Free Web NovelLim Dongok was the very image of a hardliner toward the South.
The warm breeze blowing between the two Koreas right now would have been unpleasant for him, no doubt, but the way he behaved—rudely, without the slightest courtesy—made me frown.
That was why I chose not to respond politely, even though I could have.
“Say that again! What was it you said?”
His roar cut through the banquet hall’s soft music, drawing the attention of everyone around.
“Do you know this? That Seoul you boast about so much—I could reduce it to ashes in the blink of an eye if I wished.”
He continued boldly, as if the stares of others didn’t matter.
“Don’t you dare look down on our Republic just because you have money! Do you understand?”
Just then, someone rushed from the head table where Kim Youngnam and President Kim Hakgwon were seated.
“Comrade Lim Dongok, what are you doing on such a fine day? Lower your voice.”
Lim Dongok looked up at the man who had come over.
“Comrade, listen to me. This bastard here, he called Pyongyang twenty years behind Seoul. Tell me—wouldn’t you be furious too?”
Bastard?
My expression hardened coldly. The flustered man turned back to Lim Dongok.
“Do you not understand how much the General Secretary has invested in this summit? Watch your tongue.”
Even when reminded of the General Secretary, Lim Dongok only grew louder.
“I opposed this summit from the beginning. The military opposed it too. It was only because the General Secretary insisted so strongly that we grudgingly accepted.”
It was true that not everyone welcomed the summit, but this was not the place to say so.
The man who had tried to stop him now looked helpless.
“You can’t deal with South Korean bastards through words. They take us lightly, that’s why they dare say such things here in Pyongyang. Isn’t that so, comrade?”
His words only got more amusing. A cold smile tugged at my lips.
“Mr. Kim.”
A quiet voice called me. I turned my head to see Pyo Minguk, newly appointed Chief of Staff after the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the general election.
“······What is it?”
He was glancing nervously at Lim Dongok, which only irritated me further.
“Didn’t you hear?”
My sharp tone seemed to stun him.
“He asked a question, and I answered truthfully. But now I’m a bastard? Do you think I came to Pyongyang just to be insulted like this?”
“······.”
Pyo Minguk fell silent, looking back. I too glanced toward President Kim Hakgwon. He was awkwardly asking Kim Youngnam for understanding.
The sight made me want to laugh in disdain.
Raising my voice so everyone could hear, I declared,
“So this is how your great Republic treats guests invited by your supreme leader? One glimpse shows ten truths—it says a lot about your country.”
There was no way I could enjoy the banquet after that. I rose from my seat.
“Mr. Kim.”
Pyo Minguk called after me desperately, but I ignored him. Looking at Lim Dongok, whose face was now flushed red, I said,
“So you’re Lim Dongok?”
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“If you dislike reconciliation between the North and South, then go say so to your supreme leader. Don’t take it out on easy targets just to puff up your pride.”
“What did you say?”
He leapt to his feet, toppling his chair.
Of course, there were people in the South who opposed the summit as well. Protests flared daily, politicians spoke out, and the conservative party foamed at the mouth in opposition.
If it was like that in the South, one could easily imagine the response in the North.
Kim Jongil needed the summit to address immediate survival issues.
But instead of opposing him directly, Lim Dongok had come to a party hosted by Kim Youngnam and was venting his frustration on South Korean businessmen.
Pathetic. It was nothing more than feeding his own petty ego.
“Did I say anything wrong? If not, why don’t you repeat those same words in front of the Chairman?”
“······.”
His face turned crimson, his body trembling, but he could not answer.
A man without courage—ridiculous.
“And you’re supposed to be the head of the United Front Department, in charge of Southern operations? To be that foolish? You picked the wrong man to intimidate. I don’t bow to anyone’s whims.”
With that, I picked up my jacket and put it on without hesitation.
“Whether it’s the President of South Korea or the Chairman of North Korea, I stand the same. So take that pitiful pride of yours and lord it over your underlings. I’ll be leaving.”
I bowed toward President Kim Hakgwon’s table.
“Mr. President, I’ll return to the hotel first. My apologies.”
I might not like Kim Hakgwon, but I had no intention of disrupting his lifelong dream of this summit.
I planned to leave before Lim Dongok could make things worse.
I gave Chairman Song a small nod. He looked at me with concern.
Just as I was about to head for the exit—
“Hey, you bastard! Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Lim Dongok’s scream rang out behind me.
I felt something snap inside my head.
I turned. He was shaking off those trying to restrain him, storming toward me.
“You think you can just walk out of here? Not in this place.”
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“Enough. I won’t warn you twice.”
My voice was calm, without a trace of emotion. A final warning.
But he only sneered.
“You think this is the South? One word from me, and you’ll be dead with a bullet through your skull. Understand?”
Even in front of Kim Youngnam, he openly threatened to kill me. He didn’t care that the man was effectively North Korea’s head of state.
As he advanced, the guards around the hall moved in as well.
“Is that so? Then go ahead. If you’ve got the guts.”
I had no bodyguards here, but once the tiger’s back was mounted, there was no getting off. Backing down now would be disgraceful.
Our eyes locked, the tension in the hall sharp enough to cut.
“Comrade Lim Dongok, enough! Why are you making a scene like this?”
“Mr. Kim, please stop,” Seo Jaehoon whispered anxiously.
But Lim Dongok wasn’t stopping.
“You men! Drag this bastard to the Department at once!”
He shouted at the soldiers. Pyo Minguk’s face turned ashen.
Even the South Korean bodyguards, here to protect the President, were preparing to move.
The air was on the verge of exploding into violence.
“Enough. Stand down, all of you.”
A voice cut through the tension. The North Korean soldiers froze.
Through them stepped Baek Cheolsu.
“Comrade Vice Director Lim Dongok, that’s enough.”
“······.”
I half-expected him to be defied, but Lim Dongok only opened and closed his mouth, saying nothing.
“Mr. Kim, please stop as well.”
So Baek Cheolsu wasn’t just some soldier chosen to monitor me—his authority carried real weight.
Lim Dongok stammered,
“Captain Baek Cheolsu... why are you here? What about the Chairman?”
“By order of the Chairman, I am to protect Mr. Kim. I strongly suggest you stop—for your own sake.”
Unable to reply, Lim Dongok stared between us in disbelief.
“The Chairman’s guest. And Comrade Kim Youngnam is here as well. Your actions are clearly out of line. I would be justified in putting a gun to your head here and now.”
Lim Dongok no longer shouted. He couldn’t even argue back.
I studied Baek Cheolsu’s expression in silence.
“Return home and wait. Restrain yourself. From now on, my men will be watching you.”
His final warning delivered, Baek Cheolsu saluted toward Kim Youngnam.
Kim Youngnam forced a stiff smile and nodded.
Only then did Baek Cheolsu turn to me.
“Mr. Kim, you’ll return to the hotel with me. Is that acceptable?”
I nodded. I wanted nothing more than to leave.
We left the hall together. No one tried to stop us.
The banquet behind us was silent, as though a storm had just passed.
Even once in the car, I wanted to smash something. I forced myself to calm down, to keep my composure.
“Captain Baek Cheolsu... who exactly are you?”
I asked, looking at him in the front seat.
Anyone who could silence Lim Dongok so effortlessly was no ordinary officer.
“That’s classified. I cannot say.”
He answered without looking back, eyes fixed ahead.
It was clear he wouldn’t give me more, so I leaned back, closed my eyes, and thought.
‘What should I do about that bastard Lim Dongok? If this were Seoul, I’d bury him without a trace. But here in North Korea, it won’t be easy.’
Under Kim Jongil’s Songun politics, the military held real power, while the Cabinet and Party were hollow shells. Soldiers stood at the center of authority.
Lim Dongok’s behavior at the banquet was a perfect display of that reality.
‘Unless I use Kim Jongil himself, or unless Jang Songthaek moves directly... it will be very difficult.’
Unlike in Russia, I had no power here. Not a shred of my own influence in North Korea.
Bzzzt.
The radio crackled. Baek Cheolsu picked it up casually.
— The Chairman commands: bring Kim Muhyuk.
“Understood.”
He set the radio down and turned toward me.
“The Chairman is summoning you. We will depart.”
Again, he didn’t wait for my answer. He simply signaled the driver.
The car turned and rolled forward.
“Where are we going?”
In a place where the Chairman’s word was absolute, even questions were a luxury. No reply came.
We drove far, leaving the route to the hotel behind, until we arrived at a white mansion hidden by trees.
“Please step out.”
Baek Cheolsu opened the door.
The house’s lavish exterior made it hard to tell if we were in North Korea or Europe.
“Inside.”
The interior was even more opulent. Expensive materials, noble décor, elegance everywhere—nothing like the Koryo Hotel.
After passing through the hallway, we reached a grand door. Two men opened it. Inside, a reception room awaited, furnished with luxurious sofas and a table.
“Please wait here. The Chairman will arrive shortly.”
Baek Cheolsu left, shutting the door.
Before long, footsteps echoed outside—the clicking of leather shoes, the heavy thud of boots.
The door opened.
And in came Kim Jongil himself, flanked by guards, just as I had seen him on TV.
“Are you Mr. Kim Muhyuk? A pleasure. I am Kim Jongil.”
