NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 62



Only Krnovel

As before – 3

The ghost of Gyeongseong has returned.

With these heavy words, all police stations in Gyeongseong were put on emergency alert, and the Government-General went into emergency mode.

Even the Yongsan Command of the Joseon Garrison, which had previously shown little interest in him, was put on emergency alert, and all leave of troops stationed in the eight provinces of Joseon was canceled simultaneously, and troops who had previously gone on leave returned to their units.

In addition, the military, which had never entered Gyeongseong since the March 1st Movement, stormed into Gyeongseong and took control of the streets of Gyeongseong under the pretext of stabilizing public order.

Everyone was determined to catch the ghost of Gyeongseong if it ever appeared.

Thanks to this, the once peaceful streets of Gyeongseong were now lined with soldiers marching around like before the March 1st Movement, and the streets were filled with increased security checks, creating an ominous atmosphere.

Innocent people were being arrested more frequently, and the previously violent police became even more violent in their treatment of people.

This did not discriminate between locals and foreigners.

They thoroughly investigated me and treated me like an outsider, without any consideration for me as a local.

In fact, this was no different from viewing everyone in Gyeongseong as a potential suspect.

Given this situation, the citizens of Gyeongseong naturally grew discontentedly, and eventually, posters expressing discontent with the oppressive police and military were put up all over Gyeongseong.

“There you go again.”

“Whew… How many times has this happened?”

“Tear it off quickly while you can take a breather. If that Matsushima guy sees that, he’ll cause trouble again.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“Hey, wait a minute… A suspect has appeared up ahead.”

“what?”

That doesn’t mean the police’s situation was any better.

The police, who had previously been severely attacked by the Gyeongseong Ghost, thoroughly analyzed his methods and came to one conclusion: no police officer could recognize his makeup.

Since the police did not know that the enemy was approaching, they had no choice but to be attacked by the enemy.

So the police came up with a way to avoid being attacked… by classifying everyone passing by as a suspect.

“Stop, stop!”

“Why, why are you like that···.”

“Hands up! If you move, I’ll shoot!”

“Why, why are you doing this to me···.”

“Stay still!”

That is why, when police officers encountered unfamiliar faces on the street, whether citizens or fellow police officers, they immediately took out their guns or batons and subdued the opponents.

This was not a separate order from above, but was simply an expression of the heightened sense of crisis among the police on the front lines, and their actions were based on the experience gained from the blood and corpses of countless police officers who had been attacked by the ghost of Gyeongseong.

“Stay still!”

“Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!”

“Stay still!”

“Crash, crash… Breathe… Breathe… Crash, crash… I can’t breathe! Breathe… I can’t breathe…!”

And then the accident happened.

A citizen died as a result of a mistake made by police officers who were conducting an excessive security check on a citizen passing by.

And it didn’t just happen in a dark alley, but in the middle of Jongno, the center of Gyeongseong, right on a street where many people were gathered.

Many citizens passing by the street in broad daylight suddenly witnessed in real time an innocent citizen being strangled to death by the police.

What was even more remarkable was the police’s reaction.

“No, why are you treating people so roughly!”

“Oh my… If you keep doing that, you’ll catch someone… I’ll catch you!”

“Just let it go!”

“What are the police doing? They don’t arrest those guys…”

“Those guys are the police.”

“Did you see that?! I’m on official duty, so get out now!”

As citizens gathered around, the police became very excited and tried to chase them away.

For the police, it was because they were aware that a ghost could appear among the citizens and shake them up at any time, but complaints erupted from citizens who were unaware of such circumstances.

“Who are those motherfuckers talking to right now!”

“Is this really Gyeongseong’s land?!”

“I can’t stand it anymore! Seriously!”

“Those Japanese bastards are just running around like this whole Joseon world is their living room!”

“Oh my… My eyes are so red.”

The two police officers who subdued the civilians were intimidated by the large crowd, but they confidently pulled out their guns and shouted at them.

“Everyone, just ignore the distractions and go your way!”

“Disband! Disband now!”

When the police pulled out their guns, the citizens who had been expressing anger just a moment ago became as silent as ghosts.

Because they weren’t fools who would throw away their lives because they couldn’t control their emotions for a moment.

But that didn’t put out the burning anger all at once.

I just kept it hidden deep in my heart.

-Click.

And there were people taking pictures of the police officers amid the angry crowd.

“Get out of here! Get out of here!”

******

The next day.

A poster was posted on Governor-General Saito’s desk.

There was a photo of police officers pinning down innocent civilians and crushing them with their bodies, and another photo of police officers pointing guns at people, each with a short caption written on it.

[Indicted for first-degree murder.]

Naturally, a sigh escaped the governor’s mouth.

“Haa… How long has this been going on?”

“······The number of copies recovered from downtown Gyeongseong is already around 800, but they are still being found here and there.”

“So you’re saying it could exceed 1,000 sheets?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Governor Saito calmly delivered his instructions while clutching his head.

“Search for places in Gyeongseong that could print posters of this scale, and especially search newspapers like the Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-A Ilbo. Those guys must be connected to this.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“And the police officers on the front lines seem to be on edge, so give them appropriate rewards, but just cut out the two guys who are causing trouble.”

“Well, you want me to cut it off? Then, there’s also the issue of police morale… There might be talk within the police force….”

Governor-General Saito responded to his aide’s words by glaring.

“······All right.”

“And let’s invite the reporters to the Governor’s residence this evening and have a light meal.”

“Tonight… Are you talking?”

“Yes, I heard that the beef that came over from the West tonight is of excellent quality. Tell the chef to prepare a table that looks good.”

Saito’s plan was to roughly punish only the two low-level police officers responsible, and throw the carrot of praise and rewards to the rest of the police officers.

In order to calm public opinion that had become even more hostile by cracking down on the inside and strengthening relations with reporters at the Governor-General’s Office, he tried to calm public opinion a little.

Previous governors-general would have immediately sent in the military to rectify the discipline in Gyeongseong, but in the aftermath of the March 1st Movement, the authority of the governor-general of Korea had been reduced, and this was all he could do legally.

“Whew… This is a headache.”

Governor Saito seemed to be getting a headache just thinking about the hassle of talking to reporters.

But what can I do?

He is the Governor-General of Korea, the highest official responsible for the land of Korea, a colony of the Empire of Japan.

So, for the sake of our great nation, we had to take responsibility for what happened here.

“······.”

Saito, who had sent away his aide, stood in front of a full-length mirror hanging on the wall.

The old man in the mirror had droopy eyes and sagging cheeks, and he looked so depressed that he tried to look cool by dressing up in a suit.

The only things worth looking at are the large nose that defines the face and the intense eyes that poke out from between the droopy eyebrows.

“I don’t know who he is, but he’s tall and handsome.”

Saito smiled in front of the mirror.

Then Saito in the mirror also smiled.

‘I wish Koreans were like this too.’

The mirror moves as it pleases.

If the Korean people had listened as well as Saito in the mirror here, perhaps we wouldn’t have had to have this pointless dinner with the reporters tonight.

“I wonder what those pack of lynxes will say next… I’m really worried.”

******

“Your Majesty! Although I may be presumptuous, I dare to take this opportunity to ask you a question. A few days ago, a strange noise was heard far to the north. Do you know anything about this?”

“Oh, that’s right···.”

“And there are ominous rumors coming from far north that the area around Geumchon Station, a little way from Gyeongseong, has disappeared without a trace. What is going on here?”

“Wait a minute, listen to me first···.”

“Were you aware that the police and military blocked the reporters from covering the story there and used verbal and physical abuse?”

“Did Your Excellency the Governor order all this?”

“Please say a word!”

“······.”

After Governor-General Saito assumed the position of Governor-General of Korea following the March 1st Movement, he ended Japan’s military rule over the Korean Peninsula and opened a relatively mild era of cultural rule.

Of course, that’s what they say, but in reality, nothing much had changed, and it was just a show that opened the way for Koreans.

No, it would be difficult to express in words the brutality of this policy, which was even more darkly and viciously surveilling the Korean people than in previous eras and laid the foundation for various policies aimed at eradicating the concept of the Korean nation within them.

But Governor Saito now felt a strong urge to reverse all of the policies he had implemented.

‘It’s like these damn reporters…!’

The reporters gathered at the dinner table were employed by several newspapers that were created to guarantee freedom of the press to Koreans as part of the so-called “cultural rule” advocated by Governor-General Saito.

Of course, it was common for the newspapers of the world to have their articles censored by the Government-General, but among them, some clever reporters from some newspapers wrote articles that were blatantly different from the Government-General’s keynote.

For example, things like what the rebels in Manchuria and Shanghai did, or some of the incidents that happened in Gyeongseong recently.

Of course, whenever that happened, we put strong pressure on them by suspending the newspaper and punishing the reporters who wrote the articles, but we were unable to stop these clever reporters at all.

The most vicious of these were the reporters from newspapers like the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo, which were created for the propaganda purposes of the Governor-General. The Chosun Ilbo in particular was a monopoly that did not even listen to the words of its owner, the pro-Japanese collaborator Song Byeong-jun.

For example, they went so far as to openly criticize Governor-General Saito’s policies in their own newspapers or to run editorials criticizing the ignorance and pro-Japanese activities of Song Byeong-jun, the owner of the company that paid their salaries.

In addition to that, there are many other newspapers, including the Dong-A Ilbo, but they also have reporters armed with just as much wit as the Chosun Ilbo.

If it weren’t for what happened with the police this time, Governor Saito would never have had the chance to meet them face to face and appease them.

“Haha… You reporters are all young and full of energy… Hehehehe….”

“Your Excellency the Governor! So is it true that the Ghost of Gyeongseong returned from Shanghai? There is also talk that he returned and caused a great defeat for the Japanese army at Geumchon Station, and also injured the police…”

At first, I thought that if I could just get to know them a little better and have a conversation with a smile on my face, I might be able to appease them a little.

But now Governor Saito, who realized that this thinking was wrong, finally gave up negotiating with them after being bluntly questioned by reporters.

“Ah, before that, let’s start with eating. Eat!”

“Your Majesty! I have more than one question to ask you now. Will you be able to swallow the food?”

“You can eat as much as you want outside, but isn’t it a rare and precious experience to meet His Excellency the Governor and ask him questions like this?”

“Please clear the dishes! They are disturbing my writing!”

As the banquet hall became chaotic due to the reporters, and Governor Saito complained of fatigue and covered his face, suddenly, among the reporters who seemed like devils crawling out of hell, one reporter who was eating silently caught Saito’s eye.

‘The author···?’

The reporter, who boasted a plump figure that made one wonder if he was a person or a public figure, put down his pen and camera, which could be called his weapons, and was absorbed in eating.

Unlike the other evil spirits who were shouting and demanding to know what had happened at Geumchon Station, Governor Saito felt a small sense of hope from the sight of him quietly eating.

At least compared to the demons of hell here, I guess we can make some sense?

Now that he was desperate for an ally to take his side, he was willing to meet someone like that.

“Your Excellency the Governor!”

“Answer quickly!!”

“Why are you avoiding the answer!!!”

“You must be hiding something!!!”

Governor-General Saito’s anger eventually exploded at the screams of the evil reporters who had crawled out of hell.

“Chief of Police!!! Get all these thugs out right now!!!”

Outside the chilling wrath of Governor Saito, police officers who had been waiting were called in and dragged out the demons of hell (called reporters by the world).

Except for one person.