WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 170: Alliances and Maneuvering (5)

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"I'll tell you up front. This call is being recorded."

[I can take a hint.]

The former professor laughed heartily.

[I guessed as much when you went out of your way to speak in English. To begin with, you were pulled away for a secret operation, so it would be strange for an ordinary call to come through. Is this the Central Intelligence Agency, or something along those lines?]

When Gyeoul confirmed it, Min Wan-ki laughed again, saying it felt exciting, like becoming the main character in a movie. Min Wan-ki accepted it so naturally that the supervisor was the one who seemed flustered.

"Does it bother you?"

[Why would it? It is unfamiliar, yes, but if I think of it as a chance to earn trust, there is nothing bad about it. Usually, people are not even given a chance.]

It was almost exactly what Gyeoul had once said.

[In any case, I am truly glad to hear from you. It is good to hear Little Captain-nim's voice after so long.]

"Me too. I'm glad you sound healthy."

[But what made you contact me? Did you have something urgent to say?]

"No, nothing like that. I was just curious how things were going. Has anything happened while I was gone?"

[Well... These days, yesterday and today are never quite the same. How much do you know about the situation here?]

"Almost nothing. Just that Fort Roberts is safe."

Now that Manifest Liberation was underway, any news reaching him through the CIA or FBI could not go much further than that. Joanna had once wanted to help, but it was the same for her. The refugees' internal affairs were not important information.

[Is that so? Then I am at a bit of a loss over where to begin, and how much to tell you.]

At that, Gyeoul checked the time.

"Fit it into twenty-five minutes, please."

If Jang Yeon-cheol had heard the same request, he would have been fairly flustered. That was separate from Gyeoul's trust in his diligence. It was also why Gyeoul had contacted Min Wan-ki first. The time he had was barely enough to catch up on all the news. He planned to put off contacting the Alliance's other officers until later.

After a short moment of thought, Min Wan-ki asked for Gyeoul's understanding.

[Understood. Since this is not a prepared account, please forgive me if it comes out somewhat disorganized.]

First came the situation of the Gyeoul Alliance.

[Though you are not here, Little Captain-nim, you are still the Alliance's center of gravity. Personally, I find the process rather fascinating, the way an absent person's presence grows larger and larger.]

"Is that so?"

[Why would it not be? There must be many reasons, but I believe the biggest cause is the mood of American politics these days.]

"Ah..."

Hearing that, it made sense. The coming presidential election was an uncertain future. A candidate critical of refugee treatment was gaining a fair amount of support. The only exception that candidate mentioned was Gyeoul.

'Was it something about shifting away from support for all refugees and toward a support system for individual refugee leaders?'

In other words, if that candidate became president and kept that promise, the U.S. government would no longer take direct responsibility for refugees. Refugees would then enjoy different standards of living depending on who their leader was. Enormous support would pour toward leaders who had proved their value to the U.S. government and its citizens. In the opposite case, conditions would become poor enough for people to skip meals.

[Public opinion is another issue. No matter which candidate wins, it is hard to expect things to improve from where they are now. If the Democratic Party wins, maintaining the status quo will be the best we can hope for, and if the Republican Party wins, there will be chaos. In a situation like this, of course more people are going to look for Little Captain-nim.]

"That's worrying in its own way."

The elderly Kang Yeong-sun had warned him about the existence of zealots who believed Gyeoul was a savior.

As expected, Min Wan-ki's next words were along those lines.

[Every dawn, prayer meetings are held all over the place. 『People Praying for Han Gyeoul-nim's Safe Return』, that sort of thing. There are quite a few groups with similar names. Beyond that, there are more thug-like gangs now too. They claim to be Little Captain-nim's personal guard... If I had to describe them, I suppose I would call them far-right thugs. Perhaps they are similar to the Korea National Youth Association during the Korean War? Though the circumstances are somewhat different.]

President Syngman Rhee had exerted influence over the Korea National Youth Association from behind the scenes.

It was a comparison Gyeoul did not know, but after reading the explanation that appeared through Intelligence correction, he shook his head. That sort of personal guard brought countless side effects. In system terms, many forms of immutable correction would attach themselves to the community. It meant they would have a negative effect on the random variables in Situational Computation.

"Is it too much for the department heads to handle?"

[Ah, it has not reached that point. Thanks to Little Captain-nim, it has become easier to get help from the police as well. Ah, right. I should tell you this. A sheriff was formally assigned to the residence district, and she is someone connected to you. She volunteered to come here on purpose. Do you remember the name Kathleen Hayland?]

"Kathleen Hayland... Ah."

What Gyeoul remembered and the Intelligence correction activated at almost the same time. When a series of typhoons had raised concerns that several dams might collapse, she had been one of the two people who mistakenly fired on them on the road toward Santa Margarita Lake. Private Gregg Gardner of Jeffrey's platoon had been hit by her shot.

[Sheriff Hayland said she owed Little Captain-nim her life. Is that true?]

"It's a little complicated, but if Kathleen thinks so, I can't exactly say no."

He had thought they would never meet again.

[Then do you know Lieutenant Chase Perry as well?]

This time, Gyeoul needed a little longer to recall the name.

"I met a police officer with the same name in Santa Maria once, but the rank is different."

[That should be the same person.]

Min Wan-ki explained the circumstances.

[With the apartment complex construction finished, this place has become a de facto city. The military government administration has also begun in earnest. Thanks to that, police stations have been set up in each district, and the person in charge of the Korean residence district is Lieutenant Perry. Lieutenant Perry also volunteered to come here. Apparently, the lieutenant wanted to help Little Captain-nim.]

"I can understand Kathleen, but Sergeant Perry... no, Lieutenant Perry is unexpected."

The contaminated zone always suffered from staffing shortages, so volunteers being given priority was not strange in itself. But in terms of the time Gyeoul had spent with them, he had not even known either of them for a full day. The sheriff considered him a lifesaver, so that was one thing, but the Santa Maria police tactical officer was harder to place.

'Didn't they say Santa Maria was one of the cities where the evacuation went best?'

When he searched his memory, it was something he had heard from Perry directly. Unlike the Rangers, who had been active in the contaminated zone the whole time, Perry had only arrived about a month earlier. In other words, Santa Maria must have safely withdrawn both civilians and government personnel east of the blockade line.

[Who can know a person's heart? It seems Little Captain-nim's actions left that much of an impression on the lieutenant. Back then, everyone called it a miracle, so from where I stand, there is nothing strange about it.]

Perhaps it was also a sense of debt. The lieutenant had said, "This is my post, and this is my job." Gyeoul had felt that sense of responsibility touch on love for one's hometown.

Despite their general individualism, Americans' love for their hometowns sometimes exceeded Gyeoul's expectations. Every experience felt unfamiliar. Even the famous Detroit apparently still had many middle-class and above residents who stayed out of love for their hometown, so as Min Wan-ki said, the human heart was impossible to know.

[Men can fall for men too, after all.]

"No, I don't think that's it."

[Considering your popularity, should you not prepare yourself? There must be surprisingly many people who realized a new identity thanks to Little Captain-nim. Right, I heard this on the radio, but apparently a huge number of the fan letters piling up at the mail processing center for you were sent by men.]

A muffled laugh came from somewhere. The culprit was the supervisor, covering their mouth. When their eyes met, the supervisor feigned innocence. Gyeoul shook his head and answered.

"...I'm sorry, but we don't have time for jokes."

Min Wan-ki had thrown it out as a joke, but for Gyeoul, these were things he had actually experienced. When had it been? Even now, remembering the shy confession from the redneck with tearful eyes made him feel a little awkward.

'And it's not easy to reject those feelings either.'

It was hard because he did not want to hurt them. They said they liked him.

[True enough. Then, returning to what we were discussing.]

Min Wan-ki continued in a different tone.

[Sheriff Hayland and Lieutenant Perry both have a great deal of interest in the Alliance. When times are difficult, they accommodate us in various ways. It is not exactly illegal collusion, but it still helps a great deal in keeping order inside and outside the Alliance. Simply deciding when and where to crack down can adjust many situations. This too is ultimately thanks to our Captain.]

"It wasn't intentional."

[That is what people call virtue.]

Min Wan-ki laughed heartily and spoke again.

[Still, there are many times when that alone is not enough, so lately I have been pretending that my relationship with Department Head Jang has worsened. Each time, we back opposing sides.]

"If people split too much, it may be hard to handle later."

It would be a problem if one faction's power grew too large, but encouraging division too much would cause problems of its own. There were already enough factions as it was. Hatred gave birth to hatred. If the rifts of conflict deepened, they would not be able to turn back.

Min Wan-ki put Gyeoul's concerns to rest.

[People say this these days. That the old days were nice.]

"They do?"

[They are sick and tired of the fights that break out every day. And there is one line that always follows. It was not like this when Little Captain-nim was here.]

The past was always romanticized. Even more so when that past really had been better than the present.

[We are actually helping those people gather together. Since it would be troublesome if we revealed ourselves openly, we are backing one suitable person.]

"Is it someone I know?"

[Of course. Song Ye-kyung-ssi is receiving people's support, surprisingly.]

Song Ye-kyung... She was the woman abandoned by her husband after he switched over to the Damul Promotion Association. Gyeoul frowned. She usually did not show it much, but her resentment had looked very deep.

"Will she really be all right?"

[I know what you are worried about, but by the time we needed someone, there was no alternative besides Song Ye-kyung-ssi. It turns out she had already been leading a gathering of people harmed by other organizations. It was neither a violent group nor a religious gathering, so we found out a little late.]

"Hmm..."

[If only Baek San-ho had not been around, we would have had a little more leeway...]

"Baek San-ho? Who was that again?"

[The middle manager you told me to get rid of before because you did not like him. Do you not remember?]

"Was he the person Department Head Min was going to make an example of?"

[That is right.]

The man who had been the only clean one at the construction site. He had not smelled of sweat, and even in the winter wind, his hands had been warm, so Gyeoul had suspected him. It turned out that he was someone Min Wan-ki had selected.

'I told Min Wan-ki to cut him, but Min Wan-ki hesitated.'

In truth, Min Wan-ki had chosen him as a scapegoat to focus people's resentment on. When people's patience reached its limit, Min Wan-ki had intended to punish him harshly, thereby solidifying support and unity for the Alliance. Gyeoul had refused. It was not Gyeoul's way.

The boy always wondered. Did such a thing exist, a crime that was entirely one person's responsibility?

Min Wan-ki had said it was that one person's responsibility because it was the result of a free choice.

But the person who had looked the other way would also bear responsibility.

"What did he do to make you say that?"

[Rather than having done something, he had a lot of money.]

"...Money?"

[Yes. It seems he was extraordinarily rich to begin with. The moment this place began functioning as a city, he started throwing around an enormous amount of money. The military government office had made no preparations at all for a situation like this. He is buying up every building built for commercial use as fast as they are released.]

Real estate speculation was one of the representative vices of Koreans. Min Wan-ki's assessment tasted bitter.

"That's a little absurd. Where would he have gotten that much money?"

[According to people, the moment the first bank counter opened, he appeared dragging two carriers full of banknotes. If nothing else, he is a truly tenacious man, is he not? By weight alone, they must have easily been dozens of kilograms, yet he stubbornly carried around a burden worth less than scrap paper.]

============================ Author's Note ============================

#Q&A

Q. CurryRice-nim: Can @BJs change their appearance? I do not mean simply changing their age, but changing their body type, like height or weight, a TS where a woman becomes a muscular man, or someone who looked ordinary while alive playing with a celebrity's face.

A. Appearance changes are free for the first time only. You cannot violate another person's portrait rights, but if it is the appearance of a celebrity who registered their own appearance as a product, you can use it by paying an additional fee. In other words, as long as you have money, anything is possible.

Q. Sadogun-nim: I am always reading with so much gratitude. I even attended the Joara New Year's party in case I might be able to meet you, Author-nim. Even if you go premium, I will absolutely support you.

A. Gasp... Why would you want to see someone like me? In many ways, I am... well... not really suited to attending that kind of event. If you had sent me a message in advance, I would have told you I was not going.

Q. IssueTree-nim: But how did he come to America during the China mission??

A. I think there has been some misunderstanding. Gyeoul was not operating in China. Alameda Island is in the eastern part of the San Francisco metropolitan area, and it is only that former Chinese military forces have taken refuge in San Francisco Bay.

Q. Ronaf-nim: @I was wondering, if Ju Wei appears on the broadcast, would Gyeoul's identity not be exposed right away? Is it not something that needs attention because by the time Ju Wei appears on the broadcast, the operation will already be over?

A. You can make up any number of tearjerking stories about escape and defection.

Q. Jeobnideo-nim: @Unless there is a master watchmaker on the ship and they put in a huge amount of effort, I do not think installation would be possible... It is so precise.

A. That is the CIA's field of expertise to begin with. Even if it was not described in the story, please assume that, of course, they checked at least that much. :)

Footnotes:

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