Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 108

Thirty minutes after picking up Siyeon.

“I’m not sure if you like the tteokbokki, Siyeon. Is it good?”

“It’s delicious! Thank you, Mr. President.”

“Glad to hear it. Make sure to eat a lot. At that age, it’s best to eat as much as you can.”

President Seo watched with a pleased expression as Siyeon eagerly ate the tteokbokki.

I dipped a forkful of tteokbokki that he had personally served me and put it in my mouth.

There was a clear difference in taste compared to the delivery tteokbokki we usually eat. The rice cakes were chewy, and with each bite, the flavors of the gochujang and other seasonings burst in my mouth.

It was definitely delicious tteokbokki.

“How does it taste?”

“It’s really good.”

“Haha! Our Korean chef’s skill is excellent. He’s good at making snacks, and I always rely on him. Much better than my wife’s cooking.”

“I never expected the place you mentioned to be here, Mr. President.”

I thought we were just going to a restaurant to eat, but the address President Seo gave me was here, the former Blue House.

Once the residence of the presidents, this place had been completely closed since the Dimension Opening, or so I’d heard, but seeing it now, that wasn’t quite the case.

Though there were signs of neglect in some areas, large teams were working on renovations.

“We plan to hold the official events for the upcoming Northeast Asia Exchange here. That’s why we are quickly refurbishing the facilities.”

“I see.”

“The person who returned this place to us is none other than you, Siwoo. So, we wanted to invite you first.”

This location was quite close to Ground Zero. If it hadn’t been for Limen disassembling the Ark, we would still be able to see the black barrier outside from the windows of this building.

“If that’s the case, are you moving here now?”

“Haha, it’s difficult to move my office during my term. I’ll still be using the Sejong City office, where most government agencies are already established. This place will probably only be used for national events.”

This place was undeniably the best location for external events.

Once the heart of South Korea’s power, now it has become a symbol of how the country overcame the scar left by the Dimension Opening.

In front of us stood Gyeongbokgung Palace, with the sacred site of the Limen Church on the left.

There was no doubt that this was a place connected to many of South Korea’s symbols.

After that, President Seo and I continued our meal while casually chatting.

As the meal was about to wrap up, Siyeon, who had been eating with sauce all over her face, put her fork down and said.

“Thank you for the meal!”

“Did you enjoy it, Siyeon?”

“Yes! But, Mr. President, could I ask for a favor?”

We had only met an hour ago, and now Siyeon was asking the president for a favor?

I didn’t expect Siyeon to be so bold.

Despite the sudden request, President Seo didn’t lose his warm smile.

“If it’s a request from our lovely young lady, I’ll be happy to fulfill it.”

“Can I look around the building with Mr. Leo? I’ve only seen it on TV, so I’m really curious!”

“Fortunately, there aren’t many people in the main building right now, so feel free to run around. Secretary, please guide our little lady and Archbishop Leo.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

With that, Siyeon excitedly began her tour of the Blue House, quickly exiting with Leo.

President Seo watched their retreating figures and softly exclaimed.

“…She intentionally made space for us. Siyeon is really not like other children. She’s very clever.”

“She’s quite perceptive. Sometimes, I wish she could act more like a child.”

Siyeon probably thought that I couldn’t speak freely with President Seo because of her presence.

That was the kind of child Siyeon was.

Sometimes, she could throw a tantrum or act cute, but since meeting me again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her cry.

“Sometimes, it feels like it’s not the adults who are considering the children, but the children who are considering the adults.”

President Seo smiled as he offered me the tea that the chef had brought.

“Don’t you agree, Awakened Kim Siwoo?”

“I agree.”

I nodded and took a sip of the warm tea, which had a faint chrysanthemum fragrance. The warmth spread through my body, and I felt a sense of relaxation.

“Now that the meal is over, let’s get into work.”

“Sure.”

“During the Exchange period, we’ll be holding behind-the-scenes talks with China. The main topic of discussion will be the lost land, the former North Korea region. It’s been confirmed as the main subject.”

If they had mobilized the Irregulars they had kept hidden, they were definitely aiming for a substantial benefit, not just testing their strength.

This made much more sense than some vague competition for skill.

“Ultimately, the direction of the talks will depend on the result of the Exchange. Either way, those guys are scumbags.”

It’s not strange anymore after all this time.

Is there even a relationship in international politics that isn’t scummy? The actions of these people have been consistent from the start.

They barge into others’ territories and cause trouble, then extort money—if that’s not a scumbag, what is?

“The exact format of the Exchange hasn’t been finalized yet, but it looks like each country will select ten Awakened individuals, with five competing against each other. The list will consist of only those with at least S-rank Hunter abilities.”

Ten of the top S-rank Hunters from China, Japan, and South Korea competing?

“It’ll be chaos.”

“The battles with Japan aren’t that important. They’ll likely be adjusted to feature promising young players. It’s not the main event.”

“I heard from Secretary Kim that you were pushing for Japan’s participation…”

“There’s no better business than making them owe us. Think of it as a kind of loan sharking. My interest rates are high.”

In exchange for saving face, he would take even more.

At this point, he sounded more like a loan shark than a president. I realized again why this man was called a businessman.

“We would like to request that Limen Church, including Kim Siwoo, provide three participants for the Exchange.”

I could already guess what he was thinking.

“I can confirm my participation, but I can’t guarantee the participation of others. After all, we are technically religious people…”

“We’re not asking you to fight in our place. We just need a little help for the sake of peace.”

This time, President Seo was likely referring to Leo and Luna, not just me. This was different from the last time when he only asked for my participation.

It seemed that President Seo really wanted to settle things once and for all this time.

But getting Leo and Luna involved was a huge difference compared to just me…

“Go back to the temple and review it, and take your time in giving your answer. We’ve prepared a document outlining what we can legally offer to Limen Church.”

He handed me a neatly organized file and looked me straight in the eyes.

I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the file.

“You’re definitely a businessman.”

“Thank you for the highest compliment.”

This man… is he perhaps eating snakes instead of meals?

After the meal with the president, on the way back home I gently asked Siyeon, who was hugging Baekseol tightly.

“Did you like the tteokbokki?”

“Yeah! But I think the Yeobjeon tteokbokki is even tastier.”

Even the tteokbokki made by the chef with 22 years of experience in Korean cuisine couldn’t beat the franchise tteokbokki.

It was truly unfortunate. I should keep this a secret from the president.

“But I got to see so many pretty buildings. I want to build a building like that later.”

“You want to build a building?”

“Yeah. I’ll build a huge and pretty one so we can all live together. I’ll give the biggest room to my big brother. Grandma will get the next biggest room, and little brother will have the third one.”

“Of course, family is everything in Korea. Our Siyeon has grown up, hasn’t she?”

“Hehe.”

I patted Siyeon’s head and smiled contentedly. Then I briefly recalled what the president had said last.

We have sent awakened individuals for a pre-inspection in China. They were confirmed to have arrived this morning. They might come to see you, so please be aware.

I had a slight uneasy feeling.

According to the big data accumulated after returning to Earth, whenever such a statement was made, it usually meant something problematic was going to happen.

So, it was far more reassuring to assume that a problem was going to occur.

What mattered now was when that problem would happen…

“Your Holiness. We’ve arrived.”

“I’ll just drop off Siyeon and be back.”

“Okay.”

I dropped Siyeon off at the house, and handed her over to In-wook. Then I returned to the first floor.

Although I wanted to leave for the day, there were too many things I needed to check back in my office.

I had to review the documents the president gave me, and most importantly, that uneasy feeling still lingered in my mind.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

It takes about 5 minutes by car to reach the holy site. However, since the place was still crowded with people from all over the country, it was impossible to drive up to the front of the temple.

So, the alternative was to park in the closest lot and walk to the temple.

Normally, people would have recognized me and Leo, and there would have been a commotion, but for some reason, the atmosphere at the holy site felt strange. Was it chaotic?

Maybe it felt that way because there were fewer people due to the cold wave advisory.

“The atmosphere feels strange, Your Holiness.”

“I guess I’m not the only one who feels that way.”

Leo also seemed to think something was off, so it didn’t seem to be just my imagination.

We quickened our pace, and soon reached a spot where we could see the entrance to the temple.

Unlike the outskirts, there were quite a few people around the temple. But they were all whispering about something.

“What are they doing?”

“They suddenly appeared…”

“I heard them speaking Chinese.”

Through the murmuring crowd, I started to sense the presence of about ten or so awakened individuals.

Leo and I quietly moved through the crowd, and soon we were faced with a peculiar standoff in front of the temple.

At the top of the temple’s stairs, Archbishop Rapart, wearing white priestly robes, was looking down with his hands behind his back. Below him, there were several individuals who appeared to be awakened Chinese people, glaring at Archbishop Rapart.

From what I could hear, it seemed like the standoff hadn’t lasted long.

“I’ll say it again. You cannot enter the temple armed without the Holy Father’s permission. We won’t force our doctrine upon you, but we won’t tolerate any disrespect in this sacred place.”

Archbishop Rapart’s voice was soft yet carried a heavy, commanding presence.

Despite the tension, the Chinese awakened individuals all had their hands on their weapons, keeping an eye on Archbishop Rapart.

Among them, a woman who seemed to be their leader furrowed her brows and spoke.

“We only came to meet your pope.”

“If you want to meet the Holy Father, immediately disarm and cooperate.”

“That’s nonsense! You have no authority to disarm us. Bring your pope here. Our patience isn’t that deep.”

Somehow, after hearing what the president said earlier, I had a bad feeling. My body had already sensed that this situation would unfold.

“Your Holiness. I’ll handle this…”

I raised my hand to stop Leo from stepping forward and gave a sly smile.

“They said they came to meet me, right? Since they’ve come all the way to the temple, let’s at least hear them out.”

Now that I think about it, these were the first Chinese government-affiliated awakened individuals I had encountered since returning.

I couldn’t wait to hear what nonsense they would spout.

I slowly walked forward and said,

“We’ve troubled Archbishop Rapart for nothing. Don’t you know the importance of respecting the elderly? I’m sure Archbishop Rapart explained things in a way that’s easy to understand. Well… if you didn’t understand, then that can’t be helped.”

The Chinese awakened individuals all turned to look at me, and I smiled at them.

“I guess I’ll have to make you understand.”