Free Web NovelDrinking with the master of the Kremlin always lasted until dawn.
Because the President was such a heavy drinker, I ended up losing control of my own pace as well.
“Ah, I’m dying.”
I didn’t wake up until lunchtime. Only after finishing an entire bottle of water did my mind barely clear.
I pressed the bell and called Manager Kim.
“You’re awake, sir?”
Manager Kim opened the door and greeted me. I nodded, my head still throbbing.
“I feel like having some hot soup...”
“I’ll have it prepared.”
“Alright. I’ll wash up and head down. Anything to report?”
“There’s something regarding Chunha Group.”
It was about the situation in Korea that I had asked about yesterday. I nodded.
“I’ll hear it after I eat.”
After Manager Kim bowed and left, I got out of bed and walked to the window.
I pulled back the curtains and looked outside. Snow that had fallen overnight lay thick on the ground, reflecting the sunlight.
I opened the window and inhaled the cold air.
As the icy wind brushed past my cheeks, I finally felt the alcohol beginning to fade.
“I should’ve drunk a little less.”
No matter how quickly you regret something, it’s always too late.
“Oh! That smells good.”
After standing in the cold air for a while, I washed up and went down to the dining room, where a bowl of spicy spicy beef soup was waiting.
I poured rice into the soup and ate. The bowl disappeared in an instant.
“Now I feel alive again.”
My pounding head felt a little better. After filling my stomach, I found myself craving coffee.
“Please bring some coffee to the study.”
I stood up from the table and went into the study.
“It’s about the situation in Korea, right?”
Manager Kim followed me in and explained the current situation inside Chunha Group.
“Chu Dongbin and Lim Hwasu have joined forces. Meanwhile, Yang Uguk has gathered another faction to oppose them.”
“Wasn’t the plan to push Lim Hwasu as chairman?”
“Yes. That’s why the backlash is even stronger. Lim Hwasu is the youngest among the directors.”
“Ha, what kind of gangster bastards start talking about seniority?”
I couldn’t help laughing in disbelief.
“They’ve decided to hold a general meeting where the executives, directors, and all department heads of Chunha Group will gather. After that decision was announced, Yang Uguk's side launched a terrorist attack on Lim Hwasu.”
“A terrorist attack?”
“Yes. They attacked his house. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the police were dispatched. Judging by the fact that one of the organization members guarding him was seriously injured, it seems the situation was quite serious.”
“Ha... even these trashy bastards are starting to crawl out now.”
Of all things, now even gangsters were getting involved.
“Director Ma has summoned all his subordinates and requested support from Black Bear as well.”
As I drank my coffee and smiled faintly, Manager Kim added knowingly,
“Director Ma is extremely angry. On top of that, the reason he was alone in Korea during the previous attack was because of Chunha Group. And now he hasn’t even managed to resolve that situation properly.”
I could understand Director Ma’s feelings.
I had left him in Seoul specifically to clean up Chunha Group.
But while he was there, I had faced danger in North Korea. He must have regretted not being by my side.
That was exactly the kind of person Director Ma was.
I nodded and asked,
“Is Chu Dongbin and Lim Hwasu's side losing?”
“If it becomes an all-out war, Chu Dongbin’s side has the advantage. But if that happens, Chunha Group will be completely destroyed.”
“So the Director plans to move personally with his men.”
Now I understood why he told me not to come back to Korea.
He was probably worried they might target me before things were settled.
“The police are paying close attention to this incident. Unfortunately, the apartment where Lim Hwasu lives is home to many politicians and celebrities. The news has already spread widely on the internet. It’s beyond the point where it can be suppressed.”
“They’re insane. Even if they were going to act, they should’ve done it quietly. So when are they planning to clean things up?”
“There’s a large event in Busan this Sunday. They’re preparing to make that the D-Day.”
“That’s three days from now.”
If Director Ma moved personally, things would get noisy, but the situation would ultimately be sorted out cleanly.
“Alright. Then we’ll return once things in Korea are settled.” freёwebnoѵel.com
“Yes. The private jet has already arrived at the airport and is waiting.”
“Keep me updated as news from Korea comes in.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m going to rest a little longer. Take care of the other matters.”
After sending Manager Kim away, I lay down on the sofa and rested.
I must have dozed off briefly.
When I woke to the sound of knocking, the sun was already setting.
“It’s Igor.”
“Come in.”
Igor entered the room and looked at me carefully.
“Did I disturb you while you were resting?”
“No, it’s fine. What ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ is it?”
“The master of the Kremlin has spoken with Jang Songthaek.”
“Really? Then I’ll probably receive a call soon as well.”
It seemed things were being sorted out.
Sure enough, my phone on the table began vibrating.
“That man really has no sense of restraint.”
I picked up the phone and brought it to my ear.
“Yes. Kim Muhyuk speaking.”
— This is Jang Songthaek. Are you safe, President Kim Muhyuk?
“I’m safe. Though I certainly didn’t expect something like that to happen in North Korea.”
— I received reports that there was a firefight. Were you injured?
“No.”
Perhaps because my tone was stiffer than usual, Jang Songthaek sounded visibly tense.
— I sincerely apologize that such an incident occurred in our Republic. I also did not expect those bastards to target you directly. I’m sorry.
“What’s done is done. Please take care of the Guard Command officers who died protecting me. Thanks to those soldiers, I was able to escape that place safely. Without them, things would’ve been much worse.”
I thought of the Guard Command soldiers Jang Songthaek had assigned to protect me.
“Did they all die?”
— ...Yes. The soldiers who initiated the first firefight at the checkpoint were all killed. The personnel who stayed with you were either wounded or killed as well.
“Please compensate their families sufficiently. Or should I do it myself?”
— No. The Republic will compensate them.
“Please make sure of it. They died for me. Without them, something far more terrible could have happened.”
— I promise. They are heroes of the Republic.
I couldn’t blame Jang Songthaek alone.
I had been careless as well.
When he told me he would suppress them in advance, I was the one who suggested waiting for them to move so we could wipe them all out at once.
...Damn. I need to get a grip.
I covered the receiver for a moment and said to Igor,
“Please ask them to bring a cold coffee.”
“Yes, boss.”
Then I returned to the call.
“This incident had faults on both sides, so let’s leave it at that. But if there are no follow-up measures, I will never enter North Korea again.”
— ...I will make sure everything is cleaned up thoroughly. You will never experience something like this again.
“So how do you plan to deal with it? Was Kim Jongil involved? After I visited him and warned him, this happened. I can’t help but be suspicious.”
Honestly, it looked less like suspicion and more like certainty.
— I visited the General and spoke with him for quite a long time. He had known about it beforehand, but as I told you before, he said he had no intention of joining them. And... when we suppressed the coup, the General personally contacted the military and supported me. So perhaps...
He was speaking at length just to say he wouldn’t kill Kim Jongil.
“This kind of thing won’t happen again, right?”
— ...I heard you told him to leave the Republic. Is that true?
“Yes. As long as he remains in North Korea, someone will always try to use him. If you cannot kill him, then how about sending him abroad?”
I could hear him swallowing nervously on the other end. I spoke more firmly.
“If you don’t plan to send him abroad, then you’ll have to kill him. If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.”
— ...No. After Choi Ryunghae’s trial ends, I will send the General and his family abroad.
“If you disappointed me again because of personal feelings, I was prepared to reconsider my relationship with you, Chairman. Can I trust you?”
— I give you my word. But you must wait a little. I intend to firmly seize power with this opportunity.
His voice had hardened, as if he had fully made up his mind.
“That’s exactly what I wanted. We’re supposed to work together for the next ten or twenty years, aren’t we? For safety’s sake, you need to hold power firmly in your hands. Besides, when you’re in that position, it’s difficult to pretend to be a half-heartedly good person.”
— I was mistaken. I tried to show that I was different from the General... but perhaps that only made them see me as weak.
Through the receiver, I could hear Jang Songthaek grinding his teeth.
Did he really not realize that before?
Suppressing a laugh, I asked,
“You’re putting Choi Ryunghae on trial? Not killing him immediately?”
— Yes. I intend to show the people properly. Two of his closest aides have already been publicly executed.
That surprised me a little.
“Already? That’s faster than I expected.”
— If there are still people entertaining other thoughts, I want them to tremble in fear after seeing that execution. I made Choi Ryunghae watch it himself.
“Was it a firing squad?”
— I couldn’t give them such an easy death. I blew them to pieces with anti-aircraft guns.
So he’s returning the favor exactly the way he was executed in my previous life.
“It’s a shame I didn’t get to see Choi Ryunghae trembling in fear.”
— That friend even wet himself. Hahahaha.
Jang Songthaek laughed loudly, as if telling an amusing story.
“So what will you do with Choi Ryunghae? And the other conspirators?”
— Everyone except Choi Ryunghae is still being investigated. If even a grain of involvement is found, they will either be killed or sent to Aoji coal mine. I also plan to purge the military completely.
If Jang Songthaek had made up his mind, then that was exactly what would happen.
The blade of this purge would be completely different from those of the past.
Jang Songthaek spoke for quite a while about the plans he had prepared.
“That sounds interesting. Publicly arresting him during the expanded meeting is a nice touch.”
It seemed that in North Korea, no matter who held power, things remained the same.
Jang Songthaek, who knew nothing of my past life, was planning to eliminate Choi Ryunghae in exactly the same way he himself had once been purged.
He wasn’t just planning to kill him.
He intended to bury him completely.
— Ah, and the Chinese ambassador came to see me and begged desperately.
“The Chinese ambassador?”
— Yes. He came immediately after learning that China was behind this incident. I made him wait for three hours before meeting him.
Given the stiff pride of Chinese diplomats, that wasn’t easy for them.
“They know when it’s time to bow their heads. Do you have any other information about China?”
— President Hu Jintao and Zeng Qinghong have joined forces. They say all the people involved have already been arrested. I will speak with President Hu Jintao tomorrow.
China also seemed to be moving according to plan.
— If President Hu Jintao apologizes, I’ll receive an apology that even the Great Leader and the General never received.
Would Hu Jintao apologize?
I doubted it.
He wasn’t the kind of man who would. Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao were hardly different. Neither would apologize to North Korea.
“When you speak with President Hu Jintao, please contact me as well.”
— Yes. I will make sure to tell him.
“Then I’ll hang up now. This call has gotten quite long. Next time, let’s meet with smiles.”
— I’ll contact you once things are more or less settled.
After ending the call with Jang Songthaek, I looked at my coffee.
All the ice had melted, leaving it watered down and bland.
