Chapter 4. The One Who Draws the Line
The lights of Seoul were coming back on, one by one.
The top floor of the Heavenly Foundation headquarters.
Baek Do-won stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the city awakening from the darkness.
Headlights flickered on along the blacked-out roads, while the emergency lights of the buildings that had gone dark blinked red. In the distance, ambulances and fire trucks were converging on the entrance to a subway station.
It looked like an ordinary disaster.
But Baek Do-won knew.
From today on, the world could never be the same.
A low voice came from the machine behind him.
—The Dog's Seat has opened.
Baek Do-won did not answer.
—The Rat's Seat has opened.
“Faster than expected.”
—The last Hwanung has awakened. Hwanung's life resonance is spreading across the entire Korean Peninsula.
Baek Do-won raised his right hand and stared at his palm.
A pattern of black and gold intertwined there, glowing faintly.
The pattern had first appeared on the day he turned twelve.
That day, the former chairman of the Heavenly Foundation had taken young Baek Do-won to an old machine brought up from beneath Baekdu Mountain.
The machine had chosen Baek Do-won from among hundreds of children.
After that, Baek Do-won had never lived an ordinary life—not even once.
Political science and military science, economics and law, disaster management and negotiation. He had learned everything a leader was supposed to know.
No one had ever asked him what kind of life he wanted.
His role had been decided from the moment he was born.
Dangun.
The person who would gather the twelve Awakened and establish a new Joseon when the Korean Peninsula's crisis began.
“What is the condition of the Awakened?”
—Dog's Seat, Oh Yeon-jae. Survival confirmed. Rat's Seat, Han Do-gyeong. Rescued at the scene of the Seoul subway collapse.
Baek Do-won turned around.
“Send a retrieval team.”
—The term “retrieval” is inappropriate.
“Then call it a protection team.”
—The Awakened may not cooperate.
“Don't bring them by force.”
Baek Do-won's voice was firm.
“They aren't objects.”
—If Hwanung reaches them first, they will be difficult to control.
“I have no intention of controlling them.”
Baek Do-won picked up an old photograph from his desk.
It had been taken beneath Baekdu Mountain in 1903.
Two men stood in the photograph.
One was Yoon Tae-gyeom.
The other man's face was hidden by the light.
“My father didn't spend 127 years preparing just to rule humanity again.”
The machine did not answer.
Baek Do-won called it Hwanin.
But he had never been able to confirm whether the voice coming from the machine truly belonged to Hwanin. Even before Baek Do-won was born, Hwanin had stopped appearing before people.
Only a voice and commands remained.
“What about Yoon Seo-ha?”
—She is at the Baekdu Mountain Analysis Center. She has connected to the memory seal.
Baek Do-won's eyes changed.
“Has Hwanhee's successor appeared?”
—She is not yet qualified.
“Protect her, too.”
—If necessary, I will separate the seal.
Baek Do-won set the photograph down.
“Don't forcibly remove it from that woman's body.”
—Confirming priority of orders. Do you prioritize survival over securing the Awakened?
“Isn't that obvious?”
A brief silence passed.
—Dangun must sacrifice some to protect the whole, when necessary.
Baek Do-won's expression hardened.
“I'll make that judgment.”
He looked through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Not you.”
The machine's golden light blinked slowly.
—Understood, Dangun.
Every time Baek Do-won heard that title, a weight settled over one side of his chest.
No one had chosen him yet.
And yet an invisible being was already calling him the leader of a nation.
The entrance to the southern analysis center of the Baekdu Mountain International Joint Observation Station opened.
People wearing black disaster-response suits entered.
The Heavenly Foundation's emblem was stitched over their chests.
Three lines engraved inside a circle.
A symbol representing memory, boundaries, and invocation.
The moment Yoon Seo-ha saw the emblem, she closed her hand around the black stone attached to it.
The man at the front presented his identification.
“I’m Cha Mu-jin, director of the Heavenly Foundation’s Special Disaster Response Office.”
Park Do-yoon asked with an incredulous expression, “How did a private foundation get in here?”
“The Heavenly Foundation is the largest private partner in the Baekdu Mountain International Joint Observation Project.”
“Even so, this is a military-controlled area.”
Cha Mu-jin handed him a sheet of paper.
“This is an order from the Joint Disaster Response Headquarters to close the facility. From this moment on, we will move the analysis center’s personnel and data to a secure area.”
Yoon Seo-ha took the document.
The format and seal were official.
But the issue time was strange.
3:19 a.m.
Only two minutes after Hwanung had awakened.
“That was quick,” Yoon Seo-ha said.
“Almost as if you knew Hwanung would awaken before the government did.”
Cha Mu-jin's gaze shifted to her hand.
“Please hand over that object as well.”
“Do you know what this is?”
“A hazardous substance discovered on Baekdu Mountain.”
“I asked for its name.”
“We’ll identify it after separating it from your hand.”
At Cha Mu-jin's gesture, two response officers approached Yoon Seo-ha.
Yoon Seo-ha stepped back.
The black stone reacted with intense heat.
Hwanung's voice rang out.
—They possess traces of Hwanin.
Does that mean the Heavenly Foundation is connected to Hwanin?
—Hwanin's power can be felt in the equipment they are wearing.
You said that being can't communicate with humans. How did it create even a foundation?
—That is why they are dangerous.
Hwanung's voice dropped low.
—A being that cannot understand human language chose a leader for humanity.
Cha Mu-jin spoke again.
“Dr. Yoon, please cooperate.”
“Did you send people to Oh Yeon-jae and Han Do-gyeong, too?”
Cha Mu-jin's eyes wavered ever so slightly.
That was enough.
“Where are you taking them?”
“A protective facility.”
“Protecting them from whom?”
“From every faction that might try to use people with abilities like theirs.”
“And the Heavenly Foundation isn’t included among those factions?”
The polite expression disappeared from Cha Mu-jin's face.
“Their power has already reached a level capable of harming civilians. We cannot leave an uncontrolled Awakened unattended.”
“Those two just saved ninety-five people.”
“There’s no guarantee they’ll save people next time.”
Cha Mu-jin held out his hand.
“Hand over the memory seal.”
The agents in black disaster-response suits surrounded Yoon Seo-ha.
Park Do-yoon stepped in front of her.
“This is an observation station. You can’t take research equipment without a warrant.”
“Researcher Park.”
Cha Mu-jin's voice was low.
“Do you really think what’s happening can be resolved through ordinary law?”
“Even so, the law hasn’t disappeared.”
The tension inside the analysis center rose.
At that moment, every screen switched to the Seoul subway accident site.
Third Awakening response confirmed.
Searching for a compatible candidate for the Tiger's Seat.
Yoon Seo-ha and Cha Mu-jin stared at the screens at the same time.
The moment Han Hae-in got out of the rescue vehicle, she asked the scene commander,
“How many people are still inside?”
“All seventy-two passengers have been rescued. Seven seriously injured, twenty-six with minor injuries.”
“Any fatalities?”
“None.”
Hae-in furrowed her brows.
Compared to the scale of the tunnel collapse, the result was close to a miracle.
“Who rescued them?”
The scene commander looked around.
“Well... we’re not exactly sure.”
“What do you mean, you’re not sure?”
“The survivors say they followed a man in work clothes out. But no one remembers his name.”
“What about the employee roster?”
“It shows no one assigned to the site at that time.”
Hae-in looked toward the subway exit.
A man in work clothes sat among the rescue workers.
It was Han Do-gyeong.
With a blanket draped over his shoulders, he was staring blankly at the subway map.
Hae-in approached him.
“Mr. Han Do-gyeong?”
Do-gyeong looked up.
“How did you know my name?”
“I received it from above.”
More precisely, while she was on her way to the scene, she had received a single text message from an unknown sender.
Protect the Awakened Han Do-gyeong.
No sender was listed.
Hae-in sat down in front of Do-gyeong.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“My body is fine.”
“Is there something else wrong?”
Do-gyeong pointed at the subway map.
“I don’t know anything.”
“What don’t you know?”
“The way.”
His fingertips trembled.
“I inspected this line for eight years. I knew every transfer station, every tunnel with a drainage pipe. But now...”
Do-gyeong shook his head.
“I don’t even remember where my home is.”
Hae-in checked the name tag attached to his work clothes.
The name was Han Do-gyeong.
But the sections listing his employer and employee number were cleanly blank.
“Transfer Mr. Han Do-gyeong to a hospital,” Hae-in ordered.
Then three black vans passed through the cordon and entered.
The words Heavenly Foundation Emergency Medical Support Unit were printed on their sides.
The people who got out looked like medical personnel, but their gaits and formation were different. Hae-in had field experience. She could tell at a glance.
They had received military training.
The man at the front presented an official document.
“We’ll transfer Mr. Han Do-gyeong to the National Special Disaster Treatment Center.”
Hae-in read the document.
“The issuing agency for this transfer order is listed as the Heavenly Foundation.”
“It’s a facility operating under a government agreement.”
“I’ll confirm that with the government representative.”
Hae-in raised her radio.
But an order from above came through immediately.
—Team Leader Han, hand the subject over to the foundation.
“Can I confirm the reason?”
—There is a possibility of biological danger.
“He’s an ordinary citizen.”
—That is an order.
The transmission cut out.
Hae-in looked at Han Do-gyeong.
He was staring at the ground rather than the people in front of him.
He was looking at the golden line that had appeared across the asphalt.
“They’re trying to take me,” Do-gyeong said in a small voice.
“How do you know?”
“I can see the path.”
He pointed at the Heavenly Foundation vehicles.
“The path leading to those cars has no line leading back.”
Hae-in raised her radio again.
“The subject is refusing the transfer.”
—Forced transfer authorized.
“There is no legal basis.”
—This is a matter of national security. No further questions will be entertained.
The communication ended.
The Heavenly Foundation agents approached Han Do-gyeong.
Hae-in stepped in front of them.
“Stop.”
“You must have received orders from above.”
“You can’t take him without his consent.”
“Team Leader Han Hae-in.”
The man at the front called her by name.
“This man is no longer an ordinary citizen.”
“So that means he’s no longer protected by the law?”
“If we don’t control him, more people will be put at risk.”
“This man just saved seventy-two people.”
“With that power, he could also kill seventy-two people.”
The man at the front made a gesture.
Two agents seized Han Do-gyeong by both arms.
Do-gyeong twisted against their grip.
“Let go!”
Hae-in grabbed one agent by the wrist and twisted.
In an instant, the man was slammed face-first onto the ground.
The remaining agents drew their weapons in unison.
They weren’t guns.
They were black riot batons crackling with blue electricity.
Hae-in's subordinates also raised shields and riot equipment.
The rescue site became a standoff.
Patients and civilians were still nearby.
If a fight broke out, people would get hurt.
Another order came through Hae-in's radio.
—Team Leader Han, withdraw immediately. Failure to comply will result in the loss of your command.
Hae-in slowly exhaled.
She had lived her entire life following orders.
At a disaster site, one person's recklessness could kill everyone. Maintaining the chain of command was a rescue worker's most important principle.
But the reason she followed orders was to save people.
Not to abandon them.
Hae-in drew the pistol at her waist.
The Heavenly Foundation agents tensed.
Hae-in set the pistol down on the ground.
“Put down your weapons, too.”
Her subordinates looked stunned.
“Team Leader?”
“All of them.”
The rescue workers placed their shields and riot batons on the ground.
Hae-in walked to the long white control line drawn across the asphalt.
Then she looked at the Heavenly Foundation agents.
“No one can carry a weapon inside this line.”
Thud.
Her heart pounded.
“No one can use orders as an excuse to take a person by force.”
Thud.
Golden light spread beneath Hae-in's feet.
The white control line blazed gold.
—The one who defines a boundary must be the first to uphold it.
An unfamiliar voice sounded inside her head.
Hae-in looked at her pistol lying on the ground.
“That’s why I put mine down first.”
The golden line enclosed the entire site.
One of the Heavenly Foundation agents tried to cross it.
An invisible force shoved his body back.
Bang!
The man crashed into the side of a van.
Another agent threw his riot baton.
The baton fell to the ground the moment it passed through the golden line. The electricity running through its handle vanished as well.
Hae-in stood in front of Han Do-gyeong.
“No one can take you while you’re here.”
At that moment, golden light spread through Hae-in's eyes.
Tiger's Seat Awakening complete.
The one who draws a line and establishes the rules within it.
The third modern Awakened had been born.
Han Hae-in's image appeared on the analysis center's screens.
Yoon Seo-ha hurriedly wrote down her name.
Han Hae-in.
“Read the name, everyone!”
Park Do-yoon shouted first.
“Han Hae-in!”
The researchers followed.
“Han Hae-in!”
“Han Hae-in!”
Hae-in's face, on the verge of vanishing, became clear again.
Cha Mu-jin no longer approached Yoon Seo-ha.
He, too, was staring at the golden boundary on the screen.
Inside the transparent chamber, Hwanung slowly rose.
The connecting devices fell away from his body.
—The Tiger's Seat has opened.
Yoon Seo-ha studied Hwanung's expression.
He wasn’t happy.
He was afraid.
“Why?”
—The tiger always draws the line first.
“Isn’t that the power of the seat?”
—Drawing a line is not difficult.
Hwanung spoke.
—The difficult part is deciding which side to stand on.
Yoon Seo-ha recalled the records concerning the mugwort-and-garlic trial.
The female warrior of the bear tribe had passed through the gateway of sacrifice, while the female warrior of the tiger tribe had failed.
“The tiger tribe failed the trial, didn’t they?”
—No.
Hwanung's answer was short.
“No?”
—Lahan did not fail.
Hwanung clenched his fist.
—I failed to listen to her.
It was a confession Yoon Seo-ha was hearing for the first time.
—The first lie of Joseon was not the story that the bear won the trial.
The spaceship beneath Heaven Lake shook.
—It was the story that the tiger failed.
A new warning appeared in the air.
External leak of the Tiger's Seat location data.
Heavenly Foundation retrieval team approaching.
Hwanung looked at Yoon Seo-ha.
—Find the tiger before Hwanin does.
“Why the tiger?”
—In the first Joseon, Lahan was the one who refused Hwanin's command.
His golden eyes glowed coldly.
—This time, too, the one who can stop Hwanin is the tiger.
The top floor of the Heavenly Foundation headquarters.
Baek Do-won watched Han Hae-in standing inside the golden boundary.
The machine spoke.
—The Tiger's Seat has opened. The field team's entry has been blocked.
“What’s her name?”
—Han Hae-in. Field commander of the National Special Disaster Rescue Service.
“I told you not to bring her by force.”
—The Awakened must remain under Dangun's control.
Baek Do-won looked at the machine.
“Is that what you think?”
—It is Hwanin's judgment.
“I asked whether Hwanin gave the order directly.”
The machine did not answer.
Baek Do-won picked up his coat.
“Have the car brought around.”
His secretary asked, “Where are you going?”
Baek Do-won looked at Han Hae-in on the screen.
“I’m going to meet the tiger.”
“The field team couldn’t even approach.”
“They brought weapons, so of course they couldn’t.”
He looked down at the black-and-gold pattern on his palm.
“I’m going empty-handed.”
The machine issued a warning.
—It is dangerous. The tiger is unlikely to obey Dangun.
Baek Do-won smiled faintly.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
—I do not understand the reason.
“How could someone who obeys everyone become a tiger?”
The elevator doors opened.
Baek Do-won stepped inside.
“And I’m not Dangun yet.”
Just before the doors closed, he added,
“Not until they acknowledge me as Dangun.”