NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 82



Only Krnovel

Thief (3)

Marquis of Linoy.

His real name is Rinoie Kanyo, and before changing his name, he was called Lee Wan-yong.

Even among the traitors who sold out their country, he was the most famous person by an overwhelming margin, and was even given the title of Marquis, a title that only members of the Joseon royal family received.

Of course, the Marquis of Linoy did not receive the title of Marquis from the beginning. He was initially given the title of Count and was later promoted to the title in recognition of his efforts(?). However, he is still one of the few nobles in Joseon who received the title of Marquis.

To the Japanese, this was proof that he was a man who showed patriotism toward his country and was loyal to Japan, but on the other hand, it also meant that he was a man who would sell anything for his own advancement.

‘If you get close to these guys, it won’t end well.’

Back when I was working in the field… … That is, before I was dropped off at Gyeongseong.

At that time, I often met people like this, and most of them were socially awkward people who had lost their jobs.

People who treat everything in the world as trivial or do not care about anything that does not concern them are exactly this type of people. Most of them are incompetent, and even if they are capable, those around them often evaluate them as stiff machines rather than people.

And Lee Wan-yong was also of a similar breed.

He is a person who is criticized by those around him as being overly stiff and businesslike, but he somehow manages to accomplish whatever he is told to do?

Of course, that ability isn’t something that can be of great help or change the grand scheme of things.

Although he may seem better than others, his abilities are incomparable to those of a person who can single-handedly establish a grand plan and save a country that is on the brink of collapse.

His abilities were closer to being good at worldly things as a way of protecting himself rather than focusing on such administrative tasks.

The fact that he was able to succeed was because His Majesty Gojong, the patron saint of Korean independence and the undisputed number one supporter of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, favored him, which shows what kind of abilities he had.

That bastard Lee Wan-yong showed his incredible humanity by repaying the love of our King Gojong with the Eulsa Treaty, the Jeongmi Seven Treaties, and the Gyeongsul National Humiliation Triple Crown.

Because he’s such a bad guy.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency the Marquis of Linoy.”

That bastard was right in front of my nose.

I investigated Yi Wan-yong’s movements every day and pretended to run into him by chance around the time he stopped by the Governor-General’s Office.

“… … Have we seen this before?”

“No! This is the first time we’ve met.”

To be exact, it was only Lee Wan-yong who saw me for the first time.

I have seen him often since before.

I saw him in black and white photos in textbooks, and I often saw his face in Gyeongseong newspapers.

Thanks to that, whenever I see Lee Wan-yong’s face, my heart automatically feels warm, as if I were meeting the man next door.

“Then, I would like you to stop talking to me.”

“Hahaha, I have always admired Your Excellency, Rinoie, and I am so moved by the opportunity to meet you like this that I feel I have done something rude. I apologize.”

“Okay, I know.”

However, Lee Wan-yong was wary of the stranger he was meeting for the first time today, and he turned around sharply, clearly showing that he did not want to talk to him any more.

I yelled at the back of that relaxed head.

“Chosun Ilbo owner!”

“?”

Lee Wan-yong turned around at the mention of the Chosun Ilbo.

“Ahem… … My name is Kyuichi Kuroda, and I recently took over from Lord Noda as the owner of the Chosun Ilbo.”

And then I handed over a specially made business card to Lee Wan-yong, who was standing still.

It was often used as a business card to attract the attention of others by covering ordinary paper with gold foil to make it look not too serious or solemn, but rather to make the person feel like a nouveau riche with a lot of money.

“Kuroda Kyuichi… … .”

“Yes, this is Kyuichi Kuroda.”

Lee Wan-yong looked through the business cards here and there, then quietly took out his wallet and put them inside.

I say this carefully, just in case you get hurt.

“That’s a name I’ve heard before.”

“Hehe, right?”

Lee Wan-yong’s guard was slightly lowered.

As expected from someone who is in personal contact with half of the pro-Japanese collaborators in the country and knows information about the other half, he seemed to recognize me right away.

“Yes, what business does the owner of the Chosun Ilbo have with me?”

The reason I came to see Lee Wan-yong was to find manpower that I could use privately within the Chosun Ilbo.

That’s because if things continued like this, I would be buried in letters and manuscripts about contests pouring in from all sides, and I would be afraid of being expelled.

“Heh heh, you want to save people? That’s a strange thing to say. If you open a room in the newspaper, people who want to work at the Chosun Ilbo will flock to you like clouds.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

Those who gathered like that were incredible people.

If you think about it, it was inevitable that when a bunch of people of unknown origins gathered together, it was natural that a spy from the Government-General would infiltrate them.

Even I can’t monitor everyone.

If this were Shanghai and not Gyeongseong, I would have called the independence movement activists who had been captured and taken to my Shanghai mansion and given them a job to do, but unfortunately, this is Gyeongseong.

There were no superconducting independence movement activists by my side, and the only person I had was Chunsik, whom I could occasionally call and entrust with a couple of simple tasks.

There wasn’t a single person I could comfortably entrust with my care without any worries.

‘Spy Rule… which one is it? Anyway… the more local informants and helpers you have, the better.’

I was thinking of creating a local assistant who could work with me in Gyeongseong through Lee Wan-yong.

‘If possible, I would like to show consistent pro-Japanese behavior so that the Governor-General’s attention will be reduced, and since there are more than one or two things to protect, I would be an easy target for threats… ‘

Interestingly enough, the person who knew the most about the types of people I wanted to be was Lee Wan-yong.

Now that they had taken the Chosun Ilbo from Song Byeong-jun and money from Yoon Deok-yeong, it was time to take useful talent from Lee Wan-yong.

There was so much to devour on the land of Joseon, it was as if the golden land of El Dorado in the faraway New World had descended into reality… …!

“You shouldn’t be doing this here… … . Since it’s before lunch, I’d like to take you to a place I know… … ?”

When the topic of food came up, Lee Wan-yong also showed interest, perhaps because it was before a meal.

“Lunch? I don’t eat out unless it’s at a restaurant I frequent.”

“Oh, then, Your Majesty, let me choose. I will not know!”

“Is that so?”

Lee Wan-yong was delighted that he saved money on lunch.

So I came to a restaurant he frequented often.

Naturally, this place was also included in my information network.

“… … This is why I bought the Chosun Ilbo.”

“You are a patriot.”

“Haha, really? Wow… …. I feel like crying because His Majesty Rinoie understands my efforts.”

“A grown man is shedding tears.”

Although Lee Wan-yong consistently chimed in with me and answered my questions well, he didn’t seem to be very interested in my true feelings.

After talking about useless things for a while, I found a topic that would interest him.

But even though I talked about politics, society, economy, and other things, he didn’t show any reaction.

Except for one thing.

“The problem is that these days, the world is so dangerous that there are few people on the streets who can be trusted and entrusted with work.”

“Well… … . Lately, there’s a story that a spirit being called the Ghost of Gyeongseong is wandering around Gyeongseong and targeting patriots like us.”

“Oh my… … . Don’t be ridiculous. I was walking down a dark street a while ago, and when I suddenly turned around, some strange guys were following me.”

“so?”

However, when the topic of the ghost of Gyeongseong came up, his eyes lit up and he showed interest… …. It was a part where you could see how much he was afraid of ghosts.

‘Even the world’s best Lee Wan-yong seems to be concerned about his own life.’

In a way, it was natural.

Because there are very few people in the world who do not value their own lives.

“Fortunately, there were police officers patrolling nearby, so I ran towards them. Then I looked back, and the guy who was chasing me was gone. What the?”

“Hmm… …! That was almost a disaster.”

“Oh my… … . That’s right. I know it’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but I don’t understand what the police are doing to make Gyeongseong’s security like this.”

“I agree.”

Lee Wan-yong’s two eyes were not worthy of their name and had shrunk.

That also meant that he was afraid of the ghosts of Gyeongseong.

“hmm…….”

Perhaps it was because he had heard that he was the ghost of Gyeongseong, or perhaps he had a problem to begin with, but Lee Wan-yong was drinking heavily, but he suddenly closed his eyes and clutched his chest.

It was quite funny to see the old gentleman sitting there, clutching his chest, but I was not the type of person who would laugh heartily over something like that.

“Where are you uncomfortable?”

“Hmm… … No, it’s more like a chronic illness.”

“Do you have a chronic illness?”

“It’s nothing.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him frowning and saying it was nothing.

But I couldn’t ruin the place like this, so I didn’t forget to keep my sound as quiet as possible.

“Ugh… … . Oh, I see… … . May I ask how you came to be like that?”

“… … ? Your speech is a bit strange.”

“Oh, is that so? When I meet someone as high as Your Majesty, I don’t know what to do… … so… …!”

It won’t work.

I kept feeling like I was going to burst out laughing.

But Lee Wan-yong, who had his eyes closed and could not have known about this situation, let out a painful sigh and said.

“A dozen years ago, I met a strange man in front of Myeongdong Cathedral and this is what happened.”

“A strange man?”

“Yeah, it was a guy with a knife. He got stabbed here and there by that guy and almost died. What happened?”

“Oh, like that.”

If I were you, I would have cut open the femoral aorta and the costal aorta in one go, making your body unlivable.

“Fortunately, he was taken to the hospital and his life was saved, but ever since then, whenever the wind blows, my chest feels tight and sometimes the pain surges, making me uncomfortable.”

“Oh my.”

This was new information.

Lee Wan-yong suffers from the aftereffects of the assassination.

This was very good information.

“Have you tried any painkillers?”

“Hmm… … Of course, I’ve tried it several times, but I think I’ve developed a tolerance for it, so the medicine doesn’t work as well.”

“I see.”

Dozens of painkillers came to mind, several of which I was concerned were highly addictive and had side effects after use.

Interestingly enough, the painkillers that came to mind just now were very easy to find on the market in this day and age.

And among them, I also thought of a substance with a strong pain-relieving effect that could be made through several refinements in a facility with separate equipment.

“You really have had a hard time.”

The corners of his mouth gradually went up.

It was a restrained smile, not as frivolous as before.

“It’s so ridiculous.”

“I heard that in the West, far across the ocean, there are some painkillers that are hard to find here… … . I have some connections there, so I’ll see if I can… … . Contact them?”

“What? Ha! That’s it! You guy.”

Lee Wan-yong snorted.

“I will only accept your heart.”

“Oh my… … . Please don’t reject me so much… … .”

“He said it was okay.”

Lee Wan-yong refused firmly.

However, as someone who is passionate about self-preservation, it seemed that no matter how severe the pain was, it was not to the extent that he would rely on medicine given to him by someone he met for the first time today.

If so, the answer is simple.

‘Then I’ll just have to cause them so much pain that they have no choice but to depend on me!’

Of course, he said this outwardly.

“Then, the only thing I can give you right now is a panacea that will make you forget everything.”

“What is that?”

“What is it? It’s alcohol! Let me have a drink.”

“What? Hahaha! Yes, this is a panacea!”

Lee Wan-yong accepted the drink and said it was good.

“Ugh… … . Thanks to you, my pain is somewhat relieved.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“hmm.”

Lee Wan-yong looked at me silently for a moment.

I smiled brightly and met Yi Wan-yong’s eyes.

“It looks like you have a favor to ask of me.”

“There are things I need help with.”

“I guess so. As long as it’s not too much, I’ll listen.”

“I need some people.”

“People? Isn’t that something you can get just by placing an ad in the newspaper?”

“As I said earlier, you have to be able to trust the people who gathered like that… … .”

“Yes, especially in times like these when it’s hard to trust people.”

Lee Wan-yong nodded and sympathized with my concerns.

Then he lifted his glass again, tilted his head, and wiped a few drops of alcohol from the corner of his mouth with his finger as he asked me.

“There are a few people I know who are having trouble making ends meet right now. Should I introduce them to you?”

“Oh my… … . Then I would be grateful!”

“Everyone has at least received some level of education, so their abilities should be pretty useful.”

“Oh, if possible, I would like to ask a young person to do it. There are a lot of things that will require effort.”

“Don’t do that.”

As soon as Lee Wan-yong finished speaking, an envelope popped out from my arms.

Inside the envelope was a portion of a wad of cash that had been sleeping in Yoon Deok-young’s personal safe in the past.

“What is this?”

“Hehehe… … When you get to know people, you need transportation costs to go around, and you also need food costs to eat a simple meal, right?”

“Huh… … .”

Lee Wan-yong glanced at the thickness of the envelope, then quietly packed it away with the corners of his lips curled up.

“I don’t particularly care.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

I didn’t regret it at all because I was going to have Lee Wan-yong spit it out with his own hands later.

I already had a clear image of him in my head, a ruined man in the final days of his life, living a miserable life under a bridge.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 83