Chapter 405: Untitled Chapter

We’ll have to subdue them, you know.

It’s rare for Manager Ma’s phone and mine to ring simultaneously.

I had an uneasy feeling. I reached for my phone first.

“Manager, please step out and take your call in private.”

I told Manager Ma after checking the name on my screen.

“Yes, Boss.”

Manager Ma left the study and I slumped back onto the sofa.

“Hey, Myeong-su.”

“Hey, hey!”

Myeong-su’s urgent voice called out before I could even greet him properly.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Turn on the TV right now.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“Hurry! Quick!”

Urged on I grabbed the remote next to me and turned on the TV.

The news channel that came on wasn’t showing its regular broadcast but breaking news.

“What the… Is this for real?”

“Did you turn it on? What is it? Why are you asking me? Don’t you know anything?”

“……”

“Hey! Mu-hyeok.”

[Attack on Japanese Prime Minister’s Official Residence.]

My eyes were glued to that subtitle.

“Hey! Kim Mu-hyeok!”

Myeong-su’s voice calling me again snapped me back to reality.

“Is this real?”

“……Looks like you don’t know anything either.”

“Yeah, I’ll check and call you back. Are you with Chairman Yoon?”

“No, I’m heading back to the party headquarters now.”

“Alright, share any info you get too. Let’s talk later.”

I hung up and continued watching TV. My eyes widened as the reporter went on.

“Tokyo is literally a war zone right now. A gunfight has broken out between intruders trying to enter the Prime Minister’s residence and Self-Defense Forces trying to stop them.”

There was no footage yet but the situation seemed to be escalating.

The Prime Minister’s residence hadn’t been attacked since World War II.

“Boss, may I come in?”

Manager Ma knocked on the study door. Thanks to him I finally tore my eyes away from the TV.

Manager Ma entered the study glanced between me and the TV and said,

“That was Lee Chan-jong, the CEO of Black Secret. He said the Prime Minister’s residence was attacked and the National Assembly, Liberal Democratic Party headquarters, and Police Department were all attacked by the Self-Defense Forces.”

“The Self-Defense Forces?”

“Yes. He said it looks like a coup.”

“……Should I believe this or not?”

The Self-Defense Forces attacking the Prime Minister’s residence? Is this a civil war?

“What about Prime Minister Koizumi’s safety?”

“That hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

Well, it would be difficult to get information by going out onto the streets where a gunfight was taking place.

“For now tell our people in Tokyo to prioritize their own safety. Don’t take unnecessary risks trying to get information. Call them now.”

While Manager Ma made the call I thought about who might have an accurate grasp of the situation.

“Putin? Or maybe the U.S.?”

I fiddled with my phone as I pondered. I wasn’t sure.

“Boss, they all say they’re prioritizing safety.”

Manager Ma reported after ending the call and I nodded lightly.

Then I slowly dialed a number.

“Hello?”

“Jessica, this is Kim Mu-hyeok.”

The person I chose to call was Jessica.

“Ah, are you calling about Japan by any chance?”

“Yes. I thought the U.S. might have a better grasp of the situation.”

“Hmm……”

Jessica hesitated, drawing out the moment. I found myself urging her on.

“Jessica.”

“Just a moment, please. There are many ears here. I’ll tell you when I get back to my room.”

I waited patiently at her words. There was a commotion of noise, then silence.

“I’m in my room now, Charlie. What do you want to know? The situation in Japan? Or who’s behind it?”

“All of it. Who the hell moved the military and Prime Minister Koizumi’s status too.”

Jessica sighed.

“We haven’t confirmed Koizumi’s status either. The fighting is fiercest around the Prime Minister’s residence right now. But we do know who’s behind it.”

“Who’s the mastermind?”

“Before that, you should know this. This is all a butterfly effect caused by Charlie’s actions. It was led by Inamoto Junichi, the Ground Staff Office Chief who stepped down under Koizumi’s hand this time. The lieutenant colonels under him are the main force behind this.”

So the Ground Staff Office Chief didn’t step down quietly after all.

The Self-Defense Forces were in Daigo Tadashige’s grasp too, so it made sense.

But he was dead, wasn’t he?

“Daigo Tadashige who should’ve given the order is dead. Who on earth ordered this to happen?”

“We haven’t figured that out either. We know that the captain of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s special unit met with Daigo Tadashige recently though.”

“Special forces? Does the Self-Defense Force have something like that?”

“It’s not public knowledge yet but their skills are on par with other countries. They were preparing for official unit promotion soon but they’re the ones who attacked the Prime Minister’s residence.”

If special forces attacked the Prime Minister’s residence Koizumi was in danger.

The one fortunate thing was that the Self-Defense Forces were stationed in Tokyo for peacekeeping.

If the U.S. military moved too there’d be no problem suppressing the coup.

But since there was no word of it being suppressed yet I had a nagging feeling.

“Isn’t the U.S. military moving? It’s an ally’s issue after all.”

“You know we don’t interfere in internal affairs right?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her words.

The U.S. not interfering in internal affairs? Nonsense.

“Jessica, I told you not to lie to me.”

“Ha, this is why I always lose when I talk to Charlie. We’ve decided to wait and see for now. We could help if Prime Minister Koizumi requests it but since his status hasn’t been confirmed… We don’t have justification to move our military.”

“Hmm…… I see. By the way who’s the special forces captain?”

“First Lieutenant Arimoto Eiji.”

Arimoto Eiji. It was a name I’d never heard before in my previous life or this one.

“Please let me know if any important facts come to light.”

“……Shouldn’t we be a bit more careful? If we get caught, not only me but Charlie won’t be safe either.”

“I’ll handle it. So please.”

Jessica hesitated then sighed. It meant she agreed.

I ended the call and put down my heated phone.

My mind was in turmoil.

Sometimes small actions can have huge ripple effects.

No one can predict the direction. Not even me.

“This isn’t what I wanted.”

Everything had been going according to plan. As I sighed and rubbed my forehead Manager Ma offered words of comfort.

“You didn’t do it on purpose, did you?”

“Well, that’s true. If the coup succeeds it won’t be good for us. We’ll have to make sure it’s suppressed.”

For my part it was better if Koizumi kept his grip on power.

If the military seized power there’s no telling what they might do and they’d naturally be hostile to me who killed Daigo Tadashige.

This is getting complicated.

And so the long night passed with sighs.

I spent most of the night wide awake.

I did doze off on the sofa for short periods but constant phone calls prevented any deep sleep.

As soon as morning came Kim Hak-gwon called.

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Is this your doing too?”

Kim Hak-gwon’s question without any explanation made me laugh wryly.

Now everyone asks me whenever something happens.

“No, it’s not. It wasn’t in the plan so I couldn’t sleep either. I don’t know anything about this.”

“I see……”

Kim Hak-gwon’s voice trailed off suspiciously.

“Mr. President, do you know what happened to Prime Minister Koizumi?”

“We haven’t been able to figure that out either. They say the coup has been suppressed for now though.”

As expected the coup failed. It was unlikely for a coup to succeed in an advanced country like Japan.

“That’s a relief.”

“Whether it’s a relief or not remains to be seen. If Koizumi is alive he’ll probably make an address soon won’t he?”

“Probably. The Blue House must be on high alert too right? I didn’t call on purpose. Thought you’d be busy.”

“Ha ha. That’s right. I couldn’t sleep either. There’s something you told me you know. I was worried they might invade Dokdo without warning.”

Kim Hak-gwon had a point. If the coup had succeeded there’s no telling how Japan might have acted.

“The coup failed. I don’t think that will happen, will it?”

“We still can’t let our guard down. This is unprecedented.”

“Weren’t there coup attempts or coups in Japan before?”

“That was when the whole world was going crazy…… The very fact that such a thing happened in a structured Japan like now is nonsensical.”

I nodded. Well, it was because I shook things up but Japan was quite a stable country.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think there’s ever been a coup in a developed country.”

“It takes the right economic power, stable politics, and civic awareness all in harmony. That’s what makes a developed country.”

Listening to Kim Hak-gwon’s words I pondered. Even now and in the future I knew coups frequently occurred in places like Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

“So we need to watch this closely. Just because the coup failed doesn’t mean all the forces supporting them have disappeared. This could be the starting point for forces that were moving underground to surface.”

I hadn’t thought of that. As expected he seemed to know well how this might unfold, having experienced a coup firsthand.

“I see. I’ll keep a close eye on it too.”

“Well, I’ll hang up now. I have to go into another meeting.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Kim Hak-gwon hung up first and I turned on the TV. The news channels still weren’t reporting that the coup had been suppressed.

I leaned back deeply into the sofa closed my eyes and organized my thoughts.

“Confirm Koizumi’s status first…… Then I need to find out who gave orders to Arimoto Eiji.”

How long had I been lost in thought? Manager Ma knocked on the door.

“Boss. CEO Lee Chan-jong has arrived.”

I opened my eyes and said,

“Come in.”

The door opened and Lee Chan-jong entered and greeted me.

“Boss. It’s been a while.”

I stood up smiled gently and extended my hand to him.

“It has. I’ve given Director Lee difficult tasks and haven’t even visited often.”

Lee Chan-jong took my hand and smiled.

“Not at all. Everyone knows how busy you are Boss. Just you calling on us occasionally is an honor.”

“Director Lee is so generous I really like you. It means I trust you that much so don’t feel too bad. Come, let’s sit down.”

We finished shaking hands and sat down. Despite his considerable age Lee Chan-jong maintained an upright posture.

“Director Lee. Coffee is okay right? We got some great beans in. The aroma is amazing.”

“Yes. I like coffee.”

I gave Manager Ma a look and he bowed his head and left the study.

“How’s Black Secret these days?”

Lee Chan-jong answered my question with a voice full of pride,

“It’s the best. It’s known as a dream workplace for former National Intelligence Service members and soldiers who served in Korea’s special forces. The salary is great and the benefits are top-notch. It’s all thanks to you Boss.”

Black Secret was in charge of security for the people around me.

They were also responsible for the security of companies related to me.

But the most important thing wasn’t that. Black Secret was operating a separate intelligence team.

“Haha, all I can give is money and trust. It’s basic to treat the people working for me well.”

“Not everyone is like that. There are plenty of security companies in Korea right now but you can’t say their treatment is good. As a result military personnel naturally flow into contract companies.”

I nodded slightly. I smiled kindly but I knew well how capable Lee Chan-jong was.

“I trust you’ll manage it well.”

“Of course. In a few years we’ll be able to get better intelligence than the National Intelligence Service. We might have better material resources but the human resources the NIS has built up over decades can’t be ignored.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Chan-jong continued sheepishly,

“Yes, the human network connected like a spider web is the NIS’s greatest weapon. HUMINT has high quality information. That can’t be built up in a short time. I’m sorry.”

“Director Lee doesn’t need to apologize. I know it’s not something that can be achieved in a short time too. We’re people who look to the future right?”

Manager Ma came in with coffee and set cups down in front of me and Lee Chan-jong. Then he came to my side and stood silently.

This makes me look like too much of a bad boss. I tapped the seat next to me and Manager Ma nodded and sat down.

I had asked for coffee to be brought to lighten the mood but there was no need for that.

Because the anchor’s urgent voice and a red subtitle passed across the screen.

[Prime Minister Koizumi to Make Address]

My gaze turned to the TV without me realizing it.