Chapter 107
Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Prelude to the Coup d'état (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Yeouido one day in April.
The colorful fabric pieces decorating the front of K Hotel flaunted their splendor so brilliantly that the scattering petals carried on the breeze seemed colorless by comparison.
Red, blue, white, and black. Rough hemp banners dyed in splashes of paint mimicking the color schemes of ASEAN nations' flags.
The camera moved slowly under the banners, as if passing beneath colorful rafters, through the entrance and into the lobby. It then turned its lens—its very eye—toward the central podium.
-This year's ASEAN summit in Seoul delved deeply into economic matters alongside each nation's diplomatic issues.
The venue was packed with crowds. Right in front of the camera, a young female reporter clutched a microphone and read from her script.
-In particular, news that Ammunition Group has secured the contract for the Kra Canal project in Thailand—a massive undertaking linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans, which has only been debated internationally until now.
As soon as she finished speaking, the reporter touched the in-ear piece in her ear.
Had some instruction come from the broadcast desk?
Her slight nod was captured briefly on camera. Then she turned and walked toward the back, continuing her report.
-Yes. We're now connecting live to the site where Thai Prime Minister Inthak and Ammunition Group Chairman Han Seo-jun are signing the MOU.
* * * *
-Click! Click! Click!
Bursts of camera flashes.
On the podium stood three protagonists, all beaming bright smiles.
Though the contract centered on the Thai prime minister and Ammunition Group's chairman, the president inevitably had to share the spotlight as a fourth lead.
The two main figures clasped hands. Standing between them, the president gazed contentedly at the scene, unable even before the press to hide his signature enigmatic smile.
‘This Han Seo-jun guy is something else. To drag out a patriotism-stirring issue like this.’
Already, reporters below the podium were raising hands and shouting unpermitted questions in excitement.
Fired up by the revolutionary shift in East Asian maritime routes, they would undoubtedly flood the nation with articles at this very moment.
From this grand discourse-elevated patriotism, they would conceive the embryo of government approval ratings.
‘But... there is something odd. Why did he ask to keep the Hawk Eye System sale to Thailand secret until summer?’
As he cut the celebratory cake alongside Ammunition Group's leader, the president glanced sideways at him.
The plastic knife pierced the center, revealing the layers of white cream inside.
Passing the first tier filled with Korean apples, pears, and persimmons, then the second with Thai mangoes, guavas, and lychees blended together.
The president had no inkling of what lay within. Just like the secret contents of the MOU between the Thai government and Ammunition Group.
“Yes! The world-changing Kra Canal project takes its first step right here today. Now, surely our president has a few words too?”
Right on cue, the emcee stepped forward.
He seemed to have received prior word from the aides. With a jovial expression to liven the mood, he slyly passed the mic to the president, smoothly drawing out his speech.
“Mr. President, Chairman Han Seo-jun says he won't go home without hearing your congratulatory remarks today!”
“Haha... Is that so? Well then... since it'll bore everyone, I'll keep it short.”
After a needless show of reluctance, the president launched into his speech.
Starting with the prosperity of Korea, Thailand, and all of East Asia, the theme flowed naturally into domestic election issues.
Not overtly blatant, but clear enough for any listener to grasp.
“First... our government pledges to provide every possible convenience and support for the Kra Canal project.”
Behind the president on the podium hung a massive LED screen.
As his speech began, the footage on screen shifted moment by moment.
A gigantic container ship departing from the small Korean Peninsula in Northeast Asia. Midway across the sea, it halted abruptly before suddenly appearing land.
Close-ups of the crew's perplexed faces and the stalled engine created a tense atmosphere.
Then... the land magically cleaved horizontally.
“Therefore! To carry this historic moment into the future, I earnestly ask for the support and encouragement of our people—once again, I beseech you!”
A straight waterway carved through the heart of the land in an instant.
The container ship glided smoothly through the Kra Canal, gradually fading into the distance.
As the camera angle rose toward the sky, the round Earth came into fuller view.
Zooming back to the Korean Peninsula glowing under the sun, the screen filled with the president's face, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“A leap toward the future! Advance toward the world! The Republic of Korea stands with you. Thank you!”
A nationwide live broadcast of what was not a campaign speech—but effectively was.
The president looked toward the aides seated in front.
The chief of communications, flushed with excitement and the undisputed top expert in staging, nodded vigorously.
A profound nod—the promised signal of utter satisfaction... of victory.
‘Success!’
In the drawn-out brawl for approval ratings, the president had begun tipping the scales.
As soon as he stepped down from the podium, he shed his public face like a quick-change costume and asked Policy Chief Park Dong-hee.
“How was it? Decent?”
“Perfect, Your Excellency! Even the ruling party is sending thanks for the masterstroke you've pulled off!”
“Don't get complacent—keep monitoring those polls to the end. Anyway...”
He turned to gaze at the still-brilliantly lit podium.
There, amid a tidal wave of reporters' questions, one figure stood tall alone, responding with disarming charm.
“Chairman Han Seo-jun! When do you expect the Kra Canal project to officially begin?”
“There are rumors of forming a consortium in Thailand versus a joint state-owned enterprise. What form will it take, sir?”
A radiant smile brimming with poise and boldness.
Sorting through his tangled emotions like knotted threads, the president rendered the most politician-like judgment amid the scene.
‘This Han Seo-jun bastard is worth keeping close to the end. The special prosecution stays off the table for now.’
“...I'll issue the order to halt investigations immediately, sir.”
“Yeah, do that.”
The president boarded his vehicle for the next schedule.
Soon after entering Hangang Bridge, Yeouido receded into the distance.
Leaning habitually against the window, he turned back to the shining island and voiced a sudden thought aloud.
Something... realistically impossible, yet his gut screamed it was possible.
“By the way... that Kra Canal. I wonder if it'll really happen. Well, it won't finish during my term anyway, so no matter.”
* * * *
Uncle Kim Won-cheol is smart.
Doesn't look it, though, given how he scratches the back of his head every day and spouts nutty nonsense.
“Kuha, this is life. No need to cling to the world. Just drift along with the sea breeze and currents—that's living.”
Clutching a beer can in one hand, decked out in a Hawaiian shirt, Uncle Kim Won-cheol sat at the stern of the yacht.
After the prime minister meeting wrapped, he'd tossed out “might as well head to Thailand,” and he remembered it crystal clear.
The company-chartered yacht. And that damn ocean fishing he'd dreamed of.
“Looks like you haven't caught much. Is yacht fishing that great?”
This was southern Thailand, smack in the ocean off Phuket.
Truth be told, we weren't here just for paradise vibes.
Officially, it was to survey the Kra Canal site.
“Heh heh heh. Playing on company dime is what makes it blissful.”
“As if. Well, a promise is a promise, so I'll keep it.”
“That's chairman material. Oh yeah, speaking of—Headquarters Director Seong Won-sik.”
The Thai immortal lounged on a sunbed, chomping skewers, and answered my question.
Grinning ear to ear in bliss, Uncle Kim Won-cheol spoke up.
“That poor guy's got it rough, huh? Comes all the way to Thailand and barely gets to play.”
“When there's players, there are workers. And it's his choice to grind, so what can I do?”
Headquarters Director Seong Won-sik was deep in the jungles near the Malaysian border in southern Thailand.
Overseeing heavy industry, construction, and shipbuilding-marine—the three companies—he saw this as his big break.
‘Entrust me with all operational matters, Chairman.’
‘It's a massive project... dozens of affiliates coordinating. You sure?’
To my wary question, Seong's eyes sparkled.
‘Aren't you planning to merge construction, heavy industry, and shipbuilding-marine into a unified infrastructure affiliate, Chairman?’
‘You read me like a ghost.’
‘Give me this chance to prove myself. Test if I'm the timber to run a dinosaur-scale infrastructure giant.’
The moment I approved, he hopped from the airport straight into a car and plunged into the jungle.
Now fully my loyalist.
“Well, thanks to him, the technical side's handled. Good for us.”
“True enough. Anyway, things are proceeding smoothly as planned. Canal digs on track, coup thwarted.”
“We can't stop the coup. Not the outbreak itself.”
“Right. Can't stop the coup... Huh? W-what?”
Clatter. Uncle Kim Won-cheol dropped his fishing rod onto the deck.
Shock must've hit hard—beer dribbled from his chin, still in his mouth.
“What the hell? If we can't stop the coup, what about the joint state enterprise? And didn't the Hawk Eye System let us see every move?”
“We can see them, sure. But seeing and preventing action are different.”
I recalled a document burned into my mind.
The intel report from the Thai prime minister recently.
It detailed the military hardliners' positions, powers, and latest activities. The message was clear.
These hot-blooded types... even if they eyed the state enterprise tied to the Kra Canal, they were the sort to inevitably rise with guns blazing.
“But... even if the coup happens, we can make it fizzle out.”