WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 55
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「The investigation into the Korean Awakeners Association is expanding to its affiliated branches and suppliers.」
Behind the anchor, footage of search-and-seizure operations appeared.
Sealed boxes.
Relic removal authorization forms.
Raid Party rosters before and after revision.
「Some of the Relics issued to Mr. Park Jun-hyeok have been confirmed as items other Raid Parties had requested as emergency support.」
A recording soon played.
「Prioritize Jun-hyeok's side. Can't the other teams get theirs later?」
From that day onward, the same voice came on no matter which broadcast was playing.
Every time a new article went up on portal sites, the Association's name was attached to it.
『Supplier consulting fees flowed into companies owned by Association executives' families』
『Strategy guides leaked in advance... Specific guilds monopolized rewards』
『Top-ranked candidates eliminated, executive-recommended candidates selected』
The investigation had begun with an assassination request.
But every document they opened revealed another name.
The person who approved the contract.
The person who changed the evaluation scores.
Even the person who passed along information in exchange for payment.
Comments poured in beneath the articles.
-At this point, shouldn't we call it a family business instead of an Association?
-A family business at least spends its own money.
-I had to revise my paperwork six times just to get equipment from those bastards.
-You should've changed your father, not your paperwork.
-Are you kidding me? Our guild gave up on a raid because we couldn't get that equipment.
When the list of Relics issued to Park Jun-hyeok was released, his past interviews came under scrutiny as well.
「I believe an Awakener is ultimately someone who fights themselves.」
-Wow, lol. That interview is disgustingly hypocritical.
-Was he buying cash-shop items with our tax money or what?
The Association explained that the allocations had been legal and made according to regulations.
But the explanation did not ease public distrust.
Instead, that distrust spread to the entire Association.
The hearing only deepened it.
“Eleven people were changed between the initial evaluation sheet and the final selection list. Who changed them?”
“The committee made a comprehensive judgment.”
“Submit the meeting minutes.”
“A lot of it was discussed verbally...”
An instruction message appeared on the screen.
『By order of the Association Chairman. Please finalize the attached list.』
A committee member slammed the document down.
Bang!
“Is this what you call a comprehensive judgment?”
“It was a matter the Association Chairman ultimately decided himself.”
“Then why does the committee even exist?!”
Shouting continued.
The answers were the same when they were asked about the removal of Relics.
The Association Chairman's orders.
The practical department's judgment.
Circumstances they could not remember.
Only when they said Park Gang-sik's name did their voices become clear.
-When getting paid, they're the person in charge. When taking responsibility, they're just messengers.
-At that point, they should've paid a salary to the approval stamp.
-Question → yelling → sorry → next question. It's the same loop over and over.
-What is this, a hearing where everyone just yells?
-So where did our tax money go?
During the hearing, three executives announced their intention to resign.
As soon as the breaking news appeared, the comments sped up.
-Forget resigning. Hand over your bankbooks.
-Logging out doesn't erase your character.
-Try excluding them from the investigation just because they resigned.
The Association announced the mass resignation of its leadership and the formation of an interim management body.
But the two people everyone was looking for did not appear.
Park Gang-sik.
Park Jun-hyeok.
「The two are believed to have fled using designated-coordinate movement scrolls. Investigators are tracking their overseas assets and Relic purchase routes.」
An empty vault appeared on the screen.
The shelves were spotless.
『Update on Park Gang-sik, who promised to cooperate faithfully with the investigation』
-He wasn't preparing to be investigated. He was preparing to move.
-Dear citizens, I am innocent, and I have finished packing.
-They said they brought containment equipment. What were they doing?
-Apparently, he ran while it was being installed underground.
-They say there are Relics that can change your face. Can they even catch him?
Reports on overseas assets and front companies continued day after day.
Someone put a vacation photo beside the picture of the empty vault.
『Thanks to you, dear citizens, I am living warmly and comfortably.』
The number of upvotes rapidly rose.
But that evening, the mood changed when the news delivered another report.
「Ten days remain until the deadline to resolve the Busan Abyss.」
The black, twisted sky.
Military vehicles lined up beyond the barricades.
A reporter asked the Association's interim spokesperson.
「Can the existing Raid Party plan not be used?」
「The roster included Awakeners who had not agreed to participate. Some of the equipment listed as scheduled for delivery has not been secured either.」
「Are you saying neither personnel nor equipment is ready?」
The spokesperson paused for a moment.
「...We are currently confirming the actual forces available.」
A caption appeared at the bottom of the screen.
『Departure date for follow-up Raid Party undecided』
For a moment, there was a gap in the comments.
-So it wasn't a Raid Party, it was a fucking Excel file.
-Send an official letter to the Abyss. Tell it the person in charge changed, so please extend the deadline.
-I live in Busan. This isn't funny at all.
-There are only ten days left, and you're checking the roster now?
-Can't we ask America for help?
-I heard the Minister of the Interior and Safety went to negotiate, but there hasn't been an announcement yet.
A short comment appeared beneath those.
-My dad is still in there. Please.
After that, the jokes became less frequent.
And soon, another comment appeared.
-Arresting them all is great, but who is bringing our families back?
Only the upvote count quietly rose.
* * *
I opened the conference room door.
The people inside rose from their seats.
Officials from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Disaster response personnel.
And when I saw the man standing among them, I paused for a moment.
Seo Mun-seok, the minister heading the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
“Thank you for meeting with us.”
He bowed his head.
Looking at his face, I recalled my memories from before my regression.
Even when few people dared go against Park Gang-sik's wishes, he had confronted him head-on.
He had demanded to know where the Relics meant for Abyss response had gone, and said he would personally inspect the equipment list the Association submitted.
Park Gang-sik had objected.
An official without expertise was interfering with the Awakeners' work.
Excessive interference was delaying preparations for the raid.
Media outlets close to the Association repeated the same words.
Whenever an accident occurred, the blame fell on Seo Mun-seok.
In the end, he stepped down from his position.
But the last image I remembered of him was not from his retirement ceremony.
On the day another Abyss erupted, he had been carrying stretchers at a shelter.
Without an aide or a bodyguard.
I had been there at the time, and I asked him why he had come.
Seo Mun-seok only answered after pushing the stretcher into an ambulance.
He had come because there were not enough hands.
His gloves were torn, and the skin on his palms had been scraped raw.
Yet when a paramedic called for the next patient, he ran over again.
The man before me was a little younger than he had been then.
But the deep shadows beneath his eyes had not changed.
“Please, have a seat.”
I pulled out a chair.
Seo Mun-seok did not move.
“Before that, I would like to apologize.”
He bent at the waist.
“While Mr. Kang Seong-un was treated unfairly, the government accepted the Association's explanations. Even though people raised concerns, we did not investigate them properly.”
I looked at him while holding the back of the chair.
“In the end, you left the country, and even those close to you had their lives threatened. We will not evade the government's responsibility.”
The conference room fell silent.
“You weren't the one who requested the assassination, Minister.”
“I was in a position where I should have stopped it.”
Seo Mun-seok raised his head.
“While we were arguing over authority and jurisdiction, people continued to suffer. Before asking anything else of you, I believed I needed to apologize for that first.”
There were no excuses.
Only after his apology was over did we sit across from each other.
Seo Mun-seok opened a file.
A map of Busan was on the first page.
Areas marked in red.
The number of evacuees.
The number of people whose status, dead or alive, had yet to be confirmed.
The list continued after that.
“These are the missing persons confirmed so far.”
Next to each name was their age and their last confirmed location.
“We are reorganizing the Raid Party. We are also confirming what forces can provide support from other regions and overseas.”
I skimmed the documents.
“Does that mean it would be difficult with the current forces?”
“Yes. We have received reports that success cannot be guaranteed.”
His answer was clear.
“That is why we came to find you, Mr. Kang Seong-un.”
Seo Mun-seok looked at me.
“Shouldn't we at least save those we can save?”
His voice was low.
“If there are still people alive in there, we must do everything we can to bring them back.”
His hand rested on the documents.
“Whoever we must seek out, whatever we must offer.”
“...”
“The Republic of Korea is prepared to hear and accept every condition Mr. Kang Seong-un demands. I have also received confirmation of the President's intent.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official seated behind him offered a document.
Seo Mun-seok placed it in front of me.
“I have been authorized to negotiate compensation, support, and authority. If there is anything I cannot decide here, I will contact the proper office at once and obtain an answer.”
I looked down at the document.
It stated the scope of the authority entrusted to him and the government's policy for support.
Seo Mun-seok waited while I read.
Then he continued quietly.
“Please think of the people inside and the families waiting for them.”
I raised my eyes.
“There are many people at the shelters who cannot leave because they are waiting for family members. Whenever an announcement is made that a Raid Party will be sent, they come to ask for news.”
Seo Mun-seok's hand returned to the list.
“We told them we were checking. That we were preparing a rescue operation and that they only needed to wait a little longer.”
The fingertips pressing against the paper tightened.
“We failed five times like that.”
I listened in silence.
“Now, even if they ask when they will return, we cannot answer. Even when they ask whether they are alive, there is nothing we can confirm for them.”
After pausing for a moment, he looked at me again.
“And still, they ask when the next Raid Party will depart.”
The sound of pens in the conference room stopped.
“Because they still have family members who have not returned.”
Seo Mun-seok rose from his seat.
He walked around the table and came to stand before me.
Thump.
Then he knelt.
“Minister!”
A staff member hurriedly pushed back a chair.
Seo Mun-seok did not look back.
“I am asking you.”
I stood up.
“You do not need to do this.”
“We cannot ask the people inside to keep waiting until we correct our mistakes.”
His voice grew slightly hoarse.
“If necessary, I will give up my position as well. If you hold me responsible, I will accept it.”
He lowered his head.
“Please help them return to their families.”
I took hold of his arm.
Even before my regression, this man had remained at the scene until the very end.
If he returned empty-handed today, he would run around looking for another way tomorrow.
“Please stand.”
“Mr. Kang Seong-un.”
“I have heard enough.”
I helped Seo Mun-seok up and seated him in the chair.
He did not press me for an answer.
I looked at the authorization document again.
If Park Gang-sik were still controlling South Korea, I would not have even sat down at the negotiating table.
But now, he was gone.
Going to save the people inside would not mean protecting that bastard's power.
When I set down the document, Miller spoke.
“I will confirm the specific terms.”
He pulled the documents toward himself beside me.
“I received Mr. Kang's requirements in advance.”
Seo Mun-seok nodded.
“Please state them.”
Miller handed over a separate document.
Seo Mun-seok's eyes ran over the first page.
As he turned the pages, his hand stopped at one point.
He passed the document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official seated behind him.
The two spoke briefly.
“This clause requires additional approval.”
That was to be expected.
Some of the terms I demanded could not be granted through the Minister's authority alone.
“Please confirm it,” Miller said.
“The implementation procedure after approval must also be specified. It will be difficult if the agreement is to renegotiate after the raid is over.”
“Understood.”
One staff member took the documents and left the conference room.
While they waited, Miller went through the remaining clauses.
Command authority at the scene.
Information and equipment support needed for the raid.
Even the date when the compensation I demanded would be paid.
“Please eliminate any possibility of the Association intervening to withhold approval.”
“The government will carry it out directly.”
Amendments were written across the documents.
I did not interrupt.
Miller knew what I wanted.
While they were in the middle of the adjustments, the staff member returned.
They approached Seo Mun-seok and reported in a low voice.
After checking the document once more, he looked up.
“It has been approved. We will proceed under the terms you requested.”
The revised agreement was placed on the table.
Seo Mun-seok signed first.
After checking through the final page, Miller turned the document toward me.
Beside the terms I had demanded were signatures and implementation deadlines.
Miller looked at me and gave a brief nod.
“It is done. Every condition you stated has been included.”
At last, I closed the agreement.
A map of Busan lay spread across the table.
Place names trapped inside red lines.
The list of missing people that followed.
For every one of those names, someone was likely waiting for them to return.
I pulled the map toward me.
“I will participate in the raid on the Busan Abyss.”
* * *
The shelter cafeteria.
Another report about Association corruption was playing on the television mounted on the wall.
“Looks like they're catching them properly this time.”
The man eating across from her spoke.
The woman did not answer.
She was looking at the date on her phone, then at the family photograph beneath it.
Then.
Clack.
The woman set down her spoon.
“...What good is catching them?”
The man closed his mouth.
“When are the people inside coming out?”
But the anchor on the television put a hand to their ear.
After looking down briefly, the anchor faced forward.
「This is breaking news.」
The caption at the bottom of the screen changed.
『Kang Seong-un confirmed to visit South Korea』
The voices in the cafeteria died down.
「The South Korean and American governments have announced a support agreement for responding to the Busan Abyss. Kang Seong-un of the American Awakeners Association is expected to visit South Korea soon to participate in the raid.」
The woman raised her head.
An American airport appeared on the screen.
An aircraft standing by.
Support staff moving equipment.
Between them, a man in black armor walked forward.
Questions poured in from reporters.
「Can you personally tell us the purpose of your visit to South Korea?」
Kang Seong-un stopped walking.
He turned his head toward the cameras.
「It is to raid the Abyss that appeared in Busan.」
“...”
The woman stared at the screen, then picked up her phone.
She selected a number that had not connected for days.
Beneath the messages that had received no reply, she wrote a new sentence.
『Kang Seong-un is coming.』
Even after pressing send, she did not lower her hand.
Then she sent one more line.
『Just wait a little longer. Just a little longer.』
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