I Became a National ‘Disaster’ Level Monster

Chapter 60 U.S. Forces Korea Withdrawal Plan

Dunjo Mike Lee.

The ‘project’ he and his party devised to withdraw U.S. forces from Korea was as follows.

The name of it: Project.

The project’s goals were twofold.

First, to literally withdraw all U.S. troops stationed in Korea back to the mainland U.S.

Second, to re-sign the U.S.-Korea Mutual Defense Treaty with Korea, whose defense capabilities had weakened after the U.S. forces’ withdrawal.

With a defense cost at least 30 times higher than before, a ‘New U.S. Forces Korea’ would be stationed in Korea.

If successful, it would be like killing two birds with one stone.

They could simultaneously keep China, North Korea, and Russia in check while maintaining friendly relations with other advanced East Asian countries.

However, But!

In the current situation, this project had slim chances of success.

Although in an armistice with North Korea, Korea was still technically at war, and Koreans had a strong image of the U.S. military as a ‘very strong and reliable ally.’

If such a military were to suddenly leave one day, Koreans would surely try every means to hold onto them.

Moreover, for the U.S., the Korean Peninsula was a key strategic point to check two communist countries.

‘It could end up allowing China and Russia to advance into the Pacific.’

Above all, the project lacked an ‘excuse’ to withdraw U.S. forces from the Korean mainland.

Thus, it had remained just a plan and was never put into action.

But, However!

What if that excuse were created within Korea, not the U.S.?

What if Korea itself wanted to expel the U.S. forces?

What if the country that was supposed to be protected wanted to send the protectors away?

The U.S. finally found a method.

And, of course, the responsibility did not fall on the expelled U.S.

“The project’s details are as follows.”

Dunjo Mike Lee began to explain to Jin-ah Lee.

First, they would release a controllable monster in the middle of a U.S. military base in Korea.

The U.S. military base would be annihilated without retaliation through this monster.

Hearing that the U.S. forces, who were supposed to protect Korea together, were annihilated, Korea would naturally send its own military and hunters to the U.S. military base where the monster appeared.

At this point, they would stage the scene where the monster, which even the U.S. forces couldn’t handle, is effortlessly defeated by the Korean military and hunters.

“A monster that even the U.S. military couldn’t handle was easily defeated by Korean soldiers and hunters! How does that look?”

“…So?”

“This is where you come in, Ms. Jin-ah. It’s your turn to incite!”

If the head of the Korean Hunters’ Association himself talked about how useless the U.S. forces were, what would people think?

In the past, during the 70s and 80s when bullets flew incessantly and spies infiltrated across the 38th parallel, such statements wouldn’t have held any weight.

But now?

Would the current young Koreans, who regard war as a distant story, go as far as to protest and insist on stationing the U.S. forces?

“Absolutely No. At best, there might be some dissent on SNS, but there would be hardly anyone to protest or start a petition.”

Additionally, the cost Korea paid every year for the U.S. forces.

A whopping ‘1 trillion won’!

…Though, considering the cost of stationing U.S. forces, it was quite cheap, but what if Jin-ah Lee, representing Korean hunters, incited it as a very expensive burden?

“1 trillion… Wow! If we frame it as tax thieves, everyone will hate the U.S. forces, right?”

Despite being unable to inflict any proper damage while annihilating a monster that Korean hunters and soldiers captured without significant damage, and extracting 1 trillion won from Korea every year.

Framing it this way would indeed make them the villains.

“But would people really respond to such one-dimensional incitement?”

Theoretically, it was a feasible project.

However, in theory, there would be numerous incidents and accidents during the process, so would people be deceived by what they saw?

Jin-ah Lee asked this, but Dunjo Mike Lee simply shook his finger and started laughing.

“Ms. Jin-ah. You are overestimating the people. Especially the people of Korea.”

“…What?”

He confidently explained.

“Whether they are deceived or not doesn’t really matter. What’s crucial here is to create a ‘target’ for the anger the people have been harboring.”

“…Creating a target for venting anger?”

“Yes! The facts don’t matter! What’s more important is creating a ‘villain’ with a bad image!”

In Korean, it was called ‘falling into a nadir.’

In Korea, once someone was branded as a nadir, regardless of their usual conduct or history, they would be thoroughly vilified to their very core.

Then Dunjo Mike Lee planned to legally withdraw the U.S. Forces Korea in the short interval before the truth came out and misunderstandings were cleared up after the vilification.

“Korean dramas are very interesting, aren’t they? How many countries in this world can create works that touch the heartstrings as much as Korea?”

However.

“But do you know this? All Korean masterpieces may be ’emotional,’ but they are never ‘moral.’ It’s as if they embody the very nature of this country.”

Because it was Korea, this project would definitely succeed.

This was Dunjo Mike Lee’s opinion.

Jin-ah Lee’s lips itched with the urge to mock his words, but.

‘……Perhaps?’

She suddenly saw another possibility in Dunjo Mike Lee’s project.

“Alright. I’ll cooperate.”

“Re, really?!”

“Yes. But you’ll need to facilitate my entry into the U.S.”

Jin-ah Lee smiled brightly and shook hands with Dunjo.

“Of course! I always keep my promises!”

Now that he had won over Jin-ah Lee, one of the most influential Koreans he had targeted before coming to Korea, it meant he could finally execute the long-awaited U.S. Forces Korea withdrawal project.

“Haha, hahaha…!”

The U.S. congressman, delighted to the point of madness, chugged the whiskey Jin-ah handed him straight from the bottle.

It seemed like the smile wouldn’t leave Dunjo Mike Lee’s face.

Right at that moment.

“Um, Branch Chief?”

“Yes?”

“Uh… There’s a guest on the first floor.”

“A guest?”

She had warned not to interrupt unless it was important, considering she was meeting a significant guest.

Who could it be to make them act like this?

“Um…”

“Ah, go ahead! I was about to leave anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

Fortunately, Dunjo Mike Lee was in a good mood, so there was no issue.

Though she knew it was rude, Jin-ah Lee said goodbye to Dunjo and stepped out of the branch chief’s office first.

Then she wondered who the important guest could be.

With such thoughts, she went down to the first-floor lobby.

“Uh, mom…”

“…?! Eve?”

In the middle of the lobby, though covered in dust and dirt, was Eve.

“I, I came out…”

Holding the lower half of the monster mother in an attempt to reconcile with her human mother.

After a moment of silence.

“Sniff… Sob…!”

Eve, who had experienced too much for the first time in her life in one day, tried to smile but soon burst into tears.

Then she ran straight to her human mother, hugging her tightly and pleading.

“I did well, right?! If I did well, please don’t abandon me…! I want to stay with you forever…!”

“…Let’s get you cleaned up first, Eve.”

***

I thought it would be fine until the monster transformation ended.

But the moment I reverted from monster form and lay down on the bed in the VIP room.

“Arghhh…!”

“Do, doctor! Why is my son like this?!”

“Th, that’s what I want to know. He shouldn’t be able to exercise much in this condition, so why is he suddenly having muscle pain…?”

Writhing like a pretzel from the sudden muscle pain.

Seeing my state, the doctor was visibly flustered.

Next to him, Rolling Auntie was crying from worry, and I could only feel frustrated with my current self.

‘No matter how weak I am as a human, I’m really just an ordinary person, no more, no less…’

Three days had passed since Princess Kurumi’s escort mission.

It was about time for the next main scenario, ‘Lee Hee-jeong’s U.S. Expedition’ episode, to begin.

And I had to stop it as soon as possible.

If Lee Hee-jeong proceeded with the U.S. expedition as it was, it would permanently debuff the mutual relationship between Korea and the U.S.

“Um, doctor.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I’d like to just go home now rather than anything else…”

“What?!”

I wanted to at least get out of the hospital room.

So, I asked the doctor on the off chance, but.

“Where do you think you’re going in this condition?!”

As expected, the doctor shook his head firmly, as if the idea was absurd.

“You need to stay in the hospital room for at least a week.”

“Yes, Shin-woo. I understand you’re feeling frustrated, but let’s stay here until your body recovers a bit more. Okay?”

With even Rolling Auntie saying that, I had no choice but to remain silent.

“Hey, Mr. Monster. Can you let me down over there?”

‘This is troublesome…’

I had so many things to check on, like the main quest and whether Ria’s younger sister and the monster gang had successfully left Korea.

While I was pondering what to do.

Creak.

“Huh?”

“What?”

As the door to the VIP room, which was supposed to be inaccessible to just anyone, opened, my eyes met hers.

The woman who, disgusted with everything in the world, had worn a blindfold and given up her sight.

However, she had taken off that blindfold and looked into my eyes for the first time.

“Mr. Shin-woo. I’m here to pick you up!”

“Princess Kurumi?!”

This was a hospital room filled with people.

Could it be that she endured all that and came to find me as soon as she recovered?

I was a tragic extra who retired from the story after a brief mention early on.

Princess Kurumi, who could now smile so brightly compared to the first time I saw her, reappeared, and I was left speechless, not caring about the original plot’s preservation.