Chapter 10: Chaebol (2)
The greatest damage caused by the war wasn’t the nuclear attacks, but the insidious sneak attacks carried out in the cold depths of the water.
South Korea, which relies on overseas imports for almost all its supplies, has a structure where it dies if the sea routes are cut off.
When Chinese submarines attacked the trade routes, Korea’s sea lanes were paralyzed, and the Korean economy was handed a death sentence.
Papung could not be free from this doomed fate either.
However, there was a possibility they could prolong their life a bit longer than other groups.
Since among their affiliates, there was not only construction and distribution but also heavy industry and defense contractors.
Was that why?
The equipment mobilized in the operational area was more spectacular than imagined.
Five new armored vehicles unknown to me, armed with flamethrowers and 20mm autocannons; three 40kg-class quadcopter drones capable of aerial support in emergencies; one platoon of foreign mercenaries who looked like former US military; and over two hundred support troops armed with various personal firearms.
There weren’t that many young people.
The relatively young ones were in their mid-to-late 30s, and most were in their 40s, with quite a few in their 50s as well.
The one in charge of operational command was a man named Director Choi, who reportedly served up to Army Colonel, but he had zero experience in anti-monster operations.
There was one Hunter serving as an advisor; not only was his face unknown to me, but he wasn’t even a proper Hunter.
By “proper Hunter,” I mean someone who has received systematic education and training at a “School” that meets international standards, gained over a year of practical experience under a verified mentor, experienced combat for over a year in the gate zones established in front of rifts, and acquired a rank of C or higher.
Those who attended the school but dropped out midway, like my mentor John Lennon, are D-rank and treated as non-combatants in anti-monster warfare.
Yet, this non-combatant was holding the lifeline of a chaebol group that once had South Korea in the palm of its hand.
“I am Park Sang-min, an active National Assembly member and a Hunter. I look forward to working with you.”
This man, with the handsome appearance of an actor, is a National Assembly member.
I heard he entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative by highlighting his background as a Hunter—a so-called specialized proportional representative.
I don’t know what qualifies someone who isn’t even a proper Hunter to represent the entire Hunter group, but the Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) badge gleaming on the collar of his quasi-military uniform looked quite dashing.
The nominal commander was Director Choi, but the one actually leading the operation was Park Sang-min.
“A massive number of zombies appeared in this industrial complex area, but according to research, a zombie’s lifespan is one month. After a month, even zombies starve to death. The reason we delayed this operation was to avoid unnecessary battles with zombies.”
With a handsome face and a calm, trustworthy voice, even when he spouted bullshit, it sounded plausible to someone who didn’t know better.
“What does the Hunter dispatched from the NCOC think?”
For some reason, he asked for my thoughts at every turn, and his intention was too obvious.
He was trying to crush me down.
Because I am a Hunter sent by the NCOC.
As of now, the National Assembly is a league of their own with no real power, while the one holding the actual power is the NCOC.
That ill feeling had mutated into mockery directed at me.
I can laugh off that much.
Three years at most. That is this friend’s lifespan.
The problem was the possibility that Park Sang-min might shift the blame for the failure of this doomed operation onto me.
That is not what I want.
I am someone who must live quietly, alone, cut off contact with everyone when the time comes, and live peacefully.
“From my perspective, I don’t think that’s quite right.”
“No, Assemblyman, you are misinformed.”
“I do not agree at all.”
So I tackled him at every turn.
It was also hard not to tackle him.
Because this guy was just spouting nonsense.
“I see it differently.”
They say even an earthworm squirms when stepped on; after taking a few hits, Park Sang-min counterattacked.
“Do you see it in 3D?”
This was his counterattack.
Having nothing in his head, he tried to gloss over my words themselves with sarcasm and bullshit.
I ignored him and continued what I had to say.
“When zombies are about to starve to death, they shut down. They enter a state of suspended animation and drastically lower their metabolism. It’s true that they starve to death if they don’t find nutrients after being active for a month, but you have to view zombies that have established a base in an urban center where they can avoid the sun differently.”
“Ah~ Jeez. Please turn off your Ant Wiki~.”
Park Sang-min was incredibly rude, but the expressions of the group’s executives watching our conversation were not very bright.
The Chairman’s change, in particular, was noticeable.
Even if they were laymen, just looking at the context of the words made it clear who was making more sense.
The climax of our argument was the debate on how to enter the industrial complex, our destination.
Park Sang-min preached that we must put the armored vehicles at the front, and I argued the opposite.
“Look, Assemblyman. Have you ever seen a zombie shoot a gun? Have you ever heard of one? Zombies are sensitive to sound and smell. If we bring in armored vehicles reeking of oil and blaring engine noise, we’re just advertising that we’re here.”
“Stop!”
Park Sang-min waved his arm.
A menacing-looking aide blocked my way and tried to shut me up.
Shaking them off, I continued my piece.
“It won’t be too late to first send out an experienced reconnaissance team to inspect the formation and decide the entry method accordingly. Understand? In a fight, planning is 90%. The remaining 10% is individual skill. If the plan is a mess, can you win?”
“This bastard, I let it slide and let it slide, and now. Fuck.”
Park Sang-min’s patience hit rock bottom.
“Does a National Assembly member look like a fucking joke to a bug-like bastard like you? Huh? Who do you think you are, daring to talk back to me every single time?”
The group’s people separated me and Park Sang-min.
Luckily, the person who took me elsewhere was also the reason I came here.
“You are CEO Ji Chang-su, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct, but.”
“I received a request from your daughter.”
“From Yeong-hui?”
Yeong-hui.
It was an exemplary name. That woman.
I briefly explained the danger of this operation to Ji Chang-su, supplementing it with my knowledge and experience.
True to a man who managed a company with over 3,000 employees, even if it was a subcontractor, Ji Chang-su seemed to take my words seriously.
I blew away his doubts with a finishing blow.
“Actually, I’m not D-rank. I’m not bragging, but I’m on a different level from that pretty boy.”
But an invisible string was tying his heart down.
“But the Chairman…”
“What’s the matter with the Chairman? Honestly, isn’t the group and everything already finished? Are you continuing transactions? No, do you even have any business to transact?”
Ji Chang-su shook his head.
He shook his head, but he stared into the air with the deep, serious eyes an older person would typically wear when lecturing juniors.
“Hunter Bak, you are still young so you might not know well, but the relationship between people isn’t formed and severed so easily. Let alone for people like us who have shared the same time and experiences…”
“…”
I think I know what he means.
I too have had similar worries.
“Besides, even if we ran out of this collapsing group, what could we do? Bluntly speaking, wouldn’t we just go from being a Papung Man to a mere refugee?”
“You have family waiting for you to return alive.”
“…”
“I don’t have any family to wait for me.”
I left the spot first.
“When I give the signal, run away without looking back.”
“But the Chairman!”
“Don’t worry. The Chairman will flee too.”
The result of the operation was as obvious as seeing a fire.
The armored vehicles took the lead, and zombies swarmed in.
The momentum was good.
Until they advanced toward the center, building walls of corpses with flamethrowers and autocannons.
But they soon hit a limit.
Zombies surrounded them from all sides and blocked their retreat, and to make matters worse, the entity I feared most made its appearance.
A 3-meter-tall creature made of a lusterless gray matter surface floated in the air, looking down at the humans.
Emitting shockwaves that made the surroundings waver every time it released them like breaths.
It was closer to a stone statue than a living organism.
Or should I call it an idol.
All the humans at the scene looked up at that entity, each captivated by their own fear and awe.
In the silence, I grabbed Ji Chang-su’s wrist and said.
“Let’s bounce.”
That is humanity’s enemy, a monster.
Humanity cannot defeat monsters.
The result of the battle.
Most of the equipment was destroyed, and all the mercenaries were lost.
Director Choi was also killed in action.
Out of the 200 employees who came as support troops, only half returned alive.
Park Sang-min survived, but he blamed the defeat on Director Choi’s incompetence and the Papung Group’s lack of preparation.
Whatever. It doesn’t matter.
Because Ji Chang-su lived.
“With this, the Chairman’s stubbornness must have been broken a bit too. Thank you. For cooperating.”
Kim Da-ram welcomed me with a smile, but that smile didn’t look very joyful.
She, too, had arranged this unavoidably.
I understand.
In a world where everything has collapsed, it would have been hard to ignore the demands of a powerful individual.
“It wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience. But why did they do such a thing? I can roughly guess the inside story, though.”
“There were two playgrounds, and one playground went bust. The most popular kid from the ruined playground came to the other playground, but they wouldn’t let him join in.”
“That’s a very mom-like analogy.”
“Anyway, rejoice. I won’t bother you anymore.”
Kim Da-ram sent me a congratulatory message along with an unexpected gift.
That gift is a personal identification number.
Now I enjoy a special status in the world of military frequencies.
“By the way, that Chairman wants to see you again?”
“I don’t want to see him?”
“Whether you meet him or not is up to you, Senior. He’s lost all his power now anyway. He doesn’t even have the resources left to exert any influence anymore.”
What made me meet Je Pung-ho again?
Looking back, I think it was curiosity.
What the end of a fallen chaebol looks like—isn’t that a sight any Korean would want to see at least once?
Je Pung-ho received me on the 3rd floor of his headquarters building.
The construction elevator that previously took me up to the 55th floor had stopped operating.
The luxurious restrooms reeked of urine.
Je Pung-ho had prepared a meal and was waiting for me.
The main menu was steak garnished with truffles, and he had prepared top-tier wine called Chateau Something.
The mushrooms and wine were excellent, but the quality of his meat was definitely lower than what I had stored in my bunker.
“Hunter Bak.”
He welcomed me with a bright smile.
His face wasn’t much different from what I saw at the soup kitchen.
“I looked into your background. Did a little digging. You were quite a big shot.”
“I’m a has-been now.”
“Just like me.”
Je Pung-ho’s eyes sparkled.
“I heard that swaggering Lee Sang-hun was no match for you? They said you were on the same team as the now half-legendary saviors Kang Han-min and Na Hye-in.”
“…”
My appetite for the alcohol sharply dropped.
I heard names I didn’t want to hear.
Ones I had almost successfully erased from my memory.
“Why did you call me here?”
“Seeing as how it is, you’re planning to reject whatever I say right off the bat, aren’t you?”
“You know well.”
“To get straight to the point, I plan to challenge that industrial complex again.”
“It won’t work. You saw it, didn’t you?”
“There are times when you must do it even knowing it won’t work.”
Je Pung-ho, with his exceptionally sparkling eyes half-closed, gazed intently at the blood-red wine glass with remorse.
“I was a concubine’s child.”
“…”
“It says my mother is Jang Mi-sook, but she’s not my mother. My real mother couldn’t even leave a name. The moment I was brought into this world, the probability of me inheriting the group was 0%. But I pulled it off.”
Je Pung-ho’s eyes gleamed darker.
To be precise, he widened his narrowed eyes, catching more of the light from the dim lamp on the ceiling, but I mistook it for his inner light growing stronger.
“I ruined and trampled everyone who stood in my way, forcing my father to have no choice but to choose me.”
He had the spirit for it.
“I am 69 years old. The time has come to challenge it again.”
“I won’t do it.”
“Just tell me the method. The method to take down that monster!”
I couldn’t refuse even that request.
Well, I do owe him a favor.
A warm bowl of beef soup and a shot of soju.
“…It’s a type called a Necromancer. As you saw, it’s a bastard that mutates dead people and raises them as zombies. When attacked, it casts a reflection force field around itself, but it doesn’t reflect organic matter like living creatures. It’s incredibly difficult to approach, though. But if you can just get close, you could figure something out. And there is exactly one spot where there is no force field, about the size of a single coin…”
Je Pung-ho nodded as if he had returned to his childhood and diligently jotted down my information in his notepad.
After the explanation was over, I asked him.
“Why are you so obsessed with that place? You can adequately prepare with just the assets and connections you have, can’t you? If you settle down in a suitable place, you’d have more than enough to protect your family and immediate circle.”
“How could I do that?”
He asked back, on the verge of tears.
“When there are thousands, tens of thousands of Papung employees who believe in and follow only me?”
I felt I finally understood the reason his eyes shone so strangely.
He was a boss to the bone.
Leading people, making people follow him.
No, perhaps he identified himself entirely with Papung.
Je Pung-ho’s final challenge ended in failure.
The fact that the father of the woman who had spoken to me wasn’t on the casualty list came as a small satisfaction.
The soup kitchen Je Pung-ho ambitiously set up was used as a drug addict’s den, and is now abandoned, turning into a monstrosity no one visits.
This is the end of a chaebol I knew.
Thanks to that, I was able to be reborn from a perpetually unpopular user into a user with some potential who wrote a trending post.
But Je Pung-ho’s story didn’t seem to be over yet.
About 1 year and 10 months after the outbreak of the war, a photo was uploaded to the community.
gijayangban: I picked up this photo from the Pale Net. Doesn’t it look familiar somehow?
What was captured in the photo was a swarm of zombies.
Perhaps operating in the provinces, they formed a massive super-group of thousands.
But the zombie standing at the forefront, it’s a familiar face.
There’s no mistake.
The zombie wearing a shiny suit was Je Pung-ho, Chairman of the Papung Group.
While most chaebols abandoned their groups and settled for fortresses for just their families of a dozen or so people, this prominent entrepreneur is, even today, leading thousands of followers, roaming the abandoned ruins.
