33. Opening the Gate

“….”

 

 

She stared at Shirley without a word before opening her mouth.

 

 

“It’s a bit hard to adjust to you giving so many opinions like this for the first time.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. So, tell me everything you’re thinking about this matter.”

“…Then I’ll be blunt.”

“….”

 

 

Shirley took a deep breath.

It looked like she was about to say something huge.

 

 

“Honestly, I think Commander-nim is incredibly contradictory.”

“Contradictory?”

“Yes. You always say you pursue the greatest happiness for the greatest number, but your actions are completely the opposite.”

“……Where?”

“If Commander-nim truly pursued the greatest happiness for the greatest number, you should immediately antagonize and deal with that Yu-eun.”

“No, that’s….”

“Of course, he’s too strong of an opponent, and not touching him right now would benefit the majority of humanity.”

“Y-Yeah. That’s it.”

 

Han-sarang was flustered by the unexpected words.

She was more bewildered now than during the Pikachu incident caused by the deadbeat Sergeant.

 

 

“But that’s just talking about the present, and considering his actions, his personality, and the nature of his subordinates, it’s clear that he will cause enormous harm to humanity in the long run, and considering the news that came in recently, there’s a high possibility that he’ll modify humanity itself into slave creatures that are only loyal to him.”

“….”

“And yet, Commander-nim is closing your eyes and ears, and not thinking about him. You’re just believing in the ‘delusion’ that you want to believe in: ‘Even though Yu-eun is personally a scoundrel, he will bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number in terms of humanity.'”

“….”

 

 

A blunt statement bordering on abuse.

Sarang was quite unpleasant, but she couldn’t refute it.

 

 

“I think Commander-nim knew it in your heart too. You just didn’t want to bring it up, right? As evidence, Commander-nim doesn’t say anything about him, who you’re in a relationship with. Even if you don’t go around blabbing about it, you could say ‘I miss you’ sometimes. It’s like you’re avoiding mentioning him. As if you don’t want to face your contradictory self.”

 

 

“…So, what’s the conclusion?”

 

 

“What Commander-nim is following isn’t ‘values,’ but ’emotions.’ The actions you’ve taken from meeting him until now, even accepting the President’s plan, aren’t based on grand causes like the greatest happiness for the greatest number or the survival and prosperity of the Korean people, but just Commander-nim’s humble desires. You’ve been following that.”

 

 

Han-sarang flared up.

Like someone who had been hit right on the mark, she frowned and an aggressive tone came out.

 

 

“I know you met me after I got this job, right? Did you even see all of my actions before that?”

“I don’t have to see it to know.”

“How can you say that!”

“Why are you going all the way out here to build up your power?”

“Don’t you know? To overthrow South Korea, which has a powerful armyㅡ,”

“Why would you bother overthrowing a country that’s doing well?”

 

 

Han-sarang jumped up from her seat.

Shirley and Han-sarang, two women, glared at each other.

 

 

“Are you trying to mess with me right now?”

“Don’t avoid the question. Is it because of the President’s plan? Why did you accept that plan? If the Harem Palace and the people clash, there will be great damageㅡ, so you have to block the media or whatever before that happens. Is that why you accepted it?”

“That’sㅡ,”

“You can do that in the Palace too. No, you can do it better. What experience does Commander-nim have to control the media and information in this era? Even if you can, where’s the guarantee that the Harem Palace will just stand by and watch?”

“….”

“The President’s plan is vague and full of holes. Commander-nim must have seen through it too. That day, in that place. Nevertheless, you accepted it because you have a long-standing desire.”

“…I don’t move with desire. I move for the cause, for the nation.”

“No. That belief has already been consumed by desire.”

 

 

Kkuuk.

 

 

A severe insult.

 

 

Just desire.

All she’s saying is that I’m ‘moving by desire.’

 

 

Isn’t that too much of an insult?

 

She’s even turning a blind eye to Yu-eun’s terrible scoundrel behavior right next to her for the sake of the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

For the nation, and beyond the nation, for all of humanity!

 

 

But all of that is a delusion and I’m just moving for desire.

 

 

Could there be a worse insult for her?

 

 

 

 

 

“You….”

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was about to tell her to leave immediately.

If she had just 0.5 seconds more, she would have finished her sentence.

 

 

But before that, Shirley came in.

 

 

 

 

 

“You just want to be next to the person you love. Side by side. Together. That’s all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

A word that made her close her lips that were about to open.

A word that stopped her thoughts and painted her mind white.

 

 

 

“Wh-What….”

“The fact that you’re in a real relationship with that cosmic nuisance, not a relationship where you exchange some kind of price, is proof of everything.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“You’re turning a blind eye to his terrible scoundrel behavior because you want to be next to him. You’re vaguely hovering around him because you want to be next to him. You’re being deceived by the President, who has severe delusions, because you want to be next to him.”

“….”

“You want to be next to him…that’s why you’re coming all the way here to build up your power. Not for the cause, but because you want to be next to him. You’ve already lost the ’cause.’ Because of love.”

 

Han-sarang, who had been flaring up, was hit with such abusive language and slumped down blankly.

It was as if she had been hit with a hammer.

 

 

Shirley, who was looking at her like that, added a salute, saying, ‘Excuse me,’ and carefully left the room.

 

 

 

 

Han-sarang, left alone, was either thinking about something, or her soul had left her body, or she was too angry, she just sat blankly, fumbling through the bookshelf, taking out a bottle of alcohol and starting to drink.

 

 

 

 

I’ve lost the cause.

Contradictory.

Desire…

 

 

Each and every word is hard to accept.

 

“What do you know…”

 

 

The alcohol going down her throat felt particularly stinging today.

It felt like even the alcohol was rebuking her.

 

 

“Keuek…a adjutant…how dare she….”

 

 

She spat out those words and roughly put down the bottle.

Because the carpet was laid out, it didn’t make a loud noise.

 

 

 

After sipping alcohol like that for a while, perhaps because she felt much calmer, her mind opened up a little.

 

 

 

Shirley is her adjutant. She’s also a soldier summoned by the system, and she’s only loyal to her.

She wouldn’t have said something wrong, or at least something harmful to Han-sarang.

 

 

So, shouldn’t I at least consider it?

 

 

 

– You just want to be next to the person you love. Side by side. Together. That’s all. –

 

 

 

 

She recalled the words she had said.

 

Love..

A familiar yet unfamiliar word.

 

 

In her twenty-seven years of life, the only person she had experienced anything close to that with was definitely Yu-eun.

 

 

She already had feelings for him when they met for the second time, and she slept with Yu-eun that day.

 

 

It was her first kiss in her life,

It was her first sex in her life.

 

After that, she was rapidly sucked into Yu-eun, and she was recognized as almost a nationally recognized couple.

 

 

 

 

She fell for Yu-eun in just two meetings.

 

Or maybe she had already fallen for him when they first met.

 

 

At that time, she had to resolve the conflict between the Spicy Rib Restaurant and the Spicy Rib Soup, and there she showed almost world history-level behavior of firing at civilians and adventurers.

 

 

 

 

Was that really an action based on ‘values’?

Was it really just on the grounds of being a ‘potential risk factor’ that she aimed a gun and fired at adventurers and civilians?

 

 

If that’s the case, then why hadn’t she ever touched Yu-eun?

 

 

Maybe she was just trying to get Yu-eun’s attention, and she unknowingly took extreme actions.

 

 

 

 

 

When Yu-eun held a grand engagement ceremony with two women, she bothered to participate in it, picked a fight with Lieutenant Eun, or unnecessarily loitered around and caught the eyes of the fiancées.

 

 

And there, even though she knew that she was in a ‘mistress position,’ she didn’t leave Yu-eun’s side.

 

 

 

When she was despairing at the continued trials and her own incompetence, she didn’t budge at the various insults from Lieutenant Eun-yul or Lieutenant Eun-so, but when they mentioned ‘Yu-eun,’ she exploded.

And she got back up again because of that incident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah..

 

 

Maybe Shirley is right.

The greatest happiness for the greatest number, the revival of the nation, all of that is just an excuse,

 

 

Maybe she just wants to be qualified to stand next to him.

 

 

Maybe she wants to be next to him with the qualifications to stand together, side by side.

 

 

 

 

 

No,

 

 

That’s just the truth.

 

“Ha….”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About 2 hours later, she summoned the executives again.

 

 

 

 

 

“….”

“….”

“….”

“….”

 

 

 

 

Han-sarang sat with a somber expression in a solemn atmosphere.

The executives, especially Shirley, watched her carefully and stared straight ahead without saying anything.

 

 

“The national name is….”

 

 

The voice came out after a long time.

At the same time, Han-sarang, who had been bowing her head, raised her head.

 

 

“It’s the Korean Empire.”

“…!!”

“Commander-nim…!”

 

 

Various reactions came out.

But it was clear that they were all happy.

Especially Shirley.

 

 

 

 

“I will become the Emperor. So…I will be next to him. With the same qualifications.”

“I will dedicate everything I have to Commander-nim…no, to Your Majesty!”

 

 

 

Han-sarang’s eyes were stained with a strong desire for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

+++

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jjaenggeurang!

 

 

“….”

 

 

While dealing with the endless stream of work, a display plate that had been fine fell.

The President dismissed it as nothing and continued his work, but this time, a frame that had been carefully hung fell and shattered.

 

 

“….”

 

 

A photo of the President himself saluting the national flag in front of a giant Taegeukgi.

It was the glass that was broken, but it felt like that photo, and the wishes in the photo, were broken.

 

 

An ominous premonition wrapped around his body.