The Novel’s Villain

4. Talent(3)

Although he didn’t show it off, Lee Min-woo was surprised. He felt overwhelmed the moment he saw Lee Jin-woo. It was something distinguished apart from abilities or talents that cause it, however. It was his Mana wavelength.

He automatically swallowed back his saliva. The force had changed. It was quite different from the last time he saw him. It was the first Mana wavelength that he had ever experienced in his life.

The charisma of a ruler. The overwhelming aura of a king. It was something that could never be created.

‘Those born to rule…’

He felt the pressure he had only felt before with people like Chairman Lee Hee-jin and the Sword Master. It was a thrilling sensation.

‘He acquired his wings.’

Lee Min-woo smiled inwardly. He was the only family he had. He couldn’t feel any affection from Chairman Lee Hee-jin as his grandfather, but Jin-woo, who spent his childhood with him for a while, was real family. Chairman Lee Hee-jin just thought of himself as a good hand. It was thanks to his younger brother that he remained human.

‘If it weren’t for Jin-woo…’

He might have become a cold-blooded man without blood or tears like Chairman Lee Hee-jin, thanks to his thorough education and the muddy path he had walked. He had regrets for not taking care of him until just before the massive purge. He also had Chairman Lee Hee-jin’s policy of raising him to be strong, so there was a limit to his intervention. He could be concerned that he was overtaking the position of the successor.

Lee Min-woo blamed Chairman Lee Hee-jin. It was because of him that Lee Jin-woo was turning into a monster. But in the end, he was proud of his younger brother, who overcame many crises on his own and began to show his true value.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t share your wounds with you.’

It was awkward now, but still, he didn’t ignore or disregard himself as he did when he hid. That alone was enough. He gave up being human as someone in the Frontline Group, but he hoped Jin-woo wouldn’t be like that. Lee Jin-woo had a charm that Chairman Lee Hee-jin didn’t possess. Fortunately, he was taking a completely different path from the Chairman, and his heart had become warm.

He was clearly on the right track.

‘Then I’ll have to do what’s necessary.’

Lee Min-woo patted Jin-woo’s shoulder and left the house. After all, there was still so much to do going forward.

‘I will not remain a tool.’

He vowed to remove all obstacles that stood in the way of his younger brother and himself. Even if it were the Chairman himself, such determination filled Lee Min-woo, coldly pressing down the surrounding air. As Lee Min-woo disappeared, Jin-woo breathed a sigh of relief. He gasped for the breath that was caught in his throat.

“Wow, look at his eyes. It’s so brutal.”

Lee Min-woo’s eyes were extremely fierce. It felt like it would drag people in, giving him goosebumps just by looking at it.

Jin-woo shook his head and breathed out. It was something you always see in movies. Such a gesture where a person shrugs it off, telling you to take care of yourself with a creepy smile. He couldn’t help but get goosebumps. It was like being told to be careful on the road at night. Since such a ridiculous character in the novel tore up the book and came out of it, he was so nervous that he thought he would die.

‘Still, he’s a man who will be the successor, so I have to play along.’

By definition, he was a character that was separated by a linear role. He was a man of his line, so there was nothing wrong with being crooked. Anyway, for now, he was family. He was more popular than the main character because he helped the main character often and showed off his coolness.

‘In the original story, he became gentle after he was married.’

After having a child, he was described as someone with a daughter complex. Remembering that, Jin-woo somehow wanted him to get married quickly. His sister-in-law was a good match for Lee Min-woo. A smart, innocent, pure, and kind woman with a cold-hearted man who was warm only to his family.

Didn’t they suit each other so well?

Jin-woo vowed to start Lee Min-woo’s marriage project as soon as possible. Until then, he would never meet with Lee Min-woo alone. It felt like his lifespan was drastically shortened each time he did.

“By the way…”

He grabbed the documents that Lee Min-woo had left behind. The words Military Manpower Administration still felt terrible to read. His body trembled all on its own. Memories of his military service passed by like a panorama. He broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about his re-enlistment. It was something that made him struggle even in his dreams.

It was fortunate that there was a setting where he didn’t have to go into the military if he passed the ability test. If the author were next to him, he would have hugged him violently and kissed him.

That must be his favorite. As it became real, it was the only part he liked among the worldview settings.

‘I’m so glad.’

If he was verified as a competent person, he only had to undergo three weeks of basic training. After that, there was also a discreet way to serve in the military, and after formally passing several years, you could wear the badge of Competent Warrior. Competent Warriors belonged to the military and had an independent rank system with nothing to do with military rank. To put it bluntly, a newly commissioned Competent Warrior was treated as a lieutenant. Of course, the treatment was much better. The salary was also quite good.

Although there were several positions among the Competent Warriors, the position that supported the Knight was the most popular. This was because when you enter the position of a Knight’s supporter, you can wear the Knight’s uniform, although it was in a different color. Wearing a Knight’s uniform was the greatest honor that they could dream of.

‘There are so many benefits.’

He didn’t even know it was natural since even a low-ranked competent person had the power of more than one squad. It was because there was no greater loss than that of a competent person naturalizing to another country because of their poor treatment. Although there was a difference in evaluation, usually, A-Class competent people were evaluated as having more power and value than a division-level unit. S-Class was a one-man corps.

If they were used as weapons of war, the world would be devastated in an instant. The proxy war to prevent that was the international convention.

“Military…let’s get rid of it quickly.”

He couldn’t help but be bothered even though he knew he wasn’t going. The Nonsan Training Center, where the Frontline squad was always cold, sleepy, and hungry, seemed to be unfolding in front of him. It felt like something unusual was happening again, but he tried hard to think that nothing would happen.

‘It won’t be a big deal, right?’

For some reason, Jin-woo trembled from the chill he faintly felt. Jin-woo felt like he was going to have another nightmare tonight.

* * *

The competence measurement was a great opportunity for Korean men. This was because any man over 20 years old could receive it, and it was one of the few ways to legally avoid military service. There were such methods as winning an Olympic gold medal or a similar international competition, but it was too far-fetched for ordinary people. But what if one was such a competent person? What if they didn’t know they had a hidden power?

Such hope had spawned a sense of desperation.

Once you were judged to have the lowest potential or whatever as a competent person, a completely different path from your existing life had been opened. It depended on the potential rank, but if it were measured above the average level, it could be a much better life reversal than winning the lottery. You could get money from the lottery, after all, but not honor.

Since there was a way for even the lowest-ranked competent person to make a living, everyone desperately wanted to become one. At the very least, they would be able to receive benefits and treatment at the level of Grade 7 civil servants. The government supported the competence measurement, and it was free up to the second time before you had to pay it yourself from then on. Those were cases when there was no ability revealed.

There was also a limit of once a year, so it was common to serve the military after using both one’s chances. This was because the cost of competence measurement was quite burdensome for the general public. The measurement cost alone amounted to two million won. Those who want detailed measurements were charged an additional one million won there.

The measuring instruments were monopolized by the Frontline Groups around the world. Other countries also possessed the technology, but it was less accurate and less stable, so it wasn’t only dangerous and five times more expensive. It just seemed like wasting money. However, it was a small amount of money for the Frontline Group.

‘It’s today.’

It was the day that students at Daesun University had their physical examination and competence measurement. Among the first-year students at Daesun University, departments related to competent people were prioritized. They were given separately by men and women because the measuring instruments were different according to gender.

Jin-woo was also included in the measurement. He shook his head as a sigh naturally came out.

“Whew…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought it was simple.”

It was simple. If he were simply measured and judged as a competent person, he could go home without a separate procedure. There was no need to undergo a physical examination, so it was much simpler than a normal examination. No matter how much time it took, it would be over in an hour.

Because it required less than a minute to measure it. However…

Why the hell did this happen? He never thought it would be an ordinary day, but it was always beyond his expectations. After all, Lee Jin-woo was the problem himself.

In front of Daesun University, it was hot with coverage. No matter how much competent people drew public attention, this wasn’t usually the case. Besides, no famous competent people were coming out. It was just only for competence measuring.

As Lee Min-woo said, the reason for this was because of Chairman Lee Hee-jin. Jin-woo went to Choi Family’s Sword School and acted as he pleased, but then he caught the attention of Chairman Lee Hee-jin.

‘Come to think of it. It’s a big deal.’

Attention from Chairman Lee Hee-jin wasn’t welcome. He was like the final black curtain. He almost ruled the world, but such a plot wouldn’t be established if he had a good nature. However, Jin-woo didn’t intend to hide his strength or talent like the protagonist in the novel. If he did that, he would end up in the military without fail. He also didn’t have the skills to hide his abilities as the main character did.

Chairman Lee Hee-jin was a great person who purposely sent Jin-woo to a very tough place for his image. The military was hell, no matter how comfortable it was. Yoo-na smiled slightly as she saw Jin-woo sighing.

“Isn’t that good? It’s like watching a festival after a long time.”

“What university festival coincides with their physical exam day…sigh, who really could do this?”

“It was directly ordered by the Chairman. Experts say that it will become a global festival in the future.”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s like this.”

Today wasn’t a one-day festival. Jin-woo sighed again and pointed his finger at the TV. The Daesun University Festival was being broadcast in real-time. It was the largest festival in Korea, lasting for a week. The festival was called the Korea Bright Future JW Festival. As could be seen from the explicitly written initials, it was Lee Jin-woo who symbolized a bright future.

It was just the Jin-woo Festival.

A group of super celebrities ranging from national MCs, top singers in Korea, idol groups that recently reached number one on the Billboard, movie stars, and Hollywood actors came to the festival. The night before, there was even an awards ceremony, and awards were given to those who positively awards were given, including the JW Film Award, JW Director Award, and JW Music Award, and the prize money was incomparable to other award ceremonies. It was predicted that it would become a major global awards ceremony.

In particular, it was the opening eve of a film directed by Hollywood director Kevin Jackson. The title of the movie was <Frontline>, the biography of Chairman Lee Hee-jin. The biography of Chairman Lee Hee-jin was made up like a hero, and in the ending scene, the sun shined brilliantly on the birth of a baby, Lee Jin-woo.

It was a very cheesy production, but there was a standing ovation. Influential media outlets even poured out articles full of praise. Director Kevin Jackson even shed a few tears when he received the JW Director Award. It was so natural that Jin-woo couldn’t tell if he was a director or an actor.

‘The world is going crazy.’

Wasn’t that crazy? His hands and feet were shriveled up and almost disappeared into dust. It was also funny that the Hollywood actor who received the JW Best Actor Award said it was the greatest honor of his life. It was on a scale beyond belief.

An economic magazine described Chairman Lee Hee-jin as the true emperor of the world, but what the emperor did was also different in scale. There was also a religious group that considered Chairman Lee Hee-jin sacred. It was named One Earth, and those people regarded him as the emperor and god to rule the united earth.

It was absurd, but it was bigger than he initially thought.

“Ah! They said that if the measurement today shows good results, the festival will be extended for another week.”

“…Let’s just not talk about it.”

“Then let’s go.”

Jin-woo followed Yoo-na to the rooftop.