I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 497

The National Intelligence Service.

The agency commonly abbreviated as the NIS was, as everyone knows, an entity whose primary duty was ’intelligence.’

Conducting covert ops abroad to gather various intel, or conversely engaging in counterintelligence to protect domestic information.

The necessity of such an agency rose dramatically alongside the advancement of the era. However, training them was notoriously demanding.

Mental fortitude in particular was paramount, which was obvious considering they had to wage nerve-wracking shadow wars day in and day out living abroad.

One might ask if special forces weren’t similar, but the trajectory was different.

Special forces breached pit of fires, whereas intelligence agents walked a tightrope.

Roughly speaking, with my modest expressive ability, that was the description.

"Doesn’t seem like a lie. Operations did get a bit easier thanks to your people."

I checked outside through a gap in the curtains. As expected, agents were standing by.

While operating in the special forces, I had cooperated with the NIS knowingly or unknowingly.

The NIS would siphon intel, and we would carry out operations based on that stolen intel.

If they hadn’t located the nuclear missile silo, a nuke would have dropped on Seoul.

"Sergeant Park Jong-hyuk. Thanks to your exploits, our nation was able to remain safe as it is now. We would first like to express our gratitude for that."

"I’ll accept it. Though it would have been better if I could receive this gratitude together with my comrades."

"...."

At my words, the NIS agent flashed a bitter smile. He must know as well.

That during the final operation, due to misjudgment from high command, all my brothers-in-arms except me were killed in action.

I survived miserably and could barely retrieve their dog tags. Meaning I couldn’t even recover their bodies.

Ever since, not only did I suffer nightmares every single day, but I couldn’t even sleep unless it was in a bright place.

"So, what’s the reason you came looking for me? Was there some circumstance indicating I leaked classified info?"

"Not at all. It is something you might dislike hearing."

"As long as it’s not telling me to re-enlist."

"...."

Strange. I said it as a light joke, but there was no response from the agent.

Turning my head to look at the other agent, he deliberately avoided my gaze.

"...Seriously? You’re joking, right? It hasn’t even been a year since I was discharged?"

"It is not re-enlistment. Nor has an executive order been issued."

An executive order. It had been a while since I heard that term.

Forced extension of service for soldiers nearing discharge.

Soldiers who would normally resign themselves to ordinary commands collectively mutinied the moment this executive order was dropped.

Whatever nation it may be, chaos ensues when war breaks out, but the Republic of Korea was far worse.

It was bad enough that before charging North, domestic stability had to be thoroughly policed first.

The rotten evils of the conscription system had erupted at the absolute worst timing.

Well, now that the war was over, it had taken all the heat it deserved and improved.

"Then what is it? What on earth brought you to find me?"

"We came to this place to make a proposal to you, Sergeant Park Jong-hyuk."

"To persuade me?"

At the word persuasion, I tilted my head.

While I was harboring doubts, the agent voiced the content out loud.

"Would you be willing to become an agent for the nation?"

"Bullshit."

Oops. Harsh words slipped out without me realizing.

But I couldn’t help it. Their offer was absurd beyond belief.

I had heard a rumor before. Special forces veterans getting recruited by the NIS.

Though the two paths differed, they shared similarities and had a high probability of actual combat experience.

"You’re offering that kind of proposal to someone who was discharged not even long ago? Are you in your right mind?"

"...."

"Don’t just keep your mouth shut, tell me the reason first. Why do you keep trying to push someone living normally into a death trap?"

Feeling angry and exasperated, I even ended up pointing my finger at them.

It was an extremely rude action, but the agents wore expressions that suggested they understood my behavior.

Which made me even angrier. Offering a recruit deal while understanding what I had been through.

It was no different from telling me that after escaping hell, I should now crawl into purgatory.

The agent remained silent for a while before letting out a sigh. He even clasped his hands together and hesitated.

Next, locking eyes directly with me, he quietly opened his mouth.

"...We carved far too many stars due to this ordeal."

"...."

The agent offered the reply with great effort. At that answer, I too had no choice but to shut my mouth.

When an agent dies in the line of duty, the NIS engraves a star.

This was a widely known fact, and I knew that especially because of this war, the number had doubled from before.

Even taking into account the special circumstance of war, the casualties were severely tragic.

"Just as the Cold War arrived after World War II, a Cold War will arrive this time as well. However, the paradigm will be different. Especially with AI advancing to extreme levels, we are in a state where we cannot infer what will happen at all."

"...."

"Please lend us your strength. Someone like you who successfully executed various operations could be of tremendous help."

I understood roughly. They came looking to grab any available pair of hands.

Having engraved countless nameless stars, the NIS was currently practically halved.

They were probably scraping together agents indiscriminately.

’They must be desperate.’

Considering they sought out someone discharged so recently, it was certain.

But they needed to know this. I spoke in a low voice.

"...I’m sorry, but unlike you guys, I didn’t become a soldier out of patriotism. I only enlisted because I had nothing better to do, and my body was my only talent."

"Sergeant Park Jong-hyuk."

"Enough. I have no business with you, so get out. And don’t come back ever again."

They probably looked at my service record and thought: there’s no patriot like this guy.

What crazy person enlists as an enlisted soldier, gets discharged, and re-enlists as an officer/NCO?

And in the special forces, infamous for breaking your body, no less.

Even though as a complete orphan, I didn’t even have an obligation to enlist.

’Even I think I was out of my mind.’

But I was no patriot. If anything, I badmouthed the nation rather than liked it.

The military pension coming in regularly was nice, but even that would drain before long.

For an intelligence agent, love for the nation was more critical than anything else.

If you painstakingly train one and he defects to another country, it’s all effort down the drain.

"...Understood. For now, we will leave our contact info here."

"I’ll throw it straight into the trash, just so you know."

The agents departed, leaving behind a notepad with a phone number written on it. Leaving a plea asking me to reconsider until the very end.You are reading on novelpin‌g.com, the official source.

I shooed them away with a hand wave. Afterwards, I picked up the notepad with the number.

Jwwaak! Jjwak!

Without a moment’s hesitation, I tore it to shreds and threw it into the trash.

My heart felt like burning it with fire, but I held back because of the smell.

’Seriously, I was in a good mood just a moment ago....’

I was thrilled at the thought of meeting my friends after a long time, but it sank instantly.

I could understand their urgency. But they picked the wrong guy.

Because I had zero intention of sacrificing myself for the country. I believed I had dedicated enough already.

’Now, I’ll live normally.’

Thinking thus, I fiddled with my phone.

As the war ended, peace returned, and countless people reclaimed their daily lives.

Same for me. No more body-racking training, no need to fear when I might die.

’Yeah. This is enough.’

Let’s collect the pension coming in regularly and enjoy the unemployed life. There’s no reason to suffer anymore.

But why? The warning the agent had mentioned.

The warning that due to AI advancing to extreme levels from the war, no one knew what kind of crisis might unfold.

Knowing such things was the duty and role of an intelligence agent. It had nothing to do with me.

’...Let’s ignore it. They’ll handle it themselves.’

Trying hard to shake it off, I waited until the day of the appointment.

However, no matter how much I tried to brush off the anxiety, it refused to vanish.

Had I been a civilian, perhaps it would be different, but the ’threat’ faced through war was beyond imagination.

What if the NIS hadn’t located the position of the nuclear missile silo?

A nuke would have fallen and killed all the people I loved and my friends.

Back then, it was fortunate that agents were intact, but not now. If the same thing happened, there would be no one to warn us.

’No. They’re competent, so it’s fine....’

Yet they were people who came seeking even a cat’s paw of help.

Unless they were thoroughly shattered, they wouldn’t have done that.

Burying the anxiety deep inside my heart, I waited until the promised day.

Thus, the promised day arrived, and I visited my friend’s house.

’Don’t tell me this guy bought a house with a yard just for this?’

Surprisingly, my friend’s house wasn’t an apartment, but a detached house with a yard.

A fairly large house where noise between floors was no concern at all.

I heard his business struck it big, though I wasn’t sure. Now that the war was over, he’d live peacefully in the future.

Deolkeok!

"I’m here... Huh?"

Not long after ringing the doorbell, the front gate opened.

Expecting to see a familiar face, a moment later, nothing was in sight.

Instead, down below, a tiny little girl peeked her face out.

It was my friend’s daughter whom I had seen a few times on social media.

"...Hello?"

"Hehe."

The little girl beamed brightly. A reaction devoid of any shyness whatsoever.

Just as a smile broke on my face without me realizing, my friend belatedly approached.

"Ah. You’re here? Everyone else is gathered, so get inside quick."

"Dada. Who is this person?"

"This is Uncle Jong-hyuk, a soldier ahjussi."

"I have an uncle too?"

I’m not a soldier anymore. Guess he just glossed it over since he couldn’t call me unemployed.

Chuckling, I walked through the gate. Inside, a crowd of people was buzzing.

The men were all my friends, while the rest were their families.

Some were familiar faces, while others were people I was meeting for the first time.

Still, gathering like this made it feel like a big family.

"Jong-hyuk’s here. What’ve you been up to lately?"

"What else. An unemployed guy collecting pension regularly."

"That’s all my tax money, so be grateful."

"Shut up."

Ties that had endured since our school days.

Even after getting married and starting families, whenever we met, silly jokes naturally flowed.

Usually, people focus on their own families once married, but these guys were the opposite.

Meeting up at regular intervals or taking joint summer vacations together.

"Hey. Look at this. This is the guy I caught."

"What shark? Anyone can tell someone helped you."

"Uh? Honey, I caught this myself, right?"

"Please stop going fishing."

Birds of a feather really do flock together. My friends’ wives were just as formidable.

Everyone had married and had kids despite tough circumstances.

’Seriously, how did these idiots get married?’

My memories felt stuck in high school, but somehow they had all become adults.

While the adults were drinking and the kids were giggling around the yard:

Huuuuung!!

A loud noise echoed overhead. I couldn’t help but cringe instinctively.

Cautiously raising my head, a plane was passing by. Not a fighter jet, but a passenger airliner.

Normally, everyone would ignore it and continue talking.

"...."

"...."

"...."

"...."

But the aftermath of the war had not been erased at all. Everyone stopping their conversation and looking up at the sky was proof of that.

War doesn’t just kill or injure soldiers. Civilians are no different.

Missiles falling from the sky... is something experienced only in war.

Because everyone, not just me, was a victim, we could only watch the airliner in bated breath.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping dot com.

"...So, what happened then?"

"Huh? Ah, ah! That place you found back then."

Fortunately, one of my friends spoke up first to smooth over the atmosphere.

They were all pretending to be fine on the outside, but they seemed to suffer from trauma just as much as I did.

If a similar event ever happened again... they probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at all, just like me.

"Uncle. Uncle."

"Yeah?"

"Uncle, don’t you have friends?"

"...?"

It was then. A little boy asked me a question. He looked about 3 or 4 years old.

By the way, no friends? It was quite a flabbergasting question, so I had to ask back.

"U-Uncle is friends with your dad?"

"No. Not that friend. My friend."

"Your friend? There are plenty next to you."

"He’s not asking that, he’s asking why you don’t have kids."

In a situation even I, fluent in foreign languages, found hard to interpret, my friend who had become a dad explained it.

Thanks to him, I realized what the kid meant. Feeling awkward for no reason, I scratched my head.

"Tae-yoon brought up a good point. Don’t you plan on getting married? I said I’d introduce someone to you."

"What marriage for a guy who can’t even earn money?"

Having nightmares every single day and chugging alcohol just to fall asleep.

If a woman married a guy like me, she’d just be miserable. It was better not to.

My friends must have understood my situation, as they didn’t press me to marry any further.

For now, it was time to enjoy the gathering. That’s what I thought.

"Alright. Time’s right, so let me head out slowly."

"Huh? What about your wives and kids?"

"We gotta go to the PC bang for old times’ sake. I’ve already talked to her."

"...Is that really okay?"

Are the wives who married these bastards all living saints? Granting such ridiculous requests.

But that thought was brief.

"Hey! Where are you going! Save me!"

"Can’t save you. Can’t save you. Just leave him."

"You fucking military bastard, you can’t even shoot a gun?!"

"Shut up. My hands in-game can’t shoot, I shot just fine in real life!"

"Did your ancestors guide your aim?"

Visiting the PC bang with my friends after so long was truly delightful. The endless barrage of roasts was magnificent.

Remarks triggering a veteran’s PTSD? Surprisingly, I didn’t feel anything like that at all.

Because they hurled those insults purely to roast me. It was just funny.

"Excuse me, Father. I heard you’re a pastor/Christian, so why is your nickname ’Buddhist’?"

"Ah, shit. I still haven’t changed this."

"By the way, when is this game gonna die? It’s still running."

PC bang, karaoke, pool hall, bowling alley, and so on.

Without holding back, I enjoyed every single bit. Neither wife nor child by my side.

I relished the freedom as if returning to my school days, or more precisely, my bachelor days.

’...This is fun.’

They were hilarious guys just to watch from afar. Friends who remained the exact same whether war broke out or not.

Which was why the variables that would emerge as AI advanced bothered me even more.

’Can I really go on living comfortably like this?’

My body was already ruined, but theirs were not. They had families to take responsibility for.

They must never be broken. The horrors of war were enough experienced just once.

"Whew. That was fun. Are you leaving right away?"

"Gotta go. I have stuff to organize at home."

"Call me later. Ah, and even if once a month is tough, we’re meeting at least once every half year, so be aware."

"Got it."

A rare gathering in this day and age. A precious bond for me.

If even this bond were to vanish... could I truly endure sanely?

Would the shortage of NIS personnel impact them?

No matter how much a nation steps up, ultimately, there must be people for the nation to step up.

Though I had certainly enjoyed myself, the anxiety inside my head refused to disappear.

"Phew...."

Stepping out after a shower, it felt as though my cluttered mind was cleansed a bit. I picked up my phone.

Photos and videos from playing excitedly all day were uploaded to the group chat.

They say seeing ugly guys’ faces brings joy, and that was precisely the case.

’I hope this joy never stops....’

As long as the threat remained intact, joy could not last forever.

A day would come when this bond might break too.

I hoped that day would be as far away as possible.

"...."

Looking at the photos and videos, I pondered for a long time before quietly turning my head.

The Bible, which I had read thoroughly during my military service and continued to read to this day.

’Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’

The comrades forged in blood and sweat had all become cold corpses.

I couldn’t let my stubbornly enduring friends end up like that too.

The moment that thought occurred to me, I rummaged through the trash can. The notepad I had torn into shreds.

After painstakingly piecing together every single piece of that notepad, I dialed the number written on it.

Ttururuk- ttak!

I heard the line connect, but no voice came from the other side.

They were probably waiting to judge by my voice. So I spoke.

"Hello. This is Park Jong-hyuk."

[...Have you made your decision?]

"Yes. Well...."

After a brief hesitation, I glanced back at the Bible.

If nothing else.

"I’ll do it."

This was the love I could bestow upon them.