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“That prophecy from back then turned out to be spot on.”

Lee Yang-hoon, who had called Park Jinseong separately, said this to Jinseong with a demeanor quite similar to usual.

However, his face betrayed an undeniable surprise, indicating he was quite shaken from watching the news.

“If I had ignored the prophecy and gone abroad directly, I would have been in huge trouble. A monumental fiasco, to say the least…”

“It certainly must have been a stroke of luck.”

“Thanks to your prophecy, I sent my subordinates to deal with business issues… Huh, it’s just frustrating. I still can’t get in touch with that staff member.”

Yang-hoon glanced at the TV.

“Could it be that staff member was on that airplane?”

“No.”

Yang-hoon lightly shook his head in response to Jinseong’s question, then pulled a bottle of alcohol and two glasses from the cabinet. He took completely transparent round ice from the small refrigerator, placed it in the glasses, and generously poured what looked to be expensive liquor into them.

Then, one glass was set before himself, and the other was handed to Jinseong.

“The aroma of the alcohol is simply delightful.”

“Right? I bought this at an auction…”

Clink!

Yang-hoon lightly shook the glass in his hand. The ice made a small noise as it clinked against the glass.

With a small sigh, he downed it all in one go, looking nothing like his usual self when drinking.

“Whew! That’s strong.”

The sensation felt like it would burn down his throat. The brandy went down like a shot of soju, setting his stomach aflame and warming him up. Ironically, that intense sensation reminded him that he had just drunk alcohol and would soon be tipsy.

“That staff member is really quite lucky. He was originally supposed to be on that airplane…”

Clink!

“Ha-ha! Due to a system error, he was booked on the next flight instead. Can you believe it? He should have been on that flight, but just by some system malfunction, he dodged that disaster.”

“Ha-ha! That’s truly a blessed turn of events.”

Jinseong smiled back at Yang-hoon, who was shaking his glass around with his wrist.

“Right? Lucky indeed… both he and I hit the jackpot…”

Yang-hoon only said that and shut his mouth tight.

But Jinseong could sense the unsaid words.

It was thanks to you that I avoided getting caught up in that terror, and after the incident, I would be safe from the aftermath as well.

It was all thanks to your prophecy.

Jinseong smiled at Yang-hoon’s silent gratitude.

Then, he took a sip of the brandy sitting in front of him, just like Yang-hoon usually did.

* * *

Later, after Yang-hoon and Park Jinseong had emptied more than half of the brandy they bought at the auction, they parted ways.

Feeling moderately tipsy, Yang-hoon, perhaps shy at first, finally expressed his thanks to Jinseong, who humbly replied, “How could I act surprised at helping family?”

Then, while not turning down the brandy Yang-hoon made, Jinseong kept him company.

Yang-hoon remarked, “I’m starting to feel the buzz. Age just can’t be hidden,” until it came time for their gathering to naturally conclude.

“Ha-ha. If I get any more drunk, I’ll find myself in another disaster.”

Yang-hoon indeed wanted to drink more.

But he probably couldn’t due to the people he’d meet after Park Jinseong.

He would need to explain what happened today to his wives and reassure them.

It’s clear they would’ve been rather shocked by today’s terror.

“Before the rewind, I would have been deeply troubled. How could I stay calm after being terrorized, imprisoned, and interrogated? Especially with my family in such a state, how could I be at ease? Plus, with my mind in such a mess, the company would have been caos, reporters would be frantic, and all sorts of people would come along stirring things up.”

If you think about it in that sense, stopping Yang-hoon from going to America was definitely a wise decision.

Not only Yang-hoon but also the household and the Gwangyang Group could maintain their peace.

“And on top of that, there was another truly good piece of news.”

Jinseong recalled the news content.

The report that the terrorists were safely caught.

A video showed reporters at a press conference asking the deputy spokesperson about the process of preventing the terror, “There were reports that the Special Forces forcefully entered the homes of the terrorists’ families while they were in mid-hijack.”

And the deputy spokesperson replied, “Many, not just soldiers, did their utmost from their respective places, thanks to which we managed to prevent an avoidable tragedy. I express deep gratitude for their dedication,” failing to give a proper answer.

Footage showed the terrorists being forcibly apprehended by the Special Forces and their faces.

And the makeshift weapons they used to threaten passengers, poorly crafted from a 3D printer…

“Really just like before.”

Amazingly, the news wasn’t significantly different from what Jinseong had seen previously.

If you look closely, there were minor discrepancies, but overall it was hard to notice significant differences.

From the press conference to the deputy spokesperson’s words.

Even down to the weapons used, everything!

“Let’s see. Since it’s been a while, I don’t recall it perfectly, but… after the guns made by the 3D printer, there was a bomb discovered on the airplane. A terror bomb that was molded in plastic with patterns carved into it to hide the explosives inside.”

Jinseong remembered the subsequent news destined to break.

It would announce the discovery of a bomb that implanted techniques to trigger an explosion when the airplane collided with a high-rise building.

Yeah.

He remembered that bomb clearly because of its use of formation techniques…

“Communists, specifically those operating in Asia, used that method.”

A bomb made by encasing specially processed explosives in custom-made plastic.

Using a simple compression molding technique to apply formation techniques to the bomb… an astonishingly simple yet effective method of concealing gunpowder.

The technique used by communists to carry out sabotage or suicide attacks.

“Who was it again? Someone asked if, since one could apply formation techniques to a bomb, couldn’t the same be true for magic? Yeah, after hearing that, I began to contemplate how to effectively use bombs and magic…”

He remembered.

Those old times.

The conversations shared with the mercenaries.

Though ages have passed, the details may have faded, and due to the soon-to-be-fallen comrade, the appearance and attire of that person are not distinctly remembered—

Nonetheless, he could recall the discussions, the context of it all, the contemplations sparked by those discussions, and the results of those contemplations.

Jinseong could bring it all back.

“Ha-ha. Thanks to that, I became deeply immersed in corpse explosion magic during that time. I researched and compared several corpse explosion spells… I even experimented with intentionally worsening the state of corpses or maximizing the explosive power using chemical agents, explosives, and such…”

Could it be because he had used corpse explosions too frequently back then?

His skin had cracked all over.

Like witnessing a drought-stricken field.

Naturally, blood had oozed from the cracked places, and given that he had wandered through unhygienic areas, insects even targeted Jinseong. Mosquitoes charged at him as if they wanted to feast on the precious blood flowing from his body, and flies swarmed as if to lay their eggs on his body…

Of course, Jinseong, rather than trying to fend off those annoying bugs, welcomed them, recognizing their value even in a battlefield.

At that time, the mercenaries would say, “At least we’re not bothered by mosquitoes and flies, but it is rather gross,” while keeping their distance from him.

Those were truly nostalgic moments.

“Yeah… After that bomb was discovered, America displayed its rage, deploying troops to Portland. Then they captured the cult behind this incident and broadcasted the trial of the leader and different terrorists, proclaiming the victory of America’s greatness and justice…”

As he reminisced, Jinseong slowly began to consider future events.

“And just like that, they show a hardline attitude as if their anger hasn’t cooled yet… Confirming signs of terror, they suppress the freedoms of citizens for the sake of securing their safety. They control freedom to some extent, but in a way that doesn’t cross a line, making it seem like citizens should endure such inconveniences due to the threat of terror…”

Then, after conducting “intensive investigations” on passengers aboard the doomed flight, they would send the trouble-free ones back to their countries, further tightening isolationist policies. Demonstrating that they had no need for exchanges with external threats, radiating confidence that they could thrive without any outside interaction…

“Yeah. That’s how neocons gain strength…”

Jinseong nodded and chuckled softly.

“Ha-ha. If all of this is part of a grand design, then the big changes will continue without interruption.”

Soon enough, time would tell.

Was the terror only within the reach of ‘someone’?

Or was someone guiding the developments that followed?

 

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