Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 63



Only Krnovel

Episode 63 – ESB

I was curious about the weather in Seoul so I checked it out. The temperature was recorded at -29.1 degrees Celsius, an update of -23.1 degrees Celsius recorded on December 31, 1927.

Cheorwon, Gangwon-do recorded -39 degrees Celsius, and Hongcheon, Gangwon-do recorded -46.2 degrees Celsius, also the lowest ever.

After once again feeling the reality that winter was coming, I couldn’t help but think about what would happen next.

It is said that in Oymyakon, Russia, students go to school even in -50 degrees Celsius. It was clearly a disaster for those who were not accustomed to such extreme cold.

Will this winter be the winter that overcomes that threshold, or will we see next winter by the grace of God? I felt afraid.

A combination of words flashed through my mind.

Winter refugees / Winter famine / Winter riots / Winter looting / Winter war…

There was no time to hesitate.

We built cultivation facilities for strawberries, mushrooms, and bean sprouts on the ARK. Director Kim Jun-myeong had the necessary preparations, including LED lighting, so installation was possible right away.

The crew was tasked with continuing to manage the small farm inside the ARK even while the submarine was docked. I was surprised at how proactive he was even though additional work arose.

It wasn’t just good to eat it.

Growing mushrooms and caring for strawberries in the closed space of a submarine was not work.

It gave them a sense of accomplishment. In the process, we were creating a mental escape to communicate with each other.

…

The 9th ship, which had been waiting, entered the Tawi-Tawi Sinheung Camp first. She completed a long voyage of over 40,000 km, equivalent to the circumference of the Earth.

The hardships of life at sea seemed to be reflected on the faces of the sailors, including Captain Shin Hee-rip.

The sailors were not the only ones who endured such shipwreck life for nearly four months.

Hyein also endured a long time alone in ship number 9. When she saw her face, her sadness was overtaken by her happiness.

Despite this, she did not lose her bright smile.

Let’s place the side gate between ship number 9 and the pier. Hyein ran out the front door like an adolescent girl, stopped in front of me and smiled brightly.

“Representative, I’m here!”

“It was a lot of hardship.”

I almost hugged him.

There must have been people who noticed that Hyein and I were close. Officially, the relationship was still between the CEO and the secretary.

So we had no choice but to suppress our emotions and talk with our eyes.

Next, Captain Shin Hee-rip walked out, saluted, and reported entry into port. I held his hand and comforted him for his hard work.

“Thanks to the captain, all operations were completed perfectly. thank you.”

“no. “I just did my part.”

A small event was held to celebrate the arrival of ship number 9, and when Lee Hoe-young arrived two or three days later, it was decided to hold a grand party with all executives and staff gathered.

…

Night fell, and Hye-in and I talked about late night stories at my dorm. She talked non-stop about what happened in ship number 9.

Fortunately, there were a few female crew members, so she decided to call them her older sister and younger brother, and she said that the sailors treated her like a princess.

We reminisced about what happened in Severodvinsk and the brief conversation we had with our eyes while transferring from the Lee Hoi-young ship to the ARK.

“Oh, brother…”

“huh”

“It’s been so long since I last saw you that the word ‘oppa’ comes out of my mouth.”

“haha. “I think there’s something more you want to say?”

“Do it quickly!”

“ah ···.”

Just by looking at her words, the memories of how we lusted after each other came back. In this way, the long-standing tension that had built up over the past few months was released.

As if a wanderer who had endured drying lips and crossed a remote area found an oasis. She seemed to have instantly remembered her forgotten thirst.

In a moment of explosive tension, we made eye contact and imprinted on each other. Then, after taking a long, slow breath as if she was fading away, she spoke.

“brother!”

“huh”

“I wish I could do it without being noticed.”

“Ah…yeah, I understand.”

Hyein didn’t ask any more questions. Now that I had answered, it was an unspoken agreement on her part to do it my way. The warm night deepened like that.

…

I went to the dock a month after hearing the news that the Lee Hoi-young had entered port.

Seeing the black Lee Hoi-young visible above the water gave me a new feeling, as if I was meeting an old friend again. The events of the past passed by like a flash of light.

Slowly, the Lee Hoi-young finished docking at the Shinheung Camp dock.

The sea off Sinheung Camp. The place was truly reminiscent of a small naval base.

The sea was filled with two super-large submarines, a huge logistics support ship, the ocean patrol ship No. 1, and large and small high-speed boats.

Captain Choi Eun-seong walked out the front door with a confident look. She exchanged a deep look with him and greeted him. Lieutenant Colonel Kim Min-su raised his salute and smiled happily.

After the port arrival ceremony, Director Kim Wan-jun became busy. This was because we were approaching an event in which almost all executives and employees of OSS and OSL would participate.

Director Lee Shin-young, who came to Tawi-Tawi with her family yesterday for permanent relocation, also seemed excited.

It was like watching a scene from an old comic story as Kim Wan-jun, the director, prepared for the event, giving and receiving, and bickering.

The next day, a grand event was held where all family members gathered together. The auditorium was almost cramped. It was a fun time with not only food and drinks, but also a talent show by the sailors.

When the atmosphere was ripe, I grabbed the microphone.

Director Kim Wan-jun, who saw this, was organizing the premises. The noisy auditorium soon became quiet.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on me.

– Mmmmm.

I cleared my voice and fixed the microphone.

“First of all, I’m really happy to see everyone safely gathered together like this and having fun.”

– Wow~

– quiet!

One of the sailors cheered, but the timing didn’t seem right. He took the microphone again.

“The world is full of noisy and scary events, but we are here with the best of friends.”

“…”

“It is my luck to be your companion, and that luck will protect us. And I have a few announcements to make.”

As soon as the word “presentation” was announced, the auditorium became even quieter. It felt like everyone’s eyes were on my mouth.

“This time, we have acquired a large cruise ship that can accommodate 4,000 passengers.”

– Oh~

– cruise? cruise ship?

The auditorium began to become noisy.

“We will allow our OSS and OSL employees and their families to use the cruise ship we are acquiring for free indefinitely.”

– uh? Huh?

– Wow! Wow wow~

– Free indefinitely? oh my god!

– Then you can just use it as a house?

“Also, the main route for cruise ships will be Bongao Port next to Sinheung Camp.”

It seemed like the auditorium was going to explode with cheers. It was a completely different reaction from when bonuses or vacation days were given.

– iced coffee

“And I have another small announcement.”

Director Kim Wan-jun stood up, waved both hands downward, and cleaned up the venue.

I said, pointing to one side of the auditorium with my finger.

“Some people may have noticed. “I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I and secretary Lee Hye-in are in a romantic relationship.”

The inside of the auditorium suddenly became dead quiet. Everyone was like, ‘What’s going on?’ It was an expression like that.

At that time, Director Lee Shin-young stood up in a corner and started clapping.

– Clap clap clap. I’m the CEO~ Congratulations~

– Wow ~

– Hwiik hwiik ~

Soon, everyone in the auditorium was clapping and cheering.

Hyein couldn’t raise her red face, and the people’s applause and whistles toward her became even stronger.

She slowly raised her head and appeared to shyly put her hands together and bow in silence. I was happy. She felt a sense of liberation, as if another burden had been lifted from her heart.

The exciting and happy night deepened. From that day on, she started sharing her dorm with Hye-in. Hyein was happy, and I felt proud.

…

next day.

An expanded meeting of OSS and OSL began.

The main agenda was the introduction of ESB and the establishment of an airline.

OSS Director Kim Jun-myeong, each ship commander, Vice President Jin Min-gyu, Director Kim Wan-jun, and Deputy Director Lee also attended the meeting. (We decided to continue calling Deputy Director Lee as Deputy Director.)

I spoke first, announcing the start of the meeting.

“Vice President Jin!”

“Yes, representative.”

“We are planning to establish an airline affiliated with OSS.”

“yes.”

Has Vice President Jin Min-gyu been training for a while? Maybe that’s why I wasn’t that surprised. However, other people could not hide their surprise.

– yes?

– The airline?

– Wow~ really… ha ha ha

“First of all, I think it is important to have a human resources pool to establish an airline.”

“That’s right. There are no personnel involved in that field. What do you think of the airline’s personality?”

“We will specialize in air cargo transportation. We will be dealing with particularly sensitive cargo.”

“What if it’s sensitive cargo?”

“It would be cargo that fits the nature of OSS.”

“then ···.”

“The goal is to secure our own air transportation capabilities. “I plan to create a company that specializes in transporting military supplies.”

“…”

“I think it would be easier to understand if you think of creating a PMC airline that can outsource supply operations for the U.S. military and the Republic of Korea Army, Navy, and Air Force.”

“then. “We need to recruit people who can have such discussions.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Representative, is there a particular aircraft you have in mind? Like a C-130?”

“That won’t work. It will be 4000km from Incheon, Korea to Tawi-Tawi Bongao. “The range is not available.”

“…”

“And the business marketability is low. “I will organize that part separately and give it to you.”

“yes.”

“The name of the airline was decided to be OSS Air Cargo.”

“…”

“As president, it would be great if we could hire an Air Force reserve general with experience in the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

“yes. All right.”

At that point, the agenda for establishing an airline was sorted out and the topic of introducing ESB was brought up.

We asked each person their opinions based on what they had thought and researched.

– ESB (Expeditionary Sea Base) Expeditionary Mobile Base Ship –

First, Captain Shin Hee-rip opened his mouth.

“If the Saar Viking class, which is over 450 meters long, is converted to an ESB, its overall height will be higher than that of an oil tanker. “I think the stability of the hull will be greatly reduced.”

Captain Kang In-su of the first ship took over.

“I agree. I once boarded the US Navy ESB-5. “Sometimes the lower part of the ship is flooded to allow charity to be docked inside the ship.”

– Oh… that kind of function too.

“It took quite some time because of the size of the ship. However, if it is several times larger than that, there will likely be significant limitations in terms of operation.”

The point I expected came out right away.

Still, the 200m class felt insufficient. It was a very irrational idea, but it did not suit the ARK.

…

Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB)

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