WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: smol_anon
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 33: Episode 8 - Emergency Defence (1)
「Lee Hyeonseong was dozing off, just like an officer on duty at the command center.」
If this were in Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, it would probably describe him like that. Maybe there would have been another line, too.
「Lee Hyeonseong would have no idea what would happen to him today.」
“Hyeonseong-ssi?”
“...Ah, um, I dozed off for a bit. Did you rest well, Dokja-ssi?”
“Yes, I did. But you were sleep-talking. You kept saying something like ‘Private Lee Hyeonseong’...”
Hyeonseong's face flushed bright red.
“T-that’s... I still have a bit of trauma from my time as a soldier.”
“Soldier? But aren’t you an lieutenant, Hyeonseong-ssi?”
“Well... I was promoted to officer after joining through the third-class officer training program while I was still a corporal.”
“I heard that’s pretty rare. Seems like you were a good fit for the military.”
Hyeonseong gave a bitter smile. It was a smile I could understand well. People rarely stay in the military because they like it; more often, it’s because they don’t fit in anywhere else. Now, it was time to throw a stone into the pond and see the ripples.
“Still, I’m glad you’re with us, Hyeonseong-ssi.”
“...What?”
“When you’re at the front, I feel reassured. It feels like someone is protecting us.”
“...Is that so?”
Hyeonseong gave a faint smile. It was a weak smile, but there was a hint of comfort in it. After exchanging brief pleasantries, I moved away from him.
According to the original storyline of the third regression, Hyeonseong would have had an event at Geumho Station where he protected people from the Cheoldu Gang, leading to the evolution of his attribute. But that opportunity had been taken by Huiwon.
Before I knew it, Huiwon, Sangah, and Gilyeong had gathered around me, watching. I spoke to them in a hushed voice.
“Did you see the demonstration? Just do what I did.”
“Yes, well... roughly. But why do we have to do this?”
Why? Because of that.
[The character Lee Hyeonseong is beginning to feel a sense of responsibility.]
Watching Hyeonseong polish his iron shield with an innocent expression, I realized once more how overpowered [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] was. At least when it came to characters.
“It’s to help Hyeonseong-ssi. He’s been looking a bit down lately... Maybe with a little encouragement, he’ll recover faster.”
I spoke as if I genuinely cared for Hyeonseong. The ever-naive Sangah nodded her head.
“Like that saying, ‘even whales dance when they’re praised’?”
“Something like that.”
“I hope Hyeonseong-ssi recovers quickly, too!”
Unlike Sangah, Huiwon seemed a bit skeptical.
“Dokja-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Your patron constellation isn’t something like ‘the One-eyed Fortune Teller,’ is it?”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t know about Gung Ye[1]?”
She sure had a way of twisting words. For a moment, I wondered if Huiwon might actually be the author of Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, but of course, that was impossible. After all, Gung Ye’s nickname was the ‘One-eyed Maitreya,’ not a fortune teller.
“No, it’s not like that. I just have a special skill. Let’s say it helps me understand people well.”
“I won’t ask what it is, since you won’t tell me anyway.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re not using that skill on me, are you?”
I nearly let my expression slip, but I managed to keep it in check. Thank goodness Huiwon didn’t have [Lie Detection].
“It’s not a skill that can just figure out everything.”
Huiwon studied me with a thoughtful gaze and then smiled slightly.
“Hm, seems like that’s true.”
...What on earth was she thinking? I replied in a slightly sharper tone.
“Anyway, please keep encouraging him. First, Huiwon-ssi, then Sangah-ssi, and finally, Gilyeong. Say something to him once in a while, in that order.”
“Like, ‘I believe in you, Hyeonseong-ssi! Have hope!’ Something like that?”
“Just say it naturally.”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”
We had to do it. To ensure this plan succeeded, Hyeonseong’s ‘attribute evolution’ was essential. If I had known Yu Junghyeok would act like this, I would have planned this earlier... Still, if everyone put in their best effort, there should be results by the end of the day.
In practice, it seemed like things were going well.
“Hyeonseong-ssi, you’re always so reliable. Like a sturdy pine tree.”
“Haha, thank you, Huiwon-ssi. Coincidentally, my favorite military song is also ‘Green Pine Tree.’”
[The character feels a sense of pride.]
“...That’s not really what I was asking.”
[The character Lee Hyeonseong feels slightly dejected.]
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as righteous as you, Hyeonseong-ssi.”
“Ah... That’s not true. To be honest, someone like me... But thank you, Yu Sangah-ssi.”
[The character Lee Hyeonseong begins to contemplate justice.]
“Hyeonseong hyung, your muscles are the best.”
“Thanks, kid.”
[The character Lee Hyeonseong gains confidence.]
To think that such half-hearted compliments were working... I was thankful Hyeonseong was a simpleton. After a few similar exchanges, the system messages began to change.
[The character Lee Hyeonseong is waiting for the trigger his attribute evolution.]
Good, everything was going smoothly. Sangah whispered to me with a bit of concern.
“Hyeonseong-ssi seems a little overwhelmed.”
Of course, Sangah was kind-hearted. Even in this situation, she was concerned about people’s feelings. That was a quality I didn’t have.
“He might feel that way, but it’s necessary. There are some people who grow stronger the more burdens they carry.”
“Oh...”
“Don’t worry, it’ll turn out fine. And Gilyeong, did you find out what I asked?”
“Yes, hyung.”
Gilyeong, who had been waiting nearby, replied. A pair of cockroaches on his small head had their antennae twitching.
“That noona[2] is on the first basement floor.”
“Thanks.”
We had done enough for Hyeonseong. Now it was time to steal someone else’s strength. I made my way up the transfer stairs alone. As soon as I reached the top, I was greeted by members of the 'Landlord Coalition.'
“Haha, look who it is. The illegal tenant.”
“...”
“You pulled off some shit and managed to survive, even without a ‘room.’ I heard Yu Junghyeok helped you out?”
I ignored them and kept walking. Maybe they thought I was scared because they kept taunting me.
“Isn’t it tough being Yu Junghyeok’s lackey? Join our coalition. Pildu-ssi said he’d consider it.”
I pretended not to hear and counted the remaining Green Zones on each floor. One, two, three... For this plan to work, none could be overlooked.
“Of course, you’d have to bring along the women, too.”
Only eleven Green Zones remained. Yesterday’s scenario had significantly reduced their number. It was a tight margin for executing my plan.
“Hey, are you ignoring us?”
“I’m listening. Tell him I’ll think about it.”
The coalition members exchanged glances and chuckled. They could laugh for now. As I moved away, I took the escalator, but a blade quietly appeared at my neck from behind. There had been almost no sound... At this stage, there was only one skill capable of such stealth.
[Ghost Walk]
“Disappointing, old man.”
Lee Jihye. She was rude, but she had the skills to back it up. There was a reason she had been chosen by the great admiral.
“If you make deals with those bastards, you know what could happen to your girls, right?”
“Of course.”
Huiwon would decapitate those bastards before they had a chance. But Jihye didn’t know who Huiwon was.
“If you knew, then why not just die yesterday?”
“Put the knife down. I’m here to talk.”
“Talk? You came looking for me on purpose?”
“Yeah.”
At my words, Jihye put her knife away without a fuss. When I turned around, she was already gone from where she had been standing. Instead, I saw her blocking the path leading past the first basement ticket gate. She had retreated so fast.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“But why are you standing there?”
“My master told me to guard this spot. So you can’t pass, old man.”
Jihye tapped her knife against the ticket gate, pretending to slit her throat. I looked at the pathway beyond the gate, leading to various exits. But not all of them led to the surface. A sudden sense of dread washed over me.
Could Yu Junghyeok be using that route?
If Junghyeok had told her to guard this place, there was only one reason. He was using the opportunity during the scenario to secretly raid Chungmuro’s ‘hidden dungeon.’ Clearing the hidden dungeon… it sounded nice. After all, having the protagonist grow stronger wasn’t a bad thing for me.
The problem was that the dungeon was a place even the third round Yu Junghyeok couldn’t fully conquer.
It seemed like I needed to act faster than I had planned.
“I need your help.”
“My help?”
“I’m going to destroy Gong Pildu’s group today.”
“…Seriously?”
Lee Jihye’s eyes gleamed as if she were trying to gauge my sincerity.
[Your understanding of the character Lee Jihye has increased.]
“You won’t be able to do it alone. Even if all those lackeys team up, it won’t be enough.”
“What if you help?”
Jihye turned her head sharply, as if the suggestion hurt her pride.
I could understand. On the day she first arrived at this station, Jihye had probably challenged Gong Pildu. And she had fled. If Junghyeok hadn’t appeared just in time to save her, she would have been killed.
“There’s a way. If you help, we can make it work.”
“…My master told me to guard this spot.”
“If you don’t help, most of the people here will die.”
“They’re going to die anyway.”
“Is that what Junghyeok told you?”
Jihye’s expression wavered noticeably.
“The boy who was talking to us yesterday died. You know that, right?”
“…I know.”
“He could have lived. Today, he might have run up to us again, eager to tell stories about Yu Junghyeok’s feats.”
“That’s…”
“Junghyeok let him die. He could have saved him, but he didn’t.”
As I spoke, my emotions felt tangled. I was spouting some self-righteous nonsense, but I wasn’t so different from Junghyeok. On the subway, at Geumho Station… I had ignored people I might have been able to save because helping them threatened my own safety. But hypocrites are always good at making their lies sound convincing.
“I saw the video of you coming out of the subway.”
Jihye’s small shoulders flinched.
“The video where you survived by killing your classmate.”
“…Stop.”
“I doubt you really wanted to do that.”
[The character Lee Jihye is deeply shaken.]
“What do you know, old man?”
“What do I know? Of course, I don’t know. I’m just saying whatever I want.”
“……”
“But if I’m going to run my mouth, let me at least say this: If you turn away today, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Without a doubt.”
[The character Lee Jihye is caught in deep contemplation.]
I didn’t know ‘human’ Lee Jihye very well, but I knew the ‘character’ Lee Jihye. Left alone, she would become Yu Junghyeok’s loyal subordinate. But that was in the future; it hadn’t happened yet. She might admire Junghyeok’s strength, but fundamentally, she was different from him.
It was a few minutes later when Jihye finally spoke.
“If I help, will people survive?”
“Not everyone, but quite a few will.”
“…What do you need me to do?”
“We’re going to move at seven this evening.”
I laid out the plan, highlighting the tasks only Jihye could handle.
Jihye listened quietly, her mouth slowly dropping open.
“Are you insane? Are you really going to do that?”
“I am.”
“…Honestly, I don’t think it will work. Just to be clear, I haven’t agreed to help yet.”
“The choice is yours.”
Even though she spoke that way, Lee Jihye would move. There was a reason she had been chosen by the great admiral.
[The constellation Secretive Plotter likes your brazenness.]
[You have been gifted 100 coins.]
[Lee Jihye’s patron constellation is favorably impressed with you.]
[You have been gifted an additional 100 coins.]
Now, everything was ready.
Footnotes:
[1] Gung Ye was a famous king of Goguryeo who only had one eye. It was claimed that he could see evil spirits with his missing eye and he was extremely tyrannical. He's a meme in Korea because in a historical drama, he killed someone just because that person coughed.
[2] "Noona" (누나) is a Korean honorific term that means "older sister" or "female acquaintance". It is used by males to address older females, and can convey respect, affection, and endearment.
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