WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 246: Farewell (2)
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His palate was rough anyway, and it seemed like a good way to replenish calories.
The broth turned cloudy. No matter how many times he stirred, the mayonnaise would not fully dissolve. Tiny white clumps floated in it. At the very least, it was not pretty food.
But it tasted good.
For some reason, Yura had set down her fork and was watching him. She asked, “How is it? Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes. It’s the second-best ramen I’ve ever had.”
“Second? What was first?”
“...No comment.”
No comment? Yura thought about it, then went, “Ah,” and her face darkened. In this world, many people had lost someone precious. It was obvious what she had imagined, but Gyeoul did not correct the misunderstanding. It was close enough to the truth anyway.
By coincidence, just as he picked up some kimchi, a kimchi advertisement came on TV. The awkward backdrop was a bamboo forest surrounded by mountains, and in a Chinese-style pavilion, a Black man dressed like a ninja pressed his palms together toward the camera.
「Do you know kimchi?」
This did not feel good.
「The health secret of slim Koreans! ‘That person’ also grew up eating this! The mystery of the East, kim-chi-」
“...”
「Rich in lactic acid bacteria! Lots of vitamins! Balanced nutrients! Edible even after long storage! An excellent emergency food that deserves the number one spot in your backpack and panic room!」
After kicking the air several times, the actor nimbly pointed at the viewers.
「You there, hesitating to buy! Are you perhaps feeling heavy? Obesity is a sin! If mutants appear, do you plan to grab your sagging belly and run? What will you do if your family gets held back because of you? Kimchi is good for dieting too! Order right now! 600-777-7777!」
The actor ripped off his top, held kimchi containers in both hands like dumbbells, and flexed hard. Jin-seok sighed.
“It’s good that interest is rising, but...”
Low-quality or not, it was still an advertisement that reflected America’s reality. People carried emergency backpacks everywhere they went, and the obese population was falling sharply. Since most citizens carried weapons, as long as the blockade line did not collapse, most infections would end as minor incidents. They were even selling things like simple limb amputation kits for when someone was bitten by a mutant.
They spoke less while eating.
「Hello, white people of New York. And the handful of yellow friends. Oh, damn. There were nigger slaves here too? Sorry. You know how it is. The audience was dark, so I couldn’t see you. What? Why? So what? I’m a nigger too. Puh-khuk-huh-huh-huh.」
The program that started after the commercials was stand-up comedy.
「Quiet down a little. I’m going to tell you something really useful today.」
The comedian pressed a finger to his lips and waited with a shh, then began speaking softly once the audience had quieted.
「I don’t know if you know this, but until a few years ago, I lived in Detroit. Ooh, as you know, that place was a shitty neighborhood then and now. But these days, I’ve started to feel glad I was born and raised there. I mean it! You know why? Because that city trained me.」
Gyeoul felt like he knew what would come next.
「What I mean is, zombie bastards and Detroit residents aren’t any different from each other!」
The comedian burst into laughter at his own words.
「Every damn store there had bulletproof glass everywhere even back then. A robber goes bang, bang! Then the bullets go ting, ting! And the clerk goes, ah, fuck, you scared me! And that’s it. Any store that couldn’t do that went under. And if I’m walking down the street and someone comes from the other side? In my head I’m like, fuck, what if that nigger bastard suddenly shoots me? Isn’t that similar to what you people worry about? When someone is coming toward you, they look suspicious for no reason, and you get scared they’ll suddenly turn and bite you, right? No? Isn’t dying from getting shot or dying from the plague all the same in the end? Puh-huh-khuk-huh!」
Shaking his head, the dark-skinned host made a gesture like he was hitting someone who was not there.
「Listen, friends... It was scary in the old days too when someone behind you happened to be walking the same way on a dark street. People were always potential threats. Detroit was just especially bad, but it’s not like you have no experience with this. If you were born in America and you’re not fucking rich, there’s no way you don’t know. I’ll use some hard words for a nigger. The greed and madness of people backed into a corner are just like the plague in its incubation period. Greed and madness. What I mean is, there’s no need for you to get scared now! If this were a game, the skin changed a little and the difficulty went up one level. That’s all!」
“Somehow, I relate to that.”
Yura had finished eating and was resting her chin on her hand. The refugee zone of the past had been a crucible of greed and madness.
「Huh? What? What if water and gas get cut off? Detroit hadn’t had that shit for a looooong time! Electricity? Is that something you eat? And every window on the street had bars on it! Residents patrolling among themselves and sharing information on SNS? They’d been doing that for a looooong time too. All the stuff you people started doing lately was just fucking daily life in Detroit! Ah, of course, there were differences between neighborhoods even there. But me, I don’t exactly look like I grew up sheltered, do I? Huh? You really think so? Good, you get out.」
The audience clapped happily.
「But honestly, there are probably bastards out there making a fuss on the outside while being fucking happy on the inside. I’m not only talking about the NRA or the white people down south over there. America always loved war, didn’t it?」
Cheers joined the applause.
「First, I’ll make it clear that I sincerely, and fucking seriously, thank the soldiers fighting on the quarantine front. I am not trying to belittle them at all. I’m a member of POD. There are probably comrades here too. Oh, yeah. There are. All right, put your hands down.」
Quite a lot of people raised their hands when the camera briefly showed the audience. POD? A civic group? It was a name Gyeoul had never encountered, but if there were that many among a randomly gathered audience, it had to be quite large. The host also brought it up as if everyone would know.
「Anyway, the way I see it, Americans these days look like their lives are completely fulfilling! When it was peaceful, they were lying around like slobs, but once the quarantine war started, it felt like they went, heh heh, at last, the time has come, and pulled out the weapons they’d been hiding. Ah, of course, not the one hanging between your legs.」
The host frowned.
「The conclusion is, let’s not drown in shallow water. We’re warmongers. Bad things happened, but considering that, aren’t we still fighting fucking well? There’s nothing new, and nothing to be afraid of. Don’t split into sides and harass each other either. That doesn’t fucking help solve your problems one bit. I know there are KKK knockoff sons of bitches running around hunting Chinese people while going, White power! White power! First, I’d like to thank you for reducing your interest in us niggers, but you’re still fucking sons of bitches. You shitty cowards, scared and doing whatever the hell you want.」
The audience rippled again. What the rotating camera showed was, in other words, public opinion in civil society. Of course it could not represent the whole, but even if only a portion was like that, it was encouraging.
“The mood is completely different from a month ago,” Jin-seok said.
“When Operation Manifest Liberation was suspended and the news even came out that you had gone missing in action, Company Commander, there wasn’t any laughter on any channel.”
Then he hesitated before asking.
“But is it true? That you seized China’s military satellites, Company Commander?”
Yura jumped in. “Ah, that! I was curious too!” After a short pause, Gyeoul nodded. What had been distorted was the influence, not the fact itself.
“You mean the Beidou satellites? I didn’t do it all alone, but yes.”
“Well, damn...”
Gyeoul watched Jin-seok’s reaction, then asked in return.
“Did something happen at Camp... no, Fort Roberts because of that?”
“I can’t say nothing happened, but it’s not something you need to worry about, Captain.”
“You can’t say nothing happened?”
“Yes. Well, there have always been extreme Chinese people, haven’t there? The people who claim Morgellons was an American conspiracy to destroy China. Those people gathered and cursed you, Captain... no, Company Commander. They said you stopped their homeland’s revenge... They even burned photos they got from somewhere.”
Yura immediately added, “But there are very few people like that.”
Jin-seok agreed.
“For now, it is as Ensign Yura says. To survive, I suppose they have no choice, but the Chinese people themselves are in a mood of restraint. I also hear gangsters like Li Qinzhen use violence where people cannot see... The real problem, like I said earlier, is the Koreans pouring oil on the fire. The Damul Promotion Association people are especially stirring things up, and not a small number of alliance members are falling for it.”
What was so special about that damned nation? Jin-seok shook his head.
“Looks like the Damul Promotion Association is still the same. Is the Makriji still Im Hwa-su?”
At Gyeoul’s words, Jin-seok’s lips twisted.
“That man’s real name is not Im Hwa-su.”
“How did you find that out?”
“They say it got exposed while he was registering as a resident with the military government office. Even his surname was fake.”
“Then what is his real name?”
He had only asked, but Yura went pfft and covered her mouth.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at someone’s name, no matter how bad they are...”
Yet she could not hold it in and buried her face in her lap. Pfft, khuk khuk. Her shoulders trembled faintly. She had always been full of emotion. Jin-seok, watching her with cold eyes, answered.
“They say it is Bang Gwi-nam. Yes, it sounds like ‘Fart Man.’”
“...”
“Obviously, his parents must have used the character for precious and the character for man, but they don’t seem to have been very careful. As for Im Hwa-su... According to Department Head Min, it was the name of a famous political thug from long ago. I don’t know why he chose Im Hwa-su of all people, but that lunatic must have his own reason.”
Or maybe he had decided based on a memory of hearing the name once, without even knowing exactly what kind of person Im Hwa-su had been. Few people had rational reasons for every action they took at every moment.
“So is he using his real name now?”
“Of course not. He still insists that he is Im Hwa-su.”
Maybe his name had played some part in how he became that way. Not all of it, of course, but Gyeoul knew from experience that people lacking self-esteem often fell in that direction.
‘Trying somehow to raise himself up...’
Yura, who had barely regained her composure, told them how they were doing lately.
“Department Head Jang said they are trying to muddy the waters. They think alliance members who hate Chinese and Japanese people and believe Koreans are the best will consider them on the same side. Then even if Little Captain comes back, you won’t be able to do anything to them carelessly, or something like that. Anyway, that’s their scheme.”
It seemed Jang Yeon-cheol was working pretty hard too, after saying he would plant people and do something about them.
“If he understands them that well, I guess there’s no need to worry.”
“Yes. No matter how hard that side tries, I don’t think it will work. Ye-kyung is really scary.”
“Ah, Song Ye-kyung...”
A person who would be second to none when it came to grudges against the Damul Promotion Association. When Gyeoul spoke to Min Wan-ki on the phone before, Min Wan-ki had said they were subtly pushing her as the center of people who missed the days when Gyeoul had been there. Thinking about it now, perhaps Min Wan-ki had chosen Song Ye-kyung with the intention of preventing the spread of twisted nationalism.
“Ah, right. Captain. Ye-kyung still hasn’t decided on the baby’s name. She said Little Captain promised to choose one. Bring it up later when you talk to the department heads.”
“Damn...”
Every single thing about her carried resentment.
“Ah, right. I didn’t tell you this.”
Yura clapped her hands.
“You know the Full Gospel Saints? There’s something really unsettling about them.”
Gyeoul recalled the abnormal grip strength of the girl who had delivered the words of the Bible.
“What about them is unsettling?”
“Just, well, the feeling... I guess the people are gloomy... or it feels like they’re on guard against us...”
“It’s not that something happened?”
“No...”
Jin-seok threw in a blunt remark.
“Crazy cult Jesus freaks going on about miracles and only hanging out with each other is hardly anything new. Why make a big deal out of it now?”
“I’m telling you, it feels really bad. These days, they strangely don’t even proselytize.”
They did not proselytize? Gyeoul tilted his head.
While he was thinking, the entrance to the garrison became busy. Captain Singh, the executive officer, had returned after finishing a patrol. As he approached, a thick body odor like cheese spread from him. Yura covered her nose without realizing it, then flustered under the captain’s gaze. Without any change in expression, the captain said,
“I have just returned. If it is all right, may I have thirty minutes? I will wash and come back.”
“Go ahead. I’ll wait, Captain.”
“Thank you. Then I will see you in the administrative office.”
The captain saluted and turned away. The sword at his waist swayed with the rhythm of his steps.
============================ Author’s Note ============================
#Q&A
Q. CurryRice: @Author, be honest. You ate mayo ramen recently, didn’t you?? lololol
A. Not recently... but I have tried it a few times. Personally, it was tasty.
Q. fnlshsk: @Author... more chapters... you’ll give us more, right?...
A. I want to, but...
Q. Eeiko: @How popular is Gyeoul now? Eisenhower during the war level?
A. Hmm... above Michael Jackson in his prime?...
Q. Hongbangjang: @Author, is it hard to expect any more DLC for Gyeoul in the future, not something too unsuitable for the world, but something still a little convincing? I think I saw a DLC before that only had experience points to raise skill grades. Lightning from his hands like old man Park Woo-cheol is a bit much, but later I want to see cool action by applying an experience DLC and, for example, making his close combat divine grade... Would even close combat break the balance if it was divine grade? T.T
A. First, Gyeoul does not like DLC very much... and since automatic firearms exist, the problem is that close combat rarely has a chance to appear.
Q. Calpis: @I enjoy mayonnaise on fried tofu rice balls. Author, you should try it too. It is tasty.
A. I do like fried tofu rice balls, but I have no chance to eat them. Haha.
Q. OneChance: @Come to think of it, Rochen and Gyeoul, the protagonists of your works, are already complete characters in ability and mentality, whether you call them saints or munchkins, and you seem to enjoy throwing their situations into the gutter and making them suffer. Do you have any thoughts of making a growth-type character the protagonist in your next work?
A. If I write a next work, the protagonist will have a very different personality.
Q. Otter7: @Honestly, reading your writing, it feels like the author identifies himself with Gyeoul and those old star-hungry men with ordinary Noble authors. Am I right? Even if I am right, you would never say I am, but still.
A. “Even if I am right, you would never say I am, but still”...
You ask while already deciding the answer, yet you still put an @ mark there telling me to answer.
I feel a strong sense of kinship with every other author. Because they too must be hurt by comments like this, and they too must endure anxiety and pressure day after day. It does not matter what kind of writing they do. As long as it is not plagiarism.
When some readers said they wanted to sponsor me personally, I once refused by saying this. An unfinished novel can become uninteresting at any time.
Every time I serialize a chapter, I feel fear. The reason I came to wonder whether I could continue as a full-time author was also the mental burden.
Did I seem that arrogant?
Q. A-eu Dongdongdari: @After seeing the Author’s Note, I searched your other works and I’m reading Seal Breaker! I usually don’t like fanfic and haven’t watched The Familiar of Zero, so I was hesitant, but maybe because it has Mabinogi mixed in, it’s fun, haha. Do you still play Mabi? Which server... and would you accept a friend request?
A. I quit Mabinogi because I did not have enough time to write Seal Breaker. Back then, I was working while writing on weekends, so I had no time to play games at all. Whew, looking back, it was really hard. I had no weekends for three full years...
Q. LewdDemonF: @Did part of the Chinese remnant fleet survive? Lieutenant General Xieru was a fairly deep character, so it feels like a shame. Of course, she played her role in the story well enough.
A. I cannot answer questions about future developments or whether specific characters survived.
Q. AntiChrist: @Ha... You old one... Because of you, I bought Noblesse again... This is all your fault!!!! You devilish old one... Why do you write so damn well...
A. If I write badly, I have to starve starting that day. Haha. Thank you for looking kindly on my work since before.
Q. Moranon: @I remember there was discussion about cutting the minimum wage because people enjoy the things they need for life in Virtual Reality. Not only Afterlife Insurance, but can living people also enjoy Virtual Reality and stream like internet broadcasters?
A. It is possible. However, since even the Grade F level minimum guarantee has not begun yet, every component must be purchased individually.
Q. Saramiyahaha: @Does ramen taste good if you put mayonnaise in it? Please answer seriously.
A. It is seriously tasty.
Footnotes:
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