Junho arrives at Incheon Airport at five in the morning. Ever since the past, whenever he takes a night flight from LA, he always lands in Incheon in the morning. His body remembers it, but this time is different. It is the first time he has undertaken such a long flight since turning sixty. His waist and knees throb with a heavy ache. Every time he gets up from his seat, he realizes that long-distance travel is no longer a matter of mere will. The number sixty-five is no longer someone else’s story.

  He exits the arrivals hall and breathes in the airport’s characteristically dry air. It is the scent of Korea—familiar, yet somehow chilly. He boards the shuttle bus to the long-term parking lot. His old Grandeur, which he hasn't seen for a few days, stands quietly in a corner spot. A thin layer of dust has settled over the car body, making it look like an object abandoned for a long time. As he sweeps his finger across the hood, a clear mark remains. Junho stares at the mark for a moment and chuckles softly.

  “You and I, we’re in a similar spot.”

  He pushes his carrier into the trunk and sits in the driver’s seat.

  Just then, someone taps lightly on the driver’s side window.

  Junho turns his head. A man who appears to be in his early forties, wearing a dark navy suit without a tie, stands there. His expression is polite, but his gaze is excessively calm.

  Junho hesitates for a moment before rolling down the window.

  “Who are you?”

  “Hello, Mr. Vice Minister. My name is Lee Seong-ho, from the National Intelligence Service.”

  The man speaks in a respectful voice and shows his ID. Junho recognizes the emblem at a single glance.

  “Ah… I see. But what brings you here…”

  Junho eventually opens the car door and steps outside. The dawn air is still cold.

  “You recently traveled to the United States. I have a few matters to verify regarding the results of your visit and your scheduled trip to North Korea.”

  His tone is calm, but it is closer to a notification than a question.

  “I suppose you mean it’s a sort of investigation.” Junho smiles faintly with a tired face. “I’ve just finished a long flight today. If it’s not an urgent matter, could we delay the time a bit?”

  “Of course. In fact, I only need to perform a simple verification of facts today.” He pauses for a beat and adds, “If it isn't a bother, may I drive you to your destination and speak with you while we move? I will head back immediately once we arrive.”

  His manner is polite to the end.

  Junho looks at him for a moment. It is not a bad proposal. Above all, in his current state, he lacks the confidence to drive himself.

  “Very well. Let’s do that.”

  He steps back, not from the passenger seat, but from the driver’s seat.

  “Do you know the Gangnam area, near Bongeunsa Temple? You can head to an officetel near there. It will probably take about two hours to arrive.”

  The car leaves Incheon Airport and heads toward Seoul.

  he man from the NIS first asks about the events in the United States. He states that he wants to verify the nature of Junho's relationship with Illik, whom he met in America, and whether the answers Junho provided at JSTR are true. It is clear that the Korean side does not fully believe Junho’s claim that he does not know her at all.

  However, Junho cannot speak. The moment he tells the truth, everything collapses. He has no choice but to feign ignorance.

  “I also do not understand why she, being in America, summoned me.”

  That is the only excuse he can offer. A brief silence follows. Only the low hum of the car heater echoes in the cabin.

  “Vice Minister,” the man speaks again. “There is an issue more important than that fact. In the U.S., they view you as a very special figure. They evaluate you as the only human on Earth capable of communicating with extraterrestrial beings.”

  Junho’s gaze slowly turns toward him.

  “It seems the American side has judged that your advice is necessary in establishing a strategy to respond to extraterrestrial entities.” The man’s tone remains calm. “Therefore, we also view your existence as highly significant.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The car is entering the highway. Faint morning light spreads across the windshield.

  “However, in this situation, North Korea has requested contact with you. And they did so through our intelligence lines.”

  Junho’s eyebrows twitch slightly.

  “A general-level official from the North Korean military wants to meet you personally. Such contact is impossible without the approval of the top leadership.”

  This means they also know of Junho’s existence. The man pauses for a moment.

  “Therefore, we have classified this matter as top-tier security.” He tilts his head slightly.

  “The problem is one thing: we have no grasp at all of why North Korea is trying to meet you.”

  In truth, Junho does not fully understand this part either. However, he senses that Min is currently in North Korea. He gets the feeling that Min is plotting something involving the North Korean military.

  When he met Illik in the U.S., he learned she wanted the killing code for the Officer Droids, but he still lacks a sense of what she wants overall. Both she and Junho love Korea.

  They felt sorrow over the division of the North and South; back when the Korean War broke out, she had proposed publicly exposing her spacecraft to potentially occupy the North. However, that did not happen due to Junho’s strong opposition. Since then, Junho has felt Illik is hatching some sort of conspiracy with Lillik and Min.

  Now,Lillik is exposing space battleships to the entire world in the "U-War" and is beginning to announce her extraterrestrial identity.

  What is the connection between this behavior and the Korean Peninsula? Or is she trying to change some kind of paradigm for the entire Earth?

  The car reaches the front of Gwanghwamun, where BTS is said to be performing in the spring. As more than an hour passes since boarding the car, the conversation naturally shifts to international affairs and inter-Korean issues. An appointment is also set to meet the Director of the NIS before the visit to North Korea.

  The car is entering downtown Seoul. As they pass Gwanghwamun and head toward Gangnam, Junho’s gaze stops outside the window. On the exterior wall of Embassy R, located to the left of the road, a large banner is hanging.

  [ VICTORY WILL BE OURS ]

  Junho catches his breath for a second. That phrase is not unfamiliar. However, there is no reason for it to be hanging here. To be honest, Junho has not paid much attention to R. While he has always monitored the China issue, R has not been a political priority for him.

  But now, seeing that slogan hanging in the heart of Seoul, a surge of anger wells up inside him.

  Here is the translation into the present tense, maintaining the established tone and flow.

  “Since when has that… been there?” Junho asks in a low voice.

  “They hung that large banner yesterday. Ostensibly, they claim it is to celebrate a domestic holiday, but we judge it to be a high-level show of force intended to pressure our government and a psychological tactic to induce anxiety among our citizens.”

  “No, I mean, there is a U Embassy in our country, and R has designated Korea as an unfriendly nation. They even threatened retaliation against Korea if we help U in any form... To hang such a banner at a time like this...” Junho thinks they are looking down on Korea far too much.

  “Actually, since the space battleship landed on the U front lines, the battlefield appears to be in a stalemate.

  You know that R cannot move recklessly because the alien battleship is siding with U, right?”

  The man continues.

  “However, it is reported in the news that a bullet fired from the U position yesterday struck a soldier escorting R’s war correspondents. Then, a spacecraft descended and took that soldier away. Due to this incident, public opinion in R is surging, claiming the space battleship is a practical threat and that they must launch an active attack. Protests are occurring daily demanding the return of their soldier. Furthermore, missile attacks against U resumed yesterday for the first time. The situation is becoming complicated.”

  “In such a time, if Korea helps U, R will not stay still. They are even leaking threats that they will transfer state-of-the-art weaponry to North Korea.”

  Finishing his sentence, the man lifts the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. It is a strange smile—neither a sneer nor a sign of composure.

  ‘...Why is he smiling?’

  Unable to understand the expression, Junho asks cautiously.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  The man looks out the window for a moment before turning his gaze back to Junho.

  “It is true that Korea is a small country. But it is by no means a pushover. Semiconductors, weapons, shipbuilding, batteries, AI… Korea is the country holding the core of the global supply chain. No matter how much R threatens, it is a miscalculation to think we will move so easily according to their intent.”

  His voice is calm, but it contains an unwavering conviction.

  “Furthermore, Korea is a democracy. The people of this country love democracy. And in the Korean sentiment… there is cheuk-eun-ji-sim (compassion). A heart that cannot ignore the misfortunes of others. A heart that feels pity and eventually reaches out a hand.”

  He pauses briefly.

  “That is why humanitarian support for U among Koreans is quite high. It is a completely different matter from whether we participate directly in the war or hate R.”

  Junho stares at him, unable to say a word. From this man, who said he belongs to the NIS, the aura of a cold intelligence agent is not felt. Instead, something strangely warm is conveyed.

  ‘Ah, this person...’

  Junho thinks that this man is not just someone performing a task, but a Korean who sincerely believes in his country and its people.

  Junho’s car slowly glides into the underground parking lot of an officetel located in the heart of Gangnam. As the car stops, the man unbuckles his seatbelt without a word.

  “Then, it is in one week. You must have already been notified of the schedule for the North Korea visit.”

  Junho nods.

  “This coming Saturday, I will come here to pick you up. There will be a meeting with the Director of the NIS.”