Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 122



Only Krnovel

Episode 122 – The Key

It was not unexpected that Kiribati OSS-LAND would face a labor shortage in the future.

“What about hiring locals in Korea?”

“Korea is so far away. It’s not hard to hire highly skilled workers if you treat them well. The problem is that it’s hard to find simple laborers.”

“…”

“So I actively tried to get to know the local Kiribati people, but it wasn’t easy because of the language and cultural characteristics.”

“Well, the population of Kiribati is only about 100,000. If you take out this and that, retraining the idle manpower that is not much will be of any help.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Okay, I see. We’ll need to take special measures. I’ll think about it.”

“Yes. I will also try to find a way to maintain the facility’s operating rate while operating it flexibly.”

“By the way, Director! I wanted to see you because I have one more favor to ask of you.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“I would like to purchase or lease a few Pacific islands between Kiribati, the Philippines, and Korea to use as ports of call and supply bases.”

“I understand what you mean. You mean to create a backup reserve base for emergencies.”

“Yes. Hahaha.”

“Sir, and I would like to secure a few more cruise ships. They are also said to accommodate the families of the ESSO Far East Forces, so I expect there will soon be a shortage.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll tell Director Jeong Si-woon.”

“Sir! I will discuss this with Director Jeong Si-woon. You should now intentionally reduce your workload.”

“…”

“Then one day, when you get stressed out and go fishing, we go crazy. We can’t believe how surprised we are…”

“Oh, yes. I’m embarrassed. Haha.”

“Now that the Strategy Coordination Office has been created, all you have to do is receive progress reports and adjust the flow.”

“…”

“I, Director Jeong Si-woon, Secretary General Jin, and the military commanders have all become familiar with the representative’s intentions and have learned a lot.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

While talking to Director Kim Wan-jun, Director Yoo Jae-seong was waiting for a report. After confirming this, Director Kim Wan-jun left the room.

“Sir, I have summarized briefly what you instructed me earlier.”

Director Yoo Jae-seong placed several reports in front of me.

“Oh, thank you. Please give me a brief oral report.”

“Yes. First, the number of employees and their families varies depending on their affiliation. There are more than 30,000 people on board 11 OSL cruise ships at all times.”

“…”

“There are 20,000 people living in OSS-LAND in Kiribati and 20,000 people living in the new camp.”

Just recently, the number of employees and their families was 50,000. But now, their families alone numbered over 70,000. In total, the number was over 100,000.

As I listened to Director Yoo Jae-seong’s report, I realized once again that what I had created was neither an army nor a military company, but a huge community.

“What about cruise lines that carry employees and their families?”

“Each cruise ship’s route is slightly different. It’s mainly Korea > Japan > Tawi Tawi > Guam. Three of them go to Kiribati via Fiji and Samoa.”

“Yes, I understand. Once the liaison officers from each country are deployed, please organize and report the strategic assets of the OSS and ESSO forces.”

“all right.”

The report of Director Yoo Jae-seong summarized the status of the military directly under the OSS. In the meantime, the number of troops had increased slightly.

There were over 60,000 OSS direct soldiers and military personnel, and including their families, there were a huge family of 140,000 people.

* Assigned to a new camp or OSS fleet

OSS Special Task Force Brigade – 2,000 men

OSS Drone Brigade – 3,500 men

OSS Artillery Brigade – 2,500 men

* Deployment of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine

OSS Crimean Brigade – 3,500 men

* ESSO Ground Forces – Deployment in the Far Eastern Republic

OSS Far East Forces – approximately 25,000 men (4 brigades)

ESSO Korean Forces – Approximately 15,000 men (2 divisions)

ESSO Far East Army – approx. 60,000 men (2 corps)

ESSO Logistics Support and Medical Corps (Japan) – Approximately 5,000 people

* OSS Materiel Command – approximately 20,000 men

Distributed to each region with a focus on civilian military personnel (employees’ families are given priority for employment). The headquarters is located on the OSSIA cruise ship.

…

When I returned to the new camp, there was a line of people waiting for me.

Chief Lee of the Information Department was no exception. He was waiting for me when I returned from Korea.

“Oh! Manager.”

“Representative, no, enemy.”

“Haha. This manager is not a member of the military, so please just call him the representative.”

“Yes, sir. It’s been a while since we last met, and I came here because I have something important to report to you.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you again after such a long time.”

“CEO!”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“North Korea has been sounding out ESSO for membership.”

“yes?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t official yet, but I was a little flustered too.”

“Um… why?”

“The biggest reason is the energy issue. We have been receiving support from Russia for oil, natural gas, and even food.”

“…”

“As the Far Eastern Republic withdrew from the Russian Federation, support was cut off, and China has also shown a lukewarm attitude toward supporting North Korea.”

“That’s right. The border with Russia has disappeared….”

“So. North Korea requested energy resources support from the Far Eastern Republic. From the Far Eastern Republic’s perspective, there was no justification or reason, so I think they passed it on to ESSO.”

“But. Why did you bring that to the information department?”

“I think it’s probably for prestige reasons. It would be funny if I officially requested to join ESSO and got rejected.”

“That neighborhood is ruled by Gao…”

“They also seem to have realized that the representative’s decision is the most important.”

“But why is China leaving North Korea alone?”

“That is, in the past, China blatantly interfered with North Korea, and this was triggered by the First Russo-Russian War. North Korea excluded China from the arms trade process with Russia…”

“…”

“North Korea has also become ambiguous because of Russia’s behavior. It seems that they are trying to swallow their pride and reach out to China again.”

“So?”

“China has taken advantage of North Korea’s weakness. They are pressuring it to the point of interfering in its internal affairs, using energy and food aid as an excuse, so the North Koreans can’t stand it anymore.”

“Well… it’s a bit tricky, but if I do it well….”

“If I do well?”

“I don’t know yet···.”

The story that Director Lee of the Information Department told was surprising.

It was surprising that North Korea reached out to places other than Russia and China, even though China was lukewarm in its support for North Korea.

North Korea has long positioned itself as a balancer of security in Northeast Asia.

Sometimes they stick to China, sometimes they stick to Russia, sometimes they try to appease the United States, and if that doesn’t work, they launch missiles or conduct nuclear tests.

In this way, North Korea obtained various types of support and confirmed its existence.

However, the independence of the Far Eastern Republic meant that Russia could no longer support North Korea.

The emergence of ESSO signified the emergence of a new coordinator in Northeast Asia.

For North Korea, the only alternative was China, and China was taking advantage of this situation to openly squeeze North Korea.

“Sir, in any case, this is something that will bring about great changes in Northeast Asia, so I think we need to be careful.”

“Hmm… It seems like North Korea is trying to increase its value through ESSO.”

“Ah! So you’re saying that in order to get back on track with China, you’re using ESSO as leverage? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, you saw it. They were just bargaining chips.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Aside from that, China’s full support for North Korea is also not good for us.”

“That’s right. Now that Taiwan has been taken over, OSS and China are clear enemies···.”

“Sir, is the Chinese high-ranking official’s secret plan still alive?”

“Yes. China has invested a lot of effort in OSSIA to secure various bases and information assets.”

“First, please prevent China from providing full support to North Korea. Please encourage China to pursue an independent path. I think we will feel safe only if we break the solidarity between North Korea, China, and Russia.”

“all right.”

“First, share this with Secretary General Jin Min-gyu and gather his opinions. Also, gather information and opinions from the Korean authorities, including the National Intelligence Service.”

“all right.”

“Sir! You will do well. Whether we accept North Korea or not, they should not have a choice.”

“yes.”

“If we have to accept them, we have to make them make promises that they have no choice but to keep.”

“Okay, I understand, sir!”

“Anyway, I don’t think this is an issue that I can push through on my own.”

“No, it’s not. Everything depends on the decision of the representative. The reaction of Korea or the United States is obvious.”

“That’s true.”

“North Korea is facing serious energy problems due to the coming winter.”

“I guess so.”

“Despite information control in North Korea, small-scale localized protests and groups called ‘bandits’ are emerging.”

“Are you a bandit?”

“Yes. It’s the same as the bandits of the past. A group that escaped North Korea’s control and hid in the mountains to commit looting. They are, so to speak, guerrillas who make a living.”

“ah···.”

“Putting aside the food shortage, there are predictions that 10% of the population, millions of people, will die this winter. This winter is expected to be the biggest threat to the North Korean regime.”

“Is that all? Ah···.”

Although I had a fear of the second winter, I didn’t feel it because I lived in an environment that had everything I lacked.

Fear and sadness washed over me as I heard that millions of people in North Korea alone would freeze to death.

“Oh, sir. I didn’t ask you to make a lenient judgment.”

“…”

“I am reminding you that you hold all the keys, including North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Far East Asia, and the United States. In other words, I hope you will make your decision without worrying about what others think.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

Although I agreed with what the manager said, it wasn’t easy to let go of my warm feelings and make a decision.

How can one remain calm when millions of people are expected to freeze to death?

I didn’t want to be a stupid humanitarian. I had to create a framework that everyone could understand, agree on, and meet.

Even if they provide rotting rice, the logic is that it will come back as nuclear weapons, and the United States, which uses human rights as an excuse for its own interests, had to create a frame that would agree or assist.

My thoughts became complicated.

I lit a cigarette on the balcony.

– Huh~ Phew

Even though I pushed the cigarette smoke away, my worries did not go away. But one thing seemed clear.

Even if you have power, if you don’t use it.

So I figured that if something tragic happened, it would be a burden that would follow me for the rest of my life.

…