Free Web NovelKim Jongil gathered people in the underground bunker of a secret villa on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
“What the hell is going on! Speak up, all of you.”
The appearance of a B-2 bomber had unsettled Kim Jongil, and his madness only grew worse by the day.
“The American bastard wolves dragged a B-2 right over my head because they want to kill me. And what are you all doing with no countermeasures at all! If that thing drops, do you think only I’ll die? You’ll all die too.”
“······.”
This situation had been caused entirely by Kim Jongil himself.
Up until now, he had made every decision and acted alone. And yet he was blaming and berating others.
The people gathered there kept their mouths tightly shut, doing nothing but reading the room.
“Why is nobody saying anything? Are you all just waiting for me to die? You there, Director Jang.”
Kim Jongil’s eyes flashed as he called Jang Songthaek.
“Yes, Chairman.”
“What do you think, Director Jang? Are we supposed to just sit still like this?”
“Our Republic is already riding on the back of a tiger. We {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} cannot get off, nor can we stop. If we bend and give in here······.”
Jang Songthaek paused briefly, then continued while glancing at those known as hardliners even within the military.
“There’s no telling what the military might do. These are people who have moved troops before without even an order from you, Chairman.”
At Jang Songthaek’s words, Kim Jongil glared toward the cluster of generals.
“Is that so? You’re saying those bastards are sitting there figuring out how to kill me right now?”
“N-No, sir.”
Under Kim Jongil’s murderous gaze, the generals bowed their heads in denial.
“We exist only under the General’s leadership.”
“If I surrender to the United States, give up our nuclear weapons, and secure regime protection, what will the military do then? Answer me.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Ri Ulsol, the commander of the Guard Command and the only one holding the rank of Marshal.
“Dear General.”
Ri Ulsol spoke quietly. Kim Jongil, drawn by that voice, looked at him.
“Yes, Marshal Ri Ulsol.”
“All of this was brought upon yourself, General. And yet you now pressure the military like this. The Great Leader watching from the heavens would lament it.”
“What did you say? What did you just say?!”
Kim Jongil widened his eyes and glared at Ri Ulsol, but the old man continued calmly.
“Do not pressure the military. I will do everything in my power to protect you, General. If the American wolves invade, I will throw away this one life like chaff and do my utmost to protect the Leader’s family. So do not provoke the military any further.”
“······.”
Kim Jongil fell silent.
After Ri Ulsol began speaking, the eyes of the generals gathered there hardened.
That old man—the focal point of the military—was someone even Kim Jongil could not touch lightly.
Even his own father, Kim Ilsung, had never treated that man carelessly.
A first-generation anti-Japanese partisan. Kim Ilsung’s comrade.
And the only man besides Kim Ilsung and Kim Jongil to have been granted the rank of Marshal in the Korean People’s Army.
“Marshal Ri Ulsol. Are you defying me right now?”
“Defying you······.”
“Yes. Even during the last coup attempt, I trusted you. Because I knew you were not someone who would betray me. But what you’re saying now is deception! I could have you executed on the spot!”
“Kill me, then. I have no more regrets. Rather than watching the Republic collapse, I would choose death.”
“Marshal Ri Ulsol······.”
Kim Jongil clenched his lips tightly. He bit down so hard that blood seeped onto his greasy lips.
In the bunker, heavy silence fell. No one dared to open their mouth. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Then Jang Songthaek spoke to Kim Jongil.
“Perhaps you should dismiss everyone for now, Chairman.”
“······.”
“Marshal Ri Ulsol is speaking out of concern for you as well. It would be best for everyone to return to their posts and deal with the situation individually.”
“······Yes. Yes, that’s right.”
Only then did Kim Jongil give a small nod.
“Maintain a full military emergency posture. Be ready to move at any time upon my order.”
“Yes, General!”
“Do not move the military without my command. If it happens again······ I’ll have every last one of you arrested and killed.”
“Yes!”
“Everyone, leave.”
A thunderous response echoed through the bunker. After finishing his orders, Kim Jongil waved his hand, and everyone stood up and bowed.
“Director Jang, stay.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Before leaving the bunker, Ri Ulsol shifted his gaze toward Jang Songthaek, who was watching them.
For a very brief moment, the eyes of Jang Songthaek and Ri Ulsol met in midair.
Soon after, with Ri Ulsol last, everyone in the bunker disappeared.
“Sit down, brother-in-law.”
As soon as Jang Songthaek sat down, Kim Jongil shouted loudly.
“Bring alcohol!”
Baek Cheolsu, standing at a distance, brought a bottle of whiskey and two glasses and set them down in front of the two men.
After opening the bottle and placing it beside Kim Jongil, Baek Cheolsu said,
“I’ll bring some food to go with it.”
“No. Just drink.”
“But······.”
“I said it’s fine. You get out too. Come back in if I call.”
“Understood.”
Kim Jongil sent away even Baek Cheolsu, his last line of defense.
Tilting the bottle, he filled a glass and handed it to Jang Songthaek first.
Then he filled the remaining glass and downed it in one go.
Slamming the glass down hard enough to shatter it, Kim Jongil’s eyes flashed.
“Those reactionary bastards are definitely scheming to kill me. Isn’t that right, brother-in-law?”
Jang Songthaek, having drunk about half the glass Kim Jongil offered, carefully set it down.
“Anyone else, perhaps. But Marshal Ri Ulsol would never do such a thing.”
“No. Ri Ulsol, that······.”
Even while saying Ri Ulsol’s name, Kim Jongil seemed stifled and hurriedly pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
Jang Songthaek quickly stood, grabbed a lighter, and lit it for him.
“Brother-in-law, don’t do that. I can do it myself.”
“Understood.”
“You know he’s been giving partisan lectures about my father, talking about stories from when I was a child, right?”
Jang Songthaek nodded slightly.
“I’ve heard about it.”
“Yes. After my father died, he’s been giving speeches implying he’s on the same level as my father. Isn’t that the textbook behavior of a treacherous minister—dragging my father down and raising himself up?”
“······.”
“Why can’t you answer! Am I wrong?”
“No. You’re right. I’ve heard those reports as well. But that’s······.”
Kim Jongil raised his hand, cutting Jang Songthaek off.
Then he exhaled a thick cloud of cigarette smoke that fogged the air in front of him.
“Still, I let it slide. Because Ri Ulsol is someone who would give his life for our family. But now he’s openly opposing me. Am I wrong? He took the side of those military bastards—not me!”
As his emotions surged, Kim Jongil ground his teeth.
Nothing anyone said would reach him right now.
Jang Songthaek bitterly drained the rest of his drink, listening intently.
“Now the only one I can trust is you, brother-in-law.”
At Kim Jongil’s words, declaring trust in him, Jang Songthaek answered with a stiff expression.
“I will always devote this life to you, Chairman.”
“Yes. Yes. That’s right. If you have any grievances, say them. Are we strangers? We’re family. I can’t trust anyone else, but I trust you.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Crushing the shortened cigarette into the table, Kim Jongil asked,
“What should we do about this? No matter how I think about it, that bomber scares me. Should we reveal the nuclear weapons we have?”
“That must never happen. At that moment, you could provoke not the United States, but an invasion by Russia.”
Russia already knew that its nuclear weapons were in Kim Jongil’s hands.
Jang Songthaek knew this too, but pretended not to. It made Kim Jongil easier to handle that way.
He had invoked the threat of a Russian invasion to frighten Kim Jongil and had stopped him from revealing the nukes until now.
“What’s so scary about those toothless tiger bastards? They’re keeping their mouths shut even now.”
“Even so, Russia must not be ignored. This is not the time to make enemies.”
“So you’re telling me to just sit here and take it?”
“First, we should reconnect with the Chinese government······.”
Jang Songthaek had suggested reapproaching China several times, but Kim Jongil’s reaction was always the same.
“Don’t say such nonsense. Those bastards abandoned us first. Border closures? Are they picking a fight with us right now?”
“Even so, without China’s help, it will be difficult for our Republic to break through the current situation.”
“I don’t trust China. I’d rather negotiate with the United States.”
“Didn’t you see the reaction of the generals earlier? If that really happens, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”
When Jang Songthaek tried to dissuade him again, Kim Jongil twisted his lips.
“Then we cut off all their heads first.”
“······.”
“And that’s your job, Director Jang.”
“I’ll do my best. But if we fail to arrest them all at once, a civil war could break out.”
“Yes. Yes. I know.”
Until now, Kim Jongil’s political direction had been military-first politics.
Yet now, that same Kim Jongil was trying to purge the military on a massive scale.
“Brother-in-law, contact the generals below. Tell those bastards that if the heads above them roll, they can sit in those seats. Pull them over to your side.”
“······Words alone won’t be enough.”
“Exactly. Cheolsu, come in!”
Nodding, Kim Jongil called Baek Cheolsu loudly.
“Bring the money.”
At Kim Jongil’s order, Baek Cheolsu took out a large bag from deep inside the bunker and set it down beside Jang Songthaek.
“Ten million dollars. Use this to bring the generals over to your side. Positions and money—that’s enough for them to raise your hand instead of mine. You understand what I’m saying, right?”
Jang Songthaek looked back and forth between the bag of money and Kim Jongil, answering with a surprised expression.
“······With this much, it might be possible.”
“Yes. Money isn’t circulating in the Republic right now. This will be enough to make those bastards grab your hand. After that, use them to arrest all the hardliners in one sweep.”
“Yes.”
“Go. Bring me results as soon as possible. There’s no time.”
Jang Songthaek stood and bowed to Kim Jongil.
Then, lifting the heavy bag of money, he said in a firm voice,
“I will stake everything to achieve what you desire, Chairman.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
Jang Songthaek left the bunker. Kim Jongil silently stared at the door he had gone through, then gave Baek Cheolsu an order.
“I can’t trust that bastard either. Cheolsu, watch Jang Songthaek’s movements closely. Don’t miss a single thing.”
“Yes, General.”
Kim Jongil put another cigarette in his mouth. Hazy smoke filled his vision.
He said he trusted Jang Songthaek, but right now he could trust no one.
Staring at the dying ember of the cigarette, Kim Jongil slowly closed his eyes.
* * *
After leaving the secret villa, Jang Songthaek headed straight to the Guard Command, where Marshal Ri Ulsol was.
Entering the commander’s office, he clasped Ri Ulsol’s hands.
“Marshal. You did well.”
