Chapter 14. “Is This Korea’s Rocket Delivery?” The Prototype Combat Weapon I Handed Over Causes an Uproar in the UK
Chapter 14. “Is This Korea’s Rocket Delivery?” The Prototype Combat Weapon I Handed Over Causes an Uproar in the UK
“The principal’s hands were shaking while he poured tea?”
Taeju’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“No, wait. MIT… Then you’re basically guaranteed university admission right at the start of your senior year.”
Taeju was right. If the university I was going to attend had already been decided, then I no longer cared whether I wrecked my school grades or bombed the CSAT.
I could focus entirely on my research.
It was an enormous advantage.
“But there was one condition. They asked me to give a lecture in front of MIT students and professors.”
“No, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. Aren’t you around Grade 7 in English on the mock exams?”
Taeju clutched his stomach and laughed.
I was being completely serious.
“I think I might study English.”
Recently, I had begun to feel the need to learn it.
After all, most of the places that needed our products were overseas.
At my calm declaration, Taeju abruptly stopped laughing and froze like a statue.
“What is it? Did I say something strange?”
“Wait. Have you… actually never studied at all until now?”
His face was filled with shock, as though he had seen a ghost.
“I haven’t. Nothing goes into my head anyway.”
“Oh, that is what you meant? Right. Of course.”
Apparently, he had misunderstood something on his own.
Only then did he pat his chest in relief.
Lately, Taeju sometimes looked at me as though I were a ghost.
Just then—
Bzzzzzt—
“Huh…?”
“What is it? Who is calling?”
“It’s the secretary.”
It was the man who had previously escorted me to the Agency for Defense Development.
“Hello.”
“CEO Ryu, this is Seo Dojin.”
The secretary’s voice was extremely serious.
He even sounded somewhat tense.
“Yes. What is the matter?”
“The British Minister for Defence Procurement would like to meet you.”
“…What? No, how do they even know about us…”
The fact that we handled weapons was a state secret.
“It appears MI6 has identified you.”
About a week later.
The rundown office at Science Facility Factory No. 1.
“I have heard a great deal about you, CEO Ryu Hyesung. My name is Alistair Kingsley, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Defence Procurement.”
A white gentleman with graying hair who looked perfectly at home in a suit politely offered his hand.
The British Minister for Defence Procurement was an extraordinarily powerful official, roughly comparable to combining the head of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration with a vice minister of national defense.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Minister Kingsley. What brings you all the way here?”
I shook his hand with a bewildered expression.
First the President of South Korea, and now a British defense minister had personally come here.
For some reason, every person who visited this old factory was a major figure.
Was this place some kind of famous restaurant?
Minister Kingsley did not release my hand.
Instead, he clasped it with both of his.
“The United Kingdom currently needs the ‘new product’ you are developing.”
“The one I am developing right now?”
How did he know about that?
As I stared blankly at him, the minister raised the corners of his mouth in a relaxed smile.
“My apologies, but our MI6 is quite capable. And you are already rather famous within the British Ministry of Defence.”
“What? I am? Why?”
Why would I be famous in the British Ministry of Defence?
Come to think of it, the man in the gray suit standing beside the minister like a shadow was also giving off an unusually intimidating presence.
“Everyone in the Ministry of Defence knows that you are the developer of the R-Type drone.”
The R-Type was the drone I had first sold to Russia.
“And they also know that you are an insane psychopathic scientist who walks around wearing explosives.”
Tsk.
Just what kind of person did MI6 think I was?
“I think that story has been greatly exaggerated. May I ask why you need my weapon?”
“The United Kingdom has become extremely alarmed by Russia’s use of drones in the war in Ukraine.”
That was understandable.
The war between Russia and Ukraine had become a genuine drone hell.
“A drone costing five hundred thousand won can carry an explosive and destroy tanks and aircraft worth billions. The economics make absolutely no sense.”
The exchange ratio was enormous.
The current war was essentially a contest of cost-effectiveness.
“And… the ‘HPM drone’ you are secretly researching is exactly what we need.”
(Translator’s Note: HPM — An abbreviation for High-Power Microwave. HPM systems generate intense microwave energy capable of interfering with, disrupting, or damaging electronic circuits. Military research into directed-energy applications includes possible uses against communications equipment, sensors, vehicles, and unmanned systems.)
Minister Kingsley finally reached the main point.
“Ah…”
I had only recently finished developing it.
The HPM drone was a drone designed to hunt other drones.
It could attack by using high-power microwaves to burn out the chips inside enemy drones.
The minister added with an easy smile.
“Military companies around the world are currently racing to develop that kind of weapon before anyone else.”
His expression said that he already knew everything.
There seemed little point in trying to hide it.
“Yes… Our President asked whether I could try developing something like that.”
He had asked that South Korea be given the first supply once development was complete.
Would this be all right?
“But it is still a prototype. It has not even undergone operational testing.”
“Then why not let us conduct the operational test?”
Minister Kingsley was extremely proactive.
What should I do?
Since the decision was difficult, my gaze naturally shifted toward Taeju.
“Do it.”
Taeju answered immediately.
“It is a prototype. We do not even know whether it will work.”
“They are offering to test it in actual combat for free. That is good for us.”
He had a point.
“No… We have not even decided on the price yet.”
“How much did it cost to build?”
“Twelve million won for one unit.”
“Then mass production will probably bring it down to around eight million. Ask for one hundred million.”
“What?”
One hundred million won?
For something that cost eight million won to manufacture?
I glanced at him, wondering whether we could really do that.
His eyes showed not the slightest hesitation.
They were filled with genuine madness.
I turned toward Minister Kingsley.
“For now, would one hundred million won per unit be acceptable?”
Minister Kingsley nodded and offered his hand.
“And we would also like to order fifteen hundred R-Type drones.”
The R-Type drone was our best-selling product.
“May I ask why you chose us?”
I suddenly became curious.
Why had he come all the way here just to buy weapons?
“If we tried to procure that type of weapon from another country, we would have to wait at least five to seven years.”
“Yes.”
That was true.
If someone ordered a German Leopard 2 tank, it could take seven years to receive it.
(Translator’s Note: Leopard 2 — A German main battle tank developed during the 1970s and introduced into West German service in 1979. Designed by Krauss-Maffei and subsequently produced in numerous variants, it has been adopted by many European and non-European armed forces.)
Furthermore, very few companies had even completed development of an HPM drone.
“We need them immediately. How long will it take you to reach mass production?”
“…I will deliver them within a month.”
“As expected of a Korean.”
With that, the British defense minister personally gave me a thumbs-up.
We signed the purchase contract for one prototype HPM drone and fifteen hundred R-Type drones.
Our revenue increased by eight hundred fifty million won in a single transaction.
It was a very satisfying conclusion to our first deal.
After the British minister and his delegation left, the office fell silent.
Taeju spent a long time frowning in deep thought before suddenly speaking.
“Hey, Hyesung.”
“Huh?”
“No, seriously… Why can you suddenly speak English so well?”
Until now, I had never properly spoken with foreigners without an interpreter.
Apparently, hearing me speak fluent English had surprised him considerably.
“I studied. I told you before that I was going to study.”
I did not understand why he was asking something so obvious.
It was not as though someone had invented technology that could directly insert knowledge into the brain.
“No, you lunatic… You said you were going to study English just one week ago!”
“So?”
Taeju stared at me like I was a ghost again.
He had been doing that often lately.
“Haah, forget it. Starting today, I am going to study conversational English like my life depends on it.”
“Why? Isn’t it enough if I can handle business conversations?”
“No. I realized something painfully today. When hundreds of millions of won are changing hands, I absolutely need to understand what people are saying too.”
Apparently, standing silently in front of the minister like a mute had severely wounded his pride.
“Sure. You always get Grade 1 in English on the mock exams anyway. You will learn quickly.”
When it came to humanities subjects, Taeju was far ahead of me.
He frequently ranked near the top of the entire school.
“Hey, do you seriously think getting Grade 1 in CSAT English means you can communicate with foreigners? Not even close.”
“Why?”
“You really have never even looked at CSAT English, have you? CSAT English is not English. Even Americans curse and throw the test away when you make them solve it.”
He passionately complained, veins bulging in his neck.
If English was not English, then what was it?
“Then what is it?”
“It is just some kind of… stupid bullshit.”
At the time, I did not understand what he meant.
However, when I later took the May mock examination, I understood it painfully well.
Korean CSAT English was not English.
Just as Taeju had said, it really was stupid bullshit.
A few days later, during Korean language class.
The gaze my homeroom teacher directed at me was frighteningly gentle.
“Hyesung, are you tired? Put your head down and sleep for a while.”
As I absentmindedly nodded off, unbelievable words reached my ears.
“What? Ah, no. I’m fine. I should study.”
“No, no. You already know where you are going to university, so what is the point? You can sleep comfortably.”
What was this?
Was he insulting me through some extremely sophisticated form of sarcasm?
If that was what he was doing, then it had been a complete success.
This was far more frightening than when he used to threaten me with a stick.
“No. I have not even decided whether I am actually going to that university yet…”
“No! Hyesung, you absolutely must go there! Otherwise… neither you nor I will ever be able to sleep peacefully again!”
“What? Then… I will study even harder.”
“No, you idiot! I am begging you to sleep!”
The completely misaligned argument between my teacher and me finally came to an end when the bell rang.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
“All right. That is all for today.”
The teacher wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurried out of the classroom.
“Hey, what is wrong with our homeroom teacher today?”
Taeju muttered in disbelief while looking toward the back door.
“I don’t know. Maybe he is really angry with me? He normally is not the type to be that terrifyingly sarcastic.”
I scratched the back of my head and tilted it in confusion.
Just then—
Bzzzzzt—
The number displayed on my screen came from a location I had never seen before.
“Hello.”
The language pouring through the receiver was English.
It had a distinctive, refined, rigid British accent.
I recognized the voice immediately.
It was Alistair Kingsley, the British Minister for Defence Procurement.
“CEO Ryu. This is Minister Kingsley.”
“Ah, Minister. Good afternoon.”
“My apologies for disturbing you during a busy time, CEO Ryu.”
“Not at all. It happens to be break time. What are you calling about?”
“It concerns the H-Type drone you previously gave us as a sample.”
The H-Type drone.
That was the public designation we used for the HPM drone.
“Yes. Has there been a problem with the airframe?”
Since it was still an incomplete prototype, I assumed an error had occurred during an actual operation.
That would still benefit us.
We could collect the data on how it failed, apply the feedback, and improve the next version.
“No, not at all. The truth is… I called to ask whether we can purchase more HPM drones immediately.”
“What? You want to place an additional order?”
“That is correct. It is a special directive from the Secretary of State for Defence.”
The answer was unexpected.
Had they already successfully tested that unfinished prototype in actual combat?
“For now… how many units do you need?”
It was a weapon that cost one hundred million won per unit.
Five?
Ten?
Even selling ten would instantly generate one billion won in revenue.
“For the initial order, we would like one hundred twenty units.”
“What? How many?”
Had I heard him correctly?
One hundred twenty units meant twelve billion won in revenue from a single order.
“My apologies that the quantity is so small for an initial order. However, I assure you that the scale will be quite different with our next purchase.”
“…What?”
“CEO Ryu, I apologize. The matter is urgent, so please prioritize sales to the United Kingdom.”
Without realizing that I was standing frozen in shock on the other end of the line, Minister Kingsley instead sounded apologetic for purchasing too few units.