Free Web NovelHeadquarters of the Central Committee of the North Korean Communist Party.
Not only Politburo members but even lower-ranking officials had gathered to hold an emergency expanded meeting of the Workers’ Party Politburo.
Every single person attending wore a dark expression.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Two lower-ranking officials whispered as they took their seats.
“Can’t even talk about it?”
“Read the room. Keep acting like that and you might disappear without anyone noticing.”
One of the officials scolded the grumbling man and glanced around.
In the distance, he spotted Choi Ryonghae sitting near the front.
“See that? The comrade who once held power strong enough to shoot down birds flying in the sky — look at him now.” freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Perhaps he heard the murmuring around him, because Choi Ryonghae kept his head lowered, unable to even raise it.
“Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission is entering!”
At the announcement of Jang Songthaek's arrival, everyone stood up.
That marked the beginning of the Politburo members filing into the hall.
Jang Songthaek walked in slowly. As he passed, he glanced down at Choi Ryonghae before taking his seat.
Only after the Politburo members who followed him sat down did the people below the podium sit again.
Seated alone at the center, Jang Songthaek began presiding over the meeting.
He opened with a harsh tone.
“Our role is to unite the entire party, the entire army, and the entire people as one, and enrich the lives of the people. Yet reactionary elements who failed to understand my deep intentions staged an armed demonstration in Pyongyang.”
Jang Songthaek's voice echoed through the meeting hall.
The attendees listened to him without making a single sound.
Jang Songthaek looked around at them as he scolded them for quite a while.
“Do you all know how hard I work to govern this nation in place of the General? Do you think I’m doing this just so I can live well myself? If that were the case, I wouldn’t even be here doing this!”
After reprimanding everyone, Jang Songthaek finally began addressing Choi Ryonghae directly.
“Is it something that can happen — that the comrade I trusted most, Comrade Choi Ryonghae, would point a gun at me while I work day and night to ensure the people can eat their fill? Tell me, Comrade Choi Ryonghae.”
“....”
“You said you rose up for the people? How can you say such bullshit with a straight face? I trusted you with the General Political Bureau! I put you in that position so you could monitor reactionaries! But instead you gathered them together and dared to plot my assassination!”
Jang Songthaek, overcome with anger, slammed the table.
BANG!
The sound echoed loudly through the silent meeting hall.
Officials sitting near Choi Ryonghae flinched.
Seeing Jang Songthaek so agitated, unlike his usual self, everyone held their breath.
“Speak! Go on, run that mouth of yours again! Comrade Choi Ryonghae! Did I do something wrong to you? Is that why you tried to kill me, and in Pyongyang of all places?”
In the past, Choi Ryonghae would have been sitting proudly beside Jang Songthaek on the podium, looking down at the hall with confidence.
But today he sat below the podium, head lowered, unable to say a word.
Jang Songthaek's reprimand continued for a long time.
No one dared to stop him.
After pouring out his anger and accusations, Jang Songthaek finally steadied his voice.
Then he called the State Security Department agents who were waiting outside.
“Come in! Take that reactionary bastard away immediately!”
Security agents opened the large doors of the meeting hall and entered.
They marched forward confidently and saluted Jang Songthaek.
Jang Songthaek nodded solemnly to acknowledge the salute.
After finishing their sharp salute, the agents turned to Choi Ryonghae.
“Please stand, Comrade Choi Ryonghae.”
Choi Ryonghae pushed himself up from the table with difficulty.
As soon as he stood, the agents grabbed both his arms and dragged him roughly down the aisle.
His face looked gaunt, but there were no visible injuries.
However, judging by the way he could barely walk, he was clearly not in normal condition. freewebnøvel.coɱ
The official sitting beside him stared straight ahead, pretending not to see him to the very end.
The rest of the attendees also did nothing but watch.
Dragged by the security agents, Choi Ryonghae was finally expelled from the meeting hall.
After that, the meeting turned into a full denunciation session against Choi Ryonghae and his faction.
Starting with the standing committee members on the presidium, officials came forward one after another to condemn him.
* * *
I was watching a breaking news broadcast from KBS in my study.
— It has been confirmed that Choi Ryonghae, director of the General Political Bureau who fell from power for anti-party and counterrevolutionary factionalism, was dragged out after attending yesterday’s expanded Politburo meeting of the Workers’ Party.
The screen showing the announcer switched.
Photos released by Korean Central Television appeared — images of Choi Ryonghae being arrested.
“So it finally ended up like this.”
As I continued watching the breaking news, the broadcast began playing the voice of a Korean Central Television announcer.
— Recently, reactionary elements embedded within the party attempted to castrate the party’s leadership at a crucial moment in the succession of the Juche revolutionary cause, expanding their factional forces and daring to challenge the party. In response, the great leader Comrade Jang Songthaek pointed out the following.
Hearing the thunderous voice of the North Korean announcer in the middle of Seoul felt strangely new.
— The Choi Ryonghae faction carried out anti-party and counterrevolutionary factional activities that undermined party reforms and obstructed the work of Comrade Jang Songthaek, who made a patriotic decision for the people. They also committed anti-state and anti-human crimes that harmed the construction of a powerful nation and the improvement of the people’s livelihoods.
The announcer began listing Choi Ryonghae's crimes one by one.
The charges he mentioned were far more numerous than what I knew.
They attached all kinds of accusations, even dragging up his dirty private life to destroy him completely as a person.
— Discussion proceeded during the expanded Politburo meeting.
At those words, footage appeared of party officials criticizing Choi Ryonghae during the meeting.
— Our party will never forgive anyone who abandons the principles of reform and opening, challenges the leadership of Comrade Jang Songthaek, and infringes upon the interests of the party, the state, and the people — regardless of position or achievements.
The archival footage from Korean Central Television ended, and the broadcast returned to the studio announcers.
— Next, we will discuss the purge of Choi Ryonghae with a North Korea expert.
A representative from a defector organization who had escaped to South Korea long ago and now advocated for North Korean human rights appeared on screen.
He began discussing the situation.
— This purge of Choi Ryonghae was already predictable. Jang Songthaek is no different from Kim Jongil. A man who used Kim Jongil's authority while standing beside him now claims to care about the people...
He went on with his nonsense.
He was lumping Jang Songthaek together with Kim Jongil and criticizing them both.
“He calls himself an expert but doesn’t know a thing. Running around like a horse with its tail on fire.”
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
Well, to him Kim Jongil and Jang Songthaek were probably the same.
But North Korea had changed a great deal.
For someone who defected long ago and no longer knew the current situation, pretending to be an expert was almost laughable.
“Boss. It’s time to leave.”
At Director Ma’s call, I stood up and turned off the television.
“Let’s go.”
We drove to Incheon and transferred to a boat.
After crossing the sea for quite some time, we finally reached my island at the southern end of the West Sea.
All the islands in this area had been purchased long ago.
I had bought every island in this section of the West Sea — large and small — where uninhabited islands were scattered everywhere.
And I often used them as places to imprison people without killing them.
We docked at the largest island surrounded by smaller ones and got off the boat.
After driving for a while, we reached the center of the island.
We headed toward the only entrance to a place completely surrounded by barbed-wire fences.
“Open it.”
Director Ma lowered the car window and showed his face.
The tightly closed gate opened.
We drove further inside until a large house appeared.
“This must be the place.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I got out of the car and looked around.
I had ordered this place to be built, but this was my first time actually visiting it.
Security around the mansion was extremely tight.
Dogs locked in cages barked furiously, and men patrolled the area.
“Once someone enters, they can’t leave without permission.”
“Good. It’s exactly how I wanted it.”
Smiling with satisfaction, I walked inside with Director Ma.
“Boss. This is the man in charge here.”
“Greetings, President!”
Director Ma introduced a man.
I nodded briefly and accepted the greeting.
“Where’s the person?”
“He’s on the second floor. I’ll bring him down.”
The manager glanced toward a man guarding the stairs.
Receiving the signal, the man hurried upstairs.
A moment later, he came down dragging a gaunt-looking man.
The man being dragged kept shouting in Chinese.
“What the hell! Where is this place?! This isn’t what we agreed on!”
His voice was so loud it made my ears hurt.
Seeing my expression tighten, the manager quickly forced the man to his knees in front of me.
Even then, the man twisted his body and shouted.
“What is this?! Let go! Let go of me! Keep the deal!”
I asked him in Chinese.
“What deal did we make?”
Hearing fluent Chinese, the man finally raised his head and looked at me.
“Who are you?!”
“Who do you think? I’m the person who controls whether you live or die. So you’d better watch your mouth. If someone dies here, no one will ever know. Not even a corpse would remain.”
I said it with a gentle smile.
The man flinched.
The brutal warning matched too well with the unsettling noises coming from outside.
“Wh-who are you?! Why are you doing this to me?! Money? Do you want money? If you release me—”
“What are you talking about? I brought you all the way to Korea to protect you. If it weren’t for me, you’d already have been arrested by Chinese public security.”
“What? Chinese public security? That’s impossible. They’d arrest me? Me, Lai Changxing?!”
Lai Changxing glared at me from his knees as if accusing me of lying.
After bringing him to Korea, I had imprisoned him here immediately.
He seemed convinced that Chinese authorities had no intention of arresting him.
“Are you sure about that? Chairman Hu Jintao asked for you to be handed over.”
“What? Hu Jintao? Is that true?”
Instead of answering, I nodded and spoke to Director Ma.
“Director, bring two chairs.”
Director Ma soon brought them.
I sat down in one and said,
“Untie him.”
The manager who had been pressing down on Lai Changxing’s shoulder stepped back.
“Let’s sit down and talk first.”
“...Now I get it. You must be Kim Muhyuk.”
He slowly stood up and glared at me like he wanted to kill me.
“This isn’t what we agreed on! You said you’d protect me! Where is my family?!”
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I frowned again at his ear-splitting shouting.
At that moment, Director Ma drove his fist straight into Lai Changxing’s stomach.
“AAAGH!”
A heavy sound echoed as the punch landed cleanly.
Lai Changxing bent over, screaming.
“Lai Changxing. You still can’t read the situation?”
Outside the window, only the eerie sound of barking dogs could be heard.
The men surrounding the area stared at him silently.
He had suddenly been exposed to violence and was trapped in a place no one knew about.
Under the heavy atmosphere that naturally formed, Lai Changxing barely raised his head to look at me.
“I told you. Watch your mouth. You might die.”
Struggling to breathe, Lai Changxing slowly straightened up and ground his teeth.
“You think you’ll get away with this? Do you even know who I am?!”
“I don’t. That’s why I brought you here. So sit down. Unless you want to keep having a physical conversation.”
Director Ma stepped toward Lai Changxing again.
Startled, Lai Changxing quickly raised his hands.
“O-Okay! Okay! Let’s talk! Just talk!”
When Lai Changxing shouted, Director Ma looked toward me.
I gave a small nod.
Director Ma stepped back again.
“Sit. This is the last time.”
Lai Changxing staggered over and sat down in the chair.
“It’d be better to talk while having a drink, don’t you think?”
“Coffee! Give me coffee!”
Lai Changxing shouted desperately.
Since he emphasized it twice, he must have really wanted it.
Soon, one of the men brought a tray with two paper cups.
When I picked one up and gestured with my chin, Lai Changxing quickly grabbed the other.
His expression brightened as he checked the contents — then turned strange.
“What’s this? Why does the coffee look like this?”
It was instant coffee mix.
“Don’t you have anything else? This isn’t coffee.”
“Just drink it. If this conversation ends well, I’ll let you have whatever you want.”
At those words, life returned to Lai Changxing’s eyes.
“So what is it? What are you curious about? The money I brought from China?”
I drained the hot coffee in one gulp and crushed the paper cup.
Then I looked straight into Lai Changxing’s eyes and curled my lips into a smile.
“I don’t give a damn about that pocket change. Instead, tell me about Jiang Zemin’s weaknesses that you’re holding.”
