“Sigh…”
A deep sigh escaped the lips of a blond foreign man.
Watching him, a woman with a sharp and composed demeanor spoke curtly.
“Get a grip. Don’t give them any excuse to find fault.”
The man sighed once more, adjusted his hat properly, and hailed a taxi.
Their destination: the Awakening Headquarters in South Korea.
The two, dressed as if on a business trip to Korea, stepped out of the taxi shortly after.
There had been no time to rest, not even on their express flight.
Their priority was clear: to meet the person handling the case, transfer or oversee it as quickly as possible.
“How may I assist you?”
The reception staff at the headquarters greeted them warmly.
The blond man pulled out something to show them.
“I’m Nathan, from the United States Intelligence Agency. Is the director available?”
“…”
The staff hesitated, debating whether it was a joke, but eventually inspected the ID and reported it to their superiors.
Not long after, a team leader-level staff member came down to meet them.
“Please, follow me.”
“Apologies for arriving unannounced. The urgency and gravity of the matter required discretion.”
After a brief introduction, they followed the team leader to where the director was.
Soon, the pair from the U.S. Intelligence Agency were met with the half-lidded gaze of the South Korean director, Jeon Young-joo.
“…Welcome.”
“Hmm, you don’t seem thrilled to see us. I suppose that’s understandable.”
“I’ll be clear. This incident was a blatant act of terrorism orchestrated by a U.S.-based guild. I trust you’re not here to gloss over that fact.”
Nathan realized immediately that Jeon Young-joo would not be an easy opponent.
“The Venom Guild, suspected of orchestrating the incident, may be based in the U.S., but they are undeniably a multinational guild. We will, of course, do our utmost to cooperate, but framing this as a direct fault of the United States is an excessive claim.”
“Excessive? It seems the esteemed director of the U.S. Intelligence Agency has come here to flaunt his arrogance. Should I take your words as the official stance of the U.S. government?”
Nathan maintained a calm yet piercing gaze at Jeon Young-joo, who met his eyes without flinching.
As the two engaged in a silent battle of wills, their subordinates felt their energy draining.
Eventually, Nathan yielded.
“Our government wishes to extend its deepest apologies to the victims of this incident. We plan to take swift action against the Venom Guild.”
“…”
“To proceed, we require identification and the handover of Team Karimba for investigation. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.”
“Handover? Are you suggesting we turn over the identities of criminals?”
“Not just hand them over, but collaborate. We possess extensive information on them, which would greatly aid the investigation.”
Jeon Young-joo’s eyes sharpened.
Her gaze suggested she was suspicious—suspecting that handing over the criminals might lead to their eventual release through bail or other means.
“Team Karimba is an infamous criminal organization. We will ensure they never see the light of day again.”
“And how can we trust that? Your claim is difficult for us to believe.”
Nathan found himself troubled by Jeon Young-joo’s unexpectedly confrontational stance.
“You seem quite on edge.”
“Wouldn’t you be? One of our country’s awakened was attacked. While it’s fortunate no harm was done, had lives been endangered, this meeting would not be taking place.”
“The awakened, you say… Are you referring to the Level 1 awakened?”
“The individual’s information is irrelevant. What matters is that a South Korean awakened was attacked by an organization acting under orders from a U.S.-based guild.”
“Hmm…”
Nathan had another reason for coming all this way: the Rank 1 awakened.
The renowned Team Karimba had never failed an operation.
Their assassinations and missions were legendary, making their recent complete capture by this awakened and his summoned beast incomprehensible.
Even the infamous leader, James, had been apprehended.
‘A Level 1 awakened is akin to an ordinary person with slightly enhanced physical abilities. At most, they’re an exceptionally well-trained athlete. How could such a person capture the entire Team Karimba, including their leader?’
Nathan’s thoughts turned to Lee Kyu-seong, whose crafting abilities were exceptional and likely the reason the Venom Guild had targeted him.
But even with such talent, capturing Team Karimba was beyond belief.
It was time to prioritize.
Nathan decided to focus on confirming Kyu-seong’s status.
“Director Jeon Young-joo.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I will fully comply with the South Korean government’s requests. However, we also wish to extend our apologies directly to the victim.”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Jeon Young-joo quickly realized Nathan was intent on meeting Kyu-seong.
“The victim is currently in a fragile mental state and cannot meet with outsiders…”
“Then we will wait, no matter how long it takes.”
Nathan’s firm response left Jeon Young-joo furrowing her brow. She decided to report this situation to the Blue House and other guilds.
‘…Is the U.S. targeting Kyu-seong?’
This didn’t feel like a mere guild-level inquiry.
As the thought of direct involvement from the U.S. government crossed her mind, Jeon Young-joo sighed, her head beginning to ache again.
“Since you’ve come such a long way, why don’t you rest for a while?”
***
The meeting with Kim Geon-woong concluded quickly.
Thanks to the unexpected contact from the U.S., Ara and I, who had just finished a conversation, headed to the Awakening Headquarters.
“Busy, busy.”
“It’s because we’re busy!”
Jeon Young-joo had mentioned briefly the day before that she would like to meet if we had time after visiting the Blue House.
She must be swamped since there was no further message today.
We ended up heading over earlier than planned—hopefully, that’s okay.
After parking in the headquarters building’s lot, we went straight upstairs.
On our way, we happened to spot a few foreigners.
Seeing foreigners wasn’t particularly unusual, but given recent events, it was hard not to notice them.
“Kyu-seong, are those people guests?”
Ara, apparently sharing my cautious instincts, asked in a slightly wary tone.
“Well, I suppose they must be.”
“Should I go say hello?”
“Wait, say hello?”
Before I could process Ara’s surprising suggestion, the foreigners we were observing started walking toward us.
Their demeanor suggested they recognized us. Could they be from the U.S.?
“Are you, by any chance, Lee Kyu-seong?”
A man and a woman.
The woman, speaking fluent Korean, approached and addressed me.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sarah, and this is Nathan. We’ve come from the United States.”
“Ah… I see.”
Noticing my guarded expression, the woman raised her hand as if to reassure me.
“We must have startled you by approaching so suddenly. Allow me to reintroduce ourselves. We’re representatives dispatched by the U.S. government. We’re here regarding the incident you were involved in.”
“Ah…”
I nodded in understanding, processing the situation, while Ara suddenly walked up to them and looked directly at them.
As people hesitated, confused by Ara’s abrupt actions, she pointed at Nathan’s head.
“Ma-tang (Candy)!”
“Uh?”
The middle-aged blond foreigner, Nathan, glanced at his own hair in confusion, clearly baffled by Ara’s comment.
“Ma-tang?”
Even Sarah, despite her understanding of Korean, seemed puzzled by the word.
It was no wonder. Few people would recognize “ma-tang” at face value.
“It’s golden! Like sweet potato ma-tang(Candy)!”
Ara was now drooling slightly. It must be about time for her snack.
“Sweet potato ma-tang? Ah! Sweet potato glazed snacks!”
A foreigner who knew what ma-tang was—how rare.
Sarah, who had appeared calm and composed earlier, now reacted vividly to Ara’s comments and antics.
“Ma-tang! Ma-tang!”
Ara began circling Nathan, singing a cheerful song about ma-tang.
Nathan, still visibly bewildered, looked at me as if to ask what was going on.
“Ara, you’re making the new guests uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable?”
Ara stopped abruptly and looked up at Nathan. Meanwhile, Sarah began interpreting between us.
“Fortunately, I brought some sweet potato ma-tang. Would you like a little?”
“Yes!”
I pulled out the ma-tang from Bokkeum’s bag and handed it to Ara. It was quite a large portion, but to Ara, it was just a snack.
“Would you like to eat with us?”
Ara, holding the ma-tang in her hands, immediately offered it to Sarah and Nathan.
Somehow swept up in Ara’s energy, the two nodded without hesitation.
“It’s delicious! The same color as Nathan’s hair! Ma-tang, ma-tang!”
Ara began an enthusiastic mukbang, devouring the sweet potato dish with gusto.
The two foreigners, holding their portions of the glazed sweet potatoes, looked at me, clearly flustered.
“Please, try it. I guarantee the taste.”
“Oh, uh… yes, of course…”
Eventually, both of them, as if pushed by an invisible force, cautiously took a bite while standing in place.
And then—bam! Their eyes widened in amazement.
The explosion of flavor and sweetness must have been dancing on their taste buds by now.
I joined them, grabbing a piece for myself.
The taste of the magical sweet potatoes, now at level 4, had only grown richer and more exquisite over time.
What I once thought were the limits of flavor in my crops had deepened and intensified with each level.
Lately, the raw, unprepared produce had become so flavorful that cooking it seemed unnecessary in some cases.
‘Sometimes, even without fancy cooking, the raw produce is better.’
Each harvested crop had a unique flavor, making it impossible to judge solely based on stats or appearance.
I was considering getting tools like a sweetness meter when Nathan and Sarah, finally regaining their composure, exclaimed.
“What is this? You’re telling me this is sweet potato ma-tang?”
“This is unbelievable!”
Nathan’s booming reaction echoed, causing Ara’s grin to stretch wider.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Lee Kyu-seong’s food is extraordinary! Everyone should bow to Lee Kyu-seong’s food!”
Where did she even learn to say that? Ara, really…
Nathan’s dramatic reaction startled the staff at the Awakening Headquarters, who rushed out with shocked expressions.
When they spotted Ara and me, they hurried over.
“Kyu-seong!”
“Weren’t you supposed to have an appointment today? And who are these people…?”
“Did these people do something suspicious?”
For some reason, the staff seemed mildly antagonistic toward Nathan and Sarah.
I waved my hands to calm them and gave a brief explanation.
“The president had an unexpected schedule, so I left early. As for these two, I ran into them while they were entering the building and shared some sweet potato ma-tang.”
“Sweet potato ma-tang?!”
“Yeah, would you like to try some too?”
And just like that, the purpose of my visit to the headquarters was forgotten, as we started an impromptu ma-tang party.
I had brought plenty, so there was no need to worry.
“What?! Kyu-seong! You’re leaving me out!”
Word of the gathering spread throughout the building, and soon, the courtyard in front of the headquarters was bustling with staff.
Since the ma-tang alone wasn’t enough, I brought out all the food I had, turning the event into a feast.
When Director Jeon Young-joo finally appeared, she looked at the scene with wide eyes.
“I heard operations had come to a standstill, and now I see why…”
“Ah, I’m so sorry…”
“No, no, it’s not your fault, Kyu-seong.”
Jeon Young-joo’s gaze shifted to Nathan and Sarah.
The two foreigners were too engrossed in eating to notice her sharp look.
“You’ve made those two your captives as well, I see.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you know who they are?”
“They told me they were employees sent by the U.S. government.”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. But to be specific, they’re from the Intelligence Agency. Nathan over there is the director of the agency.”
The director of the Intelligence Agency?
Like the CIA or FBI?!
“Wha—?!”
“No need to be so shocked. In Korean terms, he’s on par with me.”
“Gasp! Jeon Young-joo, you’re that amazing?!”
Jeon Young-joo gave me a disbelieving look as I quickly handed her some food.
Her stern gaze softened as she smiled.
“Thank you, Kyu-seong. Who knows, this might actually make things go more smoothly for us.”
Absolutely, Director. Or should I say, CSI?
Cliche Novel 