Chapter 94: That Time I Reorganized the Bureaucracy in South America (4)

TL: Skye

The first day the 1,500 newly minted officers who had completed the Police Academy were deployed onto the streets of Libertad.

Dressed in crisp sky-blue shirts and navy trousers instead of military fatigues, with baseball-cap-style police caps on their heads, they looked distinctly softer than before.

The biggest difference was the absence of assault rifles slung over their shoulders.

True, there were holsters at their waists, but before anyone noticed those, their eyes went to the small badge pinned to each chest.

[SERVIR Y PROTEGER (Serve and Protect)]

And officers wearing that badge began to patrol every corner of Libertad.

"I'm shaking like crazy. I'm not sure this is right."

Marcelo, the valedictorian of the 1st cohort, whispered to his classmate Jose.

"Me too. Never got the jitters when I patrolled with a rifle, but somehow this makes me nervous."

"Is it because we don't have the guns?"

"...More like it's because if a complaint gets filed against us, it's back to re-training. That's the nerve-wracking part."

"Ah... you're right."

The two of them had become completely different people from who they'd been twelve weeks ago.

Ten-year veterans of the force.

Long on tenure, but the only thing they'd ever really done was loiter around.

With their intimidating faces and rifles slung over their shoulders, no tourist ever dared speak to them, and about the only small pleasure they had was holding down a patch of street and cadging free tacos off the vendors.

'Now that I think about it, I was a completely useless human being.'

As Marcelo sighed, dwelling on that hazy past, Jose asked him a question.

"You ever take a bribe?"

"...Nope."

"Liar."

"I'm telling you, never. I wanted to, but nobody ever offered. Something's got to actually happen before you can take one."

"You're saying you didn't take any even before His Excellency?"

"Back then... yeah, I did."

"I took some too. Honestly, back then, you got frozen out if you didn't, remember?"

"True. I only took mine because the seniors kept riding me, going off like, 'Oh, so you're the only clean one, huh?'"

It was right as Marcelo gave a bitter smile.

Over by the market entrance, he spotted an East Asian couple with a map spread open, looking around in confusion.

"Jose, check it out over there."

"Oh, looks like they're lost?"

"...Should we go over?"

"Course we should. This is literally what we get paid for."

Marcelo snorted a laugh.

Ever since His Excellency took office, their once-meager salaries had gone up by half again.

On top of that, thanks to His Excellency releasing food at half price and educating the children for free, life had become considerably more comfortable.

Comfortable enough to get by just fine without taking bribes.

Marcelo took a deep breath.

The civilian-interaction training he'd repeated two hours every night at the Police Academy played back automatically.

Step 1: Deep breath.

Step 2: Confirm the smile.

Step 3: Approach and greet.

Hold on.

To check whether he was actually smiling, he discreetly slipped the little mirror out of his pocket and took a peek.

It was a habit he'd picked up at the Police Academy.

At first the instructors had smacked him around to force the smile out of him, but after twelve weeks of repetition, it had somehow become second nature.

'Even I have to admit, I'm good-looking.'

He approached with a bright smile.

"Hola! Can I help you?"

At that, the East Asian couple whipped around, startled.

"Ah, policía?"

"Yes! I am police!"

He mobilized every English sentence the Police Academy had taught him.

In truth, the English he could speak amounted to only a handful of sentences.

But that was fine.

The instructor had said so.

If words don't work, make up for it with your body.

The Korean couple pointed at the map and asked.

"Uh... where is this? Central Market?"

Marcelo looked at the map and broke into a beaming smile.

This was the neighborhood he'd been born and raised in.

He could find it with his eyes closed.

"Oh! This way! I go with you!"

He went beyond mere directions and personally escorted them all the way to the market entrance.

As they walked, the Korean man pulled out his smartphone and asked if he could take a photo, and Marcelo obliged, even striking a pose for him.

Watching the scene from behind, Jose muttered to himself.

"He never would've done that before."

When they reached the market entrance, the Korean couple bowed their heads over and over in thanks.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Marcelo produced the one Korean phrase he'd studied hardest at the Police Academy.

"You're most welcome, sir!" [TL: Marcelo says it in Korean, with slightly off, overly formal phrasing.]

The couple's eyes went wide.

"Huh? Korean...?!"

The pronunciation was clumsy, but it was Korean he'd mastered over twelve weeks of disciplinary drills, a hundred squat-jumps at a time.

Because there had been an order that, since it was the language of His Excellency's homeland, they absolutely had to memorize it.

Of course, the officers took the reason behind that order to be a gesture of reverence for His Excellency's great motherland, but the truth was that Yu-jin had simply remarked, offhandedly, that with so many Korean tourists around, wouldn't a greeting in Korean feel more welcoming.

Anyway.

The Korean woman suddenly rummaged through her bag and pulled something out.

A Choco Pie she'd brought from Korea.

"Oh... thank you!"

Marcelo took the Choco Pie and grinned wide.

It was the first Korean snack he'd ever tasted in his life, but what was sweeter was the feeling in his heart.

'Delicious.'

More than any bribe.

***

Once the streets filled with friendly officers in sky-blue shirts instead of soldier-like police toting assault rifles, the atmosphere in Libertad transformed completely.

Officers recommending good restaurants, taking photos for tourists, and hailing taxis for them became an everyday sight.

One officer even carried a lost foreign child on his back and ran across the entire market searching for the parents, earning himself a feature as a model case on state television.

And that change was spreading fast across the ocean in Korea, too.

City Inside San Marcos Board

[Title: San Marcos board bros, a cop moved me to tears today lol lol lol lol]

Posted by: Anon (211.xxx)

So I was on a trip and got lost, and I asked a cop for directions, right?

But turns out the guy could barely speak English lol

So I'm like, ah, I'm screwed, and then this dude suddenly whips out a map and walks me there himself lol lol lol lol

Walked with me like ten whole minutes all the way to the market.

He even passed a fruit stand on the way and told the owner to let me sample some mango lol

And when we got there and I asked to take a photo together, he pulls out a mirror, fixes his hair and strikes a pose. Hilarious and touching at the same time lol lol lol lol

PS: Gave him a Choco Pie and he loved it. Everyone heading to San Marcos should pack a box of Choco Pies, seems like a must.

[Photo: A two-shot of Marcelo and the Korean couple in front of the market. Marcelo is giving a thumbs-up.]

Comments (487)

Anon (122.xxx): lol lol lol lol lol the part about him fixing his hair in a mirror is killing me

Anon (174.xxx): Had a similar experience yesterday. Asked one to hail me a cab and he called the taxi himself and explained the destination to the driver lol lol lol

Anon (226.xxx): When I came last year there were soldiers with guns walking around and it was kinda scary, but coming this time the whole vibe is different. Uniforms are pretty too.

Anon (57.xxx): The sky-blue uniforms are such a mood. Did they match it to the color of the Caribbean or something.

Anon (228.xxx): Anyway apparently President Choi Yu-jin made all of this lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

Anon (213.xxx): For real? Is there anything that guy can't do?

Anon (121.xxx): K-pop, K-drama, K-president lol lol lol what's next?

Anon (87.xxx): K-politics.

Anon (201.xxx): lol lol lol lol lol lol is that even a good thing.

Anon (93.xxx): Jokes aside, I'm genuinely jealous. Our cops should try being like that

Anon (145.xxx): They treat tourists so well. Give directions, take photos, even recommend good restaurants. Are they cops or tour guides lol

Anon (87.xxx): Third time visiting San Marcos and the country's changed every single time I come. This nation's growth speed is insane, for real

Anon (154.xxx): Board bros, here's a tip. If you tell a cop you're from Korea they'll say "annyeonghaseyo" in Korean lol lol lol lol

Anon (34.xxx): ^ Experienced that too lol lol lol The pronunciation is hilarious but you can feel they mean it, so it's touching.

Anon (193.xxx): So this is why Yu-jin Choi's approval rating is over 99%. Gotta give credit where it's due.

Anon (87.xxx): It's not 99%, it's 100%. The 0.02% were people who couldn't find the polling station lol

Anon (216.xxx): lol lol lol lol lol lol

*

"The response is... better than I expected?"

Reading it over the monitor, Yu-jin scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Yes, it's quite encouraging."

She spoke evenly, but the corners of her mouth had ticked up slightly.

"It's all thanks to you, Your Excellency."

"Oh, come on, what did I even do."

Yu-jin stretched and let out a sigh of relief.

"What matters from here is keeping this atmosphere going well."

"Once the bottom-10% re-training system is fully in place, I think it'll run on its own."

"Well, that'd be a relief."

As Yu-jin nodded, Isabella held out a single document.

"There's a report from Director Bruno."

"From the Security Agency?"

"...You'd probably be better off reading it yourself."

Yu-jin took the document and read.

[Homeland Security Agency Report No. 1]

[Subject: Report on Completion of Personnel Selection and Training]

[130 experienced personnel drawn from Tortilla Farm were selected and all completed the 10-week special-forces contracted training course. No dropouts. Currently in a state of full readiness for field deployment.]

"Oh, they've already finished the training, apparently."

Yu-jin's eyes went wide.

It had only been three months since the Security Agency was established, and they'd already gone from personnel selection all the way through special-forces contracted training.

"No dropouts, that's impressive. The training couldn't have been easy."

"They say the stamina and mental fortitude forged at Tortilla Farm played a major role."

Isabella answered evenly.

Yu-jin nodded, pleased.

"Farm alumni really are a different breed when it comes to grit. Tell Director Bruno he's doing a great job."

"Yes, understood."

Yu-jin leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile.

'Setting up Tortilla Farm was a good call.'

***

At that same moment.

On the outskirts, a forty-minute drive from Libertad.

Halfway up a nameless mountain where no human foot ever trod, hidden from view, stood a single small building.

From the outside it looked like an abandoned warehouse.

But inside, an entirely different scene was unfolding.

A narrow, long hall.

In that place, where only a few fluorescent lights on the ceiling cast down a bluish glow, thirty men stood lined up in flawless formation.

Even in the dark hall, their gleaming eyes were full of killing intent.

If an ordinary person set foot in there, that bloodlust alone would have buckled their knees.

These men were none other than agents of the Homeland Security Agency.

Before them stood Bruno Alves.

"You've all done well."

At Bruno's first words, every gaze locked onto him at once.

"Before we begin our missions in earnest, I want to make one thing crystal clear."

He moved slowly, passing between the ranks of his men.

Click. Click.

"We are not the SIA."

Bruno came to a stop.

"The SIA is the state's intelligence agency. It moves for the national interest, and it carries out operations."

He turned his head and looked over the agents.

"Nor are we soldiers. The military defends the nation. When an external enemy invades, they take up rifles and hold the border, but we do not."

He stepped one pace forward.

"We are not police either. The police uphold the law. They patrol the streets for the safety of the citizens and catch criminals. That, too, is necessary work, but it is not ours to do."

Bruno halted in the center of the hall.

"So then, who are we?"

Silence.

"When the world called us garbage, His Excellency gave us a second chance. He extended a hand to men who had hit rock bottom, so they could rise again."

Bruno's fist trembled.

"How are we to repay that grace?"

The agents' jaws clenched tight.

"Every single man here was saved by His Excellency's hand. There is only one person who pulled us out as we rotted away on the Farm."

Bruno struck his chest with his right hand.

"Therefore our reason for existing is clear."

Thud.

"We are for His Excellency."

Thud.

"By His Excellency."

Thud.

"His Excellency's organization."

The wavering vanished from every man's eyes.

Bruno took one more step forward and raised his voice.

"If the SIA moves for the state, we move for His Excellency. If the military guards the border, we guard His Excellency. If the police protect the safety of the citizens, we protect the safety of His Excellency."

He looked at each agent, one by one.

"From here on, our lives will be lived in darkness."

"......"

"We will never be praised under the light."

"......"

"Our names will never be known."

"......"

"But."

The corners of Bruno's mouth rose.

"If it means His Excellency can sleep soundly. If it means His Excellency can lead this nation in safety. Is that not enough?"

Silence hung in the air.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

And then.

"It is enough!"

The voices erupted in unison, and the walls shook.

"Good."

Bruno nodded and pressed his right fist to his chest.

"I believe in every one of you."

The agents, meeting Bruno's gaze, simultaneously raised their right fists to their chests and shouted.

"For His Excellency!"

Yu-jin knew absolutely nothing about any of it.

*****

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