Free Web NovelSo they really were listening to the whole call, huh. Still, I hadn’t expected a call back this quickly.
“Yes. That’s right.”
— Captain wants to speak with you.
“...Please connect me.”
— One moment, please.
A different voice came on the line a moment later.
— This is Captain Kamara.
“Yes. Kim Muhyuk speaking.”
Kamara’s voice was thick with confusion and disbelief.
— I know this must be sudden, but I just couldn’t help calling. The fact that the special envoy contacted you before contacting the South Korean government... just what exactly are you?
“I’m Special Envoy Lee Myungsoo’s friend.”
— Friend? You came all the way to Sierra Leone to save a friend? And you expect me to believe that?
“Believe it or not, it’s the truth.”
A deep sigh came through the receiver.
— Ha, seriously... so you’re the one who moved the President of Sierra Leone and pressured me?
“I did ask the President for a favor. I wanted this situation resolved quickly.”
— Hmm. He’s not the kind of man who contacts us this easily, so I was wondering how you managed it. Honestly, it was surprising. I know exactly what kind of man the President of Sierra Leone is.
Come to think of it, hadn’t he once said he had protected him when the President fled to Guinea?
“I’ve heard the rough story.”
— What did you promise him? What did you offer that made him contact even me? I’d really like to hear it.
“Is that important?”
The captain gave a short chuckle before [N O V E L I G H T] answering immediately.
— Of course it is. Because maybe you can do something for me too.
“So I heard you already gave your conditions to the special envoy. What more do you want?”
— Those are just the minimum conditions.
The greed in his answer was impossible to miss.
Did he not even know the phrase too much is as bad as too little?
“I told him I’d invest in Sierra Leone. I’m a businessman, after all.”
— A businessman?
“Yes. And I do business on a fairly large scale.”
— Then you must have a lot of money.
At the naked greed in his voice, I almost let out a hollow laugh.
He hasn’t even properly seized power yet, and he’s already like this. I don’t even need to see the future to know what comes next.
“Yes. Not a small amount.”
— Hahaha. We absolutely must meet sometime. I think we’ll have a lot of good things to discuss.
“There’s no reason not to meet, but first release the envoy team. Shouldn’t we talk after that?”
— That depends on how the South Korean government responds. I don’t want to keep ‘protecting’ them forever either. The longer this drags on, the harder it’ll be to guarantee the safety of the envoy team.
“What do you—”
Protecting? What kind of bullshit was that?
My voice rose before I realized it.
“If even a speck of harm comes to the special envoy, Captain Kamara’s safety will also become a problem.”
— If I cared about my own safety, I never would’ve risen up for my people. I’ll take care of my own safety, so go persuade the South Korean government. I’ll hang up now.
The line went dead without another word.
I stared silently at the disconnected phone, then called for Chief Ma.
“Chief.”
“Yes.”
“You said government troops are still in Guinea, right?”
“Yes. I heard the Prime Minister and several ministers escaped safely and are currently shaping public opinion.”
“If government troops and the coup forces clash, what are the odds?”
Chief Ma thought for a moment before answering.
“According to Black Bear’s analysis, the coup forces have over a ninety percent chance of winning. More than eighty percent of the Guinean military has reportedly joined the coup.”
“I don’t think we can leave this bastard alone.”
“...I’ll contact the government forces.” freёwebnovel.com
For a man who was rushing headlong toward his own death, what he needed was nothing less than a rain of fire.
“Prepare so we can move as soon as Myungsoo and the envoy team get out safely. Send Black Bear mercenaries to reinforce the government side.”
“Understood. I’ll make the preparations.”
I nodded, then picked up the phone again and contacted Korea.
* * *
Back in Korea, fierce debate was already raging over the crisis.
On one radio program, ruling-party and opposition panelists were openly clashing.
“The problem started the moment they sent the envoy team to a place like that without any safety measures. This is a major failure by the government.”
“What are you talking about? What country in the world detains a special envoy delegation? The problem is the Guinean government, not ours. Don’t muddy the issue!”
“Hah. And who sent the envoy team to such a country? The President and the government, that’s who. They need to take responsibility.”
“Before assigning blame, we should be talking about the safety of the envoy team first. The opposition trying to turn this into political warfare will face serious public backlash!”
Neither panelist gave an inch.
Every major broadcasting station commissioned polling agencies to gauge public opinion on the crisis.
In most polls, over sixty percent said the government was responsible, and the President’s approval rating had dropped sharply.
Watching the televised panel discussion inside the Blue House, the President switched off the TV and let out a sigh.
“Convene the NSC. We need to decide today how to respond to Guinea’s demand that we support the coup.”
At Yoon Changho’s order, the President’s Chief of Staff asked in a worried voice,
“If we support the coup, the international community will condemn us heavily.”
“Even so, we need to save lives. Call the NSC and gather everyone’s opinions.”
“Understood.”
“Not just the standing members. Have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs attend as well.”
His voice was firm, but somehow drained.
The Blue House underground bunker.
Standing members of the NSC and top military leadership gathered in the bunker, their faces tense.
This was the first NSC meeting since relations with North Korea had improved, and everyone knew the detained envoy team would be the subject.
“Prime Minister, do you know anything?”
The Minister of National Defense had arrived first and immediately questioned the Prime Minister.
“No. I haven’t heard anything either.”
“There hasn’t been any problem with the envoy team’s safety, right? If something happened, this would be disastrous for the government.”
“...Surely nothing like that has happened?”
“I’m frustrated, that’s all. Frustrated.”
His words reflected what everyone there was thinking.
At that moment, the door opened and the President entered with the Chief of Staff and the National Security Advisor.
Everyone rose.
“Sit down. We’ll skip formalities.”
Yoon Changho waved them down and took his seat at the head.
He went straight to the point.
“We received contact from Special Envoy Lee Myungsoo.”
Every eye in the bunker widened.
“Is that true? Are they all safe?”
The answer came not from the President, but from the National Security Advisor.
“Yes. They’re all safe. The current situation is...”
In a dry voice, he relayed everything that had been reported.
When the briefing ended, the President spoke.
“That’s why I called everyone here. I don’t think this is something I should decide alone. Speak freely.”
The Prime Minister was the first to respond.
“What do you want to do, Mr. President?”
“I want to meet their demands. Do you oppose that?”
“Yes. I do. Under no circumstances can we support a coup.”
He paused, and Yoon Changho gestured for him to continue.
After clearing his throat, the Prime Minister went on.
“If we recognize their coup, then we are effectively recognizing every coup in our own past as legitimate as well. That would be a grave sin against history.”
“So that’s your position?”
“Yes. I strongly oppose it.”
At his hardline response, the other officials began reading the room.
“Prime Minister. Lives are at stake. Do you still oppose it?”
“No matter how reckless they are, they won’t do something insane like harming the envoy team.”
“And how can you be so certain? The coup leader told Lee Myungsoo this: if government forces and coup forces fall into civil war, they cannot guarantee the envoy team’s safety. If a stray shell hits the hotel, a tragedy could happen.”
A collective groan escaped the room.
Yoon Changho tapped the table with a grave expression.
“This is Africa. No matter what happens, we can’t respond quickly. Even so, Prime Minister, can you still guarantee their safety? And it’s not just the envoy team. There are hundreds of our citizens in Guinea. Getting every one of them out safely is what our government must do.”
The Prime Minister’s voice shrank.
“It’s regrettable, but we still cannot support the coup.”
The President let out a deep sigh and turned to the Foreign Minister.
“Minister Lee.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“What’s the Foreign Ministry’s view? Can this be solved diplomatically? Most of the envoy team belongs to your ministry, don’t they?”
The Foreign Minister’s face had gone pale.
“Yes. We’re mobilizing every available channel to contact the coup forces, but we’re receiving no response.”
“What about the U.S. and the UN?”
“They are calling for the principles of peace and security, respect for human rights and democracy, and negotiations between the government and coup forces through peaceful democratic procedures.”
If empty rhetoric could solve this, it would have been solved already.
Pressing his temples as if fighting off a headache, Yoon Changho asked,
“And regarding our detained envoy team?”
“They are unanimously demanding their immediate departure.”
“Any countries supporting the coup?”
“A few African states have released statements supporting it. But their governments themselves are unstable, so if we preemptively announce support, we’ll face major diplomatic criticism.”
“And if we accept that criticism?”
“...Domestic public opinion won’t be favorable either.”
The Foreign Minister was clearly negative as well.
“So what, you’re saying we should abandon the envoy team because of political costs? Minister Lee. Do you mean that?”
“...We have too much to lose.”
“Ha... unbelievable.”
At that moment, the Defense Minister cut in.
“Mr. President.”
The President nodded.
“Go ahead, Minister Han.”
“If diplomatic means are blocked, what about resolving this through military means?”
“Military means? Minister Han, are you suggesting a rescue operation?”
The Defense Minister nodded grimly.
“Yes. We should deploy special forces to rescue the envoy team. The longer we wait, the worse the situation becomes.”
“But in circumstances like this, a rescue operation is extremely dangerous.”
“Even so, it is one possible solution.”
“Hmm...”
After a moment’s thought, Yoon Changho asked quietly,
“If we launch a rescue operation, can you do it without casualties?”
“We will succeed, no matter what.”
The President turned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
“And your view?”
“I agree with the Minister.”
Even the Chairman sided with Defense.
The Foreign Minister objected immediately.
“Military action is absolutely unacceptable.”
“What do you mean unacceptable? If diplomacy is exhausted, military action is the only option left.”
When the Foreign Minister continued hesitating, the Defense Minister sneered.
“If your ministry had handled negotiations properly from the beginning, we wouldn’t even be here.”
“What did you just say? Minister Han, watch your mouth!”
“Do not use informal speech. This is an official meeting.”
“What?! You bastard—!”
As the two nearly devolved into a shouting match, Yoon Changho slammed the table hard.
“Enough! Enough! What do you think you’re doing in front of me?!”
Both men immediately shut their mouths.
“This is not the time for us to be fighting each other. Get a grip.”
“...My apologies.”
They bowed their heads.
After a deep sigh, Yoon Changho asked,
“So both Foreign Affairs and Defense oppose issuing a statement supporting the coup?”
“Yes.”
They answered in unison.
Faced with the deadlock, he turned.
“What about the NIS?”
The Director of the NIS spoke.
“Captain Kamara, who led the coup, is a radical figure.”
He went on at length about the coup leader.
“The longer we delay, the more the envoy team’s safety will be threatened.”
“So?”
“If a statement of support alone can save the envoy team and our citizens, then I believe that is the correct course.”
“Director Kim! What are you saying?! Is that something the head of an intelligence agency should say?”
The Prime Minister lashed out. frёewebnoѵēl.com
“As the head of intelligence, I believe it is the best option available right now.”
“Director Kim!”
“If you oppose it so strongly, then offer another solution. Opposition for the sake of opposition is not a good approach.”
“What?”
As tempers rose again, Yoon Changho called softly,
“Prime Minister.”
“...My apologies.”
Even after more exchanges, no consensus emerged.
The Prime Minister insisted support was impossible and argued instead for a Defense-led rescue operation. Most attendees leaned that way.
The Foreign Minister repeated only the principled position that they should align with the international community and intensify pressure on the coup forces.
The NIS Director and National Security Advisor insisted military action must never happen and argued that a support statement would be better.
“Everyone’s thinking in completely different directions. This is maddening.”
Lost in thought, Yoon Changho turned to the Chief of Staff.
“Connect the line.”
“Mr. President, that’s a bit...”
“I said connect it.”
At the President’s stern command, the Chief of Staff reluctantly dialed the phone on the table.
After several rings, the other side answered.
— Kim Muhyuk speaking.
“President Kim, it’s the President. We’ve convened the NSC and are discussing Guinea’s demands.”
— Yes, Mr. President.
The moment Kim Muhyuk’s name was heard, every face in the room stiffened with shock.
