Chapter 30

EP 7 - North Wind (1)

"North Korea used nuclear weapons to stop the monsters."

Cha Jae-gyun said.

"Although only one gate opened in Seoul on the Korean Peninsula, many gates opened just above the peninsula. Shenyang, Jilin, Yanbian, and so on..."

Gates opened above North Korea.

"Then, how many places in total?"

"It's impossible to specify one location. They occurred sporadically over a wide area."

There were far too many.

"The problem is that China used a strategy to push the monsters into other countries' territories."

China pushed the monsters into North Korea.

"Numerous monsters poured into North Korea, and in response, North Korea used a nuclear bomb at 8:52 PM yesterday, 20 kilometers north of Hyesan, Yanggang Province."

North Korea used a nuclear bomb to stop the monsters.

"Considering the location, it's near the southern slope of Mount Paektu. Given that it's an active volcano, there's a possibility of an eruption."

"......What about the damage?"

"It varies depending on the wind direction. We don't know where the volcanic ash will go. However, fortunately, scholars argue that it's unlikely to erupt, given the small size of the nuclear bomb and its location away from the tectonic plate boundary......"

It could have caused Mount Paektu to erupt, but it didn't. I sighed in relief, but Cha Jae-gyun added coldly,

"The damage varies depending on the wind direction, even now."

"......Ah."

"We don't know where the radioactive fallout will go."

* * *

The country was in chaos.

The 'Gangbuk Style' prices, represented by a 7,000 won can of tuna, began to spread.

"A single pack of ramen costs 10,000 won in Busan."

"Unbelievable......"

Lee Ho-jeong frowned and covered her mouth.

Yang Il-ho, with a tense expression, asked me,

"Is the radioactive fallout coming this way?"

"......It's summer, so the continental wind is blowing. The southeast monsoon."

"Huh?"

"The wind is blowing from the sea to the land."

"So the fallout won't come this way...?"

I nodded.

However, since the wind is unpredictable, no one can guarantee what will happen. There are also typhoons.

The news anchor on TV exacerbated the social unrest.

- The nuclear bomb dropped near Mount Paektu is estimated to be about 7kt, half the size of Hiroshima. Authorities claim they are doing their best to measure the fallout, but some experts predict the possibility of Mount Paektu erupting......

"Damn it, they're not even issuing a reporting guideline...!"

"Bro! Calm down!"

"Ah! Shit!"

Without a president, the country is in chaos. Cha Jae-gyun is only acting like a king in the Seoul area, and he has no way to control the media in the lower regions.

Of course, the more the media stirs up to boost ratings, the more chaotic the country becomes.

The more they hype 'a big problem,' the more people are shaken, and the bigger the problem becomes.

I gulped down a bottle of carbonated water to soothe my burning throat and frantically changed the TV channels.

- Citizens isolated in Gangbuk are being covered by fallout...

- The explosion's scale is not yet confirmed...

- Baby Shark Doo Doo...

- A large-scale protest occurred in Uijeongbu...!

- The military authorities have not come up with a clear plan...

Of course, I didn't hear any of the TV content. The word 'nuclear bomb' itself has such a powerful impact.

I answered the eighth call from a friend. My phone had been ringing non-stop.

"Hello? Ah, yes. Aunt. Yes, I'm fine. Yes, nothing's wrong. Ah, I'm safe, of course! Yes, don't worry. Yes, yes, ah, I have to go to a meeting now, yes. Bye."

The shock of the third nuclear bomb ever used in history was immense. People are trembling with fear. I felt my legs give out and fell onto the sofa.

As soon as one call ended, another ringtone sounded.

"Hello."

- Seungmun.

"Ah, yes. Representative."

Yang Pan-seok. He spoke in a somber tone.

- I'm at the martial law command post.

"Ah, are you in Gangbuk?"

- Remember the secret room where we met with the former deputy minister? Come there as soon as possible.

"Understood."

Yang Pan-seok's "I'm coming now" ended the call. It seemed he was with several people.

Just as I was struggling to put on my prosthetic leg at the front door, another call came.

"Hello?"

- Hey. Are you okay?

"Sister?"

- Are you okay?

"Ah, yeah."

- Be careful.

Click. Yeo Do-yeon's call ended.

I looked at my phone in disbelief.

There were 24 missed calls from Yeo Do-yeon.

*

"Ah, you're here. Take a seat."

"Sorry for being late."

"No, no. Come over here."

I limped as little as possible and hurriedly sat next to Yang Pan-seok. There were about eight people in the secret room.

Cha Jae-gyun, Deputy Minister of National Defense.

Won Ok-bun, Acting President.

Yang Pan-seok, the highest-ranking member of the Democratic Party.

Deputy Minister of Strategy and Finance.

Director of the National Intelligence Service.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.

Mayor of Busan.

Including me, there were nine people.

Is this the highest council of the Republic of Korea? Looking at it, the members were carefully selected.

Military,

Republican Party,

Democratic Party,

Sejong City government,

National Intelligence Service,

United States,

Representatives of local governments.

I smiled inwardly.

My judgment was correct. My efforts so far were not in vain.

I am now seated here as a representative of 'superhumans,' and also as a star politician.

When Cha Jae-gyun gave the signal, the Director of the National Intelligence Service spoke.

"We received additional contact an hour ago. It's impossible to stop the monsters coming down from the north......"

The room erupted in chaos at his words.

"They said they will detonate a few more nuclear bombs."

*

Bang! The Mayor of Busan, a potential presidential candidate, slammed the table with a resounding thud.

"We must issue a stern warning and take action immediately! This is outrageous!"

Translation: He's making a big fuss to save face, but he doesn't really know what to do, so you guys figure it out...

The U.S. Ambassador to South Korea smiled and proposed a calm and conciliatory solution.

"Perhaps sending troops to block the border is a good idea. Consider sending part of the encirclement forces to advance north."

Translation: Let the South Korean military handle it.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff answered with a resolute voice.

"While fighting against an unending enemy, it's already a stretch to maintain the encirclement. Additionally, we don't know what might happen to our troops if they enter North Korean territory, and the North Korean regime might not appreciate such a move. Moreover, to protect the safety of our citizens, it's more appropriate to maintain the encirclement and focus on our own territory."

Translation: Screw off.

The Deputy Minister of Strategy and Finance shone with a wise and cold gaze.

"Fear is eroding the economy. We're on the brink of collapse, just like during the IMF crisis. If the gates had only opened in South Korea, the country would have already fallen."

Translation: The economy is in ruins, so you figure it out.

The Director of the National Intelligence Service maintained a poker face and reported calmly.

"Public dissatisfaction is growing among the citizens isolated in Gangbuk. Protests are already happening, and the fear of radioactive fallout is causing nationwide anxiety."

Translation: We tried to manipulate public opinion, but it didn't work.

I glanced at the clock; the meeting had been going on for 1 hour and 16 minutes. For 1 hour and 16 minutes, military and administrative officials had been trembling and whining.

This is a chronic problem in the Republic of Korea. The higher-ups are too afraid. It's natural, given how much they have to lose.

Sigh, a small sigh came from beside me.

Yang Pan-seok, with a sharp look, exchanged glances with Won Ok-bun and me.

Yes, this is what politicians are good at.

The seasoned politician finally spoke.

"Ah, I've heard your valuable opinions."

Yang Pan-seok stroked his beard with a meaningful expression.

"Radioactive fallout, rising prices, and heated public opinion. North Korea's atrocities have plunged the nation into turmoil."

He looked around the room solemnly.

"To add a small opinion, the damage from the nuclear bomb itself is not the fundamental cause."

I, as his protégé, added my thoughts.

"......Are you saying that the fundamental cause is the fear people have?"

Won Ok-bun answered for me. Politicians seem to think alike.

"Yes. The top priority is to address the people's concerns and reassure them."

Translation: We need to stir up the people.

Yang Pan-seok smiled contentedly.

"Then, would you like to hear my thoughts...?"

Translation: The con artists will handle it, so the soldiers and writers can step back.

*

Yang Pan-seok's plan was simple.

Nationalism.

He even made a real statement that got him some criticism, but everyone was amazed by his subsequent explanation.

After all, everyone in a high position knows enough. They were just caught off guard by the sudden panic.

With Yang Pan-seok at the center, the leaders calmed down and fleshed out a rather impressive picture.

I watched the press conference that Cha Jae-gyun held three days ago from the back seat of the car.

This was Yang Pan-seok's first plan.

'Warning from the Commander-in-Chief of the Military.'

- I express great concern and warning over the extremely reckless actions of the North Korean puppet regime.

There will be no further warnings, and I inform the public that our air force has already secured control of North Korea's airspace and is ready to strike anywhere in the North...

It's true that the South Korean air force has control of North Korea's airspace and can strike anywhere.

However, the target will be the monsters pushing down from the north.

If North Korea falls, those monsters will all come here. Additionally, this can prevent further use of nuclear weapons.

But in the end, it's helping North Korea for free. This was probably North Korea's goal as well.

South Korea's 'voluntary' help. If they asked for help first, it would undermine their regime's legitimacy.

We took note of their thuggish behavior and gave them a stern warning. We also made the domestic policy look good.

Of course, the people wouldn't be satisfied with this. In this day and age, who would fall for such empty words? As expected, left and right immediately started a heated debate online.

Everything is going according to plan.

To this, we introduced a strong leader to control public opinion.

Yang Pan-seok's second plan.

Won Ok-bun's inauguration.

Just then, Yang Il-ho in the driver's seat asked me.

"Ah, right. Bro! The representative who accepted the role of Acting President the day before yesterday, Won Ok-bun."

"Uh-huh."

"Is it okay that she's from the Republican Party?"

"It's all planned."

I brushed off his question and recalled her acceptance speech.

"......We are facing the worst crisis since the founding of the nation. In this tumultuous era, we have already lost many families. I am no exception. For 28 years, we have been together—

......

......—Therefore, I accept the request of the ruling and opposition parties and will assume the duties of Acting President. I will respond strongly to unknown threats and foreign provocations.

I will restore the nation.

I will show my actions. The speech is concluded."

The sudden north wind made people accept her as a leader without much resistance.

In reality, she was a leader jointly appointed by the National Assembly and Cha Jae-gyun.

Moreover, she looked tough despite having one eye. Won Ok-bun immediately went to the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command and gave a stern warning.

Stop dilly-dallying and fight together.

Her stern warning made the U.S. commander nod and sign the document.

Of course, the U.S. readily accepted the expansion of participation because a special forces team sent by Cha Jae-gyun had saved the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, and this was part of the secret deal.

That's none of our business. People watching the live broadcast of our president's resolute appearance danced with joy. The online reaction was intense.

In short, for two consecutive days, Cha Jae-gyun and Won Ok-bun put on a show of nationalism. And Yang Pan-seok's third plan was executed yesterday.

The first legislation of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Monster Response.

Eleven members of the National Assembly, including me (Won Ok-bun was absent), passed an emergency law through the Special Committee on Monster Response, allowing 'guilds' to help eliminate monsters ravaging the southern part of Gyeonggi Province.

In other words, 11 people with gold badges bowed 90 degrees in front of the camera and declared, "Superhumans will protect the people from now on!" It was a splendid sight.

David Kim and Hong Seon-a held the inauguration ceremony for the guild's chairman and vice-chairman.

On their first day, they spectacularly eliminated six monsters.

Their display of power and fire shows were widely covered by the media and gained popularity. About 20 superhumans were filming a hero movie in the city, and the public's reaction was predictable.

This is what happened in just three days.

On the first day,

Cha Jae-gyun held a grand press conference to showcase the South Korean military and warn North Korea.

And he sacrificed his reputation for Won Ok-bun.

On the second day,

Won Ok-bun ascended to the role of Acting President and, with a stern warning, secured the U.S.'s commitment to expand participation.

Originally, this was Cha Jae-gyun's work.

On the third day,

Eleven members of the National Assembly, united, launched the guild to eliminate monsters.

Originally, this was my work.

All the processes so far were 'things we planned to do' and 'nothing special.' There were no new or innovative measures.

It was just a matter of making the order and appearance of the actions look good. This is how our style of politics works.

However,

Cha Jae-gyun and I were able to quickly activate the guild to clean up the southern part of Gyeonggi Province,

Won Ok-bun firmly established a slightly lacking legitimacy,

The National Assembly secured the legitimacy of the Special Committee on Monster Response.

And public sentiment was stabilized.

Everyone benefited from this superficial act, and it was indeed a skillful move. Now it was time for me to reap the rewards.

And finally, the fourth day arrived.

This time, it's my turn.

"We've arrived!"

"Okay."

Yang Il-ho parked the car, and I opened the door.

As soon as I got out, a barrage of camera flashes hit me. I walked slowly to the podium and closed my eyes for a moment, recalling my conversation with Yang Pan-seok.

'Whether it's large-scale protests or skyrocketing prices, people are just anxious. After all, haven't we been living with a sword at our throats since the armistice? People are just a bit flustered. In reality, it's not that extraordinary.'

'......Do you really think so?'

'No! We don't know if radioactive fallout will come, and we don't know if North Korea will drop a few more bombs. But is that important right now?'

'No.'

'Exactly! If people believe we are safe, the situation will be resolved, regardless of the reality. That's the