Lord Shadow

IN THE CAR

The day was hot today. The sun shines brightly and people are walking around, enjoying the sunlight, going to the park and spending time with their families.

It is a perfect day for a date.

Azief was smiling all the time looking at Na Eun driving the car for him.

It’s not like he doesn’t know how to drive a car, but he doesn’t have international license.

Of course he could always buy a license but for people of his stature usually people would drive him.

But Na Eun is not a driver….but she is also the only one who knows about his arrival today and Azief didn’t want to alarm the whole company he was here on Korea.

Because this visit is a personal one.

And he would like it if people don’t know why he comes to Korea. Then, giggling Azief look at Na Eun and then he smiles.

Na Eun realizing that Azief was smiling then asks

‘Oppa. Why are you smiling?’ Azief still could not familiarize himself hearing the word Oppa from Na Eun mouth.

‘Do you get jealous?’ Azief ask while looking at Na Eun expression. She seems like a cool gal.

‘I don’t get jealous’ she said while her eyes looking in front of her, looking at the traffic looking indifferent.

Smiling and feeling like he was release from something he said

‘That’s a relief’ while looking very relived as his expression relaxed.

But then hearing his word, Na Eun expression changes

‘Why? Oppa, what did you do?’ Seeing the fast change of reaction Azief was a bit startled.

‘N…othing?’ he said but it was almost like he was asking a question and hesitate to ask after seeing Na Eun expression.

‘Tell me. Be honest with me’ she said while clearly looking flustered.

Thinking it was okay to tell the truth he said.

‘I kiss an actress yesterday. At the opening gala.’

‘What?!!’

And at that moment Azief knows he made the wrong decision. He learned something new today.

When woman said tell me the truth it really means tells me something that I can accept. Never tell me the truth.

‘Oppa!! Wait a minute? What did you say? You kissed an actress?’

She was so shocked that she closes her mouth with her hand and attacked him with a barrage of questions.

That was not a good sign.

Azief still remembers a few seconds ago, she said she was not jealous. She clearly look jealous to me Azief mused.

Na Eun looks at Azief like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Azief, because of this absurd situation almost laugh out loud.

‘Get out Oppa.’ She said so calmly that she doesn’t seem to anger in her voice. But he could feel it.

There is clearly anger in that voice.

‘Here? Right now? You want me to jump from this car? You said you don’t get jealous?’ Azief said, while giggling, clearly enjoying this.

‘This is not about jealousy.’ Then she stopped her sentence for a while before continuing her words looking serious.

‘Maybe, it is’ she quickly corrected her words.

‘I guess I am jealous! So what you want to do about it!’

‘I just worked hard. It’s not like I want the kiss to happen. I was ambushed.’ He said innocently.

‘Like I believe that, Oppa.’ Then for a while they drive in silence but sometimes Azief sneak a glance towards Na Eun while Na Eun is collecting her calmness.

Then she asks with burning eyes as she stares at Azief and asks him

‘Who is she?’ And Azief giggle. The feeling of jealousy is not that bad.

‘Se Kyung.’ Then she was silent like she was thinking something. Na Eun was embarrassed actually.

She never thinks of herself as a jealous person. But somehow hearing that Azief was kissing another girl beside her make her feel strange.

Knowing that the chairman is handsome like that and has many fans she should have been prepared for some other girls to seduce him but still she still could not help but feel jealousy.

The Chairman is not an idol or a star but he is the richest individual on the planet.

If the King Corp is the richest company in the world, Chairman Azief is the richest individual in the world.

He even has about 10 islands under his name.

Who in the world does not want to make any relation with a powerful man like him?

Having only 5 percent of his wealth would make that person insanely rich for the common people.

People like the chairman; rich, handsome, tall…of course he would be the hottest bachelor.

‘Good for you’ she said emotionlessly. Azief shakes his head.

‘No, it’s not.’ Then Na Eun looks at Azief and she almost wanted to punch his face

‘Why are you smiling?’ She asks Azief. It is obvious to her that Azief is holding back his smile.

‘You can’t help smiling’

‘Well, I am a pretty popular man. I think even that actress that star in that My Heart Belongs to You also like me. I did after all sponsored the series’ He said teasingly.

‘In your dreams’ she said.

He smiles.

‘Look at my life. My dreams come true. Anyway nothing happens you know. It was a light kiss. Nothing intense. I can control myself you know.’

Na Eun looks at him and then scoffed.

‘You’re a man.’ And then pausing she continued.

‘You have a pulse…so no. You can’t control yourself.’ Azief could not help but chuckles hearing this.

After teasing and a few banter exchanged and he apologized eventually Na Eun let down her guard and like always forgive her boss.

Then before they know it, they arrived at a building. It was a globe shaped building.

On the outside it looks like the globe of the world and there is the signboard Global Venture on top of the globe.

The globe was white and the black color of the Global Venture signboard can be seen even more clearly because of the color contrast.

‘Professor Jung is already there’ Na Eun informs Azief.

He nodded and then exiting the car he straightened himself up and walks with great stride to the building with a curved smile on his face.

***

THE GLOBE VENTURE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTER

INSIDE A WHITE ROOM

Inside the room there are two people sitting on a room playing chess.

The young man was calm and collected while the slightly older person shows an expression of frustration.

Smiling the young person moves his castle to capture the King.

‘Checkmate’ Azief said as his smile was wide and full of scorn.

‘Professor Jung, you have lost….again’ he said like rubbing the wound with salt. Professor Jung only sighed.

‘Let’s go to my lab’ he said resigned to his fate but as Jung Woo get up and was about to walk to his lab he realizes that the Chairman is still sitting on the chair, looking at his back.

And then tuning back he realizes that the chairman is staring at him.

‘Chairman?’

‘Sit.’ Azief said and it was clear with the tone of his voice that it was no a request but is an order.

Jung Woo sits back down. And then smiling Azief said.

‘You know…I once read a story. The story goes like this. The setting…..a War between France and Britain. The characters…military man. A commander of the army from Britain came to fight the people of France because of the order from his king. He came from a humble beginning. A cobbler son rising through the ranks of military during a time of peace. But war came. So, he was summoned by his friend who was of a higher hierarch inside the military. So, the commander rides to the site of battle, preparing to battle the French.’

At this time Jung Woo does not understand what Azief was trying to convey but since the chairman doesn’t seem to want to stop, Jung Woo has no choice but to listen

‘Let say the name of the commander was James.’ Azief said as he doesn’t seem to be disturbed by this change of pace.

It seems he is intent on telling this story to the end.

‘James asks his friend when he finally arrived at the site. He asks his friend.’

‘Would there have been a war if the King had said No?’ he asked. Let say his friend name was Edward. Edward then replies.

“I’m sure there will, he was against it from the ?rst.” Then James said

“Well, if not him alone, then perhaps if twenty or thirty people in the world had

said No.”

Thinking of this Edward then said “That’s probable, but they damned well said Yes.” Then smiling James said.

“It’s queer, when one thinks about it,” goes on James, “we are here to protect our fatherland. And the French are over there to protect their fatherland. Now who’s in the right?”

“Perhaps both,” says Edward without really believing it.

“Yes, well now,” pursues James “but our professors and parsons and newspapers say that we are the only ones that are right, and let’s hope so;–but the French professors and parsons and newspapers say that the right is on their side, now what about that?”

“That I don’t know but whichever way it is there’s war all the same and every month more countries coming in.” Edward replies

Then James wonders how a war gets started and then asks this question to Edward. Edward shaking his head answers James by saying

“War is started by one country badly offending another” answers Edward with a slight

air of superiority.

Then James pretends to be obtuse.

“A country? I don’t follow. A mountain in Britain cannot offend a mountain in France. Or a river, or a wood, or a ?eld of wheat.”

“Are you really as stupid as that, or are you just pulling my leg?” growls Edward

“I don’t mean that at all. One people offends the other–“

“Then I haven’t any business here at all,” replies James “I don’t feel myself offended.”

“Well, let me tell you,” says Edward sourly, “it doesn’t apply to tramps like you.”

“Then I can be going home right away,” retorts James, and Edward laugh

“Ach, man! he means the people as a whole, the State–” exclaims Edward as he gain his ground.

“State, State”–James snaps his ?ngers contemptuously.

“Military, police, taxes, that’s your State;–if that’s what you are talking about, no, thank you. State and home-country, there’s a big difference.”

“But they go together,” insists Edward, “without the State there wouldn’t be any

home-country.”

“True, but just you consider, almost all of us are simple folk. And in France, too, the majority of men are labourers, workmen, or poor clerks. Now just why would a French blacksmith or a French shoemaker want to attack us? No, it is merely the rulers. I had never seen a Frenchman before I came here, and it will be just the same with the majority of Frenchmen as regards us. They weren’t asked about it anymore than we were.”

“Then what exactly is the war for?” asks James.

“There must be some people to whom the war is useful. “Edward replies sourly toward his friend question

“Well, I’m not one of them,” grins James.

“Not you, nor anybody else here.” Edward said

“Who are they then?” persists James.

“It isn’t any use to the King either. He has everything he can want already.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” contradicts a man behind James, “he has not had a war up till now. And every full-grown King requires at least one war, otherwise he would not become famous. You look in your school books.”

“And generals too,” adds another man behind James, “they become famous through war.”

“Even more famous than emperors,” adds another.

“There are other people back behind there who pro?t by the war, that’s

certain,” growls James.

“I think it is more of a kind of fever,” says Edward. “No one in particular wants it, and then all at once there it is. We didn’t want the war, the others say the same thing–and yet half the world is in it all the same.”

Then he ends his story while his eyes keep looking at Jung Woo.

‘Jung Woo.’ And hearing this Jung Woo was shocked. Usually the Chairman would address him as Professor Jung.

Now he is speaking informally to him. This is not good.

‘I know…you know?’ And the smile on Azief face was vicious.

Chairman….I don’t unders-

‘I know you were a nationalist during the Incursion and the Purge. I know you torture Japanese and Americans. I know you are people of Goryeo. I know that during the first year, you did a lot of things that would land you right into the UN trial. And I know what you developing on the sly. I did not give you unlimited fund for you to pursue your ideological belief or trying to supply weapons to Goryeo insurgent. You are talented. That is why I keep you around. But if you mistake my kindness and indifference towards your crime as a pass for you to do whatever you want, be prepared for the consequences.’

And then getting up, Azief stares at Jung woo and Jung Woo felt like there is mountain pressuring his back, threatening to break his spine.

He sweated from his head to his toe, and his heart was beating so fast it was a miracle it was still beating.

By today, clear everything up. You understand my meaning right? If after today, I find any trace of communication between you and them, I’ll see that as a form of disobedience. And…if that is to be, then be prepared.’

Saying this he gets up and walks out from the room and went into the lab and Jung Woo could only see the Chairman back and as he tries to get up he stumbles to the ground.

It was then that he realizes that his knees were trembling in fear.

He gulped his saliva and then calming himself, he follows the Chairman from behind while thinking how to get rid of all the evidence linking him to the Goryeo Liberator Army.

They then enter the lab. An hour later, Azief comes out of the room with a very odd looking gun.

He smiles.

‘At least, your talent is good’ Azief said.

A compact cryo engine built to be shaped like a gun to stop if the Red Speedster ever came back.

But now…now that this is completed, if the speedster that is about to come is hostile, at least this time, Azief will not be caught unprepared.

Well, King isn’t the only one building weapons.

Coming out of the lab, Azief was in a good mood.

***

SOMEWHERE IN THE BOTTOM OF MEDITERRANEAN SEA

A SECRET MILITARY BASE

People in military uniform were looking at the file on a conference room.

‘Is this the full bio of Hyperion?’ the man on the end of the table said as he looks at a man with a Major rank

‘Yes, Sir. This seems to be his abilities.’

‘The abilities he showed. He did disappear for a month. Anyone knew where he was going?’ the man asks again

Nobody offers an answer. He stands up from his seat and looks outside the pane glass of the conference room and he could see recruits training and marching.

‘What did he know about this place?’ He asks.

‘As far as we know…nothing. But if we’re wrong…’And the Colonel interjected

‘If we’re wrong, then we deal with it. He can’t find this place.’

‘But if he does sir-‘

‘If he did then he would learn that we have many weapons that he has never seen before. He will learn we still have a lot of fight him with’

‘But Colonel, if he finds out about this place and what we’re doing here…’and the Major was not liking the idea Hyperion finding about this place.

‘Then we will unleash the Behemoth.’ He said confidently.

‘The military general at the Capitol might believe in the likes of Alexander King but we, the US Military have our own secrets and ways to deal with people like Hyperion.’

In the deepest part of the base, there is a room reinforced with titanium plates and metals that have never been seen before on the surface world.

The door was very thick and it was heavily guarded. Outside the patrolling guard could hear a sound. It was growling.

Inside the door….is the secret weapon of the Colonel. The Behemoth.

***