POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!
"Everyone must want to follow Heungseon to America, huh."
I am the Supreme Leader and General Secretary. Head of the executive branch and head of the legislative branch. And the chair of this country's one and only party.
To me—after I'd personally reduced the emperor to a mere decorative figure for over a decade—suggesting I restore his throne.
I was craving a cigarette.
"Whether it's the will of the people, the will of the party, or the demand of the times... you think I'll go along with that?"
The ones who get respect everywhere in the world are those who hold real power. And I'm the realest of the real power holders.
To a man like me, they suggest restoring a throne whose palace office I'd even abolished myself? A throne I personally abolished? The height of reactionaries—the bastard spawn of reactionaries.
I tore the grand memorial to shreds with my own hands and tossed it into the fireplace.
The nation wanted an empire, so I handcrafted one, complete with an emperor, and spoon-fed it to them. What more could they possibly want?
"Supreme Leader, it seems there really are quite a few voices saying we should return sovereign power to His Majesty."
"Is it Japan stirring shit up, or the Qing? Or is it actually public opinion over there?"
"Looks like it's coming from the royalists' side."
"We pinned all the blame on Empress Myeongseong to absolve those worthless nobles who never accomplished a damn thing, and now they're manipulating public opinion from the shadows?"
"Maybe stripping their real power wasn't enough after all."
"And you want me to ascend the throne personally?"
If I'd killed the emperor, the proper move would've been to claim the throne myself and found a new dynasty. Otherwise, I'd look like an obvious puppet. And no matter how brilliant the guy pulling the strings, nothing would get done—like with Prince Gong.
"Let me say it again: the empire is done. Empires, especially absolute monarchies, tsarism—it's all over. You might get a short thrill out of it, but it won't last. Better to ride the wave of history. And right now..."
"Cooperativeism, Revisionism, international socialism."
"That's our party's platform."
"Exactly. Our party's platform. That's what's coming next."
I tapped my cigarette against the ashtray. The sound was just like crushing someone's expectations underfoot.
"The problem is, people don't get it."
Whether it was the clowns dead set on propping up that utter failure as emperor, or the ones pushing me onto the throne—they all looked the same to me. Adventurers and reactionaries, useless to the nation.
Irritation flooded in. They'd only wise up after taking a few cannon rounds to the face—gain some sense of reality.
Even after sending them abroad for studies, even after importing missionaries, this perceptual gap showed no sign of closing. They'd need a real thrashing to snap out of it, but the only "gunboat diplomacy" they'd tasted was from a pseudo-great power's Unyo-ho. So they figured we were hot shit. Pure luck, that's all.
Just look at how relations with Japan had soured the instant talk of the throne came up. Same with that Zhonghua Republic crawling out from under the Qing's trash heap.
National aspirations... Even after twenty, thirty years reborn into this era, it was still a sensation I couldn't quite grasp. Recovering Manchuria, enthroning in Beijing, conquering the Yellow River... and now what? Asia for Asians—peace in Asia?
"Tell them to finish that damn Trans-Eurasian Railway they're building. And negotiate properly with the Qing."
"The Qing..."
"Still not over it? That we let those bastards rebuild the Qing out west?"
"Manchuria's their ancestral land."
"It's our land now. No 'Manchurians' among the empire's citizens?"
"Some whisper in my ear that you can't trust the Han Chinese, can't trust the Manchus... Bullshit. By that logic, I can't trust Koreans either."
"But fair enough. Even without the emperor, it'd be smart to find a more 'legitimate' way for me to rule. Cut down on these ridiculous petitions, right?"
I ripped through the stacked memorials and swept them aside.
"The Supreme Leader is already the legitimate ruler."
"Empire diehards see it differently. They always crave a 'more legitimate' one—thinking it'll magically improve their lives."
Just look at Britain—or any great power. Not even close.
"Speaking of which, the guys right next door are pros at this game."
I jabbed my cigarette at the map. The island nation to the east.
"Pardon?"
"Foreign Minister Lee Wan-yong—tell him to head to Japan. Or go with him if you want. Kim Ok-gyun, you must be itching to catch up with your old pals over some booze."
"Even me, the Interior Minister?"
"The urgent fires are out."
"It's important enough in its own right."
"What's that?"
"Figure out how they keep their own heads from rolling. Off the record."
"..."
"Kidding. Half-kidding."
I pulled out a fresh cigarette and said,
"Ask how I can hold power for life."
"Roughly speaking, the state of this country makes it look like I'll be working till the day I drop."