Free Web NovelMyungsoo and I sat side by side, and Powell and John Bolton sat side by side. Sitting on the sofa, we faced each other.
“Manager Ma, please prepare four coffees.”
“Yes, sir.”
An awkward silence passed while Manager Ma went to bring the coffee.
Not long after, Manager Ma set the coffee down and left. I picked up my cup, smiled gently, and spoke.
“Let’s at least talk while having a cup of coffee.”
I washed away the slight buzz from the alcohol by drinking the coffee.
No one else seemed in the mood to drink; no one even touched their cups. I alone steadily finished mine. After setting the empty cup down, I spoke first.
“So, have you reached a conclusion?”
“Not yet.”
“Secretary Powell. Then is there any reason for us to be sitting here facing each other like this?”
“The conclusion will be decided depending on what kind of conversation we have here today.”
They still think they’re the ones with the upper hand. I curled one corner of my mouth upward and sneered openly.
“Do you still see me as an easy mark? Are you going to lie again, saying you’ll keep your promise if you attach some new conditions? Trust has already been broken.”
“······.”
“Once trust is broken, it’s very hard to restore. And yet you came here with nothing. Do you have no conscience? Even if you were to put something on the table—are you confident you could actually keep it?”
Powell said nothing, only listening quietly to my words.
“Keeping the original promise right now. That is the only way to quickly restore broken trust.”
At my firm words, Powell let out a low groan. I had no intention of being dragged around by them anymore.
“Is that the position of the Republic of Korea?” frёewebnoѵēl.com
Before Powell could stop him, Bolton spoke in a stiff voice.
These people seem to be under a serious misunderstanding.
“Korea? Do I hold any public office representing the Republic of Korea? Don’t try to pressure me by tying me together with Korea.”
“You may not hold office, but this matter is largely intertwined with the interests of the Korean government. Is that not so? In that case, we have no choice but to accept your position as Korea’s position.”
It was painfully obvious that they were trying to pressure me by dragging Korea into this instead of dealing with me directly.
“Advisor Bolton, I’ll say this again. The Korean government and I have no relationship whatsoever. Ah, well, there is one thing. I am a citizen of the Republic of Korea. Do you treat every promise made by an American citizen as the official position of the U.S. government?”
“······.”
“It looks like you’re trying to drag in the Korean government and pressure me that way······. I don’t care even if the alliance between the United States and Korea collapses. Don’t think you can pressure me with something like that.”
The United States breaking its alliance with Korea?
That was something that could never happen.
To maintain its influence in East Asia, the United States needed Korea.
This wasn’t a one-sided give-and-take relationship; it was an alliance maintained because both sides needed each other.
Even if someone were to declare the alliance broken, there was no way the Democratic Party, which occupied half of Congress, would allow it to pass.
“Charlie. You’re saying you’re willing to make an enemy of the United States. Do you understand the weight of those words?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Since when did the Bush administration become synonymous with the United States? If they fail to secure reelection in next year’s election, they’re an administration with barely a year left. To think of the United States and the Bush administration as one and the same is arrogance in itself. I said I would prevent President Bush’s reelection. I have no idea how that translates into treating the United States as an enemy.”
When I struck a nerve, Bolton’s neatly groomed mustache twitched in anger.
Soon, he glared and raised his voice.
“Charlie, you are truly arrogant!”
“Arrogant? I’m not the arrogant one—you neocons are far more arrogant. Neoliberalism? Neoconservatism? You’re nothing more than war fanatics who believe American values come first and who don’t hesitate to use force to impose that ideology. And the result of that is the Iraq War you’re waging right now, isn’t it? The Axis of Evil—does anyone here not know that it’s nothing more than political rhetoric used to justify an invasion?”
“Hey now. Charlie.”
Bolton’s face flushed red.
“What is it? If neocons truly worship liberal democracy and market economies so much, why do you say absolutely nothing about the dictatorships in South America and Africa? Is it because they’re pro-American regimes?”
I pointed out the contradictions of the neocons. Bolton flinched for a moment.
“As long as they’re pro-American, it doesn’t matter whether they’re communist states or dictatorships—that’s what neocons are like, isn’t it?”
With time, what they call neoliberalism and neoconservatism will be mocked as nothing more than an excuse to wage war.
Only the neocons themselves don’t realize it—what they’re doing right now.
Bolton’s mustache and cheeks trembled, but I ignored him and continued.
“I, too, am a believer in the neoliberalism and market economy that America talks about. Because of that, I make money. And the amount ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) of taxes I pay to the United States in proportion to that is enormous. And yet you say that someone like me has turned the United States into an enemy?”
“······.”
“So don’t think about attacking me with your clumsy and pointless ideology. It’s no different from spitting in your own face. I’m asking for just one thing. I kept my promise, so you keep yours. Is that really so difficult?”
I spoke in a flat voice, without inflection or emotion—simply stating the truth.
I wasn’t angry. I just found them pathetic.
“Alright, things are getting too heated.”
Powell cut in at just the right moment.
“Charlie. Please don’t press so hard.”
“Secretary Powell. I trusted you, at least. I believed that no matter how recklessly the neocons acted, you would stop them. Now I’m honestly disappointed. Where did the proud soldier Powell go?”
“······.”
Powell only moved his lips slightly, unable to answer.
“Tell me. What else is President Bush demanding from me this time? But unless the promise is fulfilled first, I will no longer do anything for President Bush.”
With those words, I crossed my arms and waited.
Powell let out a deep sigh and asked,
“Hoo... let me ask you just one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you going this far?”
It was the core question running through all of this.
“Hm.”
I thought briefly about how to answer.
But the hesitation didn’t last long. There was only one thing worth saying.
“Up until now, I’ve done business everywhere—America, China, even Russia—and I’ve negotiated with governments in each country. Even Russia and China, which are practically dictatorships, kept their promises. And yet the ‘only’ one that threw away its promise to me like a worn-out shoe was the United States.”
“······.”
“So shouldn’t I show them? Show them how I punish those who break their promises with me. Even if the result is bankruptcy, I’ll fight. I don’t avoid fights that come my way—that’s my principle.”
Powell lowered his gaze. He seemed unable to come up with even an excuse.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. But if you’ve already made a promise, then you must keep it. That is my creed—Kim Muhyuk’s creed—one I upheld in the past and will uphold in the future.”
Powell and Bolton exchanged looks with stiff expressions.
Bolton nodded, and Powell spoke calmly.
“Could you give us just a little more time? Once the election is over—”
Making me hear the same thing again. I raised a hand and cut Powell off.
“There’s about a year left until the presidential election. Do you have any idea how important that year is? It won’t just be your government that has problems—the Korean government will, too. And it will set a precedent that China and Russia might also break their promises to me. I have no intention of allowing that.”
“I understand. We will pass that agenda item at tomorrow’s meeting between President Bush and President Yoon Changho. However, the result will not be included in the joint statement.”
They would keep the promise, but wanted it to pass quietly.
I turned my head and looked at Myungsoo. Now it was his turn to step in.
Catching my gaze, Myungsoo nodded and leaned forward.
“So you’re saying you’ll hand them over, but keep it out of the public eye? That won’t work. We need to publicize that they’re being put on trial in a Korean court. That’s how we can calm the anti-American sentiment currently spreading in Korea, and at the same time give our government justification to send combat troops to the Iraq War.”
While Myungsoo and Powell negotiated, I studied Bolton’s face.
It was filled with dissatisfaction, but he didn’t step in to negotiate outright.
Then, perhaps sensing my gaze, Bolton turned his head toward me.
The moment our eyes met in midair, I lifted one corner of my mouth and smiled.
Bolton’s face twisted instantly, but I didn’t wipe the smile from my lips.
I didn’t care if I became an enemy of the neocons.
Because in the United States, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party keep each other in check. If you become an enemy of one, you can simply join hands with the other.
“Then let’s agree to proceed that way.”
“Very well. At tomorrow’s summit, we’ll conduct our discussions along those lines.”
Myungsoo and Powell completed a draft agreement. Myungsoo smiled, clearly satisfied.
Powell, on the other hand, rubbed his temples as if all his energy had been drained, then looked at me.
“Is that enough now? Are you satisfied?”
“Yes. If we’d done it this way from the start, there would’ve been no reason for us to raise our voices and fight like this, would there?”
“······.”
Powell stood up without a word. Bolton rose after him.
Bolton stared at me with sharp eyes and said,
“There won’t be a next time. We’re letting this slide because we promised, but if you try to threaten us like this again, you’d better be prepared.”
I shrugged and replied,
“Well, that will depend on how you act.”
Bolton flared up, about to say more, but Powell placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
Bolton bit his lip hard and turned away.
“We’ll be going now. Next time, I hope we can talk with smiles.”
After Powell and Bolton left, Myungsoo finally let out a sigh of relief and sank back into the sofa.
“Ah, I’m exhausted. Hey! Muhyuk.”
I smiled at him.
“What?”
“Secretary Powell aside, what is wrong with that John Bolton guy? It looked like lasers were shooting out of his eyes.”
“The neocons don’t like this negotiation. They still believe they need to invade North Korea.”
Myungsoo tilted his head. I’d have to explain the complex international situation in detail once we got back to Korea.
“Isn’t President Bush a neocon too?”
“No. President Bush leans toward the moderate conservative side. He’s just being dragged around by the neocons while responding to Al Qaeda’s terrorism.”
“And yet, for something that could’ve been resolved so easily, they kept threatening and saying it was impossible. I honestly don’t know what the hell this all is.”
At Myungsoo’s lament, I chuckled softly and explained.
“Because I hit President Bush where it hurts. He needs to sit in the presidency longer than his father did. Bush Senior served only one term, but he believes that if he wins reelection, he can finally step out of his father’s shadow. No matter how much pressure the neocons apply, if it interferes with his election, he’s the kind of man who’ll let go of the hand he’s holding with them.”
“So President Bush is afraid of the weapon you have?”
“He’s more afraid because he doesn’t know what that weapon is.”
As long as Bush doesn’t know what kind of card I might hand over to the Democratic Party, he has no choice but to consider the worst-case scenario. That’s why he made this choice.
“Are you really going to be okay? If Bush wins reelection, who knows how he’ll treat you after that?”
At Myungsoo’s words, heavy with concern, I pulled up the corner of my mouth and replied,
“The most useless thing in the world is worrying about me. Stop worrying about pointless things and just make sure you wrap things up properly now.”
