Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 217



Only Krnovel

Episode 217 – The Journey

As we watched Captain Kim Chang-gi struggle with his fishing rod, we cheered as if we were watching a national soccer match.

– Captain, cheer up!

– Wow, that’s cool, Captain!

– You still have some strength left!

The captain kept releasing and reeling in his line. I could see beads of sweat running down the prominent veins on his forehead.

Soon, tired fish began to emerge from the surface.

– wow!

– Wow~ Is that a fish? It’s size…

– Oh, honmaguro… It’s tuna.

It was a giant tuna that looked to be about 150cm long. After a struggle, Captain Kim caught a northern tuna of enormous size.

* Northern bluefin tuna (T. orientalis): This is a Pacific bluefin tuna, and is considered the best among the three species of bluefin tuna for sashimi.

It took several people to pull the tired tuna up onto the deck.

– Wow, that’s great.

-Wow~

– You caught this with a fish…

– This is the first time I’ve seen such a large tuna in real life.

– Isn’t this a record even for the captain?

– It seems to be around 15 characters, so it’s a tie record. It’s the second time in my life. Hehe.

– Wow, but. Dismantling this and turning it into a sashimi…

– Don’t worry. I’m here, and Chef Hyun Jeong-min is here too. Haha.

– I’ve only eaten frozen tuna my whole life… but thanks to the captain, I’ve started eating raw tuna.

– If you put a piece of unfrozen otoro (belly meat) in your mouth, it just melts. Oh, and I can’t resist taking a certification shot of this. Hahaha.

The tuna that was caught could not be lifted by human strength.

They had to hang the tuna on a crane used to load supplies onto the submarine. Then Captain Kim Chang-gi and his party took a commemorative photo.

Director Kim Jun-myeong was adjusting the smartphone settings of the photographer to ensure that no location information was left in the photos.

And care was taken to ensure that no background was left behind that could identify the location.

Even seeing a freshly caught giant northern bluefin tuna in person didn’t feel real.

“Captain, I think all the crew members will be able to taste this?”

“Yes. I think it’s over 60kg. If you include the other fish you catch, it’ll be enough. There’s no waste with tuna. Today, we can make sashimi and tomorrow, we can eat tuna head stew.”

As the crane lowered the tuna onto the submarine deck, Captain Kim Chang-gi, chef Hyun Jeong-min, and cooks began to cut up the tuna.

Soon, a variety of raw mackerel was prepared at the table where Hyein and I were, and Chef Hyun Jeong-min took out a bottle of soju from his bosom and placed it on the table.

“Oh! How could this be….”

“You can’t miss out on tuna. I prepared it for days like this.”

“Haha. Okay. Okay.”

Under the wide open sea and clear sky, sharing drinks and good food with people I had shared joys and sorrows with, it felt like all the tension that had built up was melting away.

Director Kim Wan-jun continued the conversation.

“Sir, I heard you’re visiting Korea this time?”

“Yes. I would like to set foot on Korean soil. I will stop by Tongyeong for a while on my way to the Far Eastern Republic.”

“Tongyeong is nice. Oh, the CEO’s house is there too. Haha.”

“Yes. I plan to meet with President Han Gyu-dong, and Hye-in… no, my wife and Director Lee Shin-young are planning to head to Seoul.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since the CEO left his hometown. And his wife too···.”

“That’s right. I happen to be traveling around the ocean. Haha. Oh, and I’ll stop by Pyongyang for a bit.”

“Pyongyang?”

“Chairman Kim Jong-un’s daughter came to my wedding to congratulate me, but I thought it would be rude to just go all the way to South Korea and leave.”

“Is there really a need to do that···?”

“They say that if you don’t have lips, your gums will feel numb. Right now, North Korea is like lips to us and South Korea.”

“Ah… Yes. I see. By the way, I heard you’re going to Yunnan Province too. Isn’t it dangerous?”

We continued our conversation with Director Kim Wan-jun about this trip.

“I plan to go through the new camp that is currently being rebuilt. I’m already too old to live as a hermit. That’s why I had the wedding ceremony in public. The Yunnan Federation is under OSS military rule, so I should go there sometime.”

During the conversation, Captain Kim Chang-gi said something with a chic expression.

“It’s a parade. Hehehe.”

“Are you on a cruise?”

“Isn’t there a tour that Emperor Qin Shi Huang took to unify the Central Plains and travel around the country on a giant chariot?”

Commander Choi Eun-seok agreed with those words.

“Your Majesty, it seems you are riding a submarine instead of a cart.”

Although the expression “Qin Shi Huang” was a bit awkward, I didn’t show it because I knew their intentions, but my mouth trembled.

“The First Emperor died while on tour of the country. Haha.”

Suddenly, the room became coldly quiet.

“Oh, no. I’m joking. I’m joking. I made a slip of the tongue. It’s been a while since I had a drink and…”

The good atmosphere was dampened as if cold water had been poured on it due to my slip of the tongue. Director Kim Jun-myeong spoke as if trying to sort out the situation.

“Qin Shi Huang went on five tours and died during the last tour.”

“…”

“And your Majesty, this trip is not a regular trip, and even if it were, it would only be the first. And what would you allow to happen while I am here?”

To change the mood, I also added my own comment to Director Kim Jun-myeong’s words.

“The Emperor didn’t die because of something. He just kept eating strange things and died. Come on, have a drink.”

He added, lightening the mood by sharing a drink with the people again.

“I like the word forward, meaning that we are going in the right direction without going against the grain. I think it would be better to think of retrograde as meaning that the path we are taking is forward, not backward.”

If I think about it carefully, all my decisions and actions up until now have been close to regression.

If it is something that has never been imagined or attempted, it cannot be called a forward movement. If it is something that has no precedent, it is even closer to a backward movement.

But, as I repeated that retrograde movement, I began to feel that the direction I was going was becoming a forward movement.

As I was repeating the retrograde motion, I suddenly looked up and saw that at some point the retrograde motion had changed to the forward motion.

Now, if the direction I am pointing is the forward direction, I have reached a point where I have no choice but to turn the forces going against it in my direction.

I thought that my retrograde movement was a forward movement that followed the order of destiny that I had pioneered, unlike the first emperor’s tour.

Natural order.

It occurred to me that if I didn’t make my will work out for me, everything could disappear in an instant.

Leaving the ruined ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean behind, the ARK continued its dive.

As we entered the submarine cabin, Hyein brought out something to drink.

“Ugh, what is this?”

“It’s green juice. I added some fresh fruit to make it easier to drink.”

“Ugh, I’ve heard all the things I don’t like.”

“Stop talking and start eating.”

“Still, this is···.”

Hyein continued speaking with a sharp expression.

“People who smoke frequently ···.”

“eww ···.”

“I specially asked Chef Hyun Jeong-min to make this. I personally gathered all the fruits.”

The nagging continued while I stared blankly at the cup of green juice.

“Close your eyes tightly and drink. Just now, you said that Emperor Qin Shi Huang died of illness. It’s not just you anymore. It’s not just me…”

“…”

“People who went fishing during the day, sailors on the boat, North Korean migrants waiting at the Marshall camp, Kiribati, Hainan Province, all of that…”

“Ah Okay ···.”

I closed my eyes like a child and gulped down the green juice.

“My brother~ You eat well. Hahaha.”

“however ···.”

“however?”

“Listening to you nagging makes me realize that I’m married. Is this how it’s always been?”

“I don’t know because it’s my first time getting married, but… When I see my brother drinking green juice, I think he’s doing something.”

“ha ha ha.”

The steel ARK was sailing through the deep blue ocean towards the Marshall Islands.

Whenever a submarine dives, I always feel a strange sense of oppression. But this time, the depths of the sea felt warm.

As the ARK approached the Marshall Islands, which the natives call a gift from the gods, it resurfaced above the surface of the blue sea.

As the submarine neared Mili Island in the Marshall Islands, crowds began to appear on the dock.

Soldiers from the OSS Freedom Division and North Korean immigrants had gathered for a welcoming ceremony.

As the ARK docked at the dock and exited the main gate, the soldiers of the Free Division were lined up as if they were inspecting, and a small platform had been set up. Next to them stood Major General Jeong Yi-seong.

As I approached the podium, Commander Jeong Yi-seong stepped forward and saluted. As I went up to the podium, his powerful voice resonated as a command.

– Attention, unit!

– Salute to the enemy!

I guess I’ve become accustomed to these events. I didn’t have any special preparation, but my greetings came out smoothly.

It was meant to encourage the soldiers of the Free Division and comfort North Korean immigrants who were building a new home in a foreign land.

We also toured the immigrant villages and munitions factories that had been built throughout Marshall Camp, as well as the barracks of the Free Division soldiers.

Everything was neat and tidy. Above all, I felt proud that the dark shadows that had fallen over people’s faces when they escaped North Korea had disappeared.

After finishing some schedules, I had a talk with Commander Jeong I-seong.

“Your Majesty!”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“I heard you’ve been to North Korea, so I have something I’d like to ask you. May I tell you?”

“Yes. Please feel free to speak.”

“There are still some families in North Korea whose families have not been able to come here.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll try to resolve that issue this time.”

“Thank you, Lord. Your grace is like heaven.”

“Okay, Commander.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“That, grace, heaven, those words are a bit unfamiliar to me. I’d rather just use normal words. Haha.”

“Ah! I will correct that, Your Majesty.”

“And I hope, Commander, that the Free Division will have modern capabilities.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. If you give me instructions, I will follow them to the letter.”

“I would like the Free Division to develop into a mechanized division rather than an ordinary infantry division. I will tell you the necessary resources, so please encourage the soldiers so that each can make use of their specialties.”

“Yes, I understand. When you say mechanized division, do you mean tanks or armored vehicles?”

“Yes. I would like to have a division that includes armored vehicles, engineers, and drone units, and can operate independently.”

“Yes. I will work even harder to follow your will.”

…