Convict Unit: Black Parade

And just like that, the Gate experience was over.

The Gate and its Dungeon vanished, and the deployed prisoners, along with Dia, returned to the foot of Mt. Gwanak.

“Miss Kim!”

“Are you all right? Are you injured!”

The police and soldiers waiting outside were already in an uproar. The moment the President’s daughter reappeared, they scrambled toward her, practically tripping over themselves in a competition of loyalty as they secured her safety.

“I am quite all right. Please, don’t worry.”

Dia had shed her canine persona and was standing perfectly upright on her own two feet—albeit with a massive run in her stockings.

She had returned to her usual, dignified self, letting out a cheerful laugh to announce her well-being.

Watching the scene unfold, Jae-hee turned to Ghost. “What happened to the Secret Service agents?”

“While we were on the mission, the Commander called in another unit and had them all dragged away. The Secret Service is probably being torn apart from the inside out right now. In any case, she’ll be safe for the time being.”

The revelation that all five of her accompanying agents were enemies in disguise—and that the President’s daughter had been attacked—sent another wave of panic through the area.

A flurry of preparations began to escort her to a secure location. Yet, even in the midst of the chaos, Dia waved off her honor guard and walked over to the Black Parade.

And then… she threw her arms around Rabid Dog, hugging her tightly.

The giant dog glanced around, flustered, before awkwardly lifting a forepaw to pat Dia on the shoulder.

And so the two dogs—one former, one current—who had bonded over the short mission, held each other for a long moment.

When the embrace finally ended, Dia turned to the rest of the team. “Today was truly a wonderful experience.”

Jae-hee forced a smile, his face twitching. “I will maintain absolute silence regarding your… particular tastes, miss. I take it that’s also part of the secret service.”

She giggled. “I trust you will, Agent Boy.”

Of course he’d choose silence.

The price wouldn’t be the ruin of three generations, but speaking a word meant being made an example.

He wouldn’t talk even if his life depended on it.

Dia let out a soft breath and placed a hand over her heart. “Thank you, members of the Black Parade. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to sort through my feelings… and I feel so refreshed.”

The President’s daughter’s dark eyes met Jae-hee’s for a fleeting moment. “I might just make a habit of these Gate walks, you know?”

“…”

For some reason, the word “walk” bothered him more than “Gate.” He had a sudden vision of her crawling around on all fours in some dark, secluded alley.

“But an escape is just an escape. I must live perfectly as Dia, the President’s daughter—the one and only daughter of President San Kim.”

Transforming back into the flawless heiress, Dia swept back her coiled hair and whispered, “But, from now on, little by little, I want to become the person I want to be.”

“…”

“Well then, until we meet again. I shall look forward to it, Black Parade.”

Nope… let’s never meet again…

As Jae-hee screamed internally, Dia turned away, her high-pitched laugh echoing behind her.

She cast one last, indecipherable look back at Jae-hee, her gaze tinged with a peculiar warmth.

“And, Agent Boy?”

“Yes?”

“What you said to me… it was helpful.”

“Ah, yes.”

“And the way you gave praise while petting me wasn’t bad either.”

“…?”

“Well, that’s all. Until next time.”

Next time?

Jae-hee shook his head, his face pale. What are you talking about! Let’s never, ever see each other again!

And with that, the President’s daughter departed under the protection of a new set of agents.

Everyone stared blankly after her, until a crisp, articulate voice cut through the silence.

A voice no one had ever heard before.

“Bullshit.”

“‘The person I want to be’? Give me a break. You think living as a dog is easy? Ha, this shit is fucking hard work, you know?”

“…?”

Horrified, everyone turned to the source.

There, squatting on the ground, was Rabid Dog.

Jae-hee’s hand trembled as he pointed. “Did… did you just… talk…?”

Rabid Dog gave her ear a thorough scratching with her hind leg, then trotted onto the transport jet on all fours as if nothing had happened.

“…I have seen far too many things I shouldn’t have.”

The Doctor shook her head, let out a long, luxurious stretch, and followed the dog inside.

Status Window, still in a daze from the combination of physical trauma from getting beaten up by his giga-self and mental scarring from witnessing his own cringeworthy past, staggered onto the jet as well.

Jae-hee just stood there, dumbfounded, until someone lightly tapped his shoulder.

He turned to see Ghost. “Master…!”

“Another one wrapped up, messy as always.” Ghost took off her sunglasses and tucked them into the breast pocket of her suit jacket, grumbling. “It wasn’t difficult, but it was one bizarre mission.”

“Yeah… It really, really was…”

“And I learned for the first time that you’re a pervert with some very specific tastes, kid.”

“No, I keep telling you, that’s not it!” Jae-hee grabbed his head in frustration. “She made me do it! I don’t have some kind of… thing for treating people like dogs! Please, Master, you gotta believe me!”

“Right. I see.”

“You believe me, right?! Right?!”

Ghost cracked a smirk. “I know you’re still young and curious about that sort of thing, but try to keep it in moderation.”

“You don’t believe me at all!”

“It’s bad enough you’re a premature ejaculator. It’d be a real shame if you were a pervert, too.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not…!” Jae-hee teetered on the verge of tears from sheer injustice.

Then Ghost began, “Ah. But that was a surprise, kid.”

“Huh? What was?”

Ghost’s smile was meaningful. “I always figured you’d be the one imitating the dog, not the one holding the leash.”

“Wha…?”

Jae-hee’s mouth fell slack, her words not immediately registering.

With a low chuckle, Ghost turned and walked onto the transport.

He watched her go, a single, involuntary sound escaping his lips.

“…Woof?”

A second later, he recoiled in horror, jumping back.

“Gah! No, no, that’s not it!”

Jae-hee tore at his hair, his voice a desperate wail. “I am not that kind of pervert!”

***

That night, aboard the prison cruise ship, Paradise Lost.

Deck 10, the Rooftop. The Commander’s Office.

Hae-eun placed two glasses on the table and poured whiskey into both.

“It was a setup.”

Ghost had been summoned to the office. Seated on the guest sofa, she looked up in surprise. “What?”

Hae-eun limped over and handed one of the glasses to Ghost. “Today’s incident. It was a setup.”

“What are you…”

“‘The President’s daughter is attacked by Awakened who oppose the new legislation.’”

Hae-eun raised her glass, clinking it against Ghost’s without invitation, a faint smile on her lips.

“Wouldn’t that provide the perfect pretext for a president trying to push through a bill to regulate the Awakened? In fact, I hear the outside world is already in an uproar.”

“Then the Shape-Shifters who attacked her were…”

“NIS black ops agents,” Hae-eun said, taking a sip of whiskey and shrugging. “Shape-Shifters are perfect for espionage. The agency has been cultivating them.”

“…”

“Change the bone structure of their face a bit, have them bite down on a suicide capsule, and you can pin the blame on anyone you want.”

As Ghost stared in disbelief, Hae-eun continued her cheerful explanation. 

“They’re patriots who threw their lives away like chaff, all for the sake of building a case for a piece of legislation. All on their dear leader’s command.”

It all clicked into place for Ghost. She finally understood the attackers’ behavior—why they had grown so anxious the deeper they went into the Dungeon.

If they had wounded the President’s daughter too far inside, she might have actually died. They had been trying to launch their attack as close to the Gate as possible.

“She could have been in real danger.”

“She could have,” Hae-eun agreed with a placid smile. “But if he’s willing to discard his most loyal agents as pawns, why wouldn’t he do the same with his beloved daughter?”

“…Why.” Ghost couldn’t comprehend it. “Why would President San Kim go this far?”

“Shh.”

Hae-eun raised a finger to her lips, her eyes curving into a smile as she whispered, “Not asking that question… that is the secret service.”

***

A few more glasses were shared as the night deepened.

“A child dreams of who they want to be…” Hae-eun murmured, slightly drunk. “But an adult lives as who they must be.”

“…”

“Giving up the person you want to be to become the person you have to be. That is, I think, the process of a child becoming an adult.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Shape-Shifters or Slimes. Awakened or not. In the end, everyone has to abandon the person they want to be and live as the person they must. There’s no other choice.”

Hae-eun poured fresh whiskey into her glass. “The President’s daughter may still dream of freedom outside her cage, but she’ll live out her days being used by her father for his own ends.”

“…”

“Those Secret Service agents you cut down today. You think they wanted to die? They just had to become traitors, that’s all.”

She then refilled Ghost’s glass. “And you’re the same, aren’t you? You’d rather just disappear and live a quiet life somewhere, but here you are, handling all the dirty work.”

“…”

“A world where you can’t live as the person you want to be. It’s so dull, don’t you think?”

Ghost let out a low breath. “Hae-eun Seo.”

“Hm?”

“You’re still a child.”

“Oh, my? Is that so? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You haven’t given up on who you want to be… on your dream. Have you?”

Hae-eun simply smiled.

Ghost pulled the last cigarette from its pack and put it to her lips. Hae-eun produced a lighter and lit it for her.

Closing her eyes, Ghost took a deep drag, then gestured with her chin. “I don’t agree with your whole spiel, but you’re right about one thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“In the end, the ones who change the world are those who refuse to give up on their childish dreams.”

Leaning back into the sofa, she blew a plume of smoke toward the ceiling and muttered, “You, San Kim, and all the others from back then. You’re all still living for your dreams…”

An image of a boy flickered through her mind.

Jae-hee Han.

That little kid didn’t even know what his own dream was yet. When would that brat finally find a dream of his own, his own futile hope?

And what would be waiting for him at the end of it…?

Click. Hae-eun lit a cigarette for herself and nodded. “Ghost, do you really not have a dream?”

“I am a prisoner.” Ghost repeated the words she had recited to herself for decades. “A sinner who must spend the rest of her life atoning.”

“…”

“Dreams are a luxury. Like you said, I simply live as I must.”

A single blade in the darkness, cleaning up the nation’s filth.

If that was how she had to live, then so be it.

Hae-eun smirked and raised her glass to Ghost. “Thank you for your service.”

It was such a perfunctory phrase.

Ghost lifted her glass slowly to her lips and replied with the same superficiality.

“Fuck you.”

***

[Mission Report]

[A-Rank] Shield Bearer: MIA

[A-Rank] The Doctor: Survived

[B-Rank] Rabid Dog: Survived

[D-Rank] Status Window: Survived

[AA-Rank] Boy: Survived

[■■■■] Ghost: Survived

Gate Core Fragment x1 (Appraisal Required)

100,000 P.€

Secret Service Suit

High-Quality Leash