Chapter 136: A Day in Isabella's Life

TL: Skye

Isabella, Chief of Staff of San Marcos and effectively its prime minister, began her day earlier than anyone else.

5:00 a.m.

Even though her alarm had yet to go off, Isabella's eyes snapped open.

She got out of bed, went straight to the shower, then neatly tied back her hair.

She too exactly three minutes to check her appearance in the mirror. There was no wasting time on anything unnecessary.

After all, Isabella's morning routine was to organize the day's schedule, review the reports, and set a cup of coffee on Yu-jin's desk before he entered the Presidential Office at seven.

For the coffee, she personally ground the Blue Mountain beans Yu-jin liked and brewed them by hand using a pour-over.

With Yu-jin away, Isabella poured the coffee into her own cup instead of his unused mug and took a sip.

Slurp-

The taste was perfect. As always.

It was just a little disappointing that there was no one here to drink it and marvel at how good it was.

Seated in the Presidential Office, Isabella began going through the stack of reports submitted the previous day.

With Yu-jin away, overseeing the affairs of state fell to Isabella, the Chief of Staff.

She went through the reports quickly.

Thirty seconds to read a page. One minute to grasp the key points and pinpoint the problems. It was a speed honed by six years spent at Yu-jin's side watching over the affairs of state.

Even though it was not yet seven, Isabella had no hesitation about making calls and issuing instructions.

“Senior Secretary Aman, I read the industrial complex expansion report you submitted last night. There was an error in the budget execution plan at the bottom of page three. The second-quarter expenditure is listed as exactly the same as the first quarter. Did you just slap the budget plan together because doing it properly was too much trouble?”

“Th-that was...”

“And the job-creation estimate on page five differs from the previous report by fifteen percent. I need an explanation as to whether the underlying data changed or whether you recalculated it.”

“Ah... about that...”

“Senior Secretary Aman.”

“...Yes.”

“I'd like to have you around for a long time... but if you keep this up, I may not be seeing much more of you.”

She could hear him swallow over the phone.

“I-I'll correct it!”

“Submit the revised version by three this afternoon.”

“Yes, I'll keep that in mind!”

Her second call was to Senior Secretary Resa of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

“Senior Secretary Resa, there's an error in the tourism revenue report.”

“Ah, that was the staff member in charge...”

“The staff member's mistake is your mistake. Correct it and resubmit the report.”

“Yes...”

When Isabella made her third call, the Senior Secretary for Administration spoke before she could even say anything.

“I'll correct it.”

“...I haven't said anything yet.”

“When you call at this hour, Director, doesn't that mean something needs fixing?”

“...Please review the budget estimate on page twelve.”

“Understood.”

And so the phone calls continued throughout the morning.

During every call, she calmly and precisely pointed out the problems and gave a clear deadline for correcting them.

Then, at ten in the morning.

Isabella summoned Antonio, the inaugural mayor of Choi City.

“I've been hearing good things lately.”

“Yes. Tourists are arriving much faster than expected.”

“Specific numbers?”

“As of last week, daily visitors exceeded three thousand. We haven't even officially opened yet, and that's purely from social media and word of mouth.”

Isabella's eyes narrowed slightly.

“And the Drump Casino opened ahead of schedule.”

“Ahead of schedule?”

“Yes. Tourist demand rose faster than expected, so the Drump Group moved the schedule forward by a month. They officially began operations yesterday, and...”

Antonio paused for a moment.

“Business is booming. Massively.”

“Do we have specific figures?”

“I've heard first-day revenue exceeded three million dollars.”

A trace of surprise appeared on Isabella's face.

“Three million dollars on the first day... That's Las Vegas territory.”

“It is. At this rate, a hundred million dollars a month is possible. And revenue will rise even further once the city officially opens.”

A satisfied look appeared on Isabella's face. She could practically hear the tax revenue rolling in already.

“Everything His Excellency touches turns to gold... As expected of His Excellency.”

“Haha, isn't that only possible because he has your support, Director?”

“What have I done? I've merely followed His Excellency's wishes.”

Choi City. When Yu-jin first proposed the idea of a tourism city, half the Senior Secretaries had been skeptical.

Building a tourism city in the middle of a global recession? How unrealistic could he get?

But Yu-jin pushed ahead, and already the scent of success was thick in the air.

Then again, it had always been that way.

Once Yu-jin made a decision, it invariably became reality.

'That's why I trust him.'

Isabella looked toward Venezuela.

*

The afternoon was just as busy as the morning.

The Senior Secretaries gathered in the Grand Conference Room for the Cabinet Meeting, held every other day.

Isabella sat at the head of the table with the ceremonial sword at her hip.

It was hardly an unfamiliar sight. Whenever Yu-jin went on a business trip, Isabella presided over the Cabinet Meeting.

But the atmosphere was noticeably different from when Yu-jin was there.

How to put it?

Perhaps a little sharper?

“How is the New Town completion schedule looking?”

“Construction is currently ninety percent complete. The remaining work consists mainly of landscaping and final roadwork, and we expect completion within two weeks.”

“And the move-in schedule?”

“After completion, there will be one week of final inspections before the first residents begin moving in.”

“So the first residents can move in three weeks from now.”

“Correct.”

“His Excellency will be pleased when he returns. Good work.”

“Thank you.”

“How is construction on the Tortilla Farms progressing?”

“Fourth Tortilla Farm and Fifth Tortilla Farm are currently under construction. Both are scheduled for completion within the next month.”

“Time is critical in this matter. Make sure the construction deadlines are not missed.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“How are preparations for receiving the refugees?”

“Preparations are complete for the refugees arriving next month. Second Tortilla Farm and Third Tortilla Farm are operating normally, and construction on Fourth and Fifth Tortilla Farms is progressing smoothly, so starting with the third group, we'll be able to distribute them among the different facilities.”

“How is the first group's adjustment going?”

“They're settling in without any major issues. Not a single person has left.”

“Director Lucio.”

Isabella looked at Lucio.

“How do you intend to conduct the background checks on the second group of refugees?”

Lucio answered calmly.

“The first group had a statistically high proportion of people with criminal records, so we intend to conduct additional analysis.”

“Please report the details to His Excellency when he returns.”

“Understood.”

Isabella shifted the mood.

“How is the Hormuz deployment going?”

Pedro reported.

“All units are operating normally. There have been no notable incidents so far, and joint operations with the U.S. Navy are proceeding smoothly.”

“And the condition of our troops?”

“Morale is extremely high. The U.S. Navy has also spoken highly of our troops' mental fortitude. That said, accumulated fatigue from the prolonged deployment is a concern.”

“How is training for the replacement personnel progressing?”

“Selection of the second group of trainees is complete, and they're currently undergoing training. We expect them to be ready for rotation in six months.”

“Make sure the rotation isn't delayed. The health of our service members comes first.”

“Understood.”

Isabella turned to the final document.

“His Excellency will personally preside over Choi City's opening ceremony, so we'll set the date after he returns. However, preparations should begin in advance. Make it an event on an international scale. Compile invitation lists for foreign media outlets and VIPs and submit them by the end of this week.”

“Understood.”

Isabella closed the documents.

“That concludes today's agenda. Good work, everyone.”

After the Cabinet Meeting, Isabella went to the dining room and ate the dinner Chef Paulo had prepared.

Salad and freshly baked bread. Steam curled up from the soup.

Paulo's cooking was excellent, as always.

But after always eating with Yu-jin, having dinner alone just wasn't the same.

Isabella lifted her fork, paused for a moment, then took her phone out of her pocket and brought up a photo of Yu-jin.

She propped the phone up on one side of the table. Yu-jin was smiling at her from the screen.

Only then did she pick up her fork and put some salad into her mouth.

It was good. Definitely better than before.

'...I really shouldn't be doing this.'

She knew how ridiculous she was being, but she couldn't bring herself to put the phone away. With Yu-jin's smiling face there on the table while she ate alone, she didn't feel lonely.

She tore off a piece of bread and ate it while looking at Yu-jin on the screen.

“...Are you doing well, Your Excellency?”

Naturally, there was no answer.

After finishing her meal, Isabella cleared away the dishes, walked down the corridor of the Presidential Residence, and entered her room.

She showered, then, as always, opened the drawer beside her bed and took out a photo album.

It was Isabella's secret Yu-jin collection.

[Yu-jin declaring martial law]

[Yu-jin attending the highway groundbreaking ceremony]

[Yu-jin hosting an outing at Tortilla Farm]

[Yu-jin taking the presidential oath with a still-awkward expression]

[Yu-jin smiling brightly while cutting the ribbon at the highway opening ceremony]

[Yu-jin smiling sheepishly while holding up the cover of Time magazine]

And then, the final page.

[Yu-jin grinning broadly while holding an octopus]

Isabella gently ran a finger over the photograph.

'I hope he comes back soon.'

Isabella knew what this feeling was.

At this point, it would have been stranger if she didn't.

How could she not know when her heart started pounding every time she so much as saw Yu-jin's face?

But she could never dare confess her feelings.

She couldn't keep the sun of San Marcos all to herself.

“Phew.”

She let out a troubled sigh, switched off the light, and lay down.

***

Time passed quickly, and before long, the day of Yu-jin's return arrived.

Looking happier than anyone else, Isabella went to meet him at the airport.

“You've been through a lot, Your Excellency.”

“You had it harder than I did while I was gone, Director.”

Yu-jin smiled as he looked at Isabella.

“Did the trip wrap up successfully?”

“Yes, everything went smoothly. That aside, Isabella, there's a friend I'd like you to meet.”

“A friend?”

Yu-jin slipped a hand inside his suit jacket.

Then he pulled something out.

A black lump.

“Mraow!”

Black fur and golden eyes. A stubby little body with an oversized head. It cried while waving its front paws from atop Yu-jin's hand.

“I picked this little guy up in Venezuela. Cute, isn't he?”

Yu-jin beamed as he held the black bundle out toward Isabella.

It was gaunt, but Isabella recognized what it was at a glance.

'A jaguar?'

One of South America's apex predators.

Once fully grown, it could reach 180 centimeters in length and weigh more than ninety kilograms. It was a ferocious beast capable of crushing even a crocodile's skull in a single bite, the king of the Amazon.

'To think he even tamed a beast like this. As expected of His Excellency...!'

Even if it was still a cub, it belonged to a species of big cat with few rivals besides tigers and lions.

Seeing Yu-jin tame such a creature as though it were nothing more than a kitten made him seem all the more remarkable.

“...It truly is a pet befitting Your Excellency. It has an imposing presence.”

“Right? Apparently, the species is considered sacred in Venezuela.”

“Certainly... I understand that's true in some regions.”

With the expression of a little boy who had just been given a puppy, Yu-jin asked,

“I need to give him a name, but I'm not sure what to choose. Any good ideas?”

Isabella thought for a moment, then suggested a fitting name.

“...Since he's black, perhaps Panther would suit him.”

“Panther? That's cool. Then he's a black panther.”

Yu-jin lifted the jaguar cub into the air and grinned brightly.

“From now on, your name is Panther. And I'm Panther's dad.”

“Rraow!”

As if pleased with the name, the jaguar cub let out a little roar and licked Yu-jin's cheek.

Watching them, Isabella's face turned just slightly red.

*****

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