Chapter 129: Interlude (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Interlude (3)
Public anger reached a fever pitch with each passing day, fueled by extensive news coverage and a flood of testimonies regarding the Superhumans' misdeeds.
The atrocities committed by Superhumans weren't limited to Korea; they were occurring frequently across the globe. Many incidents had previously failed to gain traction, but the Olympic Bridge Bombing Incident had dragged these hidden stories to the surface.
Eventually, the situation escalated to public backlash against the very purpose of the Superhumans' existence, leading to petitions for the dissolution of the Earth Defense Union. However, as long as Spacetro existed, the Union could not be disbanded. With the constant threat of extraterrestrial invasion looming over Earth, they had to endure the current crisis while scrambling to devise future countermeasures.
Yet, the twenty-year conflict had failed to instill a sense of dread in the populace. Spacetro had not engaged in forced invasions or overt displays of military might. In fact, the damage caused by Superhumans now far outweighed any harm inflicted by Spacetro. Consequently, public opinion toward Superhumans showed no signs of improvement.
A week had passed since the Olympic Bridge bombing. The Earth Defense Union announced it would hold a meeting regarding a treaty with Spacetro. However, they were immediately met with further criticism for taking an entire week just to sit down at the negotiating table.
The wave of condemnation was no longer confined to the Seoul Branch; it was directed at all Superhumans. The crowd in front of the Seoul Branch had thinned significantly compared to before, making it possible to enter and exit without much trouble.
Nevertheless, reporters were still stationed everywhere. Except for Team Hunter Killer and Team Guerrilla, who had not reported for duty over the past week, the other teams were forced to deal with the swarming press.
Team Special Force, whose fame rivaled that of Hunter Killer, spent their days in a blur of exhaustion. While the absence of Team Guerrilla—a team that contributed nothing to the branch's operation—went unnoticed, the void left by Team Hunter Killer was immense.
Though Superhumans were primarily known for battling Spacetro, some also handled various administrative tasks within the headquarters.
Until just a few months ago, Red of Team Hunter Killer had handled all of her team's affairs alone. Recently, however, the team had begun delegating tasks, which had significantly improved the team's atmosphere.
This shift had allowed for a more manageable workload, but with Team Hunter Killer gone, the other teams had to divide and conquer their remaining responsibilities.
The reason Team Special Force was so frantically busy was that they were handling most of the media relations. To be precise, three of the four members were tasked with dealing with the reporters gathered in front of the headquarters—reporters who harassed them relentlessly in hopes of digging up even the slightest scrap of information.
Even so, no one blamed Team Hunter Killer. On the day of the bombing, Hunter Killer had been the ones preparing for a duel near the Olympic Bridge. It was common knowledge that Team Hunter Killer had suffered significant casualties because of Team Guerrilla.
As a result, even among the Superhumans within the Seoul Branch, the condemnation of Team Guerrilla was endless.
Since they were a team already notorious for their poor reputation, no one had been on their side from the start.
While it was true that Spacetro was the enemy and that the Superhumans were supposed to win their duels, no Superhuman would ever condone breaking the treaty and harming civilians in the process.
Even if the leadership of the Earth Defense Union and Spacetro were entering negotiations, the meetings wouldn't happen instantly. Thus, the public perception of the Superhumans currently on the ground remained unchanged.
"What a headache."
Silver of Team Special Force, having finally succeeded in turning away a mob of reporters, sat on a lobby chair and pressed her hand to her throbbing forehead.
"Good work."
A woman with long blonde hair tied in a half-updo brought over two ionic drinks from a vending machine. She handed one to Silver, who was practically slumped over in her seat.
"Thanks."
Silver took the drink, popped the tab, and immediately gulped it down to quench her parched throat.
"Still no word from Hunter Killer?"
"No. I tried contacting Blue, but there’s no reply."
When Silver finished her drink and asked the blonde woman, the latter shook her head with a look of pity.
Gold of Special Force had also been active in the Seoul Branch for a long time and was acquainted with Blue. Since it was easier for her to reach out to Blue than to Red, she had been trying to get in touch.
However, even now, a week after the incident, there had been no response.
"They must all be in shock. Such a horrific thing happened right near their duel site. But why on earth did those Guerrilla bastards do something like that?"
"I have no idea. The Director is keeping his mouth shut, and nothing has been released to the press."
Despite being in the same Seoul Branch and Gold being the leader of Team Special Force, their access to information was extremely limited.
They had no information as to why Team Guerrilla had carried out the bombing that day, or why they had attacked Spacetro Team 3—Team Hunter Killer's opponents—on the day of their duel.
All they could do for now was control the reporters coming to the headquarters and process their paperwork. They could only sigh deeply at the seemingly endless situation.
"What about the Guerrilla guys?"
"Don't know about them either. Indigo is still lying in the lab, and Gainsborough is missing. The rest are useless."
On the day of the bombing, everyone from Team Guerrilla except Gainsborough had been captured at the scene. An unconscious Indigo had been taken to the lab and had yet to wake up. The other members, including Khaki, were reportedly trembling like they had seen a ghost during interrogation and couldn't say a word.
"It's a relief that Seoul wasn't wiped off the map."
"Tell me about it."
That day, a massive disc-shaped flying object had appeared in the skies over Seoul. It wasn't the main fleet anchored in the middle of the Pacific, Atlantic, or Indian Oceans, but its sheer size had cast a shadow over the entire Olympic Bridge area.
They later learned that all the Team Leaders of the Spacetro Seoul Headquarters had appeared at that location. Shortly after the Team Leaders assembled, the Spacetro forces and the flying object in the sky vanished.
The mere appearance of that massive craft had been intimidating enough. It sparked a terrifying realization that if things had gone wrong, Seoul—no, the entirety of South Korea—could have been erased.
"...Is Spacetro really just playing with us?"
"It's certain that if they decided to move in earnest without the treaty, we wouldn't stand a chance. In the first place, the treaty wasn't exactly a mutual agreement; it was more like Spacetro doing us a favor."
"And since our side broke it, we have no right to complain no matter how they react."
The media was one thing, but the overall global situation was grim. If Spacetro used this incident as a pretext to launch a full-scale assault, Earth would be defenseless, and humanity might face extinction.
"It's truly a mystery. Why has Spacetro kept that treaty for twenty years...?!"
The fact that Spacetro continued to honor the treaty against an Earth with vastly inferior technology was the greatest mystery of the modern era.
While it was true they were living without major casualties because of it, Silver was speaking as if she were fed up with Spacetro's incomprehensible behavior when she suddenly stopped, spotting someone entering the lobby.
"Green?"
"Huh?"
Green, who had been heading straight for the elevator after entering the lobby, turned her head at the sound of her name. Silver and Gold were looking at her with eyes full of unconcealed surprise. Green gave them an awkward smile and greeted them.
"Hi. You guys must be having a hard time since our team isn't here, right?"
"No, that's fine. But is it okay for you to be out? It'll be a mess if the reporters swarm you."
"I just stopped by for a moment, and since there was no one out front, I came in. I'm sure other teams are covering for us, so I couldn't just stay away forever."
"Is that so? Are the other members okay?"
"...I'm not sure."
Green looked troubled by Gold's question.
The members of Team Hunter Killer had not contacted each other at all over the past week. Green's expression made it clear she didn't want to talk about that matter.
Sensing instinctively that there were internal issues within the team, Gold gave a short, understanding reply. Silver watched the exchange and then glanced at Green.
"Well, I'm going to head upstairs."
"Yeah. Be careful of the reporters outside when you leave."
"I will."
After responding to Gold, Green took the elevator to the upper floors.
Gold let out a long sigh and turned her head, only to tilt it in confusion when she saw Silver staring intently at the spot where Green had just been standing.
"What is it?"
"No, it's just... something's weird."
"What?"
Gold wondered what could be wrong at the sudden comment.
"Green's arm. Did you see it?"
"Her arm?"
Gold had been so focused on Green's face out of surprise that she hadn't thought to look at her arms or anywhere else.
"It was bruised. They looked like they happened recently."
"Bruises?"
*
Green, having arrived on the third floor, looked out over the quiet, empty office before entering the briefing room. Naturally, none of the members were there. She left the briefing room and headed for the locker room.
The locker room was also empty. Green sat on the long bench in the center. In the open cabinets were the clothes the members had left behind a week ago when they changed into their suits.
That day, they had followed the police to the station in their suits. After a long interrogation, they hadn't even thought of returning to headquarters and had simply gone to their respective homes.
Green's suit and helmet were also at her house. Inside her cabinet were the clothes she had put away a week ago.
Sitting quietly on the bench with her head bowed, Green rolled up her sleeves. Just as Silver had noted, there were dark blue bruises on her arms. She stared at her own flesh without any change in expression.
Over the past week, Green had been unable to forget the sight of A that day. The fact that A was Spacetro was shocking, but the realization that he was seeing the other members was even more devastating. The blow of knowing she wasn't the only one for him hit her once again.
It must be because of me.
At first, her confused heart felt it was unfair, but soon her thoughts began to drift in a different direction.
Through A, she had learned that she could be helpful and that she was someone who was needed. She had realized that her existence didn't just cause harm to others.
But just when she thought happy times with A would continue, this happened. She believed the responsibility for this incident lay with her.
Because I'm someone who only causes trouble for others...
Her old way of thinking, which she had struggled so hard to discard, began to resurface.
Oppa... I miss you.
Since she didn't have a single photo of him, she couldn't see his face; she was desperate just trying to conjure his image in her mind.
She had claimed she came to handle the work that had been passed to other teams due to her team's absence, but that was merely an excuse.
Unable to stay still at home, Green had left with the thought that she had to go somewhere, and she had ended up at the headquarters.
Even though there was no way A would be here, she had entered as if possessed, leading to the current situation.
As she sat there silently, she clenched her fist and struck her own arm. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the quiet locker room. She felt the pain, but there was no change in her expression.
Thinking that A had appeared for her when she was in pain and suffering, Green had been hitting herself all over her body for the past week as if possessed. She hoped that if she were in pain again, A might appear to save her.
But no matter how much she struck her arms, hit her legs, or slapped her own cheeks, it didn't hurt enough.
Her body ached, but it wasn't that kind of pain.
Not here either.
After sitting in silence for a while, Green left the locker room and headed back to the lobby. Gold and Silver were still there, and their eyes met Green's, who had returned less than ten minutes after going up.
"Sorry. I'm not feeling very well..."
"Right. There's no need to push yourself, so go home and rest."
Gold, seeing that Green looked unwell no matter how she looked at her, encouraged her to go home. With an awkward smile, Green stepped out of the lobby.
It was quiet in front of the headquarters. As she turned her head, she saw profanities painted in red on the exterior wall.
Get lost. You sons of bitches. Tax-stealing bastards. Die. Scum.
There were other severe insults written there, but she felt nothing. She simply stared blankly at the graffiti before walking away.
After traveling for a long time, she finally snapped back to her senses when she saw where she had arrived.
"This place is..."
It was a park. The park in front of the house where she used to live before moving.
She remembered the day she sat here, thinking she didn't want to go home. The day she first met A.
"Oppa..."
She called out to him softly and touched the bench where he always used to sit.
It was the first time she realized how agonizing it was to be unable to see the person she loved.
Even though her heart yearned for him so desperately, she couldn't see him.
Then, the thought that he had been meeting the other members resurfaced. She remembered the photos scattered by Indigo's hand that day. She thought of the images of the other members captured in those photos, all of which she had recovered and brought home.
Does Oppa... hate me?
"!"
The moment the thought struck her—that perhaps he had been seeing the other members because he was tired of her and didn't want to see her anymore—Green collapsed onto the ground.
"Gasp, ugh! Haa... haa... hngh!"
She couldn't breathe properly. Just the thought that A might have grown to hate her made her heart ache with unbearable agony.
Slumped on the ground, clutching her chest as she struggled for air, she tried to regain her breath.
But the thought she had glimpsed for a fleeting second made her suffer, tormented her, and caused her pain. The single thought that A hated her.
"Hic! Ugh, uuuugh..."
Believing that he truly might hate her, her breath did not return, and tears streamed from her eyes.
"Oppa... I'm... hurting..."
She managed to force the words out through her ragged gasps, but the man who used to reach out to help her was no longer before her eyes.
It's because I'm not hurting enough yet.
She had lived her entire life in pain. Thinking that if she hurt just a little more, A might appear to help her, she thought incessantly.
It's my fault. Because I wasn't good enough to Oppa. That's why he hates me.
The more she thought, the more a corner of her heart ached. And so, Green remained collapsed on the ground for a long time, trembling in agony and weeping.