Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: A String of Surprises
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“You're quite late again today, aren't you?”
For several days now, all-night meetings with military generals had become a regular occurrence, making tardiness an almost daily routine.
I didn't want to appear disheveled if I could help it, but there was a limit to what a person could endure.
The only silver lining was that all the issues had been sorted out as of yesterday. If the meetings had gone on for just one more day, we might have all been found as corpses.
“Secretary Kim. Sorry to bother you, but could I get a cup of coffee?”
At first, the President had only summoned the Chief of Naval Operations.
Later, sensing the gravity of the situation, the Chief of Naval Operations brought in a front-line admiral. Then, the President summoned the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Minister of National Defense.
Ultimately, after a day and a half of meetings at the Blue House yielded no conclusion, we relocated to the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters and continued our marathon session.
“Should I make it strong?”
“Yes, please. Strong enough to be considered unreasonable.”
Secretary Kim nodded, her expression full of concern for my condition, and left the room.
In the meantime, my eyes fell upon the documents detailing the results of yesterday's all-night meeting.
Most of them contained arguments from the relevant departments, but the key takeaway was that the first phase of securing 3,000-ton class submarines would begin within the year.
“Three vessels...”
The acquisition quantity for the first phase was set at three vessels.
The military projected the lead ship's commissioning date to be six years from now at the earliest.
However, based on the designs I already had, I planned to proceed with the simultaneous construction of all three, aiming to complete the first phase within three years.
*If we continue this way, six years should be enough to acquire all nine submarines.*
After all, from the second phase onward, there would be no significant time spent on design, aside from minor additions requested by the military.
Considering the average construction time per vessel is about a year and a half, and if we push for simultaneous construction as we did in the first phase, I expect the entire project can be completed within six years.
*That would be ideal. The problem is whether securing the 5,000-ton class submarines will actually be possible...*
Most of the navy's top brass had been enthusiastically in favor of acquiring submarines of 5,000 tons or more.
However, a common concern they all shared was the potential for policy changes down the line.
The administration would change twice during that time, and no one could confidently say whether the policy would be maintained until the end.
*We'll have to see how things play out, but I have to do what I can.*
[The Republic of Korea has reached the Round of 16, a moment they've dreamed of.]
The news of our nation's advance to the World Cup's Round of 16 came from the TV I'd turned on to clear my head.
In that instant, a memory flashed through my mind: around this time, the North had carried out its second maritime provocation in the northwestern islands.
Alarmed, I immediately summoned Senior Managing Director Im.
“Have you heard anything about North Korea's movements?”
“I was just about to report to you, as a matter of fact. There have been no particularly noteworthy movements.”
Deputy Chief Im placed a few pages of a report from his hand onto the table as he spoke.
The main points were related to reinforcement work at North Korean coastal bases and routine troop rotations—mostly standard activities.
Feeling something was off, I called the Minister of National Defense directly, but his reaction was one of bewilderment.
“With the maritime smart artillery system and even a frigate on standby at Baengnyeong Island, do you really think they'd dare a provocation now? Unless they have a death wish, that would be insane.”
He had a point.
Launching another provocation in the northwestern islands, which were now practically fortresses, would be tantamount to suicide.
The problem was that, so far, what was meant to happen had always happened, and there was no telling how this event might be twisted this time around. That was something only time would tell.
“In any case, the military is monitoring the North's movements closely, so for now, Chairman Jin, you should just enjoy the World Cup.”
The minister chuckled, about to end the call.
Thinking my worries had been unfounded, I smiled and was about to press the end button when the minister's voice came through again.
“Oh, and I thought you might be curious. The ROKS *Na Daeyong*, which recently completed its screw modification at Daewoo Shipbuilding, departed this morning to participate in RIMPAC.”
“...A vessel that just finished its overhaul is participating in such an important exercise? What will you do if a problem occurs?”
I asked back, dumbfounded.
He seemed to be busy, giving some instructions to those around him, and it was a while before he answered my question.
“All our submarines are experiencing the same issue, so sending another one to RIMPAC was out of the question. But we couldn't just withdraw our submarine force after already notifying the U.S. of our deployment. We decided it would be better to use this as an opportunity to verify the modified vessel. RIMPAC is a very realistic exercise, so there's no better chance, is there?”
His words seemed plausible at a glance.
Indeed, it was better than sending a submarine with reduced mobility due to cracks and disrupting the exercise.
Given the circumstances, this meant we were unintentionally conducting a performance test in a near-combat situation. RIMPAC, which I hadn't paid much attention to, had suddenly become a matter requiring my full focus.
*RIMPAC... well, this is...*
******
[Ladies and gentlemen, the Republic of Korea has achieved the miracle of reaching the World Cup semifinals!]
One day in June, the news reported South Korea's advance to the semifinals.
The country was swept up in a wave of excitement, with streets everywhere turning into festival grounds. At night, the main roads of Gangnam would be so packed with people that I always had to hurry home from work.
Our company was no exception to the World Cup fever.
As closing time approached, employees would start changing into all sorts of red clothing.
Even the staff in the executive office were already clutching horned headbands, just waiting for me to leave early.
“Enjoy the game. See you tomorrow.”
An old memory surfaced, and I smiled as I spoke, then stepped into the elevator.
Just as the doors were about to close, Vice President Kim Young-gi appeared from nowhere and held them open.
“On a day like today, you're just going home?”
“I have to. If I delay, my car won't even make it out of the building.”
At my words, Vice President Kim stared at me intently.
Just as I was about to tilt my head, wondering if he had something important to say, he clicked his tongue and spoke.
“This is just too much, don't you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“I'm talking about how you're completely unfazed by a global festival like this.”
“...”
“Come on, why don't you enjoy it with the employees today, Chairman? As it happens, everyone is gathering in the auditorium to watch the game.”
With that, Vice President Kim practically dragged me out of the elevator.
We soon arrived at the company auditorium.
The employees, who had already changed into red attire and filled the seats, stared wide-eyed when I appeared.
“Here you go...”
Secretary Kim immediately handed me a red t-shirt.
*It's a relief she didn't offer me one of those horned headbands, at least.* With that thought, I quickly changed my shirt, and the employees cheered and applauded.
*I have no idea what I'm doing.*
As someone who already knew the outcome of the match, I wasn't particularly moved.
But watching the ecstatic faces of the employees, I gradually started to feel their excitement, and once the match began, my palms even grew slick with sweat.
“Aargh!”
A series of saves from the keeper had the employees roaring with excitement.
Funnily enough, the thought that struck me in that moment was a sense of reality—the feeling that I was truly alive.
For some reason, I felt the urge to join in today, so I turned to Secretary Kim and said:
“I'm allowing drinking on company premises for today. Contact the cafeteria and tell them to bring all the beer they have.”
“Ooh!”
The employees nearby who heard me let out a cheer.
I glanced over at Vice President Kim Young-gi and saw a smile playing on his lips.
Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the screen.
“Hey! What was that garbage kick!”
The game was tense for a while.
I hoped for a miracle, but there was no sign of one.
Moreover, the referee's calls once again favored Germany. Around the 33rd minute of the second half, Lee Woon-jae blocked a shot from Ballack, but Ballack managed to push in the rebound, making the score 0-1.
“Ah...”
The moment someone let out a cry of disappointment, the entire auditorium fell silent.
Talk about perfect timing.
My own words, uttered at that exact moment, echoed thunderously through the hall.
“Fuck, those bastard referees are at it again...”
“...”
******
[We now bring you the morning news.]
The World Cup fever, which had seemed endless, had finally begun to subside.
It was now mid-July.
The country was returning to its daily routine, and with the IT bubble continuing to deflate, debates over structural reform reignited in the economic sector.
“Good morning.”
“Welcome, Chairman.”
After watching the World Cup match with the employees, the expressions of the executive office staff seemed much brighter when they looked at me.
I wasn't sure if I should call that a good outcome.
Well, it was certainly better than the way they used to look at me, as if I were the grim reaper.
“Chairman!”
Secretary Kim appeared thirty minutes after I arrived, rushing into the room while panting for breath.
Wondering if some urgent problem had arisen, I looked up as she slapped a piece of paper she was holding onto my desk.
“The Daeyoo Truck team that participated in the Dakar Rally reported yesterday that they completed the race.”
“Is that so?”
For me, this was incredibly welcome news.
Completing a race of such extreme difficulty, one that required traversing harsh terrain like deserts for dozens of days, was proof of the vehicle's performance.
But that wasn't all.
Beaming, Secretary Kim continued.
“Prepare yourself for a shock. The Polar Bear won. And it was by a margin of more than half a day over the second-place team.”
“...”
For a moment, it felt like my thoughts had frozen.
Even with the modifications, the Polar Bear had been at a significant disadvantage compared to the other vehicles.
To think that it had won despite all that felt like a dream.
“What about the safety of the participants?”
That was, in fact, the most important thing.
The Dakar Rally was called the "Death Rally" for a reason—accidents happened every year without fail.
Fortunately, however, our team had no major accidents, though there were reports of serious injuries on the Mitsubishi team.
“When is the team scheduled to return?”
“They're scheduled to come back after finishing up with an event the day after tomorrow. But it seems the Western media is in an uproar. Not only did a first-time entry win, but the fact that it was a modified military vehicle is drawing even more attention.”
That was exactly what I had hoped for.
A publicity effect more potent than anything else.
Putting everything else aside, I was looking forward to seeing the reaction in Japan right about now.
“Ensure the complete safety and security of not just the vehicle, but the entire team until they return. There's a chance someone might try to approach them.”
“Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, Jaewoo Security has already dispatched nearly twenty security agents, so you don't need to worry. Besides, CEO Jung accompanied them this time...”
Sending CEO Jung along just in case had been a stroke of genius.
There weren't many people as skilled as him at handling crisis situations.
Then again, even without him, we had decided to participate only after ensuring thorough security, so the chances of a problem occurring were slim to none.
*Ring!*
Just as I was trying to calm my overwhelming excitement, my phone rang.
An unrecognized number.
A certain person came to mind, and my lips twisted into a grimace.