Convict Unit: Black Parade

A few days later. Deck 0, Rock Bottom.

“Master!” Jae-hee strode into Ghost’s room, waving a bag of warm bread. “Want some? It’s fresh from the oven!”

Ghost, her white hair as disheveled as ever, sat cross-legged on the floor, reading a newspaper through a pair of glasses.

The headline read: President San Kim Argues for ‘Awakened Protection Act’…

She glanced at Jae-hee, then took off her glasses, folded the paper, and set it aside.

“What’s this, you showing up like my personal errand boy? Did I ask you to go out for bread?”

“Hehe. Good food is meant to be shared.”

Despite her grumbling, Ghost quietly accepted the bread Jae-hee offered, tearing off a small piece to taste.

“I heard that patissier we rescued ended up on your deck. Did he bake this?”

“Yep. It’s good, right?”

“…Well, it’s decent.”

Munching on the bread, Ghost looked up at Jae-hee’s beaming face. “What about you? Did you eat?”

“Huh? Oh, of course. I ate my fill before I came down.”

“Eat more anyway. This is a little too much for one person.”

“Oh, really, I’m fine!”

Jae-hee waved his hands dismissively, but Ghost tore the loaf in half and handed a piece to him, then made them each a cup of instant coffee.

The two shared a brief teatime over the bread.

Slurping down the hot drink, Ghost jutted her chin toward him. “I doubt you came all this way just to give me bread. Feel like training today as well?”

“Yes!”

“You’ve reviewed everything I taught you last time, I hope?”

“Of course! I haven’t missed a single day of the workout routine, either.”

Ghost had been drilling Jae-hee relentlessly, starting from the absolute basics. 

Her swordsmanship may not have been bound by any particular form, but it still had its fundamental principles.

And while Jae-hee was blessed with natural flexibility and a genius for movement, he had channeled all his proficiency into running away.

When it came to hitting or cutting someone, he was still a clumsy amateur.

So, for now, Ghost focused on engraving a few simple, efficient sword movements into his muscle memory.

Once he mastered those basic motions, they would begin the process of unlearning them, erasing the forms so that he, too, could arrive at the formless swordsmanship she practiced.

And so it was basics, basics, and more basics.

Jae-hee diligently held his stance and repeated the fundamental movements. It should have been tedious, but his eyes sparkled with concentration every time, and his form grew more refined by the day.

If Ghost were honest, she’d admit he was a joy to teach.

“Let’s see… we’ve had three sessions so far?”

“Yep. Four more days to go.”

Three days of their promised seven-day lesson plan were already complete. The plan had already stretched out, with breaks factored in for him to practice on his own.

Watching Jae-hee absorb her teachings like a sponge and improve by leaps and bounds, Ghost fell into thought.

I was going to drill him on nothing but the basics for the full seven days… but at this rate, maybe I could teach him a few applications…*

The thought made her flinch.

She had intended to just teach him the fundamentals and be done with it. Why was she agonizing over his curriculum like a real master?

Just then, Commander Seo’s voice crackled from the ceiling speaker.

«Ahem, an announcement. Effective immediately, all prisoners will cease their activities and return to their cells.»

Jae-hee’s eyes went wide with surprise at the unprecedented announcement. Ghost, in contrast, narrowed hers.

«We are expecting a very important guest.»

Hae-eun’s voice was dead serious.

«Don’t get cocky and fuck up the rest of your sentence. Don’t even think about peeking out of your cells. That is all.»

Click.

The broadcast ended.

Jae-hee tilted his head, a baffled look on his face. “What was that all about? Why tell everyone to stay in their rooms?”

“Beats me. It’s not like this ship gets many distinguished visitors.”

A moment later.

Bzzzt.

“Huh?”

A faint vibration, accompanied by a red light, came from his Null Cuff. It was a summons.

Both he and Ghost had been called. The timing and circumstances felt eerily similar to the last mission alert.

“A summons?”

“So it seems.”

“They told all the other prisoners to stay in their rooms, but now they're calling for us?”

“So it seems.”

Jae-hee grumbled and scratched the back of his neck.

Ghost gestured with her chin. “Well, since it’s come to this, training’s off for today.”

Jae-hee’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, Master…”

“Don’t call me that on days we’re not training.”

“Yes, Granny…”

Ghost’s eyebrow twitched. She ran a hand through her hair and muttered, “Damn it. Now that I’m used to ‘Master,’ ‘Granny’ sounds weird.”

“What should I call you then?”

Jae-hee tilted his head, then blurted out, “Big sis?”

“You insane?”

Ghost raised a fist, and Jae-hee leaped back, putting distance between them.

He quickly corrected himself. “How about Madam Ghost, then?”

“…Doesn’t have a great ring to it.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Ghost deliberated before waving her hand in annoyance. “Just stick with Master until the seven days are up.”

“Heck yeah!”

“What’s there to be so happy about?”

Sighing, Ghost led the way. “Let’s go. No telling what that psycho will do if we ignore a Commander’s summons.”

“Yessir.”

The scowling temporary master and the beaming temporary disciple walked side-by-side toward the elevator.

***

Deck 10, the Rooftop.

When they arrived, they found several unfamiliar helicopters parked on the landing pad. The sleek, pitch-black machines were clearly made of bulletproof material.

“Huh? Never seen these helicopters before.”

After a single glance, Ghost muttered in a disgruntled tone, “Looks like the kind of ride for someone important.”

“Really? How can you tell?”

“Look at the letters. ROKSS. They’re from the Republic of Korea Secret Service.”

Jae-hee blinked, the name meaning nothing to him.

Ghost elaborated. “They’re an agency that only handles protection for national VIPs. You have to be pretty high-ranking to get an escort from them.”

“Aha!” Then Jae-hee tilted his head. “But you said Secret Service, right?”

“Right.”

“But if they go around with a big logo like that, it’s not much of a secret, is it?”

“…Hm?”

“I mean, shouldn’t they be disguised as a post office or something, like we are? At least pretend to be hiding? Why advertise it? They’re basically screaming, ‘We are currently escorting a high-level official!’”

“…”

Ghost narrowed her eyes and stroked her chin. “You have a point. The ‘secret’ part probably isn’t about hiding their existence, but about carrying out their duties quietly, without drawing attention in public.”

“Aha!”

“…Maybe.”

Jae-hee grinned and threw up a hand. “Or maybe not!”

“Right. Or maybe not.”

The two walked past the helicopters, giving them a cursory glance.

“Why would helicopters from a place like that be here? And why did they call us?” Jae-hee wondered.

“Hmm.”

All around the rooftop, agents in sunglasses and armored suits stood guard, their vigilance absolute.

As they were searched for hidden weapons outside the Commander’s office, Ghost grumbled. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Only after the search was complete were they allowed to enter.

Inside, Hae-eun was bowing and scraping before someone.

“Oh, of course, of course! You’re absolutely right!”

 And in the seat of honor, where she usually sat, was someone they had never seen before, her legs crossed alluringly.

Ebony-black hair, a matching black two-piece dress, black stockings, and black shoes. She was… a young girl.

Her skin was snow-pale, with the flawless sheen of a porcelain doll.

Most peculiar of all was her long, beautiful black hair, cascading down in neatly arranged locks that curled into tight spirals at the ends.

Huh? Ringlets?

Jae-hee rubbed his eyes. He had never seen a hairstyle like that in his life.

What is that, roll-bread hair?

Hae-eun introduced the two of them to the girl. “These are the agents I mentioned earlier, Agent ‘Ghost’ and Agent ‘Boy.’”

Agent?

The over-the-top, unfitting title made both Ghost and Jae-hee cringe.

She usually treated them like prisoner scum, so where did “Agent” suddenly come from?

“And I should introduce her as well. This young lady is, well…” Hae-eun chose her words carefully. “The daughter… of the highest-ranking person in this country.”

Jae-hee tilted his head. “Who’s the highest-ranking person? The President?”

The girl let out a small laugh. “I worried convicts might lack basic education, but thankfully, you seem to possess some common sense.”

“Oh! I never got a basic education. I didn’t finish elementary school.”

Jae-hee’s reply momentarily flustered her, but she kept a straight face and cleared her throat. “What does it matter if you didn’t finish elementary school? The country has a qualification exam system. You can even take it while incarcerated. You should try studying, if you have the will.”

“Whoa, really? Thanks for the super tip. I’ll have to look into that.”

The girl giggled. “No need to thank me. Guiding lost lambs from the blind spots of the law is also the duty of a leader.”

With an internal mutter of Crazy nice save, the girl placed a hand on her chest and introduced herself proudly.

“In any case, you are correct. I am the one and only daughter of this nation’s President, His Excellency San Kim! I am Dia Kim.”

Ghost and Jae-hee’s faces froze simultaneously.

Ghost was stunned that she was the President’s daughter.

Jae-hee, on the other hand…

“D-Dia Kim…?”

He was stunned by her impressive name.

“That’s right. You may also call me Diamond Kim.”

As Jae-hee stood there, dumbstruck, Hae-eun quickly whispered, “Just call her Miss Kim!’”

“Y-yes, ma’am…”

Jae-hee bowed awkwardly to the President’s daughter, Dia Kim.

Ghost just let out a quiet, disbelieving huff.

Dia sniffed at Hae-eun. “You said these two carried out the mission I entrusted to you, so why don't they even know my name? Please make sure to inform your agents who their client is, Commander Seo.”

“My apologies, miss. I will be sure to inform them in the future.”

Hae-eun immediately bowed her head. Yet, where the girl couldn’t see her, a smile played on Seo’s lips. It seemed she was actually enjoying being bossed around.

Just then, Jae-hee raised his hand hesitantly. “Um, excuse me… may I ask just one thing?”

Dia laughed softly and swept a hand through her hair. “Do I have a boyfriend? I understand you might be taken with my extraordinary beauty, but unfortunately, I am not considering romance at this time.”

“I-I see… Would it be okay if I asked about something else?”

“Very well. You may.”

Jae-hee glanced around cautiously before asking his question. “By any chance… were you the one who requested the Fried Soboro Bread a while back?”

Dia tilted her chin up arrogantly and smiled sweetly.

“That’s right. It was me.”

It had been Jae-hee’s first mission with the Black Parade. The “Patissier Rescue Operation,” carried out in the zombie-infested city of Daejeon.

The client for that operation was none other than this girl, the President’s daughter, Dia Kim.