Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 43

Extracurricular Story 43. Imperial Scenery (8)

Over 200 years, 10,000 deaths. Arithmetically, that’s 50 deaths per year.

Compared to the number of people who died from diseases or accidents in the Empire’s civilian society and the Imperial Army, it was a small number.

However, in the intelligence war fought over the Challenge Records and Miscellaneous Records, the situation was different.

Not only the people of the Empire but also people from other countries knew that the Challenge Records and Miscellaneous Records were not just ordinary records.

In the ‘South Sea War’ in Imperial Calendar 144 (1592), Toyotomi Hideyoshi of Japan aimed for the Challenge Records and Miscellaneous Records. Even now, more than a few countries send diplomatic letters demanding their disclosure whenever they have a chance.

If this was the situation with just the public cases, it was obvious what was happening behind the scenes.

The questions gradually moved to sensitive areas.

-Judging by the fact that they are recorded as Silent Stars, it seems that the identities of the Milwi [covert operatives] are secret. Are the Emperor and the Crown Prince the only ones besides the Milwi who know the identities of these people, especially the deceased?

“That’s right. It is one of the duties of the Emperor and the Crown Prince to confirm and remember the identities of those who sacrificed themselves during operations.”

-Is there a record of what those working in the Milwi did?

“Of course. It’s called ‘Secret Records.’ This record can only be read by the Emperor and the person in charge of the Milwi at the time the operation took place.”

-Where does the budget for operating the Milwi come from?

“Primarily from the Imperial Family. The rest is classified. But I can answer this confidently: not a single penny is illegally taken from the Empire’s budget.”

-Does the Milwi only operate within the Empire?

“No.”

* * *

As the identity of the Milwi was revealed, the Empire, as well as many other countries, were in an uproar.

The most discussion came from Ming [China] and Europe.

The Ming Dynasty was also a party to the Liaodong War and the West Sea Naval Battle mentioned by the Emperor.

Thanks to this, not only the officials of the Ming Dynasty but also historians began to re-examine the historical books of the Ming Dynasty.

In the meantime, some suspicious incidents began to surface.

The most representative was the case in which about twenty eunuchs belonging to the East Depot [secret police] during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong disappeared at the same time.

This incident was noted because around the same time, an attempt to leak technology from Area 51 occurred in the Empire—then Joseon [Korea].

-A Ming merchant was behind the attempt to secretly steal technology from Area 51, but his whereabouts became unknown.

“Could it be….”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence?”

-The Ming Dynasty’s attempt to steal technology from Area 51 and the intelligence war with Joseon at the time.

This was the conclusion reached by historians from Ming and the Empire.

Next, the countries that were turned upside down were the countries of Europe.

“We also had some unsettling things, didn’t we?”

“That’s true… but since there are no definite records like Ming….”

In the end, the case of Europe ended in a sluggish conclusion of ‘there is suspicion, but no evidence.’

And this became the starting point for numerous conspiracy theories.

* * *

As time passed, a strange craze began to sweep through the energetic young Imperials.

“How can I become a Milwi?”

-One who moves on the world stage, hiding his identity for the sake of the Empire and the Emperor’s well-being.

-Even if you are unlucky and lose your life, the Emperor and the Crown Prince will remember you.

-If the Emperor and the Crown Prince remember you, isn’t it a worthwhile life even if no one else recognizes you?

-Isn’t the life of a Milwi, which requires risking your life, better than a life where you have to deal with all kinds of documents in the administration or business association, or spend the same day as yesterday, even if it is dangerous?

These ideas made the hearts of energetic young people burn.

Thanks to this, many young people began to look for ways to become Milwi.

However, the Milwi agents themselves smiled bitterly.

“We also deal with documents just as much….”

“The number of people who go on operations is at best a few dozen, and if you think about the selection process…. Ugh! It gives me goosebumps even thinking about it again.”

The ‘Milwi craze’ that had heated up the young people of the Empire subsided over time.

Those who had spent such passionate times also grew old.

“Do you remember that time? When we were running around saying we would become ‘Milwi’.”

“It was a truly energetic time.”

When the old men, recalling the past, smiled wryly, saying it was a ‘foolish thing they did in their youthful days,’ ‘Milwi’ came up again.

* * *

Imperial Calendar 240 (1688)

A single book released in the Empire’s bookstores shook the Empire.

It was an autobiography of a famous actress who dominated the film industry at the time.

She was a very talented actress with excellent looks and talent.

And she was an actress who was at the center of all kinds of rumors as much as her excellent looks and talent.

In addition, the process by which the actress in question entered the film industry was also unusual.

She was a talented person who graduated from the Imperial Army Military Academy and completed the Tiger Hunter [elite special forces] training course with excellent grades.

She left the military just before being promoted from Second Lieutenant—modern First Lieutenant, Captain—to Warrant Officer due to a ‘certain disgraceful incident’ and entered the film industry.

And perhaps because of the influence of that past, she began to gain popularity in ‘action movies,’ and then began to play leading roles in other fields of film.

In some ways, she could be said to be a popular actress with a unique background, but the problem was the ‘rumors’ mentioned earlier.

It was a ‘scandal’ involving influential figures from the Empire as well as Europe—mostly men, but there were also women.

She even disappeared during filming and spent time in unexpected places with unexpected people.

If it was in the early days of the Empire, she would have been punished immediately. However, as time passed, whether it was because people’s perceptions had softened or because the only evidence was photos of them together and there was no definite evidence, there were only rumors.

Therefore, among gossipers, there was speculation that the ‘certain disgraceful incident’ that caused her to leave the military was a similar case.

Apart from such rumors, her position was solid with her glamorous looks, talent, and acting skills as weapons.

She suddenly contracted an ‘unexplained’ incurable disease overseas and passed away at the age of 45.

A month before her death, her autobiography was released in bookstores.

And this autobiography caused a stir.

The reason for the stir was the sentence written at the very beginning of the autobiography.

-I was an operative of the Milwi.

-The things written here have been approved by His Majesty the Emperor and made public.

-Originally, I would have been left with all kinds of scandals and infamy and faced a miserable death.

-But His Majesty the Emperor told me to reveal this and clear my name, so I can repay the favor even if I die hundreds of times again for His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire.

The autobiography described how she became a Milwi when she was in the military academy and then in the Tiger Hunters.

“Are you willing to give up your honor for the sake of His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire?”

“If you accept our offer, your future will be filled with all kinds of scandals and criticisms. In the end, even your family will abandon you. When you die, no one may look for you.”

“But the colleagues in the place where you will work in the future and two people will remember you.”

“Those two people are His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

After that, she was discharged from the military for ‘certain disgraceful reasons.’

Then, the work after becoming a Milwi was written.

After receiving training that made the training process of the Tiger Hunters, which was rumored to be difficult, look ridiculous, she underwent an aptitude test and a personality test that were meticulous to the point of being obsessive.

At the end of that process, she was able to obtain the qualification to become an operative of the Milwi.

As soon as she obtained the qualification, a foreign language acquisition course followed. Only after passing a highly intensive education course to the point where she even talked in her sleep in a foreign language could she become an operative.

After becoming an operative, she used her disguise as an actress to carry out several secret operations.

This was the reason why it caused a stir because this kind of content was written.

The start was a debate over authenticity.

The problem was the part where she wrote about secret operations.

She did not write in detail, but simply wrote vaguely in the style of ‘I did such and such an operation,’ and she explained the reason as follows.

-These operations are classified. Therefore, I cannot and will not reveal the details.

The next topic was the ‘license to kill.’

-A certificate that the Emperor authorizes murder.

In addition, the content such as the affectionate memories she had with intelligence agents from other countries she met during the operation also became a hot topic.

The next topic was the funeral of an agent who died during the operation.

While working under a disguised identity, the funeral was held as ‘death during work’ or ‘accidental accident,’ and the Crown Prince, wearing plain clothes, secretly attended and paid respects to the deceased, as well as the Milwi colleagues.

* * *

Because the autobiography in question caused such a great stir, the Emperor of the time had to hold a press conference himself.

-Is she really an operative of the Milwi?

“It is difficult for me to speak carelessly about the Milwi. But I can say this: even now, the black stars of the Milwi are increasing.”

-Then, are the operations she mentioned in her autobiography real operations?

“Looking at the autobiography, it happened when the Retired Emperor was the Emperor. I have no authority to confirm.”

-Then, is there such a thing as a ‘license to kill’?

“I refuse to answer. But I hope you will consider that murder is not something that can be done at will.”

-Then, what about attending the funeral?

“As I said before, it is the duty of the Emperor and the Crown Prince to remember the death of the Milwi.”

It was a vague answer from the Emperor, but if you think about it a little, you can find the answer right away.

-Her story is very likely to be true.

-No, it’s true!

* * *

As the situation became like this, another ‘Milwi craze’ swept through the Empire.

The number of people who knocked on the military gates or challenged the special forces courses of the Army and Navy increased rapidly, saying they would become ‘Milwi’.

That wasn’t the only thing.

-A life with two distinctly different identities: ‘the best actress in the glamorous entertainment industry’ and ‘a spy on a precarious firing line where life and death are decided in an instant.’

-Travels the world for the safety of the country.

-A ‘license to kill’ that is issued when certain conditions are met.

Because there were all kinds of elements that stimulated people’s curiosity, novels that mainly used ‘Milwi’ as a material began to be created soon.

This was not just an Empire thing.

The autobiography in question was popular not only in the Empire but also in other countries.

According to the autobiography, other countries also had intelligence agencies like the Milwi.

Writers inspired by this in other countries also began to write novels, and soon a genre was born worldwide.

It was the birth of ‘espionage’.

The new genre of espionage became a popular material not only in novels but also in movies.

* * *

As ‘espionage’ became overflowing like this, the intelligence agencies of each country, including the Milwi, became embarrassed.

“Should we like this or not….”

“People’s instincts are accurate in unexpected areas.”

Among the various covert operations that appear in various espionage works, things that were surprisingly similar to actual operations began to appear.

The intelligence agencies of each country, surprised by this, investigated whether information had been leaked, but there was almost no leakage.

With the addition of writers’ imaginations to various rumors and records of certain events, a surprisingly similar appearance to reality came out.

“That means those guys can move like this, right?”

“Conversely, it means that those guys can also figure out how we move.”

The intelligence agencies of each country, alarmed by the operations described in espionage and the process by which these operations were exposed, began to review the planning and execution of new operations and the operation of the organization.

“Wait, these devices that come out here. They look good?”

“If we do well, we might actually be able to make them?”

Conversely, inspired by all kinds of secret weapons and equipment that come out in these espionage works, new weapons and equipment were born.