Chapter 327
Chapter 327
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Seongjun Alumni (2)
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Seongjun Middle and High School alumni—shortened to members of the Seongjun Cartel—were called Jang Dong-yoon's Praetorian Guard.
The biggest perk for this Jang Dong-yoon Praetorian Guard in the Jang faction was personnel assignments.
These special alumni had the power to pick any spot they wanted in government, politics, or the military.
Of course, there were realistic limits here too.
Each agency had a fixed Table of Organization, and if you couldn't outcompete fellow Seongjun alumni, you wouldn't land your first-choice post.
The most popular spots were in finance, but intelligence was surprisingly hot too.
The reason intelligence was popular was simple.
'Power.'
People in intelligence wielded strength incomparable to civil servants of the same rank.
The KCIA's power, in particular, was virtually unchecked.
Once you hit deputy director level at the KCIA, it was quicker to count the things you couldn't do.
Getting parachuted into one of those spots wasn't easy.
For days, I'd wined and dined the personnel handlers for Seongjun Middle and High School alumni, asking them to pull strings for my assignment.
Sure, being this blatant might ding my reputation a bit, but I could make up for it with results at the intelligence agency.
"I've heard about Director Bae's situation, so I'll do what I can."
"Thank you, sir."
"But in return, Director Bae owes me one."
"Of course."
I bowed deeply to the personnel secretary several times.
Did it hurt my pride to bend the knee to guys I'd once bossed around with a few words?
Not at all.
This Lee Sung-jun was the type who'd ditch even a head of state's dignity if it served his goals.
What was a little pride compared to that?
About three weeks later.
The long-awaited personnel notice arrived.
"Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Bae Sung-jun is appointed Acting Director of the KCIA Policy Promotion Office."
What?
I doubted my ears for a second.
Policy Promotion Office?
The fact that it wasn't even in my memory screamed how much of a backwater it was.
This might not be Park Seung-ho slacking off—maybe just no slots available.
'Still, not a bad deal.'
Ordinary folks laugh or cry over their postings, but I'm different.
Like Stalin said, turn a showy title into real power, and you're set.
Policy Promotion Office?
Might've been a dead-end yesterday, but not anymore.
Not from the moment I, Lee Sung-jun, took the helm.
"Congratulations, Director."
"Yeah. Let's keep in touch on personnel matters."
I exchanged greetings with the spokesperson's office staff, then packed my things.
I hopped into the car of the KCIA staffer sent to pick me up and headed straight for Geumsu Mountain.
On the way, I asked about the Policy Promotion Office.
"The Policy Promotion Office was newly created last year."
I'd guessed it was new from the unfamiliar name.
"I've heard of it, but what exactly does it do?"
"As the name says, it promotes the KCIA's policies and activities. The goal is to soften the public's image of the KCIA as much as possible."
The KCIA staffer walked me through the office's duties from A to Z.
The idea of packaging the KCIA's operations for the public sounded plausible, but would that make people like the KCIA?
Not before Yusin was scrapped—it was laughable.
Even Jang Dong-yoon wouldn't expect that much.
We arrived at the KCIA main building on Geumsu Mountain mid-conversation.
"Director, from here on, access is restricted by security clearance level. Please follow me."
I toured the KCIA with the staffer.
As a senior executive nominally in the Senior Civil Service, I had to pay respects to the higher-ups in my direct line.
First up was KCIA Director Kim Jeong-nam.
His name sounded friendly enough, but his actions were anything but.
He wasn't Seongjun Middle and High School alumni, but as an instructor who'd trained them, he counted as part of the broader Seongjun network.
"You've got sharp eyes—born for the job. Director Bae. Looking forward to great things."
My post was acting director of the Policy Promotion Office, but bureaucratic custom called you by the full title.
"Yes, sir. I'll give it my all."
Next after the director was my direct superior, 1st Deputy Director (Domestic) Kim Dae-gyu.
Kim Dae-gyu cut an imposing figure, but his voice lacked punch.
His poor complexion suggested he was in poor health.
Like the director, Kim Dae-gyu wasn't Seongjun alumni but rubbed elbows closely with Seongjun bureaucrats, making him part of the big Seongjun network.
"I hear Director Bae has no experience in this line. You'll need to work harder than most to make up for it."
I said I'd do just that.
Then I met my practical direct boss, 1st Deputy Director Chief of Staff Kim Yu-jin.
Kim Yu-jin was Seongjun Middle and High School alumni like me, but his welcome was more businesslike than the others.
"I don't know how you operated before, Bae Acting Director, but this is the KCIA. Keep that in mind."
"Yes, sir. I will."
Calling me acting director instead of director was his opening shot in a power play.
Beyond those three, I greeted key players I'd see often: the Deputy 1st Deputy Director (Intelligence), Planning and Coordination Director, Policy Research Director, and so on.
Touring the KCIA main building left me with one overriding impression: 'Seongjun power.'
Seongjun alumni had burrowed into every corner.
Key posts like Deputy 1st Deputy Director, Planning and Coordination Director, and Policy Research Director were all Seongjun Middle and High School grads.
In another ten years, pure Seongjun alumni would devour the whole KCIA.
You might wonder here:
Why is Jang Dong-yoon pushing Seongjun Middle and High School alumni so hard?
Swap "Seongjun Middle and High School" for "Hanahoe," and it clicks.
Just as Chun Doo-hwan led Hanahoe, Jang Dong-yoon led Seongjun.
From that angle, grooming a faction (school ties) loyal to him built devotion—pure upside.
'He's got real skill handling power.'
The fact he was exploiting the succession-stability mechanism I'd built proved Jang Dong-yoon's chops were no joke.
Of course, a mediocre guy would've been bounced long ago.
The staffer led me to the Policy Promotion Office.
Its size was about the same as the Ministry of Defense spokesperson's office.
The director's office next door was mine.
"Director, you're here."
At the staffer's words, the promotion office employees jumped up.
"Nice to meet you all."
I shook hands one by one.
Aside from the section chief, most weren't career KCIA.
Mostly dispatched (read: dragooned) from places like the Public Relations Office.
Only the section chief, a senior secretary, had real intelligence experience.
'So it's an intelligence agency department in name only—basically just another government office.'
I'd suspected as much from the name Policy Promotion Office.
Looked like I'd be twiddling thumbs with busywork for a while.
I wasn't about to waste the time, so I got my thoughts in order.
'Sitting idle with no workload isn't my style.'
You make work.
How?
By hustling.
I'm a Seongjun Middle and High School alum in the KCIA, after all.
First, I had the staff print fancy business cards.
A black ops agent couldn't do this, but I was a white ops guy whose job was schmoozing.
Armed with those cards, I hit companies and media outlets.
I kept the promotion office staff busy stamping their faces everywhere too.
"I'm Bae Sung-jun, handling KCIA public liaison. Looking forward to working together."
I made no secret of who I was.
The fastest way to become a power player is to inspire belief.
Even without real power in my hands, if others believed I had it, I'd wield the same clout as the real deal.
That's what I was going for.
Everyone who took my card etched my existence into their minds.
A KCIA exec handing out cards wasn't something you saw every day—forgetting it would've been weirder.
Soon, the KCIA Policy Promotion Office name spread far and wide.
Once the Policy Promotion Office drew public eyes, 1st Deputy Director Chief of Staff Kim Yu-jin summoned me.
"Bae Acting Director. Do you have any idea what the KCIA is? How dare you go around hawking our agency's name."
"Chief, this is my job."
"What nonsense is that?"
"It's not nonsense. The KCIA needs a lower threshold so people see us in a softer light."
My logic was straightforward.
People need to feel comfortable approaching if we're going to launder the KCIA's image into something friendly, per His Excellency Jang Dong-yoon's directive.
Kim Yu-jin looked incredulous at my words.
"I'm not in the mood for word games."
"I'm not playing word games with you, Chief."
Ah, if you hate it, offer an alternative.
Got one?
Kim Yu-jin glared at me for a long beat, then said coldly,
"Junior."
"Yes, senior."
"I'm going to watch closely what results our brilliant junior brings."
Like that'd scare Lee Sung-jun.
I didn't flinch when the CIA and NSA tracked my every move.
Back at the office, the staff were frozen stiff.
I'd gotten chewed out by the chief of staff, but they were the terrified ones.
"Director, what if this gets us on the chief of staff's bad side?"
"It's fine. I'll handle the fallout. You all just focus on the work."
I reassured the spooked staff.
Watching these timid folks complicated my thoughts.
No one in the Policy Promotion Office seemed like reliable limbs.
The section chief Oh was the closest, but as a grizzled intel vet, I hesitated to push him.
I sank into my chair, lit a cigarette.
'Get some results first, then think.'
Plenty of time left.
I exhaled my worries into the drifting gray smoke.