Chapter 236.2: Says Who? (1)
Moon Jae-Hyun, Hwang Ki-Hyun, Jeon Dae-Geuk, and Kim Hyung-Jung gathered in the emergency conference room.
“The National Assembly plans to approve the proposal to deploy our soldiers,” Hwang Ki-Hyun began.
“We already knew that, though, didn’t we?” Moon Jae-Hyun replied.
“The opposition party is requesting the position of South Korea’s Eurasian Rail manager.”
Moon Jae-Hyun sighed loudly.
“Those who are wary of Assistant Director Kang Chan gaining power are starting to form a group. I’ll be honest, they have an overwhelming number and influence,” Hwang Ki-Hyun added.
“Now, now! I trust everyone here can be discreet and keep quiet. How overwhelming are we talking about?”
Hwang Ki-Hyun glanced at Jeon Dae-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jung. With a determined expression, he answered, “We have discovered that even military officials are joining hands with them.”
“Does that include the field army as well?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
“When those in our military get promotions, they are often elevated to strategy-specific officers. That’s why they consider the Jeungpyeong Special Forces team to be too powerful. They believe that power is...” Hwang Ki-Hyun trailed off.
“They think that power is under Assistant Director Kang’s control,” Moon Jae-Hyun finished for him.
“Yes, sir.”
Moon Jae-Hyun sighed quietly.
“We have to acknowledge the uniqueness of our special forces. The most outstanding soldiers from each Airborne Force are assigned to the 606, UDT, or one of the thirty-five Brigades. The best among them are then reassigned to Jeungpyong. Moreover, the Third Airborne Forces are also under the umbrella of the Jeungpyeong team. In this system where all the soldiers are closely connected as seniors and juniors, the Jeungpyeong team is at the top of all special forces. The biggest problem would be if they openly show that they want to follow the lead of Assistant Director Kang.”
“Is it a threat to the military officials if the Airborne Forces and the special forces teams are attracted to Assistant Director Kang?” Jeon Dae-Geuk questioned.
“The strategy and operations officers have always been wary of the field army,” Hwang Ki-Hyun immediately answered. “Since the United States isn’t too pleased about the President’s policy toward certain rules or Assistant Director Kang Chan right now, the demands of both sides are starting to align perfectly. The bottom line is that the United States does not want our country to be a part of the Eurasian Rail.”
“Director Hwang, if the opposing party gains takes over our political scene, will the Eurasian Rail agreements still push through?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
“They will absolutely not.”
Another low, frustrated sigh filled the conference room, followed by a short moment of silence.
“Anyhow, this deployment to Africa involves four other countries besides us. I believe it would be best for Manager Kim Hyung-Jung to give you a direct briefing regarding this matter,” Hwang Ki-Hyun continued.
Moon Jae-Hyun turned his gaze to Kim Hyung-Jung, who immediately began to speak.
“According to Assistant Director Kang, there is a high probability that the South Korean team will take on the most dangerous role in this operation. He said that although this deployment is done under the pretext of providing reinforcements for the Somalian civil war, in reality, the adversary the soldiers will be facing is an armed Islamic force called the SSIS,” Kim Hyung-Jung stated.
“I don’t quite understand what you mean. Can you explain it to me in more simple terms?”
“It means that our country has a higher chance of losing our entire special forces team in Somalia. We are also expecting the United States and England to collaborate and orchestrate such a situation. If our predictions are correct, then our men will have even lower chances of surviving.”
Moon Jae-Hyun just listened quietly.
“According to our investigation, what Assistant Director Kang said was true. The SSIS is indeed active in Somalia. As for the other part he mentioned, we can only speculate because this is our special forces team’s first time joining a joint operation. He also told us that the US soldiers will mainly provide support such as bombing, and we believe he’s right.”
“To summarize everything you just said, we’re basically sending our precious special forces team to their deaths,” Moon Jae-Hyun mused grimly.
“Unfortunately, yes we are,” Kim Hyung-Jung responded.
Moon Jae-Hyun pressed his lips together. Mulling over his thoughts, he stared into the empty space in front of him.
“Even if the United States does end up proving your predictions right, I find it inconceivable to think that our military leadership is willing to send out the best special forces to die just because of a power struggle and that our National Assembly agrees with them...” he trailed off.
After some time, he shook his head. “All right. I understand the problem at hand now. Have we come up with a solution? No, let’s hear any alternatives if there are any.”
The three people with him remained silent, unable to say anything.
“As I said earlier, I’m sure everyone in this room can keep a secret. What is it? What conclusion did you all reach that it’s making you hesitate so much to speak up?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked, breaking the silence.
“Mr. President,” Hwang Ki-Hyun began.
“Go ahead. Tell me,” Moon Jae-Hyun replied.
“Our only other option now is war.”
Moon Jae-Hyun lifted his gaze and then laughed in disbelief. “You’re not suggesting we launch a preemptive attack on North Korea, are you?”
“We have to punish the pro-Japanese collaborators,” Hwang Ki-Hyun replied firmly.
Moon Jae-Hyun laughed out loud again.
“As the Director of the National Intelligence Service, you know better than anyone that we cannot do that. More than half of the congressmen in the National Assembly are descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators. The same goes for major media outlets and the wealthiest businessmen in the financial sector. I’m sure your plan isn’t simply to incite a civil war or assassinate those individuals, so is there another method?”
He leaned back in his chair and slowly looked at each of the three men.
“Do you think our citizens are unaware of that fact? The people of South Korea are not fools. They have higher educational enthusiasm than any other country in the world, and they have immense academic achievements. The citizens know why the pro-Japanese collaborators and their descendants live the affluent way they do, as do the three of you,” Moon Jae-Hyun said. He then glanced at Hwang Ki-Hyun and smiled bitterly.
“That’s exactly why we wish to be a part of the Eurasian Rail. It will make our economy strong enough to support the livelihoods of our people even without the assistance of the pro-Japanese collaborators’ descendants. Only then can the pro-Japanese collaborators be punished,” Moon Jae-Hyun continued. “I’m sure you all know this already, but that’s the reason they’re putting up such a strong opposition against the Eurasian Rail and precisely why they are attempting to reduce the income of our citizens and make their livelihoods difficult. If we try to punish the pro-Japanese collaborators now, our people’s suffering will intensify tenfold. Moreover, if the opposition party ever manages to grab hold of the administration, they will put an end to the Eurasian Rail,” Moon Jae-Hyun continued.
“Mr. President, at this rate, we will have to hand over the responsibility of the Eurasian Rail to them again,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said.
“I will appoint the new overseer of the railway. We can establish it as a presidential agency just like the National Intelligence Service.”
“If we don’t hand over the responsibility to them, we might suffer a second IMF crisis,” Hwang Ki-Hyun rebutted.
Moon Jae-Hyun tilted his head in confusion.
“Apparently, if we don’t give them what they want, foreign investment firms from the US and the Jewish community will sell all the stocks they hold. They will essentially be ‘selling Korea.’ We’ve received a deadline of two weeks.” Hwang Ki-Hyun sounded as if he had finally made up his mind to speak now. “Foreign companies aren’t subjected to margin requirements for derivative products, so if they actually do sell all of their stocks, 95% of the foreign exchange reserves that our country holds will disappear in the blink of an eye.”
“Did the opposition party really say all those things?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked in disbelief.
Hwang Ki-Hyun couldn’t respond.
“Did the leading opposition party of the Republic of Korea really convey such intentions?” Moon Jae-Hyun repeated in shock.
His question circled the conference room in silence.
***
After taking about an hour of rest, everyone gathered in the auditorium to listen to the orientation about the rules and regulations for living in this environment.
The first and foremost instruction they received was to never go past the fence alone after sunset because it was dangerous out there. They could freeze to death in thirty minutes or get mauled by wolves—or both. Hence, if one strayed too far and got lost, they would be as good as dead.
The next was about water. They were advised to use toilets that flushed with air instead of water, and each person had to take care of all their washing and drinking needs with only a 1.5-liter bottle of water per day.
They also received a short lesson about the use of firearms and identification of the border patrol units and instructions about meal times, the layout of the barracks and the mess hall, and when the lights off and on were.
“It is currently thirty minutes past four in the afternoon. Dinner is scheduled at five-thirty, so please get your weapons before then. That will be all,” the agent explained, closing off his speech. He then looked at Kang Chan and Kim Tae-Jin.
The two decided that this was enough for the first day. Kang Chan was satisfied, and Kim Tae-Jin didn’t seem to have any objections either.
“President Oh Gwang-Taek and his employees will stay behind for an additional orientation about handling weapons. Everyone else may take a rest as they see fit,” the agent said.
Kang Chan nodded and walked over to get his weapons.
Clink! Clank!
Kang Chan pulled the breechblock to look inside the gun and immediately loaded it with the magazine he was given. These weapons, which were Mongolia supplied, were a bit lacking compared to the weapons that the Russian mafia procured from the Russian military in terms of recoil, noise, and the number of rounds they could shoot.
Well, having the better weapons doesn’t really guarantee you’ll win anyway.
Kang Chan frowned when he was given his bayonet. It was in such a bad condition that he thought he would have to pull an all-nighter just to sharpen its goddamn blade.
Swiiiish!
He left the auditorium not long after he got all his weapons, cutting through the mad banshee wind and entering Building A. The moment he stepped through the door, his nose started running.
It only took a second for him to get dirty.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Sure, I’d like that,” Kang Chan replied.
The time zone difference was only about an hour with South Korea. Kang Chan leisurely enjoyed a cup of coffee and decided to make some phone calls afterward.
Glug, glug.
Hot steam began to rise from the kettle.
I’ll put the instant coffee inside this paper cup now, so while I wait for it to mix, I can have a nice smoke...
Kang Chan was picking up the cigarette on the table when he suddenly glanced up at the space in front of him.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His heart began to race.
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