WeTried Translations
Translator: NEET_Romulus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Dropped into the Ending of a Trash Show as an Extra ◈
Chapter 7: Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (1)
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At Song Haksu's command, the rebel leadership began moving in earnest.
The 17th and 60th Divisions had joined the self-proclaimed emperor, but even combined, they were no match for them in strength.
The 1st Imperial Guard Brigade was the core of the capital's defenses.
They also had armored forces drawn from the two divisions controlling Seoul.
If they deployed from here, they could take the enemy's heads within an hour.
They said they would not retreat? At least no one here was moved by that. They had already seen an idiot who knew nothing but charging forward.
"It'd be nice if he charged in on a white horse, swinging a longsword, like our late Crown Prince."
"...We should've shot him then."
Those imperial kinsmen were no different. They were all pathetic specimens, their names turning up in strange files.
What could possibly come from stock like that?
"Pass the word to the troops. Once the order to engage comes down, they are not to hesitate."
The Guard Brigade commander spoke.
"This is war."
* * *
At some point, the studio's ON AIR light went dark.
The light on the camera lens went dark as well.
The broadcast was over.
A gentle yet firm voice brought me back to my senses.
"Your Majesty."
When I turned my head, Seo Yu-jin was standing there upright, though I had no idea when she had come in.
"You have worked tremendously hard."
"At least I didn't stumble over my lines."
I sank into the studio chair as I spoke.
"You were more... skilled than I expected. Have you ever given a speech before?"
"Not really."
I answered carelessly because I was exhausted, but perhaps Seo Yu-jin interpreted even that as the Emperor's anguish. She simply lowered her head in silence.
"Let's go."
The icy silence lasted only a moment.
When we opened the studio door, the broadcasting station was utter chaos.
Riiing!
"Director! The switchboard is jammed!"
"We're getting calls from the Air Force hotline too!"
"Foreign media are asking us to fax them an English script of the live broadcast we just aired!"
"What are the reporting guidelines in the current situation...?"
Outside the door, the news director ran about, drenched in sweat.
Seo Yu-jin walked beside me and spoke.
"Since your address was broadcast, calls have been flooding the station. Government agencies and affiliated organizations across the country, having confirmed that the Imperial House still exists, are quickly rallying to our side."
"That's a relief."
If all they knew was that an imperial kinsman was alive, they would have had no way of knowing whether it was true or which side to support.
No matter what obscure imperial kinsman Lee Jin might have been, once I had entered the Imperial Broadcasting Service, IBS, with the military and delivered an address, my accession had effectively become official.
"Starting tomorrow, unions across the country will begin a general strike. They have declared that if the situation is not resolved, they will launch a full strike at 06:00."
"A general strike."
"Their stated cause is condemnation of Song Haksu's rebel forces for destroying the constitutional order, and support for Your Majesty, the legitimate successor. All logistics, railway, port, and telecommunications unions have resolved to refuse any cooperation with the rebels."
I looked down at the labor movement's resolutions steadily pouring in through the fax machine.
"And troops are coming down from Pyongyang."
"They sure took their time after testing the waters."
I clicked my tongue.
The rebellion had broken out in the afternoon, and they were only moving now.
They had spent all that time watching how things would turn out in Seoul. Now that I was alive and had gone on the air, they were finally coming down to join the winning side.
"I will not deny that political calculations are involved. Even so, large-scale regular forces from Pyongyang are desperately needed to break through the Capital Defense Command's armored forces and air-defense network head-on. Marshal Song Haksu must fear that fact most of all."
At least we were no longer alone.
An army from the north was coming down in obedience to the imperial decree.
Of course, there was another side to that hopeful news.
It was obvious what the rebels had been doing in Seoul all this time.
"Common sense says that if you stage a coup, you first declare martial law and convene the National Assembly, by force if necessary, to give legitimacy to your actions."
But they had not.
Seo Yu-jin nodded at my observation and answered.
"They fundamentally distrust the National Assembly and despise politicians. Wasn't the justification for this coup their claim that they would end the so-called corrupt old era? In their eyes, the Imperial House and the National Assembly are both rotten flesh that must be cut away. They likely never considered having the Assembly endorse their actions."
Unless they intended to dissolve the Assembly altogether.
"They are trying to complete the coup entirely by military logic."
They had seized government offices in Seoul by force, commandeered the administrative network, and immediately attempted military rule.
They had broadcast declarations to the public that were closer to notifications than consultation. Treating their complete takeover of the government as an accomplished fact, their priority had been behind-the-scenes negotiations with military forces that were still hanging back.
"And I ruined all of that."
I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes.
When they believed that the Emperor, their central figure, had vanished, the corps had watched and waited. The moment I formally declared my accession and issued orders, they had no choice but to fall in line with us.
The troops from Pyongyang, who had kept calculating even amid the unprecedented destruction of the Imperial House, were one example.
"Then the rebels' next move is obvious."
I pointed beyond the broadcasting station, in the direction of Seoul.
"They'll try to erase that central figure again, even if they have to capture and kill me. Then they'll try to establish their accomplished fact all over again."
I sprang to my feet.
"This is Ilsan, right? How long does it take to get here from Seoul?"
"Taking Northwest Boulevard, it would take less than forty minutes in armored vehicles."
I nodded.
"Call Captain Kwak."
* * *
Outside IBS Second Broadcasting Station in Ilsan, Captain Kwak Ji-hoon opened his eyes with a beastlike groan.
"Ughhh..."
His head felt as if it would split apart. A horrible headache, like someone had pulled out his brain, put it through a blender, then stuffed it back in. A hangover.
"My head... Damn it, did I drink too much last night?"
Kwak Ji-hoon muttered as he unconsciously pressed his temples.
Right. Alcohol. Western liquor. He had been drinking premium Western liquor with Jin, his older friend, at the pork belly place in town. One drink for every piece of meat, two drinks for two pieces...
Then the TV had suddenly shown Deoksu Palace exploding with a bang! He had received an emergency order to return to his unit and run like mad.
"Right, I remember up to there..."
Kwak Ji-hoon stared blankly at the ceiling of the armored personnel carrier.
"Man, what an insane nightmare."
The dream he had experienced had been truly spectacular.
His older friend Jin had suddenly become Emperor. During a wartime deployment, he had mistaken the Western liquor in his canteen for water and gulped it down.
Then he had driven the armored personnel carrier straight into the river, crossed the Han River, climbed onto shore, and shouted at the Army soldiers blocking the road, "We are escorting the imperial procession!"
It had been a spectacular, blockbuster-level nightmare.
Military life had clearly been stressing him out too much.
'I dreamed I was calling Jin "Your Majesty." What the hell is wrong with me?'
Kwak Ji-hoon snorted and pushed himself up.
Then he rubbed his eyes at the sight of the broadcasting station before him and the defensive positions set up in front of it.
And at his company members, unable to hide their excitement and tension.
"Company Commander! Are you awake now?"
"I still can't believe it! That decisiveness when you crossed the Han River earlier! That overwhelming presence! Tonight will remain in Marine Corps history forever!"
"...What?"
Kwak Ji-hoon's brain shut down.
"His Majesty the Emperor must have been deeply moved by your loyalty as well! He has just finished announcing his accession on nationwide live television, so isn't our 2nd Marine Division now a national hero that saved the Imperial House? Certain victory!"
"..."
Kwak Ji-hoon's gaze slowly lowered.
The empty canteen rolling on the floor of the armored personnel carrier.
His combat uniform trousers, badly wrinkled from all the running.
And beyond the hatch, the gleaming IBS Second Broadcasting Station sign.
It wasn't a dream.
"We're fucked."
That was all Kwak Ji-hoon could say.
And when he was summoned by Lee Jin, he cursed himself for not staying drunk.
* * *
"The 60th and 17th Division headquarters say they will detach their organic tank battalions and rush them here, but Your Majesty's safety must be our highest priority."
"Bro... Um, Your Majesty. Secretary Seo is right. We must move to the underground parking garage immediately and get into a vehicle. We'll find a route around through Paju to join the Northern Front Army."
Seo Yu-jin and Captain Kwak urged me to flee without question.
But I did not move.
"Time is tight enough that it won't be easy for me to escape alone. If the main force is pulled away to protect me, what happens to the soldiers left behind?"
"..."
I didn't think the men who had blown up the Imperial Palace would show those people any mercy.
Especially not the soldiers of the 1st Imperial Guard Brigade, who had directly started the coup. Unlike Capital Defense Command troops who had likely been dragged into it to some degree, they would not keep avoiding combat.
I tore at the imperial ceremonial robes covering me.
Snap, rip!
"Your Majesty? What are you doing?"
Seo Yu-jin asked in a shocked voice.
I slipped off the outer robe and tossed it onto a nearby desk.
It felt as though I could breathe again.
I called over a broadcasting station producer.
"You can launch a drone, right?"
"A drone? Y-yes. We're in emergency news coverage, so we have ENG cameras standing by, as well as a broadcast camera drone."
"Launch it immediately. Broadcast the situation in front of this station live to the entire country. Don't miss a single shot."
I turned to Seo Yu-jin.
"And Secretary Seo."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Does the station have any other clothes? Let's change again."
Seo Yu-jin looked bewildered by my sudden question.
"...Why do you command this, Your Majesty?"
"I just said I wouldn't retreat and would defend the country. What happens to my dignity if I cut and run?"
I rolled up my sleeves and looked Captain Kwak Ji-hoon directly in the eye.
"Search the props department, the unit, anywhere you can."
I gave the two frozen people a short command.
"Bring me a military uniform."
* * *
Northwest Boulevard.
A ten-lane road running between Seoul and Ilsan.
Normally, it would have been packed with commuters. Now, only tank treads ground harshly over the asphalt.
"Front right! Apartment building, twelve o'clock, seventh floor!"
The observation officer in the lead vehicle, watching ahead through the open upper hatch, urgently spoke into the radio.
"The window is open! Unidentified person spotted! Possible sniper or anti-tank weapon!"
The command net erupted into confusion. The lead tank's turret turned toward the apartment building with a mechanical whine.
"Do we fire?"
"Not yet. Don't jump the gun! Zoom in and confirm it properly! The Revolutionary Commander gave strict orders that innocent civilians must not be harmed!"
Not long after the brigade commander's order, a reply came.
"...Confirmed. Just a civilian. Looks like he came out for a cigarette."
The one who had opened the window was indeed an ordinary middle-aged man. He hung something outside, then hurried back in.
Flap.
A piece of cloth fluttered in the cold wind.
It was a Taegeukgi[1].
"...A Taegeukgi?"
The adjutant beside the commander murmured in confusion.
That was when it happened.
A window on the floor above opened. Another Taegeukgi was hung there.
A window in the apartment building next door opened. Another flag appeared.
One, two.
Ten. A hundred. A thousand.
The walls of the enormous apartment complexes, which had been sunk in silence, became covered in waves of red and blue Taegeukgi in an instant.
Like a suppressed blaze spreading.
"Commander, what in the world is that...?"
"Quiet! Don't pay attention to it! Keep moving! Don't slow down!"
The brigade commander forced down their emotions, veins standing out in their neck.
But just as the armored column fully entered the heart of the city...
Screeeech!
The tanks at the front braked violently.
The column behind them stopped like falling dominoes.
"What is it? Why have we stopped?"
The brigade commander snatched up the radio in irritation.
"Front line! What is happening? Has the enemy appeared?"
[W-well... Commander. I think you need to see this yourself.]
The lead vehicle's voice was deeply flustered.
"Damn it. Why can't they move faster?"
The brigade commander threw open the hatch and jumped out of the command vehicle.
Their boots rang against the road as they strode to the very front of the column.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you pushing forward right..."
The brigade commander's furious shout vanished into thin air.
Their feet would not move from the asphalt.
Their mouth hung open, but no sound came out.
The Northwest Boulevard exit road filled the commander's view.
Every apartment building, shop, low-rise multifamily home, and house lining both sides.
The end of the road they had to advance along, all the way to the distant horizon.
Without a single exception, every window bore a Taegeukgi.
Mourning flags, all hung low as though by prior agreement.
"...Ah."
The winter wind blew.
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Taegeukgi fluttered at once.
They were like furious waves rolling toward them.
Footnotes:
[1] Taegeukgi: Korea's national flag; flying it lowered is a sign of mourning.
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