Chapter 12
National Treasure White Night was said to freeze even darkness itself.
……
As usual, Chairman Seol Su-Ah was smiling.
The first vice minister of foreign affairs trembled. “Y-Your Excellency, please calm down. The minister is struggling to breathe… ”
The temperature in her office continued to plummet. Seol Suh-Ah’s cold gaze didn’t change, and neither did her empty smile; it was as if she cared nothing for the person freezing to death before her.
The first vice minister, who gained a new sympathy for frozen tuna, couldn’t take it anymore. He assisted the minister to his feet.
The minister, a middle-aged man, was taking quivering breaths and had frost on his eyebrows. Despite this, his gaze was bright.
The minister spoke with some difficulty, “Your Excellency Seol Su-Ah, I am… well aware that you hate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but that… was the work of our predecessors. The perpetrators took responsibility for that situation eight years ago and left their positions.”
Seol Suh-Ah’s smile grew wider while her eyes grew colder. “You’re saying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs isn’t responsible?”
“No. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible. The ministry failed to protect the duke, a National Treasure, and will never be free of that stigma. But the first vice minister and I were only assistant secretaries back then. We were kept ignorant, and to this day, we still don’t know what happened eight years ago. We can’t take responsibility until we find out the truth.”
The minister leaned his cold, stiff body forward. “Please help us get to the bottom of it. As things are, the growing public opinion denouncing Duke Kang is based on narrow-minded information. The duke is on the verge of being stripped of his title, and we can only rectify this wrong by uncovering the truth and telling the people.”
“......”
The creeping frost receded, and the temperature in the room returned to normal. Seol Suh-Ah sighed as the papers on her desk became wet.
“I came to meet with Your Excellency, rather than the other National Treasures of South Korea, because I believe that only you can ask the other countries about the past during the meeting,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs said firmly. He looked both solemn and sincere.
The East Asia Gate Exchange Meeting.
It was a grand diplomatic event, so much so that National Treasures attended as representatives for their countries. The meeting was usually held once every two years—although South Korea had boycotted the talks for the last six years.
Seol Su-Ah laughed. “Minister, you should say what you mean. You came to me because you didn’t dare make such a suggestion to the other National Treasures.”
The East Asian countries had harmed the Yaksha at the meeting eight years ago. And the minister wanted to send her to the same meeting when they still weren’t clear about what had happened.
If another National Treasure received such a suggestion, it wouldn’t be strange if they placed a knife to the minister’s throat and questioned if he intended them to become the second Yaksha.
Clearly, the minister only dared to ask Seol Su-Ah because she represented the pro-Yaksha faction.
“No,” Seol Su-Ah said.
The minister’s eyes remained firm. “I see. Then I will have to visit the other National Treasures. I might anger them and cause repercussions, but It’s worth trying.”
Seol Su-Ah leaned back in her chair as she watched the stubborn minister. She was well aware of his tendencies.
Minister Cheon Gwi-Pil.
Since taking office as minister, Cheon Gwi-Pil had been sending dozens of letters to each of the East Asian countries urging them to tell the truth, but he was ignored every time—so much so that the news no longer covered his protests.
Cheon Gwi-Pil also faced pressure from his superiors. They had warned him that his antics would only further damage the country’s prestige.
Even still, Cheon Gwi-Pil continued to do the best he could.
Seol Su-Ah’s smile faded. “It’s still early, so I will decline the minister’s offer. Still, I hope you won’t go to the other National Treasures.”
Her meaning was clear. She valued him, so he should take care of himself.
“Your Excellency. I have a mission—”
“A mission? Make it your mission to preserve your position as minister until the end of your term. It will be tiring if you make a rash move and lose your position to a bastard.”
“Your Excellency seems to have misunderstood. I wish to correct history because that is the duty of a public official. But… please give up if you want to drag the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into your faction. My respect for Your Excellency is a personal feeling. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an organization under the government. We have dedicated ourselves to the country and the people, so we can’t exclusively serve any particular individual.”
“You’re stating the obvious. I don’t expect you on my side; few people choose to do what’s right, and it’s enough that you’re one of them. So I hope you won’t lose your position carelessly, Minister.”
Seol Su-Ah smiled and waved her hand to give the order to leave. “Let’s see in three years,” she said meaningfully.
After exchanging looks, the minister's group cordially said goodbye and left.
***
The vice minister looked around to see if anyone was listening before he whispered to the minister, “Why did she act like that all of a sudden?”
The minister didn’t speak until he reached the end of the corridor.
“I think Her Excellency tested me.”
And whatever she’d been looking for, the minister got the sense that he’d passed—Probably. But what did she mean by telling him to wait three years? Minister Cheon Gwi-Pil was pondering on Seol Su-Ah’s parting words when he suddenly remembered a person.
Kang Jae-Hyeok.
The boy who entered Lion’s Castle a few days ago and became a hot topic.
He was the Yaksha’s son.
Don’t tell me...
Did the three years that Seol Su-Ah had mentioned refer to Kang Jae-Hyeok’s graduation?
No. That’s ridiculous. Wasn’t the Yaksha’s son only a sixteen-year-old boy? It would be impossible for him to influence politics right after graduating.
Minster Cheon Gwi-Pil’s sense of reason told him to forget about Kan Jae-Hyeok. Despite his reason, however, his heart started to pound.
What if... What if the tiger gave birth to a tiger?
Minster Cheon Gwi-Pil, whose thoughts had drifted far away, said as he entered the elevator, “Now that we’ve come this far, let’s take a look around the campus.”
“Yes.” The vice minister agreed without thinking much about it. Lion’s Castle was one of the few things that South Korea could boast about to the world, so Minster Cheon Gwi-Pil’s suggestion to visit seemed natural. The vice minister had no reason to suspect another motive.
……
Was the freshmen’s awakener class this way?
The minister remembered the bird’s eye view of the school he’d seen upon entering the main building and quickened his pace.
He speculated that Jae-Hyeok was in Class B. It made sense. As the son of the Yaksha, he had definitely awakened, but since his family no longer had vassals, he wouldn’t have been able to power level.
Minister Cheon Gwi-Pil arrived in front of Class B’s classroom and found it empty. “Um...” Did they go out for training? He checked the time and quickly made his way to the field.
……
When he arrived, the minister was stunned.
Ahead, there was a boy with hair and eyes as black as night. As he ran, his outstretched arms and legs moved with grace and dignity. His proud and handsome appearance was accentuated by his pair of sharp eyes.
The boy, who reminded him in many ways of the Yaksha in his youth, was approaching with a group of students.
Of course, the boy was in the lead.
Gwi-Pil was moved by the powerful scene. It was as if each of the boy's dignified steps led not forward but up—straight toward the peak of power.
He’d witnessed the pinnacle once, and Gwi-Pil couldn’t help recalling that memory. When he was young, the Yaksha had saved him and even praised him for his hard work. He still remembered the touch of the Yaksha, and the top of his head felt warm at the thought.
But… isn’t everything a little too… fast?
The speed of the students following behind Jae-Hyeok was unusual.
Squinting his eyes, he could see that the other students were flailing their limbs with all their strength. They seemed to be sprinting at full power.
“P-protect the minister!” the vice minister urgently ordered the attendants.
“Kang Jae-Hyeeeeeeeok!!”
“Stay there, you damn bastard!”
The loud voices of the other students could be heard clearly, even though they were still some distance away. Their words were full of either insults or curses toward Kang Jae-Hyeok.
Is the boy being bullied because he’s the blood of the Kang family? Minster Cheon Gwi-Pil frowned. But when the other students caught up and came into view, his frown gave way to confusion.
Did they fall into a cesspit?
The students chasing after Jae-Hyeok were covered in filth. Three of the students even had bruises around their eyes and large lumps on their heads.
On the other hand, Kang Jae-Hyeok was perfectly clean.
Still running away, Jae-Hyeok asked, “Does it really matter if you get a bit dirty in advance? We’re going to train as soon as lunchtime is over anyway.”
“We can’t enter the cafeteria like this!”
“Who wants to fall into a swamp!?”
“You pushed us down! Ah! You bastard, I really want to beat you up!”
Jae-Hyeok told them, “It’s the fault of those who fall just because they’re pushed. They’re worse than dolls. Tsk-tsk.”
“Kuaaa! Die! Kill that bastard!”
“Haha… ”
Ah, it seems I misinterpreted the situation. Minster Cheon Gwi-Pil smiled. Turning to his entourage, he said, “Let’s go back.”
In any case, he was going to wait three years. It wasn’t a big problem to miss a few more gate exchanges when they’d already missed it for the last six years. Besides, he knew many people would welcome it internally.
The government and Association weren’t interested in bringing up the past.
It wasn’t a matter of accusing them of cowardice. Eight years ago, South Korea had already paid a heavy price for formally protesting against the countries that participated in the talks. These were the woes of a weak nation.
Anyone is fine so long as they can break South Korea’s history of humiliation. So please… restore the honor of the Yaksha and the Kang family, Minister Cheon Gwi-Pil prayed as he looked around Lion’s Castle one last time before getting into the car.
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