Side Story 12: The Next Day - Na Jeon-Il

Na Jeon-Il’s house was quiet. He was unaware of the events that had occurred overnight around the world before turning on the television. There were announcements from countries awarding him and his wife their highest honors.

He checked his phone, but aside from missed calls from his in-laws, there was no contact from any government agency. He had expected this, but it was truly astonis.h.i.+ng when it became reality.

Na Jeon-Il leaned forward to watch the news. Influential leaders from around the world, including Russia and China, and even the chairman of North Korea had made emergency announcements.

Their messages were clear and consistent. They all wanted to invite him with the highest state honors for a medal ceremony. If circ.u.mstances did not allow, these top leaders expressed their desire to personally visit Korea and hand them over to him and his wife.

Na Jeon-Il found it hard to imagine himself meeting the President of Russia and China, and the Chairman of North Korea. He often dealt with high-ranking bureaucrats from various countries as a bank manager, and he had to handle doc.u.ments mentioning these global power players.

However, they always seemed like mere illusions in doc.u.ments. Now, these very global leaders were desperate to connect with him.

He knew the reason why because they were in an embarra.s.sing situation. Their hold on power depended not on their own, but on external factors, specifically the whims of his son. Of course, he didn’t know to what extent they estimated his son’s abilities.

“If I wish, I could be omnipotent, Father.”

His son’s power was well known in the Awakened’s world. His destructive power made the world’s leaders nervous.

Most of them were in a similar situation, but this was not limited to dictatorial regimes. The real power existed in the multinational elite group that ruled the world, the Bilderberg Club.

So, Na Jeon-Il thought about it. As his son truly desired not to influence humanity anymore and return to a peaceful daily life, then there must have been another real ent.i.ty that the world’s power holders must have been wary of.

King of h.e.l.l, Jonathan Hunter.

He should have been the one they were thankful for. Jonathan Hunter was not only the owner of the global mega-capital, but also presumed to be the leader of the world government known as the Bilderberg Club.

He was also one of the most powerful Awakened. Of course, since the world leaders did not know of his son’s intentions to return to normal life, they were likely eager to connect with him.

***

「The Logan Act

A law that treats as a federal felony the act of unauthorized American citizens intervening in relations between the United States and other countries against national interests.」

At the end of the impeachment crisis, a friend at the Foreign Ministry once vented his anger. It was about a U.S. official, not even at the director level of our Foreign Ministry, who had confidently met and mingled with presidential candidates. This was not only an issue of national dignity, but also a concern that Foreign Ministry employees could be rendered mere puppets.

While the U.S. was a superpower and an ally, it was undeniably embarra.s.sing that a low-rank U.S. official met in advance with people who could become Korea’s president. Some suggested that Korea should establish a law similar to the U.S.’s ‘Logan Act’ to ensure such incidents would not recur. Those who had not been elected would be mere civilians, so they should not have met with lower-ranking U.S. officials.

Anyway, Na Jeon-Il recalled the incident while thinking deeply about the Bilderberg Club. The power held by the club members was already immense, and such people gathered annually for meetings.

However, they claimed they met only as individual citizens, not as official representatives of any group or government. They had no choice but to insist on this because, according to laws in various countries, it was illegal for someone without public representative authority to make agreements with another country’s government.

Nonetheless, what can such powerful elites and capitalists be doing together? It was a ‘collusion’ in a good way but ‘unholy alliance’ at worst. Only a minority with a keen eye on world affairs criticized their union, while the general public was unaware of the existence of such a secretive and powerful organization.

Na Jeon-Il once viewed the club as a den of evil. The results of the public tasks they performed secretly among themselves often led to thievery. If one questioned how he could criticize the grand intentions of these global giants, he had much to say.

The reason he ended his career as a bank president was largely because he indirectly felt their power in shaping the global order, and more closely due to the ident.i.ty of the bank group he had served for half his life.

The role of Korea’s top banker was too restrictive. Therefore, it was meaningless to extend his career to another director position in the same industry. His authority would be more limited, and it would never expand.

Therefore, he aimed to stay content with his life and live peacefully as he got old.

Looking back, he had done something regrettable during his tenure. He had even increased loan interest rates even as Korea entered a low-interest era, which burdened ordinary citizens. Once an individual became part of a group, especially in a high-ranking position with both authority and responsibility, there were inevitable actions they needed to take. Even if they did not want to as an individual, they often had to represent the interests of the group.

Na Jeon-Il became thirsty. When he came out of his room, he saw his son quietly watching the television.

“Oh, you woke up pretty early.”

“It seems that ‘those people’ are not the only ones that stayed all night. Go back to bed, Father. You should sleep more.”

Na Jeon-Il just smiled. It was still awkward to dismiss global power players as simply ‘those people,’ but he had to get used to it.

“Is Ms. Yeon-Hee still asleep?”

“She must be exhausted. Also, please be more relaxed with Yeon-Hee from now on. I feel more uncomfortable than she does.”

“She is a blessing, but I will try to be more comfortable with her. I can’t promise though, haha.”

Na Jeon-Il sat down next to his son. But honestly, his grat.i.tude leaned towards the King of h.e.l.l, Jonathan Hunter, when weighing grat.i.tude. Of course, it was looking from a macro perspective instead of Seon-Hu’s father’s point of view. It was a view from an ordinary person living in this land.

Humanity could have continued living because of his son, but if Jonathan Hunter had not defended the market and had not rallied members as the Bilderberg Club’s leader… And if he had not led the club’s power from exploding with good intentions…

Humanity would have steadily declined from the moment the Day of Advent occurred.

“What are you going to do?”

“If you allow me, I want to meet them. Then, I want to start external activities from that point on. You need someone to represent you. Of course, Mr. Jonathan Hunter is a great figure for representing you. However, it will be more helpful for you if I personally go around as your father.”

Na Jeon-Il continued, “But I hope you don’t misunderstand. They say the senses of the Awakened are beyond imagination. Especially you… So you would know that I am so excited. My heart didn’t pound this much even when I first saw your mother. Haha.”

Na Jeon-Il spoke with sincerity. A new life was unfolding in his later years. He was already excited about these interesting events that would fill his every day. Considering the tension, responsibility, and the joy that would come with success… He felt more antic.i.p.ation than worry.

A stage bigger than this country and Jeonil Bank awaited him. He could now understand what the people involved in elections said when they forgot to sleep due to election preparations. Although Na Jeon-Il barely slept, he was not fatigued at all.

“Allow? That is not right. I am sorry, Father. If you feel burdened or overwhelmed, please let me know. Then I will take care of it.”

“But, son.”

“Yes.”

“There is someone I need to meet before I start my external activities. To you… Perhaps our world may seem narrow. But there is order in this world, and you would not want to break it, would you? You were once on Wall Street, so you would know. Or maybe you might have heard of it directly from Mr. Jonathan Hunter. In this world… There is a group formed with a minority that establishes order. I know it as the ‘Bilderberg Club.’”

The official wealth of the Jonathan Investment Finance Group was a staggering twenty-three percent of the world’s market capitalization. It was uncertain whether the Gillian Group’s wealth was similar, possibly operating in a dual-power system, but now, Jonathan Hunter had gained supernatural power on a personal level.

He even recognized that Na Jeon-Il’s son was at an equal position globally. So, Na Jeon-Il said with confidence, “And I think Mr. Jonathan Hunter is their leader. Just arrange the meeting. And son, you live your life. When you have a child, the second chapter of your life will begin. You can look forward to how hard and joyful that life will be.”

“Did I make it hard for you?”

Na Jeon-Il chuckled.

“Hey, the more special your child is, the harder it is to raise them. If you cannot nurture that talent, it is the parents’ fault. That is the burden. Well, you don’t have one yet, so you would not understand me. Since they will be you and Ms. Yeon-Hee’s kids, they would be more difficult to raise. Wait and see, haha.”

Na Jeon-Il looked at his son with loving eyes. The sheer joy of imagining a grandson who looked like his son was undeniable.

“Anyway, how about forwarding a message to Mr. Jonathan Hunter after he gets some rest?”

“Yes, I will, Father. By the way…”

“Huh?”

“You are mistaken about something.”

“About what?”

“The Bilderberg Club no longer exists.”

“...It’s gone?”

“Instead, there is a new club that takes its place.”

When his son mentioned the name, Na Jeon-Il’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t blink for a while.

“It is the Jeonil Club.”

His son’s voice firmly resonated as if to confirm.

“Yes, it is the club founded by your son.”