Chapter 260: I Will Never Forget This Incident

After finishing the call with the Director of the General Political Bureau, Kim Jong-il confirmed the safety of the entrepreneurs from South Korea.

Hearing that Chairman Kim Byung-woo and the rest of the delegation were all under the protection of the Security Bureau at the hotel, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Are you satisfied now, Teacher?”

“Thank you. Their safety must be guaranteed.”

Kim Jong-il nodded in agreement.

“I will go check on my subordinates.”

“Hey, Kim, Teacher.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Once those damn reactionaries are dealt with, I will call you back. Until then, please relax.”

“Understood.”

I stood up from my seat, opened the door, and walked outside.

Soldiers were stationed at the entrance.

“Where are you going?”

The young soldier, who appeared to be quite inexperienced, asked me, not seeing where Baek Cheol-soo had gone.

“If you could guide me to the infirmary where my subordinate is being treated, I would appreciate it.”

“······Please wait a moment.”

The soldier sent a glance at his colleague standing nearby.

The soldier who received the look quickly walked away somewhere.

Despite being assigned to guard Kim Jong-il’s secret bunker, the soldiers looked unwell, likely not having eaten properly.

Was it true that they weren’t even able to provide rations to the soldiers protecting the nation’s highest ruler?

After a few minutes of waiting, the soldier returned.

“Comrade Baek has granted permission. I will escort you to the infirmary and once you’re done, I will guide you to a room where you can stay.”

Nodding to the soldier’s words, he turned to me and said,

“Let’s go. I’ll show you the way.”

I followed the soldier leading the way through a maze of corridors.

There were several doors we had to pass through.

“Here it is. I will wait outside.”

The soldier stepped aside as he spoke.

Upon entering, I found a spacious room filled with several medical staff.

“Where is he?”

Asking bluntly, the doctor, who appeared to be in charge, pointed to a corner of the room with his finger while seated.

“He isn’t in critical condition, right?”

The doctor nodded and, looking somewhat astonished, said,

“But who is he? He endured the removal of the bullet without anesthesia, biting his teeth without flinching. Most would have fainted from the pain.”

I turned to the doctor while heading toward Manager Ma’s bed.

“Why didn’t you use anesthesia?”

“He refused it. I’ve performed countless bullet removal surgeries in my military but I’ve never seen someone like him before.”

The doctor said with a face full of disbelief.

“You mean he refused anesthesia?”

“Yes. Though I told him it couldn’t be done, he insisted it was fine… so we proceeded without it.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

Pulling back the curtain, I saw Manager Ma lying there with closed eyes.

It was unclear whether he was awake, as he attempted to rise.

I pressed down on his shoulder and said,

“Just lie still. Don’t overexert yourself.”

“I’m sorry, Boss.”

“No, I’m sorry for putting you through this…”

Manager Ma gave a faint smile, though his face was ashen from the intense pain.

“It’s okay. I’m not new to getting shot. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I will never forget this incident.”

I refrained from saying anything further as there were North Korean people around us.

But it was enough to convey my intention to Manager Ma.

He gave a mixed expression of joy and regret.

“The Boss’s safety comes first, so you mustn’t overdo it.”

“I think I will need to stay in the North for a few more days. Let’s have a thorough check-up once we get back to Seoul.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Manager Ma returned to an expressionless face as if he hadn’t just smiled.

“I need to go rest too. Don’t worry about me; just take a good rest. There shouldn’t be any dangerous situations now.”

After patting Manager Ma’s arm a few times, I turned my body.

As I left the medical room, the young soldier who had been guiding me was waiting.

“I will guide you to your lodging.”

As I walked through the maze-like hallway again, I suddenly became curious about his age.

“How old are you?”

Without any preamble, I asked directly, causing the young soldier to stop, turn, and ask me,

“Why are you curious about that?”

“You look young. You don’t even seem to be twenty yet.”

“It’s nothing.”

He turned away again. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he seemed to walk a bit quicker.

Soon, we came to a halt in front of a door.

“You can rest here. You absolutely must not go outside by yourself. I will be keeping guard at the front.”

I nodded and entered the room. It was a small space with just a bed, a mini table, and a chair.

“Huh…”

I sat on the bed, loosening the tie that had been choking me.

I had been busy inspecting the Kaesong Industrial Complex even during the day, and perhaps due to the coup, my body felt heavy and exhausted.

I managed to keep a composed face despite my tiredness.

It was already tough enough being this tired and then having a standoff with Kim Jong-il…

‘The coup is practically a failure already. It’s pretty obvious what will come out of it…’

Though I was exhausted, it was difficult to feel at ease in this situation.

I had to remain in this room until something changed anyway.

I began to ponder ways to steer the situation to my advantage.

* * *

Kim Jong-il, who opened his eyes from the bed, immediately called for Baek Cheol-soo. He seemed to have been waiting nearby, as Baek Cheol-soo appeared almost instantly.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Kim Jong-il held a cigarette to his mouth, and Baek Cheol-soo lit it for him.

“What happened?”

Kim Jong-il exhaled a plume of smoke as he asked.

“Most of it has been taken care of. There weren’t any major clashes, and I promised the officers below the junior officers that if they capture the instigators, it will be treated as if nothing happened.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Kim Jong-il’s eyes sharpened, watching closely. Seeing the filter of the cigarette bend under the pressure of his teeth, Baek Cheol-soo lowered his head.

“To avoid casualties, we had no choice but to use them.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Kill all the officers above the level of junior officers, even if they’re general soldiers.”

“But…”

“Cheol-soo, there’s a limit to my patience. Didn’t you beg for your life? I gave you a day. Arrest all the officers!”

“Understood.”

As Kim Jong-il glared at Baek Cheol-soo, he roughly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

“Arrest them all by tomorrow morning. If they resist, you can kill them all. If anyone goes against my orders this time, there won’t be another chance. I’ll even kill you, Cheol-soo.”

Baek Cheol-soo saluted with a stiff posture.

“I will follow the orders of the Commander.”

Kim Jong-il nodded slightly, his expression softening a bit.

“And about Teacher Kim… Cheol-soo, what do you think? Do you think he was unaware of this incident? I can’t shake off my suspicion about him.”

Kim Jong-il still hadn’t let go of his doubts regarding Kim Mu-hyeok.

“It’s strange. The reactionaries mobilized their troops just as the South Korean delegation was visiting Pyongyang, moving the surveillance of the Security Bureau, right?”

“That’s right.”

Kim Jong-il frowned, deep in thought, and added,

“Investigate the Director of the General Political Bureau and the Commander of the Security Command as well. It doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t know about such a large-scale coup plot. Don’t you think?”

No one could be trusted in this position.

From where he was sitting, anyway.

“Didn’t you say there were traitors among the guards? Just how far is this involvement extending?”

“We will soon uncover everything.”

“I see. You may leave.”

As Kim Jong-il waved his hand, Baek Cheol-soo saluted and exited.

Left alone, Kim Jong-il murmured to himself while holding a new cigarette.

“I’ll kill those bastards.”

A sense of murderous intent and rage hung in the air, lost and undefined, swirling around the room.

* * *

As expected, Kim Jong-il didn’t come looking for me the entire day.

Until the situation changes, this state would continue.

I was served meals in my room, rendering me incapable of doing anything.

However, I gained a full day to think alone.

Ultimately, I made a decision.

‘I need to help Jang Seong-taek ascend to power.’

Even if Kim Jong-il accepted peace with the U.S. this time, he was someone who could change his mind any time.

What could be built with someone untrustworthy like that?

Therefore, Jang Seong-taek, who at least revealed his true intentions, was more useful to me.

Though I would have to contemplate what I would gain after supporting his rise to power.

“The Commander is calling for you.”

A soldier who entered through the doorway announced. Was it a changeover, or was it just that the young soldier I had been assigned was no longer here?

“Kim, Teacher, did you rest well?”

Kim Jong-il’s complexion looked better now.

He too must have come to some conclusion over the course of the day.

“Yes, thanks to you, I rested well.”

“I see. That’s great. Please sit down.”

I sat across from Kim Jong-il, maintaining a calm expression.

“All the reactionaries have been captured.”

I nodded without showing any particular reaction to his claim that the suppression had been completed within a day.

Since I lost sight of Kim Jong-il, the coup was bound to fail sooner or later.

“But I heard something interesting.”

Kim Jong-il was looking at me with sharp, reptilian eyes.

“I have gotten a confession that Russia was behind this incident.”

Russia was behind the coup?

“Is that true?”

“Didn’t you know? Isn’t he a friend of Putin’s? Is that a lie?”

“······I’m unaware of such matters.”

Is Kim Jong-il trying to pull a fast one on me? Or is Russia genuinely behind this coup?

“Is that so?”

Kim Jong-il’s gaze remained suspicious.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have come to Pyongyang. I wouldn’t foolishly walk into a place that could easily turn to a battlefield.”

“That’s true.”

Kim Jong-il seemed convinced as he nodded.

“In an hour, we will return to Pyongyang. You will be coming with me, so prepare yourself.”

It was a quicker return than expected.

“I need to show them I’m safe, right? Otherwise, those other fools will get any funny ideas. You will go down with the delegation the moment you arrive in Pyongyang and return to Seoul with the people who came from the South.”

“What about the agreement with the U.S.?”

Due to the unexpected coup, negotiations with the U.S. had not even begun.

“Until we eradicate all the reactionaries, I will suspend all trades with the South, including the joint industrial complex. The same goes for negotiations with the U.S.”

“Chairman.”

Kim Jong-il’s attitude had shifted. A storm was surely brewing in Pyongyang due to this coup.

“I have made my decision. Just know this, and return to where you came from. This could be my last act of consideration for you.”

Kim Jong-il was still doubting me.

It was time to retreat a step back.

“Understood. I will accompany the delegation and leave as soon as we arrive in Pyongyang.”

“Let’s end the greetings here.”

An hour later, we departed for Pyongyang together with the escort troops who had come to fetch Kim Jong-il.

We were driving right behind the vehicle carrying Kim Jong-il.

“Is it feasible to move?”

I asked Manager Ma next to me.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“Just hold on a little longer. We’ll go to the hospital as soon as we get back to Seoul.”

“Understood, Boss.”

As we entered the outskirts of Pyongyang, we could see countless tanks and heavily armed soldiers lined up.

We maneuvered through them to enter downtown Pyongyang.

“We will go directly to the hotel now.”

The soldier driving our vehicle, who was part of the escort troops, said.

Soldiers were also stationed outside the hotel.

“You will have an hour to finish all your preparations and come back outside. Please go up now.”

After getting out of the car, I supported Manager Ma as we entered the hotel.

As if he had been waiting in the lobby, Chairman Kim Byung-woo rushed over.

“Boss.”

“Please finish up the preparations to head back to Seoul and gather everyone in the lobby.”

Chairman Kim glanced at Manager Ma and nodded.

Within half an hour, everyone who needed to prepare had gathered in the lobby one by one.

The Deputy Minister of Unification checked the personnel, and we all boarded the bus we had arrived on.

It was time to leave this dreadful place.