Prostitution Negotiation

There was something I had to confirm before answering.

“Let me ask one thing first.”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“What exactly is this blue flame?”

“It’s a conceptual concept, or perhaps something that exists but is simultaneously ambiguous. Explaining it to you is like explaining what the color red is to a blind person born without sight. It’s like asking a bat to explain what it’s like to see the world with ultrasound, or asking a bird to explain what colors look like through its eyes.”

“In other words, it’s impossible?”

“I’ll try to explain it as easily as possible, though. It’s… the manifestation of a desire that ultimately leads to great things. A sign that the realization of that desire, whether one is aware of it or not, or maybe they are aware… ultimately leads to great things. It could be a message that reads the soul, or it could be a completely different kind of intuition. But what’s certain is that it definitely won’t pass by quietly. It won’t pass quietly at all.”

Is that what’s being seen in me now?

I have no ambition to do great things. If there’s something great, it would be the CIA’s ambition, not mine. Duey’s words were right. I’ve desperately carried out the missions the CIA gave me, but that was never my desire.

I’ve always desperately represented someone else’s desires and fought for my life for someone else’s desires. There was no other way.

But I’m not sure what I want myself.

Does it mean that there’s a path leading to a great path in the desire I hold?

“I saw it from Chen Yayuan and Zhou Lizhi.”

“Tikhonov’s was red. As red as her ideology.”

“Does that mean her ambition isn’t great?”

“It’s not such a simple matter. It’s not that simple. I told you it’s difficult to explain.”

“Still, try to make an effort to explain. I need to get some sense of it to decide whether I should prostitute myself to hear your story, don’t I?”

“Prostitute? Do you think of yourself as a prostitute?”

“It’s Bri’s expression. She said I’m no different from a whore for winning favor by offering my body to Zhou.”

“We’re always selling everything we have to live. Whether we sell our labor or spread our legs, I honestly don’t see much difference. Whether you try to win favor by getting good grades or choose that method easily in bed. In the end, you’re just selling what you have.”

It was an extreme expression. It seemed clear that she had almost no concept of individual human dignity.

“It’s mostly women who sell love. Enough social problems can arise from that.”

“That’s an issue of structural exploitation. You know enough by now that I’m not interested in such things, right?”

“Try to take some interest. Isn’t it because people like you aren’t interested in such problems that the Soviet Union is growing stronger day by day?”

“That sounds reasonable at first listen. But there are prostitutes in Russia too. Of course, there are in Japan too. It’s just empty talk.”

“If you’re that open-minded, you might have spread your legs for your ambition before.”

I said something that could slightly irritate Lieutenant Duey. Catherine Duey shrugged with a faint smile.

“Why would I?”

“Isn’t where you belong the military? A shit group that just eats without value unless there’s war. You’ve grown up quite a bit, so mustached generals might be quite interested.”

“Hmm… How dare you?”

“Are you saying it’s not true?”

“Don’t play dumb. I don’t know if you still want to act like a naive college student who just got superpowers, but I know you understand how the world works better than that. Platoon Leader, we are humans above humans. You must know where the need for educational institutions that gather only superhumans like this comes from.”

“It’s an educational policy to raise excellent workers for the country by utilizing superpowers.”

“No. It’s just an environment to suppress our pride because we, the superior race, become arrogant when we live mixed with inferior ones.”

“That’s a unique perspective, Lieutenant Duey.”

“You know how dangerous and powerful awakened ones are. What’s more dangerous than an awakened one is an arrogant awakened one. Stalin went as far as gathering superhuman officers in the military in one place and setting off a gas bomb to solve that problem. I don’t like the Steel Generalissimo, but that can be said to be a very impressive skill. If he hadn’t established discipline like that, the Soviet Union would have collapsed in the 1930s.”

“And Americans made hydrogen bombs for the survival of democracy.”

“It was the final solution to the superhuman problem. The world is now governed by that solution. But look. Paradoxically, it means there’s no way to control awakened ones except with hydrogen bombs. The state must still be stronger than individuals. It’s a thread-like string of reason that’s barely maintained. To protect that, they put us in concentration camps under the guise of educational institutions and make us accustomed to being treated equally with other humans.”

Because in here, we’re no different from others… Is that what she’s saying? When we receive the same education in the same space as other humans, we inevitably become arrogant. To suppress that arrogance even a little, the idea of gathering only awakened ones in one place was born, is that what she’s saying?

It’s a plausible story. Not the only answer, but.

“So, a mustached general messing with a flame sorcerer lieutenant in the military? There’s no such thing. The noble ideal of the Great Revolution that all humans are equal… doesn’t work in reality.”

“Don’t you love the Republic?”

“A true patriot must love even the contradictions of the Republic. Now, Eun-young. Let me summarize. This is the only place where we can prostitute ourselves. Because the only place where humans can remain equal is within the barrier of Huangpu.”

“You’re telling me to sell love to you.”

“No, I’m saying I’ll sell it to you.”

I laughed incredulously at her absurd attitude. She unilaterally kissed me, and last time she even lowered her collar on her own and got scolded by Churchill, isn’t this attitude too brazen?

“I’m a person who has nothing to give. And I don’t understand why it’s assumed that I’m the one buying. Shouldn’t the buyer be the one with interest?”

“You like women, don’t you? Actually, I’m not that interested in that way. Then it would be more reasonable for you to be the buyer, wouldn’t it?”

“I won’t give anything.”

“That’s okay. I just need to confirm the ambition.”

“What ambition are you talking about?”

“How many times do I have to explain? Since it became certain that you embraced Zhou Lizhi, and since it became certain that you mix bodies with Briar Churchill every day! A destiny has been created in your path. Not a destiny of submitting to someone, but a destiny of walking a great path by your own ambition. Is it just fine with any woman? Or did it happen because you received Zhou’s flame?”

“You want to embrace me to confirm that?”

“If it can be shared, share that fire with me too.”

“What do you want to do with it? If you get it by selling your sex, what do you want to do?”

“If greatness is created in my path too, it would lead to the greatness of my homeland. Allow me to experiment. If you allow it, I’ll answer more of the questions you’re curious about. Wouldn’t that be a deal? Don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry, but you’re not my type.”

I lied. Catherine Duey seemed to immediately realize that my words were a lie.

“How clumsy.”

“Ah, okay. Your face is my type. But Duey. It’s difficult. You seem to know everything already, but I’m not in a situation to add more women. Even this current situation wasn’t my intention.”

“Not in a situation… to add more women?”

Catherine Duey’s mouth twitched. She said to me with a grin as if she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Then let’s go to someone who can add more women.”

“…Who?”

“Major Zhou Lizhi. My intention was to confirm whether your sexual intercourse awakens more of the desire in your heart, but… if it’s just to confirm whether Zhou’s desire is contagious, it’s okay to mix bodies with her. Although she hasn’t touched me so far due to her position, to be honest, I don’t think she’d refuse if I approached her first. Don’t you think?”

Saying that, Duey turned away from me and headed towards the faculty dormitory. I instinctively raised my hand and shouted.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Let’s talk a bit more, Lieutenant. Just a little more.”