5
# Chapter 5
## Corsica
When I stepped off the plane, fresh air seemed to rush toward me as if it had come to welcome me. I could feel myself becoming increasingly excited.
Ancona, the beautiful coastal city on the Adriatic Sea, was even more beautiful than it had looked in photographs.
As we drove from the airport to the shipyard, I could feel the atmosphere of the lively area as we passed countless historic buildings.
When we reached the coast, the blue waters of the Adriatic Sea shimmered beneath the sunlight, rippling with dazzling reflections.
Team Leader Hyun Min-seong let out an exclamation at the beautiful scenery.
“Wow~”
Small and large boats swayed peacefully upon the gently undulating sea. The cliffs and green hills surrounding the city were magnificent enough to evoke a sense of grandeur.
We arrived at the Ferretti Group shipyard.
A small welcoming ceremony had been prepared. I could sense a certain pride, almost like craftsmanship, among Ferretti's engineers.
Noticing my impatience,
they guided us to my yacht, Sognatore.
The name sognatóre had been elegantly engraved upon the sleek hull, positioned between the dazzling sunlight and the blue sea.
When I saw those elegant curves, I think I finally understood why the Latin and French words for a ship were feminine nouns.
I boarded Sognatore.
I checked the master cabin, which had been customized according to my requirements, along with the facilities equipped with cutting-edge technology. I liked it. I felt that I had made the right choice.
While receiving a technical handover from the Ferretti engineer, I conducted a test run with Captain Kim Chang-gi.
The sight of gentle waves breaking against the hull, combined with the beauty of the Adriatic Sea, made my heart swell.
A true gift from me to myself.
It was time to enjoy life with Sognatore and prepare for the time to come.
Now, all that remained was to return to Korea aboard Sognatore. We needed to make as many preparations as possible here in Ancona.
“Captain. How long will it take to get from here to Korea?”
“Hmm. If we plan it based solely on the map, it would take three or four months. But you'll have to account for weather conditions and delays in our schedules at ports of call.”
“I see. We'll have to pay close attention to supplies.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Rather than taking the shortest route directly, we planned to pass through Corsica, cross the Strait of Gibraltar, enter the Atlantic, and then cut through the Mediterranean before passing through the Suez Canal.
I left the preparations for departure to Captain Kim Chang-gi and had the crew members selected earlier in Korea come to Ancona.
Navigator Ahn Min-gi, one deckhand, Chief Engineer Kim Min, and Secretary Lee Hye-in departed Korea for Ancona, Italy.
In case of an emergency, Anthony, a Ferretti engineer, agreed to accompany us on the journey.
For a comfortable trip, we hired a chef locally who could prepare a variety of cuisines, as well as two stewardesses for housekeeping.
...
All preparations were complete.
Even though it meant taking a detour, I chose the French island of Corsica as our first port of call.
Sognatore departed from Ancona.
A direct trip to Corsica was 400 nautical miles, and even maintaining an average cruising speed of 10 knots would get us there in 40 hours.
But we decided not to hurry and instead sail slowly while enjoying the coastline.
The coastline of the Adriatic Sea was like a painting. We passed through Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania.
We left the Adriatic and entered the Mediterranean.
Just when I thought I had become somewhat accustomed to the boat, Captain Kim Chang-gi spoke.
“Representative, why don't you try fishing?”
“...I've never done it before.”
“Put your worries aside for a moment. I've prepared everything. When will you ever get another chance to fish in the Mediterranean? There couldn't be a more perfect moment to start fishing.”
He patiently explained the differences between the bait and how to cast the fishing rod properly. Learning some kind of new mechanism was very fascinating.
“Now, fishing is an art of patience and timing. With your instincts, you'll pick it up in no time.”
While I cast my line for the first time in my life, Captain Kim Chang-gi went on about a huge bluefin tuna he had once caught off the coast of Spain.
“Oh! There's something... Something.”
I felt something heavy pulling against my hand.
I realized this was what fishermen meant when they talked about the feel of a bite.
“Keep the tension on the line and reel it in slowly.”
“L-Like this?”
“Haha... Yes. Pull the rod toward you like this, give it some slack, then push it forward as you reel. It's a little easier that way.”
The captain seemed to be waiting for me to find my own rhythm.
He stood beside me, continuing to offer little remarks that were difficult to tell apart from nagging and encouragement.
Finally, a fish of some sort poked its head above the surface.
“Wow! Put a little more strength into it.”
“Oh! It's a mahi-mahi.”
“Pardon?”
“That's what it's called. In Korean, we call it mansegi.”
It was a fairly large one.
Bigger than an adult's forearm, it was an ugly fish with green scales that glittered in the sunlight, yet its colors were impossibly beautiful.
The mahi-mahi that had given me the feel of my first catch was released as a gesture of gratitude.
The fishing continued.
I caught another mahi-mahi, while the captain caught dentex, bluefin tuna, and mahi-mahi as well.
So he hadn't been exaggerating after all.
Captain Kim Chang-gi immediately began slicing the bluefin tuna into sashimi, while Navigator Ahn Min-gi pulled out some soju from somewhere.
“Ahh~ You really did bring some. Hahaha.”
With the Mediterranean sunset as our backdrop, the men's evening grew warmer.
In the middle of the Mediterranean,
freshly caught tuna sashimi, soju brought over from Korea, and the sky and sea turning crimson all came together.
The Italian chef watching us brought over fish steak made from the mahi-mahi. It was my first time eating it, but it was quite delicious.
We couldn't all afford to get drunk, so Navigator Ahn Min-gi left us, while the captain and I drank until we were drunk.
The boat was passing through Greece and Sicily, following the southern coast of Italy.
...
We passed Sardinia and headed toward Corsica.
We decided to make port at Bastia in Corsica.
We needed supplies and rest, but more than that, I wanted to set foot, even briefly, on Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon.
As soon as we docked at Bastia, we went straight to Ajaccio. I stood before Napoleon's statue and thought about him for a moment.
Sognatore!
A dreamer who never let go of his dreams.
Napoleon's genius and audacious actions had turned his dreams into reality.
Perhaps he
had known that even his own genius could not defy fate.
He simply couldn't accept that his luck had run out.
Suddenly, I thought that I should take care of the other things I had been putting off.
I hurried back to the yacht, which was docked at Bastia.
“Ms. Lee, the secretary.”
“Yes, Representative.”
“Give me the summary of the major reports, and bring me a report summarizing the major domestic and international news.”
“Yes, understood. Shall I organize the science and climate-related matters separately?”
“Yes, please do that.
And tell the Head of the OSLAM Investment Team to increase our dollar holdings. Also tell him to keep a close eye on U.S. interest rates.”
“Yes, Representative.”
...
The yacht continued its voyage.
We left Bastia in Corsica and headed toward the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco.
The Strait of Gibraltar was the gateway from the Mediterranean into the Atlantic.
It reminded me of the German U-boats during World War II.
Since the surface current was flowing toward the Atlantic, the deep-sea current would probably be flowing in the opposite direction.
I imagined the worries of a U-boat captain entering the Mediterranean back then.
As my thoughts reached U-boats, I felt that I should finally put into action something I had been vaguely thinking about for a long time.
The ark for surviving the end of the world
had always been a submarine in my mind.
The problem was that it wasn't something that could simply be built with money alone, which was why I had hesitated.
It might take years.
The time had come for a dream to become a concrete plan, and for that plan to see the light of day through action.
Considering habitability, I thought it would need to be at least 4,000 tons.
The submarine recently delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy was in the upper 3,000-ton range, so this would be an even larger project.
Even if I excluded weapons from a conventional submarine, it would cost close to 1 trillion won.
If I also considered the supporting facilities and crew, I would probably have to pour a substantial portion of my fortune into it.
But if,
a situation came where the world itself was destroyed, the money I possessed as numbers would become meaningless.
While I was lost in these thoughts, Secretary Lee brought me the report summarizing domestic and international news.
The article that caught my eye most was about China succeeding in artificial rainmaking and carrying it out on a large scale.
Hundreds of rockets and artillery shells were being fired into clouds for the purpose of making it rain.
The article even said that they were going as far as artificially creating clouds.
The thought that humanity had reached the point where it could manipulate even the weather suddenly sent a chill down my spine.
The news was filled with global warming, abnormal weather, wars, mass shootings, drugs, and other stories that were enough to create an unmistakably apocalyptic atmosphere.