Free Web NovelA single vehicle entered Kim Jongil’s secret residence located on the outskirts of Pyongyang, in Ryongsong District.
The man who stepped out of the car was Jang Songthaek, his face stiff as stone.
“Comrade Jang Songthaek. We will begin inspection.”
The soldiers guarding the entrance immediately started searching his body.
Judging by his calm expression, this was something he was long accustomed to. Jang Songthaek wordlessly followed their instructions.
“You may enter.”
The soldiers stepped aside. Jang Songthaek straightened his clothes and opened the door.
Before the door fully closed, he turned his head slightly, glancing toward the soldiers.
They belonged to a secret unit of the Party Central Committee Escort Bureau — soldiers who obeyed no one but Kim Jongil, taking only his personal orders.
Though an Escort General Bureau existed, Kim Jongil trusted no one. So he created his own private guard unit that answered only to him.
As they were the only force allowed to know the full extent of Kim Jongil’s movements, they received the highest treatment.
Guided by a soldier, Jang arrived at the banquet hall.
Inside the vast hall, Kim Jongil stood near the glass window, staring outside.
“General. Deputy Director Jang has arrived.”
“Leave us.”
“Yes.”
Kim Jongil spoke without turning around, and the soldier bowed and exited, closing the door.
Silence lingered in the hall. It was Kim Jongil who finally broke it.
Turning toward Jang Songthaek, he spoke.
“Deputy Director Jang. No... brother-in-law. It has been a while.”
“Yes, Leader Comrade.”
“Let’s speak comfortably today. After all, we are brothers, aren’t we?”
“.......”
That statement terrified him more. A man who could discard even family without hesitation was now forcing familiarity on him.
“Come and sit here.”
Kim Jongil sat first, and Jang Songthaek cautiously walked over and sat where he was told.
Kim Jongil picked up the liquor bottle on the table and held it out.
Jang jumped to his feet, offering his glass respectfully. Kim Jongil poured him a drink and said:
“Let’s put aside all the formalities today. Drink as you like... Now then, how is Kyonghui doing these days?”
“......She is the same as ever.”
“Still drowning in alcohol? No, that’s not all, right? She’s using drugs too, isn’t she?”
“......”
Kim Jongil asked casually, but Jang couldn’t bring himself to answer.
“I heard you two are separated?”
“Yes......”
“What can I say... no one can predict life. Wasn’t she the one who stole her father’s car to rush to Wonsan just to see you because she said she liked ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ you? I persuaded Father to allow that marriage and kept her at my side. But now the two of you hate each other, don’t you?”
Just as he said — the relationship between Jang Songthaek and Kim Kyonghui had deteriorated to the extreme.
But Kim Jongil needed Jang Songthaek, and Jang Songthaek needed Kim Jongil.
There was no way he would allow them to divorce. And so Kim Kyonghui sank deeper into alcohol and drugs.
Drinking his liquor, Kim Jongil began recalling the past, seemingly wanting to create a relaxed atmosphere.
But that atmosphere only tightened Jang’s anxiety. Because of the conversation he had previously had with Kim Muhyuk.
“Brother-in-law.”
“Yes, Leader Comrade. Please speak.”
Kim Jongil put down his glass and placed a cigarette in his mouth.
He took a deep drag, his cheeks hollowing, then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
The smoke was so dense that Jang’s vision blurred.
“No matter how I think about it, I must conduct a nuclear test. All preparations are complete.”
“What?”
Startled beyond measure, Jang dropped the glass he was holding.
The glass shattered loudly on the floor.
“Why are you so shocked?”
“N-no, sir.”
“Those American bastards are the same, and that Yoon Changho government down in South Korea is not friendly to us either. In times like this, we must strike harder. Therefore, we must develop nuclear weapons.”
“......We will face far harsher sanctions.”
“What does it matter if we’re sanctioned a bit more? Once we have nuclear weapons, everything ends. Ah, did you know? I already have one completed nuclear weapon. Including myself, fewer than three people know about it.”
Jang already knew. Not because Kim Jongil had told him — but because Kim Muhyuk had whispered it to him beforehand.
He had no idea why Kim Jongil suddenly chose to reveal such a secret now.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. It’s true. I obtained one when the Soviet Union collapsed.”
His heart pounded. Kim Muhyuk’s words had been true.
He swallowed hard, filled his glass to the brim with strong liquor, and emptied it in one go.
“If that is true...”
Jang slowly opened his mouth.
* * *
After a long flight, I arrived in the United States.
“See you later.”
I nodded at Myungsoo’s words.
People from the U.S. Embassy appeared and guided Myungsoo and the special delegation away.
Only then did I turn and notice the people walking toward me.
“And what exactly are you doing here?”
I asked the two approaching me.
“You said you were coming to America. So we waited. Don’t we have a lot to discuss?”
“Well, yes. And the person next to you is?”
The one waiting at the airport was Jessica. Smiling brightly, she introduced the man beside her.
“This is our Secretary.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Secretary Michael Chertoff.”
Michael extended his hand. I shook it, still puzzled.
“Nice to meet you. But why is the Secretary meeting me?”
“I was curious. Thanks to you, we were able to stop the terrorist attack in Iraq. Your information prevented something even the CIA failed to detect.”
That was only the beginning — he proceeded to criticize the CIA for quite some time.
Realizing my expression was unmoved, Michael cleared his throat.
“My apologies. I got carried away. This place isn’t ideal for a long discussion. Do you have other plans today?”
“No. I planned to rest at the hotel.”
“In that case, please give me a little of your time.”
I glanced toward Jessica, who gave a small nod.
“Alright.”
“Thank you. Let’s head to the restaurant we reserved. Ride with us.”
I boarded the car they had prepared. Jessica got into the driver’s seat, and Michael sat beside me.
“Jessica, let’s go.”
At his instruction, Jessica began driving. She was quite a skilled driver — the ride was smooth.
“May I ask one question? Ah, don’t worry about eavesdropping. This car is safer than anywhere else in the world.”
Barely after the car started moving, Michael asked.
People who emphasize safety like that are never truly safe. Raising one eyebrow, I replied:
“Go ahead.”
“How did you know?”
He cut straight to the point. But I understood exactly what he meant.
“The UN attack? Or the identity of the terrorists? Which one are you asking about?”
“Both. All of America’s intelligence agencies are deployed across Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet they didn’t catch any of it. Well — they knew about the group, but they didn’t realize how dangerous they were. They thought they were just thugs. But you pinpointed them, told us they were planning an attack on the UN Headquarters, and even that they were a sub-branch of al-Qaeda. How did you know?”
“Hmm...”
I stroked my chin, looking at Michael’s desperate expression.
Jessica glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“Are you doubting me? The intention behind your question doesn’t sound very pleasant.”
“No. I have never suspected you of being involved with them. I simply want to know how you obtained such high-level intelligence. As the Secretary of Homeland Security, I’m asking out of necessity.”
“Do I have to answer?”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to... but I would like to hear it.”
Seeing him speak so humbly was almost amusing.
But whether his intentions were truly pure was questionable. No one pure ever made it into a Secretary position.
Still, I didn’t think long. I decided to season the truth a bit.
“As you already know, I currently have half of Black Bear’s forces deployed in Afghanistan. And Black Bear runs its own intelligence division. Among them are former agents from American intelligence agencies, Israeli intelligence, Eastern European agencies, and Western European agencies. Ah — and there’s HUMINT, spread across the world.”
Michael nodded, already aware of that much.
“I can guarantee you this — neither American nor Russian intelligence can dig as deep as Black Bear. You are constrained by legality. Even when you operate outside the law, political risks force you to move cautiously.”
“Hmm.”
As I finished speaking, Michael’s expression darkened.
Because of their past illegal operations, CIA and Homeland Security were now shackled.
Their freedom of action had shrunk drastically.
“So you’re saying the information was obtained illegally?”
“You’re sitting in the center of America, so you forget — in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, legality flips on its head. What’s illegal becomes legal. What’s legal becomes meaningless. It’s not a place to debate the definition of law. And I also know the White House is preparing to strengthen the Patriot Act — to make illegal operations legal.”
“...How could you possibly know that?”
Michael spoke in shock. I smirked.
“It’s an open secret in Washington.”
“......”
“Never underestimate the old men of Wall Street. They watch Washington more closely than anyone. They all know already.”
The so-called Patriot Act was enforced immediately after al-Qaeda’s terror attack under President Bush’s lead.
It ignored basic rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, granting overwhelming investigative powers in terrorism cases.
But Bush wasn’t satisfied — he wanted warrantless wiretapping and preemptive measures legalized.
Both Republicans and Democrats agreed.
Strengthening the law was highly likely.
America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had achieved nothing.
No — more accurately, they only heightened hostility from the Islamic world. A massive security threat for the U.S.
Supporters existed. So did critics.
Even if we can’t fully endorse it, it certainly prevented terrorism on American soil, they reasoned.
For Wall Street investors, the law was massive.
Every bank — including foreign banks operating in the U.S. — had to reveal all beneficial owners holding over 25% equity, and disclose all shareholders with over 10%.
Using terrorism prevention as justification, even private equity funds with tiny headcounts had to submit their investor lists.
“Are you against the Patriot Act?”
“No. But I don’t fully accept it either.”
Under that law, all banks and investment firms I owned were forced to disclose information to the U.S. government.
“I see. Then if you get more information like this, could you share it with us?”
“I won’t hand over intelligence unilaterally. We exchange. That’s the deal between Jessica and me. Right, Jessica?”
Still driving, Jessica answered.
“Yes. We’ve always traded information that way.”
“You heard her.”
“But... information that affects national security so heavily...”
He still looked reluctant, unable to fully accept it.
“I won’t pretend not to know when something threatens national security. But you must pay for information. Keep that in mind.”
To root myself firmly in Afghanistan, I needed cooperation from the U.S.
So I would never ignore valuable intel.
How much I would extract in return... that depended on the situation.
“Understood. We’re here. Let’s get out and continue the conversation. We have much to discuss today.”
Michael stepped out first and opened my door.
But the place we arrived at was an unmarked private house. freёwebnovel.com
“Didn’t you say we were going to a restaurant?”
Michael smiled — confidence showing in both his face and voice.
“Haha, this place accepts reservations only. We booked the entire venue for today. No one will disturb us. And most importantly — the food is exceptional. You won’t be disappointed.”
Even America has places like this, huh.
Intrigued, I followed Michael and Jessica inside.
