Overseas Travel (3)
The line went dead again — hung up on me, one-sided as ever. The same rude behavior that had been going on since this morning. I'd been frustrated and irritated watching them dodge actual conversation with one bizarre remark after another, but this time, at least, the exchange had gone somewhere. I'd managed to hear their specific demands.
So now, together with the staff I'd assembled to handle this emergency, I had to seize this opportunity and pray we could resolve it. I'd handpicked only capable people to fill these seats as thoroughly as I could. A good solution would come. Of course it would. This was my cabinet. I'd put it together myself.
"I assume you all heard that."
"Yes!"
"What do you think we should do about this?"
"We need to take a hard line."
"That's right."
Huh? What is this?
Take a hard line? Is this what I think it is? No. Surely not.
"...Go on."
"Just because they claim they'll seek asylum or emigrate to another country doesn't guarantee they'll live in better conditions than the current Republic of Korea."
"So the actual likelihood of them seeking asylum abroad appears low."
"And if I may be so bold, Korea has been providing them with the maximum possible support all this time."
"And yet they act like this."
"They don't even know how good they have it. What they're doing right now is national treason."
"So we shouldn't let them jerk us around. We should order the military to suppress them immediately."
"Looking at the confirmed level of their armament, if elite military forces are deployed, there would be casualties — but suppression should be entirely feasible."
"Please make the decision, Madam President."
I couldn't believe my ears.
This was the answer from the staff I'd so carefully selected?
This?
"Do you people actually believe they did this without any contingency plan?"
"......"
"Did they look to you like people who act without thinking?"
"...What would men even be thinking about?"
"The moment they could have sex, their eyes rolled back in their heads and they did whatever they were told without a single complaint."
Ah.
Ahh...
Seonghun had been right.
This was my failure.
That this was their fundamental view of men. A complete failure on my part.
The world was like this, and I'd thought I could just bury it and it would go away... and that's exactly what I did...
That's why the men had acted so violently.
My mistake... my mistake.
"Think carefully. Seonghun specifically mentioned the American embassy. Don't you think America might have loaded the weapons they need most onto a plane and brought them over? The men occupying the airport could operate heavy equipment like armored vehicles if they were simply provided with them, couldn't they?"
Please...
Say something that makes sense. Stop talking nonsense.
"Madam President, that's absurd. Common sense would dic—"
I slammed my fist on the table.
The continuing madness left me no choice but to explode.
"Does this look like a common-sense situation to you? Citizens occupying an airport and demanding group asylum? No? This world hasn't been common sense even once in recent memory."
"Do you know how I felt when I first heard this? I felt the way a president feels upon hearing that America has been attacked. It was absurd! Because it wasn't common sense at all!"
"Did your common sense include a woman's right to get pregnant? Or did it include the meaning of Duty Sex? And you say common sense? Common sense! If not common sense, then what? Is what's happening now a dream?"
"Madam President, even so, under international law—"
Good God.
"Don't tell me what you people believe in is international law? Or a treaty with America?"
To think someone still making such spineless remarks was sitting right next to me.
Not a shred of a lie in that. I meant every word.
"Even now, if the Chinese men being sent over one by one weren't guaranteed massive profits, I would have used any means necessary to kill them all or lock them up! And you talk about common sense? International law?"
To believe in international law — something that means nothing the moment you tear it up. How could they be this stupid.
"In this ruthless international community, you could search the entire world and find only 10,927 of these talents. And fortunately — truly fortunately — the Republic of Korea was able to hold 512 of them. 512 of them!"
"Korea held over 4.5 percent of the human race's reproductive capacity. 4.5 percent with a higher proportion of men in their twenties and thirties than any other country, every last one of them highly educated!"
"What other resource does Korea possess that's this valuable? And you say what? Casualties? Have you people gone insane!"
"From now on, do some actual thinking before you open your mouths. Otherwise I will snatch that vaunted staff position that had your shoulders up in the heavens out from under you this instant..."
"Please come up with a solution other than the one I'm already thinking of. That's your job, isn't it? Well? Do you understand me!"
Our first overseas trip together since we'd started dating, and the man was wearing a balaclava like a terrorist and holding an assault rifle.
Even I had to admit this was a bit much.
"Sorry. The overseas trip I mentioned turned out to be... this."
"Hmm.... It's okay. We are going on an overseas trip, right?"
Well. We'd made it to the airport, so we had to go overseas. Probably.
"Yeah, we're going to Japan. Did you pack well?"
"Yes! I converted all the money I had into gold and brought it."
"Gold?"
"Yes! I figured gold would be useful wherever we ended up, so I did that."
Aigoo. She'd thought the same as me.
"I already took care of that sort of thing. You should've brought more of whatever you personally need."
"I brought that too."
"Where? These two suitcases?"
They were pretty big ones, but they didn't look like enough. She should've packed more.
"There's that too, but this is what I personally need. I packed it well, didn't I?"
Then she yanked my arm into a tight hug, and those confident eyes looked up at me. From that one gesture I could feel exactly how this woman thought of me. It was enough to drive a man insane.
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
"Then you packed well."
"Right? I packed just like you told me to~."
"You're not worried about anything else?"
"Hmm... No. You'll handle it well. So I'm not too worried."
I couldn't exactly tell her that wasn't true... I'd dug any number of holes as fallback, but even I honestly had no idea which one was going to blow... I'd just have to work hard to make this work.
"Yeah. It'll be fine. Now, shall we shoot a video as planned? Ayoung!"
"Yeees?"
When I called, Ayoung came running from far off. The same neat suit she always wore. A ponytail, for once — a change from her usual style. And an uncharacteristically bright, energetic expression to go with it. Watching her run over, I thought she was attractive enough that someone could easily fall for her on the spot. As I'd always thought — this was a woman who needed to work.
"You're ready to shoot the video we discussed?"
"Yes! Ready!"
"We can start filming right away!"
I really did have an eye for people.
"But... Boss? Could you at least tell me why I'm even here?"
Huh? Had I not told her again?
"Obviously I called you because we need you to work."
"I didn't know it was this kind of work!"
Ah... I'd only found out about this myself about five days ago. I was really sorry.
"Then I'll send you back. Want to go? But I can't guarantee your safety anymore."
She might vanish without a trace into government hands and get tortured, but I could let her go. I did feel sorry, honestly.
"Then there's no point in any of this!"
"What can I do. I didn't know it'd turn out like this either."
That was the truth. Who would've known terrorism would happen in Korea in 2023.
"Can't be helped, so let's just work. I'll compensate you well."
"Yes...."
After tossing out that empty promise, I put on the suit I'd prepared and we filmed a video with the airport wall as the background. The content: that we had become a peace diplomatic delegation heading to Japan for the sake of the Korea-US-Japan alliance.
Of course, this was a board I'd set up on my own, one the government knew nothing about. But it would serve as a solution for our occupying the airport — that for security reasons, we'd had no choice but to go in armed ourselves. As a bonus, it would also serve as a rebuttal to the rumors currently spreading online. And once we uploaded it, they'd know we were serious. That we hadn't made some clumsy, half-assed move.
So I even kindly mentioned in the video the schedule the government would be most curious about. Barring anything major, we'd remain at the airport for about three more hours, then take the plane provided by the United States to Japan. And that we'd stay in Japan for a week, in Tokyo.
Whether that week would turn into a year, or a lifetime, nobody knew.
"Jiwon, the moment the video's ready, upload it and send it to the government. The opposition too."
"Got it. I'll send it to the opposition myself."
"Anything come out of the government?"
Something should've come out by now.
"There's news coming out. The Blue House is about to issue a statement on the recent terror incident."
"Oh.... Well now?"
I'd figured they were just gathering reporters to stall for time. It was actually happening?
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"The US Ambassador to Korea and the Japanese Ambassador to Korea have arrived on the runway. They sent word asking if they can speak with you immediately. What should we do?"
Oh.
The money's arrived.