Angel Island (3)

The time spent on Angel Island was brief. Gyeo-ul and Joanna boarded the submarine without any gap.

After being guided to the passenger cabin, joanna was visibly tense, strung so tight that she seemed likely to snap at a touch. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of her fingertips drumming on the holster. She had already checked the function of the pistol inside it twice over. She couldn’t take her eyes off the cabin door, and to her, Gyeo-ul spoke softly.

“Calm down. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Joanna frowned.

“How can you be so certain? The behavior of the captain and the crew was clearly suspicious.”

“Well…”

His answer was delayed. It was difficult to respond honestly. He couldn’t say that when facing them, 「Survival Sense」 and 「Combat Sense」 hadn’t reacted. Telling her that might trigger a contextual computation error and a rollback. There wouldn’t be a penalty just for one such incident, but even so, it was an unpleasant experience. He was not oblivious to the limits of the virtual reality setting, but there is a big difference between knowing and reliving it.

So, he searched for some other reason to give her. What would be good to say?

“They seemed to dislike me, but I don’t think it was hostility. It’s just a feeling, though.”

“A feeling…?”

“Sorry. That probably sounded strange.”

“No, not at all. In the field, intuition can’t be ignored. Especially if it’s yours, Gyeo-ul.”

That might be what she said, but she still didn’t let down her guard, her brow furrowed. His words didn’t convince her; she simply didn’t want to disregard Gyeo-ul. He gave a bland smile and thought a bit more. What reason would the captain have to dislike him, considering they’d only met for the first time today?

While he mulled it over, he threw out a question to buy some time.

“Seems even Endo didn’t know what kind of ship would be waiting, right?”

Joanna replied that was the case.

“All US Navy submarines are without exception big. They’re nuclear submarines, after all. It’s hard for them to maneuver efficiently in areas with shallow depth and complex underwater terrain, like the bay interior. Not to mention, San Francisco Bay is very noisy right now. There are many other risk factors too. In such places, a conventional submarine is necessary. At least, that’s the position of those higher up. Dubious though it is.”

She continued, saying that was why they were relying on the cooperation of the allied remnants fleet.

“But even so, as for what country’s submarine we’d be on, I wasn’t notified. The escort mission is rotated in shifts, but due to the tense standoffs underwater, it’s rare for them to switch on time. I was hoping we’d get a Korean submarine for your sake, Gyeo-ul, but…”

She glanced at him.

“As far as I know, Korea and Japan are historical rivals—do you think that’s the reason?”

The vessel they were on was the Jinryu, a submarine of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Captain Umehara Atsu, second Lieutenant (naval rank), had not been able to hide his dark emotions when he saw Gyeo-ul. It was an intense agitation, close to outright hostility.

“No way.”

Gyeo-ul shook his head. To a boy used to reading people, the darkness the captain showed felt different.

Maybe it had an influence. In the seams of the past comprising 「After the Apocalypse」, ethnic hostility was the one thing that lingered into the present. In his lifetime, Gyeo-ul thought it was pointless. But it wasn’t the same for others. The mutual hatred between the peoples of Korea and Japan—hating because they were Japanese, hating because they were Korean.

‘Either naive, or cunning.’

One of the two. The cunning ones constantly stoked the hatred, because they profited from the naive people’s animosity. Mostly politicians. Sometimes businesspeople. Sometimes scholars or religious figures.

Hatred also has a way of feeding itself. Even without someone provoking you, once hatred takes root, it only grows. People find reasons for their hatred out of that feeling, and every time they find one, they enjoy it.

The satisfaction of hating—Gyeo-ul knew the addictive nature of it. Lately, it seemed impossible to let go of his own resentment toward the world. The weight only increased with time.

In any case, what Gyeo-ul sensed from the captain was something quite different from that kind of hatred. ‘What I felt was self-loathing.’

How should he express it? Language was insufficient to contain the heart.

While pondering this, Gyeo-ul heard footsteps coming from the hallway. They stopped in front of the door. Knock knock. A knocking sound. Checking the field of view, it wasn’t time to arrive yet. About 20 kilometers to destination—a short distance, but they’d been told that for safety reasons it would take a while at low speed.

Joanna grew tense, sharp as a drawn blade. His effort to distract her with conversation had come to nothing. Gyeo-ul gestured for her to stay where she was and spoke in Japanese.

“Who is it?”

“This is the captain.”

“Have we arrived already?”

“No, not yet. But there’s something I would like to say.”

“I see. Come in, then. After all, this is your cabin, Captain.”

The door opened slowly. The captain came in carefully, the behavior of a man who knew he had aroused suspicion. Like a seasoned detective, joanna’s taut nerves were masked by a veneer of tranquility. Outwardly, she looked calm. Even so, the captain kept his eyes on the detective. More accurately, on her tense hand.

He clasped his hands and bowed. For Joanna’s sake, he spoke in English.

“I’ve come to apologize for my rudeness. I thought this might be my only chance to clear up any misunderstanding.”

“It’s all right. I wasn’t misunderstanding anything.”

The captain raised his head and gave her a strange look. If you watched closely, the FBI agent’s attitude was clear. Her hand was close to her pistol. All her movements carried an unspoken warning: she would shoot if necessary.

Gyeo-ul shrugged.

“As for me…”

Joanna rolled her eyes at him. The captain muttered as if to himself. Then he bowed his head again.

“You must have been uncomfortable because of me. I apologize. Though it’s shameful, I’ll be honest. I, and the crew of this submarine, have been feeling jealousy toward you.”

“Ah.”

A vague feeling suddenly took on clarity. Jealousy. A kind of feeling a defeated soldier might have for a boy-officer turned war hero. The captain sighed, fell silent, sighed again, and then confessed in a tone close to prayer.

“When half a month had passed since the navy’s last orders from headquarters, we realized the country of Japan was gone. But our ultimate duties didn’t disappear. The Self-Defense Force exists to protect the Japanese people. I decided to cooperate with the United States, believing I could thus improve the treatment of my displaced compatriots.”

Joanna’s tension eased. The captain continued his confession.

“But in this festering bay, there’s little this vessel can do. All we’re doing is rotting, slowly, caught up in the filth. Look at us: one of the world’s best conventional submarines, relegated to nothing more than a ferry service. When will we ever prove our worth? When will we ever truly help our people…?”

“……”

“Every day, while staying in the dormitories, I see your exploits. It made me feel miserable. First Lieutenant Han Gyeo-ul, you alone are better than the 65 crew on this submarine. No, really, you have more political influence than the entire Japanese fleet cooperating with the United States.”

“That’s not true.”

This was Joanna’s attempt at comfort.

“The US coastline is immense. Perhaps, without the Self-Defense Force, such a blockade would have been impossible—at least in the Pacific theater. The government is well aware of your value.”

From April Pacific, she’d learned the US Navy’s fatigue had reached a considerable level, almost on the verge of rupturing. The allied fleets’ strength was like life-giving rain.

“I came to apologize and ended up being comforted instead. I’m really lacking as a person.”

The captain gave a short laugh and looked dark again.

“In any case, that’s it. Inferiority complex, I suppose… I built up a lot of feelings, so when I saw you, I couldn’t stop them. I felt like I was being denied. I’m sorry. I must have looked terribly unpleasant to you.”

Gyeo-ul nodded.

“To be honest, I still feel that way. I guess you still dislike me a lot.”

Captain Umehara fell silent.

“So that’s what I wanted to say… You really are a good person.”

How difficult it is to show humility to someone lower by rank, age, and emotional preference. How much shame it takes to confess such feelings.

The captain’s apology was his duty. He was thoroughly unwilling to tolerate even the possibility of bringing harm to his countrymen. Even if his apology lacked sincerity, to Gyeo-ul that was no problem.

‘He’s someone strict with himself.’

He would surely be strict on himself regarding this as well. It was something worth hoping for—that the sincerity missing now might appear later. If not, there was nothing to be done; people have their limits. Gyeo-ul formed a smile for the captain.

“Hang in there. Japan will stand again, as long as there are people like you who don’t give up, Captain.”

Not people like Tadaatsu Ryohei—the yakuza boss who called himself a national leader. The more such men ran wild, the more grim things became for those being dragged along.

Captain Umehara swept his hand bitterly over his face. Seemed to be in pain.

“Truly, I didn’t come to be comforted… I’m sorry. I keep troubling you with my selfishness.”

“Everyone has a hard time now. And I’d like it if you felt free to speak with me—especially considering your rank.”

Second Lieutenant in the navy corresponds to lieutenant colonel. Even considering the difference in affiliation, it was a rank worthy of respect. The fact that the captain couldn’t treat Gyeo-ul carelessly was, in a way, a sad thing. He’d heard that, once, even high-ranking Korean officers couldn’t treat US second lieutenants lightly.

“It’s difficult.”

The captain shook his head.

“Please rest a while longer until we arrive. I’ll let you know when the time comes.”

Looking away, the captain quietly withdrew.

Click. The door closed, and after waiting for his steps to fade, joanna turned to Gyeo-ul.

“Did you expect that?”

“Vaguely?”

“Hm…”

She pressed her fist to her mouth, thinking deeply.

“I see. I suppose you can empathize more easily than I can, being in a similar situation. I’m getting tired of admiring you, you know.”

Gyeo-ul didn’t correct Joanna’s misunderstanding. She, convinced on her own, adjusted her position.

“This is another topic, but thinking back now, the accommodations they were given are quite ironic.”

“Accommodations?”

At the sudden change of subject, Gyeo-ul looked puzzled, and Joanna nodded before explaining.

“Think about where we boarded the submarine.”

“It was the north side of Angel Island, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. That facility used to be a closed-down immigration building. And the bay in front of it, where the temporary pier was placed, is called China Cove. Do you know why it’s called that?”

“No, not really…”

“That was the stage for the Chinese Exclusion Act. One of the shames of this country’s history.”

She explained. Because of anti-Chinese sentiment, not only did they avoid accepting immigrants, they actively sought to expel those already present. It was, essentially, legalized racial discrimination.

“It’s uncomfortable. It feels like this country is showing its refusal to accept those people.”

“It’s just a coincidence.”

“It wouldn’t feel that way to them.”

Since the building itself was used as an exhibition space, it would have been hard not to know the circumstances.

That was the end of their conversation. Each had their own thoughts to consider.

—————————= Author’s Note —————————=

#Contest

I think many of those reading this novel are aspiring full-time writers.

There’s a contest being hosted by a place called Punchline this time, but oddly, not many seem to know about it.

Searching on the free board turns up nothing…

The prize is quite substantial. Seeing CJ as a partner, it doesn’t seem likely to disappear.

For those interested, check it out.

#Q&A

Q. Atlaknacha: @Author, I love you! Gyahhh, please give me just one leftover leg and I’ll lick, suck, and massage it!

A. Really? My legs are radioactive food though…are you a fusion organism?

Q. GwangSSINdo: @A crime syndicate, huh… Does that mean we’ll soon see a delinquent or punk Gyeo-ul?

A. Probably? Haha. For Gyeo-ul, that’d be a difficult mission, in a whole different sense.

Q. PAM: @Forget Star Trek. I prefer Doctor Who!

A. I’m interested in Doctor Who too. I tried watching with a KT broadcasting plan, but they started with Season 2. Wait, where’s Season 1?…

Well, not that I have time to watch now, though.

Q. Guaaaaak: @Is it really okay for a lowly second lieutenant to drive a Ferrari? Wouldn’t that make higher-ups dislike them? Is the rank system a bit different from our country?

A. It’s a country where even lieutenant generals drive themselves to work.

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep