WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈
Chapter 86: Judgment
──────
“...”
Fortunately, things did not go so far as me leaving Korea for the International Court of Justice.
Instead, I was first transferred to the Korean police and investigated in Korea.
“Hmm...”
“No...”
In the interrogation room, the investigators’ expressions kept changing as they watched the film I had made.
“Ha...”
“Hm...”
“Uh...”
Some bit their lips.
Some could not properly look at the evidence and kept turning away.
Some gagged now and then, while others squeezed their eyes shut at regular intervals.
“Um, Fixer? No, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon?”
“Yes.”
“So all of this is CG?”
“That’s right. Not a single real person appears in it. It’s all graphics.”
“Hmmm...”
“I can prove it, too.”
I took out Sarang-i and made a request.
“Can you make a simple one-minute film right now, starring the investigators in front of me?”
『That is possible. What should it be about?』
“Please make it about the same theme as my film.”
“Wh-what?”
『Understood.』
Before the investigators could stop it, a little power was consumed, and a one-minute film was made.
“Here it is.”
“No, you made a film like that with us as the stars...”
After watching it, the investigators looked grave.
“No, fuck...”
“Why am I with a puppy...?”
“Ugh, ugh! Delete it! Delete it!”
Several investigators gagged.
Then they questioned me.
“Y-Yes, we have confirmed it. This proves your innocence regarding kidnapping and confinement, animal abuse, human-rights oppression, and various other charges. Normally, we would have experts analyze the film, but... since you are the Fixer, I suppose something like this is possible.”
“I’m glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”
“But why did you make a film like this?”
“I expressed erotic love and human potential, humanity’s future, and the beauty of the world.”
“With this?”
The investigators who had watched my work crowded around to ask questions.
“Why on earth does the film depict sex with a bear?”
“It represents the Dangun myth.”
“What about the horse?”
“It symbolizes Loki from Norse mythology.”
“A-And having sex with that wolf?”
“It was a scene symbolizing Anubis.”
As its director, I kindly explained the work to them.
“Early humanity stood opposed to nature while also fearing it, creating faith. This incorporated nature into humanity’s worldview and ultimately gave rise to mythology. To people at the time, incorporation meant becoming family, and the easiest way to accomplish that was through sexual relations.”
“...Yes, I understand. Then what about the orgy scene afterward?”
“Monogamy is only one form of family relationship humanity chose as it developed. That scene symbolizes that humans in the past were not like that.”
Perhaps recalling the scene, several investigators gagged.
“Then couldn’t they just have sex? Did you absolutely, absolutely have to... include scenes like that?”
“It expressed that humans at the time were no different from beasts. Of course, beasts do not engage in such sexual acts, but in the human conception, beasts represent ugliness and filth, so I had no choice but to insert extreme scenes.”
“Aaah! Insert! Insert!”
An investigator had a fit at the word “insert.”
“Manager Kim! Calm down! I said calm down!”
Another investigator dragged them outside.
“Why? Why did you put that in? Don’t put it in! Don’t put it in! Please, don’t put it in!”
The investigator’s shouts echoed down the hallway.
“Yes, we understand that as well. But why did they suddenly have sex with every kind of living creature?”
“It showed human potential. Human preferences are broad, and because humans can have sex with anything, species diversity was secured, many individual traits emerged, and humanity could become what it is today.”
“Fine, I’ll accept that too. But, but...”
The investigator across from me held their forehead.
“...Why do it with inanimate objects?”
“Because human potential does not extend only to living things.”
“So that’s why you included sex with a car?”
“I expressed infinite potential.”
“Yes, it truly was infinite.”
The report they were writing was reflected in their glasses.
[The subject claims this represents humanity’s future potential. The targets are as follows.]
[Car, rubber duck, inner tube, stone wall, ground, rock, air, transmission tower, guitar, mouse, computer, sea, socks, stockings, ramen, noodles, underwear, pizza bread, hot dog, wallet, protein supplement, dumbbell, sausage, jjamppong, sesame oil, towel, leg-extension machine, treadmill, sponge...]
[The footage contains 178 distinct forms of unusual masturbation involving 178 inanimate objects.]
“Anyway, we’ll explain matters properly to Interpol.”
“Thank you.”
“Then... let us get to the point, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon.”
Unfortunately, it seemed I would not be leaving the police station today.
“You are under arrest for the production and distribution of obscene materials.”
＊＊＊
I hired a lawyer, but I could not be released immediately.
‘They say I have to stay in a detention cell for at least a day.’
Even the Fixer’s reputation and money could not do anything about that.
“It’s only one day, so I should treat it as an experience.”
Really, when else in my life would I get to experience a detention cell?
Under the investigators’ guidance, I went down to the basement, where a detention block with three cells awaited me.
“You’ll be staying here.”
“Thank you.”
Each cell held three detainees.
There had been two people in the cell I entered, but with me, there were three. That made nine people in total.
“Ugh, my body feels strange.”
“Mine too.”
My enhanced hearing caught the voices of the departing investigators.
“I haven’t been able to stop trembling since I watched that film earlier.”
“I’ve seen all kinds of crimes, but I’ve never seen a film as horrifying as that.”
“You saw Manager Kim faint earlier, right? They were having a nightmare.”
“I think I’ll have nightmares if I sleep tonight too.”
I knew now.
The world would not acknowledge my art.
‘Will my art only be recognized after I am dead?’
Van Gogh had not received recognition for his art during his lifetime either.
Art required the luck of being born in the right era. Perhaps I had been born too early.
‘Everyone looks depressed.’
The detainees sharing my cell showed no interest in me.
No, nobody here showed any interest in anyone else.
“I’ll get out tomorrow, right...?”
“Ugh, I only hit them once, and they called the police over that...”
“A detention cell just for parking somewhere briefly? And they call it drunk driving?”
There were a few lamenting mutters and sleepy ramblings.
They probably had no interest in forming friendships because they all thought they were not real criminals, merely unlucky people trapped here.
‘Should I get some sleep too?’
I had been interrogated from morning until evening, so I was mentally exhausted.
Just as I lay on the floor to sleep, I opened my eyes again at a strange noise.
Zzzzip!
‘The sound of a zipper opening?’
The noise from far away, beyond the wall, gradually drew closer to the detention block.
Then I saw a zipper appear in the wall.
‘It appeared out of nowhere.’
The zipper opened. The wall around it fluttered as if it were cloth, and soon three people stepped through the hole opened by the zipper.
“Found them.”
Black triangular hoods with holes only over the eyes.
In contrast, they wore judicial robes of black and wine red.
They looked as though judges had put on black hoods to infiltrate somewhere, and the detainees slowly rose.
“What is this?”
“Judges?”
“Are they really judges?”
The judges spoke.
“There are many sinners.”
“They are not sinners yet. Do not judge rashly.”
“The Scale decides.”
One of the three tore off the zipper and put it in their pocket.
As though there had never been a hole in the wall, it returned to normal.
“I will prevent interference.”
This time, another person closed their eyes.
When they stretched out a hand, the wall turned black, and the darkness soon covered the CCTV cameras.
“It is done.”
“Yes. Then let us begin judgment.”
The last person took a Scale from their sleeve.
The bronze Scale was perfectly balanced from side to side, and a Benevolent King (仁王) was engraved at its center.
“You there, sinner.”
“Me?”
A strange red mist flowed from the Scale.
The mist entered the nostrils of the detainee who had just spoken, but nobody besides me seemed able to see it, and no one reacted.
“Kim Pil-du, thirty-two years old.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Fourteen drunk-driving offenses, ten collisions, twenty instances of drunken verbal abuse.”
“What is this? Is this some hidden-camera prank?”
“Would-be murderer, capable of killing others at any time, I shall see your karma!”
The Scale tipped toward the side engraved with a picture of burning flames.
Beneath the flames was written Kalpa Fire (劫火).
“Your karma is not enough to absolve your sins, so I shall pass judgment. One who seeks to kill others shall be smashed to death.”
“Stop joking...”
At that moment, the detainee called Kim Pil-du’s head exploded.
“Eek!”
“Aaaah!”
“M-Murder!”
Screams erupted everywhere.
The judge holding the Scale calmly sought the next victim.
“Go Yeong-u. Four acts of violence, two assaults against relatives, and 5,800 instances of smoking in nonsmoking areas.”
“Police! Where are the police?!”
“Your hands are worthless. I shall see your karma. Your karma is not enough to absolve your sins, so I shall pass judgment. You will lose your worthless hands.”
Without any warning, the detainee’s hands fell off.
The judge’s sentencing continued.
“1,101 malicious comments online and 50,467 insults against others. Your tongue and fingers are useless.”
“Aaaah!”
One detainee had their tongue torn out and all their fingers cut off.
“Three counts of fraud, with damages of fifteen million won. One who steals what is precious to others shall vomit up what is precious to them.”
Someone vomited up their heart and died.
“One count of property damage, one count of disturbing the peace. You do not drink alcohol. Alcohol devours you. You shall never see alcohol again.”
Someone else had their eyeballs pulled out.
Whenever the Scale tipped, the detainees’ bodies were cut and split open, with parts pulled out.
‘This is excessive.’
The Scale seemed to be an Anomaly that judged people’s sins and meted out punishment.
But the penalties were far too severe for the crimes.
‘It is not quite as bad as the Hell Train, but it is similar.’
I wanted to step in and save the people, but it was too risky for now.
‘If only I had brought the Void Pocket.’
I had been arrested so suddenly that the only thing I had brought was Sarang-i.
I had only brought that for forensic analysis, and the police were keeping it while I was detained, so I currently had nothing.
‘Can I defeat them with Physical Ability alone?’
The superhuman Physical Ability granted by The Girl with Her Eyes Closed remained intact.
Still, I did not know all of the Scale’s abilities, and the other two people’s abilities were unknown as well, so I could not guarantee victory.
‘I’ll wait for my turn first.’
Then I would tear off the bars in a surprise attack and kill the judge holding the Scale.
I would think about dealing with the other two later.
“Thirteen instances of urinating in public. That thing of yours, which urinates where it should not, is utterly useless. What purpose is there in having it hang there? It shall fall off!”
“No!”
With the scream of the detainee in my cell, I became the only person left.
The judge held the Scale over me as well.
“Hm?”
I watched for an opportunity.
“Oh!”
Now.
Just as I was about to move, I saw the Scale tip the other way, unlike before.
Not toward Kalpa Fire, but toward the side with an image of the Buddha.
“What virtuous karma!”
Beneath the Buddha was written Paradise (極樂).
The people behind the judge cried out in moved voices as well.
“To think we would find someone whose virtuous karma reaches Paradise in a place full of sinners!”
“What great fortune!”
“Tell us your name!”
This seemed to be taking an unexpected turn.
“Hello?”
Perhaps it would not be so bad if I considered this a different kind of experience.
“My name is Lee Seung-hoon.”
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