Chapter 122: The Warship and the Second Golden Age

Two members of the Alliance were slated to participate in the negotiation. One was Han Do-hoon, and the other was Kim Chae-jun.

Although he was originally supposed to join Han Do-hoon, Kim Chae-jun waited outside the venue. He then departed the island with the security detail.

This decision was made under Han Do-hoon’s direct orders.

His plan was to completely neutralize the island, along with anyone from Air Rain who might be a clone of Sa-yoon or a third party impersonating him. Thus, other personnel were evacuated as a precaution.

Having previously left the island, Kim Chae-jun returned alone.

Defying even his superior’s command, he declared that he had waited there for Sa-yoon, and then he wept once more.

“Why would you do something so dangerous? It might not have been me at all.”

“But…”

Kim Chae-jun sniffled, roughly wiping his tears with his sleeve as he spoke.

“That Kang Ah-jun bastard went there, didn’t he? I thought he’d be back in a moment, but he’s been messing around for ages.

He’s like a dog… no, like an animal, just with good instincts.”

“Either cry or curse. Pick one.”

Chae-jun sniffled a few more times, his shoulders still heaving, before he forced his eyes wide open. It seemed he had chosen to curse rather than cry.

“When he fled with a warship, I thought he was crazy, but when I heard that fragments of that warship were being sold on the black market, I was certain. It really is you, Team Leader.”

He choked up slightly again as he uttered the words ‘Team Leader’. He had always been a sensitive person, but in the time they had been apart, he seemed to have become even more emotional.

Sa-yoon, the reason and the culprit behind this, quietly patted Kim Chae-jun’s back instead of speaking.

“So, Team Leader, we’re the ones in the wrong, aren’t we?”

“Huh?”

“Otherwise, there’s no way you’d stay with Air Rain and leave me behind. Just like the flyers they’ve been diligently spreading, we’re the real bad guys, aren’t we?”

Kim Chae-jun, who had always been smarter than others, quickly grasped the situation.

He had seriously read Kang Ah-jun’s flyers, which looked as though no one would bother with them, and figured it out all on his own.

“That’s right.”

“As I thought…”

Sa-yoon felt a bitter pang as he watched Kim Chae-jun nod. He wished that others—no, at least one other person—would also realize this truth.

Sa-yoon thought of Han Do-hoon, who was likely still searching for him on the surface.

After he had holed himself up in the secret room, the surrounding area had been engulfed in heat several times. However, the intervals between these occurrences steadily decreased, and after a few hours, the heat completely subsided.

Just as Kim Chae-jun had promised, the temperature-insulated underground secret room had completely fooled Han Do-hoon.

“I think it’s about time we can go out now.”

Sa-yoon stretched his stiff back, having been seated in the cramped space for a long time. A message had arrived right when Han Do-hoon was causing a ruckus.

It was from Kang Tae-han, saying that they would have to evacuate first and hoping for Sa-yoon’s safety. The ship carrying the hostages had likely already returned with Kang Tae-han.

Therefore, Sa-yoon needed to find a way to escape this vast expanse of sea.

‘Should I wait for him to return?’

If it were Kang Tae-han, he would come to rescue Sa-yoon immediately after hiding the hostages. However, even if he came alone, it would be all for naught if his movements were detected by others.

Swimming across the island was impossible. Water was an element Sa-yoon couldn’t control. As he dejectedly planned his next steps, Kim Chae-jun, who had been checking the time, suddenly stood up.

“The wind on the surface has stopped.”

He peeked his head through a hole in the earth and surveyed the ground, where heat shimmered like a mirage. Kim Chae-jun, sensitively reading the air currents and assessing his surroundings, cautiously ascended to the surface.

Then, he extended a hand to Sa-yoon.

“Follow me. There’s something I want to show you.”

Wiping the remaining tear streaks from his face, Kim Chae-jun straightened his shoulders. There was a subtly confident air about him. Sa-yoon followed the triumphant Kim Chae-jun.

Every path they saw was covered in black ash. As they moved to the edge of the island, where there was no ash or heat, they saw a less damaged coastline.

“Fortunately, this part didn’t burn.”

Even as an uninhabited island, it was quite large. Half of the island, which was about the size of Jeju Island, had burned, but thankfully, the opposite side had escaped the ravages of the fire.

And on that undamaged coast, there was a ship.

“A ship… what?”

“Yes. I brought it here.”

“This?”

“Yes, this.”

Each time Sa-yoon repeated his question with a dubious tone, Kim Chae-jun answered without wavering. Sa-yoon sighed. He kept forgetting that Kim Chae-jun was just like Kang Ah-jun.

“That’s a warship.”

“It’s a 4,000-ton class. I can’t lose to Kang Ah-jun, can I?”

Kim Chae-jun, who claimed to have single-handedly brought a warship a thousand tons heavier than Kang Ah-jun’s, proudly straightened his shoulders.

Sa-yoon struggled to close his gaping mouth as he gazed at the warship, which looked like a massive apartment building laid on its side. Unaware of Sa-yoon’s awe, Kim Chae-jun excitedly boasted.

“I’m the Vice Commander’s direct secretary, you know. I can procure a ship like this all by myself. I was a bit worried if Team Leader Han Do-hoon might have burned this too, but fortunately, he didn’t come this far.”

Kim Chae-jun pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to Sa-yoon.

“Take this and go. I’ll stay here.”

“You… you’re not coming?”

Kim Chae-jun’s reaction was unexpected; Sa-yoon had assumed he would immediately try to escape with him. This attitude was in stark contrast to his past, where he always tried to follow Sa-yoon and stay by his side. Seeing Sa-yoon’s confusion, Kim Chae-jun shook his head.

“At least one person needs to stay and provide information to the Team Leader. They say you should always plant a spy inside, right? Here’s my contact information.”

Kim Chae-jun, who had yearned to see and missed Sa-yoon more than anyone, bid him farewell there. Sa-yoon hesitated at his self-proclaimed role as a spy.

“It could be dangerous. Let’s go together.”

“Oh, I’ll say that you stole this ship, Team Leader. Please bear that stigma for a bit. It’s the only way to be safe after surrendering a 4,000-ton class ship.”

Kim Chae-jun replied without a trace of hesitation, despite Sa-yoon’s concerns, and smiled with a sense of relief.

“Team Leader Han Do-hoon, who was furiously spewing fire, must be exhausted somewhere, so I need to go there. He doesn’t seem to have gone completely berserk yet, but I need to give him medicine to knock him out before he does.

Then, when the rescue team arrives later, I’ll join them, pretending to be a victim.”

Kim Chae-jun’s calm recitation of Han Do-hoon’s condition sounded strangely familiar. His tone suggested he had extensive experience dealing with Han Do-hoon’s tyrannical behavior right before he went berserk.

It seemed Sa-yoon wasn’t the only one who had changed over time. Kim Chae-jun now wore a mature expression that Sa-yoon hadn’t seen before.

Checking his watch and roughly estimating Han Do-hoon’s condition, Kim Chae-jun asked Sa-yoon,

“Team Leader, you had some contact with Team Leader Han Do-hoon today, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Briefly.”

Their contact had only been when they first met and when Han Do-hoon, in a fit of anger, grabbed him by the collar, but they had certainly touched.

“Then his condition shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, that was just me thinking out loud.”

Even when Sa-yoon tilted his head, puzzled by the incomprehensible remark, Kim Chae-jun showed no intention of explaining. He simply pondered where Han Do-hoon might have collapsed, then clapped Sa-yoon on the back.

“Don’t worry about it. From now on, don’t worry about anyone else; just live as you wish, Team Leader.”

“Chae-jun…”

“Ah, and you should take this too.”

Chae-jun pulled a USB from his pocket and handed it to Sa-yoon.

“This contains data related to the warship’s internal components and explosives. The specific item names and purchase years are listed in detail, so scrutinize them carefully and sell them for a high price.”

“…”

“That Kang Ah-jun, if he was going to take it, he should have at least done it properly. It seems he sold it off for a pittance on the black market. He should have gotten at least double the price.”

Even in this situation, Kim Chae-jun grumbled, cursing Kang Ah-jun, then his lips curved into a bright smile.

“I’m better than Kang Ah-jun, right?”

“…Yes.”

Sa-yoon smiled back at him. This was Kim Chae-jun’s unique way of comforting him, his method of overcoming the sadness of their brief encounter.

Knowing his feelings, Sa-yoon did not ask Kim Chae-jun to come with him again.

“Let’s be together someday.”

“Of course.”

Sa-yoon patted Kim Chae-jun’s head once more and headed toward the warship. Watching Kim Chae-jun walk away without looking back, Sa-yoon slowly set the warship in motion.

As the season fully transitioned into winter, a cold, biting wind fiercely followed the warship. The ship rapidly moved away from the island.

PD Park Han-woo had always walked the smooth path of an elite since birth.

Born in a neighborhood with excellent schools, he graduated from one of the top three universities in the country and joined a broadcasting station as a PD, a dream he had held since childhood.

Although he had suffered under a somewhat old-fashioned senior PD, his life had been exceptionally smooth, save for such minor issues. Thus, Park Han-woo considered himself quite fortunate.

As if to prove this belief, PD Park Han-woo encountered a program that would change his life. It was a documentary that closely covered S-class espers, filming their daily lives.

The documentary, featuring Han Do-hoon and Jin Sa-yoon, the sensational figures who had stopped the Seoul terror attack at the time, achieved a viewership rating of 32.8%.

In an era where people no longer watched television, this was a truly record-breaking figure.

Despite participating only as an assistant PD, the program instantly elevated PD Park Han-woo into the ranks of major producers. Starting with that broadcast, he gained independence from his senior PD and began to be recognized as a main PD.

However, it is said that good fortune is often accompanied by crises.

After that, PD Park Han-woo failed to achieve satisfactory results. He made several attempts, but only produced lackluster programs.

The director, who had once patted PD Park Han-woo’s shoulder, anticipating his future, now frowned whenever he saw him. His juniors, who had once respected him, began avoiding coffee breaks with him.

But PD Park Han-woo was not one to be discouraged. He was an enlightened talent who knew how to follow trends.

Leaving behind terrestrial broadcasting, which was gradually declining, he gathered trending figures and launched a YouTube channel. The result was a massive success.

He quickly came to operate three channels with over a million subscribers, earning sums of money unimaginable with his previous salary.

Thus, he seemed to be entering his second golden age.

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