Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Loose Ends
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“This way, please.”
The next day, CEO Ahn and I visited Aerospace to form the development teams for the high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and the attack drones.
Now, with the merger with KAI, the name 'Aerospace' had essentially become a relic of the past, but traces of it still lingered on the signs hanging throughout the factory.
Seeing them, a somewhat random thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“CEO Ahn. About those signs.”
“Yes, we're planning to take them down soon, so you don't need to worry about them.”
CEO Ahn, seemingly misunderstanding my intention, quickly offered an explanation.
I let out a faint smile and gestured toward the sign again.
“That's not it. I was about to say that I don't think we need to get rid of the name 'Aerospace' entirely.”
“What do you mean by that, all of a sudden?”
“It's just that, no matter how I think about it, I feel my father would be very disappointed if the name 'Aerospace' disappeared completely.”
“...”
“After all, he was the one who came up with that name.”
“Ah!”
CEO Ahn nodded, finally seeming to understand.
He stared at the sign for a long moment before a troubled expression appeared on his face.
“But since the company name has already been consolidated into KAI, it would be a bit strange to keep those signs up.”
“That's why I was thinking, how about we keep the name as the official title for some of our business divisions? For instance, instead of dividing the UAV development sector into high-altitude, medium-altitude, and drone divisions, we could place them under that 'Aerospace' name
and manage them as an integrated unit.”
“That's a great idea. The UAV sector is expected to grow larger than anticipated, to the point where the division was practically becoming a company in its own right.”
CEO Ahn looked quite relieved as he replied.
He hadn't said anything, but it was clear he'd been wrestling with that issue.
I let out a dry laugh and was about to enter the building when CEO Ahn's voice, now lowered, reached me.
“By the way, there's something I need to tell you about the recent incident.”
I froze and looked back at him.
Perhaps conscious of prying ears, he had the bodyguards and staff step back for a moment before he approached me and continued speaking.
“I received a call from the Director of the NIS this morning. He said the forensic results from the National Forensic Service are in.”
“You mean Kim Jae-wook's autopsy results?”
“Yes. And apparently, it doesn't look like a suicide.”
“What do you mean by that?”
My voice rose in surprise.
Realizing my mistake, I fell silent and looked back at CEO Ahn, who continued in a much quieter tone.
“They found signs of a struggle all over his body.”
“...”
“To put it simply, it seems someone forcibly injected him with poison. He didn't take it himself.”
“Does that mean Kim Jae-wook wasn't alone in that dump truck?”
“Yes. Because of that, the NIS questioned the victims of the accident on the Olympic Expressway. Several of them shared a consistent testimony: they saw a man hastily getting out of the dump truck and fleeing the scene at the time of the crash.”
I knew something was suspicious.
According to the circumstances, Kim Jae-wook got involved in the incident because he was drowning in debt.
It was a desperate attempt to escape his hellish reality. It never made sense that someone like that would choose suicide so easily.
“So, have they identified the accomplice?”
“They arrested CEO Lee Ik-hwan of Hanjung Commerce and identified the man through him. As expected, he was an agent from the North.”
“Hmm.”
So it was definitely North Korea's doing.
Regardless of anything else, simply confirming who was behind the attack was a significant gain for me.
Just then, CEO Ahn continued with an awkward expression.
“Well, according to the NIS Director, it seems the agent has already smuggled himself into China.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, they're almost certain. CEO Lee Ik-hwan's testimony pointed to it, and the NIS also interrogated smugglers who operate out of Incheon. The results suggest his escape is a foregone conclusion.”
Strangely enough, I felt a sense of relief at his words.
After all, if that agent were still in South Korea, there's no telling when he might try to target me again.
Of course, capturing him would have been the best news, but failing that, this outcome was a hundred times better for me.
But if he smuggled himself into China, does that mean he's trying to get back to the North?
He won't be in for a warm welcome after a failed mission.
“In any case, it means I don't have to live in constant fear.”
I smiled and turned back toward the building.
As if pitying my effort to brush the situation aside, CEO Ahn, following behind me, offered some rather unexpected words of comfort.
“I'm just saying this for your peace of mind, but you won't have to worry too much about threats to your safety from now on. The NIS is already monitoring your surroundings closely, and it seems Russia will be lending a hand for the time being.”
For a moment, I froze again.
When I turned back, CEO Ahn had a meaningful look on his face.
“Russia is lending a hand? What do you mean by that?”
“Actually, I received a call from Natasha yesterday. She said that 'Boss Brown Bear' had a very strong reaction to this incident and that she's been ordered to ensure your safety for the time being.”
“You're saying she's joining my security detail?”
“Not officially. The NIS has never formed a team with a foreign intelligence agent. It'll be more like... she'll be discreetly monitoring your surroundings?”
Even so, it was just as bewildering.
This was an issue that could easily cause friction between Russia and North Korea.
Of course, committing an act of terror isn't exactly something to be proud of, so North Korea couldn't openly confront Russia about it.
Still, weren't the two countries politically connected?
“Honestly, I can understand it. To be blunt, Russia has more than one or two business deals with you, Chairman. If things had gone wrong, all of that could have gone up in smoke.”
CEO Ahn's point was plausible.
Seeing the unconvinced look on my face, he glanced around again before speaking.
“Besides, I hear there's a lot of talk about North Korea within Russian political circles right now. From their perspective, North Korea is just a nuisance that takes without giving anything back, and now they've gone and stirred up this mess. It would be stranger if they weren't angry.”
If Putin's stance was truly changing like that, it would be welcome news for us.
If we could pull them more firmly to our side than they were in history, North Korea's isolation would accelerate, which would in turn hasten the collapse of their regime.
“It seems we'll have to expand the resource development projects soon.”
“They've already been calling repeatedly to hurry things along. They keep asking when you'll be visiting Russia again.”
“There isn't much left of this year, so we'll have to schedule something for next year. That aside, did the NIS say anything about Natasha's request?”
I was still curious about that part.
The NIS is a proud organization; I wondered if they would have actually allowed it.
But the answer was surprising.
“Of course, they opposed it at first. But Russia strongly emphasized their business relationship with you, so they agreed on a conditional basis.”
“What kind of conditions?”
“First, she must abide by domestic laws. Second, she is prohibited from approaching you during activities outside of your commute—for instance, when you visit a nationally protected industrial facility like this one. That's what they agreed on.”
That was a necessary precaution.
No matter how friendly they were, and even if her purpose was to protect me, allowing a foreign agent access to our classified facilities was out of the question.
The fact that Russia agreed to these conditions showed that their offer to protect me wasn't made with ulterior motives, but one thing still worried me.
‘Can she really abide by our laws?’
This was a woman who would, to put it bluntly, just 'take care' of someone if things went south. Would she really leave a terrorist alive if one appeared?
‘Tsk, I don't know anymore.’
******
“As you instructed, the high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft development team will be housed in a single, integrated building. This means we'll need to be much more careful with security than in other areas, which presents a bit of a problem.”
After a lengthy report concluded.
CEO Ahn, who had been inspecting the building where the division would be located, suddenly raised an issue.
The core of the security policy I'd implemented since becoming chairman was preventing information leaks through strict departmentalization.
But for the high-altitude reconnaissance drone, the need for seamless cooperation between departments made that approach virtually impossible.
“It can't be helped. This time, we'll have to rely on the government's assistance.”
But this time, I had no other choice.
The icing problem at high altitudes didn't just affect the airframe.
Developers working on the weaponry and other systems also needed to collaborate to solve it, and trying to succeed while maintaining strict departmentalization was nearly impossible.
“If we get the government's help, does that mean all the researchers will be put under surveillance?”
“That's right. I plan to get prior consent from every researcher assigned to this project. If anyone refuses, they'll be removed from the project, no matter how skilled they are.”
“I suppose so. Even though it's our own development project, it's essentially a national strategic initiative. The government won't refuse our request.”
CEO Ahn nodded in agreement.
Then, as if another thought occurred to him, he glanced at me and asked a sudden question.
“But is it really necessary to arm the high-altitude reconnaissance drone?”
“...”
“What I mean is, wouldn't it be less technically challenging to have the high-altitude drone focus solely on its reconnaissance mission and instead mount the interceptors on the medium-altitude drone?”
“From a technical standpoint, that would be easier. Since we're developing both aircraft, they can be operated simultaneously, so there wouldn't be much difference in response time. In fact, the United States also primarily arms its medium-altitude reconnaissance drones.”
“Exactly. So I'm asking why you're insisting on arming the high-altitude drone.”
“There are two reasons for that. First, a medium-altitude UAV doesn't have the scale to provide the operational range or carry the detection systems we need. And second, the weight and size of the hypersonic interceptor we're currently developing are beyond what a medium-altitude UAV can handle.”
“Then couldn't we just reinforce the airframe and switch to a more powerful jet engine? Oh! And if we make the body bigger, we could fit in plenty of detection systems too.”
“Then what would be the difference between that and a high-altitude reconnaissance drone?”
CEO Ahn stared at me blankly for a moment.
“Haha! You're right.”
He let out an embarrassed laugh, seemingly baffled by his own words. At that point, I glanced at my watch and spoke.
“Anyway, please bring up the security issue with the government, CEO Ahn.”
“I'll do that. But where are you off to now?”
“I'm heading to the hospital.”
“The hospital? Are you still feeling unwell?”
“No, I'm going to visit bodyguard Jung Tae-woo, the one who was left with a permanent disability.”
“I've already been there.”
“I know. But it happened because of me, more or less. I can't just do nothing.”
“...”