Chapter 90
Within the cult, notorious even among its own ranks, the declaration to deploy the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on-site was not an exaggeration but an undeniable truth of Jung Dong-gun’s fear.
Above all, the Balhut IRS…
“Then, Mr. Jung Dong-gun, please hand over the information the military has about criminal organizations within the Balhut Cult’s territory.”
“Ah, yes.”
Even against remnants of Do Josoon’s faction or criminal organizations in North Gyeongju, their aggressive tax collection activities spared no one.
To achieve this, they collaborated with Jung Dong-gun, who was in charge of maintaining public order. In fact, the Balhut IRS often identified the movements of criminal organizations even before the military did.
As a group that grasped the flow of money better than anyone else, they already had the illegal financial flows in their hands.
Of course, from the IRS’s perspective, even criminal organizations were seen as diligent taxpayers as long as they paid their taxes properly. They wouldn’t necessarily share information unless taxes were evaded.
To the IRS, paying taxes properly marked someone as a “responsible taxpayer” and, therefore, a citizen of the Balhut Cult.
“…It’s fine to hand it over, but is there really a need to provoke them?”
“And why is that?”
“Because we still lack definitive evidence of their criminal activities.”
However, even for the IRS, investigating criminal organizations without concrete evidence would understandably cause concern.
If the military couldn’t identify any criminal history, it meant these groups weren’t engaging in blatant or overtly visible crimes, behaving only as petty offenders at most.
In a state where the combined presence of the military and the IRS already psychologically suppressed these groups, unnecessarily provoking them could plunge North Gyeongju’s recently stabilized order back into chaos.
It wasn’t that Jung Dong-gun liked or tolerated them. He simply refrained from acting as long as they remained quiet, as this approach maintained public order.
“I am well aware of their criminal acts. However, arresting them without evidence will invite backlash, citing a lack of justification.”
“Ah, we only need one organization. The rest you can handle as you see fit, Mr. Jung. And if there’s no evidence, our IRS agents can uncover it in advance. Would you like to cooperate?”
Jung Dong-gun hesitated at this notion, wary of the consequences. He cautiously suggested dropping the idea, but Lee Hyuna dismissed his concerns, stating that she only needed one group and that the rest could be left to him.
On the contrary, she seemed excited, treating this as an opportunity to uncover evidence on troublesome organizations that Jung Dong-gun had been tolerating for so long. Her confident expression alarmed Jung Dong-gun.
“Uh… I’ll pass.”
Waving his hands, Jung Dong-gun promptly declined Lee Hyuna’s proposal.
If the IRS were to intervene in this situation, the public order in North Gyeongju would completely spiral out of his control.
If only one organization was needed, sacrificing that group for the stability of the region seemed like the most reasonable course of action.
“Haha, is the great Jung Dong-gun scared of a mere IRS agent?”
“Haha, a mere IRS agent, you say? You’re quite funny.”
Lee Hyuna, seemingly misunderstanding Jung Dong-gun’s firm refusal, joked about him being afraid of her subordinates.
But Jung Dong-gun, with a bitter expression, resisted the urge to retort.
With all the commotion they caused, how could anyone not fear them? Only a beast, not a human, could remain unfazed.
“So, why do you need a criminal organization in North Gyeongju?”
“Oh, I plan to impersonate myself or one of our agents as a member of that organization. This operation will proceed under the name of an unknown criminal group, not the Balhut Cult.”
“…What exactly do you intend to do? Sabotage or political maneuvering within Daegu?”
Though he could barely suppress his doubts, Jung Dong-gun pressed further to understand Lee Hyuna’s intentions. However, her answer left him perplexed.
Instead of sabotage or political schemes, she intended to send supplies to Daegu under the guise of a criminal organization, not the Balhut Cult.
“Not under the cult’s name, but a criminal organization’s name….”
It wasn’t sabotage or political maneuvering.
Rather, her plan to deliver supplies to Daegu in the name of a criminal organization made Jung Dong-gun pause.
‘There are two possibilities. The first is a strategic move to manage external perceptions of the Balhut Cult.’
From her words, Jung Dong-gun deduced two potential motives.
The first was a strategic measure to manage how the Balhut Cult was perceived externally, similar to their experience in Pohang.
The Balhut Cult, as viewed from the outside, could still be considered no more than a growing doomsday cult.
Of course, the United States had recognized the Balhut Cult as more than a simple cult when it had direct dealings with God Bahamut. However, this was largely due to their advanced intelligence infrastructure.
Thus, in the Korean Peninsula, where the Balhut Cult’s reputation remained that of a mere cult, offering aid to other regions under a different name was somewhat understandable.
‘However, that doesn’t require the name of a criminal organization. This first argument is flawed.’
If they truly wanted to provide external support, there was no need to use the name of a criminal organization.
They could have simply used the name of any surviving civilian group. In this era, organizations could easily establish credibility through tangible achievements.
‘The second possibility… Selection. Distinguishing those favorable to the cult from those who are not. If they’re willing to use the name of a criminal organization…’
The second possibility Jung Dong-gun considered was selection.
If they were willing to use the name of a criminal organization, it could be a method to distinguish those favorable to the cult from those who were not.
“…Understood.”
Ending his train of thought, Jung Dong-gun decided to comply, sensing that this wouldn’t harm the Balhut Cult. He provided Lee Hyuna with the desired organization and their details.
Presenting a detailed report on the organization’s history, Jung Dong-gun personally recommended a group, even showing her the leader’s photograph.
“Their name is Kim Ha-yeon. After the apocalypse, they operated as a subordinate to Do Josoon and have been leading a small-scale criminal group in North Gyeongju recently. One notable aspect is that their leader is a woman.”
“You’re perceptive. This is an excellent recommendation. Especially since they were once Do Josoon’s subordinates, which I find particularly appealing.”
Lee Hyuna, who seemed to have anticipated this, smiled with satisfaction as she listened to the details.
Jung Dong-gun had cleverly identified the precise group Lee Hyuna sought.
The fact that they had once served the tyrant Do Josoon seemed to delight her, and she carefully reviewed the dossier handed to her by Jung Dong-gun.
“Hmm. Poppy cultivation somewhere in North Gyeongju?”
“It’s just a suspicion. There hasn’t been any actual distribution of illegal opium within Gyeongju yet.”
“Opium, huh? Well, recently, I’ve heard that people in the community have been looking for opium as an anesthetic or painkiller.”
According to the dossier, Kim Ha-yeon’s faction has settled somewhere in North Gyeongju, cultivating and harvesting poppies.
The problem is that the military has yet to locate the fields where they grow and harvest the poppies.
“Considering that opium was found in Do Josoon’s storage in the past, it’s probably some hidden legacy of his that we haven’t uncovered yet.”
“That man… He really excelled at being a tyrant.”
“We only have circumstantial evidence, no concrete proof. The military still hasn’t found their poppy fields.”
In other words, there was plenty of suspicion but no actual evidence to present.
However, if Jung Dong-gun decided to act, arresting them on charges of illegal drug distribution would not be difficult.
After all, they were remnants of Do Josoon’s faction. Using the pretext of eradicating remnants, they wouldn’t have any means to resist.
“And if these guys suddenly disappeared, some strange folks could take their place. For now, we’re leaving them alone as long as they don’t cause trouble.”
“A bunch of troublesome mayflies, huh?”
The issue was that arresting them could create a power vacuum, allowing someone worse to take over. This could destabilize the already fragile public order in North Gyeongju. To avoid the worst-case scenario, Jung Dong-gun chose the lesser evil, monitoring Kim Ha-yeon’s faction closely as long as they didn’t create major incidents.
Moreover, the reality was that there wasn’t enough manpower to spare for arrests if the group was merely playing low-key.
“What are your plans? Unless they cause a big incident, we’re just keeping an eye on them.”
But the Internal Revenue Service… Once Lee Hyuna set her sights on someone, their fate was sealed.
Closing his eyes, Jung Dong-gun asked what she intended to do, knowing what fate awaited Kim Ha-yeon’s faction.
“There are rumors they’re manufacturing drugs. You’re saying there’s no solid evidence, just suspicions?”
“Yes. There’s no justification for openly arresting them. While we’ve found a few poppies not registered under their names, even before the Apocalypse, rural households occasionally grew poppies for ornamental purposes or as emergency medicine. It wasn’t unheard of.”
When asked if there was really no evidence, Jung Dong-gun replied that there wasn’t.
Of course, they weren’t sitting idly by. They had scoured Gyeongju and found illegally cultivated poppies. However, these people often claimed they were growing the flowers for ornamental purposes or as a backup for pain relief in emergencies. Even with such excuses, it wasn’t easy for the military to act decisively.
“Besides, we’re in the Apocalypse now. Opium can be used as a cure-all.”
In the Apocalypse, the easiest painkiller and anesthetic to obtain was opium. They could plausibly argue that they were cultivating poppies for such purposes.
Before the Apocalypse, such excuses wouldn’t hold water, but in these times, they were sufficient.
“Even we’ve allowed small-scale cultivation, considering the shortage of painkillers in hospitals recently.”
“Yes. Choi Yuna is quite busy, too.”
The Balhut Cult had also permitted small-scale cultivation for anesthetic and painkiller purposes.
While they had individuals like Choi Yuna and Baek Seol-hwa capable of healing, these two weren’t always present at the cult’s headquarters.
Since they frequently traveled for other duties, routine treatment was handled by hospitals in various cities.
“Are they operating shell companies to hide this?”
“Yes. It seems they’ve noticed our surveillance. They’re running front businesses to avoid suspicion.”
Although cultivation was permitted, it was restricted to locations sanctioned by the Balhut Cult. Cultivating elsewhere was illegal.
This led Lee Hyuna to inquire about the existence of potential shell companies, to which Jung Dong-gun confirmed their presence.
That was enough for Lee Hyuna.
“Are they paying taxes?”
“No, we haven’t received reports of diligent tax payments.”
After all, if they weren’t phantom entities but shell companies, they had a duty to pay taxes. The Internal Revenue Service existed to collect from such individuals.
If they weren’t paying taxes, the IRS had every reason to step in.
Looking genuinely pleased, Lee Hyuna stood up with the documents and slowly headed outside.
“Well, that’s perfect. I’ll handle it myself.”
“Are you sure? Since this involves us too, we can provide support troops…”
Jung Dong-gun offered reinforcements, just in case, to Lee Hyuna as she left.
“Who do you think I am?”
“As part of the Balhut Cult’s Internal Revenue Service, I receive equipment similar to yours.”
“Ah.”
For the IRS, this was no problem.
They were confident in their ability to collect taxes, even from Awakeners. The IRS had a reputation for silencing even crying children when it came to tax collection from defaulters.
Determined to prove their efficiency, Lee Hyuna immediately dispatched elite IRS agents to North Gyeongju.
“Freeze! We’re agents from the Internal Revenue Service! You’re under suspicion of tax evasion! Everyone inside, fulfill your duty to pay taxes without resistance!”
“Aaaaagh!?”
At Kim Ha-yeon’s hideout, the notorious IRS agents smashed through their sturdy iron door with a sledgehammer and stormed in.
Typically, one would expect fierce resistance from the gang members and their boss when confronted with such a sudden raid by IRS agents.
“It’s the IRS! Those dogs of Lee Hyuna’s infamous IRS have come all the way here!”
“Oh no! We’re doomed! They’re going to take our organs and our lives!”
“Oh, dear God! Why have you given us this trial?”
But instead, Kim Ha-yeon’s faction panicked, screaming, “We’re all dead!” and immediately dropped to their knees without putting up any resistance.
“How dare you refuse to pay sacred taxes, you petty criminals? Tax evaders belong in hell.”
“I-I-I’ll report my taxes! I’ll pay all the overdue taxes right here! Please, just spare me this once!”
“No can do. No exceptions.”
Kim Ha-yeon, rumored to be one of Do Josoon’s subordinates, begged for mercy, kneeling and bowing her head, pleading to pay her taxes immediately.
One might wonder if they had no pride as a criminal organization.
“The IRS, led by Lee Hyuna, has already obliterated numerous organizations and Awakeners!”
The agents under Lee Hyuna had already gained significant notoriety in North Gyeongju.
But when notoriety accumulates, it becomes fame.
For ordinary citizens who diligently paid their taxes, the IRS’s enforcement punches were nothing short of cathartic justice.
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