Free Web NovelThe meeting with Kim Jongil took place the very next day.
At the same time Jang Songthaek was holding talks with Myungsoo, I traveled to Pocheon City with a man Jang Songthaek had assigned as my guide.
How long had we driven north after leaving Pyongyang?
Security checkpoints began to appear.
Only after undergoing inspections seven times did we finally arrive at the villa where Kim Jongil was staying.
The man who had brought me there bowed at the waist, as if this was as far as he was allowed to go.
“I’ll wait outside.”
No matter how much Jang Songthaek trusted his subordinates, there was no way he would allow them direct contact with Kim Jongil.
Someone was bound to try to use Kim Jongil.
“I understand.”
Only Ma, Manager Ma, and I entered the villa.
As soon as we opened the door and stepped inside, I saw several men and women gathered on the first floor.
So this is Kim Jongun’s group.
Kim Jongun and his brother Kim Jongchul were both there.
“W-who are you?”
Kim Jongchul asked in a trembling voice, staring at me as I entered without a word.
“I came from South Korea to meet Chairman Kim Jongil. Where is he?”
“From the South?”
I nodded.
“Yes. I’m Kim Muhyuk.”
The moment I said my name, Ko Yonghui reacted violently. Looks like she knew who I was.
“Y-you!!”
I raised the corner of my lips as I looked at her pointing finger.
“You know me?”
“Because of you, the Chairman Comrade—!”
I shook my head. Judging by how recklessly she was running her mouth, she wouldn’t live long.
“Don’t say it’s because of me. Everything is Chairman Kim Jongil’s own karma.”
“You son of a—!”
Ko Yonghui trembled violently. I ignored her and asked the others.
“Where is Chairman Kim Jongil?”
Kim Jongun, who had been quietly observing me, answered.
“What exactly are you planning to do by meeting my father?”
“Well. We’ve known each other for quite a long time. Since I was visiting Pyongyang, I thought I’d stop by and see his face.” freёweɓnovel.com
“Did you come to kill my father?”
His bold attitude overlapped with the image of Kim Jongun I remembered from the news in my previous life.
The infamous parricide who killed his uncle Jang Songthaek with an anti-aircraft gun.
An incarnation of desire who would assassinate even his half-brother for power.
But the Kim Jongun standing in front of me now was just a young man barely in his early twenties.
“Why would I kill him? I’m just here to talk.”
“We didn’t receive any word from our uncle at all. And yet—”
“I understand what you mean. A South Korean, and one without any official position, being here—you don’t understand what kind of situation this is, do you?”
Kim Jongun clamped his mouth shut and glared at me. His reaction wasn’t hard to understand.
Without Jang Songthaek’s permission, meeting Kim Jongil was impossible.
But I had told Jang Songthaek not to inform him of my visit.
I wanted to see the unfiltered, raw Kim Jongil.
“......”
“I came with Vice Chairman Jang’s permission, so don’t worry. I won’t take long. Where is Chairman Kim Jongil?”
No one answered.
Then a voice came from the second floor.
“That’s enough. Send him up.”
“Father!”
It was Kim Jongil.
Despite his family calling out, Kim Jongil turned and walked back inside.
I slowly climbed the stairs, followed him into the room he had entered, and closed the door.
Inside the room, which looked like a study, liquor bottles were scattered carelessly.
Cigarette butts were piled high in an ashtray.
“It’s been a while, Chairman Kim Jongil.”
“It has been a while, Mr. Kim.”
He looked considerably gaunt, but his eyes were still sharp.
With a cigarette hanging from his lips, Kim Jongil looked at me and asked,
“So. You show up without warning—what is it? Did you come to mock me?”
Instead of answering, I slowly walked over and sat down. Manager Ma followed and stood behind me.
“I simply stopped by while visiting Pyongyang due to old ties. How could I possibly mock you, Chairman?”
Kim Jongil picked up the glass in front of him and drained it in one gulp.
Setting the empty glass down, he spoke calmly.
“I should have killed you back then. If I had, I wouldn’t be suffering this humiliation.”
“Well. If you had killed me back then... North Korea would probably have collapsed.”
“Hah! What kind of confidence is that? Do you think America would have moved just because one man died?”
I shrugged. Yes, America wouldn’t have moved.
“No, America wouldn’t have. But Russia would have. They wouldn’t have missed such a perfect opportunity. They had more than enough justification. Russia already knew that when the Soviet Union collapsed, a nuclear weapon was secretly transferred to North Korea through Vladivostok. Did you really think no one knew?”
“......”
“You didn’t think there would be no trace left, did you? It’s a nuclear weapon. Of course they’d know where it ended up. At first, even they weren’t sure. Every trail led to North Korea, but there was no physical evidence. But for great powers, does evidence really matter? Just look at Iraq. If they believe it exists, then that becomes the truth.”
At the mention of Iraq, Kim Jongil’s eyebrows twitched.
Despite thorough inspections by UN investigators, the United States claimed weapons of mass destruction existed.
Those weapons—used as justification for the invasion of Iraq—were a fabrication.
Yet no country raised an objection.
Some didn’t want to earn America’s displeasure. Others acted for their own interests.
That was international politics.
The cries of the powerless were empty. In the end, everything was decided by the logic of the strong.
“I know. That’s international politics. That’s why I couldn’t trust anyone. Not China, not the Soviet Union. You need power! That’s why I needed nuclear weapons. It was all for the Republic—”
For the Republic? I let out a hollow laugh without meaning to.
“Don’t spout pretty lies about the Republic. You chose it to protect your own kingdom. If you truly cared about the Republic, truly about the people, you should have reformed and opened up like China. You had plenty of chances.”
“......”
“You’re the one who threw those chances away. I also wanted to do many things with you. But then—”
As I spoke, my emotions surged, and I paused to steady my breathing.
Manager Ma placed a hand on my shoulder, as if telling me to calm down.
I glanced at him briefly, then looked back at Kim Jongil.
“You fired a gun at my man. That was when I knew. That I could never do anything with you. That you would stab me in the back sooner or later. That’s why I came all this way.”
Kim Jongil glared at Manager Ma.
“All this over one mere subordinate? You crazy bastard! Have you lost your mind?”
Kim Jongil’s lips trembled.
“Protecting my subordinates, my people, to the very end—that’s my creed.”
Kim Jongil let out a hollow laugh, alternating his gaze between me and Manager Ma as if incredulous.
It must have been shocking—to think all of this was planned for such a reason.
But it was the truth. If Kim Jongil hadn’t done that one thing, things might have gone differently.
There was no reason one couldn’t work with a dictator.
If he had maintained a good relationship with me, I could have done business with Kim Jongil as well.
I had actually tried to move forward with business, even handling negotiations with the United States on his behalf.
But Kim Jongil couldn’t break his habits and insisted on doing things his own way.
“Well, there’s no point talking about this now. The outcome is already decided, and it can’t be reversed.”
Kim Jongil poured another drink. I could see a faint tremor in his fingers.
“That’s exactly my point. So why did you come? State your business.”
“Have you truly given up everything?”
Kim Jongil gave a self-mocking smile.
“With my arms and legs cut off, what can I do?”
“Even so, the name of Kim Il-sung’s son still carries weight, doesn’t it? That’s how you seized power in the first place.”
“Listen, Mr. Kim. Do you truly believe I’m sitting here solely because of my father’s shadow? I killed all my rivals with my own hands and seized power.”
It was true that Kim Jongil eliminated his rivals to seize power.
But that, too, was only possible because he was Kim Il-sung’s blood, backed by Kim Il-sung’s tacit approval and support.
When I simply looked at him in silence, Kim Jongil spoke first.
“......What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I intend to bring Vice Chairman Jang Songthaek to Seoul. South Korea, North Korea, and the United States—there will be a trilateral meeting. The plan is to lift the UN sanctions there. That’s the only way North Korea survives.”
“And why tell me that? Isn’t that something Jang Songthaek should handle?”
That was true. But there was a risk factor, which was why I brought it up.
“The Vice Chairman is worried. That while he’s away from Pyongyang, you might make a move. Or that someone else might stage a coup in Chairman Kim Jongil’s name.”
“......That bastard. Being that timid, what can he possibly do? Tell him to go without worrying. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) I have no more attachments.”
Was Kim Jongil being sincere? I studied his eyes and movements as I asked,
“Are you serious?”
“I’ve lived on a blade’s edge for decades. Shouldn’t that bastard Jang be grateful that I’ve let him live this long?”
“Hmm......”
Kim Jongil answered calmly. His expression looked bitter, but I couldn’t read any falsehood in it.
“Go tell Jang Songthaek to keep his promise to me. If he does, I won’t harbor any other intentions.”
A promise. Likely that if Kim Jongil cooperated, his life and his family’s lives would be spared.
“So you mean it.”
“That’s right. As you said, it’s already irreversible. If I try to reclaim power now... whether I succeed or fail, there will be bloodshed.”
“That’s not something you’d be afraid of, is it? How much blood is already on your hands?”
Kim Jongil sighed and shook his head.
“I don’t have the confidence to put my family’s lives on the line. My family comes first.”
He had deeply hated Kim Song-ae, Kim Il-sung’s third wife, and her children as well.
But in the end, he killed none of them. He simply sent them abroad, never allowing them to set foot on North Korean soil again.
Even Kim Pyong-il, his rival, was treated that way.
I nodded.
“Then I’ll trust you and call Vice Chairman Jang to Seoul.”
With that, I stood up.
There was nothing more to gain from talking to someone who had already given up everything.
“Then I’ll be going.”
As I turned to leave, Kim Jongil called out to me.
“Mr. Kim.”
I turned back.
“Help Jang Songthaek a lot.”
“I intend to, even without you saying so.”
Asking me to help the man who had driven him out—it felt strange, and I could only give a small smile.
Kim Jongil swirled his glass and looked at me again.
“But... there’s something strange.”
“What is it?”
“Shortly before the UN sanctions resolution passed, someone from the Russian embassy secretly contacted me, asking to meet.”
“The Russian embassy?”
Why would the Russian embassy be involved now? Perhaps reading the confusion on my face, Kim Jongil gave a faint smirk.
“So I met them secretly. Before the meeting, I thought they were an envoy of the Russian president. But they weren’t.”
“......What exactly are you trying to say? Why drag this out?”
At my urging, Kim Jongil pulled one corner of his mouth upward.
“They said they could block the UN Security Council resolution and suggested we join hands with them.”
“......”
“I asked whether that was the Russian president’s intention.”
Had someone in the Kremlin developed ulterior motives? My throat went dry.
“And they said it wasn’t. So I asked again—who they were, what their identity was.”
“So who were they?”
Kim Jongil laughed as he raised his glass.
“I don’t know. They arrogantly said they’d tell me only if I took their hand. So I refused.”
