Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Suicide Drones
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“I hope we haven’t come too late.”
“Not at all. Please, come in.”
At my words, the President's Chief of Staff readily entered the hospital room.
But who was the person with him?
A man I’d never seen before followed him in and gave me a silent nod.
“Ah! This is Mr. Yang Tae-yong, the newly appointed Director of the National Intelligence Service.”
The Chief of Staff belatedly revealed the man’s identity.
Damn it. Of all the times to meet the new NIS Director, it had to be like this.
Feeling awkward, I subconsciously checked what I was wearing.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jin Hyun-seung.”
“I’ve heard a great deal about you. I offer my deepest condolences for the accident.”
My first impression of the new NIS Director was that he was remarkably gentle.
So much so that it was hard to believe he was a former soldier.
But I hadn’t spoken with him at length yet, so it was too early to make any hasty judgments.
“The President expressed great concern over this incident.”
The Chief of Staff, perched on the sofa, brought up the President right away.
Wondering what he was going to say, I just watched him in silence. He then looked toward the NIS Director, who promptly continued the conversation in his stead.
“As you know, since the current administration took office, the military and the NIS have not been assigned to protect you personally, Chairman Jin. You understand that this was to maintain fairness and avoid any potential public criticism, correct?”
Of course, that was an issue I understood.
Honestly, while the military handles security for the institute and Jaewoo Thales because they are nationally critical facilities, having them protect a mere civilian like me could easily become a problem if someone decided to make an issue of it.
That’s why I never complained about it and instead established Jaewoo Security as a countermeasure.
“I understand, but why are you bringing this up again now?”
“Because my thoughts on the matter are a little different.”
“What do you mean…”
“I can’t speak for the military, but I believe what the NIS should truly protect are people, not facilities. Especially a person who has a profound impact on national security.”
I just stared at him without a word.
After all, his words meant the NIS Director had overturned the current administration’s policy on his own initiative.
Putting everything else aside, I was genuinely impressed that he had managed to overcome the President’s stubbornness, which couldn’t have been easy.
“So, you’re saying you’ll assign a security detail to me again?”
“That’s correct. However, to minimize the criticism you mentioned, I was thinking only the NIS would handle your security this time.”
“But even that could become a burden on the government if someone makes an issue of it. Besides, Jaewoo already has sufficient personnel to protect me, which makes criticism even more likely.”
The NIS Director gave a faint smile at my words.
As I watched, wondering what he would say, he hit me with a hard truth.
“You may have sufficient personnel, but this is the result, isn’t it?”
“…”
“Besides, there are some things that manpower alone can’t stop.”
“Things that manpower can’t stop?”
“Bullets. To be frank, this time they only disguised it as an accident, but there’s no guarantee they won’t use firearms in the future, is there? More than that, if even one of our armed agents had been there at the time, I’m sure you can imagine how different the outcome would have been, Chairman Jin.”
I had no response to that.
He was right. It wouldn’t be strange if bullets really did start flying next time.
As I remained silent, a knowing smile spread across the NIS Director’s face.
“Then I’ll take that as your agreement and be on my way. I actually had to postpone another appointment to come here.”
He finished his business in just five minutes and stood up.
It may have only been five minutes, but it was enough time to get a read on his character.
The conclusion I came to was, ‘The nation’s intelligence agency might become completely different from how it was before I returned.’
‘Protect people, not facilities… If nothing else, I like the sound of that.’
*******
“Congratulations on your recovery, Chairman.”
I returned to the company three days later.
Though I still had some lingering aftereffects, they weren’t unbearable. Besides, the chaotic atmosphere at the company would only settle down once I returned.
As expected, the moment I stepped into the lobby, the look in the employees’ eyes began to change drastically.
It was a look that seemed to say, ‘Well, I guess hell is about to break loose again.’
“Secretary Kim.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Those people over there will be providing my close-quarters protection from now on. Please issue them separate access cards.”
As promised, the NIS Director had assigned four agents to my security detail.
Since they couldn’t openly provide close protection like the Jaewoo Security staff, there was a risk of conflict with our own security personnel during entry.
Issuing them access cards was a measure to prevent that from happening.
“Ah! And please set aside a space for them to work in a corner of the secretarial office.”
As I spoke, I glanced over at the NIS agents.
Perhaps they were pleased with my arrangements; they all bowed their heads with faint smiles, almost in unison.
“When is CEO Ahn expected to arrive?”
As I entered my office, the air felt somehow different than before.
Curious, I looked around and saw the office was filled with flowers.
It was probably Secretary Kim’s doing.
“I just received a call that he’s arrived, so he should be here any…”
“Back to work the moment you return?”
Before she could finish, CEO Ahn walked in with a playful remark.
He was accompanied by five people.
They seemed to be the researchers for the new unmanned aerial vehicle division I had requested.
“The weapon concept I’m about to present is completely different from anything that has existed before.”
I got straight to the point the moment they sat down on the sofa.
A few flustered researchers quickly opened their notebooks. As I began to lay out the concepts from my mind one by one, they stared at me with looks of surprise.
“A suicide drone?”
“A drone, to be precise. One designed purely for killing.”
Answering the question, I walked back to my desk.
Fortunately, the documents I had instructed Secretary Kim to prepare were laid out in order on the desk.
I picked one up and handed it to the researchers.
“As you can see, before its wings deploy, its shape is closer to a rocket than a drone. And its launch method also adopts the concept of a multiple launch rocket system.”
The concept was borrowed from the philosophy behind Israel’s ‘Mini Harpy,’ which they developed once—that is, before my return.
A system configured for multiple launches, like an MLRS, firing toward the enemy.
The differences are that ours has a diameter roughly the size of an artillery shell and incorporates stealth concepts—measures intended to efficiently penetrate enemy air defenses.
“Applying a meta-film to an already small drone? Doesn’t that mean there’s practically nothing that can detect it?”
One of the researchers hit on the key point.
I nodded and continued with an additional explanation.
“Correct. Detecting an object with a diameter the size of an artillery shell, especially one with RSA and REM applied, is nearly impossible. Even an L-band radar at maximum power wouldn’t be able to register it as a dot. Therefore, existing air defense systems would be rendered useless.”
At those words, the researchers swallowed hard.
After looking over the documents for a while longer, they belatedly began to raise issues.
“But if the operational range is 200 kilometers, isn’t that a bit short to be a sufficient threat to North Korea? Of course, a 200-kilometer operational radius for a drone this small is incredible in itself.”
I smiled at his comment and went back to my desk.
I grabbed a few more documents and handed them to the researchers one by one as I spoke.
“If the target is located beyond 200 kilometers, we plan to attach an additional rocket.”
“My god! Are you saying you’re going to attach an additional rocket to a propeller-driven drone?”
A stunned researcher asked, his jaw dropping.
It made sense. A two-stage propulsion system for a drone was an unprecedented concept, a design no one had ever attempted.
But one had to keep in mind that just because it hadn’t been tried didn’t mean it was impossible.
“Why wouldn’t it work? It’s not like there are any major technical hurdles.”
“…”
“Frankly, if we use a folding propeller design, attaching a modified rocket to the rear would be a piece of cake.”
“I understand that, but is it really necessary? In a situation where you need to eliminate a target at such a great distance, wouldn’t it be better to just use a missile?”
Of course, he wasn’t wrong.
But that overlooked the fact that drones have distinct advantages over missiles.
I immediately continued my explanation for him.
“Of course, applying RSA and REM to a missile is also an option. But in that case, once you fire it, that’s it.”
“Well, a missile’s original purpose is destruction.”
“Exactly. But a drone is different. For example, a drone with perfect stealth capabilities like the one I’m proposing can secure ample time to observe the target while loitering after launch. Unlike a missile, this allows us to freely change targets and even eliminate the target at a time of our choosing.”
“…”
“To put it simply, it means we can precisely target the moment an enemy emerges from hiding.”
“Ah!”
“There’s another advantage. As I said before, once a missile is launched, it will eventually fall. But with a drone, if the situation changes and the mission needs to be aborted, it can be recovered. Ah! Of course, if it’s gone too far and doesn’t have the power to return, it would just have to self-destruct.”
Only after the long explanation did the researchers nod their heads.
Now it was time to explain the technical aspects they would be responsible for.
Just then, one of the researchers cautiously watched my expression and asked a question.
“Um, may I ask a question?”
“Go ahead, as long as you’re not asking when I’m getting married.”
“Huh?”
“Ah! My apologies. I’ve been pestered with that question a lot lately. Anyway, what are you curious about?”
“Honestly, if this is successfully developed, won’t it create a situation where the target has to live constantly watching the sky?”
“That’s right.”
“Then this clearly seems like a tool to pressure North Korean leaders. What will you do if the North decides to target you again because of it?”
My lips twisted instinctively at his words.
I understood his concern, but you can’t let fear stop you from doing what’s necessary.
I stated firmly.
“Have you ever heard the saying that when American fighter-bombers take off, North Korean leaders run for their bunkers?”
“Of course, but isn’t that a huge exaggeration? Would the North Korean top brass really be that scared just because a single bomber takes off?”
“No, I’m sorry, but that’s not an exaggeration at all. Frankly, from our perspective, we might dismiss it as posturing, just something America does from time to time. But the North Korean leaders know that the U.S. military is capable of launching an airstrike at any moment.”
“…”
“Now, how do you think they’ll feel when this is developed? Especially if the U.S. military is the one operating it.”
“…”