Chapter 114
If you don't know where to find good food when traveling, people say to look for a map of restaurants where government officials use their official expense accounts.
Is that why?
"This is a truly delicious place."
The mayor really knew which restaurants were cheap and good.
"Ooooooh... Then I should try it for lunch tomorrow."
We're going to a place Han Yu-na found for dinner tonight.
"Huh? This yangpun pork-rib place. This is the one I found."
One of the restaurants the mayor recommended was one Han Yu-na had found.
In that case, we could go there.
"Really? That's great."
"Tell the owner I recommended you, and he'll give you plenty of extras."
"Huh? Political-business collusion?"
"No, it's because my brother-in-law runs the place."
Ah. A favor through personal connections.
That should be okay, right?
I didn't know what sort of extras he'd give us, but wasn't Korea the land of regional, school, and blood ties?
We decided to say the mayor had introduced us.
"I'd like to treat you, but... well. Since you've come with your girlfriend, I can't just impose."
"G-girlfriend... Ah, no, that's not it..."
Han Yu-na turned her head shyly.
I smiled at her and said,
"A female friend is technically a girlfriend too, so don't deny it. Anyway, Mayor, thank you."
"I should be thanking you. Heh. Goodness. I never imagined Director Yang was that kind of person..."
The mayor, who had nearly found himself in serious trouble over development corruption, flashed a grin.
"You've been such a great help, Teacher. It's a shame I have no way to repay you."
"You don't need to repay me separately."
This mayor was a good man.
He had done plenty of volunteer work since he was young and held many events for residents and tourists.
Rather than pointless formalities, he was someone who focused more on things that practically helped the residents.
Wasn't that why he had won reelection—because he was the sort of person who tried to help even those in welfare blind spots?
"You're going to run for a third term, right?"
"Yes. I think I've worked hard and done a fairly good job."
"You'll do well. Let's keep going just as you are."
"Haha. Hearing you say that, Teacher..."
"In return... please pay a little more attention to welfare for the socially disadvantaged."
"Understood."
I couldn't accept material compensation for fortune-telling from a public official.
Besides, this mayor didn't even accept bribes, so he didn't have much wealth.
So I should at least do this much for him.
The mayor of Gyeongju bowed to me repeatedly, then left.
"Then shall we go get something to eat?"
"Yes!"
.
.
.
A pork-rib restaurant near Gyeongju City Hall.
Perhaps because it was well known, the place was packed with customers.
After waiting about twenty minutes and going inside, several people in the restaurant recognized me.
"Gasp...!!"
"Noah hyung!!"
"Hyung!!"
"Give me your autograph!!"
"Hahaha. Come on over!!!"
I signed autographs for those who approached while we were eating and gave them quick readings.
Then I said to the owner, who came over,
"We came on the recommendation of the mayor of Gyeongju."
"I already received a call from him. I'll take proper care of you!"
"But how are you planning to take proper care of us?"
He smiled confidently at my question.
"I'll give you twice the sauce! Twice the flavor! Twice the spice!"
"....."
"Haha. I'm kidding. I'll make it delicious, so please wait!"
After saying that, the owner went inside.
A little later, the yangpun soy-sauce pork ribs came out.
A generous amount of noodles and other add-ons came out as complimentary extras, too.
Let's see...
"Wow..."
"This is incredibly good."
I took a bite, and it really was delicious.
Han Yu-na, who had eaten plenty of good food, widened her eyes as if even she was surprised.
"This is on the house. Eat it with the ribs."
Mac and cheese.
It didn't seem like it would go with spicy pork rib stew, but when I tried them together, they went astonishingly well.
"Let me know when you're done. I'll fry you some rice!"
"Yes!"
Han Yu-na and I proceeded to devour the pork ribs.
When we'd eaten everything but the broth, the owner came out in person.
"I don't usually fry the rice myself anymore, but since you came through my brother-in-law's introduction, I'll do it for you personally!!"
He fried the rice with dazzling skill.
It definitely looked better than when the part-timers did it.
"Enjoy!"
"Yes. Thank you."
Fried rice generously topped with cheese.
As expected, it was incredible.
I guess a famous restaurant really was famous for a reason.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Haha. Thank you. Um... Teacher. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I get an autograph?"
"Of course."
I signed the autograph paper he held out and took a picture with him, too.
"Oh, you didn't have to pay."
"It's all right."
Han Yu-na shook her head at the owner, who laughed and said he'd intended to treat us to the meal.
After a few rounds of back-and-forth, the owner finally accepted the card and processed the payment, and Han Yu-na grinned.
"If the owner pays, then I'm not the one treating Noah to a meal."
"Is that important?"
"It is."
She looked serious, so I simply nodded.
"Sir."
"Yes!"
"Would you like to turn this over?"
"Huh? Yes."
The puzzled owner turned over the card.
The Hanged Man.
To the owner, who didn't understand its meaning, I revealed his future.
"Get a health checkup."
"Pardon? G-gasp. D-does that mean something's wrong with me?"
"Yes."
I looked him straight in the eye.
"You'll develop diabetes."
"I have been eating rather a lot of sweet things lately..."
"You don't have a family history; it will be caused by your lifestyle, so be careful with your diet. And be sure to exercise, too."
"Understood. Thank you very much."
After receiving his thanks and leaving the restaurant, I realized the sun had already set.
"Would you like to have a cup of coffee?"
"Sounds good. Coffee's on me."
Following the Gyeongju mayor's recommendation, we headed to a café near City Hall.
It was a small café like the one near my house, but the aroma of the beans was wonderful.
"As expected of a restaurant recommended by a government official...!!"
"The coffee looks delicious."
When we went inside, there were a few customers, but unlike other places, no one recognized me.
I wasn't particularly disappointed.
"One latte, please. And Ms. Yu-na...?"
"I'll have a cappuccino."
"And one tiramisu, please."
We placed our order and sat down.
My stomach was full, but everyone knows there's a separate dessert stomach.
"Hehe. Today was really fun."
"Tomorrow will be fun, too, right? Shall we visit Hwangnidan-gil tomorrow?"
"I'd love to!"
She had looked quite worn out when we came here, so seeing her enjoy herself put me at ease.
"Apparently there are places that rent hanbok in Hwangnidan-gil. Mr. Noah, will you wear one?"
"Do you want to, Ms. Yu-na?"
"...Yes."
I smiled at her as she shyly gave a slight nod.
Do everything you want to do.
"And there's more! And more...!"
She seemed determined to visit all the tourist attractions she'd researched.
At this rate, we'd have to stay here through the day after tomorrow to visit them all.
"I suppose so..."
She took a sip of coffee regretfully.
"We can come visit again next time, can't we?"
"Will you come with me?"
"Sure. It's not difficult."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
It meant she was genuinely happy.
It was around the time Han Yu-na and I were drinking coffee and eating tiramisu together.
The café door opened, and a large middle-aged man entered.
He was headed my way.
The man approached with a fairly intimidating air, looked down at me, and said,
"Teacher Kang. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Oh Hyeon-taek."
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
"People targeting you have appeared."
"I see."
I took another sip of my latte.
The future I had seen when Han Yu-na and I decided to come to Gyeongju was unfolding.
It wasn't particularly dangerous or remarkable.
Some brainless idiots were running wild, and the people guarding me would stop them.
But, as expected, Han Yu-na's expression quickly hardened.
"Mr. Noah? Who is this...?"
"He's someone I know. Um... I suppose 'secret service agent' is the right term."
Strictly speaking, he was an NIS agent.
He had previously served in the Special Forces.
After giving her a brief explanation, I turned my gaze to him.
"Mr. Oh Hyeon-taek. Do I need to avoid them?"
"No, you don't."
His voice overflowed with confidence.
In fact, I could see a future in which the matter was resolved without any problems.
"I see. Understood. Ah. Before you go, why don't you turn this over first?"
"Yes."
He turned over the card I held out.
It was the Moon reversed.
"Their base is Room 203 on the second floor of the Green Motel in Dongcheon-dong."
"...Thank you. Do you happen to know what sort of people they are, too?"
"Yes. They're with a Mexican drug cartel. Their goal is to kidnap me."
"Ha.... I see. Those pathetic nobodies are starting to show themselves."
"Well, I expected it. I knew they'd make a move eventually. Still, I trust you."
"I'll repay that trust. And... do you know whether they're carrying guns?"
"Yes. They have handguns, so be careful."
"Understood. And this is my number."
Saying that I should contact him immediately if anything happened, he gave me his business card and left.
The card identified him as a manager in Sales Team 2 at I Bong Trading.
"Mr. Noah. Are you really all right?"
Concern filled Han Yu-na's expression.
I felt bad for worrying her for no reason.
"Actually, I knew something like this would happen."
"Th-then you shouldn't have come to Gyeongju!"
I knew from looking into the mirror that the men targeting me would make a move if I went to Gyeongju.
But it was all right despite that.
The people protecting me weren't limited to the NIS agent who had just left.
"There are more people protecting me besides him, so it's fine. And it won't be much of a problem."
"Oh... R-really?"
"Yes."
Just a few mercenaries acting on orders from a Mexican cartel?
It wasn't even worth laughing at.
"But you said they have guns."
"The people protecting me have guns, too."
"Then does that mean nothing serious will happen?"
"Yes. There won't be any problem, so don't worry."
Even so, Han Yu-na's expression still looked dark.
"It's all right. We had fun today, didn't we? It isn't particularly dangerous, so I didn't mention it."
Something I could deal with wasn't dangerous.
Unless it was something beyond my ability to handle, like a comet collision or nuclear war, the right thing was simply to follow my plan.
"And it's a good opportunity, too."
I picked up my phone.
Then I tried to make a video call through the messenger app to someone saved in my contacts.
-Oh!! Mr. Kang!! Six in the morning... Ah, no. It must be seven p.m. in Korea, right?
The person who answered was Rowen from the FBI, whom I'd met before.
Seven p.m., huh.
He must be in Washington right now.
Well, it didn't matter. That wasn't what was important.
"The Mexican cartel has made a move."
His cheerful voice subsided.
Then a calm, serious voice came through the phone.
-I see. What are you going to do?
"I have no intention of letting the people who came after me off. Can you help me?"
A cruel smile appeared on Rowen's face on the other side of the screen.
-'We' will always take your hand.