NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 137



Only Krnovel

Investment (1)

In fact, the robbing of a single bank did not turn Gyeongseong upside down and lead to rebellions by angry Koreans everywhere.

If that was going to happen, you should have risen up when I blew up the Jongno Police Station on Jongno Street without a trace.

But then and now, Gyeongseong remains silent.

Of course, this does not mean that Koreans accepted Japanese rule because they were pigs and dogs.

In the past, the imperial police would go around poking around here and there, looking for the culprit, like a hornet’s nest, but this time.

[No police in Gyeongseong!]

“They say there are no police in Gyeongseong?”

“That’s because all the guys who were walking around the streets with armbands on their shoulders have gone to the Imjin River.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“So isn’t that why crimes are increasing?”

“Wow… … . Life is so tough in this world, it seems people easily fall into the wrong paths. Tsk tsk.”

“Sir, tonight… … you know?”

“Oh, that? I almost forgot about that.”

“It’s the same place I always see. Don’t be late!”

As Japanese surveillance became lax, large and small gatherings and meetings sprang up like mushrooms all over Gyeongseong.

At night, people would blatantly defy the Governor-General’s edict banning gatherings and gather one by one at the houses of some famous people in the neighborhood to share news that the Governor-General would find uncomfortable if he heard it.

For example, in the case of this house, it was a famous place where scholars who had become famous politicians during the Joseon Dynasty lived, and people who had learned something from the surrounding area often visited.

Since many people came and went frequently, the Governor-General’s Office naturally kept a close eye on this scholar and his house, but since the owner of the house was a big shot and had not caused any major problems in the meantime, they did not use physical force and just watched.

But recently, all the imperial police have gone to Imjin River, so security has become lax, and taking advantage of the gap, all the people in Gyeongseong who still have thoughts have gathered at the old scholar’s house.

“Comrades, the time for our country’s liberation is finally drawing near! It seems that Hamheung has now fallen into the hands of the Korean Independence Corps.”

“The Korean Independence Army… … ?”

“Are you saying that our government in Shanghai has begun to move toward the liberation of our country?”

“I don’t know the full details yet, but judging by the way things are going, it looks like they’re really pulling out the sword this time.”

“Oh… … . Ohh!”

The news that Koreans would welcome most at this point was not the boring and uninteresting news that the police and the military were continuing their tepid standoff at the Imjin River, but the news that the independence army from the North had taken over Hamheung.

The independence army set foot on Joseon soil again.

And they occupied Hamheung, a stronghold city in the north.

When the Joseon people heard these two things, the only two things that came to mind were Korean independence and the liberation of their country.

“Finally… … . The time of liberation is finally approaching!”

“If you wait patiently through hardships and adversity, there will come a day when you will finally see the light. That’s right!”

“I can’t just sit still like this. I’ll go out right now and spread the word!”

Everyone who heard this news was excited and in an uproar, as if independence was coming soon.

But there is a point that should not be overlooked here.

“Stop it. The independence army is gaining momentum right now, but they have only just taken Hamheung.”

“Umm… … .”

Yes, that’s right.

It is true that the independence army occupied Hamheung, but the problem is that they only occupied Hamheung.

It was not known specifically how Hamheung was occupied, nor was it known how large the Korean Independence Corps was.

“Let’s assume the worst. It could be that the story is distorted, that they were just a large band of bandits who took advantage of the gap in the border caused by the civil war between the Japanese Government-General of Korea and the military to pillage Hamheung and the surrounding areas.”

“Ahem… … .”

“after…….”

“Don’t be so disappointed, what I’m saying is, be happy with small victories, but don’t be intoxicated by small joys.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, really… … . Last time, a strange guy who looked like the ghost of Gyeongseong was running rampant, and this time, even the independence army is coming down.”

“The response of the Governor-General so far has been quite disappointing.”

“Who isn’t it? That’s right.”

Now that the Government-General is in disarray and the military and police are hostile to each other, we are in an unprecedented civil war between the colonial police and the colonial army.

As the Governor-General and the Japanese government continued to show their disgrace by repeatedly making mistakes, the two words “independence,” which had been fading away in the minds of the Korean people, began to become clearer.

“Elder, instead of just talking nonsense in a corner of the room… … how about creating an organization that can bring people together within Joseon?”

As the meeting was slowly coming to an end.

A young man spoke to the scholar who could be called the host of the gathering.

“As a group… … . Do you have something in mind?”

“Yes, right now Mr. Wolnam is working with several people to establish a university, right?”

“yes.”

“Because the teacher operates within the boundaries of the laws set by the Governor-General, the Japanese do not dare to do anything to him.”

“That’s true too.”

“So, we are also creating a new organization within the legal framework set by the Governor-General.”

If it were normal, the people gathered here would dismiss the young man’s words as nonsense and ignore them, but perhaps because they had just heard the news of the independence army, they all responded enthusiastically.

“Good idea!”

“If you take over as president, the Governor-General will probably not be suspicious because they will think of it as part of the university establishment movement led by Mr. Wolnam.”

But unlike the excited people around him, the old scholar asked the young man in a very serious tone without any particular emotional agitation.

“Um… … What do you hope to achieve by creating this group?”

Then the young man’s face brightened and he replied.

“That is what I want, that is what the teacher wants, that is what everyone here wants, and that is what all the people of Joseon want.”

“What is that?”

“It is the independence of Korea.”

The old man laughed at the young man’s words.

It wasn’t just an expression of joy.

The past 72 years.

Even in the lives of older people who now have more days left to live, there was a time when they were as energetic and confident as the young people before them.

And in those days, the old man had someone like a master who he trusted and followed.

Blue summer.

That was a time when my whole body was filled with a youth as bright and intense as the shining sun.

The old man traveled between Japan, the United States, and the Qing Dynasty, observing the changes in the three countries with his own eyes and looking back on the reality of Joseon.

And I tried to revive the dying candle until the point where the fate of the nation called Joseon was coming to an end.

But he failed, and most of the comrades he had trusted left their ruined country behind to serve the new masters.

The old man could have walked the same path, but… …. He was too ashamed to do so, so he threw away his official position and hid.

After that, while doing various things and calmly putting an end to his life, at the end of his life, Wolnam Lee Sang-jae met a young man who had the same eyes as him when he was young.

What will happen if this young man speaks?

He was very curious, but time did not permit it, so he would not be able to see the end of the young man.

“That’s a good point, but there’s one thing wrong with it.”

“Huh? You mean it’s wrong?”

“Not all the people of Joseon want Korea’s independence.”

The young man was so surprised by Lee Sang-jae’s words that his heart almost jumped out of his mouth and he asked him.

“Huh?! Why?!”

“Out of all the people of Joseon, we must exclude Lord Lee Wan-yong.”

“ha ha ha!”

“That makes sense!”

“No! We have to take that guy out!”

“Poohahaha!”

Laughter erupted from all sides.

The young man also had an expression on his face as if he had been hit hard, and then he smiled brightly.

“Yeah, you’re forming a group? Fine. If you want to use my name, feel free to do so.”

And then he asked quietly.

“So what should we name the group?”

“What if we put together a new body and start a new organization?”

“good night!”

After the meeting was over and everyone had gone home, an envelope full of money was left in the old and shabby annex of Lee Sang-jae’s mansion.

While Lee Sang-jae was cleaning the room, he checked the envelope, thinking it might have been left behind by a guest. On the outside of the envelope, there was a seal he had never seen before along with a short message written on it.

[I will visit you formally soon. And the news of the independence army in the North is true.]

There was no name written on it, so it was unclear who had left it.

But the old man instinctively realized that this envelope of money had just come out of the young man’s pocket.

“I thought he was a young man with a lot of spirit… … . He also has deep pockets.”

This amount of money would be enough to pay off the debt incurred from borrowing rice over the past few months.

It was a good thing, because the rice bin was gradually emptying, and his daughter-in-law’s sighs were heard beyond the threshold, weighing heavily on his heart.

“I don’t know who that is, but thank you!”

Lee Sang-jae waved his hand with gratitude toward the dark night street.

Then, as if it were a lie, someone walked out from under the streetlight in the distance, nodded, fiddled with the brim of his hat, and disappeared back into the darkness.

The corners of Lee Sang-jae’s mouth perked up as he watched the scene.

“They say that when night falls in Gyeongseong, ghosts roam the streets. It looks like that was true. Haha!”

* * *

“That happened.”

“… … .”

A little later.

Byeoksusanjang (碧樹山莊) boasts of being the largest and most magnificent mansion in Gyeongseong.

At the highest point of this building was the personal study of Yun Deok-yeong, the owner of this mansion and the most notorious pro-Japanese collaborator in Gyeongseong.

From the bookshelves that cover one wall to the antique furniture that fills the empty spaces, to the soft carpets on the floor, and even the chandelier that brightens up the dark room…

It was a place where you could tell money had been sprinkled everywhere.

And the one kneeling in the middle of this study was the owner of this mansion, Yun Deok-yeong, the great tyrant of Gyeongseong, who was ranked second among pro-Japanese collaborators that Koreans most want to kill by Forbes.

“You have to answer, right?”

“What, what kind of answer do you want to hear?”

“Well, let me guess.”

“… … .”

“Tsk. Why is it that our great lord is becoming less and less fun as the days go by? Is that so?”

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

“Okay. Just open the safe.”

“… … .”

Yun Deok-yeong’s face broke into tears when he was told to open the safe.

“I haven’t even recovered everything I took last time. Is this really true?”

“Hey, what do you want me to do when it costs a lot of money to do this?”

“… … .”

“When you become independent later, I will give you a receipt so that you can at least save your life, so please be satisfied with that.”

“… … .”

“answer.”

“Oh, thank you… … .”

Yoon Deok-young’s face was very dark.

“smile.”

Light came over Yoon Deok-young’s face again.

Yun Deok-yeong forced a smile and opened the safe, which was filled with various insurance policies and securities that he had not seen before.

“What the heck?”

“Ah, hahaha! I’m sorry… … . I invested a lot this time, you know… … .”

Yun Deok-yeong was overjoyed at the thought that he would not have to lose his money, but his joy did not last long.

“Tsk tsk. Why are you putting all this money into this stock? And now is not a good time to invest in stocks. If you really want to make money with stocks, sell everything you have now, save as much cash as possible, and buy when I tell you to.”

“What?!”

Yoon Deok-young’s eyes shook.

“Your Majesty, what can I do if you are so short-sighted? To put it bluntly, if I were to go to Japan and throw a bomb at the Imperial Palace, the stock market would fluctuate.”

“omg!”

Yoon Deok-young’s two eyes now began to vibrate.

“Well, then, if you and I join forces, wouldn’t we be able to influence the stock market?”

“Maybe so.”

Regardless, I took the gold bars that Yoon Deok-young had kept hidden away in a secret safe hidden behind his safe.

It’s a bit tricky to cash out, but in today’s currency market where value fluctuates, there’s nothing more stable than gold.

“Hey, hey… … .”

“Okay, I’ll come back next time. Until then, please give me lots of money.”

“Wait a minute, I have to tell you what’s coming up next!”

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 138