Free Web NovelAt my declaration that I would work to bring about President Bush’s defeat, the eyes of both Yoon Changho and Myungsoo widened.
“The best revenge I can take is that alone. If they broke their promise to me for the sake of next year’s presidential election, then I’ll mobilize all the money, connections, and information I possess to make sure President Bush and the Republican Party fail to hold power in that election.”
Yoon Changho’s lips twitched before he picked up the glass in front of him and drained it in one go.
It was obvious how shaken he was. Seeing that, I gave a small smile.
“Mr. President.”
At my call, Yoon Changho looked back at me.
“When you fight someone, you always strike first at what will hurt them the most. Family, if it’s family. Money, if it’s money. Honor, if it’s honor...... Whatever it is, you hit what hurts most when it’s lost. That way, they understand exactly who they’ve angered.”
“I’m glad you’re on my side. Sometimes, Chairman Kim, you scare me.”
I shrugged and replied casually.
“You and I are allies looking in the same direction, Mr. President. You kept your promise to me, and I kept my promise to you. If that’s the case, there’s nothing to fear, is there?”
Yoon Changho nodded quietly, refilled his glass, and asked,
“So, what kind of reaction do you think we’ll get from their side?”
What kind of reaction... I considered the possibilities briefly, then shook my head. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“I can’t predict that myself. If my threat works, they’ll honor the promise. If it doesn’t, then they might already be coming to get me.”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
Yoon Changho and Myungsoo asked at the same time.
“They’re probably arguing fiercely right now. It’s not like I have no weaknesses at all. They might try to arrest me, investigate me, and pressure me that way.”
“No matter what, that’s a bit......”
At Yoon Changho’s words, heavy with disbelief, I smiled and replied.
“They may not be able to indict me or detain me, but they can arrest me. This is the United States. It’s a country where money can do just about anything. I have a rough idea of what leverage they might try to use against me, but I’m not afraid.”
I could always assemble a dream team of lawyers and prepare for their attacks.
But Myungsoo still looked uneasy and asked,
“Is it really okay to be this hardline?”
“If I’m not? I’m not the one who broke the promise. I kept every promise I made to them. And you and President Yoon Changho kept every promise as well. I have no intention of living as someone who just takes it lying down—even if the other party is the President of the United States.”
* * *
After receiving Kim Muhyuk’s call, Powell hurried to the Oval Office.
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney looked up as Powell burst through the door.
“Secretary of State. What brings you here at this hour?”
“Powell. This is quite rude. What do you think you’re doing?”
Bush and Dick Cheney spoke at the same time.
Ignoring Dick Cheney, Powell looked at Bush and said,
“Mr. President, I have something to report.”
“Oh? What could be so urgent that the Secretary of State barges in like this? Please, sit.”
When Bush gestured toward the sofa, Powell dipped his head slightly and sat down.
Dick Cheney watched him with a displeased expression.
“Go on, Secretary.” freёweɓnovel.com
Bush spoke calmly, crossing his legs and leaning back.
“I received a call from Kim Muhyuk.”
“Kim Muhyuk? Ah, Charlie?”
Bush replied as if it were nothing. Seeing his casual reaction, Powell clenched his lips.
“And that man calling is enough to make the Secretary of State rush over like this?”
Powell cursed inwardly and spoke.
“He told me to keep the promise.”
“The promise...... Didn’t I tell you to say we’d take care of everything after the presidential election?”
“The original agreement was this: Kim Muhyuk would negotiate with China and Russia to secure votes in favor of sanctions on North Korea, and in return, our administration would hand over to Korea the individuals involved in the incident that occurred there. Upon receiving them, Korea would deploy combat troops to Iraq and hire mercenaries to send to the fiercest battle zones in Iraq.”
Bush nodded.
“That’s right. But politics is a living thing. The Democratic primaries are gaining momentum. With re-election uncertain, handing over our own citizens to Korea does nothing to help us at the polls. That’s what I said, wasn’t it? So we postpone it until after the election. What’s the problem with that?”
This time, Dick Cheney picked up Bush’s words.
“Powell. Are you an American, or are you Charlie’s lackey? Why do you keep taking that guy’s side?”
At Dick Cheney’s words, Powell glared at him and said,
“He says that if the promise isn’t fulfilled, he’ll support the Democrats in next year’s election. He’ll hand over all his money, connections, and information to them.”
At the shocking words, Bush sprang up from his chair and slammed the table.
“What? What are you talking about! Explain yourself properly!”
“He says he won’t support the Republicans, but the Democrats. And that he’ll give them the information he has.”
“.......”
As Powell repeated it clearly, silence fell over the Oval Office.
“We delayed keeping our promise to Charlie for the sake of the election. But if that drives him to support the Democrats, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) an even bigger crisis will follow.”
“.......”
Bush’s lips trembled. With shaking eyes, he looked at Dick Cheney.
Dick Cheney, his gaze steady, asked Powell,
“Did he really say that?”
“What would I gain from lying?”
“So what did you say to him?”
“What could I say on the spot? I can’t unilaterally change what was done on your orders, Mr. President. So I told him I’d speak with you and get back to him. He said he expects a response by tonight.”
At that moment, Bush shouted,
“Dick! This is what happens when we do it your way! Didn’t you say that Charlie couldn’t afford to let go of us?!”
“Bush.”
“We don’t even know what information that man has! If it goes to the Democrats, no one knows what will happen! Do you not care whether I get re-elected or not? Do you want me to end up a one-term president like my father?!”
Bush shouted, spittle flying.
“Bush. Calm down. You agreed to this too.”
“You pressured me into it!”
Far from calming down, Bush’s face flushed red. Dick Cheney sighed.
“Then what? Do you think you can handle the fallout if we hand over our citizens to Korea? You never should’ve made that promise in the first place. I opposed it. We should’ve just invaded North Korea and removed Kim Jong-il. We did it in Iraq—why not North Korea?”
“You war-crazed lunatic!”
The neoconservatives, including Dick Cheney, had already drawn up plans to invade North Korea even before the Iraq War began.
They intended to use this opportunity to wipe out any countries that might oppose them.
Bush had rejected that approach, and as a result, North Korea began developing nuclear weapons.
Even afterward, calls to invade North Korea surfaced repeatedly, but Bush had been satisfied with passing sanctions through negotiations with Kim Muhyuk.
Still, the neocons believed North Korea should be invaded.
“War-crazed? No. It’s a war to protect liberalism. You know it too. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. You were the one who looked the other way. And now you call me a war-mad bastard? That’s rich.”
At those words, Bush stiffened. Dick Cheney smiled thinly.
“You should focus on solving the problem instead of blaming others, Bush.”
“.......”
“For now, let’s arrest Kim Muhyuk. Then we persuade or threaten him so he never dares to challenge us again.”
Dick Cheney made a bold proposal to arrest Kim Muhyuk, but Powell shook his head before he even finished.
“That’s impossible. If we do that, relations with Korea will freeze.”
At Powell’s worried reaction, Dick Cheney scoffed openly.
“Korea can’t do anything without our help. If that man disappears, even the Korean President would be pleased.”
“......Vice President. On what charge would we arrest him? And even if we did, could we actually prosecute him? With his money, he’d assemble a defense team of top-tier lawyers.”
Dick Cheney slowly shook his head.
“It won’t even get that far. We just need to show him that we can do this. Charlie thinks right now that we’re being dragged around by him. Can the great United States afford to be led by the nose by a single man?”
“No matter how I look at it, that’s not a good idea. If he were to hold a press conference himself, the repercussions could be enormous......”
“That man doesn’t like his name being exposed. In the end, he’ll have no choice but to work with us again.”
Powell and Dick Cheney argued back and forth for a while, each holding a different position. The exchange grew increasingly heated.
Bush listened with his eyes closed.
“That’s enough, both of you!”
Bush opened his eyes and shouted.
“Let’s do this for now......”
Bush, his face drained of color, spoke slowly.
* * *
Time passed as Yoon Changho, Myungsoo, and I drank together.
As we talked, I kept checking my watch. It was already past eleven.
Had they decided to treat my warning as nothing more than an empty threat?
My thoughts grew tangled.
“Chairman Kim, what’s with that look?”
President Yoon Changho asked, noticing my expression.
“No word from them?”
“No.”
“There’s nothing we can do on our end. At tomorrow’s meeting with President Bush, what can we possibly extract......”
“For now, even if they break their promise, please proceed as agreed with the troop deployment and mercenary contracts.”
“......So you’re saying we give without receiving anything?”
Yoon Changho frowned. His displeasure was understandable.
But he was the President of a nation.
“I can act as I please, but you sit in a position responsible for the Republic of Korea. International politics ultimately come down to building justification. For now, carry out the promise as agreed. If this ever comes to light later, there will come a time when the United States has to grant our request—even if it’s after your term ends.”
Yoon Changho let out a low hum, his reaction softening somewhat.
“No matter how powerful the United States is, justification matters in international politics. Why do you think the Bush administration sought UN approval for the Iraq War, unlike with Afghanistan? They needed justification to invade Iraq.”
In the end, Yoon Changho nodded.
“Alright. We’ll do that. For now, we’ll meet tomorrow and......”
He didn’t finish his sentence.
A knock sounded at the door, and soon a guard entered.
“Secretary of State Powell and National Security Advisor John Bolton are here.”
Yoon Changho frowned and pointed at the clock.
“At this late hour, how discourteous......”
I stood up and said,
“They’re probably here to see me. I’ll go out.”
Yoon Changho furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“What are you saying? Tell them to come here.”
“No. It wouldn’t be a good choice for you to show your face directly, Mr. President.”
“Then at least take Director Lee with you.”
At that, Myungsoo rose as if he’d been waiting.
“Yes. I’ll go with him.”
“Good. I’ll wait and trust you.”
“Please get some rest, Mr. President. You should sleep early to get through tomorrow’s schedule.”
“I will, Director.”
While Myungsoo was still speaking with Yoon Changho, I stepped outside first.
Powell and Bolton were waiting together.
Seeing me, Powell glanced around and said,
“Charlie, let’s go somewhere private to talk.”
I nodded at Powell’s words. A moment later, Myungsoo came out and said,
“Then let’s go to my room.”
Myungsoo led us to his room.
