The Tales of an Infinite Regressor - Chapter 190

[Translator – Jjescus]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 190

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Patriot III

4

As you can see from history textbooks, the term “revival movement” in the Korean Peninsula carries a somewhat ominous tone. Both the Baekje Revival Movement and the Goguryeo Revival Movement ended in failure.

Though lesser-known, Silla and Balhae also faced similar fates. The people of the Korean Peninsula have always been early adopters by nature.

Rather than clinging to the remnants of a failed nation and lamenting its downfall, they preferred to rebrand and move on swiftly. The “Republic of Korea Revival Movement” was no exception.

“Down with the dictator, Noh Dohaaaaa!”

Jo Youngsoo was allowed to exist. He was permitted to hold protest signs and shout slogans, and he was also allowed to recycle old papers in a form of separation.

The busy survivors, who were just trying to get by each day, would take a moment to respond when Jo Youngsoo approached them with his stack of papers, laughing dismissively all the while. The goodwill people showed only went that far.

“Down with the dictator Noh Dohaa! Overthrow the family-run city management of the super-large guild leaders! Form a National Assembly and draft a Constitution!”

Jo Youngsoo was always left alone. Even after a year, three years, and seven years, the “Republic of Korea Revival Society” did not gain any new members. SGNet’s attitude toward Jo Youngsoo was the same.

-Anonymous: Welcome, constitutional parrot.

-KoreanVillage: Welcome, Mr. Big old timer. This is your little brother, respectfully greeting you.

-Anonymous: Honestly, I didn’t have any strong feelings about the administrator, but my thoughts have changed lately. The fact that the administrator hasn’t killed him and keeps him alive shows that he really is a remarkable person…

└Literature Girl: The tiger leaves its skin after death, and the Republic of Korea leaves Jo Youngsoo.

-Anonymous: Let’s go, Noh Doha, Tang Seorin, Mo Gwangseo, Jo Youngsoo!

└Anonymous: LOL

└Anonymous: Legendary nationalist line.

└dolLHOuse: ?

Ridicule, contempt, and clinging to fame. A rare and sparse amount of goodwill, like rain in the Gobi Desert, shown out of pity for a fellow struggling to survive. There was no serious movement to restore the Republic of Korea, nor any desire for democracy.

“Why are the democratic citizens of this land so reckless?”

Sometimes, when Jo Youngsoo had saved up some money, he would drink heavily at a street bar. And then, he would lament.

“The country is on the brink of collapse, yet people still long for the dictator!”

“Indeed.”

Eventually, at some point, I could no longer stand by and had to intervene. It is the privilege of youth (to me, Jo Youngsoo still seemed quite young) to crash into the world, but giving advice is an old man’s specialty, isn’t it?

I quietly approached Jo Youngsoo, who was drinking alone at a street bar in Haeundae, and joined him for a drink.

“Mr. Jo, even if people seem to be showing you kindness, you shouldn’t mistake it for what it is not.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“People generally exaggerate their actions, whether they are being kind or malicious. Many may give you recycled papers out of goodwill, but none will join you in shouting for the Republic of Korea. You’ll find yourself in a difficult situation if you mistakenly believe that people truly support your activities.”

“…”

Jo Youngsoo’s face was flushed red from the cheap alcohol he had consumed. Like all survivors of this era, Jo Youngsoo was still in his late 50s, but he looked as though he were in his 80s.

The word “skincare” had long been removed from the dictionary. His mind was clear, but his body had aged ahead of him. The Korean man before me raised his voice.

“Why are you saying this? I appreciate you offering to pay for the drinks, but if you thought you could stop my activities with just a few drops of alcohol, you’re gravely mistaken!”

“I’m not trying to stop you. I’m just offering advice. You may think of yourself as a social activist, but others see you as an entertainer.”

“Entertainer?”

Jo Youngsoo blinked.

“Me?”

“Yes. People can talk about your surveys for at least a day or two. They might even feel a brief sense of nostalgia. You’re the only one who provides that kind of feeling, so people tolerate you.”

“…”

“Fundamentally, it’s no different from sitting around and watching old movies together. No matter how you define yourself, in this small society, your objective role is that of a clown.”

“A clown…”

“The reason no one participates in your revival movement lies here.”

I poured more alcohol into Jo Youngsoo’s empty glass.

“Imagine if someone from the audience suddenly jumped on stage during a stand-up comedy show. It would completely ruin the mood, wouldn’t it?”

“But I’m being serious…”

“That’s precisely why they like you. They like that you’re serious.”

Jo Youngsoo stared at me blankly.

“This isn’t about you personally. The topic of the Republic of Korea itself has become a joke. This is just the environment of the times.”

“Are you saying I’m out of touch with the times?”

[Translator – Jjescus]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“Not at all. That perspective is too focused on yourself. There’s a significant gap between ‘the self-perception you have’ and ‘the way others see you.’ In some sense, you’re so perfectly suited as entertainment in this era that you maintain your own position.”

“…”

“Isn’t the world a depressing place? Try to think differently—consider brightening someone’s day just a little. Many more people will come to like you, much more than they do now.”

“…”

Blink. The eyelids of a middle-aged man, drunk on alcohol, were sluggish. The poor man’s stomach could not withstand the alcohol’s sudden invasion, and soon after, he lost consciousness.

I paid the bill and dropped Jo Youngsoo off at his shack.

“Mr. Jo, I’ll leave you here.”

“Uuuugh… Uh…”

Thud. Thud.

Just then, a light rain began to fall. Jo Youngsoo’s shack was cobbled together with tarps, tents, and construction waste materials. It was barely two pyeong (approximately 6.6 square meters) in size.

The most valuable spot wasn’t occupied by bedding but by thousands of pieces of recycled paper. It was as if they were sacred relics, ensuring that nothing would ever leave them to get wet in the rain.

[Republic of Korea 91st Opinion Poll]

[Question: Do you think it is possible for criminals to be arrested, sentenced, and punished solely by the judgment of the guild leader or the national highway administrator? Also, do you believe that the separation of powers should be implemented under the current circumstances?]

Below, there were densely written notes by Jo Youngsoo.

– Concern 1: We need to explain to the public the situation where legislative, executive, and judicial powers are concentrated in one individual (this will make the question too long).

– Concern 2: The phrase ‘personal judgment’ might have a negative connotation and could instill bias in respondents.

– Concern 3: We also need to discuss the right to legal representation, but there’s not enough space (should we postpone this to the 92nd public survey?).

→ Idea: For issues that can’t be covered due to space constraints, supplement them with posts on SGNet!!

└ Regularly remind, build consensus, and persuade citizens on these issues (important!!!)

“……”

Suddenly, these scraps of paper reminded me of a shantytown. Just as a shantytown is too cramped to accommodate a person, these papers were trying to hold too much.

When I laid Jo Youngsoo on his bedding, half of his legs stuck out of the tent. His soles were wet throughout the night.

5

I don’t know exactly how our drinking session that night affected Jo Youngsoo’s mental state. But one thing did change for sure.

“Huh?”

It was the content of the public survey.

[Republic of Korea, 91st Public Survey]

[Question: Do you believe that the Republic of Korea has perished?]

[① Yes.]

[② No.]

If my memory serves me right, the 91st public survey was undoubtedly about the separation of powers. But the survey Jo Youngsoo newly drafted and carried around had drastically different content, with the sentences themselves being remarkably short.

Has Korea perished?

“No, obviously it’s perished…”

“Why is this survey like this?”

Even the citizens who always casually took the survey glanced at it curiously. Of course, Korea has perished, how could it still be standing? Some citizens wondered if Jo Youngsoo was messing around with the survey.

But Jo Youngsoo was serious. More serious than ever.

“Please, participate in this survey! Fellow citizens! Citizens of Busan! This is the most important survey!”

“Uh…”

He wasn’t just serious. Usually, Jo Youngsoo surveyed around 1,000 to 2,000 people, carefully selecting a representative sample from various sectors. But this time was different.

“Hey kid! Over there, kid! Can you answer this question for me?”

“Me?”

Jo Youngsoo went around frantically asking everyone for their opinions. He even handed the survey to a child who had just turned five, asking, “Has Korea perished?”

“If you participate, I’ll give you 100 won!”

“Wow!”

Even children who had never experienced the Republic of Korea participated in the survey for the first time in their lives.

But that wasn’t all.

-Jo Youngsoo: I am conducting the 91st public survey! I kindly ask all SGNet members and non-members to participate!

Always anonymous, Jo Youngsoo registered on SGNet and even posted a survey request. His nickname was Jo Youngsoo. People were surprised by his boldness in using his real name as his username.

-Anonymous: ?? Why did this guy sign up?

-LiteratureGirl: Didn’t you say last time that SGNet was a biased community only accessed by the awakened, and that you’d always stay anonymous?

└Jo Youngsoo: I’m sorry! I was wrong! So please, just this once, participate in the survey!

-KoreanVillage: Ah… Have you finally decided to become a ‘named’ person? Welcome, Jo Youngsoo, to SGNet’s ‘first division.’

└Jo Youngsoo: Thank you! I ask that you please participate in the survey!

Jo Youngsoo went around like a madman, increasing the number of respondents. He didn’t lead the survey alone. He handed out survey forms to everyone—people on the street, highway patrol officers he often bumped into, and shop owners along the way.

“Please ask your customers to participate in the survey before they leave!”

“How can I bother my customers with such a request?”

“Please!”

About 15 months later, Jo Youngsoo collected ‘responses’ from about 120,000 residents in Busan alone. Considering that the population of Busan was around 200,000 to 300,000 at that time, it was an astonishing sample size.

――Even more astonishing, Jo Youngsoo’s frantic actions didn’t stop there.

[Doctor Jang.]

“Yes. What is it?”

[Jo Youngsoo has moved to Changwon.]

“What?”

Jo Youngsoo, who had lived and died in Busan in every other cycle, moved to another city.

“A mere awakened person who can only light a Zippo lighter with his fingers crossed the void?”

[He hitched a ride with the highway patrol caravan.]

“Ah, in that case. But why did he suddenly go to Changwon?”

[It seems he’s planning to conduct surveys in other cities as well.]

“…Seriously?”

[Yes.]

I was shocked.

Moreover, Changwon wasn’t even Jo Youngsoo’s final destination. It was just a stopover.

Jinju, Yeosu, Suncheon, Boseong, Haenam, Mokpo, Muan, Yeonggwang, Gwangju, Jeongeup, Jeonju, Gunsan, Iksan, Daejeon, Gimcheon, Gumi, Pohang…

Jo Youngsoo was literally mopping up the Korean Peninsula from the south, moving left and right as he headed north.

“Is this man seriously planning to survey the entire Korean Peninsula? To get answers even from those who didn’t participate through SGNet?”

[Probably.]

This man is completely insane.

[Translator – Jjescus]

[Proofreader – Gun]