Chapter 358
Chapter 358
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Shadow of the Old Era
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The opposition's growth was visible, but it wasn't enough to threaten the regime.
"If it were Se-eun, she'd be a threat, but even her growth is within expected bounds."
I'd thoroughly crushed any other dangerous variables.
That meant there were no variables that could shake the regime for the next year or so.
'But complacency is the enemy.'
To stabilize the power I'd seized, I decided to meet with Kim Jeong-gil.
Kim Jeong-gil.
The second-most powerful man in Korea and Lee Seong-jun's shadow.
I planned to secure his support to bolster my deficient control over the military.
"Director, we've arrived."
"Faster than I thought."
After getting out of the car, I leisurely surveyed the area around Kim Jeong-gil's residence.
The first thing that caught my eye was the bodyguards sent by the Presidential Security Service.
Kim Jeong-gil was protected by twelve bodyguards, fitting for a former head of state.
Was that the end of his security?
Of course not.
Outside the mansion, a company of riot police stationed at guard posts took turns ensuring his safety.
When I expressed my intent to visit, his chief secretary inquired about the purpose.
"I'd like to see the President."
"Director, please wait a moment."
While the chief secretary went to see Kim Jeong-gil, I lit a cigarette.
By the time I'd finished it, the chief secretary returned.
"His Excellency says he doesn't wish to see anyone."
Kim Jeong-gil's refusal was unexpected, but changing his mind wouldn't be difficult.
"Is that so? Then pass along this one message: The real powerholder in Korea wishes to see him."
He was someone Kim Jeong-gil could never ignore.
After all, he was a man who felt responsibility for Korea's fate.
A short while later, the chief secretary said to me,
"His Excellency will see you."
Following the chief secretary's guidance, I arrived at the reception room.
Looking around the reception room where I sat, it was filled with ink-written calligraphy.
Upon closer inspection, they were all quotes left by Lee Seong-jun.
As I was admiring the calligraphy written by Kim Jeong-gil, an elderly man in hanbok entered the reception room.
Kim Jeong-gil's face was more darkly tanned than the last time I'd seen him.
Recognizing him, I immediately stood up.
"President, thank you for seeing me."
"A man of your stature, the real power in Korea—whatever could bring you to see this wild old man?"
Kim Jeong-gil seemed displeased at having been reluctantly summoned.
"I'm just here for some advice. What else would it be?"
Kim Jeong-gil stared at me for a long moment before gesturing to the seat.
"Sit down."
He sat across from me and called for a servant to bring tea.
"You're Director Bae Seong-jun, right?"
"Yes, President."
"Enough with the 'President' business. It's been five years since I stepped down from the throne."
True, Jeong-gil disliked authoritarian titles.
"Then how should I address you?"
"I'm something like your political senior, so let's go with 'senior.'"
Knowing Kim Jeong-gil's aversion to empty flattery, I immediately changed my form of address.
"Understood, Senior."
At that moment, the servant brought the tea.
It was jujube tea with a bit of honey.
The taste was mediocre.
As I took a sip, Kim Jeong-gil spoke.
"So, what advice are you seeking from me?"
"Nothing grand. Just some guidance on governance."
Kim Jeong-gil let out a hollow chuckle.
"The late President might have qualified, but I'm hardly in a position to advise on ruling."
He seemed to harbor doubts about his own tenure.
"The more you feel governance is difficult, the more you should advise this junior of yours."
Kim Jeong-gil looked into my eyes for a long while after hearing that.
Then he shook his head.
"I can tell just from that look in your eyes. You're not really after my advice."
Though he'd been out of politics for a long time, Kim Jeong-gil's insight hadn't dulled.
"Is that so."
"A director of the Agency for National Security Planning—essentially the Intelligence Minister—must have your own judgment and information. You wouldn't need words from a retired old man."
"You're overestimating me."
"Am I?"
Kim Jeong-gil smirked as if he'd heard an amusing reply.
"Haven't had much to laugh about lately, but you made this old man chuckle. Needing my few words, indeed."
"Military."
Kim Jeong-gil flinched while handling his teacup at my abrupt word.
"I want your influence over the military, Senior."
After a brief pause, Kim Jeong-gil spoke casually.
"The military. I have no such influence left. You know better than anyone that Jang Dong-yun cut off all my hands and feet."
If that were true, it would have been Jang Seong-jun, not Jang Dong-yun.
"That may be how it appears on the surface. But surely there are still people in the military within your reach."
Influence over those people.
That's what I wanted.
Only then did Kim Jeong-gil wipe the smile from his face.
Our gazes clashed sharply in the air.
After locking eyes for a moment, Kim Jeong-gil raised the white flag.
"Fine, let's say I do have influence. Why should I give it to you? You're not even the President's blood kin—why you?"
I smiled at Kim Jeong-gil's sharp words.
"Because this Bae Seong-jun is the President's true successor."
"You, his successor? Don't talk nonsense!"
Kim Jeong-gil raised his voice.
"Then let me show you the proof."
I brought up the secret operations Kim Jeong-gil and I had conducted together.
It didn't take long for the casual listener's eyes to widen in shock.
"That was something only the President and I knew. How do you—?"
"Information is power. Why else would the President, who lived by that creed, share such crucial intelligence with me?"
Kim Jeong-gil spoke with difficulty.
"Are you truly the President's successor, Director Bae?"
"The designation came after his retirement. He demanded I reach the top on my own merits, and I seized the throne fulfilling that demand."
I even revealed that I'd outmaneuvered Jang Dong-yun.
"I see. That explains it."
Kim Jeong-gil's expression was complex.
"Now do you understand why you should back me?"
Kim Jeong-gil nodded reluctantly.
"If you're the President's successor, I acknowledge you qualify to inherit his power."
Kim Jeong-gil's acknowledgment.
It was the final button to stabilize my precarious power.
"I'll arrange a meeting with the people in the military within a few days."
"Thank you, Senior."
"Is that all you want from me?"
"For now."
Kim Jeong-gil gave a strange look.
"You don't seem burdened by dealing with the President's daughter."
"Not at all."
Even if she emerged victorious after everything was done, it would still be my victory.
It would mark the completion of my democratic Republic of Korea.
"That look, that confidence—I see why the President chose you as successor."
Kim Jeong-gil seemed to sense Lee Seong-jun's aura in my eyes.
He gazed at my face for a moment, then rose and fetched a piece of calligraphy from the wall.
Crisp Hangul script.
"Substance over form."
A slogan Lee Seong-jun had proclaimed for years.
Kim Jeong-gil stroked the writing as he said,
"This was the phrase I kept close to my heart while leading Korea. I give it to you, Director."
It was an outdated tale, now devoid of meaning.
But it was as good as his life story.
Handing it to me implied entrusting everything to me, the 'President's' successor.
"Are you sure you can entrust everything to me?"
"Why? Too much?"
The eyes of Kim Jeong-gil, who had been brooding moments ago, now gleamed with a strange vitality, as if he'd glimpsed hope.
"Not at all. How could someone destined to shoulder Korea's future balk at one man's expectations?"
Kim Jeong-gil burst into hearty laughter.
"That's the answer I've long hoped to hear while grooming successors."
That's why I'd said it.
It was a line to comfort Kim Jeong-gil's heart.
My candid talk with Kim Jeong-gil exerted influence informally.
In a secret meeting at a safe house, 34 generals quietly pledged their support.
"We trust Kim Jeong-gil's judgment and will back you, Director."
I swiftly reassigned the supporting generals to posts around the capital region.
'Civilian control has greatly reduced the risk of a military coup, but it's not zero.'
Even a slim possibility couldn't be ignored.
Through the people Kim Jeong-gil provided, I eliminated that possibility as well.
Of course, I didn't blindly trust those he handed over.
I cast a surveillance net over these generals too.
The surveillance networks of the Capital Defense Command, Intelligence Command, and Agency for National Security Planning enveloped them in layers.
'People are changeable creatures.'
The Kim Jeong-gil I knew might have changed, or the generals he trusted might have.
No one stays the same forever.
So, use people, but verify them continually.
That was my principle.
With the surveillance net over the generals in place, I fastened the final button on seizing power.