---

Camila Lowell is a British university student. She’s studying at Cambridge, majoring in Conflict Studies.

Apparently, she grew up quite affluent, though I have no idea what her family does or why she’s been to Africa a few times.

Anyway.

Since Camila is majoring in a social science field similar to Political Science, her personality leans more towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences. In other words, she has a bit of a clueless side.

A university student from a prestigious British university.

She seems to possess some fire-manipulating abilities presumed to be elemental.

Maybe it’s because she watches a lot of movies (like Harry Potter), but she also enjoys a good adventure.

Up to this point, Camila could easily be just another cliché main character from some third-rate novel, movie, or drama.

That’s exactly who Camila was, and she indeed looked the part.

What I didn’t expect were two things. The first being that Camila is surprisingly sharp.

The other being—

“Why on Earth aren’t you sleeping at this hour?”

“What’s the big deal about staying up all night? I always worked late when I was an intern!”

“…Let’s just go inside.”

She is way chattier than I anticipated.

—

Episode 7 – Daily Life

—

Britain is an island country in Europe. Geographically, it’s located in Northwestern Europe and has been a dominant power in Europe alongside Germany and France, historically boasting a vast number of colonies, earning it the title of “the country where the sun never sets.”

The UK’s exit from the European Union, sparked by Brexit. The demilitarization of Western Europe, the repositioning of American troops in Europe, political interests between the United States and Europe, the expansion of influence from Russia and China, and so on.

There are various opinions on whether the UK should still be viewed as a member and leader of the EU, but it’s indisputable that the UK is clearly one of the major powers in Europe.

Of course, to an ordinary citizen from a non-European country like South Korea, when you mention “Britain,” thoughts may wander to football, bland food, or it being a representative country of global issues. However, it is an undeniable fact that the UK is a significant power and a wealthy country in Western Europe, as well as one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Well, I might talk impressively, but honestly, I don’t have a solid understanding of what Britain is like. I’ve never been to Western Europe and I have no interest in Europe itself.

The most I could say is that a friend who lost his shirt betting on EPL lived around there (betting on live sports is legal in the UK), a senior who moved jobs after retiring from the military worked there, or it’s the hometown of authors of spy novels I enjoyed reading.

It’s a lengthy digression, but ultimately what I mean to express is this: The image of “Britain” in my mind exists in a decidedly abstract and conceptual form. How can I know a place I’ve never been to or lived in precisely?

Thus, it’s only natural that my conversation with the British person I met for the first time in 28 years was bound to be incredibly awkward.

“Have you ever been to Britain?”

“No.”

In the dreary dawn, with the autumn rain drizzling and a chill in the air, as soon as I stepped off the elevator, a British girl ‘again’ struck up a conversation.

It was Camila.

“Do you know where Britain is? I mean, in case you don’t.”

“Northwestern Europe.”

Without fail, Camila approached me again today. The red-haired British girl, seemingly oblivious to my tired appearance, was just smiling away.

Is it because she’s a foreigner? Her reactions and gestures are somehow… a lot to handle.

Camila kept on smiling, seemingly unfazed by my feelings.

“Have you ever traveled to Europe?”

“I’ve been to Eastern Europe, but not Western Europe. Oh wait, I went to Germany once.”

“Germany? That’s nice! What were you doing there?”

Looks like today’s topic is Europe. Specifically, it seems to be about Western Europe.

“I went to meet a friend.”

“Do you have a German friend?”

“He’s not German; he’s American. He just works in Germany.”

“Oh, which part of Germany?”

“Um… was it Ramstein?”

“Oh, I guess he was military. That’s where the airbase is, right?”

Camila nodded as she naturally speculated.

Even though my American friend is from the US military stationed in South Korea, he wasn’t in the US military in Germany, so her guess was half right and half wrong, but I didn’t bother to correct her.

I was too tired.

After being tormented by Saint Veronica in the morning, I started my day around lunch, followed a schedule of work, then got nagged by a client before hopping between three or four appointments, and then got cornered by Camila as soon as I returned to the hotel.

That has been my daily routine lately. There wasn’t a shred of ‘rest’ in my life.

I knew all too well that the Information Agency doesn’t give a damn about work-life balance, and since I could tolerate a bit of discomfort, I joined the Military Intelligence Agency, but this just isn’t reasonable.

Whether she realizes it or not, Camila has once again come up to me today, smiling brightly as ever.

“Oh, by the way. Where are you from?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You’re not from here originally. I’m asking where you’re from.”

“South Korea. There’s a country sitting between Japan and China. You know where Japan and China are, right?”

“Ah!”

The British girl smacked her forehead in realization.

“That’s the one with the nuclear weapons threatening the US?!”

“……”

“Am I right?”

I wanted to smack her.

—

After coming out to Camila, the most dramatic change was the communication.

I no longer had to read Camila’s cues to start talking, and Camila now had someone akin to a local friend she could confide in, so free communication was a natural progression.

Of course, that freedom doesn’t necessarily lead to productive conversation.

“Are you sulking?”

“I am Groot.”

“Don’t avoid the question.”

“I am Groot.”

“You really are sulking….”

Camila, having rummaged through my feelings, apologized without a hint of guilt on her face.

“I’m sorry!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t say things that are worthy of an apology.”

“But all I can think of when I hear Korea is nuclear stuff….”

Logically, a Conflict Studies major should definitely know the difference between the international bully waving around nuclear weapons and South Korea beneath it, but my head was too cluttered to worry about that.

It seems like she was just trying to tease me, so I decided to let it slide.

I tried to relax my expression and told Camila.

“So, have you solved all the questions you were curious about today?”

“Hmm, a little?”

“How many more do you have left?”

Without a word, Camila pulled something out of her pocket and showed it to me. Neatly folded, the paper was filled with questions in a checklist format.

That list of questions, as extensive as any cult’s initiation survey, nearly made me lose my mind.

“I’m feeling dizzy….”

“I’ll ask just a few curious questions, so don’t faint on me.”

“Just this morning….”

“Is it not allowed to ask?”

In a moment of desperation, I tossed the words out, but Camila unfazed unfolded the questionnaire. It was so sad that I couldn’t use diplomatic immunity at a time like this.

“Alright, first question. The place where you originally belonged. In other words….”

“Earth, that’s correct. But why are you asking about something like that? It’s just Earth!”

“Multiverse!”

Out of nowhere, Camila shouted that strange word.

“….”

“You don’t know about the multiverse? Haven’t you seen Endgame?”

“…what’s that?”

“Avengers.”

Ah, it was Marvel.

“I saw the movie where a purple alien snaps his fingers and wipes out everyone, but I couldn’t watch the sequel. I was busy working back then.”

“Oh, really.”

Camila, covering her mouth, blinked her long eyelashes. It was the kind of look that made one feel a bit embarrassed, as if to say, how could you not have seen that amazing movie?

I had no energy to respond, so I just fervently hoped she’d hurry up with her questions.

“Anyway, what were you doing when you were originally on Earth?”

“I was a soldier. A career soldier.”

“Army? Navy? Or Air Force?”

“Technically, I guess it’s the Army, but honestly, it doesn’t matter much. Each deployment has different treatment.”

“Deployment? So, were you in a place like Special Forces?”

“Something like that.”

Suddenly, Camila’s eyes sparkled, and she asked.

“Where were you deployed?”

“A lot of places. Afghanistan, South Sudan, Lebanon, Syria… But why do you ask that?”

“Well, my dad was in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

“Oh, really?”

Camila’s father was a British Army officer.

Britain often sends troops abroad. Like France or the US, British Special Forces also operate overseas, conducting counter-terrorism operations and black ops in the Middle East and Africa, and sometimes they station battalions or smaller units in conflict areas. So it was pretty plausible that Camila’s father was in Afghanistan and Iraq. Britain has sent troops abroad just as much as the US.

“Iraq is a rough neighborhood. Speaking of which, didn’t the British Prime Minister get impeached for sending troops to the Iraq War?”

“Tony Blair? It wasn’t exactly impeachment, but there was a lot of criticism since he wasn’t shy about military intervention, starting from the Kosovo War. The Iraq War really blew up, which is why he was pushed out of the Labour Party.”

“Um.”

I didn’t understand a single word.

I had picked up some knowledge here and there, so I had a surface-level understanding of British politics, but since it wasn’t my major, it was a bit tough to grasp.

“I can’t even remember if Tony Blair was the Labour Party leader or the Conservative Party leader, but I know he was in power during Bush’s presidency. After Bush was Obama, then Trump.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The only reason I distinctly remembered Obama was that I had seen the media coverage of him and Vice President Biden explaining away the torture allegations regarding the CIA at Guantanamo, so I couldn’t possibly forget that.

Camila and I spent the night sitting in the hotel room chatting.

Mostly, Camila was asking questions, and I was answering, and I figured she was probably just satisfying her curiosity or doing some sort of background check on me.

I answered her questions as sincerely as I could.

“What was your reason for going to South Sudan?”

“The national army’s unit was doing PKO activities there.”

“Peacekeeping Force?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been to Sudan, but just the neighbor next door.”

“Why did you go to Sudan?”

“I went for medical volunteer work! Although, I was tricked into going.”

“Tricked? But that’s a conflict area!”

“When I was in high school, my sister asked me to go on a trip abroad, and when we got there, it turned out to be Sudan.”

“…Wow.”

“But what was your final rank? You’re a Major now.”

“It was Captain. I remember the first screening for the Major exam was coming up soon, but I can’t remember the specifics.”

“I don’t know military ranks well.”

“Oh right. You’re not enlisted.”

“Then you used to be in Special Forces, and what do you do now?”

“I work as a Resident Officer. Military diplomacy, military liaison, event attendance, information collection.”

“And you put something so hideous in a plastic bottle?”

“…….”

“So, you’ve never been to Britain and don’t really know what kind of country it is?”

“Not to that extent, but… I have a friend in Britain, so I’ve picked up a bit. When I was in the unit, I watched football and movies, dramas, and novels.”

“What’s the most memorable?”

“John le Carré’s novels.”

“Oh! The Spy Who Came in from the Cold! That’s super interesting. What about Sherlock Holmes?”

“I watched that as a drama. The one where Doctor Strange is the main actor.”

Our conversation flowed smoothly. It was unexpected.

I worried a bit whether a lot of time had passed and everything I knew had completely changed, but by piecing together a few common bits of knowledge we both shared, I quickly realized we must have lived through similar times.

Even though I stumbled a bit while recalling memories from 28 years ago, thankfully, I had no major issues understanding and responding to Camila.

Talking to her wasn’t bad at all; it was more enjoyable than I expected, and especially because her interests and major overlapped with my experiences, there was plenty to discuss.

It was just, how should I put it…

It felt like a stone had been lifted off my chest. I wasn’t entirely okay but was doing tolerably fine, except for a bit of fatigue.

Of course, there were not entirely no problems.

“Oh, by the way, can you teach me that thing?”

“What thing? This feels suspicious.”

“Tradecraft? I’m not sure if that’s the correct expression.”

“…Wait, are you really asking me to teach you about espionage?”

“Yes!”

My answer was simple.

“I don’t know that kind of stuff.”

Not telling.

 

---