Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Opportunity (3)
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Chairman Jo Tae-su of Taejeong Industries was a towering figure in the business world.
He had deep connections scattered throughout society, earning him the nickname "the gentleman behind the curtain" among business circles.
In fact, before Park Hanjin launched his coup, he and Jo Tae-su had been close allies, propping each other up.
That was how vast and deeply rooted Jo Tae-su's network was.
If he could be won over or made a backer, it wouldn't just mean funding—it would secure cooperation from prominent figures across society.
'The problem is that Chairman Jo doesn't meet people easily.'
I racked my brain for anyone who could connect me to Jo Tae-su.
And then it hit me—there was exactly one person.
"President Jo? It's Lee Seong-jun."
I decided to use Jo Jung-dong, the publisher of Goryeo Daily, as my errand boy.
Of course, when it came to the reason for meeting Jo Tae-su, I vaguely said it was to consult with a "pillar of the nation" about my future path.
That was how I arranged a meeting with Chairman Jo Tae-su.
'Why on earth does he want to meet at a beer hall, of all places?'
Jo Tae-su had picked a famous beer pub in downtown Pyongyang called Daedonggang Beer.
On the day of the appointment, I arrived at Daedonggang Beer to find the place completely empty of customers.
It was a massive establishment that could easily seat five hundred in the main hall, so the emptiness gave me an odd feeling.
As I stood there in the hall, a man in a suit approached me.
"Are you General Lee? The chairman is waiting."
I followed the man, who seemed to be his secretary, up to the VIP room on the second floor.
In the VIP room sat a stern-looking old man who appeared to be in his early sixties.
Even at a glance, his traditional hanbok attire screamed "staunch traditionalist."
The chairman beckoned with his hand, and the secretary politely withdrew.
Considering his age or our respective statuses, it seemed proper for me to show respect first.
"I'm Lee Seong-jun, holding the position of Army Policy Research Officer."
"I'm Jo Tae-su of Taejeong. You're an imperial of noble rank, General Lee—speak comfortably."
"No, this feels right."
Truth be told, I'd grown so used to speaking bluntly in the Lee Seong-jun style that formal speech felt awkward, but right now, I was a salesman pitching a coup.
To package and sell this coup product effectively, I needed to approach with the cautious attentiveness of tending to a customer's every whim.
"Heh heh. Well, suit yourself. So, may I hear why General Lee sought out this old man?"
True to his stern demeanor, Jo Tae-su cut straight to the chase.
No time for the usual circling pleasantries to gauge each other, eh?
The atmosphere felt strange.
What now?
No choice.
Time to borrow the power of Buddhist rhetoric.
I decided to respond with the kind of koan that old folks love.
"Before that, Chairman, may I ask you one thing? How do you see this country?"
At my words, Jo Tae-su let out a "Heh."
"What's so great about this country? It's a frog in a well playing boss of the alley. It struts around confidently because it's never encountered anything bigger than itself."
This old man doesn't fear the military at all, does he?
But on the other hand, it made sense.
That's why someone with that kind of guts could thumb his nose at Park Hanjin.
"Regrettably, the frog I saw had already climbed out of the well."
The era when we could brawl freely with our neighbors in the East was over.
Now, starting a war meant watching the great powers' reactions.
"True enough. Is that frog's situation the reason you're here, General?"
"Yes."
"Why? You're imperial, sure, but you're not in a position of responsibility for this country."
Jo Tae-su urged me to drop the roundabout talk and get to the point.
Hah. No helping it.
Trusting that Jo Tae-su was on the opposite side of Park Hanjin, I decided to make a bold bet.
"Park Hanjin wasn't in a position of responsibility at first either."
"What are you saying?"
For the first time, a spark of interest flickered in Jo Tae-su's eyes.
"I want to try it too. The fateful decision for national salvation that Park Hanjin made."
At those words, Jo Tae-su stared at me before suddenly bursting into roaring laughter.
"Kuhahaha! Hahaha!"
He laughed for a good while, so I couldn't help but ask.
"My words weren't that light or amusing—why are you laughing like that?"
"I couldn't help it. The Park Hanjin you mentioned said the exact same thing to me."
As he spoke, Jo Tae-su's eyes had grown calm.
"I remember it well. Five years ago, the moment Park Hanjin came begging me for coup funds."
I knew the answer but asked anyway.
"Did you accept his proposal?"
"If I had, Park Hanjin wouldn't be where he is now. From the start, I thought that man lacked the qualities to lead this country. He wasn't ready to be a leader."
"I'm different."
Jo Tae-su shook his head.
"They're all the same. 'I'm different. I'll change this country.' But once they grab power, they turn into rotten fish eyes. You're a soldier, General. What makes you different from Park Hanjin?"
"Vision. I have a blueprint for this country's future."
"And the money to make it happen?"
Jo Tae-su was cynical.
He pinpointed the vague parts where I was trying to gloss over with words.
"We'll make it."
"Easy to say. If you seize power, General, can you downsize the military?"
No.
The officers who bought into my vision had essentially sided with me for a "better future."
If I just slashed the military arbitrarily, their futures would vanish.
Then what would they have to support me for?
If I were to do it, I'd need to prepare alternative livelihoods for them first.
As I couldn't answer, Jo Tae-su chuckled.
"At least you're not lying about that. General Lee."
"Go on."
"I don't believe in your ideals. I don't believe you're purely seeking power for the Daehan Empire's future."
Of course not.
I wouldn't believe it myself.
"Even so, I see you're better than Park Hanjin in at least one way."
"What's that?"
Jo Tae-su placed a folded newspaper clipping on the table.
It showed me wearing a monocle, personally inspecting the front lines and encouraging the troops.
"You've faithfully performed your duties as a soldier."
It felt a bit odd that a show for image politics was being praised like this.
"You're too kind."
"This Daehan is at war anyway, so the head of the empire needs someone who understands the military."
Suddenly, a positive signal came through in Jo Tae-su's words.
"If General Lee becomes this country's ruler, can you save Daehan from the war?"
"I don't know."
I didn't make any promises.
Wars start on your terms but never end that way.
That's why war is so terrifying and horrific.
"If you can't lead Daehan to peace, there's no reason for you to sit in the regent's seat instead of Park Hanjin, is there?"
"Lee Seong-jun bears no responsibility for leading this country into an irresponsible war."
"Responsibility."
"Daehan will face hard times ahead. We need to resolve this already-started war before it gets worse. To do that, we have to clear out Park Hanjin and the military old guard obsessed with the war first."
I brought up purges.
"Will the purges be limited to the military?"
Jo Tae-su was sharp.
Naturally, I had no intention of limiting it to the military.
I planned purges across all of society.
The reason was simple.
That's how you protect the power base gained through a coup.
It had nothing to do with my personal morality—it was the inherent nature of power.
"We have to purge as much as needs purging."
"I see. I understand your intentions fully, General. I know you want power, and that you have some vision. With that kind of resolve, you won't lose it easily. Fine. I'll back you, General. Whatever amount you need, I'll cover it."
I shot up from my seat and bowed deeply.
This old fox is a pro at push and pull.
"Thank you, Chairman."
"But I have a condition."
A condition—of course there would be.
"Tell me."
"The military's arsenal operations—we at Taejeong want in on that."
It wasn't my place to call it greed.
Jo Tae-su was staking his fate on this bet too, after all.
"Consider it done. I was planning to privatize the arsenal anyway."
In 21st-century Korea, privatization conjures images of neoliberal ills, but in this Daehan, it was different.
This country's military owned too much.
Carving off some of that flesh and handing it to private firms would benefit economic growth and distribution far more.
Of course, it also allowed for some rewarding of allies.
In that secret room, we whispered our plot to overthrow the nation.