1. Asia Branch of the United Nations Human Resource Development Organization
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United Nations Human Resources Development Organization.
It is a cooperative organization that aims to distribute competent human resources by fostering and developing talents that can help maintain and operate each institution and private organization.
It is also known as UNHRDO (United Nations Human Resource Development Organization), as a successor to the International Talent Development Organization established in 1946.
The United Nations Human Resource Development Organization is dedicated to non-profit placement, transfer, and supply of diverse talent. Its headquarters and primary office, the Americas Headquarters, are located in New York City, United States. The subsidiary organizations, including the European, Asian, Australian, African, and South American branches, are situated in Berlin, Germany; Hong Kong, China; Canberra, Australia; Johannesburg, South Africa; and São Paulo, Brazil, respectively.
(and so on)
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As soon as we arrived at Chek Lap Kok Airport, a car was already waiting to pick us up.
While a large man who looked nothing like a driver silently greeted his uncle and began loading the luggage, Jeong Tae-ui, with only a small Boston bag as his luggage, got into the car next to his uncle who was already seated.
A thin booklet, which was given to me by my uncle from somewhere, contained a brief description and photos of our destination. It was common knowledge that there wouldn't be any useful information for a public relations brochure, but I still took a few minutes to read through it carefully, only to find it was a thin, rather useless booklet. Besides, I had already done a quick search before we left.
As Jeong Tae-ui fanned himself with the thin booklet he had quickly finished reading, the car pulled away from the airport.
His uncle gently took the booklet from Jeong Tae-ui's hand, flipped through a few pages, and chuckled. It was clear that he too thought it was a waste of paper.
“Think of it as an institution that trains officials and important figures for various countries. It might make it easier to understand.”
“No matter how nicely you put it, you're basically saying that you raise people to sell them to various organizations, aren't you?”
“Well, I guess people who want to be sold like that are the ones applying, so it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
Though my words were meant to be critical, my uncle didn't seem the least bit offended by them.
Jeong Tae-ui casually flipped through the booklet that his uncle had handed back. Without paying attention to the vague words, he was drawn to the photos used as the background. There were imposing buildings, conference rooms equipped with the latest technology, and rows of reliable-looking men with stern expressions.
“Is there anyone among those guys who catches your eye?”
His uncle leaned over, peeked at the booklet together, and chuckled. Jeong Tae-ui pursed his lips and shook his head slightly.
“I'm not really into that kind of intense masculinity…… I prefer someone who smells more like soap or milk, you know, someone who looks soft and sweet. I don't think I'll find anyone like that in this line of work.”
“Soap or milk scent……. committing sexual acts is a crime even in China. Well, sure their laws don’t apply within the fences of our branch, but there are no minors inside. Feel free to make moves on anyone you want.”
“…….Uncle. You're so quick to label me as a scumbag who preys on minors……. I've never looked at anyone, whether they're in their single digits or their teens, in that way.”
His uncle chuckled softly. Jeong Tae-ui stared at him blankly and said indifferently,
“If my uncle was about 20 years younger, you might just have been my type.”
The smile on my uncle's face faded momentarily. Blinking his eyes, he looked at Jeong Tae-ui strangely, then suddenly chuckled. Shrugging his shoulders as if understanding, he changed the subject.
“You'll figure it out eventually once you're there, but is there anything specific you want to know?”
“Well……. I need to know something before I can be curious about it. Since I don't know anything at all, I don't even know what I don't know. I guess I'll find out as I go.”
Jeong Tae-ui placed the booklet on his lap and looked out the window. The road leading from any airport into the city seemed to be the same anywhere you go. It was a highway, neither too crowded nor particularly interesting.
“Didn’t Hyung work for a while at the US branch?”
“Jae-ui? Yeah. Because that kid was completely brainiac. HQ still wants him.”
Jeong Tae-ui glanced at his uncle.
“So you're saying that being a 'brainiac' means working for the headquarters or a branch? Is that how it's divided?”
“Not always, but generally, yes. The headquarters is like a brain house. As long as your brain is sharp, you can get in, even if you have a physical disability. The branches, on the other hand, require a certain level of physical fitness. ……But just being able to fight won’t get you in, of course. To put it simply, the branches aim to cultivate MacGyvers.”
“MacGyver, huh……. ……I don't think I can be like that, personally.”
“Don’t worry. You'll get the hang of it in a few months, just like all the others.”
Jeong Tae-ui stared at his uncle with a bored expression, then slowly began to voice the questions that had gradually come to mind.
“So, are the three branches essentially the same?”
“Well, our training processes are the same. Sometimes, depending on the situation, a few people are exchanged between the branches. But each branch has a slightly different atmosphere. The South American branch guys are a bit strange, the African branch guys are unpredictable, the Australian branch guys are full of jerks, and the European branch guys are just the absolute worst.”
There's a big gap between the cheerful tone and the actual content.
“Are you on bad terms with the European branch?”
“Not just between the headquarters and the branches, but the branches themselves don't get along. It's typical for groups in competition. The Asian and European branches, in particular, have a long-standing feud. They have a joint training session every year for two weeks, and let me tell you……, it gets pretty bloody.”
“…….”
Instead of simply disliking the European branch, it seemed like my uncle was enjoying creating a tense atmosphere by constantly putting them down.
Though my uncle has a rather friendly face, there's a significant difference between his outward appearance and his inner thoughts. It's enough to confuse even me, who knows him well.
Jeong Tae-ui sank into the seat. The seat was comfortably soft.
Having been constantly rushed by my uncle who barged in like a storm, I haven't had a proper rest in days. I think I could just fall asleep right now.
Noticing Jeong Tae-ui's reaction, his uncle quietly spoke.
“I want to tell you to get some sleep now because it's going to be tough adjusting for a while, but we'll be at the dock soon. It'll be harder to wake up if you fall asleep now.”
“Dock?”
Jeong Tae-ui turned his head. The car was now entering the city, and the streets were gradually filling with buildings. The sky was cluttered with a jumble of signs, and dilapidated buildings, just as old as the apartment complex where Jeong Tae-ui lived, were lined up side by side. Just a short glance up from the flashy storefronts revealed buildings with peeling paint and clotheslines hanging out of broken windows.
“Is the branch located in Hong Kong Island?”
“No.”
“Why are we going to the dock?”
“We have to take a ship.”
“……. Are we going to Macau?”
His uncle burst out laughing. Jeong Tae-ui awkwardly looked at his uncle. Since we were taking a boat from the Kowloon Peninsula, and it wasn't Hong Kong Island, Macau was the only place that came to mind.
His uncle shook his head.
“Ido (離島). It's a remote island, a bit farther away than Hong Kong Island. Although it's administratively part of Hong Kong-China, their laws don’t apply here. The Asia branch of the UNHRDO is located there.”
“Haa. ……It's just like in the old days when they used to lock up prisoners on a deserted island in case they escaped.”
“I can't say for sure that there isn't any purpose like that.”
Smiling still, his uncle said that and then turned his gaze towards Jeong Tae-ui.
“Every other week, you'll have free time from 5 PM on Friday to 5 PM on Sunday, so if you want, come out and play then. There’s a ferry that will be going back and forth between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula that day.”
“Hearing what my uncle said…….”
“Um?”
“Rather than saying that the UNHRDO's Asia branch is on that island, it seems that only the UNHRDO's Asia branch is on that island.”
“Correct.”
“…….”
Jeong Tae-ui shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.
After passing through a straight, bustling street and rounding a grand hotel, a pier came into view in the distance.
Jeong Tae-ui, who had been casually glancing at Hong Kong Island beyond the sea, suddenly turned his head.
“Come to think of it, I have one more question.”
“Yes?”
“What do I call my uncle over there?”
His uncle smiled. Then, with a face that seemed to be a mix of his family's expressions and those of his superiors, he spoke.
“Instructor Jeong Chang-in, or, in short, Instructor.”
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago
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