Somebody Stop the Pope – 115



Episode 115

3.

After returning to the temple and taking care of some simple business I headed straight to the city hall.

A welcoming ceremony prepared for the awakened people from each country participating in the Northeast Asia Exchange.

The person in charge of the welcoming ceremony was Minister Yoo Seon-ho of the Ministry of Personnel Management.

It seemed that the government sent Minister Yoo Seon-ho to show that it was paying attention.

“It’s been a while Kim Siwoo the Awakened One. How have you been?”

“I’m always doing well. I was just feeling sad that the minister never came to the temple.”

“I feel like I’ve lost some of my energy lately maybe because my retirement is just around the corner. It’s actually a bit overwhelming to even prepare an event like this here. Haha!”

Minister Yoo Seon-ho burst into laughter.

I knew he was just joking. He was exhausted?

To put it bluntly he still looked as if he had the energy to chew through rebar.

It also meant that Minister Yoo Seon-ho had been taking good care of his health.

Since he was a very thorough person in everything he did it seems he also took very thorough care of his body.

I smiled as I shook hands with Minister Yoo Seon-ho.

“There is an elder who came to our temple as well and I think he will get along well with the minister.”

“Oh is that so?”

“When the exchange game is over come visit me. I have a gift for you. I’m telling you in advance that it’s absolutely not a bribe. You understand that right?”

“Well then it would be neat to just retire and go.”

“That’s fine with us. How should we set the salary for someone who is a former minister?”

Minister Yoo burst into laughter again at my joke.

“Haha! Aren’t you going to bring in an old man who just retired from politics? It seems like you’re not even going to give him a sabbatical year.”

“I hope you bring our Director Kim with you when you come.”

“If you do that you’ll get scolded by the President. If you’re hated on your way to retirement you’ll have a headache for the rest of your life. Well there’s still time until the start so come in and have a cup of tea.”

He is an old man who still cannot see the gap.

Talking to him feels like talking to a flowing river. He leisurely accepts my words and gives me soft answers.

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It was a way of speaking that made the person being talked to feel comfortable. Of course I know that it was only the way he spoke that was like that. I must have heard so many stories from CEO Choi.

Anyway I followed Minister Yoo’s guidance into the meeting room and sat down leisurely on the chair.

“Leo. You sit next to me too.”

“Thank you Your Majesty.”

As soon as I had Leo sit next to me Minister Yoo’s secretary brought out green tea for us.

“It smells pretty good.”

“I will drink well.”

As Minister Yoo said the green tea had a good aroma. It tasted slightly different from tea bag green tea.

If my taste buds were a little more refined I might be able to tell the difference precisely but unfortunately my taste buds aren’t that refined.

“Hmm.”

Minister Yoo took a sip of tea and looked at me quietly.

“Thank you for accepting the invitation. I heard that you have been very busy recently. I heard that the players belonging to the Limen Sect have a very high growth rate. Is there a secret to this? I would like to learn some of your know-how sometime.”

“Has the rumor spread that far already?”

“It’s a bit different from before isn’t it? We are also working hard to strengthen our information capabilities in our own way.”

“I heard that you’re not just strengthening your intelligence. I heard that you’ve been recruiting hunters with massive amounts of money since the disbandment of the Jeon Kak-ryun.”

The biggest event that has happened in the past month is the disbandment of the Jeon Gak-ryeon.

The Jeon Gak-ryeon was already suffering from deepening internal conflict.

But then an issue with the destructive power of the hydrogen bomb exploded.

<Former President Yang Ki-chun’s Confession of Conscience: ‘I am a Sinner to the Nation. A Traitor Who Sold Ryu Jin-young to Japan.’>

Also known as the Ryu Jin-young scandal.

The scandal that started from the mouth of former President Yang Ki-chun who was living a comfortable life in the countryside engulfed South Korea in an instant.

News about our church which had been at the top of most sites suddenly disappeared and stories about Brother Jinyoung took their place.

The content was exactly as I knew it.

The secret negotiations between the government and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions were conducted and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions used this as an excuse to threaten the government.

Evidence that they have been colluding with some media outlets to shape public opinion has been pouring out here and there and Kang Chae-ah who can be said to be the current government’s representative hunter has come forward as a witness.

These were the ‘one shot’ the government had been waiting for.

And that one room was enough to break down the unified Jeon Gak-ryeon.

“Even though a beautiful retirement is out of the question shouldn’t you leave the impression that you have prepared something for the future?”

People also began to naturally hold Minister Yoo Seon-ho who had been leading the Department of Abilities Management since the opening of Dimension responsible.

As a result Minister Yoo stepped down from all work after this Northeast Asia exchange. In other words this exchange was the giant’s last stage.

I thought I was on friendly terms with the government.

It really upset me to see them blow up such a big event without even telling me.

“It was a really bad thing for Mr. Ryu Jin-young. It seems that he had kept it in his mind even after the former president returned to his hometown. As soon as we brought it up he said he would help as if he had been waiting for it. He said he couldn’t stand seeing the current government shouldering the burden because of his own mistakes.”

The Ryu Jin-young scandal triggered by the former president’s confession of conscience ultimately led to the dissolution of the Jeon Gak-ryeon.

Of course not all of those involved were punished. Large guilds including the Daeho Guild drew the line saying they had no knowledge of the matter as if they had prepared to cut off the tail in advance.

Time will tell the details but… Well they’ll be out of their minds for a while. As soon as the Jeon Gak-ryeon was disbanded new alliances like the Central Federation and Southern Federation began to appear one after another.

anyway.

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The biggest beneficiary of this scandal was none other than Jinyoung.

A man who declared himself a traitor to save his people.

Although some citizens still pointed fingers at him saying he was wrong it was true that favorable public opinion had been formed.

And he entered South Korea today.

For the Northeast Asia exchange event.

“All the awakened people from Japan including Ryu Jin-young and all the awakened people from China including Wang Wei have decided to attend the welcoming ceremony so please take good care of them.”

“What does it mean to ask for your favor?”

“It’s embarrassing to say this myself. Haha… But this is an event that we’ve been preparing for for a long time. Wouldn’t it be difficult if a fight breaks out on the first day?”

Oh now I think I know why you called me first.

Isn’t this totally treating me like a problem child?

I took a sip of green tea smiled brightly and nodded.

“Just trust me.”

“How can you be so trustworthy?”

A real politician is a politician.

How can you tell a lie like that without changing your expression?

It’s poisonous.

4.

The first people to arrive at the guest house were neither Japanese nor Chinese.

“Hahaha! Siwoo. Let’s have a drink. Let’s drink until our noses are twisted today!”

“Please get out of here! Don’t stick around!”

“Why are you doing this? I came wearing a tuxedo to match the banquet atmosphere today but are you upset by this?”

It was Aiden.

I came in before the event even started and sighed heavily as I watched Aiden drinking.

In a way you could say he’s a very consistent guy. He shows up wherever there’s alcohol and starts a drinking party.

“Is that tuxedo tailored?”

“Of course. The Pacific Ocean-like upper body muscles express rough masculinity. Moreover these rough muscles are the basis of my history of struggle! It is right to show them off!”

“…This is fucking crazy.”

“Hmm? That’s something Eunyoung says often!”

“Can you please stop calling my grandmother’s name so familiarly in front of me?”

Aiden is still staying at my grandmother’s house in Yeoju.

It was too peaceful for a Barbarian who was known to constantly shed blood but looking at Aiden’s expression he seemed to be very satisfied with his current life.

It was nice to see.

Except for that muscle tuxedo.

“Who invited you?”

“Hmm didn’t I tell you? I’m the one who’s going to observe this Northeast Asia Exchange.”

“watcher?”

“For a proper match there needs to be at least one observer from a third country. Siwoo. You probably won’t find an observer like me anywhere.”

The world’s most recognized American irregulars will be looking after the observers.

It certainly seems unlikely that there will be any follow-up talk. Aiden’s presence here means that the Chinese side has also accepted the conditions.

If you think about our Chinese friends in the US who are pathologically obsessed with making a fuss this may be a surprising result.

‘Are you that confident?’

I don’t know how strong the Chinese irregular Geomgwi is but one thing is certain: he’s a very tasteless bastard.

The proposal we made to our church last time was like that and so is our current response.

The possibility that he is a person who lives in luxury has increased even more.

“But where did you put Grandma and Mrs. Emma Miller?”

“He should be at your temple by now chatting pleasantly with Archbishop Lapart.”

“There is no place as safe as that.”

In addition to our core force including Luna and Archbishop Lapart Toby we have new players in our sect whose skills have improved significantly recently.

If there are elite awakeners from the US side there it will probably be harder to penetrate than the Blue House.

Moreover in the Holy Land the power of our church’s believers is greatly strengthened.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was close to an iron fortress.

“Archbishop Lapart is very popular with our ladies.”

“I wonder if he is the reincarnation of Casanova.”

“what?”

“I’m just talking to myself. Don’t worry about it.”

While Aiden and I were talking like that the entrance to the venue became a bit noisy.

It seemed like guests had arrived.

“It’s finally starting Siwoo. Isn’t this how they say it in Korea?”

“what.”

“Get me some popcorn. Haha! If there’s any popcorn over there could you get me some?”

“There’s no way there’s popcorn in a banquet hall like this…”

“Here you go Aiden Howard.”

…there is.

It seems like the government has really prepared thoroughly. There is nothing that is missing.

“Um Leo would you like a bite too?”

“I’m fine Aiden Howard.”

“What if I refuse?”

Wagjak-.

Aiden who was handed the popcorn put a handful into his mouth and started chewing and swallowing.

It would have been normal for one or two popcorns to have been spilled but not a single one was spilled. If eating so neatly is a talent then maybe it is a talent?

“Our first guest is from Japan. Is Jinyoung who we had a drink with last time the representative?”

“that’s right.”

Awakened people wearing coats with the Japanese flag on them entered the guest house.

There are a total of 20 people.

It seemed that diplomatic personnel as well as those participating in the exchange entered together.

And after a while a handsome man with a familiar face jumped out from the crowd and approached us.

“It’s been a while everyone.”

“Brother Jinyoung. Your expression looks good?”

“Siwoo is right. It’s like he’s completely changed as a person.”

“Is that so? I can’t help but laugh because I’m finally stepping on the ground I’ve wanted to step on so badly.”

Jinyoung nodded his head with a soft smile.

A handsome person looks even more handsome when he smiles brightly.

I said this while lightly reaching out my hand to Jinyoung.

“Take care. Right. What about Kang Chae-ah?”

“We decided to meet secretly after we finished. It’s a secret.”

“After the event please spend some time in our temple garden. There aren’t many people there after 10 p.m. I’ll ask them to reserve a spot for you. It’s a place where flowers bloom even in winter so it’s a perfect place for a date.”

“That much?”

“You’ve come to Seoul so you must stop by its famous attractions at least once.”

It was definitely nice to see Jinyoung smiling. When I saw him in Japan I felt like his expression was dead but I never thought he would smile so brightly.

That’s right. While I’m in Korea I should tell Baek Seol-hwa to teach me some know-how. Baek Seol-hwa had already said that she wanted to meet Jin-young hyung.

“Let’s talk about the details after the event. I’m here as a representative so I can’t stay here forever.”

“Okay bro. See you later.”

Jinyoung waved his hand and went back to his group.

And not long after he passed by new figures appeared at the entrance.

About 30 people wearing coats with the Five Stars and Red Flag painted on them.

In front of them a man carrying a backpack stood with his chin slightly raised.

A middle-aged man with short hair and a long black robe that you would only see in a martial arts novel.

The moment they appear here the somewhat noisy atmosphere becomes cold.

The middle-aged man walked forward with the corners of his lips slightly raised as if he liked the atmosphere.

To be exact towards me.

“hmm.”

Wang Wei a middle-aged man who finally arrived in front of me looked down at me slightly because he was a little taller than me.

“Are you Kim Si-woo who leads the Limen sect?”

The translated meaning flowed into my head through <The Blessing of Language>.

Since you’ve been acting like that since the first time we met I can’t lose.

“Are you Wang Wei?”

“It seems like you weren’t taught the manners you should show to adults. Maybe it’s because we live in a small country but you really are in a bad state.”

How is it that it turned out exactly as I expected?

I looked into Wang Wei’s eyes and then raised the corners of my mouth and said.

“Today is going to be really fun. I’m already excited.”

Our Pope please stop this