It was just another ordinary day, like all the others before it.
On a day when the world had already fallen apart, I managed to scavenge a few cans of food from a store that hadn’t been completely looted yet.
As I was leaving with them stuffed in my bag—
Boom!
A massive truck, somehow still running despite the fuel shortage, plowed right into me.
A moment before, I had heard a rustling sound from a nearby building and, worried someone else might steal my find, I had rushed out in a panic.
I spun helplessly through the air before crashing down, collapsing like a deflated inflatable tube man.
My bones shattered, my senses dulled to the point that I could barely register pain, and I couldn’t move.
Blood streamed from my body like a broken jar leaking its contents.
There was no one around to help me—I had been hiding alone.
Even if there were someone, there was probably no way to treat this.
All I could do was groan in solitude as I slowly died.
The only things beside me were the crumpled cans that had fallen from my bag, rolling away from the impact.
As the blood drained from my body and my senses faded, I gazed up at the sky.
Even if humanity had perished, the world itself had not.
The sky was still as blue as ever.
And then, a question crossed my mind.
‘Why do I have to go through something so absurd?’
‘Why was the world like this? Being born with a silver spoon wouldn’t have helped in a world like this.’
In the end, I was nothing more than a mayfly in this ruined world.
At that moment, I sensed someone nearby.
At first, I thought it was some scavenger who had been hiding until now, waiting to loot my corpse.
But instead, an old man stood there, silently looking down at me.
***
“Do you want to live?”
“Who… are you?”
‘An old man, here?’
Elderly people wouldn’t have lasted long in this world.
The lucky ones would have been taken in by survivor camps.
Yet this man stood before me, with white hair, a long white beard, and a white sack-like garment draped over his body.
He looked strangely out of place, like someone from another world rather than a Korean wasteland.
Even though my consciousness was fading, his appearance was unusually clear.
Strangely enough, my mind sharpened for a brief moment.
“In this world, even if I survive, something like this will just happen again. I might as well die here.”
‘What was the point of living any longer?’
Food would only become scarcer, and lone wanderers like me wouldn’t stand a chance.
But the old man, his expression emotionless, simply asked, “Would anywhere else be better?”
“At the very least, anywhere would be better than this ruined world.”
“Then, I shall send you elsewhere.”
‘Was this… that thing?’
‘Like those Japanese isekai stories that anime nerds in school used to watch?’
Getting hit by a truck—it all fit too perfectly.
‘Or maybe this was just my brain hallucinating in my final moments, clinging to a foolish hope.’
Either way, it didn’t feel particularly pleasant.
If anything, it was unsettling.
Still, if I was about to die, I might as well indulge in the fantasy for a bit.
“I don’t care where. Even if it’s the past, as long as I don’t have to see this mess.”
“Very well. I shall send you to the past.”
‘Yeah, this was definitely a hallucination.’
‘My dying brain must have been burning through its last scraps of energy, conjuring up some delusional last wish.’
“The Russo-Japanese War… a few years before that.”
“…What?”
That’s way too far back.
“Others get decent starting positions in major powers, but I’ll give you some extras. Farewell.”
“Wait! Hold on, old man! Hey, old man!”
I tried to force myself up, but before I could, a blinding light engulfed my vision.
***
When I came to, I was wearing a military uniform.
And I was… marching somewhere.
Somehow, my body moved naturally, as if it already knew what to do.
Right. Fine.
“Okay. Possession stories. I can work with that. But why the hell is it like this? No noble bloodline, not even stationed in Seoul. In these kinds of stories, people usually end up as a high-ranking figure in some powerful nation. Or at least as someone like King Gojong, Sunjong, or another member of the imperial family—someone with options!”
After a long string of complaints, my lips trembled.
Then, I looked down.
At my chest.
At where a man’s most important part should be.
My chest was noticeably full.
And the space where I should have felt something… was completely empty.
“…Why the hell am I a woman?”
[Your given abilities are Universal Language, Immortality, and Alternate History Gallery.]
“What about my gender?”
[Gender is not fixed. Rather, you were given such powerful abilities that you were placed into this era as a woman to balance it out.]
‘Balance it out?’ That sounded ridiculously irresponsible.
‘What the hell did I do to deserve this?’
‘Fine. I could accept being sent to the past.’
‘But couldn’t they have just taken away immortality and let me stay a man?’
[Do you think history is so easily changed? This was the best way to send you into the past.]
“…So who am I, exactly?”
[You are the daughter of a fallen, nameless peddler. To survive, you enlisted in the Jinwi Army and headed for Gando.]
“The Jinwi Army?”
[At this time, the imperial forces in Pyeongan and Hamgyong Province crossed the Yalu River, raiding Qing territory and looting wealth. The 5,000-strong Korean forces made a good profit.]
‘So… the Korean Empire dabbled in imperialism, too.’
‘That’s what this was, wasn’t it?’
The late Joseon and Korean Empire had done things like this.
***
“Hey, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and grab what you can! There won’t be many more chances like this!”
Someone, apparently a comrade, barked at me.
“What do you mean?”
“Did that mean I could get out of this mess?”
“The Emperor doesn’t seem to want a full-scale war with the Manchus. There are already talks about withdrawing from Gando. Damn it, if we could just push to Beijing and capture the Qing Emperor, we could finally have some real leverage against the Japanese.”
Another soldier, presumably also part of the Jinwi Army, grumbled.
“So… they were pulling out?”
‘Wait a minute. That meant history was unfolding just as it was supposed to.’
‘If I remembered correctly from school, wasn’t Lee Beomyun in charge of this operation?’
“Did Gando Administrator Lee Beomyun organize the Sapo Unit to fight the Qing army, defend Gando, and even play an active role during the Russo-Japanese War?”
“Crazy.”
I can already see the doomed future unfolding before my eyes.
“Wait, then shouldn’t I fix this? If I’m going to mess things up anyway, I might as well go big. Don’t you think?”
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
“If you’ve started something, you should see it through. Otherwise, it feels like adding ramen seasoning halfway and stopping.”
“But what can I even do here?”
“I’m not royalty, I don’t hold a high military rank, and I don’t have money. On top of that, I’m in the body of a woman disguised as a man. What the hell am I supposed to do in this body?”
[But you do have one clear advantage.]
“An advantage?”
[You won’t die. Not from a bullet, not from being hacked to pieces with a sword.]
“Wow. That’s a skill even Empress Myeongseong would envy. But what am I supposed to do with it?”
“You also have a small gift. That body of yours should be able to endure. Now, go on and survive in that world.”
“Hey! Old man! Old man! I’d rather just die! Send me back!”
But the old man’s voice was gone.
My cries were drowned out by the screams of civilians and the sounds of gunfire.
This is bad.
That old man really threw me into this chaotic late Joseon era and told me to figure it out.
Sure, I could change history.
But isn’t this one of the hardest times to change history?
‘Then… should I just go all out?’
“If things go south, I’ll flee to America and prepare for independence.”
“With this so-called universal language skill, I should be able to make something of myself.”
“No. If I’m going to do this, I need to do it properly.”
I need to talk to Lee Beomyun.
If we’re going to loot, we should loot big.
I grabbed the guy next to me, who was busy looting corpses.
“How can I meet General Lee Beomyun?”
“I’m busy as hell, but… oh, he’s right over there. Hey, if you’re not taking that, I’m grabbing it.”
A man who seemed to be of fairly high rank, leading soldiers into the village, appeared.
Yeah.
That’s him. Lee Beomyun.
Somewhere in my mind, in the memories of this body—Ok Jinseo, a female soldier—her image remains.
Seizing the chaos of the ongoing looting, I ran toward him and fell to my knees.
“Administrator, sir!”
“Oh, the merchant’s daughter. What is it, soldier of the Jinwi Corps?”
“We cannot withdraw like this.”
We must not retreat.
We need to show that the Korean army can hold its ground in Manchuria.
“I’m simply following the Emperor’s orders.”
“No, not just Gando—we must take all of Manchuria!”
At my words, Lee Beomyun’s face twisted into a frown.
Of course, it would.
Russia had already seized Manchuria, and here I was suggesting that we step in.
That was practically a declaration of war against Russia.
“Are you saying we should take action when Russia has already taken control of Manchuria? With just a few thousand troops?”
“Won’t His Majesty approve of it anyway? Don’t stop at Gando. If we can secure Manchuria, it will help the Emperor as well. Besides, didn’t we already negotiate with Russia over Gando? This is just an extension of that.”
“Fine. Let’s say that works for the Qing army. But can you defeat the Russians? We advanced into Gando with support from Russia and France, and now you want us to fight Russia?”
“I’m saying we should take as much as we can and establish a firm hold on Gando.”
Rather than briefly occupying it like in history, we need a complete takeover.
Sure, that might make Korea’s shape on the map a bit rounder, but so what?
We secure Gando, wait for the Russian Empire to collapse in their future revolution, and then gradually expand into Manchuria.
Until then, we maintain good relations with Russia while contributing to their victory in the Russo-Japanese War.
For that, we need to strengthen our ties with Russia.
“I will meet with the Governor-General of the Russian Far East.”
“I only allowed you into the Jinwi Corps as a favor to your father. That matter is beyond my authority.”
Memories resurfaced.
‘In this world, I am Ok Jinseo, the child of a merchant with ties to Lee Beomyun. If that’s the case, then I must secure Russia’s support.’
‘Isn’t this before Rasputin appears on the scene? Maybe I should deal with him beforehand. Or, if not, I could try to negotiate with him.’
There’s less than a year before the Russo-Japanese War.
I need to act fast.
“Then please just help me get to the Russian Governor-General. I will meet with him myself.”
Lee Beomyun frowned at my desperate plea.
“Stop talking nonsense and take what you need. I’ll defend Gando, but national affairs are no place for a woman—especially a mere soldier from the Jinwi Corps.”
Of course, he wouldn’t allow it.
But staying put here is not an option either.
Right. I have that universal language ability.
It must mean I can speak any foreign language.
“I have interacted with Russians before and learned their language.”
I immediately activated the ability given to me by the old man.
In flawless Russian, as if I were possessed by a native speaker, I spoke to Lee Beomyun.
“You can speak Russian?”
“I also know French. I can build connections with French officers as well.”
Not just Russia—France, too.
At this time, the Korean Imperial Army was influenced by French military advisors.
For Lee Beomyun, who needed to secure Gando, this wasn’t necessarily a bad offer.
“Yes. I can do it. Just connect me with the Russian Governor-General. If I can speak Russian, then I’m qualified for this, aren’t I? Just imagine it! Our imperial army sweeping through Manchuria, driving out the Qing, seizing their wealth, and avenging King Injo!”
Spreading my arms wide, I declared boldly.
‘Have ambition! We can do this! Let’s fight with confidence!’
Lee Beomyun, intrigued for a moment, soon shook his head.
“If we do as you say, our empire will have to shed blood in Manchuria.”
“In return, we will solidify Gando as part of our empire and gain protection from Russia and France. Even the Japanese won’t dare touch us.”
“…Fine. But all I can do is open the path to the Russian Far East Governor-General for you. Beyond that, you’re on your own.”
“That’s more than enough, General.”
I bowed deeply.
The problem now was the Russo-Japanese War.
There were only a few months left.
Soon, Japan would ignore Korea’s declaration of neutrality, occupy Seoul with their army, and force Korea into signing the Korea-Japan Protocol—marking the start of Japan’s colonization.
At the very least, I needed to prevent Emperor Gojong from being captured, which would lead to Korea being forcibly allied with Japan.
For example, I could relocate Gojong to Gando.
If he was safely in Gando, Korea wouldn’t be forced into an alliance with Japan, and we could work with Russia to drive out the Japanese army.
But before that, I had to make sure Russia saw us as valuable enough not to turn us into a colony or puppet state.
Somehow, I had to restore Korea’s sovereignty.