Chapter 785: A Coup and a Betrayal

“With all that commotion, is it even safe to come to work?”

“You talking about last night? It felt like the sky was falling.”

The bus heading to Nampo City was also in an uproar.

The Pyongyang residents hired for the Nampo City development project were whispering about the events of the previous night, unable to shake off their anxiety.

“Still, I bet there’ll be some kind of official word soon, right?”

The bus stopped at the checkpoint for quite a long time.

The sight of armed soldiers outside the window made the residents even more fearful.

“There will be a brief check. Everyone, please take out your IDs and show them.”

Everyone hired for the Nampo City development, regardless of gender, was a Party member.

Knowing this well, the soldier who boarded the bus checked each person’s Party membership card individually.

A man sitting at the very back hesitantly presented his card.

After checking the man’s card, the soldier looked at his face and grinned.

“You counter-revolutionary bastard! Where do you think you’re going?”

The man raised his voice in response to the soldier’s words.

“W-What are you talking about?”

“Get off the bus.”

“Why are you doing this?!”

“You bastard! Get off when I tell you to!”

When the man resisted, the soldier roughly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him.

“Let go! Let go! Do you know who I am?!”

The man stubbornly resisted but the soldier only kicked him in the shin while shouting.

“Shut up! Be quiet, you counter-revolutionary bastard!”

The man looked around for help but everyone was busy avoiding his gaze.

In the end, the man was dragged off the bus.

After being thrown to the ground, the man couldn’t endure the rain of military boots and curled up into a ball.

The same thing was happening at the checkpoint leading to the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

* * *

A day had passed since Choi Ryong-hae’s attempted coup.

Jang Seong-taek hadn’t slept a wink, and was working hard to deal with the aftermath.

He ordered that all those even remotely connected to the attempted coup be arrested.

Going a step further, he also arrested those who were close to him, people who had been running trade companies.

“…What’s happening with Choi Ryong-hae?”

Jang Seong-taek asked, rubbing his throbbing forehead.

Guard Headquarters Commander Won Seong-hee replied in a disciplined voice.

“He’s been locked away in a secret prison at the Guard Headquarters.”

“Good. Tell them not to lay a hand on him until I meet him in person.”

“Yes, State Affairs Commission Chairman!”

The resounding voice made his head pound again. Jang Seong-taek sighed and pulled out some painkillers.

After swallowing the pills and drinking water, he blinked slowly.

“What about the General?”

“We received reports that he was very shocked but fortunately he is safe.”

“Is it true that the General was involved in this?”

“It seems he was aware of it. Choi Ryong-hae and the other counter-revolutionaries did go to see him after all. Whether or not he issued any direct orders…”

“I will go see the General myself.”

“Thank you, State Affairs Commission Chairman!”

Won Seong-hee’s face brightened.

It was understandable considering that it would be difficult for someone else to interrogate Kim Jong-il.

“We need to completely overhaul the military this time. We can’t let something like this happen again.”

“…Are you planning on dealing with the General?”

At Won Seong-hee’s question Jang Seong-taek glared fiercely at him.

“Why? Do you also want me to have him killed?”

“N-No, of course not. How could I harbor such disrespectful thoughts?”

Even though Won Seong-hee immediately lowered his head, Jang Seong-taek’s voice remained cold.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Choi Ryong-hae, that bastard, told me to kill the General many times. And yet in the end, that same bastard tried to use the General to kill me. Don’t make me distrust you as well.”

“…I will be careful.”

Even after swallowing the medicine, his head was still throbbing. He hadn’t slept properly and his eyes burned.

Won Seong-hee, having noticed Jang Seong-taek’s condition, asked worriedly.

“Shouldn’t you get some rest?”

“No. This isn’t the time to sleep. Did President Kim Mu-hyeok cross the Russian border safely?”

“Yes. We’ve received reports that he crossed safely.”

“That’s a relief. If something had happened to him… the thought is terrifying.”

If something happened to him Russia might go crazy.

Korea couldn’t move its military without the U.S.’s permission but Russia was a country that could move its military at the whim of the Kremlin.

You could tell just by the fact that they had moved the Russian military close to the border at Kim Mu-hyeok’s request.

“Still, it’s a relief that we managed to resolve this revolt peacefully. If this had caused President Kim Mu-hyeok to lose faith in North Korea, our whole plan would have crumbled like dust.”

Finally the painkillers seemed to be working, and the throbbing pain was easing.

Or maybe it was because he was relieved. Jang Seong-taek sighed quietly and gestured with his chin towards his assembled subordinates.

“Let’s go meet Choi Ryong-hae first.”

As Jang Seong-taek stood up, everyone gathered there stood up with him including Won Seong-hee.

Pyongyang had several secret prisons for the highest echelons.

Jang Seong-taek himself had been imprisoned in a secret prison because of Kim Jong-il’s purges.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Jang Seong-taek gave a wry smile as he looked around, recalling the past.

“I’ll go in alone. Don’t let anyone follow me.”

Following Jang Seong-taek’s order Won Seong-hee unlocked the cell where Choi Ryong-hae was imprisoned.

“Yes. I will wait outside.”

After receiving his subordinates’ salute, Jang Seong-taek went inside.

Soon, the heavy iron door closed with a loud thud.

A dim room lit by a faint incandescent bulb.

Choi Ryong-hae was sitting on a metal chair, tightly bound and facing the wall.

“Ryong-hae. I never thought I’d see you like this.”

Choi Ryong-hae reacted to the familiar voice.

He seemed to want to say something, but he could only make muffled sounds with the gag in his mouth.

Jang Seong-taek slowly walked toward him and turned the chair around.

Choi Ryong-hae looked up at Jang Seong-taek with a pitiful gaze.

“Why did you do it? If you had stayed with me, you could have enjoyed power and influence. Was my position so tempting that you would give up all of that?”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Choi Ryong-hae kept shaking his body trying to say something.

Jang Seong-taek, looked at him with complex emotions, continued to speak.

“Still, I am grateful. You’ve given me the perfect justification to get rid of all the counter-revolutionaries at once. You won’t be dying peacefully.”

“Ulp! Ugh!”

Jang Seong-taek clicked his tongue at Choi Ryong-hae’s desperate eyes, which seemed to be begging for his life.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

At Jang Seong-taek’s question Choi Ryong-hae nodded frantically.

After a moment of consideration, Jang Seong-taek removed the gag from his mouth.

“State Affairs Commission Chairman! No, Seong-taek! We weren’t trying to kick you out, Seong-taek! We only wanted to deal with that bastard Kim Mu-hyeok…”

“Haa…”

His rambling excuses continued. Jang Seong-taek, who already knew that China was behind the coup, was so dumbfounded that he could only sigh once more.

“Choi Ryong-hae, my friend. Did you think I didn’t know that you were taking orders from Jiang Zemin? Tell me again. That I wasn’t your target?”

When Choi Ryong-hae hesitated, Jang Seong-taek looked him in the eyes and asked.

“Fine. Let’s say that President Kim Mu-hyeok was your target. What would happen after you killed him? Who would trust and help our Republic then? You tried to kill the very person who has been working so hard for our Republic.”

“W-We have China, right? If the Chinese Government helps us, that’s better than just one Kim Mu-hyeok…”

“Do you still believe in China? How else would I have known about your plans and prepared ahead of time?”

Choi Ryong-hae looked at Jang Seong-taek with a shocked expression.

“The Chinese Government has already informed me through President Kim Mu-hyeok about the risk of a military coup. That’s why I was preparing ahead of time. But I never expected that you would go after President Kim Mu-hyeok.”

“What does that mean! Are you saying China betrayed me?!”

Choi Ryong-hae shook his head. He looked confused, as if he couldn’t believe Jang Seong-taek’s words.

“You don’t believe me? How else could I have responded so quickly? I was the one who put you in charge of monitoring the military. And isn’t it strange? That the Security Bureau was waiting at all the entrances to Pyongyang…”

As Jang Seong-taek continued to speak calmly, Choi Ryong-hae finally realized why their plan had gone so strangely wrong.

“S-So you really did know everything?”

Jang Seong-taek nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Then why didn’t you arrest us right away?”

“Because I wanted to use you, Ryong-hae, to wipe them all out at once. That’s why I said I was grateful, remember? For becoming my pawn.”

Seeing the bitter smile on Jang Seong-taek’s face, Choi Ryong-hae’s eyes widened.

“No! That can’t be true!”

“Think whatever you want. The people’s trial is waiting for you. I plan to show your true face to the people of the Republic. So no one will ever dare to rebel against me again.”

Jang Seong-taek stated Choi Ryong-hae’s fate calmly then turned his back.

“State Affairs Commission Chairman! Seong-taek! Jang Seong-taek!!”

Choi Ryong-hae desperately called out for him, but Jang Seong-taek opened the iron door and walked out.

“I plan to make the military trial public. So don’t harm his face. Make sure to get all his statements.”

“Are you saying you are going to make the military trial public?”

“Yes. I need to reveal his trial through the Workers’ Newspaper and the Korean Central Television. That way no one will dare to rebel against me again.”

Jang Seong-taek had already planned out how to purge Choi Ryong-hae.

“Let’s start with his arrest at the Central Committee Politburo Expanded Meeting next month.”

“We will prepare accordingly.”

“Investigate thoroughly. Find out if there are any other related individuals who haven’t been arrested yet and report to me.”

“Yes, State Affairs Commission Chairman.”

Jang Seong-taek gave his orders and left the secret prison.

After that, he went to the villa where Kim Jong-il was with his security detail.

Jang Seong-taek talked with Kim Jong-il until late into the night.

* * *

I finished my meal after a brief conversation with the Russian President.

Afterwards, we drank liquor in a hidden room attached to the office and began our conversation in earnest.

“Mu-hyeok, why are you so obsessed with China? It’s not like your business will fail just because of China.”

The President asked, looking puzzled. Since he didn’t know the future, he wouldn’t understand my fight with the Chinese Government.

I pretended to think about his question before answering.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about backing out. But you know my personality. I can’t stand being pushed around like that.”

“Hmm.”

“And China’s economy is likely to grow several times its current size. It will become an economic superpower that will surpass the U.S.”

“You’re overestimating China too much. Are you saying their economy will become bigger than ours in Russia?”

The President didn’t hide his displeasure. I could have given him a sweet answer but I decided to tell him the truth.

“To be honest, Russia relies too much on natural resources. China will use its vast population to become the world’s factory, starting with manufacturing. If we don’t utilize them, we will be left behind. And…”

After hearing my explanation the President asked again with a dubious look.

“What about Russia? What do you think about the future of Russia?”

“Russia’s future isn’t bad. Even if everything else changes, Russia’s natural resources won’t go anywhere.”

The President frowned after catching the main point of my statement.

“It sounds like Russia has no future other than its natural resources.”

“If you want to change the constitution, you need the President’s decision. It requires a massive amount of capital and good relations with Western Europe. You need to be politically flexible.”

I told the President many things.

The future I know might not come to pass now. A lot had changed.

But the main framework wouldn’t change, so I could at least tell him this much.

The President’s determination was crucial for Russia to grow further.

“Western Europe…”

The President took a sip of vodka and pondered my words.

I offered him a suggestion that might pique his interest as he was deep in thought.

“President, how about we join hands and bring down Valtiche?”

“What? Bring down Valtiche?”

“Yes. There will be an opportunity soon. But I’m not strong enough to bring them down alone. I can shake their purse strings, but their influence is too difficult to handle by myself.”

It was a force that had been operating secretly for a long time. Their influence was greater than I could have imagined.

You could see it just from the fact that they replaced the French Ambassador to China with someone they wanted.

“That’s an interesting proposition. Bring down Valtiche? Sounds fun.”

I knew he would be interested. I chuckled at his positive reaction and said.

“An opportunity will come soon. I hope you’ll help me then. It will be a good opportunity for both Russia and me.”

I offered him a glass of vodka. The President looked at my glass for a moment before raising the corners of his mouth.

“I’m looking forward to it. To see what kind of interesting scheme Mu-hyeok is cooking up.”

“Well, right now, China is more important.”

Our glasses clinked together with a cheerful sound.