Chapter 52: Miracle And Patriotism Island, Ulleung (1)
Seize the moment, I thought, as I finished Brewer’s soup dinner and immediately boarded the regular ferry to Ulleung Island.
[What is the purpose of visiting Ulleung Island at this time?]
[I am taking leave tomorrow! I am going to eat squid sashimi.]
[Accepted. When will you return? What’s your travel plan?]
[I plan to see Dokdo at dawn, buy some pumpkin candy, and then return in the afternoon or evening.]
[Hmm, the perfect tourist. Pass!]
[Excuse me? Isn’t your reason a bit strange? I’m trying to enter Ulleung Island.]
[You are an employee of Sejong Island Academy. You are an ‘inlander’ whose verification has already ended at the academy level, so there is no need to strictly verify. You’re going from Sejong Island to Ulleung Island.]
[Well, that makes sense.]
If my departure point was not Sejong Island, it would not have been easy to get to Ulleung Island.
Even though it had been inhabited for a very long time, Ulleung Island, being close to Sejong Island, was as strictly controlled in terms of entry and exit as Sejong Island.
Especially between Sejong Island and Ulleung Island.
Given that there were people sneaking to Sejong Island through Ulleung Island, the ship traveling between Ulleung Island and Sejong Island did not simply look like a passenger ship but a warship.
Furthermore, the entrance examination was as intense as the immigration examination in Sejong Island.
[Shouldn’t we process it according to the manual anyway?]
[It’s okay because an employee of Sejong Island Academy is going to Ulleung Island. It’s not like you’re going with foreigners. No, if you’re taking a foreign daughter-in-law, do you get an immediate free pass? Hehehe.]
As it was Sunday evening, I could barely catch the last boat to Ulleung Island, but if the inspection had been a little later, I would not have been able to enter Ulleung Island.
I barely made it.
The ship arrived at Ulleung Port.
“Stop. Everyone line up and disembark one by one. You must follow the agent’s instructions until your identity is confirmed.”
After disembarking from the ship docked at Ulleung Port, which was built on a scale reminiscent of Busan International Port, I went through the same entry examination as when I left Sejong Island and exited Ulleung Port.
‘Here is the Ulleung Island of this world.’
Being here, the memories of visiting Dokdo with my friends came flooding back.
One thing was a little disappointing.
‘Is this Ulleung Island or Guam?’
The Ulleung Island I knew did not exist in this world.
It was taken for granted that there would be all sorts of seaside franchises, and there was even an abundance of foreign franchises.
The buildings were weather-beaten by the sea breeze, but they were maintained in a design much more sophisticated than those in Seoul, and neon signs were flashing like Gangnam’s nightlife.
[Welcome to the Miracle Island, Ulleung Island!]
Beneath this phrase were written all kinds of foreign languages, and women in uniforms similar to a sailor look were positioned around the place like tour guides soliciting foreign visitors.
If I had to summarize the Ulleung Island of this world in one sentence, I could say it’s a resort operated by the country.
Ulleung Island has become a tourist attraction surpassing Jeju Island to the extent that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it Ulleung Guam or Ulleung Saipan.
All because of mana.
In order to absorb as much mana as possible from the East Sea for Sejong Island, people searched for locations in the East Sea, and among them, everyone wanted to get into Ulleung Island, which was the closest to Sejong Island.
Those who came to the island were usually ability users.
After securing accommodation on the island, they accumulated mana through their own form of mana meditation.
Because more mana accumulated when in Ulleung than in Uljin or Gangneung.
But many non-ability users also visited Ulleung Island a lot.
Who were they?
The residents of Ulleung Island?
No.
“Honey, do you think we can really succeed?”
“We have to. We came here for one night and two days with the money to go to Hawaii for three nights and five days. I’ll make sure we succeed.”
“Honey, if we really have ‘that child,’ we’re going to raise them happily, right?”
“Right. We’re raising them as patriots, not villains.”
Primarily, many ‘newlyweds’ in their 20s or 30s visit here.
You could hardly see any young children.
‘Ability users under 15’ couldn’t even enter this island.
There was no reason for a child to come to Ulleung Island, this ‘island of dreams for adults.’
Because this was an island where children were conceived.
“You there, young man. Did you come alone?”
An elderly man in a gray suit who looked to be around his seventies approached me.
The old man who picked us up when we came to play in Ulleung Island with friends wore a fishing vest sold in the market, but the clothes of the elderly here are different.
The Rolex he wore over the Taegeuk Watch already proved the old man’s flex.
This old man was old and aged, but he was incredibly rich.
And there were not just one or two such old men.
“What about the lady?”
“I came alone. I’m a faculty member of Sejong Academy.”
“Oh, really? That’s a shame. I thought you were newlyweds who came for the ‘Ability-Bearer Pregnancy Course’.”
“Hahaha….”
Parental expectations were quite something.
They wanted their child to excel over others, and in this world, even if you were ignorant or lacked talent, if you had ‘abilities,’ you could survive and thrive.
“You might know this, but people born before the great change, like me, also have a way to contribute to the country in this era of abilities. That is, by giving birth to children with abilities.”
“Do you have any grandchildren who are ability users?”
“Listen here, young man. My son is now a B-class ability user. Even if people say having a child at forty is risky, childbirth is still childbirth.”
“Oh….”
A child born with a silver spoon?
So, could that child wield that spoon?
Even the golden spoon had to bow before the spoon of superpowers, and parents tried to make their children awaken their superpowers even if they couldn’t leave them a substantial amount of money.
“If you look at the locals of Ulleung Island, they have or have had at least one family member or relative who is an ability user. The same goes for the bachelors and bachelorettes who come to Ulleung Island. Why do you think so many people come here even when we charge 5 million won per night? They all come because they want to make their kids superpower users.”
“‘Pumpkin Honeymoon’.”
“Don’t use foreign words. Well, that’s how we make our living, but use our language.”
“What does that mean?”
“Patriotic trip.”
“…….”
Somehow, my child should become an ability user.
The honeymoon in Ulleung Island for the purpose of birthing ability users was created in such an environment.
Significant statistical data had actually been released, and the children born to couples who had their honeymoon in Ulleung Island were indeed significantly more likely to be born as ability users.
Although it would be difficult to live on Ulleung Island for a year as it would cost hundreds of millions of won, you can come for a night to receive the energy of Ulleung Island when conception happens.
Now in 2025, most of the couples who visited Ulleung Island were those who have chosen a golden day.
Not only Korean couples but also foreign couples had the same purpose.
This place was a pregnancy hotspot.
It was not a place for sightseeing; it was a place where people came for pregnancy.
“There’s no reason for a man to come here alone… Are you trying to seduce a woman from Ulleung Island? If so, give up. Even the Board of Audit and Inspection can’t overcome the Ulleung Island virgins.”
“……Haha.”
“What’s with that reaction? Are you an ability user?”
“I’m not an ability user. It just seems quite different from the Ulleung Island I remember from my childhood.”
A gleam appeared in the old man’s eyes.
“From your childhood? Hehe, my friend. When you were a child, Ulleung Island was in its heyday, surpassing Jeju.”
“It was when my parents were young and had a date in Ulleung Island. I’ve heard a lot about that time.”
“Hehe, my friend, talking about Ulleung Island before the great transformation.”
The old man was lost in nostalgia, looking out at the distant sea.
Against a backdrop of many twinkling neon signs.
“Back in the day, everyone here used to fish and board ships. But there are no fishermen here now. The government forcibly changed everything into pensions and hotels.”
“Weren’t there any objections?”
“Objections? If they had driven us out, it would have caused a big fuss. Fortunately, nothing like that happened. Making money by serving tourists is a hundred, a thousand times more profitable than fishing under the sun; who would refuse that?”
The profit was too great to refuse.
“The Ulleung Island where your parents’ memories are stored is gone. This place now has only one purpose.”
The purpose of patriotism.
Giving birth was, after all, patriotism.
“So the real reason you came alone is that? No matter if you’re a teacher from Sejong Island, it’s a bit suspicious?”
“Haha. Yes, I came alone. Actually… I’m this kind of person.”
I pulled out a business card.
“A teacher from Sejong Island has this kind of business card… Hmm…?!”
“Sir.”
I winked at the old man, and he immediately handed me back the business card, clicking his tongue.
“What a mysterious gentleman you are… Hehe. Ms. Brewer’s contact said someone was coming, and it turns out I’ve got a very important guest.”
“I’ll be in your care.”
This old man.
A local of Ulleung Island and, at the same time, the manager of a pension directly operated by the Gyeolsa.
“Welcome to Ulleung Island, the island of miracles and patriotism.”
The old man pressed his car key toward the parking lot, and a black midsize sedan flashed its lights as if it had been called.
Vroom.
The car sprang forward on its own, and the old man opened the rear seat door.
“All this for me?”
“When you go to a five-star hotel in Seoul, they offer valet parking. Wouldn’t it be appropriate to do the same at a pension that costs 5 million won per night?”
“That makes sense.”
I laid back in the seat.
“Then… I’ll comfortably take you to your destination, Manager Do.”
“Thank you. Sir.”
“Yes.”
Did this old man know?
That the hot spring arising from his land and the pension built around it were the most valuable places on Earth.
He probably didn’t know.
He must only see himself as a plain pension manager and a collaborator with the Gyeolsa.
In the first place, nobody knew that the hot spring this old man managed had such efficacy.
“Um, Manager Do. I’m really curious, so I’m asking.”
“What is it?”
“…Who among the board members is the lady you’ll bring with you next time? Perhaps, the chairman?”
No matter how much Ulleung Island had changed.
“Perhaps all five…?”
“…….”
“Oh. It’s fine if it’s not. I’ll keep my mouth shut even if you bring another woman. Hehe.”
The elders of this country remained the same.
Ulleung Island.
Overseas, they called this place the island of miracles and pregnancy.
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