Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Grand Design
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“Ahem…”
Having arrived at the Blue House with Deputy Director Im, I found myself waiting in the reception room.
The reason he had been summoned along with me was still unknown.
This only heightened his tension, and Deputy Director Im couldn’t hide his anxiety.
“Do you know something, Senior Managing Director Jin?”
“…”
“These days, I genuinely wish I were just an ordinary office worker.”
“Why is that?”
“The stress is just unbelievable. As you know, until a few days ago, I was a nervous wreck, worried that the performance test results for the millimeter-wave radar would be poor.”
“Ah… that’s right.”
“Then, just as that was resolved, I get summoned to the Blue House without knowing why. Of course, it’s not entirely unusual for me, the head of the foreign intelligence division, to be called here. The problem is, most of the time I’m called, it’s not for anything good. So how could I possibly be at ease right now?”
I could see where he was coming from.
Indeed, besides regular briefings, what other reason would the head of foreign intelligence have to be summoned to the Blue House, if not for some incident or accident?
On top of that, he was dealing with the most powerful man in the country.
If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t find the Blue House a comfortable place either.
Still, why was Deputy Director Im really called here?
“You two may go in now.”
The chief of staff, who had asked us to wait, gestured for us to enter.
Hearing Deputy Director Im let out a long sigh beside me, I could feel his tension spreading to me.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.”
The president looked exactly as he did on television.
After I greeted him, he offered a bright smile and gestured to the chairs in front of him.
“We’ve never spoken directly, but somehow, you don’t feel like a stranger. Please, have a seat.”
At his words, Deputy Director Im and I immediately sat down.
Just then, the door to the office opened again, and the Director of the NIS walked in. He gave a brief nod to the President before placing a few documents on the table in front of us.
“To save time, I will explain the situation on behalf of the President.”
“…”
“As I informed you over the phone, Senior Managing Director Jin, a former secretary of Russia’s National Security Committee requested a call with the President via the hotline today. The purpose of the call was to discuss an exchange of top-tier strategic technologies. The Russians have agreed to the condition we previously presented to their director of foreign intelligence.”
“If they’ve accepted our condition, does that mean they’ve agreed not to conduct any experiments that could reveal our technology?”
I asked, surprised.
I had proposed it, but I hadn't actually expected them to agree.
The NIS Director glanced at me for a moment, then gave a faint smile and a nod.
“I told you, didn’t I? They seem to be in a real bind. In any case, they’ve requested a response as soon as possible, which is why we summoned you so urgently, Senior Managing Director Jin. For your information, the President has already given his approval.”
It seemed the government had made up its mind.
The reason they still called me in was that the technology belonged to a private company, not the government.
No matter how classified the talks between nations were, they couldn’t ignore the will of the technology’s owner.
“I’ve already given my consent, haven’t I?”
“Still, we need to confirm it again. We also need to discuss our course of action after the technology exchange.”
The NIS Director replied with a faint smile.
As I was about to turn my gaze back to the President to convey that my decision hadn’t changed, a question popped into my mind.
“But it wasn’t the Russian president who called, just a former secretary of the National Security Committee?”
If that was true, it was a breach of protocol.
Our side had the president of a country, so why would their side…
Just then, the NIS Director smiled slyly and spoke again.
“Vladimir Putin is not someone you can describe with the word ‘just.’ According to our intelligence, he is set to become Russia’s prime minister and acting president. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he is almost certain to assume the presidency next year. So, for now, it’s not unreasonable to say he represents Russia.”
“Ah…”
The name Putin explained everything.
What was surprising was how perfectly the NIS had analyzed him.
It was a clear reminder that the National Intelligence Service was not an agency to be underestimated.
“Now, now, let’s take care of the important matters first.”
The President spoke up as I was lost in thought.
I snapped back to attention and met his gaze, which was filled with a certain resolve.
“Now that Senior Managing Director Jin Hyun-seung has formally agreed, I will accept Russia’s offer shortly. The technology exchange will take place immediately as per our prior agreement, and Deputy Director Im will be in charge of that mission.”
Now I understood why Deputy Director Im had been summoned.
It made sense. Who else could handle such a critical task?
Relieved that it wasn't bad news, Deputy Director Im’s expression was visibly brighter than before.
“Alright, the remaining issue is our course of action after the technology exchange… What are your thoughts, Senior Managing Director Jin?”
The President spoke again.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“The technology we are providing belongs entirely to Jaewoo, doesn’t it? The government can’t simply do as it pleases with the Russian technology we receive in exchange.”
“…”
“So, I propose we designate what we receive from Russia as strategic technology, thereby controlling any leaks, but agree that ownership of the technology itself will belong to Jaewoo. What do you think?”
“If you would do that, I couldn’t ask for more.”
In truth, it was the only logical course of action.
Still, I breathed a sigh of relief because these were incredibly important strategic technologies.
Frankly, if the government had used this as leverage to demand concessions on various fronts, it would have been quite a headache for me.
“Excellent. Then we’ll proceed with that decision. Ah, there is one more thing to discuss. To be honest, I feel it would be a waste to simply let that technology sit on a shelf. I know that you and the NIS Director decided otherwise, but…”
“…”
At those words, I glanced at the NIS Director.
The way his lips parted slightly suggested that the two of them had discussed something else.
“Are you suggesting we start developing our own fighter jet ahead of schedule?”
“That’s correct.”
“But what about the ongoing supersonic trainer project? The budget for that alone is tight. Is it even possible?”
“The supersonic trainer project will continue as planned. If we were to halt it, we’d face significant trouble from the United States.”
“Then how…”
“The idea is to start by secretly developing the components. That’s the chronic problem with Russian-made fighters, so we need to solve that first, don’t we?”
“…”
“Then, when the time is right, we can expand it into a full-scale development project.”
It wasn’t impossible.
After all, I had the solution for the components.
The problem, however, was the budget.
Even for a partial development process, it was a project that would cost at least hundreds of billions of won. I couldn’t see how they planned to conduct it in secret.
“How do you plan to secure the funding? Without it being an official project, you won’t be able to request a budget increase from the National Assembly.”
“Securing a budget through the Assembly is impossible anyway. The US would undoubtedly interfere, just as they did with the helicopter development project. So, I plan to use an unconventional method.”
“…”
“A portion of the NIS’s budget for foreign intelligence acquisition is exempt from audits. We’ll start by mobilizing that.”
“…”
“What, is that not enough? As I understand it, the NIS’s foreign operations budget is close to one trillion won. It should be possible to divert about a hundred billion of that.”
“But with only a hundred billion won…”
“Then we have no choice. We’ll have to secure the rest by inflating the costs of some of the military’s facility improvement projects.”
The moment I heard that, an incident from before my regression suddenly came to mind.
A scandal where the cost of a project to improve soldiers’ living conditions was massively inflated.
At the time, the media had labeled it a major military corruption case and unleashed a barrage of criticism, but strangely, the whole thing just fizzled out.
Could that have been a similar maneuver?
Come to think of it, when I was the head of the ADD, funds had flowed in through unofficial channels several times. Perhaps my guess was right.
“What do you think? That should be enough to proceed with the component improvement project, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes… I think that would be possible.”
I felt a bit dazed.
Then it struck me—if we were going to develop our own fighter jet, there was no point in creating something outdated.
I immediately made a proposal to the President.
“Your Excellency—no, Mr. President, if it were possible for us to develop a 4.5-generation fighter jet, would you be willing to try?”
“A 4.5-generation?”
“Yes. A fighter that, while not on par with the 5th-generation F-22 recently developed by the US, would possess comparable stealth and armament capabilities.”
“…”
The President stared at me as if I were spouting nonsense.
He wasn’t the only one; the NIS Director and Deputy Director Im were wide-eyed as well, but I continued, unfazed.
“If we succeed, there would be many advantages. We could replace the military’s planned next-generation fighter program, and the freedom to integrate our own armaments would allow us to establish independent operational capabilities.”
“But do we have the technological capability to develop a stealth fighter?”
“It’s more than possible. We’ll acquire the engine and flight control systems through the technology exchange with Russia, so we just need to improve the components. As for the airframe design, composite materials, metamaterials for stealth capabilities, and other avionics—Jaewoo is already securing those. The main challenge will be the technology for an internal weapons bay, but we can address that gradually through version upgrades.”
“…”
“Furthermore, one of the most critical components in fighter development is the control radar. For that, we can utilize the AESA technology that Jaewoo is already developing.”
“…”
The President was silent for a long time.
Was he mulling it over? A faint sigh escaped him, sounding heavy with contemplation.
“That would mean we’d have to postpone the selection for the next-generation fighter program… Let’s discuss that part later. My goodness. Hearing such a dreamlike story so suddenly has left my head spinning.”
I understood it wasn’t an easy thing to accept.
He would need time.
But soon, he would respond.
A response demanding concrete proof that it was possible.
“By the way, I have a favor to ask. Would it be possible for you, Senior Managing Director Jin, to join the state visit to the US next month? A delegation of about thirty business leaders will be accompanying me, and I was wondering if you could participate.”
“…”
Puzzled, I looked at the NIS Director.
As if anticipating my reaction, he immediately elaborated.
“Actually, it was a request from the United States. They specifically asked that Senior Managing Director Jin Hyun-seung of Jaewoo Thales be included in the delegation.”
“Why me?”
“I found it surprising as well, but if there’s a clue, it’s that the US also knows we’ve developed the Atomic Spin Gyroscope. A few days ago, they apparently probed the ROK-US Combined Forces Command about whether we possess it.”
So, it had come to this.
It made sense. If Russia had caught on, it would be stranger if the US hadn’t.
But if that was the reason, they were calling me for only one purpose.
To pressure me into giving them the technology.
“I understand. I’ll prepare for it.”
I replied, suppressing a surge of tension.
The President, who had been frowning throughout, clearly displeased with the situation, spoke again.
“You don’t have to give in to their demands. If you choose to refuse, Senior Managing Director Jin, I am prepared to stand firm with you until the end.”
“That won’t be necessary. If we’re selling it to Russia, there’s no reason not to sell it to the US. It’s also better for the future.”
“Better for the future? What do you mean?”
“No matter how careful we are, the US will eventually find out that our technology went to Russia. We can deny it, of course, but we won’t be able to escape their suspicion. So, it’s better to sell it to the US as well and minimize the inevitable backlash.”
“Hmm… If that’s what you think, Senior Managing Director Jin, then that takes some of the burden off me. Very well, let’s proceed with that decision.”
With that, the President rose from his seat.
His face was etched with fatigue, as if the sudden rush of events had taken its toll.
In truth, it wasn’t just him; I also felt an urgent need for a break.
“Ah!”
Just then, the President, who had started to walk away, turned back.
I looked up, wondering what else there could be, and he continued with a faint smile.
“How is the HVP construction project coming along? I hear the US Navy has been pestering our Ministry of National Defense about it repeatedly.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
It was the fact that they were bothering the military instead of me, the one actually leading the development.
They were desperate for news but were too wary to pressure me directly.
So, they were nagging our more approachable military instead. It just went to show how interested the US Navy was in the HVP.
“As it happens, I believe I’ll be able to share some good news with you very soon. Much sooner than you might expect, Mr. President…”