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After I spoke with conviction, President Bush asked,

— And how can you, Charlie, be so certain of that?

“Because China has only just now realized that the situation in North Korea has changed drastically. The fact that they knew nothing, despite being closer than Russia or the United States, is proof enough.”

— ······.

“This coup attempt by Jang Songthaek was carried out by Jang Songthaek alone. No country intervened. Russia learned of it by coincidence. That much is certain. So do not even consider moving U.S. Forces Korea. China and Russia will not move either.”

— It sounds like you know something you can’t tell us, Charlie.

Instead of answering directly, I changed the subject.

“If Jang Songthaek succeeds, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad outcome for the United States. He would abandon nuclear weapons. Not only that, he would pursue an opening policy. The Jang Songthaek I know has long argued that North Korea should adopt China’s reform-and-opening model.”

Without leaving even a moment’s gap, Bush followed up quickly.

— That aligns with what we know as well. But can someone outside the Kim family really seize power? Our intelligence assessments suggest it would be extremely difficult. Even if Jang Songthaek succeeds in the coup and takes power, it could lead to even greater chaos.

“That may be true. If Jang Songthaek kills Kim Jongil, a civil war could break out. But if he doesn’t kill him, instead forces him to step back and then seizes real power, that’s another story.”

That was why I had instructed that Kim Jongil be captured alive rather than killed.

Of course, if capture proved impossible, lethal force was permitted.

But if Kim Jongil died, the likelihood of civil war would be high—and that was something I wanted to avoid.

— Hmm. So you’re saying we just have to wait like this, blindly.

“Information is limited, and accordingly, what we can do is also very limited. Moving U.S. Forces Korea means forcing China and Russia to move as well. This is completely different from Afghanistan and Iraq. The war in Afghanistan, triggered by terrorism on U.S. soil, and the Iraq War carried out under the UN’s tacit consent—this is nothing like those cases. Unless it’s the absolute worst-case scenario, I believe you should not move first.”

— Listen here, Charlie.

Dick Cheney’s voice came through. It seemed they had been listening on speaker as well.

“Yes, Vice President Dick Cheney.”

— Can you take responsibility for what you just said?

“Responsibility?”

— Yes. You said China and Russia will not move first. Can you take responsibility for that statement?

“Is that something I’m supposed to take responsibility for?”

— Because of a single sentence from you, everyone gathered here is being asked to do nothing and wait.

At Cheney’s pressure, a hollow laugh escaped me.

“Why should I take responsibility? Is the White House my subordinate? Are you saying that if I tell you not to act, you won’t? Responsibility lies with President Bush and Vice President Cheney—you. Not me. I have no intention of taking responsibility, nor is it my place to do so.”

There was no reason to give them an opening to latch onto.

— So you’re saying you told us something you can’t take responsibility for.

“You’re the ones who came to me asking for information. I answered because you asked. If this is how you’re going to behave, then I won’t answer any further.”

As I said it firmly, Bush intervened and called out to Cheney.

— Enough, Dick.

— Bush, we can’t let America’s strategic stance change just because of the words of a single man. Think about it again. You’re the President of the United States.

— Yes. I’m the President. Not you, Dick. So that’s enough.

— Bush!

Originally, the position of Vice President of the United States was little more than an honorary role with no real power.

A ceremonial office created to assume authority only if the President died or became unable to serve.

But Dick Cheney had dragged that nominal office straight into the center of power.

So much so that the media openly joked—mockingly—that it wasn’t the Bush administration, but the Cheney administration.

— This is my final warning. Stop it!

But even that authority existed only with the President’s approval.

If Bush refused to acknowledge him, Dick Cheney’s power would collapse like a sandcastle.

— Bush.

— Why do you keep trying to push everything your way? I’ve let it slide more than enough times! So for today, just shut up and stay quiet!

Thanks to Bush’s hardline stance, Dick Cheney’s voice fell silent.

Perhaps feeling he’d shown something ugly, Bush hurriedly spoke again.

— Charlie. We’ll end the call here. We need to decide our next steps. If any new information comes in, please share it with us.

“Understood.”

— President Yoon Changho.

Before hanging up, President Bush addressed Yoon Changho.

“Yes, President Bush.”

— The United States does not disregard Korea. While operational control has transferred to us, the United States will not wage war unilaterally without consultation with Korea.

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

— Let’s speak again next time.

President Bush ended the call.

“Whew. That was nerve-racking.”

Yoon Changho shook his head, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

“It looks like President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney aren’t on the same page anymore. They were arguing right in front of us.”

“It’s inevitable. They clash on nearly everything. Sometimes Bush gets pushed by force and ends up going along with their opinions.”

“Being President of the United States doesn’t sound easy either. Honestly, being President of Korea is better. In Korea, if the President wants to do something, there’s no real opposition. Sure, the opposition party complains—but if I make up my mind, I can do whatever I want.”

At Yoon Changho’s banter, I simply smiled without replying.

“But shouldn’t we have heard something by now? This is making me anxious.”

At his words, I checked the clock. It was already past 9 a.m.

If things hadn’t gone wrong, we should’ve heard back long ago.

“Shouldn’t it be soon? Assuming it didn’t fail.”

“Then let’s eat first. I’ll have to head back to my office soon anyway. Tell them to prepare something quickly.”

“Yes.”

Yoon Changho sent word to have breakfast prepared.

At that moment, my phone rang loudly. I checked the number—and it was the satellite phone number I’d given to Jang Songthaek.

I hurriedly answered.

— Boss. It’s Igor.

The moment I heard Igor’s voice, all the tension drained away.

— We’ve secured the Yeohori villa. Kim Jongil and all of his family have been captured alive.

“Really? Are you sure?”

— Yes. Absolutely. Jang Songthaek is currently stabilizing the situation.

“Well done. You did great.”

— We can’t talk for long.

“That’s fine. If it succeeded, what comes next is Jang Songthaek’s responsibility. Did you kill Baek Cheolsu?”

— Yes. We executed him in front of Kim Jongil.

Baek Cheolsu—Kim Jongil’s shadow—was dead. With his most trusted arm gone, Kim Jongil would stay quiet for a while.

“What about our casualties?”

— Twenty-seven dead, twelve seriously wounded. The rest only suffered minor injuries.

“······I thought we’d prepared thoroughly, but that’s still a lot of deaths.”

I noticed Yoon Changho leaning in slightly.

Since the call was in Russian, he couldn’t understand and looked curious.

“What happened, Chairman Kim?”

I turned to Yoon Changho with a bright smile.

“They captured Kim Jongil alive.”

“Really? That’s true?”

“Yes. I’ll explain more once I finish the call.”

Yoon Changho nodded quickly.

“Were the bodies recovered?”

— Yes. All of them.

“Take everyone with you when you withdraw.”

— That’s the plan.

“What about Jang Songthaek?”

— Jang Songthaek is... I’m sorry. He was shot.

“What? Shot?” For a split second, the image of Manager Ma being shot flashed through my mind.

“Was that Kim Jongil?”

If Kim Jongil had tried to kill Jang Songthaek—

— No. I shot him.

“You did? Why?”

— Kim Jongil took Jang Songthaek hostage and threatened us. To show that he had no leverage, I shot him in the thigh.

That explanation made sense. If Igor had hesitated even for a moment, Kim Jongil might have gained the upper hand.

“Well done. It wasn’t life-threatening, was it?”

— No. We gave emergency treatment, then had Kim Jongil’s personal physician treat him properly. He’ll be fine.

“As long as his life isn’t in danger, that’s fine. Jang Songthaek probably won’t feel very friendly toward you now.”

— That’s something I’ll accept.

At Igor’s firm reply, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“If he does anything unusual, contact me immediately.”

— Understood. freewebnovel.cσ๓

“And when you have time, tell Director Jang to contact me.”

— I’ll pass that along.

The call with Igor ended.

I placed the phone on the table and let out a long breath of relief.

I gave a small smile to the anxiously watching Yoon Changho and spoke.

“He’s stabilizing the situation now. It won’t be over in a day or two.”

“Tell me more.”

“Until Jang Songthaek completely crushes Kim Jongil’s faction, he’ll continue using Kim Jongil’s name. In the meantime, he has to arrest everyone who could become a rival.”

“Hm······.”

“Please don’t disclose this to anyone else yet. There’s no need.”

“Understood. Still, it’s a relief. At least it’s not the worst-case scenario.”

I nodded and stood up.

“I should head back for now.”

Yoon Changho stopped me.

“At least eat with me before you go, Chairman Kim.”

“No. If I stay here too long, it could cause problems later. I’ll share any new information with you, Mr. President.”

Yoon Changho drooped his eyebrows slightly and stood as well.

He walked over and lightly patted my shoulder.

“Good work. Next time, let’s talk over a drink.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

I left the residence and exited the Blue House.

* * *

Jang Songthaek secured the exterior, then returned to the underground bunker to treat his gunshot wound.

“How is it? No aftereffects?”

He asked Kim Jongil’s personal physician as the man treated his wound.

“Y-Yes... The bullet passed cleanly through without lodging. As long as treatment goes {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} well, there shouldn’t be any lasting effects.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. I’m certain.”

Jang Songthaek nodded, biting his lip hard.

The memory of Igor firing at him without warning resurfaced.

“That bastard!”

“Pardon?”

“······Not you. Just finish the treatment.”

Suppressing his anger, Jang Songthaek organized what needed to be done next.

First, Ri Ulsol has to be eliminated. He’s served his purpose.

He rapidly sorted through the list of people to be arrested.

“All done.”

At the physician’s words, Jang Songthaek moved his leg once.

“It hurts.”

“The wound is treated, but pain is unavoidable. I’ll give you painkillers. Take them if it becomes unbearable.”

“Do that.”

After rummaging around for a while, the physician handed him several bottles of medication.

“One pill after each meal—take all of them. And these are painkillers. Take them whenever it hurts, but... don’t take them too often. They’re narcotic analgesics.”

“Understood.”

Leaning on the crutches the physician gave him, Jang Songthaek stood up from the chair and hobbled outside.

Igor, who had been seated outside, noticed him and stood.

“Finished with treatment?”

“Yes.”

“Please don’t take it to heart. If I hadn’t acted then, there’s no telling what would’ve happened.”

It wasn’t pleasant, but the man was right. As Jang Songthaek sighed, Igor asked,

“What do you plan to do now?”

“First, I’ll bring in the State Security Department troops. After fully securing this place, we’ll arrest Chairman Kim Jongil’s people in Pyongyang.”

Igor nodded.

“Understood.”

“I’m going to see the Chairman.”

“Please do. And Chairman Kim Muhyuk asked that you contact him.”

“I’ll contact him after speaking with Chairman Kim Jongil.”

Jang Songthaek limped toward the bedroom where Kim Jongil was being held.

Moments later, he opened the door and disappeared inside.