The exaggerated tone of Dies Irae’s account offered so value, though it was still rife with hyperbole. Bang Soo-byeon’s potential status as an Awakened remained ambiguous, but his involvent in several strange and significant incidents was undeniable.
According to Dies Irae, Bang Soo-byeon was often at the heart of peculiar and extraordinary situations. His military unit frequently suffered heavy losses, yet sohow the enemy would also be completely wiped out or mysteriously abandon their positions.
Dies Irae69: "The units under his command would always be annihilated, but the enemy would also disappear without a trace, as if an evil spirit clung to him. Back then, the concept of Awakened didn’t even exist. People just whispered that he was cursed or possessed."
Dies Irae emphasized one consistent trait—Bang Soo-byeon’s utter fearlessness in the face of death. He would always choose the most dangerous assignnts, often at great personal risk, earning him a promotion to colonel.
During the skirmishes in North Korea, the battles were less about full-scale engagents and more about ambushes, surprise attacks, and sporadic clashes. Most North Korean forces would surrender upon encountering South Korean troops, but certain units resisted to the bitter end. In this chaotic environnt, Bang Soo-byeon’s aggressive tactics achieved the high command’s objectives, despite repeated losses to his forces.
Dies Irae69: "He’s a war hero. Not a conventional war hero, of course, because it wasn’t a just war. But thanks to him, the North Korean leadership didn’t manage to launch a nuclear strike on South Korea. His rapid advance crushed their chain of command before they could act."
Bang Soo-byeon’s fearlessness and results-driven approach explained how an ROTC graduate with a dishonorable discharge managed to climb to the rank of colonel.
But the light of his accomplishnts was accompanied by shadows.
Dies Irae69: "There were rumors he was using drugs. In North Korea, every household had drugs, and there were people wandering around with glazed eyes everywhere. It’s not surprising—no one could endure that hellish place without so escape. Even among our comrades, many were addicted. Commanders weren’t exempt from this either. In fact, their stress was often worse, and people like Bang Soo-byeon, who constantly risked their lives, were almost certainly using."
It was clear that Dies Irae’s willingness to share these details stemd less from goodwill toward and more from nostalgia for his own military days. South Korean n, after all, are notorious for spinning endless yarns about their military service. For soone like Dies Irae, who had served in a special combat zone, the stories would be even more dramatic.
Despite Dies Irae’s colorful anecdotes, there was no definitive proof that Bang Soo-byeon was an Awakened. Claims of him generating thousand-gaton explosions (more than the Tunguska event’s estimated 15 gatons) were absurd. Even Kang Han-min, the most powerful known Awakened, couldn’t manage such feats.
Moreover, Bang Soo-byeon displayed none of the typical signs of being Awakened. There were no glowing eyes, no energy fields, no shockwaves—none of the abilities associated with Awakened individuals. If he had truly been an Awakened, especially one of such power, his subordinates or superiors would have reported his extraordinary nature, particularly during the height of the Kang Han-min and Na Hye-in era, when Awakened individuals were celebrated as national heroes.
Thus, despite the intriguing testimonies, Bang Soo-byeon’s story returned to square one. There was no compelling evidence to confirm his status as an Awakened. Perhaps his mistress, Jeon Yu-gyeong, was simply mistaken.
Unwilling to leave it there, I reached out to Jeon Yu-gyeong again.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
This ti, it took persistent attempts to get through, likely due to my earlier prank about "Um Chang."
Finally, the connection was established.
"This isn’t Um Chang’s house!" Jeon Yu-gyeong said, clearly annoyed.
"It’s —the guy who stopped by before. You know, the one who took so briquettes and synthetic fuel?"
"Oh..."
"I just have one more question."
"What is it?"
"Is General Bang really an Awakened? Why do you believe that?"
Though visibly flustered, Jeon Yu-gyeong began to speak in a calm, asured tone—perhaps out of lingering fear of Bang Soo-byeon.
"He told so himself."
Her answer was disappointing, to say the least. Anyone could claim to be an Awakened.
I pressed further, hiding my exasperation. "He told you? Himself?"
"Yes. He said he used his Awakened powers at Sariwon to annihilate two North Korean elite divisions with an explosion."
"Did he ntion it being a thousand-gaton explosion?"
"No, he didn’t say that."
"Has he ever demonstrated any special abilities in front of you?"
"No, never."
"Did his eyes glow in the dark, perhaps?"
"No, they looked normal."
"Then why do you believe he’s an Awakened?"
Jeon Yu-gyeong hesitated before finally answering, accompanied by a shallow cough.
"Once, at a house we used to live in—a small fishing village north of Sokcho, near the North Korean border—a monster appeared."
"A monster? What kind?"
"A Crown-type, I think. It was the first ti I’d ever seen one in person."
"And what happened?"
"The general... I don’t know if I should be saying this, but he inhaled so cocaine from the bedside table, told not to worry, and went outside. He ca back afterward."
"And the monster?"
"It was gone."
"Are you sure it didn’t just leave on its own?"
"I don’t know... I don’t rember. Honestly, just thinking about him makes feel awful. I don’t want to talk about this anymore."
I didn’t push her further.
The connection ended, and I doubted she would ever answer my calls again. While K-WalkieTalkies lacked a block function, she would likely treat my SKELTON ID as one to avoid.
Gathering information in this era was a challenge, especially about soone as enigmatic as Bang Soo-byeon. But perhaps there was no need to dig so deeply.
If Bang Soo-byeon was truly an Awakened, as he claid, he would face execution at 17:00 tomorrow at the Chuncheon prison yard. If he were genuinely over Level 10, he wouldn’t die there.
A man capable of abandoning his family, hoarding resources, and doting on his mistress wouldn’t let himself die if he could harness even a fraction of his claid powers to flip the script.
It was a peaceful afternoon, as usual.
With no refugees passing through my territory recently, I had begun testing a small rice paddy project. Near a stream below my bunker, I cleared an abandoned field and scattered seeds using the direct sowing thod. I planned to flood the field once the water channels were ready.
The physical labor had drenched in sweat by the ti I returned to my bunker, ready for an early shower. Glancing at the clock afterward, I noted the ti:
17:20.
“...”
I didn’t believe Bang Soo-byeon was an Awakened. By now, he was likely dead. Still, for the war hero who had provided with several days of distraction, I offered a mont of silence.
The forums, however, were abuzz.
Dolsingman: "I’m near the road to Incheon, and a huge military convoy just passed. There are so many of them."
Keystone: "I saw it too. Looks like an entire division is moving."
RKKArA: "Is the Corps Faction finally taking over Incheon?"
The thread was chaotic. Many forum users, typically unfazed by raiders, gangs, or Mutations, reported witnessing an unprecedented military mobilization. Clearly, this was a serious developnt.
While it remained to be seen how events would unfold, one thing was certain: the Corps Faction now had dominion over the Seoul tropolitan area.
Good or bad, this marked a significant shift. A stable military organization could slow the spread of the Mutations, but it also increased the chances of a reunion with Kim Daram—sothing I wasn’t eager to face.
Regardless of how things turned out, abandoning my territory was out of the question. My bunker and I were bound together, like water and fish.
Just as I contemplated contacting Woo Min-hee to check on her situation, my K-WalkieTalkie emitted its notification sound.
Sender ID: 11_Corp_mp.
An unfamiliar number, but the prefix marked it as Corps Faction.
Why were they looking for ?
I hesitated but felt a strong intuition that I knew the caller. Pressing the accept button, I heard a voice.
"Hey, Hunter Baek! It’s !"
The voice that ca through was unexpected.
It was Bang Soo-byeon.
Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?
Judging by the fact that the call ca through a military police communicator, perhaps the execution had been delayed. Or maybe, this was a final request granted by an executioner to a condemned man.
Bang Soo-byeon’s tone, in contrast to the gravity of the situation, was flippant and coarse.
“So, how did it go? Did you go to Yu-gyeong’s place?”
“Yes.”
“Great! And Yu-gyeong? Is she doing okay in there?”
I had two options for how to respond. I could sugarcoat the truth for a man on death’s door, or I could deliver the harsh, unvarnished reality.
I chose the latter.
“She’s living with another man. There’s no female soldier present.”
Silence followed.
In the background, I could hear soone urging him on. A military police officer, perhaps? An executioner? Or maybe his family—the one he had abandoned?
“Hey.”
Sensing ti was short, I decided to ask a question first.
“Just one thing I want to ask.”
He said nothing, but I continued.
“Are you really an Awakened?”
“An Awakened?”
“Yes, Yu-gyeong said you were one. I just want to know if it’s true.”
“You know my situation, don’t you?”
“I understand it’s unfortunate, but I risked my neck going all the way out there.”
“Huh. Fair point.”
The background voices grew louder, but it seed he had muffled the mic with his hand, as the noise suddenly dropped.
“Yeah.”
Bang Soo-byeon chuckled weakly.
“I have power.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. Trendous power. If I wanted, I could break free of these restraints, kill this brat of a son screaming at , wipe out the soldiers checking their chambers outside, and tear apart those smug bastards laughing beyond them—all in one fell swoop.”
He paused, then added, “And, of course, I could find Yu-gyeong and rip that bastard she’s living with to shreds.”
“That so? Well then, if you really have that power, why not use it... now?”
“I won’t use it.”
At that, I let out an uncharacteristic scoff.
His bravado was absurdly unimpressive. Maybe it was the ugly truth of his past—abandoning his family and framing them for his embezzlent—that made my laughter colder than usual.
“Life doesn’t an much to anymore,” he said.
After those words, I heard him shout at soone in the background—likely the military police pressing him to finish.
“One minute! Just one minute!”
Returning to the call, he spoke again.
“...Even if I killed everyone here and punished Yu-gyeong, what would it change?”
“Even rolling in the mud, life is still worth living, don’t you think?”
“There was a ti I thought so. But I don’t anymore.”
“What changed?”
“It was the mont my son shoved evidence in my face, pointed his finger at , and scread. He was right—I was guilty. I dumped all my cris on my family and ran away. Any affection I felt for them was gone long ago.
“But you know, as I thought about it... I realized the reason I gained power, climbed the ranks, and wore stars on my shoulders—it was all because of my son.”
“Your son?”
“When he was preparing for college and we needed money, what could a retired major like do? I re-enlisted as a contract officer and volunteered for deploynt to North Korea. I survived countless near-death experiences, gained strength, and beca a colonel.”
Bang Soo-byeon suddenly laughed loudly.
“But that son of mine denied . Said I wasn’t his father. At first, I didn’t care—I’d already abandoned them, after all. But from that day on, sothing inside changed. Slowly but surely, everything started to feel pointless.”
A stern voice interrupted from the background.
“Ti’s up.”
“Hunter Baek. No, Skelton.”
Bang Soo-byeon addressed one last ti.
“I am an Awakened.”
And that was the last I heard of Bang Soo-byeon.
The next day, the Corps Faction broadcast reported that their relief forces had reached Incheon and begun humanitarian operations. Toward the end of the broadcast, they briefly ntioned Bang Soo-byeon’s execution.
His death carried no dramatic twists or heroic grandeur.
Five soldiers stood in a line and fired. A few bullets pierced Bang Soo-byeon’s heart, and his head slumped forward.
There is, however, another account—though its credibility is questionable.
DAJUNG: "Bang Soo-byeon? They say he exploded."
According to Da-jung, who recounted a rumor circulating within the Corps Faction, Bang Soo-byeon’s death unfolded differently. In this version, the five soldiers lined up and prepared to fire, but just before they could, Bang Soo-byeon suddenly detonated.
The explosion wasn’t the thousand-gaton blast Dies Irae had exaggerated, but more like the force of two grenades. It was still enough to end the general’s life.
There was so debate about how a condemned man could have obtained grenades before his execution, but honestly, it wasn’t my concern.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Another call ca through from an unfamiliar number.
Caller ID: DARAM2.
That number... wasn’t it a little too audacious?
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