Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Prelude to the Coup (2)
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Men in military uniforms sat around the round table. The stars on their shoulders gleamed faintly under the dim electric lights, much like the fierce ambitions they harbored.
“General, that bastard Prime Minister Ingtak flew back home yesterday.”
“I saw it too. That rotten piece of meat had his face all lit up again for some reason. Thinks he pulled off some achievement, I guess.”
“What kind of real results could a punk like him achieve? Probably just spouting empty boasts everywhere he went.”
The round table was still filled only with the hardliners from within the military.
The most senior among them drew a hefty pistol from his belt. He squinted one eye and aimed at the portrait of Prime Minister Ingtak hanging on the wall above.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Once Ingtak’s regime gets flipped, it’s all irrelevant.”
Click. The hammer of the unloaded gun snapped back with a dull clack of the bolt.
The portrait was unscratched, but the act was far more insulting than if it had been riddled with bullets.
Laughter erupted from the military hardliners who witnessed the scene.
“Heh heh heh. I hope someone drills a nice hole through that scrawny prime minister’s skull soon.”
“We could roll tanks straight to the prime minister’s office right now. Mind saving a front-row seat for the general?”
To them, Prime Minister Ingtak—and Thailand’s democratic system—were utterly trivial. Perfect playthings to toy with without a shred of hesitation.
“Commander Phai is entering! Company, attention!”
The rough men’s laughter halted then. At someone’s shout, the military hardliners rose mechanically from their seats.
Soon after, Commander Phai took his place at the round table, joined by the moderates from the military.
“Looks like everyone’s here. Sit.”
He swept his mustache habitually as he scanned the faces around the table.
After a heavy silence weighed on them, Commander Phai finally spoke.
“I just came from meeting the prime minister.”
“...!”
“It was brief, but we had plenty to discuss. To cut to the chase.”
Unfazed by the hardliners’ agitation, Commander Phai placed a document with a map of Thailand on the table and continued.
“The military revolution—the coup—will no longer happen as of today.”
“Commander! We can’t...!”
Bang! The hardliners’ ringleader slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet.
Commander Phai stared down the flushed face without a word. A mere tilt of his chin crushed the man’s momentum, making him falter back into his seat.
Only then did Commander Phai resume.
“The Kra Canal—from construction to operation after completion—will all fall under a state-owned enterprise controlled entirely by our military.”
At the mention of the Kra Canal and the state enterprise overseeing it, the moderates and centrists began exchanging glances.
It didn’t take long for their mental calculators to crunch the profits.
“The Kra Canal... that’s on the level of the Suez or Panama Canal, right? Just the kickbacks on construction materials alone would be massive.”
Those scheming for quick gains through old tricks.
“Heh heh! You fool, is pocket change the issue here? That’s a bottomless well! Shipping fees alone will overflow our coffers legally!”
Others painting rosy long-term visions.
The table buzzed with talk of vast interests and the scraps that came with them.
Of course, in this shifted landscape, some were suddenly left out in the cold.
“That punk prime minister we’d love to tear apart dares to play these cheap tricks...!”
Amid the clamor, the hardliners’ ringleader lost his chance to speak officially.
He could only clench his fists and glare at Ingtak’s portrait on the wall, swallowing his rage.
“All related construction tech will come from Korea’s Ammunition Group. Aside from that, everything else is at the military’s discretion.”
With his piece said, Commander Phai stood abruptly.
As he paused mid-step toward the door, his rough hand landed on the hardliners’ ringleader’s shoulder.
“This deal can’t be undone. So cool that hot blood of yours.”
“...”
“I hope you don’t make any foolish choices. Remember, I’m always watching.”
He left behind that quiet advice, too soft for others to hear.
It seemed to be the signal.
The moderates rose from their seats, followed by the fence-sitters. They trailed after Commander Phai like ducklings.
Only the hardliners remained, desolate at the empty round table.
“General, what do we do now...?”
“...Wait a moment.”
The adjutant watched the hardliners’ ringleader with a grim expression.
With the military’s power balance tipping so suddenly, there was no room left for the hardliners.
Unless... they had a single card that could overturn everything at once.
“Pass the word to the juniors below. In ten days, assemble at the usual spot.”
The hardliners’ ringleader had no choice but to draw that poisoned card.
The risk of losing his head was enormous, but letting time pass like this would only leave him to wither away slowly.
“And one more thing. Only those prepared to lay down their lives qualify to show up that day.”
* * * *
‘Man, things were finally settling down, but they couldn’t hold out and dragged me back to Korea? Heh heh heh. Guess it’s all fate.’
“Sigh, what can you do? It’s not like we could refuse them. Plus, there’s work to do there.’
My sweet, honey-like vacation in Thailand didn’t last long.
Well, precisely, only mine didn’t. Uncle Kim Won-cheol, Advisor Yoo Se-na, and the rest were still lounging on the yacht anchored off Thailand’s coast.
“Oh, Chairman Han. The hero of this by-election victory has finally graced us.”
“Thank you sincerely for the invitation, Mr. President.”
The man who yanked me back to Seoul after just two days of my long-overdue vacation.
At the Blue House’s Yeongbin Pavilion front yard, the president handed me a wine glass and promptly poured red wine into it.
“You’re a born merchant. You sold the public pride and me approval ratings—right on time, perfectly timed.”
A lavish outdoor banquet. Smooth words of praise.
He was treating me like this now, but if the election results had disappointed, I could already picture his response.
The murky reports from my plants in various agencies.
‘Chairman Han, it’s the National Tax Service Director. Weird news. The Blue House ordered a tax audit on Ammunition Group, then suddenly called it off.’
From the small fry like the National Tax Service.
‘Ahem, the prosecutors got similar orders too. All withdrawn in under an hour, though.’
Up to the heavy hitters like the prosecutors.
The president had clearly pegged me as the sacrificial lamb to take the fall in his place. If it had worked.
“So you’ve earned your place here, Chairman Han. Enjoy yourself.”
“There’s still one thing missing before I can relax fully.”
A relationship where I couldn’t fully trust him, so I’d never turn my back.
It might look awkward on the surface, but it kept things clean for business.
Especially when collecting overdue payments.
I set my wine glass on the table and met the president’s eyes directly.
“Isn’t the happiest moment for a merchant settlement time?”
“You’re thorough with the books, I see.”
“I’ve kept every promise I made. Now only the finale of this win-win game remains.”
As if expecting it, the president chuckled.
He raised his right hand without looking back, signaling Policy Director Park Dong-hee who’d been waiting.
“Hey, Policy Director. The thing we prepared.”
“Yes, Mr. President. Here it is.”
As if they’d discussed it before, Park Dong-hee promptly produced a gold phoenix-embossed approval pad.
The scratch of the fountain pen on paper, followed by the president’s completed handwritten signature.
“The details will be handled smoothly by the staff.”
“Thank you for the swift and certain settlement. We’ll continue serving as your premier client whenever the opportunity arises.”
“This is a first in my political career—such an open deal. Anything else you want?”
Propping his chin on interlaced hands, the president eyed me with amusement.
Perhaps feeling I’d proven my utility this time.
He seemed eager to slap some shackles—not quite shackles—on my ankles.
“...Nothing for now. Just ensure the Export-Import Bank’s support for the Thailand Kra Canal project comes through on time.”
No intent to borrow unnecessary debt right away, so I merely reconfirmed the obvious.
But... the president took it a bit differently.
His face turned puzzled, like he’d heard a riddle.
“Hold on. Export-Import Bank support? Wait, Chairman Han, you’re really going ahead with the Kra Canal?”
The Kra Canal linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Despite its massive potential, it had always failed to materialize for clear reasons.
Insurgencies by Islamist rebels in southern Thailand. Separatist forces.
“Looks like I burdened a young man too much. Forget that part. Even if construction flops in a couple years, the public will have moved on.”
That’s why the president had never expected more than election hype from the Kra Canal.
His logic made sense on the surface—a tangled mess too knotted to unravel.
However.
“A couple years from now. I see it a bit differently.”
“Differently? What do you mean, Chairman Han?”
The president’s face showed genuine confusion.
No need to explain everything now. Showing him through results would suffice.
I downed the rest of my wine and stood.
Leaving behind words that would baffle him.
“In a couple years around this time, construction will be about halfway done. If you need approval ratings then, just give me a call.”