Chapter 571 – The Bureau is an Elephant (1)
—
– Cha Jinchul
To understand a tiger, one must step into its den.
That’s me, the rookie agent of the Administration Bureau, Cha Jinchul.
Recently, I’ve realized a fact.
Agents are, in my understanding, the most arrogant beings in the world.
And that includes Ari.
I think Mooksung is a bit better than that, though.
*
— Squeak!
I stepped out in front of a massive single-family home near Seoul.
This picturesque mansion features some pricey and extravagant rock formations, a well-kept garden, and even a small lake.
For a place housing no more than ten people, it’s quite luxurious.
But given that it’s the residence of Jang Mincheol, the chairman of the Taeseong Group, one of Korea’s wealthiest conglomerates, it’s to be expected.
“Oh, come on, Cha junior! Why do you drive like this?”
“…”
“Seriously, it feels rough! Shouldn’t you be training for driving, not shooting?”
My superior, Agent Kim Ji-ho, seemed quite dissatisfied with my driving skills as he held onto his neck.
I admit, my driving is rough.
But it makes sense—after enduring all kinds of turmoil in hotels, I hardly had to drive at all.
As a result, my driving skills have plummeted even more than before I entered the hotel industry.
“I’m sorry, Kim sunbae.”
“Ugh! Alright, let’s get to work.”
My superior, Kim Ji-ho, though incredibly arrogant, is quick to forget minor annoyances.
We could call that one of his few redeeming traits.
“Do you understand what you need to do? Rookie, start.”
With just a nod, as if to say, “Do what I say.”
I can see this isn’t arrogance, just his way of teaching a newbie.
Still, it feels a bit annoying.
I approached the mansion and rang the doorbell.
— Ding Dong!
“…”
“…”
“One more time—”
“No, no, Cha junior. You think they don’t know we’re here?”
There’s no way they wouldn’t, since we contacted them in advance.
“They’re just protesting in their own way. Who are we? The Taeseong Group, the 10th-largest conglomerate in Korea!”
“…”
“Who am I? Jang Mincheol, chairman of Taeseong Group! Shouldn’t they take my circumstances into consideration? Ha! Ridiculous.”
Is there really a need to act like this theatrically?
Is this part of Taeseong Group’s pressure strategy?
“Let’s just push our way in—”
I got into position, realizing there might be a point.
“Whoa, did you think I meant your arm strength? Not that—”
— Crack! Boom!
The door swung open.
“Let’s go in.”
“- No, how did you open it like that?”
Typically, one would be astounded by revealing such strength, but Kim Ji-ho, being an agent, merely looked dumbfounded.
Initially, I had hidden my ‘hotel background,’ along with my blessing of courage and heritage…
But at some point, I stopped hiding a bit of my impressive strength.
In the Bureau’s world, a special ability like this isn’t that rare.
In front of me, Kim Ji-ho also has his own strength.
As we entered the mansion, just as Ji-ho predicted, Jang Mincheol, the owner of Taeseong Group, awaited us with wide eyes.
“What is… What is this outrageous act!”
“Outrageous? Are you referring to us? We did inform you, though.”
“Informed! Ha! Do you think just informing before a kidnapping is enough? Am I supposed to hand over my family just because you asked nicely?”
“Chairman, I’m sorry, but I don’t have a family, so that threat means nothing to me.”
Kim Ji-ho and I were here to take away his youngest son, Jang Seojin.
“Shut up! Do you even know where you are? We—”
Losing his composure over his son’s safety, he couldn’t think straight.
An elderly lady next to him tried to calm the agitated chairman while welling up with tears.
“Please, think about this. How much has the Taeseong Group donated over the years? Seojin has… made a ‘slight’ mistake, but if you give him a chance to atone—”
“That atonement can be done here at HQ.”
“Lies! Do you think we don’t know? There’s no way you’ll let Seojin live—”
— Bang!
The sound of a gunshot brought an eerie silence.
— Bang! Bang!
More shots rang out.
Kim Ji-ho was shooting at the various sculptures decorating the mansion.
What a blatant act of vandalism right in front of them; no one dared to protest.
The chairman and his wife, who had been shouting just moments ago, looked terrified, trembling before the agent.
Yes, they absolutely fear us.
The chairman’s anger is nothing but the whimpering of a scared dog.
“Now, now. Have you regained your composure?”
“…”
“We’re busy. Last warning: step aside! If you raise your voice again, I can guarantee your name will be in tomorrow’s Korea Daily obituary.”
No more interference.
Thanks to that, we could finally search for the chairman’s youngest son, Jang Seojin, inside the mansion.
“Cha junior.”
“I’m listening.”
“No need to entertain the commoners’ threats.”
“I just wanted to see what nonsense they were saying…”
“Do you like horror movies?”
“Out of nowhere with horror movies?”
“I don’t watch them much.”
“I watch them occasionally. There’s a lot to learn.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The trait of a well-made horror movie villain is that they hardly speak.”
“…”
“They communicate almost not at all. They just resort to violence or behave in incomprehensible ways.”
Talking about how regular folks fear us.
Thanks to my hotel experience, I know this stuff.
Hence, the difference in views between Ji-ho and me comes in the next part.
“If you mean buying fear, I understand. Just have to wonder why it’s necessary to become a scary monster.”
“You said it benefits both us and the commoners.”
“That’s just your opinion, not mine.”
Although that sounds quite arrogant for a rookie of only three months, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Ji-ho; I wanted to see his reaction.
I’ve become a rookie agent to ‘understand the Bureau’ after all.
“… You’ll understand one day.”
Instead of forcing a point, Ji-ho stepped back.
Isn’t that an interesting note?
In a regular company, a newbie saying something like “That’s just your opinion, mine is different” would ruin their reputation.
The Bureau’s culture—or more specifically, the culture among agents—is surprisingly horizontal.
Each agent is a returner, all possessing overinflated egos comparable to medieval royalty.
I’m also royalty, and so are you.
We don’t mind the commoners crawling up, but among us royals, we ought to respect each other.
That kind of feeling.
At that moment, Ji-ho muttered as if to himself.
“Cha junior.”
“I’m listening.”
“I feel like you’re curious about who ‘we’ really are.”
“…”
Oh, he’s sharper than I thought.
“Not a bad thought. Understanding the people you’ll be with for a long time helps us both.”
“For a long time together?”
“Still getting used to it, huh? You and I will be meeting in this life, the next, and the one after that. Longer than any family or friends—”
“…”
“…”
Ji-ho, isn’t this a bit too much to say between guys?
“Ah, darn it. No, I didn’t mean to curse at you—”
Looks like he realized it himself.
“No idea how this conversation turned into this. Anyway, the point is, making an effort to understand others is good. But remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The Bureau is an elephant.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ever heard of the parable of the blind men and the elephant?”
“…”
“The way you see the Bureau differs from how someone ‘above’ sees it.
Your view as a newcomer is different from a veteran’s.
So, how do you think Ari perceives the Bureau?”
“Let’s head in. This seems to be Jang Seojin’s room.”
*
– Kim Ari
Early in the morning, I woke up to a text message.
“… I never thought this day would come.”
The message was simple yet clear.
“Agent Kim Ari, in recognition of your long-time dedication and achievements, especially your feat of escaping the hotel, you are hereby promoted.”
“…”
I’m getting promoted today.
Climbing up to be part of the most powerful organization that rules the entire planet.
Without a doubt, the authority of the Administration Bureau’s head, the Silent One, is incomparable to any earthly leader.
To put it somewhat childishly, I now have the power to kill the President of the United States with just a flick of my finger.
“…”
Yet, I’m not as thrilled as I expected.
Maybe it’s because of the shocking experiences I had at the hotel.
Or perhaps I just don’t fancy wielding power over others.
Still, an intense curiosity has sparked within me.
I’m eager to uncover the countless secrets I now have access to.
*
Stepping outside, there was a black car parked at my house.
Upon getting in, I saw a familiar face in the driver’s seat.
“You’re awake.”
“… Hearing you speak formally is quite awkward.”
The driver is none other than Park Hyun-min, the head of the Korean Division of the Administration Bureau.
At this level, I’d say he has much greater authority than the president of Korea.
It’s rare to speak formally to someone and even rarer to act as someone’s chauffeur.
“You, from the moment you received the text, are the most noble person under this sky.”
“What, am I some kind of king?”
“Can you compare it to any mere king?”
“…”
“I envy you. Truly.”
“…”
“It’s also an honor.”
“Let’s get moving.”
“Sure.”
As I leaned back in the back seat in a daze, the car took a bizarre route to a place unlike anywhere in the world.
Well, I suppose I should relax.
There’s no way the head of the Korean Division would suddenly assassinate me.
But I have more pressing matters to ponder.
What am I going to know, and what will I be able to do from now on?
Why did those who sat in the seat of the Silent One before me decide to promote me?
Some of the Silent Ones must have been former participants, right?
Is there a possibility I might meet the owner of former wisdom today?
…
My head is spinning.
With so many possibilities swirling at once, I couldn’t gauge what would happen next.
“What are you thinking about?”
“A lot of things.”
“… I’m curious.”
“Not your business. Focus on driving.”
It took less than two hours to reach our destination.
“… Hey, isn’t that Australia?”
“Correct.”
Less than two hours by car from Seoul, not even by plane, and suddenly, there’s Australia…
Is there some secret passageway I can only know about after being promoted to head of the Korean Division?
…
Just go along with it.
Soon, I’ll have all the information he knows, plus way more secrets in my hands.
“Do you see that tower over there?”
“I see it.”
“You should head that way.”
Glancing back, I noticed Park Hyun-min bowing politely outside the car.
“I am unworthy. But you are.”
“Thanks for the directions.”
“Not at all. Just…”
“Just what?”
“If you’re grateful, may I ask a question?”
“…”
“What are you thinking right now?”
This guy’s curiosity isn’t subtle at all.
I guess this curiosity must be one of the driving forces of survival at higher ranks in the Bureau.
“I’m curious, just like you.”
“What about?”
“About the Silent One.”
“Yes.”
“What is the Silent One silent about?”
“…”
We walked towards the tower.
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