Chapter 69: Project Blue Rose (２)

****

I limped my way to the Director’s Office. The doctors in the lab had tried to stop me, but there was something I absolutely had to handle in person today.

The funeral.

Thump-clack. Thump-clack. Thump-clack.

My cane and footsteps echoed through the facility’s corridors. The Director’s Office was farther than I’d expected.

The Foundation loses employees often. But unlike a normal company, it’s not easy to hold a funeral and pay respects every time someone dies.

If everyone had to visit the funeral hall every time someone died, nothing would ever get done. It’s not like employees die one or two at a time.

So the Foundation periodically holds ceremonies for the deceased. It’s not that they skip funerals entirely, but it lessens the burden of attendance, I suppose.

Anyway. It’s an important event. I set down my cane and sat heavily at my desk.

“Director Geum. You’ve already been discharged?”

It’s Administrator Lee. That’s the look of someone examining a patient. I am technically a patient, but it’s not that bad.

“No. Just stepped out for a bit.”

“Oh dear, and you’re not feeling well.”

It’s something that has to be done regardless.

The joint funeral isn’t something I can postpone just because I’m sick. Standing up briefly to give a speech is well within my capabilities.

“Don’t overdo it. Shall I draft a speech for you?”

I shook my head.

“Then I’ll bring the joint funeral speech the previous Director last used.”

“Yes, please.”

I’m not doing research right now, and I’m in no condition to go out into the field. This is the least I can do.

“Shall I print it out and bring it?”

“Yes.”

Administrator Lee left my office quickly. I sank back into my chair. The previous Director, the previous Director… what kind of person were they?

****

I stared at the speech that had arrived on my desk. I also stared at the person who brought it.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Lee Yuyeon, an emergency medicine doctor at the Foundation. I came to check on how the Director is doing.”

“Ah, I see.”

I waited a moment, but the doctor didn’t leave. Looking again, she’d even brought something like a first aid kit.

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. Orders from the Medical Department.”

What a nuisance.

“Can’t you wait outside?”

“I was told not to lose sight of you for even a moment without special cause. I’m sorry.”

“If you’re going to be here anyway, have a seat. You can sit next to the cat tower.”

“Thank you.”

Am I really that frightening? Kind of funny. The doctor sat down carefully next to the cat tower. One of the Popos perched on the tower took an interest.

“Doctor, do you think I’ll recover?”

I slowly flipped through my predecessor’s speech. The doctor deliberated for a long while. Decompression sickness doesn’t seem like an easy illness to recover from.

If that’s even the actual cause of my symptoms. I have a feeling it could also be an anomaly caused by the UFO, or radiation sickness.

“I take it that means no.”

“Honestly, it’s entirely up to you, Director. If you gave the order that anomalies could be mobilized without limit, I could heal you even if your head were split in two.”

“Can’t you cure me without using anomalies?”

“No, I think it’s possible. It just requires time and effort.”

Time and effort. Expensive things.

My predecessor’s speech. It’s clearly well-written, but it’s too exaggerated and lacks sincerity. Doesn’t suit me at all.

One of the Popos settled onto the doctor’s lap.

“Um, can I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“How much of it is real? Rumors are going around that the Director showed up at the Foundation overnight, killed gods, crushed the Foundation’s enemies, as if you were some figure out of myth.”

I scratched my head.

“I don’t think my personal information or the operations I participated in are something to explain to an employee with no professional connection to them. Have you ever been out into the field?”

The ER doctor tilted her head.

“No. I’ve only ridden in a medevac helicopter a few times.”

“Then it’s probably beyond anything you can imagine.”

The doctor nodded.

“Well, I’ll need to go out for the, uh, ceremony. That’s fine, right? Are you going to follow me for that too?”

“Going out is fine, and yes, I’ll be coming along.”

I nodded.

****

The joint funeral was to be held outdoors, apparently. On a mountain nearby, there was some sort of monument owned by the Foundation.

We got off the helicopter.

Black suits. Black shoes. Black ties. Even black sunglasses. Foundation employees moved in clusters toward the location where the joint funeral would take place.

“Looking at it like this, it’s quite a sight.”

“Indeed it is.”

Honestly, I was thinking it looked like a mafia gathering. Come to think of it, was it the mafia?

The mood was inevitably somber.

There had been an unusual number of large-scale incidents recently. It was no surprise there were so many casualties.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, and black umbrellas opened one by one. Still, no one among the Foundation people was crying.

I suppose you couldn’t help but become desensitized.

I looked at the monument.

Countless stars were engraved on the black stele. No names were written. Well, it would be a problem if someone could look at the monument and mass-extract the personal information of deceased Foundation employees.

Administrator Lee walked up beside me.

“People are waiting. Please give your speech as soon as you’re ready, Director.”

“Yes. Let’s go right away.”

I leaned on my cane and moved to the front of the podium. Administrator Lee was holding up an umbrella for me.

****

“Today is a sad day, as we send off those we love. Even if I add the explanation that their sacrifice was for the community, for the nation, for the Foundation, for humanity, for Providence.”

“I don’t know if that will ease the grief of those who have lost friends and colleagues. If you need someone to blame, blame me.”

“For not double-checking the operations, for not reviewing the research plans, for not taking sufficient safety measures. You may curse me for the sacrifices that occurred because of that.”

“Because I have always thought that way.”

“The Foundation extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. That grief is our grief, the Foundation’s grief, and Providence’s grief.”

“We share in that sorrow together, bless their lives, and honor their sacrifice.”

“We express our gratitude to them. Their sacrifice and devotion were for the protection of humanity and Providence. Their eternal memory will remain with all of us. We will always remember and be grateful for their sacrifice.”

****

The speech was not long.

Neither was the ceremony. As soon as the speech ended, I took the umbrella from Administrator Lee.

“An excellent speech.”

“Bishop Oh. You’ve come.”

Bishop Oh was also wearing a black suit, but unlike us, a Roman collar and a silver cross hung around his neck.

“I couldn’t miss an event like this. I made time despite being busy. Ah, though I doubt I’m as busy as the Director.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“The colleagues we sent off today have gone to heaven, haven’t they? Lately, I’ve been thinking that heaven is simply eternal rest. If I think they’re still doing something up there, it’s a bit exhausting.”

“Do you still believe in heaven?”

Bishop Oh looked surprised at my question.

“Look around you. The world is so full of magic, what’s so special about heaven?”

“Well… that’s not the important part. What I’m honestly curious about is whether you still believe in the existence of a god who creates and maintains heaven.”

“There doesn’t seem to be an omnipotent and benevolent being. That doesn’t match the world I’ve seen. But does it need to go all the way to omnipotence? It’s just that heaven has wars too.”

“I see.”

“You must be busy—don’t waste your time on an old religious nut. Go take care of your business quickly.”

“Bishop Oh—”

Bishop Oh vanished into the crowd of black suits in an instant. Not a speed I could chase with an injured leg. I stood there, leaning on my cane.

Let’s go back quickly.

There’s plenty of work to do, and this poor doctor should either get some rest or get back to work.

****

[Operation Report]

[Filed by: Task Force Moon of Seoul]

[The joint funeral ceremony is the most serious security vulnerability in Facility 82’s operations. It is held at a fixed location on a regular basis, and a significant portion of the Foundation’s leadership gathers in one place.]

[This is an opportunity for the Foundation’s enemies.]

[To ensure the safe execution of this event, over the past month we have hunted down as many members of Group of Interest within the country as possible.]

[Support was requested from the Foundation’s Busan Branch and Foundation Headquarters, and cooperation was also requested from the Peacekeeping Force, the Korean National Police, and the Response Agency.]

[Seventy-two members of Groups of Interest and their collaborators have been neutralized or placed in containment. There are notable developments in the Groups of Interest’s activities—please analyze.]

[In particular, there are facilities in southern Jeju Island that the Foundation used and then abandoned. They must be cleared to prevent Groups of Interest from accessing them.]