Chapter 518: A Rational Man, I Believe

Jang Seong-taek stepped out of the Presidential Palace.

Before getting into the car, he paused, standing still and turning his head slightly.

Jang Seong-taek's eyes trembled slightly as he looked up at the Presidential Palace.

'Damn! That crazy Kim Jong-il suspects me. What do I do? If this goes on, he's definitely going to tighten the noose around me…'

His mind was a chaotic mess.

Kim Jong-il had given orders to find anyone connected to China, but of all people, Jang Seong-taek himself was the one closest to China.

Kim Jong-il wasn't a fool; he wouldn't give such orders unless he had a suspicious person in mind.

This was nothing short of a declaration of war, signaling he would be keeping a close watch on him.

He clearly didn't trust him and was making his surveillance intentions known.

After a long while, Jang Seong-taek finally tore his gaze away from the palace and got into the car.

"Let's head home first."

Now, the only person who could save him was Kim Mu-hyeok.

Thinking of the eavesdropping prevention device and satellite phone Kim Mu-hyeok had given him, Jang Seong-taek decided to head home.

The vehicle carrying Jang Seong-taek slowly began to move.

And there was a set of eyes looking down at him.

"Cheolsu."

"Yes, General."

Baek Cheol-soo, who had been standing like a puppet behind him, answered Kim Jong-il's call.

"I can't trust my brother-in-law,"

"…Should we eliminate him?"

"Not yet; I still need him. One day, I may have to kill him, but not right now."

"If the General desires it, I'm ready anytime."

"Haha! Right, right. The only person I can truly trust in Pyongyang is you, Cheolsu."

Kim Jong-il turned his body away from the window, sat down on the sofa, and lit a cigarette.

Baek Cheol-soo ignited the lighter for him.

After taking a drag that hollowed his cheeks, Kim Jong-il spoke.

"Am I mistaken? Cheolsu, is my belief that possessing nuclear weapons is beneficial for our Republic wrong?"

"No, General. Your decisions have always been for the good of the Republic."

"Yet those bastards don't trust me."

"All the reactionaries who dare go against the General's will must be eliminated. Just give the order, and I'll take my men to apprehend them all."

Kim Jong-il shook his head as he extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Not yet. We must uproot them completely this time. So I want you, Cheolsu, to keep a close eye on Jang Seong-taek's movements yourself."

"Yes! I will do that."

After finishing his speech, Kim Jong-il put another cigarette in his mouth.

His expression was far from bright—it showed his frustration.

In the quiet office, only the smoke from Kim Jong-il's cigarette hung in the air.

* * *

After returning, Hu Jintao's face appeared bright.

"I'll accept Boss Kim's proposal. As long as nothing happens in North Korea, we won't interfere either."

It seemed that discussions with Jiang Zemin had gone well.

"That works. Then please cast a favorable vote when the UN Security Council convenes. As soon as we enter Russia, I'll wrap up the oil pipeline construction in advance."

With a satisfied smile, Hu Jintao turned to me.

"Ah, Boss Kim. When will you be departing for Russia?"

"I plan to leave for Russia tomorrow morning."

"Good. Clear some time tonight. I'll send someone. Just follow him."

Suddenly sending someone made me cautious, prompting me to ask carefully.

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing major. There's someone who wants to meet Boss Kim."

"Who is it?"

"You'll find out when you meet. It's someone you know well."

Someone I know well? Wen Jiabao is here, so who could it be?

Thinking hard, another name popped into my mind.

But Zhou Yongkang had no reason to contact me through Hu Jintao, did he?

I suppose I'll find out when I meet them like Hu Jintao said.

"…Understood. I'll head back and finish my work. I need to contact the U.S. as well."

"Got it. See you this evening."

After saying my goodbyes, I left the office.

"Have you finished, Boss? I'll take you to the hotel right away."

Manager Ma, standing guard at the door, asked as I nodded.

A short while later, returning to my hotel room, I took the phone from Manager Ma.

I then called Myeong-su right away.

— Hey, Mu-hyeok.

"How's the atmosphere in Washington?"

— I still don't know. I haven't met any key figures. It's nighttime here.

"How about Korea?"

— I heard the Blue House has called an NSC meeting to discuss measures. They seem to be in a lengthy discussion.

With North Korea's unexpected provocations, the South Korean government must be in uproar.

"Hmm… I see. China has agreed to the sanctions plan for now. That means isolating North Korea shouldn't be a problem. You can wrap this up as if you're leading the negotiations."

— Suddenly?! I'll be swamped by reporters again.

"Just so happens that this issue arose during your U.S. visit. If you spin it as you persuading China and Russia, it'll be a huge boost to your political career."

— …That's true.

The way this could be packaged could change the perception entirely.

Even if the sanctions on North Korea are a given, it was an excellent opportunity for Myeong-su to enhance his influence.

"Before returning to Korea, stop by China and Russia for talks. It's easier to manage the media that way."

— Alright, I got it.

Even with fatigue evident in his voice, Myeong-su readily agreed.

Myeong-su was no longer rejecting such proposals.

He knew that the more his status rose, the more it would benefit my plans.

"If anything unusual comes up, I'll call. Rest up."

— Yeah, you too. I'll reach out if anything comes up.

After finishing my call with Myeong-su, I fiddled with my overheated phone, sorting out my thoughts.

Manager Ma placed a cold glass of water in front of me and asked.

"Are you alright, Boss?"

"What?"

"You don't look well."

"Ah."

I seemed to have unconsciously furrowed my brow while organizing my thoughts, so I smiled and replied to Manager Ma.

"No, I'm fine. You seem to know when I'm parched. Thanks for bringing this."

"Don't push yourself too hard, Boss. This schedule has been particularly hectic, and I'm worried."

"No worries. They say you should work hard while you're young. When you get older, you won't be able to travel like this anyway."

I brushed off Manager Ma's concerns lightly and downed the cold water in one go.

Drinking the cold water helped me regain some composure. I took a breath and reached for my phone again.

— Hello.

"Secretary of State. This is Kim Mu-hyeok."

Despite it being late at night, Powell quickly answered the call.

— Charlie, what's up?

"Can we talk? Things in the White House must be chaotic right now."

— Don't mention it. The neocons led by Dick Cheney are loudly insisting on executing a decapitation operation against Kim Jong-il immediately. Thankfully, President Bush paused the meeting, so I have a bit of breathing room.

Powell replied with a sigh filled with despair. I had expected the neocons to stir up trouble.

"Then I need to start with some good news. We wrapped up negotiations with China successfully."

— Really? I think the President will be pleased.

"Yes. However, the U.S. will send troops to North Korea or execute a decapitation operation, and China has stated they will also intervene. They have promised to seal the border and won't let a single insect cross it. So you must curb the neocons from rambling. The Chinese government has made significant concessions. If we push any further, they will have no choice but to take a stand."

Powell sighed heavily on the other end, the sound filled with regret.

— Hmm. The problem is that the neocons are too hardline…

"Then it will be genuine war. China will send troops to the North Korean border as of today. They won't interfere with North Korea, but the moment the U.S. intervenes, they'll breach the border. So, you must not mobilize the U.S. military under any circumstances."

Powell exhaled a deep sigh. I could feel his frustration through that long breath.

A heavy silence passed through the line.

With North Korea provocatively acting out, it appeared there wasn't much justification left to pacify the neocons.

There was no other choice. While I hadn't yet engaged in discussions with Russia, I had decided to include them as well.

"Secretary of State, the same goes for Russia. The moment U.S. troops step into North Korea, Russia will mobilize its military too. That will turn the Korean Peninsula into a battlefield. This would lead to chaos incomparable to the wars in the Middle East. You understand that this is a war with far more downsides than upsides, right?"

There's no way I could permit the neocons to wreak havoc. How dare they attempt to turn the Korean Peninsula into a war zone.

Kim Jong-il isn't a fool, and he would undoubtedly attack Korea the moment he sees movement from the U.S. military.

If it's just conventional weapons, I could block it at some cost, but …

If Kim Jong-il decides to throw a nuclear bomb, the damage would be catastrophic and hard to recover from.

What if a nuclear bomb were to drop over Seoul?

Countless lives would be lost, and the land would become uninhabitable for decades. I had to prevent such a worst-case scenario.

"I've kept my promise. I've secured the sanctions agreement through China and Russia and gained the border sealing that the White House wanted. Are you telling me to simply watch as you turn my home, the Korean Peninsula, into a battlefield?"

— Charlie…

Powell's voice trailed off in despair, but I cut him off.

"I believe you are a very rational person. Even if war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, there's nothing practical to gain. You know this well. It would simply be a dogfight. Therefore, you must stop this. I deserve to receive adequate compensation for the effort I put into persuading China."

— …

"The U.S. must not act unilaterally without Korea's approval. I don't want that. So even if it costs you the Secretary of State position, you must halt this."

Yoon Chang-ho would never agree to a war on the Korean Peninsula. Even if he did, I would stop it.

Powell's response was delayed. I spoke again, my voice heavy.

"Secretary, I've kept all the sordid things that America has done to myself without telling anyone. However, if things go awry against my wishes, no one will be able to control me then."

— Charlie, are you threatening me right now?

"Whether this is a threat or not, you're the one who knows best. I am a person who does what I want. So make sure to change the neocon's opinions without fail."

No matter how much dirt I prefer to divulge about America to the media, it wouldn't lead to America's downfall.

But at the very least, it could shatter the integrity of the Bush administration.

This includes the massacres committed in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as operations conducted in various other countries.

"Please, Secretary of State Powell. You are my last hope. If you align yourself with the hardliners, that will genuinely mean disaster."

— …Charlie, you are overestimating me. At this point, what can I gain by confronting them? I am just an ordinary Secretary of State, nothing more. I am just a soldier carrying out orders.

With Powell responding this way, it indicated that the White House was definitively leaning towards military action.

A sigh naturally escaped my lips.

"Secretary…"

As I called to say something, Powell cut me off and continued speaking.

— But because of this, I know better than anyone in the White House how war works. I've commanded on the battlefield before. I fear war too, Charlie. So, not for you, but for myself, and to preserve my conscience, I will prevent military action against North Korea.

Powell declared in a firm voice. Hearing his determination felt like a weight lifting off my shoulders.

— I will try to convince the President. In the end, it's President Bush who ultimately decides military actions.

"That would be enough. Thank you, Secretary of State Powell."

— And Charlie, do not threaten anyone again in such a manner. I don't want to see you become America's enemy and die.

Powell seemed to mean it. His voice trembled slightly across the line.

"I'll take your advice to heart."

— Understood. But is it guaranteed that China and Russia will agree to the sanctions and not interfere with North Korea?

"Yes. It's for sure. Whether there's a popular uprising, Kim Jong-il passes away unexpectedly, or even if the regime collapses, they've stated they won't move unless the U.S. does."

— That's a relief. I think I can convince them somehow. I'll hang up now. It's time for another meeting.

With a polite farewell, my call with Powell came to an end.

Only then could I finally put down my phone. I let out a deep sigh and leaned back.

An expletive escaped my lips unconsciously.

"Damn it! Kim Jong-il, you piece of shit!"