The neighboring countries seemed to have quite similar ideas.
They planned to enact ‘legal’ terror using warriors.
This was a rather insidious yet effective method.
Of course, there could be blame directed at the warriors who caused casualties, but considering that injuries and deaths often occurred during duels between warriors, can’t it be brushed off as mere accidents, unless someone is blatantly labeled as an assassin?
Moreover, even if such incidents garnered public attention, it could simply be framed as, “Recently, tensions have risen between Korea and Japan, leading to some warriors succumbing to the atmosphere and taking such actions.” Just dismiss it as an individual’s deviance.
And wouldn’t it be easy to get a top-notch lawyer afterward to help them escape without charges, or if they were to be charged, pay an overwhelming cost that outweighs any consequences?
There’d be no loss in that.
As long as they didn’t die.
As long as they didn’t get injured to the point where they’d be unable to use their martial arts.
With such calculations, Korea and Japan simultaneously pushed for the same actions.
It truly was a strange coincidence.
*
“Shaman Park Jinseong. In Korea, they’ve decided to use warriors for retaliation. But this is no coincidence.”
In a dark building, lit softly by a few mood lights, a man in a suit began to speak.
“I’m not there, so I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard from those in the intelligence sector that movements indicating Japan is trying to use a similar method have been seen. They say Korea appears strikingly similar to Japan, like a reflection in the mirror, making it impossible not to pay attention.”
The man in the suit.
The one who met Jinseong not long ago.
A person wrapped completely in lies, with not a shred of truth in his facial expressions, costumes, or identity.
The one who claimed to work as Council Member Kim Gakwang’s secretary, Kim Cheolsu, was now visiting Jinseong’s building.
As always, Cheolsu wore a fabricated expression like a mask and attempted to steer the conversation from across the table, executing every gesture according to his trained deception.
Every movement of his was a product of human design, each deliberately calculated.
That smile was meant to make the person he spoke to feel at ease.
Kim Cheolsu’s gestures were aimed at lowering the psychological barriers embedded in the subconscious of his conversation partner.
His deep voice, which sunk into the atmosphere, was a trained result crafted to pull focus to the conversation at hand.
Thus, Kim Cheolsu was initiating a discussion before Jinseong.
With an oddly cheerful demeanor.
“Since becoming the secretary to the council member, I’ve sifted through countless papers. As you know, Shaman Park Jinseong, politicians must convey their political intentions in every gesture and word. Politicians should also know how to present and utilize themselves, as well as leverage others and their environment. That’s why I read acting theories that actors study and diligently sought out books written by old politicians about their political skills.”
Kim Cheolsu met Jinseong’s gaze.
Eyes.
Those eyes looked as though darkness had been cut and stitched into the irises.
What truly lay behind those dark eyes?
“Thus, I have an approximate idea of why the Korean and Japanese governments decided on this ‘retaliation.’ Surely the events that have been deeply embedded in their subconscious must have driven this decision.”
Kim Cheolsu quietly examined Jinseong’s face.
Following the long-trained habit of not letting the other person notice he was being observed.
Jinseong’s expression was not greatly different from what he had seen before.
It was warm, friendly, and full of familiarity, yet it was almost impossible to discern his inner thoughts because he was a shaman.
Even if the person before him had a rabbit-like innocent appearance, what lay beneath remained a mystery, and the intent hidden beneath those dark irises was fathomless.
When the higher-ups spoke about Jinseong, they’d say, “Although he’s a shaman and warrants caution, his youth is a weakness we can exploit.”
However, Kim Cheolsu did not agree with their assessment.
If they were to see that shaman who could perplex even those trained in lies, they would regret their past conclusions.
Thus, Kim Cheolsu did not underestimate Jinseong.
Not for a second.
Thus, instead of negotiating based on information asymmetry or lack of experience, Kim Cheolsu drew out parts of ‘truth’ like an interesting story to observe Jinseong. If Jinseong knew something, it would be used to start the conversation; if he didn’t, it was a way to pique interest and make ‘negotiations’ more favorable.
But behold.
That shaman’s demeanor.
Wasn’t it strange how a young person with less experience would display no sign of agitation?
Sure, one could say facial changes are a result of training.
But could one also control the movements of the pupils and the signals emitted by the whole body?
Such demeanor could fall into one of two categories.
They either already knew or were perfectly controlling their body despite being unaware.
But how could a shaman, who simply delved into shamanism while being supported by a wealthy family, execute those techniques only trained agents could wield?
‘Surely, that’s quite atypical…’
Kim Cheolsu muttered quietly to himself as he continued speaking.
“In a paper I read previously, there was a line stating that people’s thoughts are shaped and transformed by frameworks. I shared this with the council member, and he remarked that this is exactly why politicians strive so hard to craft such frames.”
Which one could it be?
Did he know?
Or was he hiding his ignorance?
Regardless, this Park Jinseong, the shaman, was undoubtedly a unique and intriguing individual.
“I believe that recent incidents in Korea and Japan contributed to the creation of these frameworks.”
In Korea, there were heinous events like the loan shark massacre perpetrated by a mysterious capable person, the sudden appearance of monsters in the mountains nationwide, the incidents that occurred while Jinseong searched for relics related to the emperor, and the murder of a Japanese diplomat.
In Japan, there were ominous signs appearing all over the country, landslide incidents linked to warriors, traces left by ritual ceremonies performed by these warriors, the murder of a politician by a warrior, a terrorist attack on the Korean Embassy, and subsequent incidents of water contamination in affluent areas following the terror.
Each and every one of them was ominous and unsettling.
“For a considerable duration, these alarming events unfolded in succession. Moreover, many related to warriors or divine objects. Having keywords that evoke such horror logged in the subconscious alongside the problem with Dokdo caused by evil spirits, it’s only natural for one’s mind to conjure thoughts of warriors.”
Isn’t that a form of framing?
Kim Cheolsu said with a smile.
“That’s quite an interesting perspective. The series of events creates a frame… A person’s thoughts cannot escape that frame, and solutions are found only within the permitted range of that frame… Truly fascinating words.”
Jinseong also smiled, mirroring Kim Cheolsu.
A gentle and endearing smile like that of a rabbit.
“Then, Secretary Kim Cheolsu, if such incidents are artificially instigated, influencing major movements would be possible, right?”
“Yes, theoretically speaking. However, it’s a challenging reality. Perfectly predicting and controlling variables would be difficult even with the supercomputers created by connecting hundreds or thousands of developing quantum computers… How could a person achieve that? Furthermore, in this modern world overflowing with information, to influence the subconscious, substantial and significant incidents would have to occur, which could only be orchestrated by great powers or capable individuals strong enough to rival nations. Otherwise, it would require a power-holder with national-level strength.”
“But if such beings moved, their actions would inevitably leave traces…”
“Indeed. So, Shaman Park Jinseong’s remarks are intriguing, but I suspect they’ll remain purely theoretical.”
“That’s right. No power, not even that of a mighty nation or a transcendent being, could control all variables. If they could, they would rightly be called a god.”
Jinseong said this, distorting and concealing the truth.
Jinseong neither struggled to predict the variables nor sought control.
Having experienced the future directly allowed for at least a rudimentary prediction of variables without needing any deeper insights.
As long as the direction and results closely aligned, there was no need for extensive control.
What he did was simply steer massive movements towards a specific direction in a general manner.
This was how individuals could intervene in vast movements.
