I Will Stage A Coup D'état-Chapter 78: Peaceful Daily Life (2)

Chapter 78: Peaceful Daily Life (2)

Kim Kook-hwan was a self-proclaimed Valiant Protector who made a living by collecting protection fees on the streets.

Kook-hwan had pride in his own fists, so he didn’t use force recklessly.

He had his own set of rules and lines he wouldn’t cross.

Still, people around him called him a thug.

In fact, for a life of idling around, the title of swordsman was undeserved.

Kim Kook-hwan lived such a comfortable life, making a living with his fists, until he ended up in a detention center during the “War on Crime”.

After being released from the detention center, the big brothers and younger ones that Kook-hwan had been serving were all scattered and gone.

Kook-hwan had no choice but to start manual labor.

Fortunately, there were plenty of things to do all over the Empire.

Kim Kook-hwan experienced the taste of labor, sweating for the first time, but soon gave up.

The wages were too low.

Damn it, who would do this for such pay.

Through his acquainted big brothers, Kook-hwan started running house gambling.

“If I shout, come in right away. Got it?”

“Yes, big bro. Leave it to me.”

It was something he wouldn’t have even looked at during his self-proclaimed Valiant Protector days, but now he was desperate to make a living.

“How dare this bastard cause trouble here? Do you want your wrist to fly off!”

Kook-hwan acted with a frightening presence at the house, crushing the skilled gamblers and pigeons.

“I am the double fork of West Dong Street in the Capital. You know?”

Kook-hwan enjoyed his second heyday, even bragging a bit.

And once again, the terrifying claws of the Korean Empire fell upon him.

“Catch all these bastards.”

In front of the ruthless power of the public security agency, Kook-hwan was a mere insect.

Kook-hwan was caught without being able to make a sound.

No matter how tough he was, it was of no use in front of the gravity of the authorities.

This time, even the judge didn’t show leniency, so he went to prison.

Kook-hwan was classified as a serious criminal in prison and was to serve a 5-year sentence.

“Hey, 111, parole.”

Thanks to the prison warden who looked favorably upon Kook-hwan, who at least knew how to restrain his strength, his sentence was greatly reduced and he was able to leave prison after only 2 years.

Then one day, while he was in and out of detention centers, a man in a suit came to his house.

“Mr. Kim Kook-hwan?”

The man had a low and cold voice.

He was like a snake that would bite a person’s neck if one let their guard down.

Kook-hwan had occasionally met such men on the streets.

“Y-yes, that’s me.”

“Our Kook-hwan has committed a lot of crimes. Gambling fraud, violence, extortion, organized violence, robbery. There’s no crime he hasn’t committed.”

“I never committed rape. And I’ve paid for my crimes, so what does it matter?”

That was all the protest that the Valiant Protector Kim Kook-hwan could make.

“Anyway, it’s true that your life got messed up because of those crimes. Isn’t it?”

Kook-hwan also acknowledged that fact.

Thinking about today, he actually regretted not studying hard when he was young.

“My father was obsessed with gambling, selling cows and houses. If it weren’t for that, I could have walked a different path.”

“What the hell are you trying to say, coming to someone else’s house?”

Kook-hwan’s tone naturally became gruff.

“What about it?”

“A life ruined because of your father, how about using it for the motherland once?”

At those words, Kim Kook-hwan slightly froze.

“M-motherland? Are you from the DSC or something?”

“If you have thoughts, take your time to ponder. I’ll come back in three days.”

The man disappeared, leaving only those words.

Kim Kook-hwan thought for days at home.

Who was that man?

And what did he mean by working for the country?

He couldn’t find the answers.

How could Kook-hwan, with his lack of education, think about such things?

But he knew one thing.

His life was already ruined, so he had nothing to lose by rolling the dice once more.

As Kook-hwan’s pondering came to an end, the man appeared again.

“If you’ve made up your mind, change into these clothes.”

The man held out a bag.

Inside the bag were a fine suit and shoes that he had never seen before in his life.

Kook-hwan changed into the clothes carefully, feeling awed.

“Here’s a watch too.”

The man also tossed him a watch.

As Kook-hwan finished dressing, the man said,

“Engrave this in your mind. From now on, the old rascal Kim Kook-hwan doesn’t exist in this world anymore.”

“Yes.”

When the man gestured, a car that was far away came to Kook-hwan.

It was also a nice car that he had never seen before.

German-made?

As Kook-hwan looked around, the man said,

“Get in.”

The car headed in the direction of Mt. Geumsu.

The car soon turned away from Mt. Geumsu and headed towards an ordinary-looking house.

Nevertheless, the air felt different.

Even to the uneducated Kim Kook-hwan, it couldn’t possibly be an ordinary residence.

“Get out.”

Kook-hwan followed the man into the building.

In the spacious living room, several men wearing suits similar to Kook-hwan’s were sitting.

They were clearly of the same kind.

Kook-hwan sat in an appropriate spot, reading the atmosphere.

Soon, the man clapped his hands to gather attention and spoke to the suit-clad group.

“You’ve all gone through the trouble of coming here without knowing why. Don’t worry. You weren’t called for anything bad. You heard that you’ll be doing work for the country, right? From today, you’ll be working under the National Security Department. Now, you might be wondering what kind of place this National Security Department is that you’ve never heard of, but that’s natural. It’s because it’s a secret organization that’s not well known. Just know that it’s a very secretive place.”

The man explained the work they would be doing at the National Security Department from now on.

He said the mission of the National Security Department was to infiltrate companies and factories for the nation and steal accounting data and such.

The purpose was to monitor whether they were deceiving the nation or not.

Kim Kook-hwan nodded.

The country was quiet because the nation was managing things so tightly like this.

To become a member of such a patriotic group.

Kim Kook-hwan felt his heart pounding.

From today, he was no longer a street thug, but a national civil servant, Kim Kook-hwan.

“Now, I will assign tasks to each of you.”

Kook-hwan was given the task of infiltrating Taejung and inspecting the logistics warehouse of the Nampo Armory.

He was given plenty of time.

Since he was also given funds for bribing people, Kook-hwan could enjoy a leisurely life for a change while doing his job.

About ten days passed like that when detectives came looking for him.

“Mr. Kim Kook-hwan?”

“Yes, that’s me, but why are you doing this?”

“It’s him alright, hey, arrest him.”

Kim Kook-hwan instinctively knew something was wrong.

“Wait, hold on a moment.”

“Shut this bastard’s mouth first.”

The detectives forcefully subdued Kim Kook-hwan and tied him up with rope.

And so, Kim Kook-hwan was dragged to the police station.

Honestly, he couldn’t even understand the reason.

He was doing work for the country, so why were the detectives…?

He couldn’t help but feel that resentment.

And at the police station he arrived at, reporters were gathered in droves.

“Hey, take pictures.”

Kook-hwan could barely open his eyes from the flashing lights.

“Just what are you doing this for?”

As Kook-hwan shouted while covering his eyes, a reporter retorted as if dumbfounded.

“You’re a Fifth Columnist, aren’t you.”

Fifth Columnist?

Kook-hwan didn’t know what Fifth Columnist meant because he lacked education.

“What does that mean?”

“Aren’t you a spy!”

“Me?”

Kook-hwan was at a loss.

If Kook-hwan had the capability to be a spy, would he have lived as a bully on the streets?

It was an absurd accusation.

“No?”

“Why would I be a spy? I was just doing work for the coun-“

Kook-hwan swallowed those words.

You must never reveal that you belong to the National Security Department.

That’s what the man had said.

But as the interrogation continued, Kook-hwan spoke in a state of giving up.

“I belong to the National Security Department. If you tell the higher-ups, they’ll understand, so please relay the message.”

The detectives were dumbfounded by those words.

“National Security Department, he says. Where does such an agency exist in the Korean Empire?”

“They said it’s a secret organization that’s not well known.”

“Hey. If such a place existed, the activist kids would’ve known first. Then we would’ve known too. But we don’t know about it? Then it doesn’t exist.”

Kook-hwan felt like he had been hit with a hammer at those words.

Then what the hell was the National Security Department?

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“Hey. Anyways, to go around impersonating a national agency, whether it’s the National Security Department or whatever, and engage in organized Fifth Column activities to this extent, it must be a big spy organization. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah. This is the first time seeing guys like these.”

Kook-hwan bit his nails.

Something was wrong.

This atmosphere seemed to have already determined that he was a spy.

Kook-hwan hastily appealed to the detective.

“No, I’m telling you, the person who created the National Security Department organization is really from a national agency. Otherwise, how could they have gathered people like me?”

Even the uneducated Kook-hwan could explain that much of his suspicion.

But there was no physical evidence.

And without physical evidence, he couldn’t make the detectives believe him.

No, the detectives had no intention of believing him.

The detectives laughed sneeringly.

Then one of them approached Kook-hwan as if pitying him and said,

“Hey. Listen, pal. No matter how much you babble here, it’s no use.”

“What?”

“Even if what you’re saying is true, there’s no one who will believe it.”

“Why, why is that?”

“If what you’re saying is true, it means it’s the work of the DSC or Intelligence Agency, but how can we investigate that given our position?”

Kook-hwan felt a distant sense of despair at those words.

Really, this couldn’t be happening.

He had been so full of new hope, thinking he was working for the country.

On this day, the largest spy organization since Dangun was uncovered in Korea.

With this large-scale Fifth Column incident, the protests in Korea died down all at once.

Everyone was busy suspecting each other, thinking that Fifth Columnists could be hiding anywhere, sabotaging the nation.

The thought that they could be branded as a member of the Fifth Column if misunderstood made people cautious of their words and actions.

“Commander, sir. We have completed the National Security Department plan. The world will be quiet for the time being.”

“Yes, good work. Here, use this for the team dinner for the hardworking guys.”

The DSC’s scheme succeeded quietly, just like that.