How to Spend Money in Style (3)
Choi Deok-bae, Johnson, and Ggeobeongi. Among them, the one with the highest utility was undoubtedly Choi Deok-bae, but the ghost who was a late bloomer—the one with the most potential—was none other than Ggeobeongi. The reason was technology. Because Ggeobeongi had a profound interest in machines, including computers, he had a distinct tendency to try and comprehend any piece of machinery that appeared in his vicinity. The results of this had blossomed perfectly in the Chernobyl incident and the detonation of the nuclear bomb. Of course, there was still plenty of room for development, and he was still lacking in growth, but Ggeobeongi had certainly succeeded in doing his part in those two situations. However, since the speed of Ggeobeongi’s learning was clearly affected by his distance from Yoon-gi, Yoon-gi wanted to take "Ggeobeongi" with him to places where technology was present whenever possible.
'He didn't actually follow me, did he?'
Unfortunately, since one couldn't exactly pack a jujube into space, Choi Deok-bae could follow Yoon-gi whenever he set his mind to it. Furthermore, he could appear right by Yoon-gi’s side at any moment. However, Choi Deok-bae did not follow Yoon-gi. After all, he was a ghost who knew his boundaries. To begin with, unlike Johnson, Ggeobeongi barely shared his field of vision with Choi Deok-bae, so seeing through Ggeobeongi was impossible.
[1 minute until countdown begins.]
At the sound coming through the internal cabin broadcast, Yoon-gi and Merrill looked at each other. A honeymoon spent wearing spacesuits. And so, the Soyuz rocket launched toward the space station.
Kwoooooong-!
The heavy sound was accompanied by a pressure felt throughout their entire bodies. However, because they had trained diligently, Yoon-gi and Merrill were able to arrive at the Salyut space station without any issues. Along with them were two pilots to support the pair.
"This is the space you two will be using for the day. If anything happens, please press this button and let us know. We will come right away."
A space station is an incredibly delicate environment. Because of that, they couldn't be assigned a large space. The Salyut space station itself was quite small to begin with. Therefore, as much as Yoon-gi and Merrill occupied one area, the rest of the astronauts had to crowd into another. But they expressed no dissatisfaction. They knew that the work Yoon-gi was doing in the Soviet Union was of immense help to the country. Furthermore, by Yoon-gi using the Soyuz rocket privately, a massive amount of funds had flowed into the Soviet space agency. The data accumulated just from the rocket launch alone—the fact that they could obtain that for free was a great benefit to the pilots belonging to the space agency.
"Merrill, that’s Earth."
Left alone, Yoon-gi and Merrill gazed at the Earth through the spacecraft window. The blue, glowing Earth.
"It’s so... beautiful..."
This was a completely different sensation from looking at Earth through photographs. The fact that they were looking at it "in person." And the effort and wealth invested to see that Earth. Beside him was the person he loved. Because of that, Yoon-gi and Merrill, floating in the air, interlaced their fingers.
"I've never experienced anything like this in my life."
At Merrill’s words, spoken with a bright smile, Yoon-gi nodded as well. "Me too..."
Both Yoon-gi and Merrill knew that Yoon-gi had already seen the Earth before, but for the sake of the atmosphere, white lies were necessary. The interior of the spacecraft was certainly crude. A collection of bleak machines designed solely for the purpose of survival. But there was a romance in that spacecraft that transcended all of that.
'It would have been nice if Grandfather could have come to see this view of the Earth, too.'
For a moment, Yoon-gi was startled, his hair nearly standing on end.
'Uh... go ahead.'
When Yoon-gi gave his permission in his confusion, Choi Deok-bae appeared immediately. And he did so outside the spacecraft. Seeing Choi Deok-bae walking outside the window, Yoon-gi thought, 'I'm jealous.' Choi Deok-bae, the world’s first ghost to walk in space for tourism. Seeing Choi Deok-bae genuinely marveling at space, Yoon-gi couldn't help but smile.
'Yeah, from Grandfather’s perspective, space must be incredibly fascinating.'
A short, 24-hour honeymoon. But in that short time, they could make all the history they wanted.
"I'm sweating for some reason..."
There was no need to wear spacesuits on the space station. So, Yoon-gi and Merrill were wearing simple casual clothes, and Merrill suddenly began fanning herself with her hand, saying she was hot.
"I know."
Yoon-gi looked at Merrill and grinned. A blush rose on Merrill’s face. The two pulled each other closer, their hands still locked together. 24 hours. To some, it was a long time; to others, it was short.
***
"How was it?"
At Gorbachev’s words, Yoon-gi wore a shy expression. Even with Choi Deok-bae chiming in from the side, Yoon-gi did not lose his smile. Because he was a newlywed.
"I had such days, too. To be honest, it was never an easy time. It was not long after the Korean War ended. But even in such times, my newlywed days were enjoyable."
Gorbachev continued, "At least I got married after the Korean War. There were people who got married in the generation before me—the World War era. Their newlywed lives must have been happy, too."
Yoon-gi smiled repeatedly at Gorbachev, who wore an unadorned smile. "Actually, I feel sorry for calling you in like this when you are enjoying your newlywed life. In truth, now is not the time to discuss state affairs with me."
"No, it’s fine. I can balance work and family."
At Yoon-gi’s answer, which showed no regret at all, Gorbachev nodded in relief. "Thank you for saying that. Then, I will tell you why I invited Chairman Choi today. By any chance, what do you plan to produce after the Slavs-men and sausages you are currently manufacturing?"
Currently, Gorbachev’s Soviet Union had decided on capitalism. However, that capitalism was not about bringing in foreign companies all at once; it was becoming a capitalism purely driven by the YK Group alone.
"At this point, I cannot guarantee much. That is because YK does not yet have many factories inside the Soviet Union."
With the factories currently in the Soviet Union, they couldn't even handle the production of Slavs-men. They were producing at full capacity in the factories in Korea and the one in Chernobyl, but supply still could not exceed demand.
"Hmm... That is certainly true."
Because they hadn't yet recovered from the damage caused by the meteorite impact, Gorbachev also nodded with a regretful expression.
"First, the work YK must do is to expand the factories. And we must produce goods through those factories. If YK were to produce industrial products rather than food..."
"If we were to produce them?"
"Perhaps we would produce TVs, wouldn't we?"
"TVs, you say?"
At Gorbachev’s counter-question, Yoon-gi nodded. "Last time, General Secretary, you advocated for the disclosure of information to the people. Although information is being controlled again due to the meteorite impact, what do you intend to do in the future?"
"I will have to do it again."
At the answer filled with conviction, Yoon-gi nodded again. "That is correct. Then, there is nothing better for information delivery than a TV."
"I see..."
"The Soviet Union is a land where blizzards rage. As such, there is a limit to delivering newspapers to every household every day or announcing news through government offices. However, if TVs are supplied to every household, information disclosure will become that much easier."
"To think that far ahead..."
Gorbachev looked slightly moved. "Of course, producing the latest TVs is impossible. YK does not have that level of technology at the moment. Furthermore, the latest TVs are not needed for information disclosure."
Yoon-gi continued, "What we will sell is, after all, a small, entry-level TV. It is YK’s goal to have cheap TVs supplied to every household."
"We will help as well."
At Gorbachev’s answer, having realized the importance of TV distribution, Yoon-gi made an unexpected proposal.
"In that sense, there is another thing the General Secretary must do."
"What is it?"
"Give the people the right to establish private enterprises freely."
***
As the damage from the meteorite impact was restored, there was a group that felt anxious. It was the KGB. The director, who possessed a very benevolent appearance, was busy biting his fingernails, seemingly quite anxious, contrary to his looks.
"Damn it... why isn't he coming?"
A little more time passed, and the director immediately feigned composure and welcomed Putin.
"Did you call for me?"
"Oh, come on in."
It was September 1986. The director gave a bright smile toward Putin.
"...I assume you didn't call me to process my resignation."
"Of course not. I called you because I have another proposal today."
Putin’s resignation had still not been processed. Generally, when an employee submits a resignation, it is usually processed. It was no different for the KGB. However, Putin’s resignation had not been processed for over a year now.
"Vladimir. Finally, the time has come."
"What time are you talking about?"
At Putin’s question, the director wore a serious expression.
"We can no longer endure Gorbachev’s tyranny."
For a moment, Putin pondered how to respond, then decided to take a stance of agreement. The other party had already defined Gorbachev as a "tyrant." He judged that it would never be good to counter-question someone who had already made such a determination. Putin had crossed the line of death several times while working as a liaison for the KGB. What saved Putin then was his genius-level social skills. As such, Putin tried not to provoke the director’s mood.
"Certainly... the General Secretary’s current path is different from the existing path of the Soviet Union."
Thinking that Putin had agreed with him, the director nodded with a soft tone. "Yes, the General Secretary is currently showing behavior that ignores other comrades. Therefore, we, including the KGB, have judged that we can no longer tolerate it."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Oh, you understand?"
As Putin came out cooperatively, the director thought that the way he had treated him well so far was having an effect. "That is correct. That is the reason why I took a leave of absence..."
"So that’s why you took a leave of absence after Gorbachev took office... Yes, I want to entrust you with the liaison role again. Because in this 'revolution,' an excellent liaison is more important than anything else."
"I will do so."
If he refused, he would be killed. Therefore, Putin expressed his intention to participate in the coup d'état in the name of revolution.
"Good, good. Then, shall we start now?"
"If it’s alright, could I go home for a moment? I’d like to bring some personal items."
"Is that so? I can certainly allow that. Of course, you must go with other comrades."
Behind Putin, who was heading home, two KGB agents followed. 'This is tricky...' Since Putin was fundamentally a liaison, he lacked combat ability compared to other KGB agents. Therefore, he had no confidence in subduing these two and escaping. Nor did he have any desire to participate in a coup. Putin rotated his brain furiously to get out of this situation.
'Do I have to... bet on a miracle?'
What Putin discovered by chance. It was the sight of Yoon-gi eating at a restaurant he had met him at before.