Chapter 786: Hangover and Hidden Agendas

Thanks to the President, who was a real boozer, I couldn’t control myself either.

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

I finally opened my eyes at lunchtime. After downing a whole bottle of water, I barely managed to come to my senses.

I rang the bell to call Manager Kim.

“Are you awake, sir?”

Manager Kim greeted me as he entered. I nodded, my head throbbing.

“I need something with a hot broth…”

“I’ll have it prepared right away.”

“Okay, I’ll go wash up then come down. What’s the report about?”

“There’s something I need to tell you about the Heavenly Group.”

It was the information about the situation in Korea that I’d asked for yesterday. I nodded.

“I’ll hear it after I eat.”

After Manager Kim bowed and left, I got out of bed and walked over to the window.

I pulled back the curtains and looked outside. The snow that had fallen all night was piled up, reflecting the sunlight.

I opened the window and took a deep breath of the cold air.

The icy wind brushed my cheeks, finally making me feel a bit sober.

“Should’ve taken it easy last night.”

Regret always comes too late, no matter how quickly it arrives.

“Oh! Smells good.”

After standing in the cold wind for a while, I washed up and went down to the dining room. There was a spicy yukgaejang ready.

I mixed the rice into the yukgaejang and devoured the whole bowl in no time.

“I feel a little better now.”

The throbbing in my head was starting to fade. After filling my stomach, I craved coffee.

“Bring me some coffee in the study.”

I got up from the table and went into the study.

“It’s about the situation in Korea right?”

Manager Kim, who followed me in, started explaining the situation at the Heavenly Group.

“Chu Dong-bin and Im Hwa-soo have joined hands. And Yang Woo-guk who is against them has gathered another force.”

“Weren’t they supposed to be pushing Im Hwa-soo as chairman?”

“Yes. That seems to be why there’s so much opposition. Im Hwa-soo is the youngest of the directors after all.”

“Ha, those gangster bastards are really looking at age.”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“They’ve decided to hold a general meeting of all the Heavenly Group’s executives directors and managers. After that Yang Woo-guk’s side allegedly attacked Im Hwa-soo.”

“Attacked?”

“Yes. They raided his house. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt but the police were called in. It seems like a big deal since a member of his security detail was seriously injured.”

“Ha… those pathetic bastards are really stirring things up now.”

I can’t believe even gangsters are getting involved now.

“Manager Ma has called in all his subordinates and requested backup from Black Bear.”

When I smiled subtly while drinking my coffee, Manager Kim added as if he understood.

“Manager Ma is very angry. Plus he was in Korea alone during the last attack because of the Heavenly Group, and even that he couldn’t resolve it properly.”

I understood how Manager Ma felt. I had left him in Seoul to deal with the Heavenly Group.

But I had been in danger in North Korea so he must have regretted not being by my side.

Manager Ma was that kind of person.

I nodded and asked,

“Are Chu Dong-bin and Im Hwa-soo’s side being pushed back?”

“If it comes to an all-out war, Chu Dong-bin’s side has the advantage. But if that happens, the Heavenly Group will be torn to pieces.”

“It seems that Manager Ma is going to move in with his own people.”

I understood why he told me not to go to Korea.

He must be worried that they might target me before everything is settled.

“The police are paying attention to this case. The apartment where Im Hwa-soo lives is also inhabited by politicians and other famous people so it’s already spreading rapidly on the internet. It’s said there is no way to stop it now.”

“Those crazy bastards. They should be moving quietly, but they’re making a scene. So when are they planning to settle things?”

“There is a big event in Busan this Sunday. That’s what they have set as D-Day and they are preparing.”

“That’s three days from now.”

If Manager Ma is moving in person things will be chaotic but ultimately resolved cleanly.

“Okay then, we’ll go back once Korea is settled.”

“Yes. The private jet is already at the airport waiting.”

“Keep me updated on the news from Korea.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I should rest a bit more. Please carry on with your business.”

After seeing Manager Kim off, I lay down on the sofa for a rest.

I must have fallen asleep for a bit because when I opened my eyes at the sound of knocking on the door, the sun was already setting.

“It’s Igor.”

“Come in.”

Igor who entered, looked at me cautiously.

“Did I interrupt your rest?”

“No, it’s fine. What is it?”

“The owner of the Kremlin and Jang Seong-taek were on the phone.”

“Really? Then I’ll probably get a call soon too.”

It seemed things were starting to wrap up.

Sure enough, my phone on the table started to vibrate.

“Some people just can’t wait for anything.”

I immediately picked up the phone and put it to my ear.

“Yes, this is Kim Mu-hyeok.”

— This is Jang Seong-taek. Are you safe, Boss Kim Mu-hyeok?

“I’m safe. I didn’t expect to encounter something like that in North Korea.”

— I received a report that there was an engagement. Are you hurt anywhere?

“No, I’m not.”

Jang Seong-taek’s voice sounded tense probably due to my tone being stiffer than usual.

— I apologize that you had to experience something like that in our Republic. I also didn’t think those bastards would directly target you. I am sorry.

“There is nothing that can be done about what has already happened. Please take care of the Guard Headquarters officers who died protecting me. It’s because of them that I got out of that place safely. Without them, it would have been difficult.”

I thought of the Guard Headquarters soldiers that Jang Seong-taek had assigned to me.

“They’re all dead?”

— …Yes. The soldiers who started the engagement at the checkpoint are all dead. The people who were by your side were also injured or killed.

“Please provide sufficient compensation to their families. Or should I do it myself?”

— No. The Republic should provide the compensation.

“Please take care of it. They died for me. If it wasn’t for them, something much more terrible could have happened.”

— Of course, I will. They are heroes of the Republic.

I couldn’t blame Jang Seong-taek completely. I had also been too complacent.

When Jang Seong-taek said he would subdue them beforehand, it was me who suggested waiting for them to move so that we could capture them all at once.

Ha, I need to pull myself together.

I covered the receiver for a moment and said to Igor.

“Please ask them for a cold coffee.”

“Yes, Boss.”

I removed my hand from the receiver and said to Jang Seong-taek.

“Both sides are at fault this time, so let’s leave it at that. But if there are no follow-up measures, I won’t set foot in North Korea again.”

— …I will resolve this cleanly. You will never experience something like that again.

“But how are you planning to resolve this? Is Kim Jong-il involved? After I went to warn Kim Jong-il, that happened. I can’t help but be suspicious.”

In fact, it was so obvious that it was hardly even a suspicion.

— I had a rather lengthy discussion with the General. He said that while he knew about it, he had no intention of participating as I told you. And… the General directly contacted the military to give me power when we were suppressing the coup. So perhaps…

Kim Jong-il was giving a long-winded excuse to avoid being killed.

“This won’t happen again, right?”

— …I heard that you told him to leave the Republic. Is that true?

“Yes. As long as he is in North Korea, anyone will try to use him. If you can’t kill him, how about sending him overseas?”

I could sense him swallowing hard on the other end. I spoke more firmly.

“If you don’t intend to send him overseas, you’ll have to kill him. If you want that, I won’t stop you.”

— …No. After Choi Ryong-hae’s trial, I will send the General and his family abroad.

“If you disappoint me again because of sentimentality, I was thinking of reconsidering my relationship with the State Affairs Commission. Can I trust you?”

— I promise you. But please give me some time. I intend to seize power for sure this time.

Jang Seong-taek’s voice had become resolute as if he had hardened his resolve.

“That’s what I wanted. We’re going to be together for more than a decade anyway. For your safety, you must take full control of power. It’s hard to play the naive good guy in your position anyway.”

— I was wrong. I was trying to show that I’m different from the General… I guess they saw that as weakness.

I could hear Jang Seong-taek grinding his teeth on the other end of the line.

Didn’t he know that?

I held back a laugh and asked,

“You’re going to try Choi Ryong-hae? Not just kill him.”

— Yes. I plan to show people clearly. I already publicly executed two of his closest confidants.

This was a little surprising.

“Already? That’s faster than I expected.”

— If anyone still has other thoughts, I want them to tremble with fear after seeing those executions. And I made Choi Ryong-hae watch it himself.

“Was it a firing squad?”

— I couldn’t give them an easy death. I blew them to smithereens with an anti-aircraft gun.

He’s giving them back the same treatment he had in his past life.

“It’s a pity I didn’t get to see Choi Ryong-hae tremble in fear.”

— That guy even wet himself. Hahahaha.

Jang Seong-taek laughed loudly as if he was telling a funny story.

“Then what are you going to do with Choi Ryong-hae? And what about the other people involved?”

— We are still investigating everyone except Choi Ryong-hae. If there’s anyone else involved in this, I will either kill them all or send them to the Aoji coal mines. I’m also going to clean out the military.

If Jang Seong-taek had made up his mind, then that’s exactly what would happen.

This purge would be completely different from the ones before.

Jang Seong-taek spent quite a while explaining his plans.

“Sounds fun. The formality of publicly arresting them at the extended meeting sounds good too.”

It seemed that no matter who took power in North Korea, it would be the same.

Jang Seong-taek who had no knowledge of my past life, was trying to get rid of Choi Ryong-hae the exact same way he had been purged.

It wasn’t just about killing him but also burying him completely.

— Oh, and the Chinese ambassador came to see me, begging on his hands and knees.

“The Chinese ambassador?”

— Yes. As soon as he knew China was behind this, he came straight away. I made him wait for three hours but eventually met him.

It wouldn’t have been easy for the usually stiff Chinese diplomats to do that.

“They know when to bow down. Is there any other information on China?”

— Hu Jintao and Zheng Qinghong have joined hands and have already arrested all those involved. I am scheduled to talk to President Hu Jintao tomorrow.

It seemed China was going according to plan too.

— If President Hu Jintao expresses his regret, then I’ll get an apology that even the Leaders and Generals couldn’t get.

I doubted that Hu Jintao would apologize.

I was doubtful. He wouldn’t do it. Jang Zemin and Hu Jintao were the same. There was no way they’d apologize to North Korea.

“When you talk to President Hu Jintao, have him call me too.”

— Yes. I will definitely relay that.

“Then I’ll hang up now. This call has been too long. Let’s meet and laugh next time.”

— I will contact you once everything is somewhat settled.

After hanging up with Jang Seong-taek, I noticed that all the ice in my coffee had melted, making it tasteless.