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Annette hugged the burden in her arms tightly, as if it were her shield. Her hands were trembling slightly.
She was a woman who had endured enough from the reporter. By now, she should have gotten used to it, but the fear remained to the point where she felt like an idiot.
In fact, she never expected her presence here to remain submerged forever. Most of those serving on the front lines were already aware of her.
During the height of the war, it was rumored to be circulating within the front lines, but after the war ended, it seemed to have spread to the home country.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t even give you my business card. Here, let me formally introduce myself again...”
“I don’t need it.”
The moment the reporter reached into her bosom, Annette shook her head in refusal. The reporter raised an eyebrow, then smiled congenially and took out his business card.
"Then would you just like to look? Still, I think it would be better to confirm my identity."
The reporter thrust his business card in front of Annette, but she didn't even glance at it. With a look of impeccable malice, the reporter gently persuaded her.
"I know you've had a difficult time, Ms. Rosenberg. There are too many unscrupulous journalists in this world, obsessed with scoops. But I swear to God, I'm not here to write anything malicious or harmful to you, Ms. Rosenberg."
Annette kept her mouth shut and her eyes downcast. Despite her obvious refusal to engage in conversation, the reporter continued to preach his purpose, unconcerned.
"Why would I write such an article when Ms. Rosenberg is serving here as a war nurse, dedicating herself to her country? Rather, I wanted to visit you to share your dedication with the world."
“...”
"Miss Rosenberg, don't you want to clear your name from the past? I can help you. I really can. Actually, I'm sure you have a reason for coming here, Miss Rosenberg..."
"No."
Annette took a step back and spoke firmly. But her voice was so trembling that she sounded like a frightened animal.
“I don’t need it. I don’t want any articles, good or bad.”
“But Miss Rosenberg, what you’re doing now is a really good opportunity to restore your image...”
"I don't want any articles. Please step aside."
"I, too, am truly impressed by Miss Rosenberg's dedication. You served here on the front lines, not in the rear..."
“I told you I didn’t want it!”
The reporter flinched and closed his mouth at the sudden, sharp voice. A moment of silence passed. Annette's shoulders trembled.
She had been working tirelessly to avoid resenting anyone, including reporters. She had pushed herself, brainwashed herself, and tried really hard not to.
Because she thought she had no right to feel resentment.
“I don’t want to, but you keep going...”
But now she felt resentful.
“You keep talking...”
The reporter who followed her here was horrible and disgusting.
It wasn't a feeling that stemmed from dragging the past. Rather, it was a feeling solely about a distant world, about the place where she was standing.
Why.
Why can't this be done solely by my own will?
Why should that be denied?
Why am I still so scared and weak...?
“...I apologize if I offended you, Miss Rosenberg. But I truly hope that by highlighting Miss Rosenberg's changed life and sharing it with the world, I can help you─”
“Hey!”
The reporter and Annette both turned around in surprise. A nurse was glaring at the reporter, her hands on her hips. She strode over to them and snapped.
"We're so busy, what are you doing? Did you get permission to come in and out?"
“Ah, as a war correspondent...”
"If you're a war correspondent, are you allowed to seize a busy person and semi-forcefully request an interview? Where are you affiliated? Is it legal for a reporter from a newspaper to report that wounded soldiers were causing a commotion in a place where their lives were at stake, just to write a story about them?"
“No, I didn’t force her to do it...”
“If you don’t move when I tell you to, and you’re just standing there like that, isn’t that coercion? You have to be persuaded once or twice to be considered an invitation!”
The reporter was at a loss as the accusations poured out like a rapid fire gun. When Annette spoke, he ignored her, saying only what he had to say. Then, when the nurse said she would report, he seemed terrified.
"Please leave quickly before I call people and kick you out. If they publish anything strange about this, I'll file a formal complaint at the military hospital level, so please understand that."
Her words were flawed. Even if she had come from a specialized hospital, it was difficult to raise a formal complaint based on a few words from a mere military nurse.
The reporter tried to refute that, but later realized that many eyes were watching him.
Near the treatment center barracks, nurses were gathered, watching them and whispering among themselves. Even a few soldiers looked displeased.
The reporter hesitated, taken aback. If more than one person, not just two, reported this to the military, it could lead to an official protest. If that happened, he would be in trouble.
“Well, do you have anything else to say?”
The nurse nodded and spoke. Just as a couple of soldiers were about to step in their direction, the reporter, making a quick decision, snapped his mouth open.
"I didn't mean to make a fuss, but I'm truly sorry. Miss Rosenberg, I apologize for the interruption. Then, I'll finish what I was doing... Have a nice day."
The reporter, who had been speaking like a fast-forwarded tape, turned around. He was instantly away from Annette. It was almost like he was running away.
Annette stared blankly at his back. It was difficult to grasp what was happening. Her brain seemed to have dulled from the moment she faced the reporter.
“I finally kicked him out. Are you okay?”
After exhaling, the nurse turned to Annette and asked. Annette didn't answer, but just stared at her face.
"I didn't kick him out for nothing, did I? It seemed like you had no intention of interviewing..."
“No... Thank you.”
"If someone like that comes, just file an official complaint. Then they'll just go away."
“I will. Sorry for causing a fuss for no reason...”
“No, no, no, why are you apologizing? That person is weird.”
Annette couldn't find the words to respond, so she just hugged herself tightly.
That reporter couldn't be the end of it. If he came to interview the person involved, there would already be several articles about the situation.
She said she didn't want any articles, but in reality, that was practically impossible.
“Excuse me, regarding the article... do you need any help?”
"... Yes?"
Annette, unsure of her question, asked back. Not only was she completely clueless as to what kind of help she was referring to, but she had no reason to offer any help in the first place.
The nurse hesitated for a moment and then answered hesitantly.
"So, if reporters happen to write strange articles or something... we thought we could help with a rebuttal interview. People are more likely to believe what we've worked with than what reporters say."
Annette blinked as if she hadn't heard what she was saying at all.
"There's no guarantee that only that reporter will come... And, that... I don't know if you know, but it seems like it's already been in the newspaper a few times. Oh, it's not a bad thing at all. It's just that that's what they said..."
The nurse chose her words very carefully, watching Annette's expression. Annette had a hard time understanding why she was saying such things.
The other nurses who had been observing the situation approached a few steps closer. One of them cleared her throat and spoke.
“I can do that much.”
“If I’m not taking any particular side, but just stating the facts, well...”
They were people she knew only by name and face, people she had never spoken to in private. Because Annette didn't want them to, and neither did they.
Annette, who had been quietly watching them, opened her lips softly.
"I am..."
It's okay.
I don't need help.
I have never expected your help, and I never will.
"If."
“...”
“If you could do that.”
The words, blurted out like an uncontrollable sob, didn't continue. Whether it was because she had too much to say, or because she had nothing left to say, she didn't know.
Annette slowly lowered her head. The cold, frozen ground looked precarious, as if it would shatter if she stepped on it too hard. She bit her lower lip.
Suddenly, a whispering voice penetrated her ear.
"Sure."
The sun rose obliquely. Its light penetrated the space where they stood. The cold air that had risen from the frozen ground all night sank as if weighed down by a weight.
“I will help you.”
Someone answered like that even though the words were not yet finished.
She was a woman who had endured enough from the reporter. By now, she should have gotten used to it, but the fear remained to the point where she felt like an idiot.
In fact, she never expected her presence here to remain submerged forever. Most of those serving on the front lines were already aware of her.
During the height of the war, it was rumored to be circulating within the front lines, but after the war ended, it seemed to have spread to the home country.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t even give you my business card. Here, let me formally introduce myself again...”
“I don’t need it.”
The moment the reporter reached into her bosom, Annette shook her head in refusal. The reporter raised an eyebrow, then smiled congenially and took out his business card.
"Then would you just like to look? Still, I think it would be better to confirm my identity."
The reporter thrust his business card in front of Annette, but she didn't even glance at it. With a look of impeccable malice, the reporter gently persuaded her.
"I know you've had a difficult time, Ms. Rosenberg. There are too many unscrupulous journalists in this world, obsessed with scoops. But I swear to God, I'm not here to write anything malicious or harmful to you, Ms. Rosenberg."
Annette kept her mouth shut and her eyes downcast. Despite her obvious refusal to engage in conversation, the reporter continued to preach his purpose, unconcerned.
"Why would I write such an article when Ms. Rosenberg is serving here as a war nurse, dedicating herself to her country? Rather, I wanted to visit you to share your dedication with the world."
“...”
"Miss Rosenberg, don't you want to clear your name from the past? I can help you. I really can. Actually, I'm sure you have a reason for coming here, Miss Rosenberg..."
"No."
Annette took a step back and spoke firmly. But her voice was so trembling that she sounded like a frightened animal.
“I don’t need it. I don’t want any articles, good or bad.”
“But Miss Rosenberg, what you’re doing now is a really good opportunity to restore your image...”
"I don't want any articles. Please step aside."
"I, too, am truly impressed by Miss Rosenberg's dedication. You served here on the front lines, not in the rear..."
“I told you I didn’t want it!”
The reporter flinched and closed his mouth at the sudden, sharp voice. A moment of silence passed. Annette's shoulders trembled.
She had been working tirelessly to avoid resenting anyone, including reporters. She had pushed herself, brainwashed herself, and tried really hard not to.
Because she thought she had no right to feel resentment.
“I don’t want to, but you keep going...”
But now she felt resentful.
“You keep talking...”
The reporter who followed her here was horrible and disgusting.
It wasn't a feeling that stemmed from dragging the past. Rather, it was a feeling solely about a distant world, about the place where she was standing.
Why.
Why can't this be done solely by my own will?
Why should that be denied?
Why am I still so scared and weak...?
“...I apologize if I offended you, Miss Rosenberg. But I truly hope that by highlighting Miss Rosenberg's changed life and sharing it with the world, I can help you─”
“Hey!”
The reporter and Annette both turned around in surprise. A nurse was glaring at the reporter, her hands on her hips. She strode over to them and snapped.
"We're so busy, what are you doing? Did you get permission to come in and out?"
“Ah, as a war correspondent...”
"If you're a war correspondent, are you allowed to seize a busy person and semi-forcefully request an interview? Where are you affiliated? Is it legal for a reporter from a newspaper to report that wounded soldiers were causing a commotion in a place where their lives were at stake, just to write a story about them?"
“No, I didn’t force her to do it...”
“If you don’t move when I tell you to, and you’re just standing there like that, isn’t that coercion? You have to be persuaded once or twice to be considered an invitation!”
The reporter was at a loss as the accusations poured out like a rapid fire gun. When Annette spoke, he ignored her, saying only what he had to say. Then, when the nurse said she would report, he seemed terrified.
"Please leave quickly before I call people and kick you out. If they publish anything strange about this, I'll file a formal complaint at the military hospital level, so please understand that."
Her words were flawed. Even if she had come from a specialized hospital, it was difficult to raise a formal complaint based on a few words from a mere military nurse.
The reporter tried to refute that, but later realized that many eyes were watching him.
Near the treatment center barracks, nurses were gathered, watching them and whispering among themselves. Even a few soldiers looked displeased.
The reporter hesitated, taken aback. If more than one person, not just two, reported this to the military, it could lead to an official protest. If that happened, he would be in trouble.
“Well, do you have anything else to say?”
The nurse nodded and spoke. Just as a couple of soldiers were about to step in their direction, the reporter, making a quick decision, snapped his mouth open.
"I didn't mean to make a fuss, but I'm truly sorry. Miss Rosenberg, I apologize for the interruption. Then, I'll finish what I was doing... Have a nice day."
The reporter, who had been speaking like a fast-forwarded tape, turned around. He was instantly away from Annette. It was almost like he was running away.
Annette stared blankly at his back. It was difficult to grasp what was happening. Her brain seemed to have dulled from the moment she faced the reporter.
“I finally kicked him out. Are you okay?”
After exhaling, the nurse turned to Annette and asked. Annette didn't answer, but just stared at her face.
She never spoken to her before, but Annette knew her too. She was also one of the people we'd worked with to make the items a few days ago.
“No... Thank you.”
"If someone like that comes, just file an official complaint. Then they'll just go away."
“I will. Sorry for causing a fuss for no reason...”
“No, no, no, why are you apologizing? That person is weird.”
Annette couldn't find the words to respond, so she just hugged herself tightly.
That reporter couldn't be the end of it. If he came to interview the person involved, there would already be several articles about the situation.
She said she didn't want any articles, but in reality, that was practically impossible.
“Excuse me, regarding the article... do you need any help?”
"... Yes?"
Annette, unsure of her question, asked back. Not only was she completely clueless as to what kind of help she was referring to, but she had no reason to offer any help in the first place.
The nurse hesitated for a moment and then answered hesitantly.
"So, if reporters happen to write strange articles or something... we thought we could help with a rebuttal interview. People are more likely to believe what we've worked with than what reporters say."
Annette blinked as if she hadn't heard what she was saying at all.
"There's no guarantee that only that reporter will come... And, that... I don't know if you know, but it seems like it's already been in the newspaper a few times. Oh, it's not a bad thing at all. It's just that that's what they said..."
The nurse chose her words very carefully, watching Annette's expression. Annette had a hard time understanding why she was saying such things.
The other nurses who had been observing the situation approached a few steps closer. One of them cleared her throat and spoke.
“I can do that much.”
“If I’m not taking any particular side, but just stating the facts, well...”
They were people she knew only by name and face, people she had never spoken to in private. Because Annette didn't want them to, and neither did they.
Annette, who had been quietly watching them, opened her lips softly.
"I am..."
It's okay.
I don't need help.
I have never expected your help, and I never will.
"If."
“...”
“If you could do that.”
The words, blurted out like an uncontrollable sob, didn't continue. Whether it was because she had too much to say, or because she had nothing left to say, she didn't know.
Annette slowly lowered her head. The cold, frozen ground looked precarious, as if it would shatter if she stepped on it too hard. She bit her lower lip.
Suddenly, a whispering voice penetrated her ear.
"Sure."
The sun rose obliquely. Its light penetrated the space where they stood. The cold air that had risen from the frozen ground all night sank as if weighed down by a weight.
“I will help you.”
Someone answered like that even though the words were not yet finished.
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