The Little Prince in the Ossuary
Chapter 43

00043 — #Innerroom–

#Inner room (4), Camp Roberts

The 「Winter Alliance」 grew rapidly. At first, there were only four large tents housing less than 80 people, but now there were about three hundred people. The screening of prospective members was the role of the two managers. Jang Yeon-chul and Min Wan-gi decided not to accept any more people, and Gyeo-ul agreed with their decision. It was because it would be impossible to manage if it increased further.

The side effects of rapid growth had already begun to emerge. Yoo Jae-heung, the dog thief, was an example. People were joining the Alliance, hoping to exploit the refugee zone ecosystem. There were other problems that Gyeo-ul was worried about. It was an inevitable decision not to accept more people. Instead, it attracted them to organizational units. They promised protection and sought cooperation.

As a result, the “Winter Alliance” had been reborn as a true alliance. It was a natural step. The Dhamul Promotion Association alone had more than a thousand people. To ensure security, they had to create a greater force. The symbol was created by Jang Yeon-chul’s suggestion. He made a white ribbon that had been tied up several times by a talented ally. He called it “Snow Flower.”

Alliance organizations hung the “Snow Flower” at the entrance of the tent, and the trend quickly spread. Jang Yeon-chul moved around more energetically. He felt like a person who found the worth of life as he served as a channel for delivering requests from allies to Gyeo-ul. As this type of expansion of allies also faced limitations, he made a bold proposal.

“Let’s divide other organizations.”

Cough. Cough. Min Wan-gi, who got a cold due to fatigue, eventually turned to him after coughing.

“It’s difficult. Can you really do it?”

“Of course!”

The young manager expressed confidence despite the tension.

“Internal corruption is severe in big organizations like the Korean Patriotic Congress. Until now, we’ve been able to cover up what we’ve taken away from the weak organizations, but it’s not that easy anymore. There’s a ton of complaints from the people below.”

“So, you’re gonna break that complaint? It’s too dangerous.”

Yeon-chul shook his head hard when asked by Gyeo-ul.

“I got a lot of good connections from this job. I won’t be revealed.”

It was a very different aspect from his first impression. Indeed, this much was possible, so he would have been at the center of people until Gyeo-ul joined.

‘Ability is something that can be solved to a certain extent by responsibility.’

It would be different if he didn’t have any talent, but at least for Jang Yeon-chul, that wasn’t the case. Gyeo-ul suggested the opposite.

“I think it’s still dangerous. It’s good to work hard, but it will be uneasy if something happens to Mr. Jang. The “Winter Alliance” will be thrown into instability.”

“Honestly, I’m not that great of a person.”

Jang Yeon-chul had on a nervous smile.

“The little captain’s role may not be replaced by anyone, but my role is far different. There are many people who are as good as me in terms of ability. I can recommend someone.”

“That’s what it’s like when it comes to the ability.”

The little captain’s answer hurt Jang Yeon-chul. Even if he said it himself, hearing another person affirmed that it was a different matter. He might have wanted him to say otherwise. Gyeo-ul continued on quietly.

“But you’ve done so much so far. I don’t think there’s anyone suspicious of you two. Don’t you think what you’re capable of and what you’ve actually done is quite different? Who can replace the trust that Mr. Jang has built?”

“Trust…”

“If I bring someone in because they’re capable, can I trust him as much as I do you?”

Responsibility was demonstrated only by action. That was what Gyeo-ul meant. Gyeo-ul happily persuaded the agitated Yeon-chul.

“I’d like to disagree. It’s time for internal stability. It’s not good if Mr. Jang is placed in a dangerous situation.”

“I agree.”

Min Wan-gi continued to cough, then expressed his thoughts.

“It’s a problem even if Jang’s plan succeeds. Hmm! That’s too much of a push for other organizations. There’s no way they wouldn’t retaliate. Even if they don’t have to target us, what if they stab at our protected allies?”

Jang Yeon-chul countered, “Then we can find him and punish him strongly.”

Min Wan-gi frowned.

“We grew too fast at once. The area is too big. Every time an incident happens, can you find the criminals right away? Even if we found them, what more can we do if they give them up? Cough! Hmm. Why don’t we just go crazy and attack the hideout? No, we can’t. We’re role models for the U.S. military, so we can’t do anything crazy.”

He nailed it with a tired voice. “If that happens over and over again and trust in the Winter Alliance is destroyed, everything we’ve done will be pointless.”

It was a reasonable point.

“Then what about this?”

Jang Yeon-chul proposed a new one in the form of arrogance.

“I’m trying to keep it from being exposed.”

“Don’t let it show…oh, spy?”

When Gyeo-ul asked, Jang Yeon-chul answered yes.

“We can’t only be attacked. If we say we’ll take care of them, there will be a lot of people who will betray us.”

“Mr. Jang, you’ve changed a lot.”

Jang Yeon-chul suddenly blushed as Gyeo-ul spoke. “No, I mean, I got some experience, so….”

Then, he glanced at the distracted Min Wan-gi coughing.

‘You learned from him.’

It was natural to imitate your competitors. But if you don’t have the ability, you can’t imitate them.

“What are you ashamed of? It was a compliment.”

“…Is that so?”

He was a long way from being insidious, considering that he was shy. Jang Yeon-chul tried to fix the atmosphere.

“Oh, well, now is the time. Our “Winter Alliance” has grown so fast that everyone is busy. Everyone thinks it’s the trend. We have to remove it before people get cool down. It will also help the little captain with the problem he was worried about before. About the drugs and….”

“You’re going to get the internal information of other organizations, right?”

“That’s right!”

Gyeo-ul was worried again. Seeing how he said this far, Jang Yeon-chul seemed to have prepared a lot before making the proposal. Not only should he take into account the risks he faced, but also his future motivation.

“Let’s try it.”

Gyeo-ul finally agreed.

“Really?” Gyeo-ul asked for safety to Yeon-chul, whose expression brightened in turn.

“The condition is that you always put safety first.”

“Of course! My life is the most precious thing to me.”

“That’s good, then. I’ll trust you. Captain Min, please help him a lot, too.”

“Cough, hmm. Sure.”

It was Min Wan-gi who answered with a phlegmatic voice. At the time of Winter’s permission, there seemed to be no objections. It seemed the story was over now, but Jang Yeon-chul still had something on his mind.

“I have a little more to say…”

“Go on.”

“There are more people who want to join the Winter Alliance.”

Gyeo-ul tilted his head.

“Weren’t you not accepting direct application for the time being?”

“Well, they just can’t stand on their own feet…”

“Is it impossible?”

“They’re disabled.”

“Then I’m against it.”

The last word was from Min Wan-gi. It was such an immediate objection that Jang Yeon-chul blinked his eyes. Before saying anything with a slight frown, Min Wan-gi did it first.

“Even so, the composition ratio of the Winter Alliance is not balanced. Sex ratio…cough. Sex ratio, I can’t help it, but there are too many mothers of children, children, and old people. Other organizations openly laughed at it. It’s hard to add even disabled people to this. Hmm, hm. It’s not that I don’t know, and I’m sorry to hear that, but we have to be tougher here.”

Jang Yeon-chul’s face darkened. He looked a little angry. Gyeo-u thought about it. There were times when Min Wan-gi seemed to oppose Jang Yeon-chul just to fight him. This was the case now.

‘Is he trying to show off to me?’

He would know why there were two managers.

‘Or maybe it’s for Yeon-chul.’

He knew Gyeo-ul’s tendencies. What if she intentionally opposed the idea in anticipation of meeting Yeon-chul’s request? If Gyeo-ul sided with Yeon-chul between the two, he would gain more confidence. Of course, there was no guarantee that it was out of pure consideration. It was also necessary to make yourself comfortable. An inferiority complex easily brought hostility. It was a real mutual check.

Thus, the two speculations could have been established together. Yeon-chul’s voice got a little higher.

“They’ve been to us before. Before the little captain came. Don’t you remember, Min? Even we, who were a group of people who had nothing to rely on, sent them out saying we couldn’t accept them. And you want to throw them out again?”

It seemed to have happened.

“Captain, did you forget your inaugural address? We are people who go on a difficult path. They want to live like humans. Isn’t that right, Captain?

Putting aside misconceptions, Gyeo-ul accepted it. “That’s right, but I’ll decide after I meet them. We can’t just let people in.”

Yeon-chul’s face brightened up. “When would you like to meet them?”

“Is it possible to right now?”

“Of course! They said they’d be waiting. I’ll be right back.”

Yeon-chul was opening his seat. As expected, Min Wan-gi didn’t look very disappointed. However, he coughed worse than before, so he went looking for rest.

After a while, Yeon-chul walked in, bringing seventeen people with him. From their very intimidated appearance, he could guess the treatment they had experienced before. Their leader looked fine on the surface. She was a neatly dressed old woman, despite her dirty clothes. Yeon-chul introduced her.

“This is Kang Young-soon, who leads the disabled community. She has a speech problem, so she’s going to write to speak. Oh, do you know sign language?”

Gyeo-ul shook his head. It wasn’t an important skill, so knowledge of it was low. Still, the amount of experience Gyeo-ul had also was low. In case of emergency, the minimum investment should be left in the survival category. Unexpectedly, she seemed to look forward to it. Yeon-chul was a little sullen. There was also a hint of idolizing Gyeo-ul like he was a superhuman who could do everything.

“She has no problem with hearing, so you can speak comfortably.

“I will. Could you excuse us for a moment, Jang?”

“What?”

Of course, he thought it was a conversation that would involve him. Yeon-chul hesitated, and as Gyeo-ul watched, he hesitated to stand up. He cheered for the old woman before he went.

“Grandmother, it’s going to be fine. The little captain is a good person.”

He said that in front of the captain. The old woman laughed as if she were having fun, and Gyeo-ul gave her a polite greeting.

“As you already know, I’d like to officially greet you. I am Han Gyeo-ul, the representative of these people. I’m glad to meet you.”

The old woman opened her notebook and wrote. After she finished writing, she opened the page and handed it to Gyeo-ul.

「Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Young Soon. You’re beautiful. You look much better from up close.」

He formed a gentle smile. “Thank you for the compliment. Your handwriting is very pretty.”

The old woman looked down again.

「This serves as my voice.」

It was a good metaphor. It was also a part where the character of the elderly was visibly felt.