Chapter 133
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Angel Island (3)
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The stay on Angel Island was brief. Winter and Joanna boarded the submarine without delay.
Once shown to their cabin, Joanna was wound tight as a spring. A tension so taut it seemed it might snap at the slightest touch. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of her fingertips drumming on her holster. She'd already checked the pistol inside twice. Her eyes fixed on the cabin door, Winter offered her gentle words.
"Relax. Everything will be fine."
Joanna furrowed her brow.
"Why are you so certain? The captain and crew's behavior was blatantly suspicious."
"Well..."
The response was delayed. It was hard to be honest. That his 「Survival Instinct」 and 「Combat Sense」 hadn't reacted when facing them. Telling her that would likely trigger a rollback due to context calculation error. It might not incur penalties on the first offense, but it would still be an unpleasant experience. He knew the limitations of this virtual reality world, but knowing and reliving it were worlds apart.
So he pondered another reason to give her. What could he say?
"They didn't seem to like me much, but it wasn't hostility. Just a gut feeling."
"A gut feeling...?"
"Sorry. That was a weird thing to say, huh?"
"No, not at all. On the scene, you can't ignore intuition. Especially yours, Winter."
Even as she said it, she kept her brow furrowed, tension unbroken. It wasn't persuasion that worked. She just didn't want to dismiss Winter. He gave a wry smile and thought some more. Why would the captain dislike him? They'd just met today.
To buy time while thinking, he tossed out a question.
"Even Andy didn't know what kind of ship would be waiting, huh?"
Joanna confirmed it.
"All U.S. Navy subs are massive without exception. Nuclear-powered, you see. They're inefficient in shallow waters with complex seafloor topography like inside the bay. And San Francisco Bay right now is noisy as hell. Plenty of other hazards too. Places like this call for conventional subs. At least from the higher-ups' perspective. Suspicious as it is."
She continued, explaining they were receiving support from allied remnant fleets for such reasons.
"But I wasn't informed which country's sub we'd board. They rotate guard duty shifts, but nerve wars on the seafloor make timely handovers rare. I was hoping for a Korean sub for your sake, Winter... but."
She glanced at him sidelong.
"I hear Korea and Japan are historic enemies. You think that's why?"
The sub they were on now was the Jinryu of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Captain Umehahara Atsu, 2nd Class Sea Lieutenant, hadn't hidden his dark emotions upon seeing Winter. Intense agitation. The kind anyone would interpret as antagonism.
"No way."
Winter shook his head. To the boy accustomed to reading people, the captain's darkness felt different.
It might have influenced things. In the historical veins composing 「Day after Apocalypse」, ethnic sentiments persisted to the present. The real-life Winter had thought them utterly useless. But others didn't. Japanese who hated Koreans, Koreans who hated Japanese.
'Naive or cunning.'
One or the other. The cunning ones endlessly stoked hatred. They profited from the naive ones' loathing. Mostly politicians. Sometimes entrepreneurs. Scholars and clergy too.
Hatred also fattened itself. Even without fanning, once it took root, it only grew. Hatred sought reasons to hate, and finding them brought pleasure.
The satisfaction from hating. Winter knew its addictiveness well. These days, he realized he couldn't set down his hatred for the world. The stone only grew heavier.
In any case, what Winter sensed from the captain was far from that kind of hatred. 'It felt like self-loathing.'
How to convey that? Words fell short for emotions.
As he pondered, footsteps echoed from the corridor. They stopped at the door. Knock knock. Winter glanced at the cabin clock. Not arrival time yet. About 20 kilometers to destination. Short distance, but slow for safety.
Joanna tensed like a blade. The conversation's distraction was for naught. Winter gestured to calm her and spoke in Japanese.
"Who is it?"
"The captain."
"Already here?"
"Not quite, but I have something to say."
"I see. Come in. It's your cabin anyway."
The door opened slowly. The captain entered cautiously. The movements of a man aware he'd sown wariness. Like a seasoned investigator, Joanna veiled her tension in calm. She appeared serene. Still, the captain eyed her. Precisely, her tensed hands.
He clasped his hands and bowed. Mindful of Joanna, he spoke in English.
"I've come to apologize for my rudeness. If not now, there might be no chance to clear the misunderstanding."
"It's fine. There was no misunderstanding."
The captain raised his head, sending a peculiar gaze. Scrutinized, the FBI agent's stance was clear. Her hand near her pistol. Every motion a silent warning: she'll shoot if needed.
Winter shrugged.
"As for me."
Joanna shot him a soft glare. The captain murmured, "Is that so?" and bowed again.
"You must have been uncomfortable because of me. I'm sorry. Embarrassing as it is, I'll be frank. I, and this ship's crew, felt jealousy toward you."
"Ah."
The vague feeling sharpened. Jealousy. The sentiment a soldier of a fallen nation might feel toward a boy officer turned war hero. The captain sighed, fell silent, sighed again, and confessed in a murmur.
"Two weeks after the Navy HQ's final order, we realized Japan as a nation was gone. But our ultimate duty hadn't vanished. The Self-Defense Force exists to protect Japanese citizens. I chose to cooperate with America, believing it would improve the lot of our stateless people."
Joanna's tension eased. The captain's confession continued.
"But in this pus-filled bay, there's little this ship can do. Just slowly rotting amid the pus. Look. The world's finest conventional sub, relegated to mere messenger duty. When will we prove our worth? When can we help our people...?"
"..."
"Every day in quarters, we saw your exploits. It bred self-loathing. Lieutenant Han Gyeowol, you alone outshine this ship's 65 crew. No, the entire Japanese fleet cooperating with America. In political influence, that is."
"Not true."
Joanna's consolation.
"America's coastline is vast. Without the Self-Defense Forces, this sea blockade might be impossible. At least on the Pacific side. The government knows your value."
From April Pacific intel, U.S. Navy fatigue was severe. On the verge of snapping. Allied fleet power would be rain in drought.
"Coming for apology, receiving comfort. I'm a poor excuse for a man."
The captain gave a short laugh, then darkened again.
"Anyway. Inferiority complex, call it what you will. Emotions I'd built up on my own—I couldn't contain them upon meeting you. It felt like my existence was denied. Sorry. Must have looked awfully vile."
Winter nodded.
"Actually, I still feel it now. You still dislike me a lot, huh."
Captain Umehahara fell silent.
"So that's why I'm saying... you're a good man."
How hard to take a low posture toward someone junior in rank, age, and even emotionally disliked. How humiliating a self-confession.
The captain's apology was his duty. Unyielding refusal to tolerate any risk to his people. So even if insincere, it mattered little to Winter.
'Strict with himself.'
He'd be strict about this too. Winter thought he could expect reliability. Sincerity absent now might come later. If not, so be it. People have limits. Winter offered the captain a smile.
"Cheer up. Japan will rise again. If people like you don't give up."
Not like Tadaatsu Ryohei. That Yakuza boss demanding to be called ethnic leader. The more such vermin thrived, the bleaker for those dragged along.
Captain Umehahara grimaced bitterly, rubbing upward. It hurt.
"Really, I didn't come for comfort... No face to show. My selfishness burdens you repeatedly."
"Everyone struggles sometimes. And I'd prefer you speak freely. You outrank me."
2nd Class Sea Lieutenant equated to lieutenant commander. Respect due, even across services. Sad in a way that the captain couldn't treat Winter casually. He'd heard even Korean field-grade officers once deferred to U.S. ensigns.
"Difficult."
The captain shook his head.
"Rest until arrival. I'll inform you when it's time."
Avoiding eyes, he withdrew quietly.
Click. Door shut. Waiting for footsteps to fade, Joanna looked at Winter.
"You foresaw this?"
"Vaguely?"
"Hmm..."
She pondered, fist to mouth.
"I see. You're in a similar position, so easier for you to empathize. Admiring you is getting tiresome."
Winter didn't correct her misunderstanding. Satisfied alone, she adjusted posture.
"Separate note, but thinking back, their assigned quarters were quite coincidental."
"Quarters?"
At Winter's puzzled head-tilt from the abrupt shift, Joanna nodded and elaborated.
"Recall where we boarded this sub."
"North side of Angel Island."
"Yes. That facility was once a shuttered immigration building. And the bay ahead, with the temporary pier—it's called China Cove. Know why?"
"No idea..."
"That was the stage for the Chinese Exclusion Act. One of this nation's shameful histories."
She explained. Due to anti-Chinese hatred, not only immigrants rejected, but existing ones actively deported. Racially codified discrimination.
"Uncomfortable. Feels like this country signaling it won't accept them."
"Coincidence."
"The parties involved would feel differently."
The building now a museum, hard to be ignorant.
Conversation ended there. Each had thoughts.
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Contest
I figure many reading this novel aspire to be full-time writers.
There's a contest at Punchline that oddly few seem to know about.
Not a single post in the free board search...
Prizes are substantial. With CJ as partner, unlikely to flop.
Check it out if interested.
#Q&A
Q. Atlaknakchacha-nim: @Zakka-nim I love you gyaak Just give me one spare leg and I'll bite, suck, massage it lick lick
A. Really? My legs are radioactive food... Nuclear fusion lifeform?
Q. GwangSSINdo-nim: @ Crime organization.... So now we get delinquent or thug Winter?
A. Probably? Haha. High difficulty mission for Winter in another sense.
Q. PAM-nim: @Star Trek schmeck. I prefer Doctor Who!
A. I'm into Doctor Who too. Tried KT subscription, but started from season 2. Where's season 1...?
No time to watch now anyway.
Q. Guaaaaak-nim: @ Is it okay for a mere ensign to drive a Ferrari? Won't piss off superiors? Rank system different from ours?
A. Country where lieutenant generals drive themselves to work.