Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 28: Medal

“You did a great job this time. You’ve been a great help.”

The middle-aged man with neatly combed back grey hair said with a pleased smile.

Lee Sang-Jun swallowed the food he was chewing and replied politely.

“I just did what I had to do.”

“Hahaha, well, that’s true. But these days, there are so many people who can’t even do what they’re supposed to do.”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily and downed the Cheongju in a small, luxurious glass in one gulp.

Shim Jung-Min. 59 years old.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and one of the most powerful figures in the current administration.

He was the most intelligent and outstanding person among the current government officials, who are generally considered incompetent and corrupt.

He wasn’t without various bad rumors, but he was a very competent person nonetheless.

“So, where are those friends now? Are they still in France?”

“They’re on the plane now. To be precise…”

Lee Sang-Jun glanced at his wristwatch and continued immediately.

“They are scheduled to arrive in 5 hours and 29 minutes.”

“Huh, that’s fast. They worked hard, so why not let them rest in France for a few more days?”

“We don’t know when another incident might occur.”

“Well, that’s true. I understand. I’d like to have a drink with them later.”

Lee Sang-Jun didn’t bother to answer. He knew it was just a polite remark.

In the first place, a person of Shim Jung-Min’s status would never meet the field agents directly.

He was the one who gave orders, not the one who carried them out.

Therefore, it was quite unusual for him to meet Lee Sang-Jun, who was only the 4th Deputy Director of the NIS, in person.

Lee Sang-Jun guessed that he must have something up his sleeve.

“Perhaps… around next week? The UN will announce a resolution.”

Lee Sang-Jun raised his head at Shim Jung-Min’s words.

“A resolution…?”

“A joint defense resolution in response to the alien invasion, so to speak. Well, the details haven’t been finalized yet.”

It was unexpected information. He had heard that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been actively moving since Jin Beom-Min defeated the monster in Vietnam. But he didn’t know things were moving this fast.

“…That’s good news. I think it will be helpful for our future activities.”

“Of course! It’s a resolution with nearly 100 countries participating. And the leading country is South Korea. Haha.”

Shim Jung-Min seemed to be in a very good mood. He laughed loudly, wrinkles forming around his eyes, and continued.

“This will greatly enhance our country’s diplomatic standing. We are the only country taking the lead in dealing with this unprecedented incident.”

“Is that so…?”

“Of course, of course. If those monsters keep invading like this, a permanent seat on the Security Council wouldn’t be a dream, haha!”

A permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

It was the core body that effectively controlled the activities of the UN, and a group with enormous influence worldwide.

Joining this permanent member meant becoming one of the world’s most powerful nations, on par with the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and France.

At the unimaginable words, Lee Sang-Jun shook his head in disbelief and asked back.

“…No way…?”

“Why, what’s stopping us?”

“We don’t have nuclear weapons…?”

In fact, all permanent members of the Security Council were nuclear-weapon states without exception. Possession of nuclear weapons, including hydrogen bombs, was implicitly known as the minimum requirement for becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.

“We can develop those nukes whenever we want if we put our mind to it. We just can’t because of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Besides, don’t we have a unique weapon that no one else in the world has?”

“Uh…. You don’t mean Jin?”

“Yes. The only monster extermination weapon in the world. Isn’t that more valuable than nukes?”

He was right.

Nuclear development wasn’t that technically difficult. It was just hard to get the raw materials.

A country with a developed industrial level like South Korea would be able to produce a result that could be used in actual combat within a year of development.

Compared to that, Jin, Jin Beom-Min, was a much rarer existence.

The only practical weapon against monsters in the world.

If major disasters like the recent incident in France continued to occur, the value of Jin Beom-Min would be incomparable to that of common nuclear weapons.

While Lee Sang-Jun was lost in thought, Shim Jung-Min continued.

“Besides, it’s a great help domestically. Have you seen the recent party approval ratings?”

“No? Uh, no.”

“The conservative party’s approval rating has risen by nearly 10%, haha. At this rate, the next presidential election will be smooth sailing.”

“Ah, yes…”

When there is an external threat, approval ratings rise. This was one of the great advantages of the conservative party, which advocates for security and stability.

However, Lee Sang-Jun didn’t quite like Shim Jung-Min’s attitude.

He thought that while it was helpful to our country and his political power, the monster invasion was essentially a disaster.

A disaster that could kill at least dozens, and in the worst case, thousands of people, like the recent incident in France.

He wondered if it was right to treat such a disaster in such a calculating manner.

But he didn’t bother to open his mouth and point it out. Because he was also using the monster invasion incidents and Jin Beom-Min to achieve his goals.

“Still, we need to be careful. Listen carefully.”

Shim Jung-Min’s voice became serious. Lee Sang-Jun met his snake-like cold eyes and listened attentively with a respectful attitude.

“We must not lose our only and rare resource to other countries.”

“Are you talking about Jin…?”

“Yes, that friend. And all the auxiliary personnel related to him, including you.”

“…We are providing sufficient compensation.”

“People…”

Shim Jung-Min held out his empty glass. Lee Sang-Jun came to his senses and filled his glass with the luxurious teapot.

“…are not motivated by money alone.”

After receiving the glass, Shim Jung-Min smiled slightly and continued.

“Whether it’s women, power, or fame. Give him everything you can. He must not be handed over to another country.”

“…I’ll try my best.”

“Haha, yes. You’ll try your best, but there’s not much you can do. You’re still a Deputy Director.”

“…You’re right.”

Shim Jung-Min’s eyes deepened. Finally, he was about to get to the main point.

“I’ll support you.”

“…What kind of…?”

“Let’s start with honor. Since France brought it up first.”

“Honor…?”

“Legion of Honour.”

Lee Sang-Jun’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Legion of Honour. The highest order of merit awarded by the French government.

It was an order rarely given to foreigners unless they had made tremendous achievements.

It was truly an immense honor, one that could not be measured in money.

“A, are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. In fact, it’s not just about saving Paris, but saving all of France. Then he deserves that much.”

“…That’s true, but…”

“Of course, only Jin. The other personnel will be given a slightly lower-ranking medal.”

“I see.”

Since their identities couldn’t be revealed, Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad members would receive their medals in private.

And even after receiving them, they wouldn’t be able to boast about them to the outside world.

But such a medal was undoubtedly a great honor just to receive.

“Let’s see after that. Whether this friend likes money, honor, or something else entirely.”

“…I understand.”

“And you too.”

“…Me?”

Shim Jung-Min continued, speaking jokingly with a smiling face.

“I heard you don’t get along with the Director of the NIS.”

“…That’s not true.”

“You have to remove obstacles if you want to be more proactive.”

Lee Sang-Jun’s ears perked up at his words.

“What do you mean…?”

“Isn’t Director Kim Gil-Ho originally from the presidential line? I think he’d be happy to be called to the Blue House…”

It was a matter of course. Kim Gil-Ho had his heart set on politics from the beginning, so he would be overjoyed.

So if he was ‘promoted’ to the Blue House, there would be no reason for him to refuse.

If that happened, Lee Sang-Jun would have some breathing room.

“I’m sure he will.”

“Yes. That’s all I can do. As for who will be the next Director of the NIS… Hmm, well, it’s up to you.”

Originally, it would have been natural for Yoon Pil-Ju, the 1st Deputy Director, to become the Director of the NIS.

But personnel matters didn’t always go as expected.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Yes. Deputy Director Lee’s family is also quite well-off… It’s time for you to climb the ladder, haha.”

However, Lee Sang-Jun’s reaction was different from what Shim Jung-Min expected.

“…It has nothing to do with my parents…!”

It was a voice that he tried to lower, but there was clear anger and hatred mixed in his tone.

Shim Jung-Min stared at him for a moment, as if surprised, then picked up a side dish and put it in his mouth, answering nonchalantly.

“…I see.”

That was all he said. But Lee Sang-Jun, who realized his mistake belatedly, knew for sure.

That from this moment on, a thorough background check on his family would be conducted.

******

Ting―

Ting!

“Ah!”

“Fighting!”

The sounds of clanging metal, shouts, and cheers echoed through the high ceiling of the gymnasium, creating a muffled echo.

Inside the fairly large gymnasium where the National Sports Festival fencing preliminaries were being held, Jin Beom-Min leaned back in a hard plastic chair and asked listlessly.

“When is your sister coming out?”

“I don’t know. She’ll be out soon.”

Seong-Gyun replied halfheartedly, his eyes glued to his smartphone.

Jin Beom-Min yawned and looked around for his daughter.

There were surprisingly many participants in the preliminaries. From middle school students to adults, even middle-aged people who looked quite old.

He hadn’t imagined that there would be so many people in Korea who enjoyed fencing.

However, the almost empty stands, except for the seats filled by the families of some of the athletes, clearly showed the reality of an unpopular sport.

“Why do some people only stab and others slash?”

Jin Beom-Min asked, having only briefly observed the matches without finding Su-Yeon.

“That’s because of the different types of events, I think? I don’t know much about it either.”

“What event is Su-Yeon in?”

“What was it? Sabre? Sabre? Something like that?”

“Hmm.”

Jin Beom-Min folded his arms and looked down at the arena again.

As he watched carefully over time, he began to notice the differences between the matches of each event.

To him, who had dedicated his youth solely to learning swordsmanship, the movements of the people competing seemed too slow and clumsy.

But the techniques of fencing itself were quite interesting.

The swordsmanship of Jindar was based on the premise of fighting against monsters with thick skin or enemies in armor, so it focused on slashing and striking rather than stabbing.

Especially for swordsmen who could use Mana, they mainly learned how to deal with multiple enemies with Mana blades, so swordsmanship like fencing, which was designed for a one-on-one fight, was quite unfamiliar.

‘If it’s based on Mana manipulation and one-on-one combat, there are things worth learning…’

As Jin Beom-Min looked down at the arena, familiarizing himself with the unfamiliar techniques, Seong-Gyun said in a bored voice.

“But as expected, Dad has good eyes. You can tell all that just by watching for a short time.”

“Huh?”

“As expected of the Hero of Paris.”

“What?”

Jin Beom-Min was startled and turned to look at Seong-Gyun, who held out his smartphone screen to him.

A video of poor quality was playing on the screen.

It was a scene of him standing on top of a black van, wiping out zombies.

“Uh…”

“This is you, Dad, right?”

“Uh, no.”

“You think I wouldn’t recognize my own Dad?”

“The, the quality is bad…”

“It’s the same armor you dug out of the ground before.”

“Uh… That’s…”