Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 188

188. One Goal, Different Paths (3)

Min Soha released Lee Jitae’s collar. Lee Jitae glared at Min Soha and said,

“I don’t think I’m in a position to hear that from you, Commander.”

“Don’t feel too bad. I said worse to that Park Doryeong bastard. He might be crying if he takes off that mask.”

Min Soha sighed.

“It’s not that I disagree with your idea of messing with that guy. But you started this war, didn’t you? So, isn’t it your responsibility to safely return the young soldiers who got caught up in it?”

“…….”

Lee Jitae closed his mouth at Min Soha’s words.

He had only thought about retaking Pyongyang and hadn’t given much thought to the countless social costs and sacrifices that would come with the Northern Expedition.

The benefits of retaking Pyongyang were benefits, but since it was a plan he had longed for, he naturally thought everyone would be able to endure that much.

That’s why Lee Jitae was prepared to enter the most dangerous place first and run the hardest.

But from the beginning, the soldiers were just dragged along.

Even if his beliefs were tainted, Min Soha was saying that Lee Jitae was responsible for sending them back without sacrifice, since he had brought them to the battlefield.

“Is the chitchat over?”

Min Soha and Lee Jitae glared at the man who spoke, Park Doryeong.

Park Doryeong was still wearing a mask that made it impossible to read his expression.

Min Soha patted Lee Jitae on the back as if to tell him to do well and left. From here on out, it was up to Lee Jitae to solve the problem with Park Doryeong 1:1 [one-on-one].

“Can’t you take off that unsightly mask and talk?”

“You’ll be wearing one soon too. I’m wondering why you’re not wearing one yet.”

“Why would I wear a mask?”

Park Doryeong tilted his head.

“You’ll be meeting the Chinese army soon. They’ll have a 5-star Esper too, right? Some of them will have heard the whispers of the stars [referring to Espers with unique abilities], are you really going to reveal your face like that?”

“My face is already public, so why bother…….”

“You never know who has ‘the Glasses’ [an ability to see through disguises or hidden information] right now…… No, you really don’t know anything. Well, I figured as much since you innocently revealed the name of the star to Kang Hyunmu.”

Park Doryeong took something out of his robe sleeve. It was a dust mask.

“Wear this at least. It’s different now than when you didn’t reveal that you were a 5-star Esper. The world is a more dangerous place than you think.”

Lee Jitae distorted his face.

“The people I’m meeting now are people I know. I’m part of Chrome, you know. I don’t see any reason to be wary.”

Lee Jitae continued, as if shooting at Park Doryeong.

“What are you doing? Do you still think you’re my teacher? Or do I look like a child to you? I thought we cut ties with that for sure. I’ve traveled the world a lot, even more than you.”

“Did you think I was just playing around for 7 years? I’m more upset than you are, even if you’re upset. I taught you like my own child and passed on everything. But you took away my colleagues, popularity, and reputation. What kind of ungrateful behavior is this?”

“You first!”

Lee Jitae raised his voice, then quickly closed his mouth.

After confirming that Min Soha was far away, Lee Jitae lowered his voice and whispered.

“If you hadn’t planned that crazy thing in the first place, we wouldn’t have been torn apart like that. Lunatic Tiger would have grown well with Tae-sung’s support, and it would have been a much stronger clan than it is now. The Almighty Union wouldn’t even have been able to touch us!”

“What, a plan to overthrow the country?”

Lee Jitae tried to lower his voice, but Park Doryeong said it so casually.

Lee Jitae’s face contorted. Park Doryeong continued in a voice without any emotional fluctuation.

“Like I said, your vision is too narrow. I don’t even know why you were chosen by the star that goes ahead. If our plan had succeeded back then, it would have been much easier to prepare for the future.”

“Because of what you did back then, Espers are being suspected and oppressed now! Do you know how hard I’m working to clean up the mess now!”

“That’s why you should have left me alone. If you had just left it alone, we would be ordering around General Min Soha instead of working under her.”

Lee Jitae glared at Park Doryeong with a contemptuous expression.

“You really haven’t repented at all. I thought something might have changed even a little in 7 years.”

At the time, Lunatic Tiger was openly showing anti-government tendencies and was on the verge of transforming from a simple Esper group into a political group.

They also carried out political terrorism without anyone knowing, creating Esper haters within the current power structure.

Chief Secretary Park Gyu was a prime example of that. If Lee Jitae hadn’t broken away with the internal skeptics of Lunatic Tiger, a civil war could have broken out in Korea.

“It’s not like nothing has changed.”

Park Doryeong said, staring at Lee Jitae. Lee Jitae glared at Park Doryeong with a contemptuous expression.

“Why did you come all the way here with such a crazy delusion? Did you come to throw shit on my work?”

“To save you and take you home.”

“Don’t treat me like a child like that again.”

“I’m serious, Lee Jitae. If I had taken over the top of the government? Do you think I would have happily taken over the head of the executive branch? A weirdo in a robe and mask as president? That would be quite a sight.”

Park Doryeong said, sending a piercing gaze from beyond the mask.

“I was going to put you at the top of us, Lee Jitae. Of course, you were and still are a naive, stupid kid, but my opinion hasn’t changed. No, I’ve become even more convinced.”

“Please don’t talk nonsense. Do you think I’ll fall for it if you try to seduce me like that? Have I ever asked you to make me king?”

Lee Jitae grabbed the mask that Park Doryeong was holding while getting angry. It seemed useless to talk any further.

“You’ll remember the promise we made 7 years ago. As long as you don’t do anything stupid with the delusion of overthrowing the country, I promised not to attack you either.”

“Ah, I remember. How can I forget the promise I forced you to make while taking away more than half of my colleagues.”

“Let’s add one more condition. Don’t do anything stupid to Kang Hyunmu. I won’t tell you to hang yourself in a room, so please refrain from doing anything on your own.”

***

Lee Jitae and Park Doryeong finished their conversation and returned. Min Soha was talking to someone.

Lee Jitae’s expression hardened when he saw who Min Soha was talking to.

It was Kang Hyunmu.

He hadn’t heard from him for the past few days, and now he suddenly reappeared like this.

Lee Jitae was worried about how to explain this situation to Kang Hyunmu.

With Kang Hyunmu’s personality, he wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of Park Doryeong alive and well in front of him.

But before his worries were over, Kang Hyunmu’s gaze turned this way.

Lee Jitae gripped the Heaven Splitting Sword tightly in preparation for the worst.

“Ah, Lee Jitae, Park Doryeong. It’s nice to see you again. I’ve heard everything from General Min Soha. I heard you’re going to have a pre-meeting with the Chinese army to discuss the capture of Pyongyang?”

But Kang Hyunmu smiled and greeted them happily.

Lee Jitae was embarrassed by the unexpected reaction.

Was Kang Hyunmu such a good actor? Or is he just being polite in front of Commander Min Soha?

But Min Soha also knew that Park Doryeong had attacked Hyunmu.

Anyway, she seemed relieved that this situation would pass without any conflict.

“I think Kang Hyunmu is the youngest of the three, but he’s the most mature.”

“Haha, you flatter me, General Min Soha. Shall we slowly go to the conference room first?”

Min Soha took the lead with a satisfied expression, and Kang Hyunmu naturally stood side by side with Lee Jitae and Park Doryeong.

Park Doryeong looked at Kang Hyunmu with an unpleasant gaze.

But after receiving Lee Jitae’s piercing gaze, he cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“Kang Hyunmu, we had a misunderstanding…….”

Then Kang Hyunmu whispered in a frosty voice.

“We’re not in a relationship where we can reconcile and become friends, are we?”

Park Doryeong was speechless for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Min Soha was right. Kang Hyunmu responded maturely.

He was just showing with his attitude that he wouldn’t kill him on the spot.

No less murderous intent than Kang Hyunmu was rising from Park Doryeong. Lee Jitae felt a headache coming on.

‘I don’t know how this expedition will end.’

***

The place where they were supposed to meet was a room inside the Martyrs’ Shrine building. The view was good and it was easy to control.

It was still at the level of ruins, but there were also plans to create a temporary command and control center for the Pyongyang capture operation.

They arrived a little late for the appointed time, but no one was there. Only a few Chinese army public officials were waiting.

It was as expected. The public officials saw the arriving Korean army personnel and contacted someone.

After a while, a Chinese army general and aides entered. At the end of the line, Shiva Amini, the UN Special Inspector whom Hyunmu also knew well, appeared.

And behind her, a woman with a sloppy appearance with her zipper pulled up to her nose followed.

‘An Esper army.’

Hyunmu instinctively sensed that the hooded woman was an Esper from Chrome.

There was no way Amini wouldn’t bring an Esper to this place, and only Hunters would dress so strangely on the battlefield.

The Chinese army general opened his mouth.

“Do you have a saying in Korea that it’s a late cold snap? The weather is suddenly getting colder like this.”

The Chinese army interpreter tried to translate the words, but Min Soha quickly cut him off.

“Stop talking nonsense and get to the point.”

Min Soha knew Chinese. But the Chinese army general didn’t know Korean.

The interpreter had an absurd expression, but he didn’t have the courage to translate those words as they were.

When the interpreter whispered something to the general, the Chinese army general made a satisfied expression, wondering what he had said.

Then Shiva Amini tapped the table from her seat.

“The Espers should move to another room to proceed with the meeting. The military and Espers have completely different operation plans, so it would be better to not waste time.”

“Move the location?”

Lee Jitae was momentarily embarrassed by the story he hadn’t heard in advance, but Min Soha simply gestured.

“Go.”

“But.”

Min Soha whispered in Lee Jitae’s ear.

“It doesn’t matter. Honestly, if you guys take all those Espers away, who do you think will be the strongest here? I’m also a 2-star Limit Breaker Esper. I can beat all the guys here by myself.”

That’s right. I sometimes forget, but Min Soha is also an Esper.

And even if you’re only a 1-star Limit Breaker, you’ve already far surpassed the level of an Olympic gold medalist.

And there were also Hunters standing outside for security.

Kang Hyunmu and Park Doryeong also decided to move without saying anything.

The room that followed Shiva Amini was a terrace not far away.

Hyunmu was puzzled by the fact that it was a terrace rather than a room. A cold-looking woman was standing on the terrace railing.

“Everyone’s a woman, it’s like we’re on a 3:3 meeting.”

“Can you please shut up?”

Lee Jitae snapped at Park Doryeong, who was talking without tact.

Lee Jitae looked closely to see who the woman standing on the railing was.

It was a familiar back view. Then, the moment she turned her head, surprise spread across her face.

“Kang Hyunmu, Park Doryeong, this is Adam Fault. Lee Jitae, you’ve met before.”

“Yes.”

Adam Fault. She was the Esper woman who always assisted Professor Maria Keller from behind.

Adam Fault was wearing something like a gas mask that only covered the lower part of her face, but she could be recognized right away.

Lee Jitae only knew that Adam Fault was Maria Keller’s assistant, but he didn’t know the details.

But he had heard rumors that she was uniquely strong even within Chrome.

It was said that she was so strong that it was hard to think of her as the same 5-star.

‘There’s a lot of fine dust, but isn’t a gas mask a bit much?’

Lee Jitae thought so, then realized that everyone, including himself, was covering their faces.

Xiaojie was pulling the zipper up to her nose, and Park Doryeong was wearing a mask.

If Lee Jitae hadn’t had the mask that Park Doryeong gave him, he would have been exposing his face.

Then he thought of Kang Hyunmu. As expected, he was the only one exposing his bare face.

For some reason, he looked a little disappointed.