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Lucas.

The man with the Crystal Arm.

He was someone who cared so much for his own safety that he was constantly lost in thoughts that he was being watched everywhere, unable to relax even for a moment.

That’s why he sought to connect with Jinseong, the foreign shaman, and had him stay in his building.

And, true to his will, Jinseong had been residing in his building until recently.

Yes, just until recently.

“…Hmm.”

The man paused for a moment when he heard Lucas’s name from Jinseong’s lips.

He looked at Jinseong with an expression that suggested recognition.

He even displayed a hint of goodwill on his face.

“I see. I’ve heard Koreans are smart, but…”

The mention of Lucas’s name shifted the man’s stance slightly. He began to regard Jinseong more seriously.

Goodwill.

It was plainly goodwill from his side.

“I’ve heard Koreans are smart, but… well, it’s not like America would have sent foolish folks to fight alongside them in Vietnam. Quite impressive.”

Of course, beneath that goodwill lay an undeniable sense of superiority.

It was a gaze that looked down from above.

And Jinseong could easily read the man’s thoughts.

So transparent that he even briefly wondered, ‘Is he trying to hide an ulterior motive?’

But the man’s attitude was so clear and so in line with those he had encountered before that Jinseong had no choice but to be certain.

That the man before him was indeed the very embodiment of a Neocon, as if drawn by an artist.

“Alright. Koreans love ‘ppalli ppalli’ (quickly), while Americans prefer to get straight to the point… so let’s just say it. Lucas. You need to tell me a bit about him.”

“Hmm. Is there some kind of problem? The Lucas I’ve seen seemed like a decent American… Ah, could it be related to the terrorist attack on the building?”

Jinseong flashed a smile at the man mentioning Lucas and smoothly redirected the conversation. His question carried the nuance of whether he thought he was being detained connected to the terrorist attack or if the government was hiding Lucas here after failing to assassinate him in a charade of an attack.

The man caught this nuance immediately.

“Terrorism… that’s similar. It relates to the national security.”

He responded to Jinseong’s words with a very mild tone.

Had Jinseong not brought up Lucas’s name, he would have likely treated him just like usual.

Imprinting the power of America, bullying, and threatening him.

He would have used America’s ‘strength’ to make him spill the answers.

But given that Jinseong had mentioned Lucas first, and thinking it over, Jinseong was someone from a country that had fairly friendly relations with the U.S. Besides, it felt a bit uncomfortable to bully someone who looked so youthful, as it might feel like picking on a child.

So he chose a ‘mild’ method.

Of course, it was mild by his standards.

“You are aware that I cannot provide much detail regarding national security, right?”

“Ah, of course. No matter how young my flesh may be, I’m not foolish enough to be unaware of that. It’s only common sense not to spread around what lies beneath the fence for the sake of a house’s safety. Safety isn’t something easily secured.”

“That’s right. We are on the same wavelength.”

“Regarding national security, I cannot refuse to cooperate. I shall tell you everything. The first time I met Lucas in America was…”

His strangely archaic manner of speaking came out.

It was English one might expect from period dramas or elderly men.

To put it negatively, it sounded old-fashioned, while positively, it was classic English.

The outdated language of an older generation lent weight to Jinseong’s actions and simultaneously created a serious gap with his young appearance. An expression one might expect from an old man giving advice to a young person creates an impression, yet each time one notices Jinseong’s youthful face, that feeling shatters, leading to a significant gap. And in that gap, the fact that Jinseong was a ‘foreigner’ shrank it, while ordinary common sense filled it, helping to understand.

He must have learned English through dramas or movies.

He learned it from an older person.

Thus, Jinseong’s speech naturally became more relatable.

The position of a native speaker and a foreigner rather created a point of empathy.

And in the midst of such common sense and prejudice, Jinseong naturally reaped the benefits.

In a situation of captivity.

Someone who seemed to have a position that would come from government security.

A man backed by the U.S. government.

Naturally, the structure leaned toward that side.

Both the atmosphere and the flow of conversation too.

However, Jinseong employed an archaic tone to prevent the conversation from solely flowing toward the man. Through the advantage of being a foreigner, pretending to be a ‘young foreigner who learned the old tongue incorrectly.’

And it didn’t end there.

Jinseong’s mannerisms and words began to shift.

From a broad perspective, there might not seem to be much difference, but the nuances became apparent upon closer examination, to the extent that the conversation became something the person before him would consciously and unconsciously recognize.

The language he used became more sophisticated.

Elite words and idioms began to infiltrate the dialogue, and his posture gradually changed, as if he had received etiquette training. Some words adapted to resemble those the man used, and he strategically employed pauses that created an illusion of dialogue between elites.

“…He was a down-to-earth person. At the same time, he was full of pioneering spirit. I think that if an American from the Westward Expansion era lived in modern times, he would look just like that. He was a warrior. A warrior who lived in the battlefield where money exchanges hands.”

Some tones of words changed.

Some felt familiar.

Others seemed foreign.

Some words slipped smoothly into the ears, while others flowed like water, allowing those standout words to shine. And those words that lodged themselves in the ears gained power alongside the appropriate pauses, leaving a certain impression on the man.

What Jinseong held for Lucas was clear goodwill.

And it wasn’t confined to just Lucas; it extended towards America, which could suddenly provide such a golden opportunity.

Thus, Jinseong began to plant a good impression in the man’s mind.

And this positive impression would naturally steer things in Jinseong’s favor.

It would encourage the assumption that such a favorable person wouldn’t likely cause any problems.

A small difference.

Not much of a difference.

If viewed without embellishments, Jinseong’s words would likely echo the contents of reports he might have read before.

How he met Lucas, the sorts of conversations exchanged, the requests made, and the actions taken…

One by one, those objective facts would be brimming in those reports, bearing no significant deviation.

But one must understand.

Even a small impression wields powerful force that can warp those objective facts.

That the favorable impression Jinseong was instilling in the man at this moment was indeed the strongest weapon.

“…Thus, that incident was truly horrific. To think that such violent and dreadful acts could be wrought against those striving diligently. Indeed, the wickedness was so powerful that it even led to a crisis where the cursed and decayed began to converge and act. Or perhaps the culprits desired just that. They might wish for all of us to be engulfed in fear and unable to live our daily lives…”

“Indeed. Terrorists seek a world engulfed in flames, yearning for society to be swathed in fear…”

And after instilling that favorable impression, Jinseong continued to speak.

Pretending to focus on pouring out his words while observing the man’s demeanor. He would gauge how the man reacted to his words and how far the American government truly was aware, using the signals sent by the man’s body.

The man before him was an agent, yet a colossal loophole existed in the Neocon.

And if he pried into that loophole, he could easily break through the training and unveil the truth.

Thus, while grasping the man’s responses, Jinseong began naturally and seamlessly to explain what he had been doing in that building.

“How could I turn my back on someone who has shown such kindness? How could I betray my master who entertained me so sincerely? Just as Christianity teaches one to repay as much as received, there are many similar phrases in the East. And if one fails to uphold those, it would mean lacking loyalty, and one would inevitably become shameless. That is why I had no choice but to remain in that building. Even realizing my lack of capability, I could not leave that building…”

“Hmm.”

“How could I not feel some shame in lacking ability? Another shaman could surely cleanse that building and make it safe in a short period. Yet, shamefully, since my skills aren’t impressive, it has taken longer, and that feeling of having my willingness to repay diminish…”

And he continued.

Claiming that his staying in that building was due to his lack of ability.

While explaining this, he maintained a slightly shameful demeanor yet displayed an attitude filled with ambition.

As if asserting that he would improve further.

In Jinseong’s portrayal, the youthful vigor of a young man and the lamentations of an old man coexisted.

As if trying to remind the man once more that he was a ‘foreigner.’

And thus, Jinseong’s ‘cooperation’ had concluded.

The man then rose from his seat.

“…I see. Thank you for your cooperation.”

He expressed a hint of goodwill without concealment.

 

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