* * *
I woke up to the sound of the door creaking open.
A ceiling that was more than familiar, almost nostalgic, came into view.
Old, peeling wallpaper, a lamp with a round black cloth cover, well-worn furniture, and modest household items.
It was my house.
It felt like I had a strange dream about living in another world…
Creak-
Beyond the opening door, I saw a teenage girl with a short haircut and baggy clothes entering.
“Sis!”
Rubbing my eyes, I reached out to greet my sister, who had returned late at night.
I don’t know why, but it felt like a reunion after a long time, and I was tearfully happy to see her.
“Things must be really tough. I worked all day and this is all I got.”
My sister handed me an old bag containing canned goods, some rice, and potatoes.
It wasn’t easy to work because we had to stay holed up in the house or shelter whenever an air raid warning went off.
“I’ll go out and work too.”
At my confident words, my sister glared at me as if it were impossible.
“What kind of work can a thirteen-year-old do?”
“I’m only thirteen?”
“What’s wrong with you, really? Get lost, don’t cling to me.”
My sister was only eighteen herself.
Having become the head of the family at a young age, she wasn’t very kind. Perhaps her personality had been worn down by a sandpaper-like life, as she had a prickly disposition.
Just like Helene.
…Helene?
I felt a strange sense of unease and tilted my head.
“Did you get a letter from Oppa? Wasn’t he supposed to be back today?”
My sister flicked my forehead lightly as I stood there blankly.
“No, I didn’t.”
At my answer, my sister sighed deeply and swept back her short hair.
‘The sister who used to love dressing up is acting like a boy… it must be to protect herself, probably.’
But was I, at just thirteen, understanding this?
“You should perform a magic trick to double the rice I worked my ass off to earn.”
My sister gestured at the rice. She meant for me to make porridge.
While I got up to wash the rice, my sister, who had collapsed from exhaustion, fiddled with her basic cell phone, trying to find a satellite internet connection, and said,
“There used to be something called ‘Hongdae disease,’ you know? There’s someone I work with who has it.”
“I know that. It’s when you absolutely don’t do what everyone else does or what’s trendy, and you pursue a unique individuality, right?”
“But in the end, they died just like everyone else. It felt strange.”
My sister seemed like someone who had become desensitized to death, which had permeated her daily life.
As I hesitated about what to say, I heard the door creak open behind me.
Turning around, I saw my brother in his military uniform, holding the dog Dahlia Kim.
“Little one, have you been well?”
“Woof!”
“Oppa! You’re back?”
Upon finding my brother, I jumped up and down like a child.
“The war will be over soon. We’ll be going back to the old world.”
My brother said, taking out a bunch of bread from his bag.
It meant returning to the free and peaceful world of the past, which I had only encountered in writings, drawings, videos, and songs.
“Then can we eat meat too?”
“Of course. I want to eat a fancy yogurt ice cream with extra options. It was super popular when I was little. I wonder if I’ll be able to eat it again?”
My sister sat at the table, put a spoon in her mouth, and had a dreamy look on her face.
“Then we’ll be happy from now on?”
As soon as my question ended, my sister and brother looked at me at the same time.
As the silence grew longer, I felt an increasing sense of unease, and then the door opened again and someone appeared.
“Kids, we’re home.”
It was my mom and dad, dressed in pretty clothes, whom I had seen in photos taken before the war.
“Are you calling that food?”
As soon as my mom, a Teto-Girl herself, saw us, she started nagging.
My cheeks flushed red, and I ran to hug them both.
Is happiness coming all at once?
“Mom, I can eat cucumbers now. I’ve been doing KneeKnee Calisthenics diligently too.”
“Really? When did you grow up so much? You used to be a tiny little thing toddling around.”
My mom looked down at me with a smile.
“Dad, I can count past 100 now.”
My dad stroked my head as I spoke proudly.
“Good job, my baby. It must have been hard, but you grew up to be kind and well-behaved, huh?”
“So, let’s not be apart anymore and all live together. Let’s go to the amusement park, go camping, go to the valley and eat Korean chicken soup with medicinal herbs…”
I felt like I would be able to share all the daily life experiences that I hadn’t been able to have until now.
I was so happy with my whole family together now that I wished time would stop.
* * *
Capital, Headquarters.
Lieutenant General Lev, who had been beaten by Masera and suffered the humiliation of having his uniform stolen, gritted his teeth.
As he rubbed a boiled egg on his bruised face, he suddenly grinned.
“You’re finished, war orphan.”
He had already urgently reported Masera’s insubordination and desertion to the highest authorities, and a warrant would soon be issued.
The top brass were also involved in military corruption related to the Organization, so the military would try to eliminate Masera and the princess as soon as possible.
‘If I just wait a little longer, I’ll be able to form a search party and hunt him down. I’ll make him kneel before me and trample him mercilessly.’
Just as he was sharpening his blade of revenge, waiting for orders from above, it happened.
Bang-!
The door shattered as it opened. No, it didn’t open, it was smashed and collapsed.
Lieutenant General Lev, seeing the figure of a blood-soaked assassin beyond the door, was so surprised that he fell on his butt.
Masera was staring down at him with fierce eyes.
“Ha, haha. You came crawling in on your own? Have you really lost your mind?”
The Lieutenant General tried to put on a brave face, but Masera just stared at him silently.
The Lieutenant General got up and frowned.
“What confidence do you have to do this?”
Insubordination and desertion, illegal use of weapons, abuse of authority and overstepping authority.
It was enough to accuse him of treason against the state and execute him.
“You have committed treason. Not only you, but your wife will be executed…”
But before he could finish speaking, Masera quickly drew his pistol and aimed it.
Bang-!
The bullet pierced Lieutenant General Lev’s knee.
“Aaaargh!”
The Lieutenant General collapsed and screamed in agony.
Even though he had crippled his opponent’s leg for life, Masera’s face was terribly emotionless.
“You’ll be the traitor.”
He approached and bent down, facing the Lieutenant General.
“I can make anyone a criminal, no matter who they are.”
The flustered Lieutenant General looked confused.
“…What are you talking about?”
“You seem to think I’ve rebelled against the state, but unfortunately, this isn’t the only nationality I have.”
“That’s nonsense…”
Seeing the Lieutenant General, who didn’t understand at all, Masera looked tired.
“I used to have three nationalities. One disappeared because the country was destroyed, one is Rutemia, and the other one is…”
He grabbed the Lieutenant General’s chin, who was averting his eyes from the pressure, and continued softly.
“Medea.”
Lieutenant General Lev’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“It means that I’ve been a member of the Medea military since the end of the war.”
The end of the war didn’t solve everything.
The task remained to find and eliminate the remaining enemies and corrupt forces, and to completely extinguish the sparks of war.
Therefore, Masera, under the direction of the Medea royal family, had long been investigating the military figures of each country involved with the Organization, as well as the operation to annihilate the arms smuggling organization.
“It was brought forward from the original plan, but anyway, the operation was a success.”
“You’re telling me you annihilated the Organization in one night?”
Lieutenant General Lev asked in a tone that he couldn’t believe.
He wouldn’t have had enough weapons or troops, would he?
Masera pulled on his tie and continued.
“Because of the ’cause’ you like, the Medea military was able to intervene. I found all the evidence of corruption too.”
At that moment, the voices of the military leaders were heard beyond the broken door.
“Lieutenant General Lev was the one who led the transfer of military supplies to the Organization, we didn’t know anything about it!”
“What, what? Are you putting all the blame on me now?”
Lieutenant General Lev shouted in agitation.
Count Queensguard, who had grabbed an officer by the scruff of the neck, was the one who was making the old men bow their heads.
“Cutting off the tail… An excellent survival tactic to protect your position. You’re quick to grasp the situation, just like the loyal dogs I’ve placed.”
The Count threw away the officer he was holding and smiled wickedly.
“And trying to lay a hand on my daughter was his idea as well?”
“That’s right, esteemed Ubermensch.”
The Lieutenant General blinked rapidly as he saw the Count being addressed with the highest honorific.
‘What the hell? I thought he was just a rural nobleman from the backwoods?’
Lieutenant General Lev’s face turned ashen as he saw the Lieutenant Generals of the top brass saluting Masera with the same formality as they would to a superior.
“A three-star general is saluting a one-star? Even so, those old men are so despicable!”
Lieutenant General Lev shouted, his face red.
Then one of the Lieutenant Generals, who was maintaining his salute, said with a cold sweat,
“His main affiliation is the Special Operations Command, and he is General Masera Guise.”
“…Four-star general? He was a General?”
Lieutenant General Lev, who had even forgotten the pain of his gunshot wound, turned pale and began to tremble.
On the surface, it was only one star difference from a Lieutenant General, but the gap was like heaven and earth.
The rank of General was the actual supreme commander, a national-level power that could move the entire military with a single word.
“It means that he is one of the next candidates for Marshal of the Rutemia military.”
“Heok.”
Lieutenant General Lev gasped in shock.
The next candidate for Marshal, who had been veiled in secrecy and whose name had not even been mentioned, was that man?
No, a war orphan rising to the position of supreme commander…
“…No way.”
Who the hell did I mess with?
Lieutenant General Lev muttered in vain.
💟 Translator Notes 💟
위버멘쉬 (Übermensch) A concept and philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In super simplified terms, it means someone who transcends conventional morality. In Korean culture, it’s often used as a tongue-in-cheek way to refer to someone who is ‘inhumanly good/competent/etc’, often villain-coded, alluding to someone with a ‘god-complex.’
크니크니 체조 (Kneeknee Calisthenics) Refers to viral kids dance video.
테토녀 (Teto-Girl) • 테토 (Teto) = Refers to Kasane Teto, a fictional character originally made as a joke UTAUloid. So a Teto-girl is basically “a chaotic, screechy, tsundere internet idol girl archetype”
Thank you so much for the notes to explain things!
Of course! So glad they’re helpful!