#2. Showa 18.
January 9, 2027. 10:00 AM.
Blue House underground bunker.
“Jeez, what is all this? They suddenly tell us to come out, and why the hell is the security check so severe?”
“Tell me about it. They practically stripped us naked and shook us down.”
“Did something happen?”
“I haven’t the foggiest idea either. I was practically kidnapped from my home this morning. Is it news of the Chinese bastards invading Taiwan? They say the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, not to mention the Southern Theater Command, is massing in the Taiwan Strait, don’t they?”
“Could it be? It’s been so little time since the Russian bastards caused that mess, and now it’s the Chinese bastards….”
“Our country’s location is just—! This isn’t some neighborhood punching bag. How can we live anywhere so wretched?”
“It’s strange anyway. The President isn’t someone who does things like this….”
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”
The two men, who had been shaken down since morning without knowing what was going on, entered the bunker conference room, and the expressions of the other committee members who had evidently undergone similar treatment were far from pleased.
But the two simultaneously looked at each other and tilted their heads.
It was not strange for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be there, as he was originally an attendee of the National Security Council, but surprisingly, the Chiefs of Staff of the three armed services were already seated as well.
Moreover, the Minister of Science and ICT and a middle-aged man they were seeing for the first time had unexpectedly taken seats, so they sensed something was off.
Moments later, the door swung open and the President and the Director of the National Intelligence Service entered together.
“Ah, everyone please be seated.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“I imagine your weekend morning has been rather hectic. Your moods are probably not too pleasant after such stringent security checks, I suppose.”
“Ah, not at all, Mr. President.”
“Is that so? Your expressions don’t look very pleased, do they? In any case, I ask for your understanding. I convened the NSC (National Security Council) so urgently that this was unavoidable. The Director of the National Intelligence Service will explain the details. Director, if you would.”
“Yes, Mr. President. First, before I begin, I must once again urge caution. The moment any of you mentions even a single word of what is discussed here today to anyone, you will be immediately quarantined. No one is exempt.”
“This is my wish as well. I ask the same.”
“…”
“…”
The room froze over.
Not leaking the contents of a National Security Council meeting was a given, but to go so far as this…
“Three days ago from now, at 11 PM on January 6, an accident occurred at the Heavy Ion Accelerator Research Institute under the Institute for Basic Science. The accident was a sudden….”
NIS Director Lee Jeong-cheol began his explanation, showing footage taken by people at the scene on their smartphones and CCTV footage.
And as the explanation continued, the committee members’ expressions hardened.
Something utterly unbelievable had occurred.
“The moment four researchers were sucked in, fortunately, the institute director responded swiftly. He immediately sealed the scene and implemented quarantine measures for the personnel present. At the same time, it was reported to us through the Minister of Science and ICT.”
“What on earth is that? And where did the researchers go? What is their status—are they alive or dead?”
“First, the researchers are safe. For now, that is.”
“For now?”
“Because we were able to reach them on their smartphones.”
“Then does that mean they’ve been rescued?”
“No. They can never return.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Isn't it?”
“…”
Not only the Minister of Foreign Affairs who had asked, but the other committee members as well murmured in bewilderment.
They could contact them by smartphone, yet they were told they could never come back.
Just what kind of sense did that make?
“I know you are curious, but please wait a moment. Someone else will explain. He is the foremost authority on astrophysics in our country, Professor Jang Pil-sang. Professor, if you would.”
“An astrophysicist?”
Then the mysterious middle-aged man sitting beside the Minister of Science and ICT opened his mouth.
“I am Jang Pil-sang. This does not seem like the situation for introductions, so I will get straight to the point. The disappeared researchers have gone to another world.”
“What?”
“Another world? What do you mean, another world?”
“Yes, another world.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Gone to another world?
At Professor Jang Pil-sang's words, which were so detached from reality, the committee members could only gape.
Had someone said this in another place, they would have cursed him as a madman, but this was the National Security Council chaired by the President.
They thought it was something that absolutely could not happen, yet this was also not a place to recklessly object.
“It must be a great shock, but it is the truth. The accident that occurred at the Heavy Ion Accelerator Research Institute, which the NIS Director explained earlier, is presumed to have created a kind of wormhole. A wormhole leading to another spacetime, that is.”
“A… a wormhole?”
“Yes, a wormhole (Wormhole). Simply put, it is the concept of a hypothetical passage connecting two spaces with different spacetimes. You have probably heard of it at least once in a science fiction movie or something similar.”
“How does that make any sense? No, how can you be so certain that thing is a wormhole?”
“Because it has been empirically proven.”
“Huh?”
“Director, if you please.”
When the NIS Director heard Professor Jang Pil-sang's words, he gestured with his eyes to a middle-aged man beside him, and a different video began playing on the screen again.
“This footage was filmed at 9 AM on January 7, eight hours after the accident occurred. Immediately after the accident, with the Ministry of National Defense’s cooperation, we deployed the HR-Sherpa 2 unmanned vehicle operated by our military. Please watch.”
“…”
The unmanned vehicle, equipped with six wheels, carried a load of something in its cargo bed and entered the wormhole in question.
Swish!
In less than a second, the front camera of the unmanned vehicle showed the faces of the four researchers greeting it joyfully.
— Whoa! We’re alive! Changsu, unpack the gear first. I’m dying of thirst.
— Understood!
— Crisis Response HQ! Can you see us?
— Yes, we see you clearly. Is everyone alright?
— As we told you over the phone, we’re fine for now. But this…
Team Leader Kim trailed off.
He seemed to intuit that returning would be difficult.
— Team Leader, we are also devising a return strategy on this side, so please rest for now. Once you unload the cargo, the Sherpa must perform another mission.
— Understood. I’ll follow the Sherpa, too.
— If you’re going to do that, you might as well ride on the back of the Sherpa. The inside looks quite spacious.
— Ah, that would work.
Shortly after, Sherpa 2 additionally passed through the wormhole, carrying measurement equipment and a rather large quadcopter drone in the back.
Before long, Team Leader Kim Jeong-hun and team member Lee Chang-su boarded Sherpa 1 and began exploring the cave, the vastness of which was difficult to gauge.
— Judging by its appearance, it seems to be a type of lava cave, but it’s incredibly vast.
— Is that so?
— Yes, a lava cave this vast has never been discovered on Earth.
“…”
These words could also be interpreted to mean this might not be Earth, so the two men’s faces darkened.
— Um, please don’t worry too much. Air analysis shows it is definitely the same as our Earth’s.
— That’s a relief.
As they advanced for about twenty minutes like that, they saw light in the distance.
— Ah! Light!
— We’ve confirmed it as well. We’ll head that way, so be careful. There is a K2C1 rifle in Sherpa 2’s cargo bed. Do either of you know how to shoot?
— I’m a special case, so I don’t know, but Changsu served on active duty.
— Then Mr. Changsu, please take the gun. Be careful not to discharge it accidentally.
— Yes, understood.
As they carefully made their way toward the light, they saw a hole that was slightly sloped but large enough for about two or three people to pass through.
— It’s the entrance! It’s extremely cold, but fresh air is flowing in!
— Be careful, Team Leader. If you could clear away some of the rock pile at the entrance, the Sherpa looks like it can pass through. Please do so.
— Understood.
The two men worked together to clear the rocks for about ten minutes, creating enough space for the Sherpa to pass, and the Sherpa crossed through the entrance as if it had been waiting.
And as the quadcopter took flight, the footage switched to the video transmitted by the quadcopter, showing an endlessly stretching snow-covered forest.
“That is all for now.”
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence hung in the air before the Minister of the Interior and Safety spoke.
“Where on earth is that place?”
“It is our country.”
“Huh? We have a place like that in our country? The forest looked incredibly dense.”
“I must correct myself. It is our country, but constitutionally speaking, it is our country. To be precise, it is about 30 km southeast of the present-day border of Kanggye City in the North Korean region. It is where the Kaema Plateau begins.”
“Th-then isn’t this a huge problem? What if the North Korean bastards discover them? We must hurry and bring the researchers back….”
“Didn’t Professor Jang Pil-sang say so earlier? That it is another spacetime?”
“Huh?”
“There is no North Korea there. Not yet.”
“What do you mean, not yet?”
“Because the world on the other side of the wormhole is 1943—that is to say, Showa 18.”
“I-it’s absurd….”
“Showa? You mean the Japanese colonial period?”
“…”
While the committee members were unable to gather their wits for quite some time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke again.
“Are you certain? The Japanese colonial period, of all things?”
“We are certain. We have confirmed it using every means available. We have analyzed all radio waves and received radio broadcasts. Furthermore, we observed the stars at night. And with the researchers’ help, we also launched high-performance UAVs to conduct reconnaissance of the surroundings. It is 1943.”
“Hah! What on earth is this… In any case, shouldn’t we get our researchers out quickly?”
“As the NIS Director said initially, that is impossible.”
Professor Jang Pil-sang stated it was impossible.
“No, why?”
“Because that wormhole is one-way.”
“Huh? One-way?”
“Yes, that is correct. One can only go that way; returning is impossible. In conclusion, they must live there.”
“Uh, uhm….”
“It is regrettable, but there is no way.”
“Th-then why are radio waves bidirectional?”
“That is unknown. The phenomenon of the wormhole itself is not yet something humanity can comprehend. In any case, no matter what method is used, matter cannot pass from that side to this side.”
“Then you mean they must live there for the rest of their lives? In 1943, of all times?”
“Yes, that is so.”
“Goodness! What are we supposed to do about that?”
Modern people would have to literally live in the Japanese colonial era.
No internet, no smartphones.
Above all, it was a time when the Pacific War was reaching its zenith.
What kind of horrific events they would face was anyone’s guess.
“Now do you all understand what is going on?”
The President, who had been listening in silence all this time, broke the silence.
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“Then let us begin the meeting in earnest now.”
“Sir?”
“We will discuss the fate of the researchers later. What do all of you think when you look at that wormhole?”
“…”
“A passage has opened from 2027 to 1943. I feel that this may prove to be an enormous opportunity for the Republic of Korea—no, for our Korean people. Do you not think so?”
A strange heat flickered in the President’s eyes.