The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 213

213. Reaching the Summit

A building covered in blue tiles.

It once served as the President’s residence, but now it’s a ruined shell.

The Metro faction abandoned the Blue House and established new strongholds, leaving it to fall into disrepair soon after the war ended.

However, under Ha Yunha’s leadership, the Blue House was rebuilt and refurbished to properly serve as the living space for the nation’s leader.

A massive crowd had gathered around the Blue House.

Thousands of people were calling out for one man.

Choi Myungjoon’s elite troops blocked the roads leading to the Blue House, standing guard.

A black sedan entered the controlled road.

The sedan was being pulled by giant deer. And the person riding inside was none other than Kang Si-On, the new leader of Seoul.

As the vehicle stopped on the controlled street, two subordinates approached and opened the car door.

Ha Yunha stepped out first, followed by Kang Si-On.

Guided by Ha Yunha, he began to walk along the blocked road.

As Kang Si-On appeared, the citizens’ cheers, already deafening, echoed even more powerfully throughout the plaza.

An enormous number of people had gathered, far exceeding his expectations.

He was told that even this was a controlled number.

An equal number of people who couldn’t be here were watching from afar.

Two giant ogres were guarding the main gate, sitting on their hindquarters.

Their attire was quite different from the previous armaments.

From epaulets to armor, iron helmets, and giant iron swords and spears on their backs.

They were equipped as warriors.

Ha Yunha explained to Kang Si-On, who was looking up at the two ogres.

“These are warrior ogres that we recently engineered. While the existing ogres passively defended against enemies, these individuals possess superior intelligence and can engage in active combat.”

The ogres, from the time they were first tamed, had gone through several generations.

In that process, the less intelligent ones died quickly, and the smarter ones survived and reproduced.

The ogres’ growth cycle is incomparable to that of humans.

The ones born from eggs were nearly 3m tall from birth and became adults in 4 months.

“These two have the highest intelligence among them and are currently in the testing phase.”

“So, they recognize me?”

“Yes. They know who their master is. And they understand the commands.”

“…….”

It’s definitely a great achievement.

Not only taming monsters but also making them recognize their master and capable of active combat.

The ogre unit has accumulated combat data through the past few wars and has become so powerful that it is unmatched on the peninsula.

“…….”

Si-On quietly looked up at the two of them before naturally moving forward.

A familiar face was waiting for Kang Si-On at the entrance of the Blue House building.

It was his younger brother, Kang Junho.

* * *

“The weather is really nice, isn’t it, Hyung [older brother]?”

“It is.”

I entered the Blue House building with my brother.

Even after entering the building, the cheers of the citizens in the plaza did not subside at all.

On the other hand, there was no one inside the building.

Occasionally, a gatekeeper was guarding their post, but there was no one else.

My brother and I passed through the door opened by the gatekeeper and entered the room.

This is the President’s office.

It is the place where the person who ruled Korea in the past used to work.

Ha Yunha took a step forward and pointed to the nameplate on the desk.

“Seoul Committee Chairman, Kang Si-On. What do you think? The artisan carved the name by hand.”

“……To be clear, there was no need to go this far, was there? It’s just a show.”

“Politics is a show. The Chairman taught me that.”

……That’s right.

When I first taught Ha Yunha about the position of king, I said that politics must have something to show.

There is no need to question whether it is actually efficient.

Everything related to the politics of the Seoul area flows through Ha Yunha, so I just follow the show she planned.

At that time, Junho put his hand on my back and said.

“Sit down, Hyung.”

Junho acted as if he had come to an amusement park.

I had no choice but to approach the chair.

Even after the world was destroyed, everything from the desk to the chair was brand new.

It must have cost a lot to acquire these new things.

I slowly sat down on the chair.

Junho and Yunha were standing side by side in front of me.

“…….”

Then, Junho said.

“Hyung. How does it feel to sit in the highest position?”

Likewise, Ha Yunha added.

“That position is solely earned by the Chairman himself. You look very good.”

Their sweet voices seemed to enchant me.

The best seat.

This seat can only be occupied by the most outstanding person in this world.

That fact alone makes my shoulders feel heavy.

However, if I were to express the feeling I felt when I sat in the best seat…

One side of my heart felt empty.

It was definitely the highest seat of power that everyone would covet, but the unfulfilled emptiness remained.

Thinking that way, it felt awkward to be sitting in this position like this.

What is this emptiness?

This emptiness that cannot be filled.

I said to the two in front of me.

“Just a moment. I want to be alone; can you wait outside for a bit?”

The two nodded their heads and went outside.

* * *

Ha Yunha came out of the Chairman’s office and waited for a while.

Then, she glanced at Kang Junho.

‘That person is the Chairman’s younger brother.’

They were brothers, but the difference in their height was significant.

But even so, the reason why she could be sure that they were brothers was because of those sharply torn eyes.

‘I heard from the Chairman that he’s the same age as me.’

If they were from the same Anyang City, they might have attended the same elementary school.

In fact, Ha Yunha and Jung Hyunsoo didn’t know each other, but they were attending the same elementary school.

Of course, Ha Yunha did not remember Kang Junho.

Yunha tried to strike up a conversation with Junho.

“Junho, which elementary school did you go to?”

When Ha Yunha asked that, Kang Junho answered without even looking at her.

“Don’t talk to me.”

“…….”

……How rude.

Ha Yunha only thought to herself.

After a few minutes, Kang Junho was called by Kang Si-On and went back into the office, and Ha Yunha returned.

* * *

Si-On was sitting face to face with Junho on the sofa in the office.

And his gaze was on the vase with small yellow flowers on the desk.

Junho looked at the window full of cheering crowds once again and said to Si-On.

“That’s really amazing cheering. So many people have been shouting all morning without getting tired. It’s a level of loyalty that can’t even be compared to my citizens. Amazing, Hyung. To build up a force to this point without anything. Your approval rating must be almost 100%?”

Even to Junho’s question, Si-On did not answer immediately.

Rather, he reached out to the vase and gently lifted a petal with his finger.

Si-On gently stroked the petal.

Junho, who was watching his brother’s actions, felt a little uneasy.

His brother’s silence was scary for some reason.

Clearly, he had called him because he had something to say, but if he wasn’t saying it, it meant something was wrong.

To Kang Junho, Kang Si-On was a father, a brother, and a mentor in life.

Junho asked cautiously.

“Hyung. What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

This time too, Si-On did not answer.

He just silently stroked the petals and then plucked them off.

Si-On let go of the yellow petal, and the petal fluttered and fell to the floor.

Si-On, who had been silent, finally opened his mouth.

“People often say that if a cup breaks and water spills, you can’t pick it up again.”

“…….”

Junho was just listening to his brother’s words without saying anything.

“That saying is used to mean that you should be careful not to break the cup, but the cup breaks. Just being careful doesn’t mean the cup won’t break. So, the spilled water can never be filled in that cup again.”

“That’s right, Hyung.”

“In this short story, why do people only focus on the spilled water? The important thing is the water cup.”

Junho could not understand his brother’s words.

It was a very difficult and complicated story.

But Si-On did not give an exact answer.

It is more valuable to leave a riddle as a riddle.

Si-On finally looked at Junho.

It was a look with a bit of sadness in his eyes.

“Let’s talk openly. What do you want? Tell me what’s on your mind.”

Junho was rather calm at Si-On’s straight-forward question.

Junho avoided Si-On’s eyes and looked at his own hands.

Without realizing it, he was wiggling his fingers.

The silence was maintained for a long time.

5 minutes, 10 minutes.

Si-On waited for his brother to speak on his own.

Even then, the cheers from the street did not subside at all.

The two brothers were now at the most complex and difficult crossroads.

Junho took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I want you to stay in this league.”

“Me staying in this league?”

“Just accept reality. This world you have, this position you have, this life, and the benefits we can have. Hyung. I don’t think I can live a better life than I have now if I go back. It will be more hellish. More desperate. That place where cockroaches and mosquitoes swarm in the summer. This place is different, isn’t it? Look at you, Hyung. You are now in a position to rule the Korean Peninsula. Do you want to abandon such a great position and go back to the basement?”

“This world is fake. It’s a fabricated world.”

“It’s not fake, Hyung. This is what happened. This is what happened to us. How can that life be better?”

Si-On gently closed his eyes and thought at Junho’s sincere words.

Junho continued to speak to Si-On.

“Going back is the same as giving up. That’s… that’s…”

Junho couldn’t speak easily.

What should I say?

What should I say so that my brother will understand my intentions?

I don’t know anything.

Killing monsters or subjugating others was too easy for Junho.

That’s because all you need is strength.

But persuading someone is changing someone’s mind.

The moment that someone is his brother, Kang Junho didn’t know what to do.

Of course, Kang Si-On was different.

He leaned comfortably against the luxurious sofa and looked at one wall.

It was an empty wall.

Si-On continued to speak softly.

“As you said, we can be in a slightly higher position than others in this world. This position may be a dream for some, a lifelong wish for others, or a position that some may simply accept and look up to. I agree. If we go back, we will never get such a social position again.”

“Hyung. Then.”

“But. If the world is dominated by fame, power, and strength. If only those are the absolute criteria that define each person’s dreams. I… I don’t think I can accept it.”

“You can’t accept it?”

At Junho’s question, Si-On took a deep breath and said.

“I dreamed that you would go to college.”

At those words, Junho’s heart sank.

Kang Si-On was still looking at that meaningless wall.

“To make a better situation, and when you become an adult and go out into society and interact with other people. Like that… like that… living. It’s a trivial dream in some ways. To dream that hundreds of thousands of people become college students every year. I don’t know. I might be stupid.”

Kang Junho’s lips trembled as he looked at Kang Si-On.

‘What is that?’

Kang Junho’s eyes were distorted with sadness.

Kang Junho looked at his brother and thought.

‘It’s stupid.’

It’s really stupid.

It’s really a trivial dream.

His brother’s dream is just for his younger brother to go to college.

Isn’t college something you can go to if you just pay money?

If that’s his dream, he can fulfill it a hundred times, a thousand times, *ssi-bal* [Korean profanity, similar to ‘f*ck’], a billion times.

If that’s his dream, why has his brother lived such a complicated life? Why has he worked so hard to exhaust himself?

Three in the morning.

Junho, who woke up from sleep at the sound of people, put his eyes on the ray of light leaking through the door.

At this time, his brother was always bending over and sitting in the hallway, tying his safety shoe laces.

It was dawn, and the streets were dark.

At the time when drunk people were wandering around the streets, his brother was always going to work.

That. That kind of life.

Just to send himself to college…!

* 벌떡! [suddenly getting up]

“It’s like a moron!”

Junho couldn’t stand it and got up and shouted.

Junho’s eyes were filled with tears.

“It’s really like a moron, Hyung. It’s really like a moron! What is that…? What the *ssi-bal* is that…? I can do that alone. You don’t have to do that!”

“…….”

“What is going to college. *Ssi-bal*……. What the *ssi-bal* is it! To risk your life so much……. Huh?!”

Junho’s breathing was rough as he swallowed his tears.

The younger brother pleaded with his brother.

“Just live comfortably. Just live here. We can both live comfortably here, right…? Everyone in the world! Bows to Hyung! Follow me! This is the ideal life……. I made it. I prepared it. I’ll do everything! College…? Just make a college. We can make it. Let’s make it. We. Uh, uh, uh, where should we make it? Should we make the whole of Seoul a college? Huh? I can make it in a day.”

“…….”

Si-On closed his eyes and just listened to Junho’s words.

Looking at Si-On, Junho asked in an awkward tone.

“……Say something.”

“…….”

“*Ssi-bal*. Say anything.”

“…….”

“Just one word. One word….”

“…….”

“…….”

Si-On did not answer in the end.

(To be continued in the next episode)