Chapter 529: I’ll Talk to Him in Person

Medvedev said he would get back to the President after discussing the matter.

The call ended with a warning to be cautious in the meantime.

I set my disconnected phone down, lost in thought.

'Sergey Lebedev…'

Arshavin must have stepped in because Lebedev is a significant figure in the SVR.

If he was that important, he wouldn't have been sent here.

This was just a politically charged move to unsettle me.

I, too, wondered how far this would go.

Would the Siloviki really defy the Kremlin's orders and try to kill me?

"Learn more about Sergey Lebedev. There might be some files on him at Black Bear. Get them."

"Yes. I'll make sure to receive it right away."

Manager Ma left the bedroom, and I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"There's no need to fight the Siloviki. We share the same goals."

My objectives align with theirs; I don't want to see a change in the Kremlin's leadership.

The longer he remains in power, the more my interests will grow, allowing me to maintain influence in Russia.

How could I capture them?

I must have been exhausted, as I drifted off while pondering this.

The next day.

"Boss, here are the documents regarding Sergey Lebedev you asked for."

While eating breakfast and sipping coffee, Manager Ma came in holding a stack of papers.

I set my coffee cup down to take what he offered.

"Did you print these out from an email? I could have just looked at them on my laptop. Thanks for the effort, though."

Then again, there's a different feel to flipping through pages by hand compared to viewing them on a monitor.

I carefully examined the documents on Sergey Lebedev.

"Hmm…"

Unfortunately, Black Bear didn't have much information on Lebedev.

"He's from the KGB… graduated from the Diplomatic Academy. And he specializes in U.S. affairs."

Those from the First Chief Directorate of the KGB were shrouded in secrecy.

Being involved in foreign intelligence, they were extremely cautious about revealing anything.

It wasn't until after the Soviet collapse that details about KGB members became known, but even then, he had hardly engaged in any public activities.

Then Yeltsin came along, and he quickly rose to the position of head of the SVR.

However, I found no connection with the current President.

This only suggested that he was a trusted aide to someone close to the President.

"With this information, I can't be sure of anything."

"Is that so? I gathered everything Black Bear had on him."

Nodding, he dropped the stack of papers onto the table.

"There's no helping it. For now, let's reinforce my security. Medvedev wouldn't have warned me unless the threat could be real."

"Understood. I'll inform everyone right away."

My security team would have a tough time ahead. I began to knead my stiff neck while continuing.

"And make sure this hotel is entirely cleared out. Every space is for our use while I'm here. Pay whatever they ask and ensure they leave by today."

"Got it. I'll take care of it."

After Manager Ma left, I picked up my phone. The dial tone rang, and it wasn't long before a voice answered.

"Myeong-su, did you arrive in Korea okay?"

― "Oh, I just got here. You're like a ghost, calling precisely on time."

"You're heading into the Blue House now, right?"

― "I am. The President wants me to report to him right away. I'm exhausted."

Myeong-su grumbled for a while, and I couldn't help but smile at his antics.

"Ah, but don't bring up my business when you go in."

― "I get what you're saying, but aren't you going to tell me eventually?"

"That's true. But first, I'll deal with the Iraq issue, then I'll discuss North Korea in person."

― "Got it. But when are you heading back to Korea?"

"If all goes well, next week. It might take longer, though. We need to grab a drink once I'm back with the guys."

― "Sure thing. Oh, I gotta go. They're here to pick me up for the Blue House. I need to get going."

After my brief conversation with Myeong-su, I stepped into the bathroom.

North Korea, Iraq, Jang Seong-taek… I washed my tangled thoughts away with cold water.

* * *

Lee Myeong-su entered the Blue House and headed towards the Presidential Residence.

"First Lady, it's been a while since we last met."

As he entered, the First Lady was already waiting for him.

"Secretary-General, welcome!"

The First Lady greeted him with a warm smile. After a brief exchange, Myeong-su began to look for the President.

"He's in the dining room. He's been drinking alone for a while now. You really should get him to stop."

"Alright, understood."

After greeting the First Lady, Lee Myeong-su proceeded toward the main dining room.

"That's not where the Secretary-General is. He's waiting inside a smaller dining area."

"Is that so?"

It seemed Myeong-su had difficulty grasping where the smaller dining area was.

Noticing his confusion, the First Lady chuckled.

"Follow me."

"Thank you."

Myeong-su followed the First Lady deeper into the residence.

As she opened a door next to the bedroom, she stepped back, saying, "Go on in."

Through the open door, Yoo Chang-ho could be seen drinking alone.

"Oh, Secretary! Come in, come in!"

"Mr. President, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you? Forget the formalities and come over for a drink!"

Yoon Chang-ho gestured eagerly. The First Lady shook her head lightly, offered her greetings, and closed the door behind her.

As soon as Myeong-su sat down, Yoon Chang-ho held out a drink, the glass filled to the brim with liquor.

"First, have a drink."

Lee Myeong-su silently grabbed the beer glass and gulped it down in one go.

"Now, let's have some food, too. This is homemade kimchi pancake by the Blue House chef."

"Thanks."

"Hey, don't be so stiff at the drinking table! If you act like that, it'll ruin my mood for drinking!"

The already tipsy Yoon Chang-ho's jab made Lee Myeong-su smile wryly.

"Everything's great about being the President, but the most uncomfortable part is that my drinking buddies are getting fewer."

"That's the weight of the presidential office for you."

"But, my friend. No matter how great the President, I'm still Yoon Chang-ho. Yet people don't treat me as such anymore."

Yoon Chang-ho spoke bitterly, then poured another soju-beer mix, keeping one for himself and pushing the other toward Myeong-su.

"So, don't change on me. That's what I like about you and Boss Kim, you both remain the same."

Yoon Chang-ho offered his glass, and Lee Myeong-su clinked his glass against it.

They downed their drinks together.

"Alright, enough idle chit-chat. How did the talks with the U.S. go? I've heard reports, but I want to hear from you, who handled the negotiations directly."

Setting his glass down, Lee Myeong-su slowly recounted the events in the U.S.

Yoon Chang-ho continued to drink while quietly listening to Myeong-su's account.

Once Myeong-su finished his report, he raised his glass for another drink.

"Mercenaries…"

Yoon Chang-ho muttered to himself, prompting Lee Myeong-su to await a response.

"South Korea has never employed mercenaries, not once."

"I know. But this was the best option we had. Thankfully, Boss Kim has connections with a private military company called Black Bear, so things went smoothly. The White House has also contracted with them for deploying mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan. We can certainly do the same."

At the mention of Black Bear, Yoon Chang-ho briefly furrowed his brow.

"I've heard of Black Bear. They say it's the top private military company out there. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's correct. They even have a branch in Korea."

"I've received reports on them. They were referred to as Black Secret, right? That's Boss Kim's personal army, and many are worried about that."

"…"

A private army. Stung by Yoon Chang-ho's probing words, Lee Myeong-su found himself speechless.

As the awkward silence threatened to linger, Yoon Chang-ho forced a chuckle.

"Haha, it's alright. Whatever Boss Kim might use it for, I couldn't care less. I just wanted to let you know that others are a bit worried."

"The President won't be getting into any trouble."

"I know. That guy struggles to trust people. The topic changed swiftly. So, they want to deploy PMC and send our troops, right? Did the U.S. agree to that?"

Recalling the term deployment made Lee Myeong-su chew his lips slightly.

"Yes. But the South Korean army is being sent to safer regions. This should pass parliament easily, and public opinion seems fairly positive."

"I see. Then we should go for it."

"Additionally, if we can hand over the suspects involved in the recent student death incident during this visit to the U.S., public opinion will sway in our favor."

"I hope so. These protestors are like a pendulum, swinging side to side. They know full well that it's difficult for Korea to maintain security without the U.S. And yet, ugh, this is killing my mood for a drink."

After that, the two continued chatting over drinks for a while.

"The North Korea sanctions will likely pass after all."

"Yes. I've already secured agreement from both China and Russia to support the sanctions bill. Once those two vote in favor, the resolution gains enforceability."

After momentarily blanking out, Yoon Chang-ho soon let out a small laugh.

"It's a strange world where the U.S., China, and Russia can unite like this. All thanks to Boss Kim?"

"Boss Kim merely mediated the differing national interests. It's the major powers' determination to discipline North Korea that's driving this, isn't it?"

"Well, if it were that easy, then the U.S. and Soviet Union wouldn't have faced off like that. And we wouldn't have been divided into North and South. It's all down to Boss Kim's capability."

Lee Myeong-su chose to neither confirm nor deny.

"Now that we're finished with international matters, let's talk about the party. Things have gotten a bit chaotic while you were in the U.S. There are tensions between the Conservative and the Moderate Parties, and they've been sniping at each other."

"I saw that coming. We have the general elections next year. In the end, it's all about personal interests. The welfare of the people is of little concern to them. What matters is whether they can keep their seats."

"What about you?"

"I'm confident I can survive anywhere. I can even run as an independent if needed."

Yoon Chang-ho smiled at Lee Myeong-su's self-assured response.

"That's probably true for you. However, the Moderates are quite uneasy. In the latest approval rating survey, our party scored 45%, while the Progressive Party is at 35%. My own approval ratings are in the 60% range. You're well aware of how crucial this upcoming election is?"

"Yes, I am. Securing a constitutional amendment is my primary goal."

As Lee Myeong-su nodded solemnly, Yoon Chang-ho took the opportunity to hint.

"That's right. To do that, we need to secure over 200 seats. Do you think we can manage it?"

"Did I not fight tooth and nail to keep the Secretary-General position? Besides, we've already promised that the conservatives will take the Yeonghonam region while the rest will be allocated by us."

"That promise might not hold in politics. The influence of the Conservative Party is strong again. Aren't you being too soft? I can't step in myself…"

Yoon Chang-ho expressed his frustration at not being able to intervene directly while Lee Myeong-su smiled as he responded.

"You'll soon see it was all pointless. So, don't worry so much."

"Fine, I'll trust you then. Let's leave the complicated talks behind and just drink!"

Yoon Chang-ho and Lee Myeong-su's drinking session continued until dawn.

* * *

It had been a week since I arrived at the camp, yet nothing had happened.

"I think we're ready to leave soon."

"Yes, understood. I'll prepare everything."

Igor and I discussed matters extensively, deciding that we would move as soon as everything was ready.

I managed to touch base with Jang Seong-taek a couple more times. He was confident he could draw Kim Jong-il out for a private meeting.

But when that would happen was still uncertain. We just had to wait and continue training.

I passed the time observing the training as usual.

At that moment, I noticed several vehicles entering the camp.

"Who's arriving?"

"I haven't received any notice about this."

"Hmm."

Military trucks came to a halt, and shortly after, a luxury vehicle drove in.

And a person emerged from that car…