Chapter 92
"That man is a spy."
"...Huh?"
There was no particular reason to hide it, so I simply said so.
The two elders were flustered.
"Ah, no. Yoo Ho-min is a spy...?"
I explained the facts to them as they stood there bewildered.
"Yes. And it's the Greater Japan Conference. He's a spy receiving money from a Japanese far-right organization."
"The Greater Japan Conference? Those crazy bastards??"
So you know about them.
Then again, how could you not?
They're the sort who stick their noses into everything, from advocating revision of the pacifist constitution to distorting history.
"Huh. Can a foreign spy really walk around our country like that? And he's Korean to begin with?"
"That's what you call a traitor."
"Ah, no, but how did you know that?"
"Ever since I read your fortune, Professor?"
Actually, I knew the moment I saw him earlier.
"......"
He knew me well, too.
At least, he knew that the future I saw was real.
He had been receiving money from Japan since his sophomore year of college.
He started out with scholarship support, then was drawn in.
For Yoo Ho-min, whose prospects had become bleak after graduating with a history degree, the scholarship Japan offered was quite tempting.
Then came the condition.
Your professor is very interested in treasure hunting and has achieved results before.
So go work under him and leak information to us.
When they offered him enough money to earn only after working himself to the bone for ten years, Yoo Ho-min, whose future had seemed hopeless, accepted.
Then he became Kang Yul-je's assistant and leaked a great deal of information.
"Last time, you explored around the East Sea and Ulsan, and only found one or two small artifacts, right? And you investigated around Gajisan too, but came up empty-handed."
"That's true, but..."
"That's because Yoo Ho-min leaked the information. What came out of those places... Let's see, Goryeo celadon and a golden Buddha statue."
Artifacts far more precious than the ones the two of them had found and donated to the National Museum of Korea.
Those artifacts had already fallen into the hands of the Greater Japan Conference.
When I told them about the past and future I had seen, the two elders were enraged.
I stopped them before they could haul him in and torture him.
"We could arrest him right now, but... I know someone who can properly apply pressure in a matter like this. Would you like his help?"
"Who do you know?"
"The second deputy director of the National Intelligence Service."
"....."
It was a perfect choice.
***
Yoo Ho-min got into his car with a smile.
Then he took a phone out of his bag.
It wasn't the one he normally used, but a different phone.
When he pressed one of the saved numbers, the phone rang, and a voice came through.
-Mr. Yoo Ho-min.
"Yes, Mr. Katsura. A major operation is in the works this time."
-That Baekje treasure ship?
"That's right."
Artifacts from the Baekje era were extremely valuable.
They were ornate, delicate, and beautiful, having been made of gold and silver, so there were countless people who wanted to own them.
Just look at the Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner or the Pensive Bodhisattva. Both China and Japan coveted them like mad.
But the Baekje treasure ship they were currently investigating was said to contain several royal treasures as well, according to the records.
Just how much would those be worth?
Moreover, Yoo Ho-min knew exactly what sort of people he was dealing with.
The Greater Japan Conference.
They were a Japanese far-right organization that lured promising people all over Korea with scholarships.
They wanted history distorted so it would claim that Baekje had been loyal to Japan in the past.
If they managed to obtain Baekje artifacts as well...
They could even concoct a story that the artifacts were offerings the Baekje royal family had tried to present to Japan long ago.
So Katsura was quite serious.
-I see....!!
The voice on the other end of the phone was as calm as usual, but it couldn't hide a slight excitement.
That was because they, too, knew the value of the treasure ship Jung Hee-tae and Kang Yul-je were currently searching for.
-The coordinates? Have you found the coordinates?
"I haven't found the exact coordinates yet. But... it shouldn't take long."
-I see. Excellent. Then, as promised, send us the coordinates...
"But... there's a slight problem."
-A problem?
"Yes. Kang Noah has joined us this time."
Kang Noah.
A fortune-teller who could see the past and future.
His name was already known in Japan.
Would having someone like that there be a blessing or a curse?
Yoo Ho-min was hesitating over whether he should drop everything and flee.
Perhaps noticing his anxiety, the voice on the other end of the phone tried to reassure him.
-As far as I know, Kang Noah always turns over a card before reading someone's fortune.
"Yes, that's right. Fortunately, I haven't had him read my fortune yet."
-Then can we assume he hasn't discovered your identity?
"Yes. Probably."
-Then we can consider him an asset. Let us know once you have determined the exact coordinates.
Kang Noah had joined them.
Then surely they would find Baekje's treasures.
But they must never underestimate him.
-Avoid Kang Noah as much as possible.
"Could he have learned about me by reading someone else's fortune?"
-That is a possibility. Did you notice anything that suggested it?
He thought for a moment.
But neither the professor nor his colleague seemed to suspect him.
'Could it be that Professor Kang will never find out for the rest of his life...?'
Then perhaps when Kang Noah read the professor's fortune, he hadn't learned about him either.
He voiced his thoughts.
An answer came from the other end of the phone.
-That is possible too. In any case, be careful.
"Understood. Thank you, as always."
With a grin, he ended the call.
It had been a satisfying deal.
'This is what a historian is supposed to do.'
The future of history graduates was bleak.
Most became unemployed or young people who were "taking a break," and only a tiny minority worked in their field.
He thought he was making good use of his major.
Make money off history, and use artifacts to advance.
Wasn't that what a true historian did?
'Thank you, Professor. I always take your teachings deeply to heart.'
He thought of Kang Yul-je.
A professor from a chaebol family.
A man who lived doing whatever he wanted without worrying about money.
Squeezing a little money out of someone like that wouldn't even show.
"Phew..."
Things had gone well up to now.
There was the variable known as Kang Noah, but...
If he avoided him as much as possible and didn't let him read his fortune...
Then nothing would happen.
'So, just in case, I'll finish this one thing and lie low for a while.'
Nothing would happen.
Surely things would continue to go well.
His success at avoiding detection thus far had clouded his judgment.
A baselessly optimistic thought had taken control of him.
The future Yoo Ho-min envisioned was bright.
It was nothing but a smooth road with not a single obstacle in sight.
***
To reach the destination, they had to go to Yeoseodo.
There were many places to pass through on the way to Yeoseodo.
First, they had to reach Wando.
It took roughly six hours by car to get to Wando.
Even getting there was no easy task.
"Sir, are you all right?"
"Heh-heh. Of course I'm fine! What's so difficult about riding in a car for a mere six hours?! Hahahaha!!"
Goodness, he sure had a lot of energy.
Was he taking some kind of tonic?
Elder Jung Hee-tae and Professor Kang Yul-je looked perfectly at ease.
"To get to Yeoseodo, we'll have to take a boat from Wando."
"Didn't you arrange a boat separately?"
"They're waiting at Yeoseodo. It would be far better to take a passenger ferry there."
Professor Kang Yul-je took out his phone.
Then he called someone.
"Mm. It's me. We made it to Wando. The boat, equipment, and... personnel are all ready, right? Mm. Good work. Then I'll see you there."
After ending the call, he turned his head.
His gaze fell on the passenger ferry terminal.
"Let's go. Ho-min, you've reserved vehicle loading, right?"
"Yes! Don't worry, Professor!"
A vehicle ferry that ran once a day was docked at the terminal.
As Yoo Ho-min drove the car onto the ferry, Professor Kang grinned.
"He's putting on an act as a good person right to the end."
"Haha. Exactly."
"It wasn't funny at all."
He snorted as he brought up what had happened at the rest stop where they'd stopped on the way down.
"The way he acted so self-assured when you held out your card was ridiculous. What was it? He claimed he was placing his hopes in the uncertainty of the future? That he didn't need to see the future?"
"Heh-heh. It was impressive."
That bastard thought that if he didn't turn over my card, I wouldn't be able to see the past or future.
So he was doing everything he could to avoid having his fortune told.
It was so funny that I mocked him mercilessly.
"Right. If only that bastard weren't a spy for the Greater Japan Conference."
He had been pleasant and polite to his elders, and it had been nice to see him work so hard.
But when I thought about how all of that had been an act to make them lower their guard, how could I not be furious?
To think he had even passed all that information on to Japan.
"That bastard doesn't even have the qualities of a historian, let alone those of a human being."
"Good grief. I never took him for that kind of person..."
As the two elders clicked their tongues while watching the car board the ferry,
a man approached.
"Mr. Kang."
"Oh. Hello."
He was the man who had been hanging around near my house.
Section Chief Ryu In-su of the National Intelligence Service.
After greeting us politely, he cast a discreet glance toward the ferry.
"It has been confirmed."
"I see."
It turned out they had found evidence that Yoo Ho-min had made a deal with the Japanese side.
"Then are we only arresting Yoo Ho-min this time?"
"Of course not."
This was an opportunity.
If handled well, it was a chance to make Japan pay dearly for violating our territorial waters.
As a patriot, he would never let this opportunity slip away.
"We're planning to catch them in the act of finding the treasure at those coordinates. If we use this, we may be able to gain considerable leverage from Japan."
If they arrested only Yoo Ho-min, the Greater Japan Conference and the Japanese government would try to cut him loose.
But what if they also caught them entering our territorial waters and stealing artifacts?
That could escalate into an international issue.
"I see..."
"Moreover, this project was contracted with the Cultural Heritage Administration a little earlier."
The Baekje Cultural Heritage Excavation Project.
Since it is a project involving state secrets, leaking information could even result in charges under the National Security Act.
"We'll handle these dangerous matters. You should simply focus on treasure hunting at your leisure."
A broad smile spread across the section chief's lips.
Hmm... I didn't need to ask anything else.
I could see Yoo Ho-min being arrested in his future.
Right. This was the sort of thing NIS agents, not me, were equipped to handle. They would take care of it.
"Um... About that..."
His confident expression from moments ago became hesitant.
"If possible... Could you read my fortune?"
"Is that because of whether this operation will succeed? Weren't you confident just a moment ago?"
"There isn't an operation in this world whose success can be guaranteed 100 percent."
"Haha. I see. All right."
I held out a card to him and gave him his answer.
"The operation will succeed. Without major losses."
"Ahh. That's a relief."
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"If I could have formed a connection with you sooner, Mr. Kang, there wouldn't have been any unnecessary deaths... And the number of nameless stars in the NIS wouldn't have increased either..."
Regret.
I had nothing to say as he lamented so bitterly.
Perhaps it was because of the brief awkwardness.
He smiled sheepishly and asked,
"By the way, can we know when they're coming? We'll be on standby starting today, but I thought it would be better to have some idea..."
"They'll come around one a.m. tonight."
"One in the morning... They'll be trying to move as quickly as possible under cover of darkness..."
"But can the treasure salvage really be finished that quickly?"
"If they know the exact point, it should be possible. And apparently there are people who specialize in this kind of work."
"Oh... I see."
From treasure hunting to catching a traitor.
This whole affair feels like it's gone way overboard on the romance.