WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 409: Wind from High Places (7)

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The next day, the governor of Colorado arrived earlier than promised.

“Do not misunderstand. There cannot possibly be that many people who sincerely agree with such absurd logic. That woman is just a rare crackpot. That is probably how she became an executive. She makes a useful pawn.”

By “that woman,” he meant the intruder from the night before, Winnie Muldrow.

“The organization called 「American Citizens’ Action for Humanity」 was founded only three months ago. Since then, it has expanded at a rapid pace, and that was only possible because of enormous donations.”

Gyeoul laced his fingers beneath his chin and asked, “Who is putting up the money? Officials from various governments-in-exile?”

“Ha ha. Sharp of you.”

The governor praised Gyeoul’s instincts, but it was not a difficult inference. He had also heard enough from Muldrow. Who stood to lose from policies that tried to ignore territorial sovereignty from before the plague?

“They tried to cover their tracks, but not well enough to fool operators like us.”

The governor’s words led Gyeoul to the obvious question.

“Then can’t you dig that up and expose it?”

“...”

If word got out that a civic group swayed by foreign influence had interfered with military training, that group’s lifespan would end that very day. They would not be able to try the same method again. The fallout would spread to other groups as well, and scrutiny would run hot for a while. Wouldn’t they be suspected just for holding similar protests afterward? Unless they were an especially hard-line group, lying low would be the natural choice.

But Governor George F. Chaffee fell silent, wearing a strangely troubled expression. As Gyeoul considered what lay behind that silence, he soon reached a simple conclusion. If the governor, who was cynical about the protest, was keeping his mouth shut, did that not mean his own side was involved somehow?

“It looks like someone in the Democratic Party took money they should never have accepted.”

“Ha ha ha.”

The governor’s laugh lasted longer than before. Lobbying itself might be legal, but accepting foreign funds on an issue tied to American interests was illegal. Literally money that should not have been accepted.

The governor defended his party with obvious reluctance.

“I do not want to act like a typical politician in front of someone like you, but I still have to say this. Only a handful of people sold their consciences. The problem is that our party does not have enough seats, so we cannot even afford to throw away those few votes. And-”

“And members of the Republican Party also took under-the-table money, is that it?”

“Ha ha ha ha. Well, now.”

There was no need to think too hard about it. The Democratic Party was the opposition, and the Republican Party was the ruling party. If Gyeoul himself had been an official from a government-in-exile, he would have devoted more effort to the Republican Party. On top of that, if the Republican Party had not been involved, this incident would have been a perfect excuse for them to attack the Democratic Party.

‘Normally, this would have been on the news by now.’

The path for obtaining information about an unannounced policy also fit the Republican Party better than the Democratic Party.

The embarrassed governor changed the subject.

“At any rate, you do not need to worry too much about the protesters still camped outside. Most of them are mercenaries who came for the money. If an employer showed up offering more, they would start chanting the opposite slogan on the spot.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Gyeoul nodded.

“I believe this incident has nothing to do with the Democratic Party. Even if malicious reporters come later, or someone from the Republican Party reaches out separately, I will say as much. You can rest easy. I will not publicly denounce this matter.”

In other words, he was promising not to get involved in political affairs, whether they resolved it quietly or fought it out loudly.

“Huh.” After shaking his head, Governor Chaffee asked, “Did someone tip you off first?”

“No. I simply could not think of any other reason someone in your position would come here. If you only needed to explain the situation, a phone call would have been enough. But you came all the way here despite being busy. That itself was the clue. After all, explaining the details face-to-face would make it easier for me to trust you than only hearing your voice.”

“...Lieutenant Colonel, you are someone whose future I very much look forward to.”

“I consider it basic.”

“It may be basic, but not basic for ordinary people.”

Ding. A bell rang. A delicious smell drifted over. The outdoor table where Gyeoul and the governor sat facing each other belonged to a handmade pie shop. The owner and employees were delighted that their first customers of the day were Lieutenant Colonel Han Gyeoul and the governor. As the conversation came to a natural pause, an employee brought over the food.

“Here are the pizza and pie you ordered. The grilled ribs, buffalo wings, and vegetable salad will be out soon too.”

The governor placed an additional order with the woman, whose smile was warmer than business required.

“Bring a bottle of Katherine Peach Passion too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Katherine Peach Passion?”

At Gyeoul’s question, the governor raised his thumb.

“It is a wine made purely from peaches. They make it in Fort Collins down south. Do not criticize me for drinking in the morning. Local specialties need to appear in the background of photos taken at times like this. The fact that few people know it is actually an advantage. Those few people will feel a stronger sense of familiarity. Hey, make sure the shop sign comes out well too.”

The last words were directed at his staffer. The staffer was waiting a few steps away with a camera. They were also keeping watch to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

The staffer said with concern, “But I think you are eating too much.”

“My image looks better when the table is packed full.”

“You always finish everything without leaving a bite. Your waistline is growing by the day as it is. Your blood cholesterol is too high too. What will you do if your medical checkup results become an issue in the next election?”

At the staffer’s complaint, the governor answered shamelessly.

“It would be a waste to throw away food we ordered. That is not polite to the person who made it. And a Colorado man should be able to eat one sixteen-inch pizza as a matter of course.”

“Is that not closer to the standard of a beast than the standard of a man?”

“Well. That depends on how you look at it. Do you want to work under a man, or under a beast?”

The staffer straightened their chest and answered proudly.

“Either is fine. My job is to make my superior human, even if that superior is a beast.”

“...You really know how to leave me with nothing to say.”

Still, the residents liked his large build, the governor muttered as if to himself.

Gyeoul laughed lightly and took a slice of pizza onto his plate. The governor did the same and smiled in satisfaction.

“Lieutenant Colonel Han, you said there was no other reason for me to come here, but truthfully, I did have a selfish desire to eat this pizza. I tried it during my first campaign, when things were in full swing, and fell in love. It is hard to find pizza like this anywhere else. It has character.”

“That is why the battalion members like it too. It reminds them of what they ate in Korea.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. That is what I heard.”

It was true. There was a Pizza Hut nearby too, but the Independent Battalion preferred this place, where the toppings were piled on generously. The relatively high price was not a drawback.

The reason Gyeoul spoke as if it were someone else’s story, saying that was what he had heard, was because it did not apply to him. The Korea of the past that must have been reconstructed in 「Days after Apocalypse」 was a country Gyeoul did not know well.

“Well, homesickness does not vanish that easily.”

After satisfying himself with that conclusion, the governor finished one slice in a flash and wiped his lips with a tissue.

“Lieutenant Colonel. How precious is the 201st Independent Battalion to you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“The point is this. Have you never once thought that you did not want to send them to Ground Zero?”

What was he trying to say? When Gyeoul looked at him in silence, the governor revised his question.

“Have you never thought that you yourself did not want to go either?”

“If I said yes, would you be offering to help?”

“If I had to put it into words, I would say we should help each other.”

“...”

“There is a chance of success. There are factions inside the Republican Party that do not want to send you either. They do not have the courage to openly oppose the president’s will, but if you personally prepared to step forward, there would be plenty of room for them to change their position.”

Gyeoul stopped eating. It seemed the other reason the governor had come here was not the delicious pizza, but this matter. While he considered it, new dishes arrived and filled the table.

‘The act of me stepping forward would benefit them by itself.’

First, it could create discord inside the Republican Party. And since their justification and shield would be that they were making better use of Lieutenant Colonel Han Gyeoul, Gyeoul would have no choice but to keep building bad blood with Kramer afterward. As a counterweight, growing closer to the Democratic Party would be inevitable.

As the governor poured wine into his own glass, Gyeoul said, “The risk is too great.”

“Well, of course it is. You would be earning the president’s displeasure. But.”

The governor sipped the wine and tempted him.

“Wouldn’t any risk be better than risking your life?”

“...”

“This is not only about you, Lieutenant Colonel. The fate of your subordinates is on the line too. I think it is worth considering as an alternative.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I will decline.”

Gyeoul answered while fiddling with the insurance in his pocket, the recorder.

“I am more afraid of death than before. There is someone I am going to marry.”

“Oh...”

“Even so, I do not want to run away from the fight.”

He did not know. If Bom had not asked that question, would he have made a selfish decision one more time?

Ground Zero Vacuum would not necessarily fail just because Gyeoul was absent. Now that the Continental Separation Operation had been completed, the America of this world would not collapse from any ordinary crisis. In truth, he even wondered whether a crisis could still come.

So what if he lost some of his reputation as a hero? So what if his political situation became painful?

‘Beyond that, there would be a certain future with Anne.’

If he faced his limits earlier and gave up the part of Han Gyeoul he had tried so compulsively to protect, would that not be an ordinary life, and the human happiness that could be gained from that life?

Gyeoul was certainly not a god. He had no ability to become one. Had he not already learned, to the point of disgust, how painful an unreachable destination could be? That was why the heart Bom had found was all the more special.

“I will not run away.”

As if making a vow to himself, Gyeoul repeated it firmly.

He had a feeling that this was what he had to do. There was no clear basis for it, but the feeling was strangely intense. It was the direction the compass in his heart pointed. This was the season Gyeoul wanted to show Bom. He did not want his request, asking Bom not to gain hatred even after gaining a heart, to end as nothing more than words.

The governor, who had been staring at him, resumed eating and said, “I am disappointed, but at the same time, I am satisfied.”

“Satisfied?”

“I mean you live up to your reputation.”

Gyeoul felt a sense of deja vu from his words and attitude.

“Do not worry. There will be no need for the recorder.”

“You noticed.”

“Of course. How many years of experience do you think this George ‘Large Chaff’ Chaffee has? You do not need to feel sorry. Being careful in all things is a good attitude. Ha ha.”

After laughing with easy charm, he ate through his share of the food at an astonishing speed. Hup! Gyeoul was startled to see the governor shove a large, thick slice of pizza into his mouth in only two breaths. Even if he had not been governor, he seemed like the sort of person who would have become famous as a food fighter.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Gyeoul was about to shake his head at the governor’s question, but after thinking for a moment, he decided to make one request.

“Later, could you invite the people I name to this side?”

“Are they refugees, by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. I think I understand why. Very well. That should not be difficult.”

“Thank you.”

“No need. But please understand if I show off a little through the media.”

It more or less meant he intended to build an image of being friendly to Gyeoul. As compensation went, it was nothing much, so Gyeoul agreed. The governor was pleased and called it a profitable deal.

The plague had been driven out of the three western states, but the refugees still held a powerful fantasy about the region east of the former blockade line. It was only natural. Throughout that entire anxious period, they must have dreamed of life in the safe zone.

If they were invited to Colorado, one such region, as a favor from Gyeoul, the people involved would be delighted. Especially if they were refugees of other nationalities. This was one way to manage the mood in the alliance and refugee zones. The only connection between refugees who had built up so much hatred toward one another was Gyeoul. It would also serve as an inoculation before a sense of grievance formed that Gyeoul only favored ethnic Koreans.

At any rate, he needed to prepare for after Ground Zero too.

Footnotes:

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