Chapter 172
Chapter 172
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Stopping the Looming Catastrophe (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fiddling with the handle of his coffee cup, the Ambassador to Japan eyed me quietly, as if appraising whether I was made of the right stuff.
It could come off as a bit rude, but I got it. After all, I'd been the one to barge in unannounced and act rudely first.
Finally, he broke the long silence, addressing me cautiously.
"A little... before we get into the story, may I ask one question first?"
At least that was a relief. He hadn't shut me out completely.
The Ambassador to Japan, having barely untangled his complicated thoughts. I nodded to him in response.
"Please, speak freely."
"Then... if I may be so bold, my honest feeling is this. Circumstances be damned—I just want to believe everything Chairman Han has said."
A much more positive green light than I'd expected.
But then, as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, the words that followed from his mouth turned the signal red again.
"However, I am a public servant. I have no assurance that what you've said aligns with the national interest."
"That's true, but..."
"That's why, Chairman Han."
Staring straight at me, the Ambassador cut me off. This man, who had devoted his life to diplomacy, seemed intent on testing me with a simple exam.
One only the qualified could solve.
"Could you perhaps give me that assurance? At least for the few hours left of my term as ambassador?"
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The second hand on the wall clock sounded louder than usual today.
How should I answer? No, what was the right way to answer?
Should I just blurt out that in the future, the Fukushima nuclear plant blows up left and right?
'That's ridiculous. I'd be called crazy and lucky not to get pelted with salt.'
Or leverage my connection to the president to bully him?
Wrong choice. With deportation already ruining his career, what good would threats do?
So... I had only one option.
To be as honest as possible, within what I could say.
"I can't reveal the specifics. Not in the current situation, at least."
A shadow of disappointment crossed the Ambassador's face. It weighed heavy enough that he bowed his head, avoiding my gaze.
"But."
Yes, but.
In Korean, you hear the whole thing.
The Ambassador's head slowly lifted again. I calmly recited my situation to him as it was.
"If Korea-Japan relations stay this rotten... it's not just the national interest at stake—my own interests will tank right along with it."
"......?"
"I'm no bureaucrat or politician, so let me put it in business terms. To join this Japanese envoy team... I acquired a company. A pretty expensive one, too."
"......!"
Had he seen it in the news or papers?
His expression suggested he already knew about the SA Precision Instruments acquisition.
Whatever the picture, he seemed to be piecing together his own puzzle in his head.
Hopefully one piece leaning positive toward me.
"So... our national interests and my personal ones aren't perfectly aligned, but there's at least a positive correlation. That's how I'll put it for now."
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The wall clock's second hand echoed in the silence again.
But this silence, unlike before, wasn't long or stifling.
The Ambassador to Japan. Every signal he gave me now took the form of the word "conviction." Including his follow-up response.
"Whew... alright, I get it. Let's do that."
"Can I take that as a yes?"
"You're the only one whose thinking aligns with mine in this mess. But."
He raised one long finger in front of my eyes.
Beyond that trembling index finger, his closed lips parted again.
"What you said first—about supergluing our shattered Korea-Japan relations."
"Ah, that was just a poor word choice on my part..."
This was totally Kim Won-cheol's fault, wasn't it? Not blaming him, but some weird influence kept creeping in.
Contrary to my thoughts, thankfully, that wasn't what the Ambassador was objecting to.
"The wording doesn't matter. But... I know how to glue broken relations back together. It just can't be done in ten days. Not even if you beat it with a bat."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean... roughly this."
* * *
Deep into the night, with dawn's air already creeping in after full darkness had fallen, our conversation finally wrapped up.
The Japanese political scene the Ambassador described was a tangled mess.
The ruling LDP mainstream faction was losing power. And they weren't just tolerating the chaos from the far-right anti-Korean forces backed by pro-North Korean Yakuza—they were encouraging it.
No wonder the Ambassador said it couldn't be fixed quickly. It was mountain after mountain, endless peaks.
"The LDP mainstream faction. And the pro-North Korean Yakuza puppeteering the far-right anti-Koreans... Japanese politics is pretty dynamic, huh."
"The LDP mainstream is so weakened right now. If things stay this way, the prime minister's head will roll."
In short, their PM was beyond fire on his feet—he was burning alive.
And the ointment for those burns? The time-honored Dokdo dispute between Korea and Japan was on the production line.
"It's a big game. That's why ten days is impossible. No way."
"Hmm..."
"No matter how hard an individual tries, you can't instantly reverse a massive wagon wheel. Anyway... here's my take."
The Ambassador's opinion was eminently reasonable and straightforward.
I was a foreigner who knew next to nothing about Japan. Expecting me to resolve all this deep-seated conflict in just ten days was absurd.
But paradoxically, that sparked an idea.
This might... actually work.
A way to elevate someone influential enough that the LDP mainstream wouldn't need to court the far-right anti-Koreans.
"Ambassador, about that wagon wheel you mentioned earlier."
"Yes?"
"I might... be able to turn it backward a bit. If someone helps."
Root-and-branch solutions were off the table, but a superficial stitch—just enough to keep the seams from unraveling—should suffice.
This wasn't my country anyway. I could push some taboos, boldly.
"No, Chairman Han? What exactly do you plan to do?"
Had he lived in Japan too long?
He just tilted his head, unable to guess even a hint of my idea.
With a light chuckle, I tossed him a simple question.
"Ambassador. Who's the big boss in Japan? The absolute top dog."
"The Prime Minister, of course. Why do you ask all of a sudden...?"
"No, no. There's one above the Prime Minister. Can't move on its own like a battery-less automaton, but number one in the pecking order."
Finally catching on, the Ambassador's face filled with shock.
This guy had lived in Japan so long his thinking had rubbed off.
His expression paled, as if asking how I could even consider touching that.
"Chairman Han, you don't mean...?"
Yes. Exactly that.
The mascot of their constitutional monarchy.
The Imperial House—Emperor, whatever you call it, always controversial.
Officially above all in hierarchy, yet forbidden from real politics.
"The Emperor. Or at least, we need some help from the Imperial Family."
* * *
Back at the Tokyo hotel.
The entire envoy team seemed half-dazed, already in full give-up mode.
The suite room meant for meetings reeked of booze.
"Professor Kim? What's this now?"
"Ya! Where ya been, Han Seo-jun, comin' back so late! Sit yer ass down quick! Ya know how hurt Ham feels? Or ya don't?"
Professor Kim, face red as a beet, begging for some guy-to-guy bonding.
We knocked back a bottle across from each other, and this annoying old man soon passed out to dreamland.
"Anyway... useless. Ahem, Aide Yoo Se-na?"
"Yes, Chairman."
"Let's head to my room first. This isn't a workable environment."
We went up with a slightly awkward vibe.
In my room, facing Aide Yoo Se-na on the bed. Before the mood got weirder, I jumped straight to business.
"You probably overheard my meeting with the Ambassador earlier, but I'm thinking of moving the Emperor—or the Imperial Family if not."
"How... do you plan to do that? They've never meddled in practical politics before."
"Direct endorsements are impossible, sure. But indirect effects through media exposure? That's doable."
I quickly scanned the list of Imperial Family members in my head.
The Emperor was out. That grandpa wouldn't even meet me.
The male heirs with top succession rights? Same deal. Probably blocked by palace security.
That left...
"Was it [Explosive Boy Band]...? Something like that?"
"Chairman?"
A mumble that slipped out.
Makes sense—it fit the situation perfectly, lighting up my mind.
Before regression, the globally massive idol boy group [Explosive Boy Band].
Their hit "Nitroglycerin" drew fans from everywhere to Korea, sky-high popularity.
Even... a Japanese princess.
-Hot celeb news! Japan's Princess Hina spotted here for [Explosive Boy Band]. That youthful cuteness is something else.
-Princess Hina's a kendo prodigy from childhood, right? Stalkers better watch out.
Still rang in my ears, that variety show about them I'd watched in prison.
Hina was training daily at a Tokyo kendo dojo back then.
Without revealing her identity.
"Aide Yoo Se-na, what time is it?"
"It's... 4 a.m. now."
"Got it. Let's catch a quick nap together."
"Yes...?"
She looked surprised, not her usual reaction.
Workaholic through and through. Gasping like that over a nap suggestion.
"Gotta recharge, then head out first thing tomorrow morning."
"Oh... gotcha. Phew."
"Aide Yoo Se-na?"
"Nothing. So, where to? After just a short shut-eye."
This time, a displeased expression.
Seemed she'd braced for an all-nighter and was let down. Her passion was truly something.
As her boss, I had to reward that fire. I answered her with maximum gravitas.
Pretending to grip an invisible stick upright.
"Kendo. We're in Japan—might as well do a proper round before we go."