NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Are You an Alien?
After hearing that the training facility was ready, Jin Beom-Min drove to a warehouse building located in a corner of Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do.
It seemed like it had once been used as a distribution warehouse, and it was quite large.
Most distribution warehouses are built in the outskirts of cities where land is cheap, but this warehouse was located in a particularly remote area.
There was only one road leading to the entrance, and the surroundings were full of mountains and trees, with no houses in sight.
There weren’t even streetlights on the access road. It was obvious that it would be pitch black at night.
However, the warehouse site was surrounded by a newly built high wall, and sharp barbed wire was strung along the top of the wall.
There was a guard post at the entrance, and CCTVs were peeking out everywhere, making it look like a prison.
Inside the warehouse site, after passing through the identity verification process, it was quite bustling.
Construction materials were scattered everywhere, and workers were busy carrying materials and repairing facilities.
“I’m Kang Jin-Woo. We’ve met once before, right?”
As he got out of the truck, a large man bowed his head and greeted him.
He was the agent who had tried to break Jin Beom-Min’s arm at the Inbiz Trading office a while ago.
Unlike then, when he had a very frustrated expression, this time he was respectful towards Jin Beom-Min.
“Ah, yes. I see Mr. Lee Sang-Jun isn’t coming today?”
“No, the Director has other business. We also spent a bit too much on the budget this time……Well, anyway, this way, please.”
Jin Beom-Min followed Agent Kang Jin-Woo into the warehouse.
The inside of the warehouse was a wide-open space, but partitions were installed here and there to divide the space and create various facilities.
After passing through a hallway and opening a sturdy iron door on one side, a gymnasium with mats on the floor appeared.
It still looked a bit messy, but it was equipped with various fitness equipment such as dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells.
And a young man with a toned, muscular body and wearing thin workout clothes was waiting.
“Hello, I’m Yoon Jeong-Hyeon.”
The muscular man greeted him.
He was a well-built and handsome man who looked like a fitness trainer at first glance.
“Hello.”
Jin Beom-Min returned the greeting, admiring Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s physique.
Jin Beom-Min had also trained his body since he was young, and so had his colleagues, but he had never seen anyone with muscles as perfect and well-defined as Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s.
That was because people who trained for actual combat weren’t interested in having prominent muscles.
And to ensure stamina to endure long battles and durability to withstand injuries, a certain amount of body fat was essential.
In any case, Jin Beom-Min, whose body had deteriorated considerably after nearly 30 years on Earth, couldn’t help but admire Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s physique.
“I’ve been a trainer for almost 10 years, but this is the first time I’ve worked out in a place like this. It’s also the first time I’ve had to sign a non-disclosure agreement for training.”
“You must keep the contents of the agreement confidential.”
Agent Kang Jin-Woo emphasized in a heavy voice from the side. Unlike before, he was stretching his back and shoulders as much as possible, seemingly feeling similar to Jin Beom-Min.
“First, I need to understand your body condition, so let’s start with basic measurements.”
As Yoon Jeong-Hyeon led Jin Beom-Min, Kang Jin-Woo bowed his head and disappeared outside the warehouse.
Of course, with his whole body puffed up as much as possible.
“Your name is Jin……Beom-Min……and……how old are you?”
“Forty-six.”
“In Korean age?”
“Forty-five in international age.”
“Do you have any physical discomfort?”
“No.”
“Your height?”
“183cm.”
“183……Okay, then this way……”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon led Jin Beom-Min to the body composition analyzer.
It was commonly called an Inbody, a machine that could measure weight and body composition.
“Please take off your shoes and socks……Hold here and don’t move. Spread your armpits slightly……Okay. Stay still.”
Jin Beom-Min, who had never had an Inbody measurement before, finished the measurement with a sullen expression.
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon, who was looking at the test results displayed on the laptop screen, tilted his head.
“……This is strange……? Is it broken?”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“Well, this……A human body can’t be like this……? It’s strange. Sorry, but could you try again?”
At Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s request, Jin Beom-Min had to repeat the Inbody measurement twice.
However, Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s expression was still puzzled.
“This is……I think the machine is broken.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, the weight is strange, to begin with. 158kg? Just by looking, you can’t be over 90kg.”
“Ah……That’s……That’s the correct weight.”
“What?”
Jin Beom-Min scratched his head.
It was something he learned only after a few years of living on Earth, but his weight was much higher than that of ordinary people of the same build.
He didn’t know why. He couldn’t ask a doctor while hiding his identity.
“Well, due to my constitution……I weigh a lot.”
“No, it’s not like your bones are made of iron……”
“Then try lifting me.”
“What?”
“Lift me.”
When Jin Beom-Min spread his arms as if asking to be hugged, Yoon Jeong-Hyeon looked bewildered. But soon, he carefully put his arms around Jin Beom-Min’s waist and tried to lift him slightly.
As expected from a fitness trainer, he could easily lift an average adult.
“Huh?”
But Jin Beom-Min’s body didn’t budge.
“Heave-ho!”
Then, Yoon Jeong-Hyeon straightened his waist, bent his legs, and let out a grunt as if lifting a log.
Only then did Jin Beom-Min’s body rise about 10cm into the air.
“Oh, you’re strong.”
“Wow, what is this? Why are you so heavy?”
“My constitution……”
“No, there’s a limit to constitution! This is strange……!”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon touched and poked Jin Beom-Min’s body here and there with a bewildered face, then looked back at the laptop.
“You’re severely obese based on your height and weight, but you’re not at all! And this, what’s with your muscle mass? Is this normal too?”
He turned the laptop to show Jin Beom-Min the screen and pointed at the graph.
The ‘Skeletal Muscle’ graph in the body composition section was full and even overflowing outside the chart.
“Well……”
“You’re saying this isn’t broken? I mean, muscles weigh more than fat, but……”
“Well, I’m also quite strong……”
“Ha!”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon scoffed and ran to where the exercise equipment was placed. Then, he set up weights on a barbell and said,
“Then try lifting this.”
Jin Beom-Min strode over and grabbed the barbell.
At a glance, the amount of weight plates didn’t seem like much, so he grabbed the center of the barbell with one hand and lifted it up.
Looking at the barbell swaying above Jin Beom-Min’s head, Yoon Jeong-Hyeon muttered in a daze.
“……Are you……an alien? That’s 120kg.”
Jin Beom-Min gently put the barbell down and said awkwardly,
“Um……Non-disclosure agreement……You know, right?”
“Huh!”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s expression went beyond bewilderment and was close to astonishment as he looked at Jin Beom-Min.
He seemed to be genuinely wondering if he was an alien.
Well, it was understandable. Even if he received a personal training request from the NIS out of the blue, training in a highly suspicious warehouse building after signing a non-disclosure agreement was already out of the ordinary.
Moreover, a person with physical abilities that seemed to come straight out of a superhero comic had appeared, so it was truly beyond common sense.
As Yoon Jeong-Hyeon stood there dumbfounded, Jin Beom-Min asked in a disappointed tone,
“Um……So……Can’t you train me?”
Then, Yoon Jeong-Hyeon’s trainer instincts kicked in instantly.
Can’t train? That was unacceptable.
There was no such thing as failure in his career. Moreover, this was even more so in a situation where such a large sum of money was involved.
“No! Sir! No, it’s not that. Training is possible. It’s possible, but……”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon looked around at the various equipment in the gym and shook his head.
“With your physical abilities, sir, this won’t do. We need to prepare something separate, exclusively for you.”
“Is it possible to prepare?”
“……We need to order a flexible barbell bar from overseas……and we need more weight plates……Ah, and then dumbbells too……”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon had already entered top-tier trainer mode, desperately racking his brains to figure out what preparations were needed for the physical training of this extraordinary client.
“Take your time. Bill the NIS for the expenses.”
“Ah, yes, sir. I’ll contact you as soon as I’m ready.”
Yoon Jeong-Hyeon replied, completely preoccupied with the exercise equipment.
Seeing that, Jin Beom-Min smiled. It seemed like the NIS had brought in a good trainer.
******
Inside a spacious but simply and plainly decorated office.
On one wall, the NIS motto,”Silent Dedication, Only for the Protection and Glory of the Republic of Korea,”was framed and hung.
And in the middle of the room, two middle-aged men were sitting on a luxurious leather sofa.
The well-built man with graying hair sitting in the seat of honor, NIS Director Kim Gil-Ho, took a sip of green tea and spoke.
“So, what’s the problem?”
“Well……about the 4th Division Chief……”
The short man sitting on the edge of the sofa hesitantly began to speak.
It was Yoon Pil-Ju, the Chief of the 1st Division, the department in charge of overseas intelligence, representing the NIS.
“Lee Sang-Jun?”
“Yes.”
“What about him?”
“Isn’t the budget allocation this time a bit excessive?”
“Excessive?”
At NIS Director Kim Gil-Ho’s cold retort, Yoon Pil-Ju flinched and replied in a subdued voice.
“Well, building a new facility like that……and……you saw the contract he signed with that Jin Beom-Min, right? Isn’t that excessive spending?”
Kim Gil-Ho frowned and listened silently to Yoon Pil-Ju’s complaint.
“And even the Vietnam case this time. If we’re conducting operations abroad, isn’t that under the jurisdiction of our 1st Division? Then why……”
“So.”
Kim Gil-Ho cut off Yoon Pil-Ju’s words in a stiff tone.
“What?”
“Are you saying you want to take charge now?”
“……If you would just let me……”
“You incompetent fool!”
Crack!
The teacup was placed down forcefully, causing a crack to appear on the saucer.
But Kim Gil-Ho continued speaking in a cold voice, ignoring it.
“Who was the one who said he would never take on any absurd cases like monsters and whatnot? Huh?”
“Well, back then……”
“Forget about back then, it’s too late! The VIP is very satisfied with the handling of the Vietnam case. How can we change the person in charge now?”
Yoon Pil-Ju flinched at those words and replied,
“From the Blue House……?”
“Yes! And even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is happy, so now what……Ugh……!”
Kim Gil-Ho, looking very displeased, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Yoon Pil-Ju quickly took out a lighter and lit it for him.
“……We shouldn’t have created the Division Chief position in the first place……”
Kim Gil-Ho said regretfully as he exhaled a long puff of cigarette smoke. Yoon Pil-Ju added a word of comfort.
“……It couldn’t be helped.”
“It couldn’t be helped. Still, we shouldn’t have created the 4th Division, which has no foundation.”
Originally, the NIS was supposed to be divided into three departments.
The names changed depending on the regime and internal restructuring, but what never changed was the fact that the fourth department didn’t exist.
It was due to the superstition that a department with the number 4, which symbolizes death, was unlucky, but it was a tradition that had continued for quite a long time.
It was Lee Sang-Jun’s 4th Division that broke that tradition.
They thought that if they stuck him in the unlucky 4th Division, he would crawl out on his own, but their thinking was shortsighted.
“We should have just appointed him as the Deputy Chief of the 1st Division and put him under you……”
“……I’m sorry. I just couldn’t get along with that guy……”
“Forget it. What can we do now? Anyway, we have to watch him, even if we don’t like it, until we find something to use against him.”
Kim Gil-Ho dropped the cigarette butt into the lukewarm teacup. With a sizzling sound, the clear tea became murky.
“Keep an eye on the 4th Division’s movements and gather as much useful information as possible. Dig up everything about that Jin Beom-Min and the people around him.”
“Understood.”
“It’s a battle of timing from now on. We can’t just watch Lee Sang-Jun continue to build up his achievements like that, can we?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“So prepare diligently. If he makes even a small mistake, catch it and devour him.”
“Yes, Director.”