to the Awakened who challenged Him at the Stage of Advent? How did China cause its own downfall when international politics were strengthening into a G2 system with China and the U.S.? What fate met the evil god who seemed capable of destroying all of mankind in an instant?

He was a living god. The idea that mere humans would attempt to make contact with such an entity, regardless of the reward for success, could never outweigh the horrific consequences of failure. Every individual and a collective at the national level were nothing but insignificant specks in front of Him.

So, please. Park Choong-Sik repeatedly cautioned the bank president. Then, the sushi soon came out. As expected, it was of a quality that would not disappoint His father who enjoyed it.

Park Choong-Sik put a piece of sushi in his mouth and reminisced about the past. There was a time when His father had brought the young Him to the headquarters. His first impression was so strong that it still remained in his memory. That was why he dared to have a little hope. He wished that the audacity of giving Him an allowance back then would come back as a blessing.

“Prosecutor Park.”

“Yes, Father.”

The world continued, just as it had before. He had enjoyed as much as he could. Now, the era for his son and grandchildren had arrived, and Park Choong-Sik felt that he would not be afraid of the day of his death if he could pass on everything he had.

“This is the furthest I can do. Go and pay your respects to His father well.”

1. Korean blood sausage ☜