“So, this is South Korea?” A brown-haired Caucasian said while stepping past the customs and into the airport's interior. He scanned his new environment and muttered in disinterest. “It's a lot more bustling than I expected. Maybe it's only this area?”

“No, sir. I don't believe that’s the case. This country named the Republic of Korea is a surprisingly highly-developed nation, at least in terms of its economy.”

“Really?” The brown-haired man cocked an eyebrow.

“It's almost at the top ten in the global GDP ranking, sir.”

“Top ten? Really?” The brown-haired man, Vincent, opened his eyes wide and stared at Mathieu. “Since it's near the top ten, Korea should be among the most-recognized first-world nations. In that case, how come I've not heard about its prowess until now?”

“Well, sir... This country strangely lacks presence on the global stage, so...”

“...Hmm? That certainly is bizarre.” Vincent chuckled softly.

Then again, this situation wasn't so strange when he thought about it a little more. After all, a country's GDP didn't signify its true national strength. Besides, a ranking like that wasn't enough to boast about since Korea's neighbors possessed such powerful individual global presences, anyway.

One shouldn't forget that Korea was surrounded by China, Japan, and even Russia up north. And then, the most infamous nation in the world, North Korea, shared a land border with it, too.

'...That reminds me of how important this mission is.'

This was the reality...