I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

At that time, in Seoul.

Even though the capital of South Korea has changed from Seoul to Busan, Seoul still retained major national infrastructure.

Although everything had now moved to Busan, the government buildings left in Seoul were being thoroughly managed by the government and the military.

And now, at the ambitious dawn, around 3 AM when no subways ran, the Yeouido National Assembly Station was controlled by suspicious men in black suits.

Even homeless people, and even agents with special abilities, were prevented from entering, creating a restricted area where no one could enter.

And inside that restricted area was none other than the President of this country, Tae Chae-jin.

He, along with the Chairman of the Hero Association, Jeong Gong-in, opened the screen door at the National Assembly Station and went down to the railroad, following the flashlight of the Taeguk Watch.

Only the sound of footsteps echoed underground.

After walking for a while, the two soon discovered a dark-colored train illuminated by light.

“You have had a long journey, both of you.”

A familiar voice.

But the tone was polite, and the gait emerging from the shadows was neat and modest.

“Grandfather. And Mr. Chairman.”

The one who appeared was Taejo with black hair.

From head to toe, Taejo’s appearance in all black clearly showed he was ‘Black’, but his actions and tone of voice quickly revealed what kind of Taejo he was.

“I will lead you inside.”

With a flick of Taejo’s hand, metal tracks were laid out in front of them, and the President and the Chairman followed the metal rails Taejo had created and boarded the train.

Click.

After climbing aboard the train with the aid of the Taegeuk Watch’s flashlight, the President and the Chairman were astonished by the interior.

“Is this….”

“Really, all gold?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

The exterior was that of a train, but in reality, it was a massive gold nugget shaped like a train.

As the doors closed and all connections to the outside were sealed, Taejo swept away the metal covering the interior, revealing the glittering golden interior.

“We sent the train carrying the idol group that joined for camouflage to Busan, and this train was separately maintained at Seoul Station for a while before being brought here.”

“Wasn’t it discovered…? Amazing. I didn’t expect you to bring it from Sinuiju like this.”

“It’s all thanks to Gwang Ik Gong.”

At Taejo’s words, the President and the Chairman’s expressions hardened.

“…Yes. Gwang Ik Gong. He actually showed himself in Sinuiju.”

That was the information the world knew.

But because of information that only the President and the Chairman knew and Taejo did not, they couldn’t speak carelessly.

They had already exchanged texts secretly.

Was it true that Gwang Ik Gong appeared?

Could Gwang Ik Gong now be active?

And eventually, they asked the person involved.

“I didn’t think he’d go to Sinuiju to help you.”

He said he went to Sinuiju.

Taejo was about to confront Cheonma and Rasputin, and it turned out he was to confront Cheonma.

“…Really, was it Gwang Ik Gong?”

“Yes. Where else would you find another Gwang Ik Gong?”

“Taejo, is that true?”

“Yes.”

Taejo nodded nonchalantly.

“If it wasn’t Gwang Ik Gong who stepped forward, who else could it be? In South Korea, no, in the world, who else could have that kind of magic power and strength to defeat Cheonma?”

“But Gwang Ik Gong is….”

“……?”

Taejo tilted his head at the glance of the two men, blinked a few times, and then tightly closed his eyes.

“Is that so….”

Talking to himself, he reached his own conclusion.

“Grandfather. Mr. Chairman. The important thing is that we’ve let the world know that Gwang Ik Gong is still alive.”

Whatever the conclusion, it was more important to let the world know that Gwang Ik Gong was still a viable force.

“Why did Gwang Ik Gong cover his face? Why did he appear in a new form, wearing a hood? No matter how much you zoom in with the satellite cameras, his face isn’t visible because of the hood. None of that is important.”

“Right. The important thing is that he destroyed Cheonma in one strike.”

“Of course. …Honestly, as an administrator, I’d like to know more, but the person involved will tell us when the time comes.”

“Didn’t he tell you, Mr. Chairman?”

“Yes, Mr. President. It seems like these young folks are up to some cunning tricks.”

The President and the Chairman stared hard at Taejo, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

“I know nothing.”

“Talking like that when you know everything. Ugh. Am I supposed to go around saying ‘the President knew nothing’ after the incident happens?”

“Isn’t the suicide rate more important than the approval rate?”

“Yes, it’s important. If we lower both the approval and suicide rates, what’s the importance of the approval rate? Ugh.”

The President thumped his chest in frustration.

While the situation was understandable, curiosity remained.

“Alright. Who is Gwang Ik Gong? Is he the real Gwang Ik Gong? Let’s set that aside. How much gold is important?”

“Altogether, it’s about 500 tons.”

“500 tons!”

An enormous amount.

Though it was thought to be incredibly heavy because it looked like a train, the astonishing amount made both the President and the Chairman’s mouths fall open in awe.

“500 tons? So in cash, that would be almost 30 trillion won?”

“At least 30 trillion won. If we use this to create new added value… Ha, it seems we won’t be short of gold for semiconductors.”

“Ah, Mr. Chairman, why are you already thinking of it as national money? This is the gold mined by Taejo.”

At the President’s remark, the Chairman narrowed his eyes and glanced back and forth between the two descendants.

“Are you trying to create a slush fund for your grandson? Are you trying to silence me?”

“How about taking about 100 kg?”

“100 kg? If there are 500 tons, you should at least give a ton truck’s worth.”

“……Is it really okay to exchange national assets so freely?”

At Taejo’s words, the President and the Chairman smiled awkwardly and stroked the gold inside the train with an uneasy touch.

“It’s just a saying. Taejo, I think it was good to entrust this to you. If it were others, surely about 10% would have been skimmed off.”

“That’s what I mean. What’s 10%? They might have skimmed off half, dividing up several gold bars among themselves.”

“…Not 10%, but about 10 kg was indeed skimmed off.”

Taejo took out 10 kg of gold from the wall.

“Gwang Ik Gong took 10 kg of gold.”

“Gwang Ik Gong? If he was going to take some, why only that much? Perhaps he’s making a small gold statue?”

“It’s probably just something he took as a souvenir. About 10 kg fits perfectly in a sports bag.”

“Indeed. Why would Gwang Ik Gong, of all people, need to skim off gold for money?”

10 kg.

Such a small amount that both the President and the Chairman did not think much of it.

“Taejo, where do you think this golden train should go?”

“As long as it’s not siphoned off separately, I believe turning all this gold into national property is the right thing to do.”

“Hmm…”

No one could siphon it off.

Not Taejo, not the President, not the Chairman.

Even if someone did, any amount more than the 10 kg taken by Gwang Ik Gong would certainly cause problems.

“Let’s think more deeply about how to use it. Of course, we can’t keep it hidden underground in Yeouido forever, nor can we return it to Sinuiju, so for now, it must be hidden where no one can find it.”

“Where should we move it? Moving along the rail would avoid others’ eyes. Just tell me the place, and I will drive it straight to that station.”

“Take it to Busan for now. And to the military base in Busan…ah, if it’s in a military base, there will be those trying to lick up even the gold dust.”

The President scratched his head in confusion.

“Ah, gold creates problems too. Right now, we’re hiding it, but over time, its true nature will be revealed.”

“…If you’re worried about me, rest assured.”

Taejo clenched his fist and placed it on his chest.

“This Taejo will remain silent for the safety and peace of the nation. There will be no frivolous talk from me in the future.”

“……?”

“Thank you, Taejo.”

The President tilted his head slightly, and the Chairman tapped the gold with his hand and grinned.

“Taejo, you…?”

“I’ll explain separately later, Grandfather.”

“…….”

The President’s eyes flickered shallowly, but soon he closed his eyes heavily and then turned his head to the side.

“Is that so? Then….”

A tear welled up in his eyes slightly.

“Understood. If that’s what you wish, then so be it. If there’s a safest place, it must be the basement of a trusted hero’s house.”

“…Mr. President?”

“Ah, well. Someone who manages in case of an emergency should handle this golden train.”

“Still…erm. Understood. Since Taejo said he won’t talk about this train carelessly, I trust him.”

The Chairman cleared his throat and bowed his head.

“But if the world comes to know about this gold, how should we explain it then? Everyone knows that resources are depleted in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. If they find out this much resource is still left, even if Gwang Ik Gong steps in, they will keep causing disputes.”

“That’s right. If Gwang Ik Gong steps in, it could mean that there are still resources left. …Then. Maybe we make it a one-time event.”

The President fiddled with his chin and tapped the Taeguk Watch, hanging three holographic photos on one side of the car.

“This should serve as a good enough excuse for the true nature of this gold nugget, right?”

“…….”

“What. Why. What.”

The President grinned nonchalantly at the Chairman’s gaze.

“They say the Nazis also hid a golden train, it’s the perfect excuse.”

The three photos depicted three portly men who looked suspiciously alike.

“Roughly, let’s say it was slush funds amassed by sucking the people’s blood.”