Chapter 163: America (5)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The business card in Kang Jae-ha's hand was practically trash. Yet the English word 'lawyer' was clearly written on it. The name on the card was David Park. In other words, it belonged to the homeless man standing in front of him. No, to Park Eun-jung.

Which meant that homeless man, Park Eun-jung, was a lawyer.

Go Chun-seok and Ha Yeon-ji looked quite surprised by Jae-ha's words. A lawyer? Their expressions practically said. Kang Jae-ha, on the other hand, remained calm. He lowered the business card he'd been examining and met the eyes of Park Eun-jung, the new Subordinate he'd encountered in America.

Jae-ha asked Park Eun-jung in Korean.

"Are you a lawyer?"

At that, Park Eun-jung's expression turned strange. His face was blank, yet somehow didn't feel expressionless. How to put it, he looked as though he were pretending to be indifferent while emotions raged inside him. Kang Jae-ha immediately judged that Park Eun-jung had a rather complicated story behind him.

'Well, of course he does. He was sprawled out looking like a beggar in an alley in LA. There's bound to be some kind of story behind that.'

And he didn't merely look like a beggar. He had clearly been living like that for at least several years. His sun-darkened skin and thick, overgrown beard were proof enough. In any case, the new Subordinate, Park Eun-jung, didn't answer Kang Jae-ha's question.

"......"

He merely stared silently at Jae-ha. Wariness filled his gaze. It made sense. Go Chun-seok and Ha Yeon-ji beside him were unmistakably comrades from the Mercenary Corps in the Other World, but the masked Kang Jae-ha was a face he'd never seen before. Still, unlike earlier, there was now a change in Park Eun-jung's eyes.

They had been like the eyes of a dead fish before, but now a little life had returned to them.

He had spent all this time merely existing because he couldn't bring himself to die, only for Mercenary Corps comrades he had never expected, never even imagined seeing, to suddenly appear before him.

Kang Jae-ha quietly studied Park Eun-jung for a while, then slipped the business card he'd been holding into his pocket. Park Eun-jung made no move to stop him. After checking the time, Kang Jae-ha spoke to him without much change in expression.

"So this is your territory, and those boxes over there are your house?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"We'll talk about the details next time. Two days from now, in the morning. Let's meet at that big park over there."

"......"

"You don't have to show up if you don't want to. Finding you again won't be difficult."

For now, Kang Jae-ha decided to buy some time in case anything unexpected happened.

'This is America. There's no guarantee there isn't someone like the Vice-Commander here, and they might have formed an organization like the 'New Light Truth Church'.'

America was enormous. It would be dangerous to carelessly guess how many Subordinates might be somewhere in the country. If one of them had formed an organization in America, there was no ruling out the possibility that instead of a cult like the 'New Light Truth Church', it could be a gang or a major criminal organization.

'Park Eun-jung doesn't look like the type. Still, there's no harm in being careful.'

If there really was a Subordinate who had formed a gang or criminal organization, things would become somewhat troublesome.

'Then again, there might not be anyone like that.'

Whatever the case, Kang Jae-ha was certain Park Eun-jung would show up. Soon, Jae-ha signaled Go Chun-seok and Ha Yeon-ji with his eyes. It meant they should leave for now. Go Chun-seok nodded and spoke gravely to Park Eun-jung.

"If possible, let's meet again."

Ha Yeon-ji also smiled and waved at Park Eun-jung. Once Go Chun-seok and Ha Yeon-ji moved to Jae-ha's side, Kang Jae-ha delivered his final words.

"Two days from now, in the morning. The park up ahead."

A little while later.

Before long, Park Eun-jung was standing all alone in the alley. He continued staring in the direction where the mysterious man and his two comrades had disappeared.

"......"

Confusion, bewilderment, and a faint sense of excitement swirled around him. The biggest reason was the two comrades from the Mercenary Corps. Why were those two in America? And who was that mysterious man? Why were his two comrades following him?

Gone was the Park Eun-jung who had been lying there like a lifeless wreck, utterly still.

His eyes were now strikingly clear.

"And how did they find me?"

There was no way they'd found him by coincidence. In this enormous country, among countless alleys, what were the odds that he'd happen to run into comrades from the Mercenary Corps in this exact place? It wouldn't be strange to say the probability was practically 0%. So it absolutely wasn't a coincidence. Park Eun-jung believed they had deliberately come looking for him.

Park Eun-jung's gaze shifted. He saw the cardboard he'd been lying on like a broken man until just moments ago. For some reason, he no longer wanted to lie down there.

Because his mind was now filled with thoughts of his comrades and.

"Did he say two days from now?"

That mysterious man.

Meanwhile.

After returning to the hotel, Kang Jae-ha headed not to his own room, but to Go Chun-seok's. Jae-ha sat down, while Go Chun-seok and Ha Yeon-ji took seats nearby. Ha Yeon-ji immediately pounced on the Commander with a question.

"What's Park Eun-jung's deal? Korean? American?"

"Who knows. We'll learn the details once we talk to him, but, well, probably both."

"Both??"

"Yeah. Or maybe he immigrated here. Judging by his English pronunciation, he hasn't been living here for just a year or two. At least five years."

This time, Go Chun-seok joined in.

"Are you saying Park Eun-jung is a lawyer?"

"That's not certain either. It's hard to judge from a single business card. I'd say there's a high chance he's a lawyer."

"Hmm. If he really is a lawyer, why is he living on cardboard in an alley?"

"Everyone's got a story. He must've been through his share of trouble."

"Still, it was shocking. Park Eun-jung......the way he was in the Mercenary Corps and the way he looks now are far too different."

Ha Yeon-ji scratched her head.

"I'd only ever seen vagrants? Homeless people? in America on the news or in articles. Who would've thought the first homeless person I saw in America would turn out to be a comrade from the Mercenary Corps?"

Kang Jae-ha slowly crossed his legs and also recalled Park Eun-jung from their Mercenary Corps days. He certainly looked worlds apart from the homeless man he'd become now.

'I remember his sharp mind standing out even in the middle of war back in the Mercenary Corps, but here his eyes look half-dead, and all of that characteristic sharpness is gone.'

Well, it could probably be brought back. That was simply how he was right now.

In any case, Kang Jae-ha took out his phone. He intended to investigate Park Eun-jung during the two days he'd bought himself. First, Kang Jae-ha called Lee Chan-hoo.

"Yeah, it's me."

After briefly explaining Park Eun-jung to Lee Chan-hoo, Jae-ha ordered him to keep a close watch on the man for the next two days. And that wasn't all. He also told Ryu Hyuk and Sato Shota to investigate Park Eun-jung.

After lowering his phone, Kang Jae-ha gave instructions to the Subordinates with him as well.

"Both of you are coming with me in two days. When we go, Go Chun-seok, keep watch on the surroundings instead of focusing on us. Ha Yeon-ji, shake hands with Park Eun-jung or whatever. Just make physical contact with him first."

"Understood, Commander-nim."

"Yep, yep."

After answering, Ha Yeon-ji voiced another question.

"But what do you think Park Eun-jung's 'Ability' is?"

Kang Jae-ha switched which leg he had crossed over the other and smiled casually. After all, he'd already used 'Insight' the moment he saw Park Eun-jung.

"I already know what his Ability is."

Two days later, LA. Early morning on the 21st.

A heavily bearded homeless man entered a large park. It was Park Eun-jung. He still looked little different from a broken man. However, there was one thing different compared to two days ago: his posture.

His appearance was still every bit as shabby, but there was something noticeably straighter about the way he walked.

In any case, even early in the morning, there were quite a few people of various races in the park. Some hurried to work, some went running, and others sat on benches talking on the phone. Park Eun-jung found an empty bench and took a seat.

A few runners glanced at the homeless Park Eun-jung, but he paid them no attention.

"......"

His mind was filled with the mysterious man and the two comrades he'd seen two days ago. It was almost time for them to meet.

Would he learn something today?

Sitting on the bench, Park Eun-jung untied his loosely bound hair, then gathered it again and tied it tightly. Judging from the length of his hair, it looked like he hadn't had it cut in at least half a year.

Then.

"Morning. David Park."

A woman called out to Park Eun-jung from behind. He flinched and turned around to find Ha Yeon-ji smiling, her brown hair twisted up into a bun. As Park Eun-jung reflexively stood, Ha Yeon-ji extended her hand first.

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

Park Eun-jung ended up shaking hands with Ha Yeon-ji before answering with slight bewilderment.

"No, not yet."

The moment he released the smiling Ha Yeon-ji's hand, Park Eun-jung spotted Go Chun-seok as well. Standing behind Ha Yeon-ji, he greeted him in a solemn tone.

"Good morning."

"Huh? Ah, uh... good morning."

At that moment.

-Swish.

While Park Eun-jung was looking behind him, someone sat down in the empty spot beside him on the bench. Sensing the presence, Park Eun-jung startled and whipped his head around. Before he knew it, a man was sitting beside him, drinking coffee. He even had his legs crossed, looking completely at ease.

The moment he saw the man, Park Eun-jung's eyes flew wide open.

"...Huh?"

It was only natural.

"C, Commander-nim??!"

Because the man sitting beside him was the Commander. In other words, Kang Jae-ha. This time, he wasn't wearing a mask and had shown up with his real face. Probably because the investigation was already finished. The moment Park Eun-jung saw Commander Kang Jae-ha, his entire body froze.

"......"

Jae-ha handed the other coffee to Park Eun-jung.

"Sit down. Don't just stand there."

Then, for the two of them.

【Comrade Encounter Confirmed in a Foreign Country.】

That familiar female voice began sounding in their ears.

【The comrade (subordinate) who encountered the Commander is now subject to 'Absolute Obedience' toward Kang Jae-ha-nim.】

【If the comrade (subordinate) violates 'Absolute Obedience', that comrade (subordinate) will die.】

By the time the female voice finished delivering those familiar lines, Kang Jae-ha remained relaxed while Park Eun-jung was overwhelmed with bewilderment. His already widened eyes opened even farther. Too many shocks had hit him all at once. Only after the female voice stopped did Park Eun-jung finally react.

"...What the hell is this."

Kang Jae-ha spoke to the wide-eyed, stammering Park Eun-jung.

"Surprised? I was too, when I found you looking like a beggar and sleeping on cardboard."

After staring intently at Kang Jae-ha for a moment, Park Eun-jung dropped heavily onto the bench.

"Hoo, Commander-nim. Why, how are you in this world? And in America, of all places."

Perhaps it was because of the shock, but Park Eun-jung seemed to have regained a little more life. Kang Jae-ha answered him.

"My side of the story is pretty long. Before that, you go first. Why you're living in America looking like this, why you have two names, whether you're really a lawyer, and so on."

Park Eun-jung scratched his head while staring at the Commander.

"So, that mysterious man from two days ago really was you, Commander-nim?"

"Yeah."

It wasn't difficult to deduce that the man had been Kang Jae-ha. For one thing, Go Chun-seok and Ha Yeon-ji were with him, and Jae-ha was talking about everything that had happened that day. Park Eun-jung then let out a faint sigh. He had decided to put his many questions aside for now and tell his own story first.

"...First, I really am a lawyer. Though I don't know whether I can still call myself one now."

"Not really. At this point, you're closer to a homeless man than a lawyer."

"That's true. Hoo, I don't even know where to start. For now, I......worked as a lawyer in Korea, then came to America and qualified as a lawyer here too."

Recalling the past, Park Eun-jung spent the next several minutes telling his story. Kang Jae-ha simply listened, and then bitterness entered Park Eun-jung's eyes.

"While I was working as a lawyer in America."

Bitterness tinged his voice.

"Suddenly, the space in front of my eyes split open."

Because it wasn't a door to new possibilities, but a door to hell.

*****

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