Chapter 179
Chapter 179
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: The Disaster Approaches Like a Tsunami (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cheers! Kanpai!
A celebratory reception was underway at the Korean Embassy in Tokyo.
It marked the resolution of the diplomatic dispute over Dokdo—or more precisely, the Korea-Japan conflict driven by the politicians' vested interests on both sides.
Amid the smoky haze and flickering embers, barbecued meats sizzled on the grill. Professor Kim, red-faced with one hand clutching a skewer of meat and the other gripping a bottle of booze, bellowed out.
“I knew it’d turn out like this! Who else but our Chairman could pull off something this huge?”
“Oh come on, Professor Kim, you’re drunk again.”
“Heh heh heh. Chairman, you’ve gotta have a drink with us on a day like this, right?”
Professor Kim’s boisterous energy only heated up the lively atmosphere.
Truth be told, this guy hadn’t done jack shit... but whatever. As long as he wasn’t getting in the way, that was enough.
“Even the Minister flew in on a cloud the second things wrapped up, didn’t he? Right, Minister?”
“Ha ha ha, Mr. Han untangled this knot for us. It’s no wonder His Excellency the President places such trust in you.”
The Foreign Minister stroked his pristine white mustache as he praised me.
From the Foreign Ministry’s perspective, this was like hitting the jackpot out of nowhere—they had every reason to rush over.
One of their top long-standing issues had been resolved in a single stroke.
But then, amid the barrage of compliments, a sudden curveball hit me.
“And to top it off, landing such a stunning fiancée. Man, you’ve got it all as a guy. I’m jealous, ha ha ha.”
“Fiancée... what?”
“Hm? That’s how the Imperial Household Agency’s seeing it, apparently. They say His Majesty the Emperor shed a whole bucket of tears.”
“What...?”
What the hell was this? Wasn’t it just a fake romance act?
The Foreign Minister, with his bushy mustache, didn’t notice my head spinning in confusion. He flashed a broad grin and followed up with another mental blow.
“Ha ha ha, no use hiding it now. It’s already all over the Korean press.”
“What is this? Hold on. Just a second. Aide Yoo Se-na!”
I frantically beckoned to Aide Yoo Se-na. Moments later, a report with clipped newspaper articles landed in my hand, and an incredulous laugh escaped me.
-[Entertainment Daily] A symbol of reconciliation transcending nationality? The engagement of the century! Chairman Han Seo-jun ♥ Princess Hina.
-[Patriot News] Post-engagement analysis! What if all the Imperial male heirs die? Exploring the possibility of a Korean-descended Emperor for the first time in history.
The articles reeked of official sources—not some tabloid yellow journalism.
There was only one person who’d pull something like this.
“Un-fucking-believable... You’re right there, so come out already. Should I go drag you over?”
I stormed over to Princess Hina, who was hiding in the corner, avoiding my gaze, and grabbed her shoulder firmly.
“Princess Hina? What the hell is going on here?”
“Ah... I kinda lied to my dad. Said I’d be the devoted wife crossing over to Korea for my beloved husband. You know, something like that.”
“Good lord.”
“But if I didn’t, he wouldn’t let me go!”
Princess Hina, who’d spun whatever excuse she could to fabricate a reason to bolt to Korea.
This was turning out bigger than I’d thought.
* * * *
“By the way, His Excellency the President is fully on board with this engagement of the century. If things align, it could serve as a monumental symbol for the Korea-Japan FTA economic cooperation between the two of you...”
“No, no. Pass on that. Hard pass. I need to call up that fox of a President before this blows up even more.”
I cut off the beaming Foreign Minister mid-sentence and snatched my cellphone. First things first—put out the fire Princess Hina had mindlessly started.
Luckily, he seemed to have a moment free; the call connected after just a few rings, and the President’s voice came through.
-Newlywed? You must be swamped, yet here you are calling an old fogey like me.
“You know damn well that’s not what this is.”
-Even if it’s not real now, wouldn’t it be great if it became real? Think of the national interests, my legacy...
Knew it.
The President already knew the full situation—and that this romance was fake.
Of course... what he was hoping for would come to pass soon enough.
Just through a very different route.
“I’ve got other plans in mind for national interests and your legacy, so hang tight and look forward to it.”
-Hm? Do you have something up your sleeve, Mr. Han? That nuclear thing you mentioned offhand last time?
The President’s intuition was uncannily sharp.
His comment veered just shy of the bullseye.
-Anyway, I’m looking forward to it, but exporting that won’t be easy, right? Even if you’re the Japanese Emperor’s son-in-law now.
“I’ll show you with results, not words. And no, not the son-in-law bit—the nuclear stuff.”
Click. The call ended somehow.
Anyway... that gave me one more reason to head to Fukushima.
On top of preventing a disaster that would shock the world, now political entanglements weighed on my shoulders.
And this hopelessly immature princess was clinging to my back.
“Oh, right. Speaking of which, my dad wants to meet you.”
“...Guess I’ll have to play along to some extent. When should we schedule it?”
“Hm, the Imperial events wrap up in two days or so.”
Princess Hina folded her fingers one by one, counting off the days.
What came out of her mouth next... was ironically timed. How the hell did the timing line up like this?
“March 11th?”
“Ah, of all days. This won’t do.”
“Huh? Why?”
March 11th.
The day the impending disaster would strike.
No time for morning soap opera auditions in Tokyo that day.
I had to go block the shadow of looming despair.
“Whatever it takes, we’re skipping that day. Actually, it’ll be tough to meet for a while with my schedule.”
“What? You’ve gotta do it when Dad’s guard is down—that’s when it’ll go smoothly.”
“His guard will be down plenty from now on, so no worries there.”
“Huh...?”
Princess Hina tilted her head.
I straightened her disheveled hoodie over her head and added one more line.
“For the time being... the whole world’s gonna be too dazed to care about you or me.”
* * * *
Chungnam Province, Ammunition Precision Machinery Factory.
A massive vehicle roared out from the production line.
Perched atop its small-armored-car-sized frame was a single robotic arm that looked insanely complex at a glance.
“All right! All right! More, more, more, more!”
-Thud! Screeech!
The hulking beast of a machine revealed its majesty with a heavy clamor. Not an armored car, but a disaster-response rescue vehicle.
Kim Won-cheol, having completed the final inspection, tossed off his hardhat and collapsed flat on the floor.
“That’s it, that’s it. Whew... finally some rest. Right, President Seong?”
“Looks like it. You’ve worked hard too, Chief Secretary Kim. Really.”
The two middle-aged men shared a bottle of water.
With even headquarters execs throwing their all into it, this project had been a brutal race against the clock.
Kim Won-cheol sprawled out in a big X on the green urethane-coated floor, stretching his hand toward the sky as he muttered.
“If it weren’t for the Chairman’s engagement, I’d have rushed to Japan myself.”
“Why? We’re busting our asses here, and he’s off in Japan playing lovey-dovey?”
“Bingo! But we gotta secure the next-gen heir for Ammunition Group, so I held back. Even the old hag seems quietly pleased.”
“What...? Even Director Seo?”
A bizarre misunderstanding born of poor communication. The two middle-aged men bantered back and forth in a heated debate about the Han family heirs, which wrapped up with someone’s arrival.
“So yeah, that old hag insists on seeing a great-grandkid before she can pass in peace...”
“You guys are here.”
A man with yellow hair and blue eyes. President Michel.
He’d finished checking even the last technical glitches. Approaching Kim Won-cheol for final confirmation, he asked.
“Good work, everyone. Chief Secretary Kim, please tell the Chairman we’re ready to ship. Destination’s Tokyo Kansai International Airport, right?”
“Huh? No, no. Whew, good thing I didn’t forget to mention it.”
“What? Isn’t he in Tokyo?”
“He’s heading back up from Tokyo soon. Let me check... where was it again...”
Kim Won-cheol pulled a small notepad from his blue factory jumpsuit pocket.
Squinting at the blurry writing—thanks to presbyopia—he slowly read the scrawled note.
Unaware of what would unfold in that unfamiliar region ahead.
“Sendai, Sendai International Airport. Near that Fukushima nuclear plant, right?”
* * * *
Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
Plant Manager Watanabe Sugoi frowned at the call from headquarters.
Tokyo Electric Power Company President Nakamura Kimocchi’s voice boomed through the earpiece, laced with desperation.
-Hey! Block it, block it no matter what!
“Sigh... How am I supposed to block a visit ordered by the Prime Minister himself?”
First the princess romance scandal blows up, now this sudden Fukushima inspection tour.
With Ammunition Group’s Chairman set to visit as predicted, TEPCO’s Nakamura ramped up his frantic tone.
-That bastard... If an outsider tours, he’ll expose decades of our shit to the whole country—Korea included?
“That’s why I told you we should report even minor incidents to the safety committee instead of covering them up...”
-Preservation! Think self-preservation! You wanna see my head roll?!
That damn self-preservation mentality.
Dozens of minor incidents buried on-site over the years, thanks to the rigidly hierarchical culture.
An outsider’s inspection would surely uncover even the temporarily hushed ones.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, Manager Watanabe proposed a compromise.
“Sigh, a total lockdown’s impossible. We’ll be as cautious as we can, though.”
-Damn it... Fine, let him in, but stonewall him! No major facilities—give him the superficial tour only!
It seemed headed for the usual wrap-up.
But this time felt different. Sensing the fire on his own feet, Nakamura spat one last impulsive line before slamming down the phone.
-No, wait. I’ll come myself! I’ll wine, dine, and seduce him away if I have to!
“No, if you come, it’ll just cause more chaos...”
-Shut up! Click!
The line went dead.
Manager Watanabe sighed and, as always, swiveled his chair to gaze out the small window.
The serene blue seashore that always looked peaceful. His one solace amid the turmoil.
“Whew, guess I’ll watch the waves for a bit. Huh?”
But today... the shoreline looked strangely off.
The waves crashing harder than usual seemed to whisper to him.
Run far away while you still can... it’s not too late.
“Are my eyes playing tricks? Why does that usually calm sea look so menacing today?”