Chapter 189 — I'm an Infinite Regressor, But I've Got Stories to Tell

Chapter 189

Members of the National Road Management Corps (Corps) arrive at headquarters, nicknamed the Tower of Babel, feeling a strange sense of emptiness due to the absence of Jo Yeong-su, a protester who has daily demanded Noh Do-hwa’s resignation for months. Once Jo vanishes, the plaza feels cleaner and more peaceful, and the Corps members enjoy a quiet commute without his constant yelling. However, fifteen days later, Jo returns, beaming, and presents a thick stack of documents to the reception desk. He explains these are results from a public opinion survey asking citizens if Noh Do-hwa’s rule as de facto leader is legitimate. Jo argues passionately that despite 59.7% indifference and only 7.1% negative votes, the dissent represents a vital cry of the masses against dictatorship. The receptionist, startled by the term, attempts to dismiss him, but Jo insists the Corps cannot ignore minority voices. The receptionist agrees to forward the data to the commander. The narrator, the Undertaker, reveals he is observing because Jo is secretly supported by Jeong Ye-ji (the Saintess). The Saintess believes that while she disagrees with restoring the fallen government, institutions like Jo’s survey help reflect ordinary people’s voices, which the SG Net cannot do since only Awakeners access it. The Undertaker, however, views Jo’s actions with skepticism. Having lost his memories of pre-apocalypse Korea, he feels no nostalgia for the nation. He believes democratic processes are vulnerable to anomalies; a constitution would likely be corrupted, and voting would include non-existent entities, creating fatal flaws. The Undertaker argues that concentrating power in Noh Do-hwa is a necessary risk-management strategy, as she can be monitored 24/7 by the Saintess’s Clairvoyance, unlike ordinary citizens who lack protection. Despite the Undertaker’s disinterest and philosophical objections, both the Saintess and Noh Do-hwa tolerate Jo’s antics. Noh Do-hwa, filing her nails with a trash can on her lap, muses that Jo’s nostalgia is strange, perhaps confusing nostalgia for a past civilized lifestyle with loyalty to the nation itself. Over time, Jo continues to protest in the plaza, wearing relic armor inscribed with the Constitution. The Corps members, initially annoyed, grow accustomed to him. They begin dropping scraps of used paper into a cardboard box at his feet, treating him like a street performer. The environment becomes one of casual camaraderie; staff chat about food and duties while tossing paper to Jo. Even Yu Ji-won, who maintains an unreadable expression, leaves without acknowledging him. By night, Jo returns to his shack with thick stacks of collected paper, the volume of which symbolically mirrors the size of the former Republic of Korea.

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aajwjh35oo

Chapter number

189

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14:56

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