Free Web Novel“It should be starting about now.”
As he spoke while checking his wristwatch, President Yoon Changho froze for a moment.
“...There’s no turning back now, is there?”
At his question, heavy with anxiety, I nodded.
“Yes. The dice have already been thrown. All we can do now is wait for the outcome.”
Yoon Changho let out a sigh, pressed the phone beside him, and gave an order.
“Convene the NSC. Tell everyone to gather at the Blue House within two hours.”
— Excuse me? Right now?
“Yes. Contact them immediately.”
— Mr. President, on what grounds are you calling an emergency session?
Yoon Changho fell silent for a moment and looked at me.
His gaze asked whether it was okay to say it now. I nodded instead of answering.
Only then did Yoon Changho speak again.
“A sudden change in North Korea.”
— Pardon?
“Was that hard to understand? I said to convene the National Security Council over a sudden situation in North Korea.”
— N-North Korea? What exactly has happened?
“Just tell them all to assemble first. I’ll contact the Minister of National Defense myself.”
— ......Understood.
After giving the order, Yoon Changho placed another call.
He stayed on the line for quite some time. Only after a long while did the call connect.
— Hello?
Perhaps he had just woken up; drowsiness clung to the voice.
“Minister Kim, this is Yoon Changho.”
— Mr. President. What is this about at this hour?
“Come to the Blue House immediately. And issue Jindogae Level One to all frontline units and the Five West Sea Islands.”
— What?
At the words Jindogae One, the sleep seemed to vanish instantly, and the other man’s voice shot up.
— Did you say Jindogae Level One?
“That’s right. Minister Kim Doohyeong.”
— Th-the reason?
“Preparations for a sudden situation in North Korea. They may attempt a provocation against us. We’ve already convened the NSC. I’ll say it again—issue Jindogae One immediately and come to the Blue House at once.”
A brief silence followed, and then the Minister of National Defense’s bewildered voice came through the receiver.
— A sudden situation in North Korea? Another coup? This is so sudden... We had no information at all, Mr. President.
“If the information weren’t solid, would I be calling the NSC? Just come for now. Activate Jindogae One.”
— ......I’ll head there immediately.
“Activate Jindogae One first.”
— Mr. President, activating Jindogae One is—
The minister hesitated.
“That’s why I’m telling you to activate Jindogae, which the Korean military can do on its own, instead of DEFCON. We’re just preparing. Why all the objections? Is there any harm in being prepared in advance? I’ll take full responsibility. Issue it.”
— I... I understand.
“Come immediately.”
With that, Yoon Changho ended the call.
“Tch. What a frustrating man.”
He clicked his tongue in displeasure. Smiling, I replied,
“Jindogae is an alert posture limited to specific regions. There’s never been a case where it was activated simultaneously across the entire frontline and the Five West Sea Islands, has there?”
“That’s true. Still, it’s the best I can do without U.S. approval. If it goes to DEFCON 3 or higher, wartime operational control shifts to the Americans.”
“Shouldn’t we inform the U.S. soon as well? They’ll need to respond.”
“...Are you sure that’s okay? If they find out you’re involved, it’ll cause an uproar.”
“There’s no need to tell them from the start that I’m involved. Just say you happened to find out.”
Jindogae wasn’t enough. At the very least, DEFCON 3 ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) should be declared to maintain a quasi-wartime posture.
If this failed, there was no telling what Kim Jongil might do.
“...All right.”
Yoon Changho picked up the phone again and called somewhere else.
At the very moment Kim Muhyuk and Yoon Changho were talking at the Blue House residence—
The CIA’s Korea station also noticed strange movements in North Korea.
“What? Is that confirmed?”
“Yes. Unusual activity was captured by satellite at the Yeohori villa.”
“Unusual activity?”
“It appears there was combat.”
CIA Korea Station Chief Smith examined the satellite photos his subordinate brought.
Holding two images, the subordinate pointed out the differences with his finger as he explained.
“Here, you can see all the guard posts have been destroyed. And here—this is the second special residence where the Guard Command stays...”
After listening to the entire explanation, Smith let out a low hum and asked,
“So what’s your assessment?”
“I’ll answer under the assumption that Kim Jongil is currently staying at the Yeohori villa.”
“No one knows where that man is.”
“That’s why I said it’s an assumption.”
“...All right. Let’s talk with the ambassador first. You’re coming with me. Bring everything.”
Smith moved with the CIA agents to the U.S. Ambassador’s residence.
Thanks to advance notice, they were able to meet him immediately. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
“What’s going on?”
At the ambassador’s question, Smith looked to his subordinate. The subordinate laid out the satellite photos again and explained, just as he had to Smith.
After finishing everything, he concluded,
“If Kim Jongil is currently staying at the Yeohori villa... the probability of a coup is high. This is an area civilians cannot enter. When you combine the destruction of the guard posts with the other anomalies visible in the photos, that’s the conclusion.”
“What? A coup?”
Smith and the ambassador asked simultaneously, faces shocked.
“Yes. A coup.”
“That makes no sense! There haven’t been any unusual movements by the North Korean military.”
“That’s correct. No large troop movements have been detected. But we can’t track every movement. If small units moved, it’s possible we wouldn’t know.”
The ambassador’s face hardened.
“...A coup...”
“We can’t know North Korea’s internal situation precisely, but since the UN resolution passed, the borders have essentially been sealed. Dissatisfaction inside must be considerable. In that case, the likelihood of a coup is high.”
The ambassador’s expression stiffened. At that moment, his phone rang.
Checking the number, the U.S. ambassador hurriedly answered.
“Yes. President Yoon Changho. This is Ambassador Thomas.”
— This is Yoon Changho.
“Yes, I know. But what brings you to call at this hour?”
— The situation in North Korea has changed rapidly.
Thomas replied while glancing at the two men in front of him.
“Changed rapidly? What do you mean by—”
— An unidentified group has entered the Yeohori villa where Kim Jongil is believed to be. We’ve convened the NSC and issued Jindogae One to the Five West Sea Islands and frontline units. Do you know anything about this?
“...How did you find out?”
— By chance. Did the U.S. know as well? And you didn’t inform us?
At Yoon Changho’s interrogative tone, Thomas looked troubled.
“No. We only just learned of it from satellite imagery.”
— Is that true? The U.S. didn’t know?
“Yes. That’s true. However, Mr. President, you seem to know more accurately than we do. Do you also know who is leading the coup?”
— I don’t know the details myself. According to what the Russians have identified, they believe it was orchestrated by Jang Songthaek.
“Russia? Did they contact you?”
— They did.
At Yoon Changho’s firm reply, Thomas hesitated briefly before asking,
“...By any chance, did you hear this from Kim Muhyuk?”
When no answer came, Thomas frowned.
“Mr. President.”
— Russia contacted Kim Muhyuk, and he immediately contacted me.
If Russia had singled out Jang Songthaek, and had leaked that to Kim Muhyuk—
The probability that the information was accurate was quite high.
“Is Kim Muhyuk with you right now?”
— He is.
“May I speak with him?”
A moment later, Kim Muhyuk’s voice came on the line.
— Ambassador Thomas. This is Kim Muhyuk.
“Charlie. It’s been a while.”
— It has. Long time.
Thomas exchanged brief pleasantries, then went straight to the point.
“Did you obtain information about this incident from Russia?”
— Yes. I received contact from the Kremlin. They said something has happened in North Korea. Not only the Yeohori villa, but also the Seoho Guesthouse in Hungnam was attacked.
“The Seoho Guesthouse?”
Thomas wrote a note asking for satellite imagery of the Seoho Guesthouse.
Smith quickly instructed a subordinate, who grabbed a phone and rushed out.
— Yes. Russia says they don’t know the details either. They don’t know what the coup plotters’ objective is—whether it’s Kim Jongil’s removal or a loyalist coup. But they say the one who set them in motion was Jang Songthaek.
“Are you certain?”
— Who knows. But we need to prepare. Would the Kremlin have any reason to deliberately pass me false information just to cause confusion? By the way, does the U.S. truly know nothing?
At the implied question—Russia knows, so why doesn’t the U.S.?—the ambassador’s lips twitched.
“...We did detect unusual movement at the Yeohori villa, but we didn’t know details to this extent.”
— I see. Then I’ll put the President back on.
Soon, President Yoon Changho’s voice returned.
— Ambassador. We need to declare DEFCON 3.
“DEFCON 3? Is it that serious?”
— Whether it succeeds or fails, North Korea will fall into chaos. In that state, no one knows what actions the North Korean military might take. We need to prepare in advance to minimize our losses.
“I’ll report to Washington first. Please wait.”
— I will.
The call with Yoon Changho ended. Thomas stared blankly at his darkened phone.
Seeing this, Smith urged him.
“What did he say?”
“They say Jang Songthaek has moved.”
“Jang Songthaek?”
“Yes. He claims the Kremlin contacted him. And that not only the Yeohori villa, but the Seoho Guesthouse was attacked as well.” ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
“Ah. That’s why you asked for satellite imagery of the Seoho Guesthouse.”
Smith nodded in understanding.
“Check for more information. It’d be embarrassing if we knew less than the Russians.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll call Washington.”
Ambassador Thomas and Station Chief Smith simultaneously raised their phones and began making calls.
* * *
“Let’s start by hitting them with rockets.”
At Igor’s command, ten men stepped forward.
Igor gestured, clearing space behind them.
The mercenaries split to either side, American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles in their hands.
They were all mercenaries from the former Soviet Union—yet they held American missiles.
After confirming all preparations were complete, Igor raised his radio.
“Beta, this is Alpha. Let’s start by feeding them rockets.”
— Leave it to us.
“Report as soon as you’re ready.”
— Roger.
“Team Five, this is Alpha. The moment the Javelins hit is the signal. Snipe everything in sync. Do not let us get sniped.”
— Understood. All preparations are complete.
“Good. I trust you.”
Igor checked his watch and waited for Ivan’s signal.
— This is Beta. Preparations complete.
“Stand by.”
Igor checked his watch again and raised one hand.
Silence and tension enveloped the area.
Then, a moment later, Igor dropped his hand and gave the order over the radio.
“Blow them away!”
With the hand signal, ten Javelins simultaneously spewed fire.
Igor’s team targeted guard posts, security checkpoints, and armored vehicles operated by the Guard Command.
Another team targeted the second special residence.
The launched missiles streaked rapidly toward their targets.
The mercenaries who fired them moved swiftly to reload.
Igor clenched his rifle tightly, watching the missiles’ trajectories.
As the first missile struck the nearest guard post, a thunderous explosion erased it without a trace.
That was the beginning—explosions erupted everywhere.
“Keep firing as soon as you’re ready.”
To minimize friendly casualties, they rained missiles everywhere except the building believed to house Kim Jongil.
Team Five began sniping. Men who couldn’t even scream collapsed, blood pouring from between their brows.
After firing three rocket volleys, Igor led the charge.
“Everyone, follow me!”
Shouting, Igor sprinted up the hill, mercenaries charging after him.
