Chapter 83: Off to Jeju Island (１)

****

Nanami was still just playing around. The work that needed doing had been finished in two days, and with four days left on the business trip, all she had to do was lounge around the hotel.

She couldn’t be bothered to go out.

Nanami was someone who had spent her entire life within the Foundation’s walls. Even a hotel was a kind of prison to her. The Foundation had been the same, and so was Nanami’s life itself. Going out for no particular reason felt awkward to her.

****

I needed to prepare for the Jeju Island trip.

The problem was whether Facility 82 would run properly while I was gone. And right now, Nanami wasn’t at the facility either.

“Dr. Chae. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

“If the Head of Research gets out of line, just kill her.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t mean professionally gut her. I mean physically subdue her.”

“Uh, is that something I can manage at my level?”

I had no idea either.

I’d never physically subdued the Head of Research before. She seemed incredibly strong, but I’d never actually seen her fight, so it was hard to say for sure.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“While I’m on Jeju, report to the Director’s Office. You’re the acting Chief Researcher.”

“No, I told you I’m not doing that.”

“Dr. Chae, please. Just one week. I’ll have Miss Paper assist you.”

Dr. Chae avoided my gaze. No, you absolute bastard. Do you hate the Chief Researcher position that much? You can’t even cover it for a week?

“W-Well, honestly, I think doing Chief Researcher work should come with hazard pay…”

“You wouldn’t do it even if it did.”

“Well, that’s—”

I let out a sigh.

“Forget it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just hold things together while I’m gone. Convene a section-chief-level meeting in the Research Department by tomorrow, and come up with a way to keep the Head of Research in check—”

“Gasp, Doctor! There’s an urgent call!”

“Your phone is off, Dr. Chae. Are you messing with me right now?”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Dr. Chae hurried out of the lab.

That son of a bitch…

****

Project Blue Rose.
Fourteen abandoned facilities.

And the Foundation’s Jeju Naval Base.

“Dr. Geum. They say they’ll send a plane from Jeju. Are we taking the one they’re sending, or are we taking our own?”

Paper tilted her head.

“It would be rude not to take the plane they’re offering, wouldn’t it? It’s not like we need to worry about them killing us.”

“More importantly. Why aren’t you taking me along?”

There was no particular reason.

“Your place is in the Director’s Office. I don’t strictly need a secretary.”

“You don’t need me?”

“I’ll manage for about a week.”

“But if a secretary doesn’t go on the business trip, what’s the point of a secretary existing at all?”

I shook my head.

“There are things only Miss Paper can do. Work hard in the Director’s Office. Help out Aide An and Administrator Lee.”

“Those people don’t like me.”

“No, how could that be?”

But Miss Paper was still glancing around the Director’s Office with anxious eyes. I had no idea why she was acting like that — why would anyone dislike her?

“They dislike me because I’m an outsider. They don’t like that I was hired without any experience or knowledge of the Foundation’s inner workings.”

“How strange. Being an outsider with no connection to the Foundation is your only selling point, Miss Paper.”

“Hoo.”

“I’ll be going now.”

It was already the appointed time. I dragged my suitcase and walked toward the helipad.

****

Helipad 1.

Originally I’d planned to take a helicopter, but they said helicopters were too vulnerable security-wise for long-distance travel, so they’d send one instead.

A Foundation fighter would take about 15 minutes, a helicopter about an hour. Whatever was flying in now, they said it would take about 30 minutes.

The task force team leader looked up at the sky.

“When are they getting here?”

“They’ll arrive shortly.”

Strange. If it were arriving shortly, a fighter coming in at high speed would tear the sky apart with its roar, and a helicopter would have its rotor noise audible.

No sound, nothing visible in the sky, and barely anything on radar either.

“They say it’s descending.”

I looked around for a long while before I finally spotted the aircraft coming down toward the helipad. A pale gray helicopter.

“Do you know what kind of aircraft that is?”

The team leader thought for a moment.

“American-made. Boeing, a V-22 Osprey. It has two tilting rotors and can take off and land vertically. With wings, it’s about twice as fast as other helicopters.”

“Did they torture aliens to make that too?”

“Who knows.”

After a short wait, the aircraft landed on the helipad. I grabbed my collar against the harsh wind, and dust flew in every direction.

And then—touchdown.

Several Foundation employees got off the helicopter.

“Director. We’ll escort you to Jeju Island.”

“Good work, everyone.”

The pilot must have been in a hurry. The moment I boarded the helicopter and the door closed, the Osprey’s rotors began to spin.

****

South Korea is currently controlled—no, managed—by three major Foundation branches. The first is the Seoul Branch, the second is the Busan Branch.

The remaining one is the Jeju Branch.

There’s a saying that long ago, the Seoul Branch had enough power to control all of South Korea. But due to some incident, that system collapsed.

I don’t know what that incident was.

Though I have plenty of guesses.

The Chief Researcher serial suicides, the Director’s disappearance, Project Blue Rose—no. Listing them all out, there really are a lot. I connected my tactical headset to the long-range radio.

Someone was trying to establish communication.

[Ah, ah. Can you hear me?]

“Loud and clear.”

[This is Admiral Hourani of the Foundation Jeju Naval Base. Welcome. We’ll cooperate as much as possible to help with whatever you’re investigating.]

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

[Director Geum. Sorry, but what did you say the purpose of your visit to our facility was?]

Nanami, hotel, swimming pool.

I’m going because Nanami told me to come.

“As part of the annual program. Information exchange between Foundation branches, an investigation into Project Blue Rose, and establishing countermeasures for the anomalies in the Jeju region.”

[Just as planned. Understood. I’ll brief our researchers as well.]

“Yes.”

[Do you have any questions?]

“Admiral Hourani. By any chance, how much do you know about Project Blue Rose?”

[I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you’re referring to. There’s more than one project, isn’t there?]

He’s dodging a direct answer.

Does this man know something too?

****

Admiral of the Foundation Far East Fleet, Hadley Hourani.

“…”

—He let out a sigh and set down the phone. A Director of the Foundation’s Seoul Branch who appeared from who-knows-where. Probably a humanoid anomaly, and probably a Foundation creation.

If Director Geum weren’t a Foundation creation, there’d be no reason to entrust a humanoid anomaly with a major Foundation post. It was certain she was a creation either way—what mattered was who made her and why.

“Adjutant.”

“Yes.”

“That one. That’s Blue Rose-13, right?”

The adjutant glanced at the documents for a moment. Blue Rose-13, Foundation Seoul Branch, Director Geum… Considering the timing and capabilities, it probably was.

“Uh… I’d say that’s likely.”

“That bastard, why the hell is she coming?”

“I don’t know.”

Admiral Hourani let out another sigh.

“Make sure she doesn’t get out from under our watch. Get her some drinks if possible, and put a few agents on her. Just make sure she doesn’t go somewhere and cause trouble.”

“Understood.”

“No need for any funny business. Considering her abilities, she’d see through it in no time anyway. I’m just saying to keep her reassured and play along. Maybe that’ll cut down on her urge to cause trouble or poke around.”

Admiral Hourani’s adjutant mulled it over.

“I don’t think Director Geum is the kind of person you can handle that easily. Does she even like alcohol? Does she drink?”

Who knows.

“She’ll be arriving soon. Will you see her in person?”

Hourani shook his head.

“Do I look like I want to die? Why would I meet with those Blue Rose bastards? Her surviving Yulje-myeon wasn’t a coincidence either.”

“Wait. Yulje-myeon?”

“Yulje-myeon and the Mist of Oblivion—that solitude exists to summon monsters, gather them together, and make them fight. So then, whose solitude is it for?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked whose solitude it is. Who killed all the other divine beings in Yulje-myeon, trapped the others, and came out of there?”

“…”

“You handle Director Geum.”

****

The Osprey reached its destination before long. I disembarked, escorted by the task force under my command and the military police from the naval base.

Nanami was waiting at the helipad.

“Dr. Geum, you’re here?”

Nanami’s voice was quiet. She had no intention of using formal speech just because others were around, but she didn’t seem to want to come across as rude or strange either.

“Miss Nanami. Hello.”

“You should’ve just landed at the hotel.”

“This isn’t my helicopter, so. And there are a few things I need to take care of at the naval base.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Nanami handed me a tangerine.

“So we can’t hang out?”

“Once the conference is over, we can go.”

“Ah, okay.”

She looked a little disappointed. Well, it’s not like I have much on my schedule after the conference ends tomorrow anyway.