Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: After the Rain, Fort Roberts (5)
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Many people claim that disabled and non-disabled people are equal human beings. However, cases where words match actions are rare. It's not that these people are particularly evil; it's just difficult.
What makes it so hard?
‘It's hard not to feel pity.’
Winter thought.
Compassion is human nature, the feeling of pity toward someone inferior to oneself. Thus, pity for someone also implies recognizing that person as inferior.
Good people discriminate against the disabled out of kindness, and bad people do so out of malice.
Jang Yeoncheol was a prime example. He called disabled people "disabled friends." This term carried an obligation for non-disabled people to care for the disabled out of friendship. It was a noble sentiment. But a true egalitarian would say: Why are they your friends?
Winter said to the elderly Kang Youngsoon.
“If I make the same mistake, please point it out. I’m worried I might offend unconsciously.”
The gracefully aged woman smiled and moved her pen.
「That mindset is enough. Even Confucius said he only acted in accordance with propriety at seventy. Expecting a saint’s old age from our young leader is asking too much. I only feel sorry for Department Head Jang Yeoncheol.」
Regarding Jang Yeoncheol, who treated the disabled with prejudice, the elderly woman felt apologetic instead.
Jang Yeoncheol was a good-hearted man. If his prejudice was pointed out, he would feel ashamed and try to correct it—and out of respect for him, one should do so. Yet the old woman didn’t. Instead, she advised Winter to use his prejudice. At that time, the elderly woman had convinced Winter with a single line.
「The bigger the shadow of prejudice, the better it is to hide in it.」
The disabled volunteered to be Winter’s eyes and ears. This job became easier the lower people’s wariness. For that, it was better if the disabled were seen as pitiful...
It was what the disabled themselves wanted. They had discovered new possibilities in their own disabilities and wanted the fulfillment of contributing to the community through them.
“If they understand the situation, Department Head Jang won’t think badly of it. Paradoxical as it sounds, you could see it this way: repaying the wrong built on prejudice with more prejudice. Above all, there are many more people we should feel sorry for than just Department Head Jang. We’re deceiving everyone. But this is practically necessary and ultimately benefits everyone, so we compromise. Don’t worry about it.”
The old woman responded with a smile instead of words.
Winter began reading the memo handed over by Kang Youngsoon.
The secret internal surveillance was handled by one disabled man, Lee Huntae, but the others weren’t idle. Having endured hard times together, their camaraderie was strong. Thanks to that, the volume of information reaching Winter kept increasing.
He lingered longer on the section about religious activities within the alliance. Something caught his attention. A record of a prayer meeting in a small gathering of some Christians.
「The Lord loves us. The Lord wants to save us. But who is saving us now? Who loves us? Isn’t that person the Lord’s will abiding with us?」
「There is nothing in this world outside the Lord’s providence. From the moment of creation to the day of judgment, do you believe all history and events are within the Lord’s plan? Thus, do you believe that the boy named Han Gyeowol, the son of man, is the Lord’s grace incarnate in human form?」
「We must believe. We must believe. The Lord has enlightened us through miracles. Without grace, how could a boy achieve so many feats? How could he save people through prophecy, and miracles occur wherever he goes? Isn’t that truly the will of God?」
「The son of man does not yet know himself. He doesn’t know he must receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. No one has told him. There are no people saying, ‘Where is the king who has come? We have come to worship him.’」
「This is our mission. We are the chosen ones...」
The handwriting was crooked, likely scribbled while hidden at the scene. The recorder also devoted space to the people’s ecstatic reactions—shedding tears, cheering, applauding, and so on.
The boy shook his head.
“I guess I’ll have to convert to Islam after all.”
The old woman sitting across covered her mouth and laughed. Then she rolled her pen across the paper.
「Don’t you want to try being their savior?」
“Enough with the jokes. The downsides outweigh the upsides.”
That was true. Religious communities tend to become conservative. With ultimate answers to all questions, they reject everything else. Biblical inerrancy and Sharia were prime examples. Of course, religious communities could be rational too. But betting on one that believed in the Messiah’s return was a tough expectation.
Pretending to be the Messiah wasn’t easy either. The mental resistance outweighed the practical difficulties. It was too far from the way of life he wanted to protect.
The old woman held up her notepad.
「I think that’s your virtue, but we can’t just leave them be. I’m worried more people will get swept up if ignored. As you know, there are already many inside and outside the alliance who are devoted to you.」
“Well... I’ll keep it in mind for now. There are other issues to handle first.”
He needed to meet the central figure of the group first. To see if they truly believed their own words or were just using Winter’s name for profit and influence. The approach would differ based on which. In a pinch, he could start a counter-fire.
The old woman wrote a new question.
「What issue is that?」
Winter thought briefly, then confided in her about the anonymous letter from Baek Ji-seon and the differing opinions of the two department heads. It was something to handle secretly, but hiding it just because it was secret held no meaning. The old woman already shared a greater secret with the boy.
“What do you think? What’s the best course?”
Receiving the question, Kang Youngsoon wrote more slowly than usual.
「It’s very hard for me to say which is better. I don’t have the right to advise.」
“No right? Why say that?”
「Because I’m from the generation that lived through the Korean War.」
As Winter tilted his head, the old woman added a few lines of explanation.
「I still see the war in my dreams. Fear etched into my bones. Lately, new fears have been added, but they haven’t displaced the old ones. And in a corner of that nightmare, there’s definitely fear of the Chinese forces too.」
「That’s why. I might hate Chinese people. Of course, I don’t feel that way consciously, but as long as my dreams are captive to the old war, doesn’t that influence linger in my subconscious?」
In short, since this involved Chinese people, she lacked confidence in objective judgment. Winter formed a gentle smile.
“I’ll take that into account. I just want as many opinions as possible before deciding. No need to overthink. Speak freely.”
The pen paused. The old woman sat upright in deep contemplation. At last, her resolve flowed out in lines of writing.
「As someone who’s received much help from Department Head Jang Yeoncheol’s kindness, it’s embarrassing to oppose helping others regardless of reason, but Department Head Min Wan-gi’s opinion seems more valid to me.」
「Among them are those who’ve committed crimes since the past. ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner,’ but this case is different. In my view, it’s not their sins but the vendettas formed from those sins that are the problem.」
「The letter writer said members of Hwasunghwa and Subangbang faced discrimination within the Triad. With families held hostage, how convenient a blade they must have been for the Triad. Much blood must stain them.」
「So if the alliance accepts and protects them, won’t those harboring grudges against Hwasunghwa and Subangbang also grudge the alliance and its leader?」
Winter countered.
“Such grudges would have started when we allied with the Triad. Other Chinese groups can’t touch the Triad because of the Winter Alliance.”
Kang Youngsoon began writing her reply before Winter finished.
「That’s a bit different too. Until now, we were indirect third parties influencing from afar, but accepting Baek Ji-seon’s faction makes us direct parties to the grudge.」
「They’ll also need bad blood with us to maintain their organizations. People will keep defecting to the Winter Alliance for a better life or escape from internal strife. It’s different from mere dislike or resentment.」
Winter evaluated her opinion.
“It aligns with Department Head Min Wan-gi’s opposition in a way, but you’ve pointed out angles I hadn’t considered. Thanks for the good advice. I’ll ponder what you said.”
The old woman smiled warmly.
After that, Winter meticulously read the remaining memos, gathered them, and stood.
“It’s late, so rest for today.”
The boy bowed to the old woman and left the alliance headquarters tent.
Even after the sun had dipped below the horizon, the construction site bustled. Exchanging greetings, Winter headed to his lodging, lost in various thoughts.
Many Chinese had thought the Winter Alliance better so far, but none had actually sought refuge. They saw it as a Korean enclave. Only five stateless people had entered at Amelia’s request. Thus, nationality was an invisible wall.
Accepting Baek Ji-seon’s faction would tear it down. That was Jang Yeoncheol’s argument—and Winter’s hope too. Other Chinese groups would naturally hate it. As Kang Youngsoon pointed out, they’d replace the nationality wall with one of grudges.
How effective that would be was questionable.
In the worst case, to prevent chain defections, the Chinese might try to kill Baek Ji-seon’s faction somehow. It might not stop there. They’d want to warn Winter too: Don’t meddle in our affairs.
They wouldn’t挑戰 openly—that was suicide. But what about indiscriminate terror by unspecified numbers targeting the Winter Alliance?
Suddenly, Winter recalled visiting Li Chenjian. 「Survival Instinct」 and 「Combat Sense」 had warned of projectile fire lines from bows or slings. With construction everywhere lately, sourcing weapon materials had gotten easier.
‘This could be useful.’
Ordinary blades might pass, but proper projectiles wouldn’t—even the U.S. military wouldn’t tolerate them. They threatened base security. The Chinese knew that too. Unless in dire straits, they wouldn’t use them.
Unless in dire straits.
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
1. Sorry for skipping a day. The writing got stuck hard. Ten hours for one line, five more for half a page.
It’s all because of the harsh criticism from bad readers who hate the author.
You know who you are. Those who said the author looks like Won Bin—doesn’t it sting?
Of course, I remember the good readers who said he doesn’t.
I’ll never forgive them.
2.
Q. RGZ95: @ Glad your friend finished deadlines first? Gotta prep the next update too @[email protected]
A. Yes, authors have deadlines every day. Haha.
...?
Weird. This novel is clearly 3-5 updates a week...
Q. Dohwa-won: @ Want more innocence.
A. Me too. No chance to build innocence, only spending it daily— as an innocence lifeform, the author is in mortal peril...
Q. LolitaIsSad: Thought the cough was foreshadowing, but it’s all cured? lol
A. At this age, recovering from a cold too fast would be suspicious, right? :)
Authors take about 3 months per cold.
Q. PAM: What? Lenient? Deadlines? In a few months, you’ll realize, ‘Why did I open my mouth then? Deadlines are this painful.’ Anyway, Hero Alliance—shouldn’t we bulk it up?
A. As I’ve said, every day is deadline for the author.
It’s already 3 AM. Arghhh...
Q. Blatar: But is White Bean-nim male or female?
A. Beans are hermaphroditic plants with both stamens and pistils. So White Bean-nim is probably... nah, that’d be defamation.
Q. Ketaro: @ Resolved. From now on, I’ll hit recommend on every chapter as much as possible. Why? ‘Cause it’s fun! To read!
A. Resolved. From now on, I’ll play one Overwatch game daily. Why? ‘Cause it’s fun!
...is the author’s dream. Bought it 4 weeks ago and still haven’t. Haha.
Q. Qvex: @ Author-nim, like military dumplings?!
A. Of course. Even more if you lock me up and feed them.