WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 283: Boar Hunt (11)
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Before Ju Wei was a singer, she had also been a famous actress, which meant she likely had plenty of experience with acting and special makeup. Compared to most people, she was better positioned to narrow the gap between Kurt Lee and Gyeoul. Perhaps something about him had looked unnatural to her from the very beginning.
“I see.”
Gyeoul checked the time and asked again.
“Understood. I have received your greeting. Do you have any other business?”
Apparently she did. Ju Wei grew faintly tense.
“...That is what I would rather ask you.”
“What?”
“Is there nothing else you want?”
“No.”
“...”
Silence passed between them. The actress said nothing, but not because she had nothing to say. She seemed to be hesitating over how to say it. Gyeoul tilted his gaze.
“What would I want from you?”
“Anything.”
She repeated it as if making a vow.
“If it is what my benefactor wants, I can do anything for you.”
Silence again. In truth, Gyeoul had expected this kind of conversation might come up. Not as simple repayment, but as a means of survival. Ju Wei had more than enough reason for that. He had already seen as much in that fight. But he was not in a position to accept. After taking a moment, Gyeoul chose blunt words.
“I do not have anything I want, and I do not deserve any more gratitude from you, sojeo.”
She must have expected rejection, but the way he phrased it seemed to catch her off guard. The actress showed a trace of confusion.
“When you say deserve...?”
“I did end up saving you, but it is not as if I did anything impressive. I did not risk danger for you, and I did not sacrifice anything. That person... presenting you to me was only a coincidence. In other words, I just got lucky.”
“Is that so?”
Ju Wei smiled bitterly and asked again.
“Is that really so? Benefactor, you could have chosen not to save me. And you had reasons not to save me.”
“Reasons like that...”
“There were.”
She cut off his objection firmly.
“At the time, you were using a different face and a different name, so you must have had to be careful. Always careful. And I was someone the person you needed to deceive suddenly told you to take with you. I could have been a watcher that woman attached to you because she suspected you. Did that possibility truly never concern you?”
“It did not.”
“Benefactor. Forgive my rudeness, but that lie is...”
“It is true. Ju sojeo, you were terribly frightened then. It was hard to see you as someone with hidden motives.”
“I am an actress. Did you not think it might be acting?”
“No. I trusted what I felt.”
“That is exactly what I am grateful for.”
Ju Wei smiled bitterly once more.
“If Benefactor had judged me even slightly differently, I... I would have suffered terrible humiliation, just as that woman hinted, and in the end, I would have died without even knowing I was dying. From the beginning.”
Haa. She stopped speaking and swallowed down her emotions with a short sigh. Her voice trembled slightly every time she mentioned Lieutenant General Xieru. The lieutenant general had said she would give this actress to “several people.” There was no room in her fleet for unnecessary people.
“From the very beginning, the fact that you saw my fear and noticed that woman’s contempt for me was salvation. Even if rain does not fall for the sake of wetting the earth, a farmer can still be grateful for rain.”
She meant it did not matter even if it had been coincidence.
“More than that, even after I was freed from that woman, I was still in danger. Until the moment I escaped that ship. The reason I stayed safe until the end was Benefactor’s halo.”
She meant the people of the Pequod would not have simply left her alone. He wondered how things really would have gone, but it was the sort of environment where she could not help feeling that way.
In the distance, toward the checkpoint, Gyeoul spotted “Ale” Alejandro peeking over. Even through the night-darkened distance, the face was clear to Gyeoul, who was receiving sensory correction. Alejandro looked suspicious. It gave the impression of, This is taking a long time. No matter how I look at it, this does not seem like a fun secret meeting... When Gyeoul sent a casual gesture, Alejandro gave a small nod, put a fresh cigarette in their mouth, and turned away. Their outline brightened for an instant. It was probably the flame of a lighter, lit with their back turned.
“Perhaps.”
Ju Wei, who had been watching, asked with a shadowed face.
“Does Benefactor think badly of me?”
“Why ask that?”
“Because of what that woman said. That I was a selfish bitch who cared only about herself.”
Ah, that. Gyeoul recalled Lieutenant General Xieru’s criticism of Ju Wei. That she had put on a uniform she normally never even glanced at, then used rank and threats to steal the places of real soldiers. Though she belonged to the People's Liberation Army, to the general, a Major in the song and dance troupe was likely not a soldier.
“That inhuman woman’s words were partly right. I was a civilian. Not a soldier.”
Ju Wei said it as if reading Gyeoul’s thoughts.
“I received a rank from the Party, but I never took it seriously. It was only... an ornament that showed how recognized I was in society. Refusing was impossible. That country was one where success was impossible without favors and factions.”
There was a strange stain in the phrase that country.
Instead of saying he did not care about Lieutenant General Xieru’s criticism, Gyeoul decided to quietly listen to her. These were probably words she had wanted to say to someone, but had no one to say them to. Sometimes, simply listening was comfort enough.
“In that sense... that day, the day that country collapsed, it was not honorable of me to put on a military uniform. Even so, I believe that woman, the woman who tried to load her own people onto her fleet first, had no right to criticize me.”
Her expression filled with sorrowful anger. It was the venom he had already seen once before.
“Benefactor. What does an army exist for?”
“...The people.”
“Yes! Exactly. That hateful woman should have ordered them to rescue the people first! Of course she should have! The army should have fought until the final moment to save even one more person! I... I could not understand that woman who criticized me... How could the People's Liberation Army, which abandoned the people, be so proud? No matter how much the country had always been like that...”
Her boiling emotions ended with her throat catching and her eyes turning red.
“I understand, sojeo. You were not an especially bad person. I mean that sincerely.”
Receiving Gyeoul’s affirmation, Ju Wei shut her eyes tightly, her brow furrowed.
The country had always been like that. Lieutenant General Xieru had said something similar. That it was a country where one had to build fences to survive. That this had been an unavoidable way to survive among too many people, amid enormous chaos. So the lieutenant general’s choice to save her own people first might have been natural for the Chinese, if the lieutenant general’s words were true.
As Gyeoul saw it, those fences existed in everyone.
Put simply, a fence was the limit of Empathy. It was a line drawn to say, I will spend my heart only this far. Parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, comrades, people from the same hometown, schoolmates, superiors and subordinates... The heart was a limited resource.
‘One person’s death is a tragedy, but a million deaths are only a statistic. Was that something Stalin said...?’
One photograph of a hungry, crying baby earned people’s pity, but few people grieved over news that tens of millions were starving to death in Africa. In the end, it was the same idea.
If you tried to use a limited heart beyond its limits, it was bound to sound like stones grinding together.
“I have a great deal of money.”
Ju Wei, now calm, straightened her posture and began speaking.
“After reaching the top, I earned more than 200 million yuan every year. In good years, it came close to 500 million. Just before the Corpse Plague spread, I remember my total assets exceeding one billion yuan.”
One billion yuan was 150 million dollars in U.S. currency, and 170 billion won in Korean currency. An enormous sum.
“But that was not all.”
Her gaze lowered.
“I am ashamed to tell you this, but what could I hide in front of Benefactor? I had even more hidden assets overseas. It was unsettling to have all my assets tied up in China alone.”
The nuance was a little strange. Gyeoul asked.
“I am asking because I do not know. Was overseas investment illegal?”
“You could say that. Direct currency exchange was limited to fifty thousand dollars per year... so for people like me, it was practically a ban.”
“Ah.”
“This is another shameful story, but in the past, I was famous for being extravagant. But I did not enjoy luxury that much. It was merely a means of overseas investment. Unlike currency exchange or investment, purchasing goods was legal.”
From the way she put it, it did not sound like she had simply piled up items that could be exchanged for cash.
“Double contracts, perhaps?”
“You noticed right away. Yes. It is as Benefactor guessed. I would make it look as though I had purchased a five-hundred-thousand-dollar villa for one million dollars, then leave the difference with a broker. There were many brokers who made false contracts where the goods did not exist at all... but in any case, I needed something I could show other people.”
“I suppose so.”
Gyeoul understood. China’s tax authorities would not have been fools. Even if she bought them off with bribes, she would have needed at least the bare minimum material to build the lie.
“My investments were mainly in America and Canada.”
“...”
“More than half the stocks will have become scraps of paper. The rest must have fallen a great deal in value too... But real assets like villas should be relatively safe. The problem is... proving my rights. Because I was trying to avoid surveillance, many of the contracts became rather complicated. There are quite a few cases where I could not put my own name on them directly. But...”
Ju Wei looked straight at Gyeoul.
“If I become Benefactor’s wife, I should be able to recover them easily.”
It seemed she had laid out even things she did not need to say because she wanted to give the impression that she was hiding nothing. Gyeoul asked a question.
“In the end, are you not trying to use me, sojeo?”
The actress agreed surprisingly readily.
“Yes. I certainly have that feeling too. It would be a lie to say I do not. I want to live. I want to reclaim what is mine. I do not want to suffer anymore. I want this person to help me just one more time...”
“You are honest.”
“I do not want to deceive Benefactor, and I am in no position to deceive you. You have already seen my situation. But that does not mean my desire to thank you is false. Both are sincere... I have yearned for you. Please give yourself to me. I will repay you with everything I have for the rest of my life.”
“Um, I can also help you in other ways. What you need is to solve the problems of safety and recovering your assets, right? I have connections at the Intelligence Agency (CIA), so if I contact them, somehow...”
“No. I want Benefactor.”
“...”
“Benefactor is the best choice. Of course, you must be that for everyone else as well, but as I told you before, I have a great deal of money.”
“Do I look like I need money?”
“You will need it. Money is power.”
“...Have you perhaps heard about budget support for refugee leaders?”
“I heard it is pending in the House and will soon move to the Senate.”
“And you still think I will need money?”
Though he did not know the details, the size of the budget allocated to Gyeoul’s leadership would surely be huge. Unlike other refugee leaders, it would likely also be the full-scale preparation stage for establishing a territory, or a dependent territory.
Ju Wei smiled softly.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I would never dare look down on Benefactor. But how much of that budget can you use privately? For example, would it be possible to use that money as political funds?”
“Political funds...”
“Yes. America is a country where, as long as there is enough lobbying money, it is legal even for pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs. They spend ten million dollars in advertising expenses to hold judge elections. Politicians do not refuse to act as puppets of Jewish capital. In China, people used to laugh at America, saying money-worshipers built a country, and that this was the democracy of capitalists. Without even knowing they themselves were worse...”
Her cold sneer deepened the farther she went. The actress flinched after realizing it herself, changed her expression, and spoke humbly.
“In any case, Benefactor, you must now prepare for a future different from everything that has come before. Put me beside you. I can give you money with no other backing attached. Even the wealth I possess will not be enough, but at least you will not have to debase yourself because of money. Some amount of personal wealth will be necessary even just to protect your rightful interests. If it were only Benefactor alone, there would be no need to worry, but it is different when you think of the people who follow you.”
That was not the end.
“Also, I am Chinese... still.”
After lightly biting her lip and swallowing a sickened emotion, she calmly continued the rest of her proposal.
“People will show interest in my marriage to Benefactor. Would it not help soften the hostility Chinese refugees feel toward Americans, or that Americans feel toward Chinese refugees? If the Benefactor I have seen and heard about is the truth as it is, if you are truly a good person, then you will surely be very interested in this.”
“The idea is good, but you do not seem very eager about it.”
“...”
Ju Wei fell silent. But she did not try hard to hide her emotions either. It was the venom she had been revealing in flashes for a while now. It seemed she did not care what happened to Chinese people. No, it felt as though the identity of being Chinese itself disgusted her. As though she was suffering because of it.
Considering what she had been through, it was understandable...
So she seemed to hate the very fact that she would draw attention as a Chinese person.
“You must have thought a great deal before meeting me.”
The words she had poured out so far were not things that could come out without preparation. She had spoken so earnestly that it had been difficult to cut in midway. At Gyeoul’s words, Ju Wei smiled with effort.
“Yes. I thought a great deal and worried a great deal. Hoping that someday, an opportunity would come. For the time being, it was my only hope.”
Her smile felt sad.
After a suitable pause, Gyeoul refused.
“I am sorry, but I cannot accept your proposal.”
“Why...”
Ju Wei, now pale, asked while her tightly clasped hands trembled faintly.
“Is that person a better choice than me?”
“It is not about conditions. It is a matter of the heart.”
“The heart...”
The actress shook her head.
“Benefactor. I do not know who that person is, but they cannot be more desperate than I am. A heart that is not desperate changes easily. Sincerity is usually hot, but light. I know that lightness too well. How much pain I suffered from the whims of tens of millions who said they sincerely loved me...”
“I know. Even so, I will trust that person.”
“...”
“I am sorry. There is no room for me to take that back.”
To Ju Wei, who was gritting her teeth, Gyeoul promised how she would be treated.
“Please do not be too disappointed. I am not saying I will abandon you like this, sojeo. I said it a little while ago, right? That I would help in other ways. Things will probably change as soon as tomorrow. I will also ask that your assets in America be handled in a favorable direction. And...”
After thinking for a moment, Gyeoul promised one more thing.
“Later, assuming I am still alive by then, if something like a territory is created, I will prepare a place where you can rest without fear. Please endure just a little longer, even if it is hard.”
“Then... I will only be receiving help until the very end.”
“It is all right. There are many people like that. You can repay it later too.”
Kk. Ju Wei let out a strange sound that was neither laughter nor sobbing, then slowly covered her face with both hands.
“You really were the best choice for me after all...”
It took several more minutes for her sobs to stop. After emptying out all her emotions and calming down, she bowed to Gyeoul one last time.
“I was very rude today. And thank you. I will never forget the help you have given me again and again.”
“Yes. Please go in now.”
Ju Wei looked back several more times, bowing her head each time, before going inside.
When Gyeoul returned to the checkpoint, several cigarette butts were scattered around Sergeant Alejandro’s feet while the sergeant chatted with the military police.
“Ah, are you finished now?”
“Yes.”
On the way back, after receiving the military police’s salutes, Alejandro asked.
“What did you talk about for so long?”
“We were badmouthing Ale.”
“...”
Though it was only a simple joke, the sergeant unexpectedly agonized over it before asking back.
“That woman’s legs are my type, so... I did look at her legs pretty hard while she was singing... Does she dislike me because of that?”
“...You did?”
“Uh, I guess not. Then what was it?”
“She said you are too handsome.”
“...? ...???”
This time too, the sergeant thought seriously before asking carefully.
“Is she interested in me? Was she, like, curious about me?”
“No way. It was just a joke.”
The sergeant muttered to themself all the way until they reached the barracks.
========== Author’s Note ==========
#Secret
I will tell you all a secret.
You probably did not know this, but I actually like all of you readers.
For real.
#Q&A
Q. wnsdlfh: That guitarist lol, why is his representative song like that lol @If it was reconstructed... did our control personality give him a name like that?! You must not teach our control personality bad things! They are a pure child!
A. The control personality analyzes all collectible data. Therefore, you readers are also responsible. Your dark pasts will be inside big data too.
Q. qgegegqe: @I worked through the whole holiday. It is a power plant... If you typed using the electricity I produced, I will be happy.
A. Oh dear... Still, you work at a fine workplace. Thank you.
Q. AntiChrist: @I worked full shifts over the holiday and came back from work today too. Long live capitalism!!!! Long live the workers of capitalism!!!!!
A. Capitalism ho! I hope you were compensated enough with annual leave.
Q. Bug: @ Are there no special bullets for the plague? I remember there was a bullet before that shoots like a flamethrower, Dragon’s Breath or something? Or rounds used in the multipurpose rifle currently developed in Korea, or smart bullets? Are they not used because the unit price is expensive?
A. The 12-gauge Dragon’s Breath you mentioned may look flashy, but it is actually classified as a “less-lethal” ammunition type. Its purpose is home defense too. If fired at a person, it can burn them, but it cannot kill them. In simple killing power, it is worse than ordinary buckshot. The price is also very high. A set of three rounds costs 25 to 30 dollars.
As for special rounds that would be powerful against mutants, there is FRAG-12. This is the round that goes into the automatic shotgun (AA-12) Joanna used on April Pacific.
Smart grenades have already appeared in the story as airburst grenades. They were also a type of ammunition used even before the plague in the first place.
Footnotes:
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