Chapter 170
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Union and Vertical Alliance, San Francisco (5)
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"I'll tell you in advance. This call is being recorded."
[I had a feeling.]
The former professor chuckled.
[From the moment you started speaking in English, I figured it out. You were pulled away on a secret mission from the start, so it's only natural that regular contact would be unusual. Is it the CIA or something like that?]
Winter confirmed it, and Min Wan-gi laughed once more. He said it felt exciting, like he was a movie protagonist. His natural acceptance left the supervisor visibly flustered instead.
"You're not offended?"
[Why would I be? It's unfamiliar, sure, but if I think of it as a chance to earn trust, it's not so bad. Usually, you don't even get the opportunity.]
It was a mirror of something Winter had once said.
[Anyway, it's great to hear from you. Hearing the little commander's voice after so long brings me joy.]
"Same here. I'm glad you're doing well health-wise."
[So, what brings you to call? Is there something urgent you need to discuss?]
"No, nothing like that. I was just curious about how things are going. Any issues lately?]
[Well... These days, yesterday and today are always different. How much do you know about our situation here?]
"Hardly anything. Just that Camp Roberts is safe?"
With the clear liberation operation underway, news routed through the CIA or FBI couldn't go beyond that. Even Joanna had once wanted to help, but it was the same. The refugees' internal affairs weren't important intelligence.
[I see. It's a bit daunting to know where and how much to tell you.]
Winter checked the time.
"Fit it into 25 minutes."
If Jang Yeoncheol had heard the same request, he might have been quite taken aback. It was separate from the trust in his diligence. This was also why Winter had contacted Min Wan-gi first. Not enough leisure to catch up on backlog. Contact with other alliance executives would be postponed.
Hm. After a brief moment of thought, Min Wan-gi sought Winter's permission.
[Understood. Since this is unprepared talk, forgive any lack of order.]
First came the Winter Alliance's situation.
[Even though you're not here, you're still the alliance's focal point, little commander. Personally, I've found the process of an absent person's presence growing ever stronger quite fascinating.]
"Is that so?"
[How could it not be? There are many reasons, but the biggest one is probably the current mood in American politics.]
"Ah..."
It made sense upon hearing it. The approaching election meant an uncertain future. Candidates critical of refugee treatment were gaining significant support. Winter was the sole exception they mentioned.
'Switching from aid to refugees as a whole to a support system for individual refugee leaders?'
In other words, if he became president and fulfilled his pledge, the U.S. government would no longer bear direct responsibility for the refugees. Thus, refugees would enjoy varying levels of living standards depending on their leaders. Leaders who proved their value to the U.S. government and citizens would receive massive support. The opposite case would mean struggling to make ends meet.
[Public opinion is what it is. No matter which candidate wins, it's hard to expect improvement over now. Even a Democratic victory would just maintain the status quo, and a Republican win would cause chaos. In this climate, people have no choice but to seek you out more, little commander.]
"That's worrying in its own way."
Elder Kang Youngsoon had warned about the existence of fanatic followers who saw Winter as a savior.
Sure enough, Min Wan-gi's next words were similar.
[Prayer meetings pop up everywhere every dawn. Groups like 'Those Praying for Han Gyeowol's Safe Return,' and many with similar names. Besides them, gangs of thugs have increased too. Ones claiming to be your personal guard, little commander... If I had to describe them, extreme right-wing thugs? Like the Korean Youth Corps from the Korean War era? Though the circumstances differ.]
The Korean Youth Corps had been influenced behind the scenes by President Syngman Rhee.
It was an unfamiliar comparison, but with intelligence correction kicking in on the fly, Winter shook his head. Such personal guard forces came with a host of side effects. Systematically speaking, they applied various immutable debuffs to the community. Meaning they negatively impacted random variables in situational calculations.
"Are the department heads struggling to handle it at their level?"
[Ah, not that bad. Thanks to you, little commander, getting police help has become easier. Oh, right. I should mention this. An official sheriff has been assigned to the residential district, and he's connected to you. He specifically requested this post. Do you remember the name Kathleen Hayland?]
"Kathleen Hayland... Ah."
What Winter recalled and the intelligence correction activated almost simultaneously. During the time when successive typhoons threatened multiple dams, one of the two who had fired on them en route to Lake Santa Margarita. Private First Class Greg Gardner from Jeffrey's squad had been hit by her shot.
[Sheriff Hayland says she owes you her life, little commander, but is that true?]
"It's a bit complicated, but if Kathleen thinks so, it's hard to deny it."
He'd thought they'd never meet again.
[Then do you know Lieutenant Chase Perry?]
This time, it took a little longer to recall.
"I met a cop with the same name in Santa Maria, but the rank's different."
[That's the one.]
Min Wan-gi explained the circumstances.
[Once the apartment complexes were finished, this place became a de facto city. Military government administration kicked off in earnest too. Police stations were set up in each sector, and the one handling the Korean residential district is Lieutenant Perry. He volunteered for this too. Said he wanted to help you, little commander.]
"Kathleen makes sense, but Perry... Sergeant Perry—no, Lieutenant Perry is unexpected."
Personnel shortages in contaminated zones always meant volunteers got priority, so that wasn't odd. But their time together hadn't even reached a full day. The sheriff saw him as a lifesaver, fine, but the Santa Maria police mobile unit guy felt ambiguous.
'Wasn't Santa Maria one of the most successful evacuation cities?'
Digging into memory, it was something he'd heard directly from him. Unlike rangers who'd operated in contaminated zones throughout, he'd only arrived about a month ago. Meaning Santa Maria had safely withdrawn civilians and government personnel east of the containment line, without distinction.
[Who knows people's hearts? Seems your exploits left that strong an impression on the lieutenant. Everyone called it a miracle back then, so I don't see it as strange.]
It might even be a sense of debt. The lieutenant had said, "This is my beat, and this is my job." Winter felt that sense of responsibility tied into hometown pride.
Despite prevalent individualism, Americans' local patriotism sometimes exceeded Winter's expectations. Every experience felt novel. Even that famous Detroit had plenty of middle-class and above who stayed out of love for their hometown— as Min Wan-gi said, people's hearts were unknowable.
[Men can fall for other men too.]
"No, I don't think so."
[Considering your popularity, shouldn't you prepare for it? Thanks to you, little commander, surprisingly many people have discovered new identities. Right, I heard on the radio that among the fan letters piling up at the postal center for you, a huge portion are from men.]
A muffled laugh from somewhere. The culprit was the supervisor, hand over mouth. Their eyes met, and he looked away awkwardly. Winter shook his head and replied.
"...Sorry, but no time for jokes."
Min Wan-gi tossed it as a joke, but for Winter, these were real experiences. Recalling that redneck's shy confession, eyes brimming with tears, still made him a bit embarrassed even now.
'Rejecting those feelings isn't easy either.'
Hard to do without hurting them. When someone says they like you.
[Right. Back to what we were saying,]
Min Wan-gi continued with a changed tone.
[Sheriff Hayland and Lieutenant Perry are both very interested in the alliance. They provide various conveniences in tough times. Not illegal collusion or anything, but it helps a lot in policing inside and outside the alliance. Just coordinating timing and locations for crackdowns resolves many situations. This is all thanks to our commander too.]
"I didn't intend it."
[That's what personal magnetism is.]
Min Wan-gi chuckled and continued.
[But that's not always enough, so lately we've been pretending to have a falling out with the ledger keeper. We take turns backing different sides each time.]
"If people split too much, it'll be hard to manage later."
Too much power in one faction was trouble, but overly fomenting division would cause other issues. There were already plenty of existing factions. Hate breeds hate. Once rifts deepen, they're irreversible.
Min Wan-gi quelled Winter's concern.
[That's how people are these days. They miss the old times.]
"Really?"
[They're sick of the constant fights. And they always add, 'It wasn't like this when the little commander was here.']
The past is always romanticized. Especially if it was truly better than now.
[We're helping those people band together. Can't make it obvious, so we push a suitable person forward.]
"Someone I know?"
[Of course. Song Yeokyung's unexpectedly gained a lot of support.]
Song Yeokyung... The woman abandoned by her husband who defected to the Damul Prosperity Society. Winter frowned. She usually hid it well, but her resentment seemed deep.
"Is she really okay for that?"
[I know what you're worried about, but at the time, there was no alternative to Song Yeokyung. Turns out she'd been leading a group of people victimized by other organizations for a while. Not violent or religious, so I learned late.]
"Hmm..."
[If not for that Baek San-ho guy, we'd have had more leeway...]
"Baek San-ho? Who's that?"
[The mid-level exec you said to clean out because he rubbed you wrong. Don't you remember?]
"Was he the one you planned to make an example of, Minister Min?"
[Exactly.]
The man who was spotless at the construction site. No sweat smell, hands warm even in the winter wind—Winter had suspected him. Turned out Min Wan-gi had promoted him.
'I told him to cut him, but he hesitated.'
Actually, Min Wan-gi had selected him as a scapegoat to concentrate people's resentment. When patience hit its limit, punish him harshly to solidify support and unity for the alliance. Winter refused. It wasn't his way.
The boy always wondered: Does a sin truly exist that's solely one person's responsibility?
Min Wan-gi had said since he chose freely, it was that one's responsibility.
But those who enabled it bore responsibility too.
"What did he do to make you say that?"
[Less 'did' and more... he has a lot of money.]
"...Money?"
[Yes. Turns out he's a big shot from the start. As soon as this place started functioning as a city, he started splashing cash everywhere. Military government had zero prep for this. He's snapping up commercial buildings left and right.]
Real estate speculation is one of the quintessential Korean vices, after all. Min Wan-gi's tone carried bitterness.
"It's absurd. Where'd he get that much money?"
[People say he showed up dragging two suitcases stuffed with bills the moment the first bank window opened. If that's not ruthless, what is? Even the weight would've been dozens of kilos easy, yet he lugged around that worthless junk like his life depended on it.]
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Q&A
Q. Curry Rice-nim: @Can BJs change their appearance? Not just age adjustment, but body changes like height/weight, or TS like a woman turning into a muscular man, or playing as a celebrity look if they were ordinary before?
A. Appearance changes are free once at the start. Can't infringe on someone's portrait rights, but if a celebrity has registered their look as merchandise, you can use it for extra fee. Meaning, with enough money, anything goes.
Q. Apostle-kun-nim: Always so grateful while reading. Even went to Joara New Year's event hoping to meet the author. I'd totally support if you go premium.
A. Whoa... why would you want to see someone like me? I'm... not really suited for such events in many ways. If you'd messaged ahead, I'd have told you I wasn't going.
Q. Ishtree-nim: But how did he get to America during the China mission??
A. Seems like a misunderstanding. Winter never operated in China. Alameda Island is in eastern San Francisco metro, and it's just remnants of old Chinese forces who fled to SF Bay.
Q. Ronap-nim: @Curious: If Zhou Wei appears on broadcast, won't Winter's identity be exposed right away? By then op's over, so no need to worry?
A. We can fabricate tear-jerking escape and defection stories galore.
Q. Jeppni-da-nim: @Clock in the belly? Unless there's a master clockmaker inside and insane craftsmanship, impossible to install... Way too intricate.
A. It's the CIA's specialty to begin with. Even if not depicted, assume they checked thoroughly. :)