Convict Unit: Black Parade

“No way… Uncle Iron Knight?!” Jae-hee cried out.

The metalhead from yesterday was gone, replaced by a dapper, middle-aged man who smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth crinkling charmingly.

Ghost, however, was unfazed. She jutted her chin toward him. “Your hair was long yesterday. You cut it.”

“I was growing it out for the rock fest. Now that the show’s over, I chopped it off without a second thought.”

“What about the next show?”

“Haha.”

Instead of answering, Iron Knight adjusted his sunglasses and gestured with his chin as he settled back into the driver’s seat.

“You’re going to see Seong-ah, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“I’ll give you a ride. Let’s go.”

Ghost didn’t refuse.

As he squeezed into the cramped backseat of the Ford Mustang with Ghost, Jae-hee asked, “Who’s Seong-ah?”

“Someone I visit every time I get leave. A member of the Old Five Heroes. An old comrade.”

Jae-hee’s eyes widened. They were going to meet another of the Old Five Heroes.

Ghost continued, a bitter edge to her voice. “The one who sacrificed herself to protect this world…”

Her hand clenched over her chest, wrinkling the fabric.

“…My eternal debt.”

***

Since Ghost had mentioned visiting someone, Jae-hee had expected a hospital, but that wasn’t the case.

The Ford Mustang, engine roaring, sped down the highway and headed straight for Yeouido.

“Whoa, so this is Yeouido!” Jae-hee exclaimed, his face bright as he read the road sign. “I’ve heard about it so much on the news! It’s the standard unit of measurement in Korea! ‘N times the size of Yeouido!’”

“…That cursed tradition is still alive and well,” Ghost muttered under her breath.

Having no frame of reference, Jae-hee saw only a forest of similar-looking buildings. But as they crossed the bridge into Yeouido proper, he felt a distinct shift in the atmosphere.

It was the intense security.

Military units guarded the bridge, and within Yeouido itself, heavily armed private security personnel were stationed at nearly every building.

“It’s partly because all the important political facilities are concentrated here,” Ghost explained, “but also because the Korea Gate Research Institute was built here.”

“So the security is a little tighter here?”

“Then why are we getting a free pass?”

“Because the man driving this car is kind of a big deal…”

Hearing the conversation from the backseat, Iron Knight let out a hearty laugh.

“I’m practically the godfather to the generals and guild masters around here. Who’d dare stop me?”

“Who’d dare stop some crazy old geezer still driving a Ford Mustang he imported thirty years ago…” Ghost’s grumbling was drowned out by the car’s thunderous exhaust.

Iron Knight parked in front of a facility that looked like a large military hospital.

“We’re here. This is the Gate Research Institute,” Iron Knight said, getting out of the driver’s seat. “The place where our Savior is resting peacefully.”

With Iron Knight leading the way, entering the institute was seamless.

“Welcome, Knight Commander!”

“Yeah. Just came to see an old friend.”

“You’re welcome anytime, sir. Please, this way.”

The three of them, visitor passes hanging from their necks, were about to enter a corridor leading deeper into the institute when a voice called out.

“Ghost. And Iron Knight! It’s been a while.”

From down the hall, a blond man in a blue suit with a white scarf draped over his shoulders emerged with a wave. He was handsome, with a friendly smile, and he beamed as he looked back and forth between Ghost and Iron Knight.

“If you’re having a reunion of old comrades, you could have at least given me a heads-up. I’m hurt.”

Ghost snorted. “How could we bother someone as busy as you? A congressman, a party leader, and… the public face of the Hunter Association. We know our place.”

She then introduced the blond man to Jae-hee. “This is Archmage, real name Ryu Yeon. Also one of the Old Five Heroes.”

One of the five heroes who had saved the world thirty years ago—and a current three-term congressman.

Archmage Ryu Yeon beamed affably.

“Whoa, an honor to meet you, sir!”

As Jae-hee hastily bowed, Archmage asked curiously, “And who is this?”

“Ah, I’m, uh, my master’s…”

Jae-hee glanced at Ghost before blurting out, “I’m… I’m her disciple!”

The shocked Archmage and Iron Knight turned to Ghost in unison.

“Disciple?”

“You have a disciple?!”

Ghost clicked her tongue and waved a dismissive hand. “It’s temporary. I’m just teaching him a few basics.”

Jae-hee shook his head vehemently. “No! Our relationship is way deeper than that! We’re a super-close master and disciple!”

Archmage and Iron Knight turned back to Ghost again.

“A deep relationship?”

“Just how close are we talking?”

“That little shit… he’s picking the most infuriating words on purpose again,” Ghost seethed.

But whether temporary or official, deep or shallow, the fact that Ghost had taken on a disciple was astonishing news.

Archmage and Iron Knight offered their congratulations.

“Congratulations, Ghost. It’s a wonderful thing to foster the next generation.”

“Yeah, congrats, you punk! Maybe now you’ll finally learn to understand the human heart!”

“Both of you, kindly shut your traps.”

After the brief commotion, Archmage gestured down the corridor.

“You’re all here to see Seong-ah, right?”

“Yeah,” Ghost murmured bitterly. “It’s been seven years since I was last granted leave from that ship… so it’s been seven years since I’ve seen her face.”

“That’s good. I’m sure Seong-ah will be happy to have her old comrades visit.”

Archmage took the lead. “Come, this way.”

They wound through the complex corridors, venturing deep into the heart of the institute. Just as Jae-hee was about to give up on memorizing the route, the group came to a halt.

They were in a separate wing, unusually quiet in a facility that was otherwise bustling with researchers and doctors.

Archmage tapped his keycard on the entrance panel. A green light flashed, and the door slid open.

Following the others inside, Jae-hee sucked in a sharp breath.

The room contained only a single piece of equipment: a massive, cylindrical glass tube filled with a transparent, unidentifiable fluid.

And inside, a woman was suspended in a deep sleep.

She wore an oxygen mask connected to an external machine, her long hair drifting in the fluid as if she were underwater.

A woman, pale as if taxidermied, detached from the world.

“Who is she…?”

“…The Saint of Light, the Messiah, God’s Tear, the Star of Salvation, the Miracle Walker.”

Ghost’s voice was a low murmur.

“She had many nicknames, but the Hunter name we used was Savior. Her real name is Seong-ah Yu.”

Her voice brimmed with a longing so deep it seemed to take shape in the air. “The one who saved this world thirty years ago… A true hero.”

Jae-hee stammered, “But why is she… like this?”

Why was such a great hero sleeping in a state like this?

“She paid the price.” Ghost’s smile was bitter as she took slow steps toward the glass tube. “She sacrificed herself to save the world.”

Iron Knight and Archmage remained silent, their lips pressed into thin lines, simply watching the reunion of their two old comrades.

Ghost reached the tube, and her long fingers rested on the glass. Her fingertips trembled, a pathetic gesture against the barrier that separated her from the woman sleeping within.

“No… maybe I’m the one who forced that sacrifice on her.”

“What?” Jae-hee didn’t get it.

Ghost didn’t explain.

She was no longer speaking to anyone but herself, lost in a private monologue.

“Do you resent me?”

Her piercing blue eyes, etched with guilt and regret, stared endlessly at her slumbering comrade.

“Or would you forgive even someone like me and give me that same foolish smile… just like you used to?”

“…”

“I still don’t know.” Ghost squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against the cold glass. “I still don’t know, Seong-ah…”

The sleeping Savior gave no reply.

For a long time, Ghost remained motionless, her forehead resting against the tube.

***

As a congressman, Archmage Ryu Yeon’s main sphere of activity was Yeouido, so naturally, he knew all the best places to eat in the area.

The four of them went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was a place specializing in beef rib soup.

Archmage slid a steaming bowl in front of Jae-hee with a warm smile. “The ribs here are fantastic. You look like you’re still growing, kid. Eat up.”

“Thank you, sir!”

The concept of refusing out of politeness was foreign to Jae-hee, so he snatched the bowl immediately.

While Jae-hee happily tore into a massive beef rib, the three members of the Old Five Heroes began to chat.

“So, we’re all here for once… Where the hell is that last one, the Spirit Lord?” Ghost asked bluntly.

Archmage chuckled. “Still in seclusion, it seems. The most recent rumor was that he was spotted on top of Hallasan, but that was years ago.”

“To be this out of touch… He could drop dead, and we’d never even know.”

Jae-hee, mid-chew, froze with wide eyes. Oh, now that I think about it…

Iron Knight, Archmage, Savior, Ghost.

Excluding the reclusive Spirit Lord, he had now met all of the Old Five Heroes.

“Whoa! I’ve met so many incredible people! A-autographs! I think I need to get your autographs!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ghost chided him. “What are you going to do with a bunch of old-timers’ autographs?”

But Iron Knight had already pulled out a permanent marker and was scrawling a huge signature on the back of Jae-hee’s sweatshirt, along with the message: From Iron Knight. Always be happy! ^^.

The words were hideously large.

Ghost grimaced, but Jae-hee let out a genuine “Whoa!” of delight.

Iron Knight laughed boisterously. “You wanted my autograph? You should have said so sooner! I love signing things!”

“Thank you, Mister Iron Knight! I’ll treasure this forev—”

Jae-hee stopped mid-sentence.

A beat too late, his eyes fell upon the wall of the restaurant, which was covered in framed autographs from famous people.

He noticed that half of them bore the exact same message: From Iron Knight. Always be happy! ^^.

“…”

Jae-hee had been unaware that the man before him was a notorious autograph maniac, a walking, talking autograph printer so desperate to sign things that he left his mark in every shop he visited—even when the owner refused—and held annual autograph sessions to boot.

Iron Knight smiled and raised his marker. “What? Want one on the front, too?”

Before Jae-hee could answer, a bold signature was already being scrawled across the front of his sweatshirt.