Free Web NovelThe U.S. Ambassador and the CIA station chief in Korea came looking for Kissinger...
I set my chopsticks down and picked up my glass of water. Tilting it, I used it to hide my stiffened expression.
“They were curious why you entered Korea together with me.”
They wouldn’t have come just out of simple curiosity. I set the glass down and met Kissinger’s eyes head-on.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if they didn’t come looking? A heavyweight like you entered the country without saying a word to the embassy. Reports would’ve already gone in—not only to the Blue House, but to the U.S. Embassy as well.”
I hadn’t used a forged passport; I entered on a diplomatic one. Of course the report of my entry would have gone through.
“You know who the U.S. Ambassador is, right?”
“Yes. I’ve met him before.”
Thomas—whom I had met when Jang Songthaek moved and I went to the U.S. Embassy—came to mind.
“What did you think of Thomas?”
“He seemed reasonably ambitious, and perceptive enough. But only to that extent. Not someone interesting enough for me to take a real interest in.”
It was a bold assessment, but instead of taking offense, Kissinger clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
“Haha! You know how to read people. Yes, Thomas does have a bit of ambition. But he never crosses the line. The moment his own neck feels at risk, he senses it instantly and pulls back.”
“Is that so? You seem to know him well.”
“What do you expect? I’m Kissinger.”
It was short, but carried real weight. I chuckled softly and asked, frёewebnoѵēl.com
“Then why bring this up all of a sudden? Because they didn’t find you immediately after you entered the country? You wouldn’t bother telling me about the embassy staff’s negligence. There’s no reason to.”
I already knew that the U.S. Ambassador had visited Kissinger at the Myeongdong Hotel.
It was so obvious that I hadn’t bothered to mention it.
Yet Kissinger brought it up himself—without getting to the real point.
“Then what about the CIA station chief?”
“I know of him.”
“Have you met him?”
“I’ve only heard the name. I’ve never met him.” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Kissinger nodded.
At that moment, the door opened and the staff came in to clear the table.
The conversation paused until they finished.
Soon after, they returned with neatly cut fruit and cups of sujeonggwa, then left again.
“Is there any reason for me to meet the CIA station chief? How much business do I even have with people like that?”
But Kissinger seemed to think differently.
The eyes behind his glasses were cold and settled.
Slowly shaking his head, he said,
“Don’t underestimate the CIA’s operations. Right now, they’re watching you. If they decide you interfere with America’s national interests, they’ll do anything. Chris is famous within the CIA for his strong patriotism.”
“What could I possibly do that interferes with U.S. interests? Most of my profits come from the United States. And I don’t evade taxes—I pay them faithfully.”
“That’s true for now. But you’re not a U.S. citizen. That’s what matters to them.”
Perhaps his throat was dry—Kissinger picked up the sujeonggwa and took a sip.
Then his eyes widened slightly as he asked,
“This is good. What’s it called?”
“It’s called sujeonggwa.”
“Hm. Quite good.”
Just like that, the mood shifted again. As expected—an unpredictable man.
Looking satisfied, he nodded, took a couple more sips, and set the cup down.
“Chris may have come to Korea because of you. He said it was only one of several reasons, but... really, that just means he came because of you.”
“So he took the Korea station chief post to keep an eye on me.”
“Exactly. For now, since I said I’d be watching you, it shouldn’t be a major issue. But if one day they decide you’re an enemy of the United States, they won’t hesitate to come after you by any means necessary.”
If the CIA started interference operations, it would be quite a headache.
More than that, though, I couldn’t help wondering why Kissinger was telling me all this.
“I don’t plan on going down easily. But Kissinger—why are you telling me this? You’re someone who would topple even a nation’s ruler if it served America’s interests.”
At my sharp question, Kissinger lifted one corner of his mouth.
“I’ve examined the path you’ve walked over the past five years—every step. Based on that alone, I °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° judged that it benefits both the United States and myself not to make an enemy of you. Well? Was the information useful? These days, young people call this a ‘friendship fee,’ I hear. Think of it as paying in advance—I plan on relying on you for a while.”
That kind of reaction from Kissinger was unexpected.
Still, I couldn’t completely erase my suspicion.
Looking straight into his eyes, I asked again,
“What if I do interfere with America’s national interests? Would you still intend to maintain ties with me then? I prioritize myself and the people around me above all else. My people, my interests—they come first. If anyone gets in the way of that, no matter who they are, I won’t just sit there and take it. You’ve seen it all, so you know. If I’m hit once, I return it tenfold.”
Kissinger didn’t avert his gaze and answered directly.
“That’s something to think about when the time comes. But it won’t be easy. I intend to stay by your side and offer advice so you don’t stray too far. How about it? Wouldn’t that be enough?”
“......”
“I’m not asking you to trust me. Just give me a seat next to you so I can watch. Call it the whim of an old man who doesn’t know when he’ll die. I’m simply curious how far you’ll go.”
By now, Kissinger’s eyes were filled with unmistakable curiosity.
It didn’t feel like he was lying...
In the end, I nodded.
“Understood. But if you interfere with what I’m doing, I’ll cut you off.”
“Tsk, my friend. What power does this old man have to interfere with your work?”
I spoke firmly, but Kissinger answered with an easy grin. A real old fox, that one.
Letting out a small sigh, I asked,
“So are you telling me that Chris is someone who might interfere with me?”
“No. Just that the Chris I know is someone capable of doing anything. I’m telling you so you’re aware and prepared. If you don’t interfere with U.S. interests, he won’t move.”
So, in short, he was warning me out of concern.
And in truth, I had no intention of becoming America’s enemy.
There was no need to bare my fangs over advice given in goodwill.
“Thank you.”
I dipped my head slightly in thanks.
Waving his hand dismissively, Kissinger smiled.
“That’s enough. Let’s get up. Care for a drink?”
“Unfortunately, next time. I have quite a bit to take care of. An unplanned trip to Singapore just got scheduled, so I need to sort through a backlog of work.”
“Then I’ll be drinking alone. In that case, let’s at least have meals together from time to time. I plan on staying in Korea for a while. I should visit Pyongyang too, shouldn’t I?”
I laughed at the way he clicked his tongue, sounding disappointed despite backing off so readily.
“Alright. Making time for that won’t be a problem. And I’ll speak to the Myeongdong Hotel so you can move around comfortably. I’ll send a driver I trust—treat him like a secretary and put him to work.”
At the same time, that meant I’d know every person he met and every place he went while in Korea.
Naturally, Kissinger caught on immediately and chuckled.
“So you’re openly saying you’ll keep me under surveillance?”
“If that’s how you want to take it.”
“You’re not even trying to hide it anymore.”
Shrugging, Kissinger replied cheerfully,
“Fine. Send him over. As long as it’s comfortable for me. Though I did refuse U.S. security—won’t I get nagged for accepting a Korean driver instead?”
“I’ll send him starting tomorrow.”
After dropping Kissinger back at the Myeongdong Hotel, we headed toward Pyeongchang-dong.
“Send someone to the Myeongdong Hotel to assist Kissinger while he stays in Korea. Someone fluent in English, and tight-lipped.”
“Yes, Boss.”
After giving the instruction to Manager Ma, I sank deep into the seat.
‘Chris—the CIA station chief in Korea... Another person I’ll have to keep an eye on.’
The inside of the car was silent—not even the sound of breathing.
Thanks to that, I could sink into deep thought.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
With news that a series of high-level talks involving five countries—South Korea, North Korea, the United States, China, and Russia—would be held in Seoul following the inter-Korean summit, the eyes of the entire world turned toward Korea.
Broadcast networks spent the entire preparation period speculating on what would be discussed at the summit, readying themselves to air the historic meeting live.
Until his meeting with the president, Kissinger met no one, instead touring Korea in what could only be described as sightseeing disguised as tourism.
Occasionally, we had dinner together and exchanged casual conversation, but he didn’t seem to want much from me.
When the time came, Kissinger met with the president, and I heard they had a rather serious discussion.
Then time flowed on—winter passed, spring arrived.
And finally, the day of the historic inter-Korean summit came.
Together with Kissinger, I headed to Panmunjom, where the two leaders would meet.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you nervous.”
Kissinger laughed aloud from the seat beside me.
“I’m not nervous. It’s just finally sinking in that this is the beginning. Didn’t we take quite a long detour to get here?”
“True. If Kim Ilsung hadn’t died, there probably would’ve been a major event between the two Koreas ten years ago.”
“An event?”
“Yes. The two leaders were set to meet for the first time back then, and the U.S. was supporting the South Korean government to improve relations with the North. But Kim Ilsung died, and everything came to nothing. Kim Jongil was too unpredictable.”
As if recalling the past, Kissinger’s eyes softened slightly.
“I gave President Kim Hakgwon one piece of advice—hold the summit, but don’t trust Kim Jongil. He trusted him too much. That’s what created the difference between President Yoon Changho and President Kim Hakgwon.”
Hearing the past from a living witness was genuinely fascinating.
I asked questions from time to time, and he spoke frankly about what he had felt.
“In any case, you pulled off something extremely difficult.”
“You flatter me. Jang Songthaek moved of his own accord. I only touched his desires and set things in motion. In the end, he was the one who chose to act.”
“You know excessive modesty is a poison. The U.S. already knows you used mercenaries to capture and detain Kim Jongil.”
I turned my head to look at Kissinger. He answered with a grin full of mischief and shrugged.
“Why so surprised? You didn’t really think that would stay hidden forever.”
Of course, I’d always known that one day it would come out.
Still, I never expected to hear that the U.S. already knew—like this.
“America’s intelligence network really is something. But is it alright for you to tell me all this?”
“So what? Once you have a rough idea, collecting information isn’t difficult.”
Even as I voiced my admiration, my thoughts were tangled beyond measure.
Did the United States know that Russian forces had directly entered North Korea?
And that nuclear weapons had been recovered in the process...
“It was fascinating. Infiltrating North Korea using only Russian mercenaries, detaining Kim Jongil, and giving Jang Songthaek time to clean things up. That’s something even the U.S. couldn’t do. It would’ve been even better if you’d worked with us instead of Russia—we could’ve helped more.”
“The preparation window was very short. The decisive trigger was an unannounced nuclear test. And the neocons were constantly insisting on invading North Korea, so relying on the Russian government was unavoidable.”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m just disappointed that something so interesting happened without my knowing.”
Judging by his expression, it wasn’t empty talk—he truly looked regretful.
Well, he was a man who enjoyed pulling strings behind regimes he didn’t like.
“If something like that happens again, I’ll give you a subtle heads-up. On one condition—that you promise not to tell the U.S. government.”
“Oh? Now that is interesting. You’d really do that?”
As we continued talking, we arrived at Panmunjom.
