Chapter 1124: Welcome to Alaska (10)

“...How many people?”

Caught off guard, Korean slipped out before I realized it.

I quickly switched back to English.

“How many did you say?”

“Six hundred.”

“...”

“We actually had to cap the number and cut off registrations.”

The Anchorage city official, a man in glasses, gave us an awkward smile.

“Just like you suggested, we recruited volunteers online.”

“Right.”

It was something we'd already discussed while planning the livestream.

"Hyung."

"Yeah, Biju?"

"The more I think about it, the more I feel like Souffles from outside Alaska are going to come too."

"I think so too."

So we'd decided to recruit a limited number of volunteers online.

The official continued.

“The volunteer registration filled up in three minutes. There were roughly twelve thousand people waiting in the queue. After that, the traffic became so overwhelming we couldn't even keep track anymore.”

"Twelve thousand?"

We all blinked and stared at the conference room ceiling.

We were in a meeting room at Anchorage City Hall.

After deciding to help with the earthquake recovery effort, we'd come to discuss the logistics with city officials.

Ri Hyuk raised a question.

“Will it really be okay if all six hundred arrive at once? Things like food and accommodations?”

“Absolutely. We can comfortably handle that number. Honestly, this earthquake wasn't severe enough to disrupt Anchorage's food supply.”

He then explained what kinds of work we'd be doing.

“At the moment, most of the property damage consists of partially collapsed brick walls, power outages, damaged store displays, and destroyed merchandise. Some infrastructure, including the power plant, also sustained minor damage.”

The official looked around the room.

“Professional crews will handle the specialized work. You and the volunteers will mainly assist with organizing supplies, serving free meals, environmental cleanup, and home repairs.”

“Understood.”

“My only concern is that even more of your fans may show up than we're expecting...”

He was worried that too many people would come simply because they wanted to see us.

We shook our heads.

“I don't think that's very likely.”

“Really?”

“Our fans are very disciplined about things like this.”

Since we'd started out in America as a relatively niche act, our fans were especially sensitive about anything that could reflect poorly on us.

If we did even one thing that might invite criticism, the media would tear us apart.

After we explained how thoughtful our fans usually were, the official nodded in understanding.

Then he stood up and offered his hand.

“Thank you so much for making such a difficult decision during a challenging time. On behalf of the City of Anchorage, I sincerely thank you.”

“We all have to help each other.”

We smiled as we shook hands.

“One more thing. About how long do you expect the recovery to take?”

“With the additional volunteers, it should be significantly shorter than we originally estimated. Probably about seven to ten days.”

“A week...”

“Of course, we understand you'll have to leave before then.”

“A week...”

“?”

We smiled.

“We'll try to finish before that.”

“Hahaha! I'd certainly like to see that.”

We exchanged our farewells.

Just as we were about to leave, something occurred to me.

“Oh, right. We happen to know another outside expert. Would it be alright if we invited him?”

“Of course.”

The moment they mentioned home repairs, one particular person had come to mind.

If you served in the military, there was one person every soldier inevitably got to know.

The administrative supply sergeant.

They were always strangely young for their age, yet somehow gave off the aura of an old grandfather.

Their defining talents included finding soldiers who were trying to slack off...

...and immediately assigning them work.

But they also shared another remarkable characteristic.

"Sergeant?"

"Hm?"

"How did you even make that?"

"With nails and wood."

They could build the most unbelievable things with their hands.

And during this trip to Alaska, I'd found someone who reminded me of them.

“I came as soon as I heard the news. Hahaha.”

Former soldier.

Veteran of deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Survival expert.

Alex Corbin stroked his thick beard as he laughed.

He was the expert I'd invited.

“I really thought you'd be a huge help, Alex. Thanks so much for coming.”

While building NewBlack Town, I'd been genuinely impressed by what people like him were capable of.

Maybe it was all those years of wilderness survival.

Whatever it was, they were incredibly handy.

After greeting Nick and Andrea, who had come with him, Alex smiled warmly.

“No, I'm the grateful one. We were taking it easy anyway. Tourist season's over, and all that's left is getting ready for winter.”

Of course, they weren't here entirely for free.

There were benefits for them too.

Meeting our fans.

Boosting their reputation as well-known local figures doing business in Alaska.

It was a win-win for everyone.

Nick asked,

“So it's only NewBlack volunteering? I thought Moonlight was participating too.”

“Oh. They already left.”

They'd flown back to the mainland the morning before the earthquake.

Fortunately, Americans didn't really have the mindset of, NewBlack is volunteering, so why isn't Moonlight?

It probably wouldn't become an issue.

Not that I needed to worry about something like that.

“Shall we?”

Together with the survival guides, we headed to the airport arrivals hall.

The cameras began rolling.

The guides wore solemn expressions.

Meanwhile, we stood with our arms folded, waiting for our fans.

Soon the arrival doors began opening one after another.

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

Groups of bundled-up Souffles, their cheeks puffed from the cold beneath thick winter jackets, walked inside.

Under normal circumstances, they'd have been jumping up and down shouting, "It's NewBlack!" and "It's Souffle!" while everyone squealed in excitement.

But considering the situation, everyone simply exchanged quiet greetings.

Gulp.

The only thing the Souffles did was repeatedly swallow nervously while staring at us.

As more and more people arrived, they gradually crouched down on the floor.

“What a sight...”

Alex Corbin muttered as he looked over the sea of people, every one of them wearing identical black NewBlack parkas.

“This reminds me of basic training.”

“Me too.”

“??”

At last, all six hundred members of the order...

No.

The volunteer corps.

Everyone had set their backpacks on the floor and was looking at us.

I stepped forward to welcome them.

“Thank you all so much for coming. Where did everyone travel from?”

“Phoenix!”

“Los Angeles!”

“New Orleans!”

“New York!”

Answers came from every direction.

After thanking everyone who had flown all the way to Alaska without hesitation, I explained the work assignments.

“First, we're going to divide everyone into groups. Please volunteer for whichever area you feel most confident in.”

Ri Hyuk stepped forward first.

“Supply organization.”

Volunteers immediately streamed toward him.

Biju raised his hand.

“I'll be handling the meal service.”

Next, Jiho raised his.

“Environmental cleanup! Looking for people who enjoy sweeping and cleaning...!”

Watching the youngest volunteer for environmental cleanup, Ri Hyuk wore an oddly worried expression.

The kid doesn't even clean his own room.

Have a little faith, Ri Hyuk.

Of course, the youngest hadn't actually wanted environmental cleanup.

"Hyungs, everyone's probably mentally and physically exhausted. What if we comforted them with music? We should use our strengths as singers."

"Jiho."

"Yes?"

"Imagine our new album completely flopped."

"...You'd all be devastated. I'd be wondering what to do..."

He really was an innocent kid.

Well...

That wasn't the important part.

"If our album flopped, would you feel better if someone danced in front of you? Imagine TeenSpirit doing cute dances."

"...Wow. I'd be so irritated."

"Exactly."

Imagine your home's electricity has just gone out.

Then someone walks around singing, "Overcook~ Overcook~"

We'd be roasted alive for trying to promote ourselves during a disaster.

So the youngest ended up with what was, relatively speaking, the easiest assignment.

Environmental cleanup.

Finally, Junghyun and I stepped forward.

“We'll be handling home repairs. This will probably be the most physically demanding job, so we'll give preference to anyone with good strength and stamina.”

Fewer volunteers gathered compared to the other groups, but there were still plenty.

Once everyone had been assigned, each team leader picked up their group flag.

“Ready?”

“Yes!”

“Let's make a difference together.”

Together with six hundred members of our order—

No.

Our volunteer corps.

We marched out proudly in our little send-off ceremony.

Things were off to an excellent sta—

“Whoa! Biju!”

“Huh?”

“Where are you going? Wrong way!”

“Oh... right.”

We hurriedly stopped Biju from leading an entire crowd off in the completely wrong direction before sending him toward the correct destination.

I quietly asked Junghyun,

“Do you think he'll be okay?”

“This reminds me of that old fairy tale.”

“Which one?”

Junghyun watched Biju cheerfully leading his followers.

“The Pied Piper.”

“Isn't that the one where he leads all the children into the water?”

“I think so.”

“...”

I was a little worried.

But...

He'd probably be fine.

Smiling again, we continued marching proudly.

Anchorage.

Earthquake Recovery Headquarters.

Mayor Margaret Muller studied the status board and quietly hummed to herself.

It isn't quite as serious as I'd expected.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake.

Compared to some of Alaska's major historical earthquakes, it wasn't particularly large.

The only reason there had been noticeable damage was because the epicenter had been close to Anchorage.

Fortunately, Anchorage—the largest city in Alaska—had a population of only around three hundred thousand.

The buildings also weren't especially tall.

That had greatly reduced the damage.

“The recovery effort is progressing smoothly.”

The operations director reported.

“At this rate, we'll probably finish three or four days ahead of schedule.”

“Because of NewBlack?”

“Yes.”

“Over six hundred additional volunteers have accelerated everything.”

Mayor Muller let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

I'm truly grateful.

NewBlack had happened to be visiting Alaska.

Without their help, things would have been far more difficult.

She'd been wondering whether there was anything the city could do in return.

Just then, her secretary approached.

“It's time for your interview.”

“Let's go.”

After answering reporters' questions about the earthquake and recovery efforts, the mayor began touring the affected areas.

At times like this, the city's highest-ranking official needed to see conditions firsthand.

“Let's inspect the supplies first.”

She wanted to confirm that the various agencies had delivered everything properly, that inventory matched the records, and that distribution was proceeding smoothly.

But as she arrived...

She blinked.

Costco...?

It felt less like a disaster site and more like a giant warehouse store.

Forklifts beeped as they moved back and forth.

Women in black parkas carried heavy boxes like an endless line of ants.

Not figuratively.

They genuinely looked like ants.

“...”

“...”

Long lines of volunteers passed boxes from person to person with astonishing speed.

Watching the perfectly organized flow, she almost felt as though she were witnessing the construction of a colossal ant colony.

And at the very center...

One bespectacled figure darted around like an impossibly busy sparrow.

One of the site supervisors approached.

“As you can see, supply organization is proceeding flawlessly.”

Masks.

Medical supplies.

Gloves.

Hand warmers.

Neatly sorted stacks of boxes filled each designated section.

Someone quietly asked the mayor,

“Would you like to say hello to Ri Hyuk?”

“No... let's leave him be.”

She had a strong feeling that interrupting him would somehow be wrong.

After receiving additional updates, the mayor headed toward one of the evacuation shelters.

Many residents whose homes had been damaged were staying there.

As soon as she stepped into the school gymnasium serving as the shelter, she sniffed the air.

What is that smell?

It was so delicious her mouth immediately began to water.

The source turned out to be—

“It's clam chowder made with mussels.”

Biju, wearing an apron, greeted her with a smile.

“We adapted a recipe we used out in the wilderness and developed it together with the chefs.”

The kindly older women beside him smiled proudly.

“I've never met such a talented young cook.”

“It tastes wonderful. You should try some too, Mayor.”

Ordinarily she would have declined.

But the aroma of the chowder was simply too tempting.

Soon she found herself holding a bowl while chatting with the evacuees.

She asked an elderly woman using a walker,

“Is everything comfortable here, ma'am?”

“The food's delicious. The bedding's nice too.”

“That's good to hear.”

“And Bee is so thoughtful. Busy as a little honeybee.”

Somehow Biju had already acquired the nickname Bee.

After finishing the meal service, he went from person to person asking how everything tasted.

The elderly woman leaned closer and whispered,

“And he's handsome.”

“...”

“I've never seen such a handsome young man in my entire life.”

Chuckling to herself, she pushed her walker toward Biju.

The mayor smiled.

“You're remarkably skilled. I never expected a singer to be so good at something like this. I almost thought you'd run a restaurant before.”

“Oh, I have.”

“??”

“It was incredibly exhausting, but now that I think about it, that's probably why I'm comfortable doing this. Otherwise, when would I ever have learned to cook soup in industrial-sized batches?”

Biju beamed brightly while proudly listing yet another bizarre item on his résumé.

The mayor answered with an awkward smile.

Every single one of them seems just a little strange.

Leaving Biju behind, she continued to the crews cleaning the streets.

Volunteers wearing reflective vests swept away the debris.

...Jiho was here, wasn't he?

She recalled NewBlack's members.

Until recently, she'd only known their names.

Mostly because her daughter liked them...

...or because recognizing famous Asian celebrities was occasionally useful when meeting Asian voters.

Now she finally knew all their faces.

Among those remarkably handsome young men...

Jiho was...

Hmm.

He reminded her somewhat of Moonlight.

The sort of person who seemed carefree.

Like someone who enjoyed life without a single worry.

Compared to the other members, this area would probably be fairly ordinary.

Or so she thought.

Then—

“...”

She slowly turned toward her secretary.

“That one is Jiho?”

“Yes.”

Jiho stood with a broom among the volunteers.

For some reason, he wore the innocent expression of a child.

Moving slowly...

Almost mechanically...

Like a robot.

He quietly swept debris into neat little piles.

The secretary covered her mouth and whispered,

“His favorite movie is WALL·E. The robot that cleans up trash.”

“...”

“Would you like to greet him?”

“No... let's keep going.”

Jiho had crouched down and was happily offering a fallen flower to one of the fans with those same innocent eyes.

The mayor quietly continued on her way.

The final stop was the most important location.

The home repair sites.

Professional electricians in hard hats handled the specialized work.

Everything else was being repaired by volunteers working together.

“Oh?”

Alex Corbin and the other survival experts were busily hammering away alongside Wooju and Junghyun.

Wearing hard hats and safety goggles, they looked surprisingly experienced.

Watching them completely absorbed in their work, the mayor found herself wondering,

Do children in Korea learn these kinds of skills growing °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° up?

Maybe, like many Americans, they'd learned carpentry, plumbing, and repairs from their fathers.

Whatever the reason...

The work was progressing remarkably smoothly.

Far beyond expectations, NewBlack and their fans were displaying impressive practical skills that continued accelerating the recovery effort.

Perhaps that was why...

The mayor soon received unbelievable news.

“Mayor.”

“Yes?”

“They're saying the recovery will probably be finished tomorrow... or the day after.”

“...What?”

She blinked.

“I thought we needed a week.”

“The site supervisors say the work efficiency is simply too high...”

“That can't possibly—”

She stopped herself.

The scenes she'd witnessed throughout the day flashed through her mind.

In the end...

She couldn't help believing it.

A smile of genuine relief spread across her face.

Then her secretary hesitated.

“However...”

“Right. I knew there'd be a 'however.' What's the problem?”

“We're consuming two to three days' worth of food every day.”

“Did more people arrive?”

“No... NewBlack's fans just eat a lot.”

“They're all having double portions.”

The mayor blinked.

Then she slowly summarized it with one raised finger.

“So... we're burning through a week's worth of food in three days...”

“But finishing a week's worth of work in three days?”

“Exactly.”

“??”

It was...

A rather questionable equation.

Mayor Margaret Muller couldn't quite decide whether that counted as good news or not.