WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 149: Peep Show Grey (6)

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After being notified of the decision, the Department of Defense public affairs office sent back a model answer. The printer connected to the satellite terminal grudgingly pushed out sheet after sheet. Hmm. Kowalski had shown Gyeoul into a separate communications room, and when she looked over the message, she laughed under her breath. She said she had not expected a reply in less than an hour.

“They didn’t even set a date, but I guess they were in a hurry. Or maybe they were secretly hoping for this.”

She cleared the table of coded documents to make room.

Gyeoul sat in the space she had made, took the message, looked it over, and answered.

“They were probably hoping for it. Even if they couldn’t suggest it openly because it might look like coercion, from their point of view, this must have been the outcome they wanted most. It’s the best possible option. Besides, I doubt a piece this polished was written on the spot.”

The prose was every bit as fine as the president’s speech he had heard before. It had to have been prepared in advance and sent over. What a waste it would have been if they had never gotten to use it. He could easily picture the people on the other side of the satellite link fretting over it. Gyeoul showed a rare, clear smile. Were Captain McGuire or Major Bliss there too? Of course, there had to be more than one or two people working in public affairs.

Agent Kowalski returned his smile and added in a playful voice,

“Rather than hoping for it, maybe they made a bet too, just like we did.”

“Surely not.”

“You never know. Personally, I think the odds are high. There are people who like you everywhere, Lieutenant. It probably went something like this. I believe in Lieutenant Han Gyeoul. His character must be as good as his abilities. Well, the expected transaction amount is absurd, but he won’t be swayed by mere money. Why? Because he’s Lieutenant Han Gyeoul! Something like that?”

“Public affairs would be angry if they heard that.”

“So what? These days, everyone needs to find something fun. How is anyone supposed to survive these gray times if they’re strict and serious every second of the day? I’m the same way. I can’t even remember the last time I went home. Oh, my Smoky must have forgotten Mom’s face by now.”

It was an unusual name for a child. The young agent did not look married either, so Gyeoul tilted his head.

“Smoky? Is that a pet?”

“Yes. A purebred Persian. A Persian chinchilla. Though calling it a pet feels wrong. It was more like living in service to a master, but there’s no helping that. It’s a cat. I left Smoky with a neighbor, and I’m worried. I couldn’t even pay them enough. I got dragged here without knowing what kind of operation this was.”

Who knew it would last this long? the agent muttered. She could not have expected it. With the other countries where the CIA operated collapsing one after another, she could hardly have imagined being assigned a mission that required long-term undercover work.

Kowalski truly looked homesick. Even on close inspection, it did not seem like acting. Gyeoul asked,

“How old?”

“Nine this year.”

“That’s quite old for a cat.”

“It is. I hope Smoky lives a long time. That’s my only family now.”

A pause. The conversation broke off. Gyeoul quietly watched her. The agent ended the brief silence brightly.

“I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t mind me. It’s already been more than a year.”

Gyeoul kept looking at her, studied her expression, then deliberately asked a little more.

“I’m sorry. Did the rest of your family live in the West?”

“No. My parents were traveling. It was their thirtieth wedding anniversary. I bought them tickets to France. Reserved their hotel and restaurant too. The last I heard from them, they were spending time in Paris.”

“If it was France, they should have had enough time to evacuate... Weren’t special flights arranged?”

Building an emergency contact network for citizens and preparing evacuation plans for a crisis were basic duties for an embassy. America excelled in that area. It was a country that had endured far too many wars and terrorist attacks.

“Of course they were. But France at the time was a cauldron of chaos. A bomb went off in a department store that had been designated as a temporary shelter. The culprit was both an apocalypse cultist and a communist. Extreme fanaticism paired with the most representative form of atheism. Funny, isn’t it?”

“It’s a strange combination, but I can imagine it.”

“Behold the horseman of plague sent down to earth by the Father in Heaven. This is punishment upon mankind, fallen into corruption and stained by capitalism. Today, I have blown up capitalism’s kaleidoscope as a cry of rebuke to the world. Mankind, do you desire salvation? Then repent...”

Intelligence correction output information on the incident. The Galeries Lafayette bombing. Why had the shelter been a department store of all places? The moment he thought it, more information was added. Text shimmered before him along with a photograph. Normally, assembly points for evacuation operations were set at stadiums or hotels, but at the time, every stadium and hotel in Paris had been packed with disaster refugees.

“I told you, didn’t I? We need to find something fun.”

The intelligence agent said it as if it were nothing. Yet he could sense the sigh she did not let out. True emotion, hidden by technique. But the layer of calm was thin. It still had room to be thicker.

Gyeoul changed the subject.

“By the way, is it all right for me to be in here?”

Coded text surrounded them on every side. If even the documents in this room were leaked, every American cryptographic system would be at risk. The countries that had once been America’s potential enemies were all standing on the brink of survival or collapse, but that only made the current period more dangerous. Russia, especially. One of Orca Black’s additional missions was counterintelligence activity around San Francisco.

‘There are a lot of abandoned military facilities.’

Updating a cryptographic system was no ordinary task. In times like these, it had to be considered impossible.

“It’s fine. There are no secrets we need to keep from people participating in the operation. Suspecting a Medal of Honor recipient would be stupid too.”

“But I don’t have security clearance.”

“Huhu, think of it as field flexibility. But yes, I suppose.”

She looked around.

“It is rare for anyone else to come in here. I usually work alone. Maybe that’s why it often feels like a private space.”

Kowalski gave him a mischievous smile.

“So, how is it? How does it feel to be in my room?”

“You live in a pretty bleak way.”

“Now, now. Is that really all?”

The distance between them narrowed. The agent leaned forward from across the table and approached him. With the documents pushed to either side, the sight felt precarious. A mature scent drifted toward him through her swaying hair. Gyeoul felt his body temperature rise. His pulse quickened. His breathing shortened to match it.

Even though his mind, if anything, was cooling.

‘The last time there was a gap this large was San Miguel.’

A sensation forced by Situational Computation. Regardless of his actual state, it made cold sweat flow in a frightening atmosphere and his heart pound in a tense situation.

The mind relied on the senses. Though his real body had been sold long ago, as long as Afterlife Insurance’s sensory reproduction converged infinitely close to reality, that enormous loss too had happened beyond the barrier of the senses. So when he was still immature, his mind was often swept along by sensation. It was the same principle as the suspension bridge effect.

But this was strange.

The more technology advanced, the stronger his control over his body became.

So this kind of dissonance was not normal.

“This is bewildering, Agent Kowalski. Today is the first time we’ve formally introduced ourselves. What’s the reason?”

Gyeoul looked straight ahead. His gaze slowed the agent’s approach. She asked back in a playful, alluring tone.

“The reason? I wonder. Do we need any reason besides the state of the world we live in now?”

“...”

“We don’t know, do we? At this very moment, an infection outbreak might be happening somewhere east of the blockade line. Because of it, by tomorrow morning, every communications network leading east might be cut off, and I might end up shedding tears in front of a silent console. By this time tomorrow, I might be wondering how to die without pain.”

A warm hand came close and touched his cheek.

“In a world where we don’t know when everything will end, with the fear that tomorrow may never come, a man and a woman are together in an enclosed space. We don’t need another reason, do we? We could make one fun thing happen here.”

A faint shadow fell over the face that had come even closer. The remaining distance was about a handspan now. Her hand slid from his cheek and down along his neck.

“Your face is red too, Lieutenant. Isn’t your heart pounding?”

“Yes. I’m finding that strange too.”

“What’s strange about it?”

Gyeoul caught her hand as it tried to move a little lower. Still looking straight at the agent, he spoke in a calm voice without inflection.

“I’ll be honest. I truly think you’re beautiful. You’re charming.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So I hope you won’t be disappointed. I think it was probably the beer. Am I right?”

“...What do you mean?”

“You just failed to control your expression.”

That was a lie. The agent’s poker face was solid. She was someone capable of using layers of emotion as tools.

But this time, she really did waver. Kowalski withdrew her hand. Then she looked at Gyeoul. Her air had changed completely from a moment ago, as if she were observing something fascinating.

“You’re already certain. No point insisting otherwise, then.”

She let out a soft sigh and slipped back down from the table. She pulled over a chair, crossed her legs, and sat.

“How did you know? It was acting, but only half acting, so I was sure it would work.”

“I’ve felt something off for a while now. With the situation, and with myself.”

The sensory compulsion of Situational Computation could only be understood as another variable at work. Probably a drug. The only possible route of ingestion was the bottle of Budweiser.

He understood why there had been no warning from sensory correction. First, the drug must not have been the kind that endangered his life. If it was not toxic, 「Survival Instinct」 dulled. Since there had been no intent to harm Gyeoul, 「Crisis Detection」 would also have trouble doing its job. More than anything, though.

‘It must be Team Leader Chadwick’s personal ability.’

High-level 「deception」 did not only hide itself from 「Insight」. It concealed hostile intent too.

If not for his diseased coldness, he might not have noticed.

Gyeoul’s mind was still crushed under the weight of the stone. The memory of the day when even his shame had been stripped from him as a product, not a human being, was lodged like a blade in the darkest, coldest place in his mind.

Parts of the conversation’s flow had felt artificial too. This was only Gyeoul’s feeling, but when coincidence repeated itself, it became inevitability.

“Hmm. It’s not as if I have no idea what tipped you off... Still, this is disappointing. Most men would let strange things slide in that kind of mood, wouldn’t they? Since there’s something much more important.”

Gyeoul laughed once, then asked,

“I’ll ask again. What’s the reason?”

“Persistent men aren’t popular. May I smoke?”

He answered by taking out a lighter. How kind of him. Kowalski put a cigarette between her lips and accepted a light. The room was quiet on every side, so the dry sound of the cigarette burning came through clearly.

“That’s the Ranger’s gift.”

“I received it in Santa Margarita. Lieutenant John E. Frey, 3rd Platoon Leader, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.”

“John E. Frey? Ah, Delta Company. Captain Emmert’s troublemakers. I hear they’re still chasing the Humpback. They’re famous for continuing to ignore the blockade command’s return orders. Though in truth, command has expectations for them too, so they aren’t being too forceful.”

“Any other news?”

It had moved away from the main point, but it was information he wanted to know. Agent Kowalski did not look as if she would dodge the question either. In the first place, if she hid the reason, he was in no position to interrogate her. After all, field command authority belonged to the CIA. Chadwick could simply say it had been necessary as the person in command.

“Mm, he’s famous enough that nobody on this side doesn’t know him, but whether he’s alive is unclear. They say the last contact came ten days ago, south of Pinnacles National Park.”

Paradoxically, disobeying orders was one condition of being a good soldier.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#Q&A

Q. svjk-nim: @As always, I enjoyed reading. I have a few questions about the journal. Gyeoul seems to really hate not feeling a sense of reality inside Days after Apocalypse, so is time acceleration unavoidable? Or is time acceleration used to keep the viewers watching now from getting bored? If it is unavoidable, what are the conditions for it happening?

A. This question was left on chapter 147, but the last author’s note got too long, so I’m answering it this time. Of course it’s the latter. It came up indirectly, but there was a part saying the viewers were pestering him because they were bored. Gyeoul is doing his best to keep his promise to Gaeul.

Q. Harurururu-nim: @Ah, author-nim, I found one lie you told, so please compensate us with extra chapters! I don’t remember which chapter it was, but you said you don’t use social media or do community activity. Um... the place where Halkeginia Seal Breaker was serialized was... uh, who are you! Ugh! Mmph mmph mmph.

A. A creature of childlike innocence does not lie. Huhu. I did serialize Seal Breaker on Moonnet, but I barely did any community activity. Over more than four years, I only wrote a few posts and a few comments. I doubt there’s anyone close to me there.

Q. SunshinePiece-nim: @(Omitted) So unlike other characters, especially the ones seen a lot lately who are attractive because this isn’t reality, with psychopathic charm maybe, Gyeoul really feels like a decent person, and his values and way of thinking are mature? That charm really hits hard. I wish someone like this existed among my friends... no, even just among people I know... Well, Gyeoul exists because of that environment, but hmm, to borrow the expression from Ossuary, I want to become wider too. Were there things that inspired Gyeoul? A person, maybe?

A. There was no person who served as a motif. I only imagined the little prince becoming a child-adult after being battered by the storms of the world.

Q. Raunellis-nim: @I thought the Humpback was something like a pre-mutant form that strengthens ordinary zombies or turns them into mutants, or evolves in the most rational way for the situation it’s in. Is that right!?

A. Its actual nature isn’t that big a deal, but... most of its traits have already come up in the comments. There’s only one small trait meant to give the setting plausibility that hasn’t appeared yet.

#Merry Christmas

Everyone, have a wonderful Christmas. The author also gave himself a present. 30,000 won worth of Steam games... though whether I can actually play them is another question.

I have 170 games piled up in my library, but I’ve only seen the endings of a few...

Footnotes:

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