S114

Society Protocol 14

Contract Execution

It was at the very moment Ji Seo-hoon had just established his own entertainment agency and his singers were beginning to gain popularity domestically that a messenger arrived to demand the fulfillment of his contract.

At that time, various social issues were unfolding.

It was a period when corruption scandals and various protests were spreading, and people were beginning to take over the city center.

Discontent was threatening to erupt from all sides, and famous figures began to join the demonstrations.

People were agitated, and the possibility of an economic downturn was slowly becoming apparent.

However, for Ji Seo-hoon, who had been confined to the entertainment industry, such news did not deeply affect him.

It was then that a messenger from the organization arrived.

“I have come to make a request for the sake of the society we have built. Are you ready to grant it?”

Seo-hoon realized that his progress from scratch was entirely due to the help of forces he could not clearly understand.

Furthermore, apart from a few contacts providing information, they did not ask for any favors or compensation.

However, the time had now come.

“Yes, whatever the task, I will do my best in whatever it is.”

“Thank you. You can view this as an opportunity to become a member leading this world. It will be a difficult request, that is. Are you prepared?”

It was just like the story of a man who sold his soul to the devil and lived without a shadow in return.

“Yes, what should I do?”

The Lion whispered into Ji Seo-hoon’s ear.

Ji Seo-hoon was in tremendous shock.

“Then, are you saying I will expose my identity?”

The messenger shook his head.

“Your face and your name will be completely covered.

You just need to stand there with your face covered and endure the insults from the people.

And I promise that nothing will be damaged, neither legally nor in your career.

We always keep our promises. What will you do?

If you do not want to, you do not have to do it.

There will be no harm whatsoever, and there will absolutely be no retaliation.

It is simply that your relationship with us ends forever—that is all.”

Ji Seo-hoon pondered for a moment. Although his eyesight had been significantly corrected, objects still occasionally appeared double to him.

The image of the lion split into two and then merged back into one.

“Understood. I will proceed if you guarantee with certainty that it will have no impact on my company, my family, the staff working with me, or the singers under my label.”

The messenger smiled slightly. As expected, the recruiter's eyes were accurate.

This was a man who kept his promises, had strong ambitions, and, above all, honed himself to become the best.

Such a person would never do anything that would harm his honor.

However, there was also a high probability that he would do anything as long as it did not damage his honor.

“Nothing will happen, and no one will recognize you.

For no one would ever imagine it. I will send a car shortly.

Then please take that car and proceed. I ask for your understanding.

Thank you for granting this difficult request.

We will never forget your hard work.”

The messenger rose from his seat and went outside.

Ji Seo-hoon could not tell anyone about this. And there was no one to tell.

And no one should know. He went into his office and took out the hooded tracksuit he wore when working out.

Then he scratched off the label with a knife. A moment later, the phone rang. It was a number with no contact.

“You can come down now.”

Ji Seo-hoon took off his wallet, keys, and watch, and removed his socks and shoes as well.

Having stripped off everything, he put on a black hooded tracksuit, took out a mask, and put it on his face.

He also took off the glasses he used for vision correction.

Then, he roughly cut his long hair with scissors.

After roughly rinsing himself with water at the sink, he put on a beanie and covered himself again with the hood.

He went down the stairs.

Since the office was still small, there were no security guards or cameras.

A black sedan was waiting. Ji Seo-hoon got into the car.

The car had heavily tinted windows, so when viewed from the outside, it reflected like a mirror, making it impossible to see inside.

“That was a good choice of yours, but please change into the clothes we have prepared.

We will start the dyeing process right in the car.

We will restore it to its original state once the work is finished. Also, here are some horn-rimmed glasses.

Of course, they are not prescription. This is because there should be no connection whatsoever. Please change into them.”

He applied something foamy like mousse to his hair and covered it with plastic wrap.

Then, he changed his clothes inside the moving car.

His shoes were crumpled, and his pants were covered in grime.

“You must not say a word. And you must absolutely not lift your head. Since you walk with an awkward gait and have a large build, you must bend your shoulders as much as possible to appear small. Let’s try.”

He lowered his head and hunched his body like a squat.

He tried to look terrified, like someone who had been intimidated by something.

He had absolutely no idea that such a side of himself was hidden within him, as he had always maintained a confident and dignified posture.

“It is quite good. People and reporters will be pointing cameras at you.

Do not react under any circumstances, and since the people you come into direct contact with are real people,

you must absolutely not expose your face to them either.

They do know the details of this matter.

However, even they can never know your true identity.

In this world, there are only two people in the entire universe who know about this and can be connected to it.

So please, under no circumstances, raise your voice or make eye contact.”

Ji Seo-hoon was slowly starting to feel afraid.

However, wasn't he a professional baseball player? Standing in front of the public did not make him tremble at all.

The more the public's gaze focused on him, the calmer his mind became, and the clearer the ball appeared.

The car carrying Ji Seo-hoon slowly began to drive out of the city.

Then, after passing a national road , it stopped in front of a field on the outskirts where a trailer was parked.

“Thank you for your hard work. It will all be finished by tomorrow evening. You just need to spend the day here. No one knows. You can go inside the trailer.”

As Ji Seo-hoon entered the trailer, filming equipment was already prepared.

Next to the trailer, in an old tiled-roof house that appeared to be a farmhouse, people were working inside with the windows covered by black tarpaulins.

Ji Seo-hoon sat on a chair inside the trailer.

No one spoke to him or gave him instructions. There was only one person inside.

He took handcuffs from what looked like a prop bag and fastened them to Ji Seo-hoon.

Ji Seo-hoon remained still. The photographer began taking pictures.

The camera took a shot from the front once, then gradually shifted the angle to take photos from various perspectives.

Then, standing against a wall made of measuring tapes—specifically for mugshots—he took the pictures.

The photos were transferred to a laptop, and he unlocked Ji Seo-hoon's handcuffs.

Pointing at a camping bed, he sat down in front of the laptop and began working.

He removed the mask and attached a completely different face. Only the hat, hair, and a slight eye shape were similar; the face itself was that of a completely different person.

Ji Seo-hoon opened a water bottle prepared nearby and drank some.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he wiped the fingerprints off the bottle with his clothes.

The person watching him from beside the laptop screen focused back on their work.

The several edited photos were sent to reporters from various media outlets.

The worker picked up their laptop and went outside. As they left, they turned off the lights.

Ji Seo-hoon dozed off. He had no idea how many hours had passed.

He woke up as the trailer started moving.

He couldn't tell what time it was outside, whether the sun was up, or if it was night.

It didn't last long, and soon the trailer stopped.

A knocking sound was heard from outside the trailer. Then, voices echoed.

“Put on a mask. Put on a mask.”

He put on the mask next to him and covered his head with the hood.

“If you are ready, hit the wall.”

As Ji Seo-hoon punched the wall, the trailer door opened.

The person who opened the trailer door gestured and called Ji Seo-hoon out.

The trailer was parked in a short tunnel-like area under the bridge.

Ji Seo-hoon walked toward the waiting car.

As he tried to get into the front, the rear door was opened to let him in.

The trailer drove off, and Seo-hoon sat in the back seat of the police car.

After about 10 minutes, a van stopped behind the police car.

Two people in police uniforms got out of the van.

They approached the police car, opened the door, took out handcuffs, and put them on Seo-hoon's arms.

They did not say a single word.

About five minutes after the van left, the police car made several U-turns inside the tunnel, moving back and forth. Then, after traveling along the national road for about ten minutes, they arrived at a place filled with people, patrol cars, and news vehicles from media outlets.

At a tiled-roof farmhouse, reporters stood in front of their cameras, holding microphones and speaking passionately about something.

Riot police, who had been lined up, surrounded the police car.

Two men who looked like detectives slipped through the gaps the riot police had set up.

Cameramen and photographers from broadcast stations, who were filming their own reporters, people, or houses,

rushed in and began to surround the police car.

Pushing and shoving at each other, they began to position themselves around the rear door where the person was about to exit in order to secure a good spot.

Ji Seo-hoon stared blankly at them for a moment as he watched the people suddenly swarming in.

Cameras began to gather to film the person inside through the opposite window.

As Ji Seo-hoon, still dazed, lifted his head to look at the people, a low voice was heard from the front seat of the police car.

“Bend down.”

The moment Ji Seo-hoon realized his situation, he raised his handcuffed arms to cover his face.

People dressed in plain clothes but resembling detectives approached the rear door of the police car and opened both doors.

At that moment, camera flashes and the lights from broadcast cameras began to focus.

[Click! Click! Click!]

The sound of flashes exploding from all directions, like a burst of camera fire, could be heard.

The detectives left one door open and pulled the handcuffed arm from the right, while keeping their heads down.

Another person held the door open.

Angry voices could be heard from behind the reporters who were trying to approach while pushing past the surrounding riot police.

“How can there be such a bastard? Guys like that should all be torn to pieces.”

The old woman behind him cried until she fainted and collapsed, and people helped her up.

They walked slowly in, their arms held by a detective.

The riot police followed their movements, surrounding them as they began to walk slowly.

Reporters stood blocking their path, but the riot police began to push them away.

People in police uniforms also pushed the reporters aside to clear a path.

People gathered to watch stood on the rice paddy embankment, and passing cars were also slowly driving past, looking to see what was happening.

There were even people who had stopped their cars completely to watch.

As they reached the front of the house, the riot police formed a straight wall to create a space of about five meters,

and the reporters began taking photos from behind it.

The detectives grabbed the man by both arms and turned him toward the reporters. The man bowed his head.

The flashes of the cameras began to go off.

After taking photos for a while, the detectives, still holding his arms, began to enter the farmhouse with its blue tiled roof.

The reporters could no longer approach.

Then, cameras began to set up against the backdrop of the farmhouse,

and broadcast reporters began standing in front of the cameras holding microphones.

As a signal was sent via the broadcast van and a person standing next to the camera, who appeared to be the director, gave the signal,

the reporters began speaking in front of the camera.

“A crime scene verification is currently underway here. Serial killer Park Chung-gyu abducted and lured women, sexually assaulted them, and then brutally murdered them. It is known that eight victims have been identified so far, but there is a possibility that more victims may come forward. He used a farmhouse, where his parents used to live but is now empty, as the scene of his crimes and buried the bodies in the yard.”

People watched Park Chung-kyu's retreating figure while cursing.

Through the windows, glimpses of him moving and acting could be seen here and there.

All broadcasts and news outlets began scrambling to cover this horrific atrocity—which seemed impossible for a human to commit—on their front pages.

For about ten days afterward, all the news was dominated by stories about Park Chung-kyu.