NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 57



Only Krnovel

Spring Cleaning – 1

First class in the luxury car of the train heading to Gyeongseong.

Five men were gathered in this small room, each divided into smaller rooms.

“What about the stuff?”

“I packed it well in the luggage compartment.”

“Huh… What about the station attendant?”

“They said there wouldn’t be any inspections until Gyeongseong. But they said they weren’t sure what would happen at Gyeongseong Station.”

“At least it means I can get to Gyeongseong comfortably. Phew… That’s really fortunate.”

Kim Won-bong breathed a sigh of relief at the news that his safety on the swaying train was secured for the time being.

“Comrade Captain, with this, we should be able to get to Gyeongseong leisurely.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“This is all thanks to Comrade Hwangok here.”

Hwang-ok responded with an awkward smile, perhaps embarrassed by the words of the members who were praising her.

“What did I do···.”

“Oh no, Hwangok! If it weren’t for you, how could we have set foot on Joseon soil so comfortably?”

“That’s right! It’s all thanks to Comrade Hwangok!”

Kim Won-bong and other members of Uiyoldan praised Hwang Ok while also focusing on his every action.

Hwang Ok was a comrade who shared the same ideals as Uiyoldan, but his original status was that of a Japanese Imperial Police officer, and not just any police officer, but a high-ranking police officer called a superintendent.

Although he shared their views and helped them with their work, they could not tell whether he was acting as a spy or was truly working for independence.

“Hahaha! On a day as happy as today, do you really need to drink alcohol? I’ll buy you the drinks!”

“Really? Wow… That miserly Jaejin is buying all the alcohol. What a surprise.”

“Brother, there are days like this in life, right? Aren’t there? Hahaha!”

“Yeah, that’s right! There are days like this in life!”

Kim Jae-jin naturally got up from his seat and left the car, saying he would buy some alcohol.

“Okay… Then I’d like to go get some fresh air too.”

“Hey, Kim Hyung! Let’s go have a smoke together.”

“Do you have any matches left?”

“Hahaha, you must have packed it well when you came.”

As they left one by one, the only Uiyoldan members left in the car were Kim Won-bong and Hwang Ok.

Hwang Ok, who suddenly found herself in the same place as a big shot of Uiyoldan, was restless and could hardly make eye contact with Kim Won-bong.

“Why are you so restless? Am I feeling a little uncomfortable?”

“Oh, no. I’m just a little nervous about being in the same place as an outstanding person like Comrade Kim…”

“What about an outstanding person…? Someone like me is not worthy of going around bragging that I’m outstanding.”

“Huh? Oh my, the leader of the Uiyoldan, Kim… Ahem… Who would say something like that to someone like Comrade Jeong Chae-san?”

Kim Won-bong simply laughed at Hwang-ok’s words.

“Yes, there is such a person···.”

“Ah …

Hwang-ok looked around for a moment, then spoke in a voice that was noticeably smaller than before.

“Who is a greater person than Kim Won-bong, the leader of the Uiyoldan who made the Japanese Empire tremble? Even if we gathered the people of the fake government (a derogatory term used in Japan to disparage the provisional government) right now, they wouldn’t even be able to reach the tip of the toes of Kim Won-bong, who is here in Yaksan.”

Kim Won-bong looked at Hwang-ok quietly, then smiled.

“You’re not like a police officer, you’re slow with information.”

“Huh? The information is late?”

“Have you heard any news from Gyeongseong in the past few months?”

“······No? How could I hear news from Gyeongseong from Tianjin?”

Hwang-ok looked at Kim Won-bong with an expression that said she didn’t understand English.

“A terrifying entity has appeared in Gyeongseong that chills the livers of Japanese police officers and even makes the infamous Jongno Police Chief wet his pants.”

“Huh? What is that···.”

Kim Won-bong smiled as if he knew something and said something strange to Hwang-ok.

“There are ghosts living in Gyeongseong.”

“A ghost?”

“Yes, there is a ghost living in Gyeongseong, a ghost that makes the Japanese tremble in fear···.”

Kim Won-bong was lost in thought, looking at the scenery passing by outside the window.

“A ghost?”

Actually, Hwang-ok just tilted her head because she didn’t know what that meant.

After hesitating for a while, I mustered up the courage to speak to Kim Won-bong.

“I… Comrade Captain?”

“Why are you calling?”

“I heard that Comrade Leader doesn’t usually participate in field work like this… What kind of change in mindset made you participate this time?”

“Hmm… that’s a good question.”

Kim Won-bong slightly raised his body, put his face right in front of Inspector Hwang Ok’s nose, and whispered quietly in his ear.

“I think there’s a spy among us… That’s why I’m looking for him.”

“?!”

Hwang-ok felt her heart sink.

Kim Won-bong looked at Hwang-ok and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding! There’s no particular reason, I just wanted to participate in this project with my comrades after a long time.”

“Ah, ahahaha… I, I see.”

“Yeah, I feel like my body is on fire when I meet a comrade who makes my heart race after a long time.”

Kim Won-bong said that and turned his gaze back to the scenery outside the window.

Wherever he looked, there was a pure white cloud floating, and its shape resembled a Western ghost.

******

The door of the carriage opened, and a figure wearing a black fedora pulled down low entered the dining car.

He looked around, found someone dressed similarly to himself, ran over to him, and sat down next to him, a little way away from him.

“I said that nothing would happen until Gyeongseong Station, so everyone can rest assured.”

“What about the ghost I told you about last time?”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get on the train.”

“It’s too bad….”

Goatbeard took a deep breath for a moment, then smiled.

“Okay. Then, if we leave the troops on standby around Geumchon Station and attack them all at once, we can destroy them all at once.”

“Once this is over… As promised, I won’t take any responsibility, and all the things I’ve done so far….”

“I will erase it cleanly, and now you will be reborn as a new subject of the Empire of Japan.”

The man with the goatee said this and pushed a mug of beer in front of the man in the bowler hat.

“You must have been very stressed out lately, so drink this and go inside to rest today. Tomorrow will be very busy.”

“Go, thank you.”

The man in the fedora sighed in relief and grabbed the beer mug that Goatee had offered him.

The beer was ice cold and refreshing.

As I drank the cold beer, my pounding heart calmed down and the sharp and pointed world became more vague and soft.

“Wow… It’s refreshing.”

“Right? I’m the one who’s buying it.”

The goatee man ordered a few more beers.

Then he handed the cold bottle of beer he had just taken out of the icebox to the man in the fedora and added:

“It doesn’t matter if we miss all the pyramids, but Kim Won-bong… we have to catch that guy.”

“······!”

“Do you understand? It doesn’t matter if you miss the other guys.”

“All right!”

The goatee man placed a small bag between the beer bottles.

“If you mix it with beer, everyone will fall into a deep sleep that won’t even know if someone carries them for two meals.”

“······!”

“I recommend feeding it to everyone without exception… If that doesn’t work, I definitely recommend feeding it to Kim Won-bong.”

“All right.!”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

The man in the fedora stopped for a moment as he stood up to grab his beer and a bag of medicine.

“But… what about Inspector Hwangok? Does Inspector Hwangok know that there is medicine in beer?”

“You wouldn’t know, you and I are in different places.”

“Ah… I see.”

“If you understand, then I’ll be going now. If Kim Won-bong notices this, we’ll both be dead.”

“Oh, I understand!”

The man in the bowler hat grabbed his beer and hurried out of the dining car, leaving the goatee alone to take a sip of the beer mug placed in front of him.

“Wow… This beer is truly a work of art.”

“That’s because it’s made in Qingdao across the water.”

“Tsingtao? Isn’t Tsingtao China? Those cockroach-like Chinese people made such a great beer? That makes sense…”

At Goatbeard’s words, the bartender stopped wiping glasses, smiled, and said to him:

“Have you ever heard the saying that everything in life has a cause and effect, Detective Kim Deok-gi?”

“Causality? What the hell is that, all of a sudden, eating grass…?!”

Kim Deok-gi, a high-ranking detective from the Japanese Empire in Pyeongan Province with a goatee, looked back at the bartender with a grin.

“You… who are you?”

“Someone you don’t know.”

“?!”

Kim Deok-gi hurriedly pulled out his gun, but unfortunately the bartender’s hands were faster.

The unknown bartender smashed Kim Deok-gi’s right hand with the heavy beer mug he was holding.

“Ugh···!”

Kim Deok-gi stepped back while holding his right hand.

But the bartender was washing the glasses diligently as if nothing had happened.

“Are you a member of Uiyoldan too?!”

“no.”

“Then, the housekeeper is the assassin sent by Kim Gu!”

“That’s not it either.”

“······Then he is an assassin sent by the Manchurian Bulyeongseon people to kill me···.”

“No?”

“Then, then···?”

It was neither the Uiyoldan nor the Manchurian Bulyeongseonin.

He wasn’t even an assassin sent by Kim Gu, the housekeeper.

Then there is only one thing left.

“The Ghost of Gyeongseong···?”

“Tsk… Can’t you please get rid of that old-fashioned nickname?”

“!!!”

As soon as Kim Deok-gi heard the name “Ghost of Gyeongseong,” he forgot the pain that felt like his right hand was going to break off and quickly picked up the pistol that had fallen on the floor.

No, to be exact, I was trying to pick it up.

“Our detective Kim has poor learning ability.”

“?!”

A heavy beer mug appeared above Kim Deok-gi’s head.

-puck!

******

“Here comes a cold beer~”

“Kiya… How long has it been since you drank this much?”

“Everyone, just take one! There’s no more, so don’t drink it all at once, and don’t forget to save it!”

“Yeah, it’s the alcohol that our miserable Jaejin buys, so he should drink it sparingly! Right?”

“Okay~”

The members were all having a good time sharing bottles of beer, but Kim Won-bong and Hwang Ok didn’t even look at the alcohol.

Then, Kim Jae-jin carefully picked up a bottle of beer and handed it to Kim Won-bong.

“Comrade Captain, how about taking a refreshing drink after a long time?”

But Kim Won-bong smiled and refused.

“Beer is always welcome, but I’m the type of person who likes to stay sober before something big happens, so you guys enjoy my share too.”

“Ah···. Well, even so, please think of my sincerity···.”

“Just accept my heart.”

At that moment, the guest room door opened and a hand reached out from the side and quickly snatched the beer from Kim Jae-jin’s hand, who was at a loss as to where to go.

“Then, can I have some?”

“???”

“Oh, yeah? Huh?!”

At the sudden appearance of an outsider, the members instinctively put their hands on their waists, but soon they all froze when they saw the other person’s face.

On the other hand, Kim Won-bong greeted the other person with a big smile when he saw his face.

“This teacher.”

“It’s been a while, Comrade Yaksan.”

Kim Won-bong got up from his seat and greeted him.

“Haha, I knew you would come.”

“I didn’t originally plan on coming, but something came up. What the heck? Oh, really…”

“Hahaha, you’ve got something going on in Gyeongseong. If those Gyeongseong guys hear that, they’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

“Aren’t you being too gilded? I don’t think I’m that good···.”

“No way. If you were to come out, the Japanese people in Gyeongseong would tremble and hide themselves.”

“Ah, yes···.”

Kim Won-bong, who had been praising the teacher for a long time, only then discovered that he had dragged something and expressed his doubts.

“What is that on your left hand?”

“Oh, this?”

The teacher chuckled and placed the unconscious, bleeding man on the table.

The members and Inspector Hwang Ok, who suddenly saw someone bleeding, were startled and asked Teacher Lee.

“No, teacher! What is this···?”

“I’m sure everyone knows this face.”

“Ah! This is Kim Deok-gi, a vicious detective famous for beating up independence fighters in North Pyongan Province!”

“Kim Deok-gi?”

“No, why is he here···?”

The teacher grabbed the beer bottle he was holding in his hand and hit Kim Jae-jin on the head, who was standing next to him.

Then, the beer bottle shattered in an instant, the shards scattered in all directions, and at the same time, Kim Jae-jin rolled his eyes and fell to the floor.

“What, what is this?!”

“Teacher Lee!”

The members got angry at the teacher’s sudden attack on a colleague and pulled out his guns, but Kim Won-bong blocked their path and asked.

“······I guess I need some explanation?”

The teacher threw the empty beer bottle on the floor and said something.

“As usual, it’s a spy. This guy is selling information about the members to Kim Deok-gi, who is lying there.”

“Huh… Jaejin?”

“No, there’s no way Jaejin would do that···.”

The members did not easily believe the teacher’s words.

And the same was true for Kim Won-bong.

“What’s the evidence?”

“I heard.”

“Is there anything else?”

“If you wake up Kim Deok-gi here, he will wake up easily.”

“······How are you supposed to interrogate someone who has become such a crippled person?”

“There is one more way.”

The teacher picked up a beer bottle that was on the table and opened the cap.

Then, he grabbed the back of the head of the detective Hwang Ok who was standing next to him, shoved a beer bottle into his mouth, and poured the beer into his mouth.

“Kekeke! Kkekeke… Keuk!”

After forcibly drinking an entire bottle of beer, Inspector Hwang Ok sat on the floor and retched several times before collapsing on the floor like a robot that had been powered off.

“!!!”

“What the heck is going on?!”

“Jade! Jade! Come to your senses!”

While the members were taking care of the unconscious Hwang-ok, the teacher spoke calmly to Kim Won-bong.

“Kim Deok-gi put drugs in the beer, and Kim Jae-jin tried to feed it to the people here.”

“······.”

“Do you understand now?”

“······her.”

Kim Won-bong let out a light sigh as he looked down at Kim Jae-jin, who had fallen unconscious.

“He’s been under me for several years···.”

“That’s why it’s hard to detect betrayal.”

“······You helped us again.”

“Well, I guess I have something to do.”

The teacher sat down, opened another bottle of beer, and poured it all over Kim Deok-gi’s face, who had collapsed on the table.

“I heard that troops are waiting at Geumchon Station before Gyeongseong Station.”

“Then I guess I should get off before then.”

“No. Just stay still and I’ll take care of everything.”

“You?”

Kim Won-bong looked at this teacher with slightly suspicious eyes.

“how?”

“My way.”

“······?”