WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 367: Each One's Homeland (1)
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Sunlight leaking through the curtains was D.C.'s morning peeking into the room. In that thin gaze, Gyeoul stood before the full-length mirror and checked his uniform. He had more decorations to wear than before. There were more oak leaves on his decoration ribbons, too. They marked the number of times a given decoration had been awarded.
In the end, they had decided not to award him a third Medal of Honor. Instead, some of the decorations he had already received were upgraded. For example, the Bronze Star he had earned at Paso Robles had been changed into two Distinguished Service Crosses. Since those were also treated as honors just below the Medal of Honor, there would be no more controversy over Gyeoul being undervalued because he was a refugee.
Along with several gifts, Gyeoul also carried the longsword the Sikhs had given him. It was a way to indirectly express gratitude and support toward the people who had sent it. In that sense, the choice reflected the public affairs office's wishes, and beyond that, the White House's policy, more strongly than Gyeoul's own.
The door to the corridor opened.
"It's almost time. Are you ready to go?"
It was Anne. Gyeoul nodded.
"We can leave right away."
His answer was calm, but after looking at him in silence, Anne closed the door and came inside.
"Gyeoul, is something wrong? You look troubled."
"......"
Since it was Anne, the fact that he could not answer right away was as good as admitting it. She approached him with a worried look.
"Tell me. What happened?"
"Mm, I heard someone I knew killed themself."
"...Oh, I'm sorry."
Anne took Gyeoul's hand in both of hers.
"Were you very close?"
"No. I couldn't call us close, even as a polite lie. I only met them in person once. But emotionally, they depended on me a lot... So hearing that they took their own life feels a little strange. That's all."
"...Come here."
Gyeoul did not resist the hand pulling him in. Anne hugged him. Comfort shared through body heat. As always, she smelled human. Gyeoul hugged her back. This was what it felt like to lean on someone.
"If you want to rest, we can postpone or cancel the schedule."
At Anne's words close to his ear, Gyeoul gave a bitter smile.
"It's not that bad. And it's too important an event to miss."
"The most important thing is you."
She pulled away and gripped Gyeoul's shoulders.
"Honestly, you haven't had nearly enough time to rest, have you?"
"Thank you for worrying, but I'm really fine."
Gyeoul gently eased Anne's hands away, with a gentle stroke. She still looked worried, but in the end she sighed as though there was nothing she could do. As Gyeoul had said, the riding gathering they were about to attend was not something he could casually postpone or skip. Many leaders of ruined nations were said to cling to appearances. They had lost too much. Because of that, even a small slight could easily feel like contempt for their position. Gyeoul did not want to create pointless trouble.
'The CIA asked, too.'
In the afternoon, he had a private meeting scheduled with the Korean president. That was why the Army Dress Blue Gyeoul wore had so many hidden devices. Cameras and recorders disguised as buttons, for example...
Hoo. Anne checked the clock and gestured toward the corridor.
"Let's go."
Then she took the lead and opened the door. Another agent waiting in the corridor gave Gyeoul a slight bow, then flashed Anne a meaningful smile. Anne shot him a brief glare as she passed.
There was a small commotion on the first floor. A pianist who had supposedly been invited to the breakfast event had been subdued by Bureau agents. Before taking her down, the Bureau agent in charge of screening had only asked for her identity and purpose for visiting. Had they already known she was suspicious?
Anne took one quick look and understood at once.
"A pianist with long nails is like a ballerina with pretty bare feet."
When Gyeoul looked again after hearing the explanation, she was right.
"Do you think someone is behind her?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"And if not?"
"Don't worry about it. Things like that happen dozens of times a day, and most of them are people acting alone. There are just so many famous people staying at this hotel."
Gyeoul was not the only one. Plenty of celebrities wanted to stay in the same hotel as Medal of Honor recipients. Some of them were figures from the entertainment industry. It was only natural that devoted fans, reporters, paparazzi, and others with less innocent motives would try to sneak in one way or another.
At any rate...
'They're good.'
From the attempted shooting at Arlington National Cemetery to this, Gyeoul felt that the Bureau and other intelligence and investigative agencies were highly capable. They were simply chronically short on personnel.
During the drive, he heard an interesting piece of news on the radio.
「Next story. Naval authorities, who have been struggling with the continued increase in the number of the special mutant Melville Ray, have recently gained an unexpected ally. That ally is none other than a pod of orcas, and these orcas are reportedly guiding naval warships to the locations of Melville Rays.」
「The navy did not realize this at first. But they came to understand after the movement paths of orcas displaying unusual behavior, such as circling nearby, repeatedly emitting sonar, and leaping above the water, often overlapped with courses leading toward Melville Ray groups. According to an announcement from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the orcas, feeling threatened by the increase and spread of Melville Rays...」
"Wow."
Anne let out a small exclamation.
"That's fascinating. I guess things like this happen."
Gyeoul was somewhat surprised as well.
If orca intelligence was as high as people said, then they were smart enough to learn the relationship between naval fleets and Melville Rays. The creatures could not be eaten, and killing them by biting them to death was not worth the cost, so it seemed the orcas were bringing humans in. Considering the bite force of Melville Rays, it made sense.
The vehicle headed south along the road east of the Washington Monument, crossed a bridge, and turned southeast at a street where the Thomas Jefferson Memorial came into view.
"It would have been nice if you could have come here in spring."
Gyeoul asked Anne, who sounded wistful.
"Why?"
"The cherry blossoms bloom beautifully. They're really pretty. I want to show you that scenery, too."
Gyeoul shrugged.
"It looks great now, too."
The cherry trees along the riverbank were turning reddish-orange, vivid with the clean colors of autumn. Gyeoul thought over his favorite season. Was Gaeul doing well? After that old fear had been resolved, Gaeul had begun contacting Gyeoul fairly often. Gaeul wanted to comfort him, but in truth, Gyeoul was usually the one giving comfort. Even so, Gaeul was precious to him. As he always thought, roses only needed to bloom in autumn. Gaeul might not be someone he could lean on, but autumn was the season that had made Gyeoul who he was.
Anne drew his attention back.
"We're here."
The site was controlled by security personnel from its outskirts, and vehicles that had arrived earlier were lined up everywhere. Many of them were horse trailers. One of them had to be Xcel's. The hotel had no stables, so even after coming to D.C., Gyeoul had only had a handful of chances to see Xcel in person.
'He wouldn't do it again, would he...?'
Xcel's affection for Gyeoul was so intense that it was hard to find anything comparable, and each time they met after some time apart, he became rather excited.
Today was no different.
Manuel Hayes appeared, practically being dragged along by Xcel as he held the reins.
"Uwaah! You, calm down! Please! Uwaaaah!"
Still dressed in prison clothes and still a spectacle, he broke into a sweat trying to calm the horse, who was about to go wild with joy. Gyeoul sighed and stepped forward to help.
"Good boy, good boy. Stay still."
He hugged Xcel's neck and stroked his mane, waiting until the excitement subsided. The hair getting on him was a problem, but at least Xcel did not smell sweaty. It seemed they had washed him well before coming.
The sound of hoofbeats approached, and an unfamiliar voice spoke to him.
"I'm envious. Your horse truly loves you."
Gyeoul looked back at him. Judging by the security personnel following a few steps behind, the man was clearly no ordinary person, but that did not mean Gyeoul knew everyone like that.
"Excuse me, but who are you?"
"Hm. I had hoped the Lieutenant Colonel might recognize me..."
After showing his disappointment in a joking way, the man introduced himself.
"I am Andrew Lewis, Duke of Cambridge. At present, I serve as equerry to Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom."
Even as he shook the offered hand, Gyeoul did not fully grasp who he was. Anne approached while glancing sideways at a displeased attendant and whispered in his ear.
"He is a royal heir to the British throne."
Gyeoul gave a light bow.
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness."
"The honor is mine. The Lieutenant Colonel's courage and devotion have given hope to many. This is my wife, Kate. She has looked forward to meeting you for a long time."
"I'm Kate Olson, Duchess of Cambridge. It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant Colonel Han Gyeoul."
"Your Royal Highness."
Gyeoul bowed again and shook hands with the royal couple.
'I didn't see these two on the list.'
Given the nature of the event, Gyeoul had been given a list of major attendees beforehand. But these two had not been included. Perhaps there were already too many people of head-of-state rank for him to memorize. In any case, etiquette toward British royals was no different whether the person was the Queen or the royal heir, so Gyeoul could respond without panicking. In truth, there was not much in the way of special etiquette to begin with.
Prince Andrew shifted his gaze.
"And who might this beautiful lady beside you be?"
Anne introduced herself.
"Joanna Gibson of the Bureau, Your Royal Highness. I am in charge of Lieutenant Colonel Han's security."
"Ah, I see. We owe the Bureau quite a bit ourselves. Thank you, always, for your hard work."
"Not at all."
Princess Kate seemed interested in the Bureau agent, who appeared close to her in age, but after finishing the formal greeting, Anne excused herself and stepped back a couple of paces to her position.
Prince Andrew said to Gyeoul,
"There is so much I would like to discuss with you personally, but many people must be waiting for the Major, so I will ask only one simple question. This question comes to you from me as Her Majesty the Queen's equerry."
"Please ask."
"If Her Majesty were to confer an honorary knighthood upon you, would you be willing to accept it?"
"......"
The Queen of the United Kingdom was someone who would take up one hour of Gyeoul's morning. He had fully expected to receive this kind of question, and a model answer had already been prepared. Gyeoul's brief silence was only courtesy, meant to avoid refusing too sharply. After letting a suitable pause pass, Gyeoul answered.
"I must decline. Personally, it would be an immense honor, but as a soldier, I wish to refrain from actions that could be interpreted politically."
Despite the refusal, the prince gently urged him once more.
"Would that not be the fault of the people interpreting it that way? There are plenty of precedents. For example, Sir Tom Foley, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, received an honorary title for his contributions to promoting friendship between our two countries. General Tony Frank, former Commander of U.S. Central Command, received one for his contributions to international security, and the actress Dame Angelina Jolie likewise received an honorary knighthood in recognition of her humanitarian dedication. It would be hard to call such awards political."
Gyeoul declined again with a bow.
"I'm sorry."
Then someone began clapping slowly. Clap, clap, clap.
"An excellent decision, Lieutenant Colonel."
Naturally, the words did not belong to the prince. Displeasure appeared on Prince Andrew's face. Following his gaze, Gyeoul found a familiar face, one that could not help being familiar despite the fact that they had never actually met.
'Edgar Kramer?'
The Republican Party's presidential candidate gave Gyeoul a pleased smile.
Footnotes:
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