[Fire! The Fall of the Government-General]
May 7, 1988. An immense crowd had gathered in Jongno. They were there to witness nothing less than the destruction of the Government-General of Chosen building. Of course, quite a few people had visited Jongno even before May 7th, as significant foundation work was required to prepare for the demolition.
“Isn't it a building that makes you feel the sinister nature of the Japanese the more you look at it?” At YS’s words, N nodded.
“Indeed. One has to wonder what they were thinking to build it so close to Gyeongbokgung Palace.”
Although the Government-General building no longer exists in the 2010s, if you look at old photographs, the distance between the Government-General and Gyeongbokgung is truly staggering. Depending on the angle, it looks as if it were built at such close range that they were practically touching.
“No matter how I think about it, the Japanese must have built it there specifically to make it difficult to tear down.”
There were no clear documents remaining as to why the Government-General was built in such close proximity to Gyeongbokgung. However, there were speculations that since Gyeongbokgung was the symbol of the Joseon Dynasty at the time, they built the Government-General right behind it to signify that ‘Japan controls the Joseon Dynasty,’ or perhaps to ensure it wouldn't be easily demolished should a situation arise where it needed to be removed. Either way, it was certainly a source of nothing but negative influence on Korea.
“Chairman Choi, will you be alright? You’re not young anymore, and it might get terribly loud later……”
Yoon-gi could not be in the same place as N and YS. Publicly, Yoon-gi was just an ordinary(?) college student. Instead, Choi Ki-hyun, known as the true owner of the YK Group, attended in his stead.
“No, if you’re going to talk about my age like that, shouldn't you be careful about your own age, Prime Minister?”
“Oh my! I was so focused on someone else’s age that I forgot my own.”
YS and Choi Ki-hyun burst into laughter, neither knowing who started first.
“By the way, to designate today as a national holiday. No matter how I think about it, Yoon-gi is a fascinating person. Isn't Yoon-gi a manager? As a manager, he should naturally oppose the designation of public holidays, yet he’s the one who suggested it. It’s truly curious.”
YS took the opportunity to subtly ask Choi Ki-hyun about Yoon-gi.
“My grandson once joked that if you’re going to treat workers like machines, you should really treat them like machines.”
“Pardon? Yoon-gi treated workers like machines?”
YS wore a stunned expression at the truly unexpected remark. Choi Ki-hyun smiled as if he had expected that reaction.
“He said that even machines are periodically turned off, inspected, and given rest periods, so why don’t we do the same for people if we consider them machines?”
“Ah, you startled me there.”
Realizing it was a clever jab at those who treat people worse than machines, YS let out a wry smile with a look of relief.
“True, most managers treat workers worse than machines. Even machines break down if run for long periods without maintenance, yet they treat people that way. That’s why it’s even more fascinating. That a manager would treat workers with such consideration.”
“My grandson has a conviction that if you compete fairly, you will never lose. That must be why.”
“At least from the perspective of the South Korean people, it’s a blessing. That YK occupies the number one spot in Korea.”
If YK were actually exploiting the people to hold the number one spot, other conglomerate heads would have complained to N.
However, because YK did no such thing, the heads of other companies, excluding YK, could not request N to allow them more freedom in corporate management. Of course, the fact that the two consecutive business wars had drained the power of the chaebols also played a large part.
“Thanks to the business war we had last time, companies didn't dare to resist the government’s policy to designate May 7th as a public holiday. It’s truly a relief.”
At the words of N, who was standing nearby, YS shook his head.
“Oh, Your Excellency. That’s not it. If they opposed the designation of a public holiday right now, the people would crack their skulls open, so how could they oppose it?”
Yoon-gi often used the expression ‘cracking their skulls open,’ and YS seemed to like it, often using it in official settings.
“Ah, that is certainly more accurate.” N nodded.
In reality, if anyone opposed the holiday designation now, they would be labeled a ‘pro-Japanese traitor who defends Japan!’ and it would be the perfect setup for their downfall.
“Ah, but why May 7th and not May 8th? Children’s Day is a public holiday, so wouldn't it have been better to make Parents’ Day a public holiday while we were at it?” N asked Choi Ki-hyun.
“Ah, he said that if we did that, people would forget about ‘Parents’ Day’ and only remember the ‘Day of the Destruction of the Government-General,’ so it wouldn't do.”
“He has deep filial piety.”
“Indeed. My grandson truly loves his family.”
At the sudden boast about his grandson, both N and YS burst into laughter.
“Anyway, people need to step back quite a bit for us to demolish it with tanks, and this doesn't seem easy.”
At N’s words, YS stepped forward as if to say not to worry.
“Your Excellency, do not worry. I will handle it.”
YS went to the situation control room and took over the seat of the controller. Then, he grabbed the broadcast microphone and shouted.
"Testing, testing, mic test. Hello, everyone. It is your hot-blooded Prime Minister, YS."
Laughter erupted in the square for a moment. Since he was a Prime Minister, not the President, YS had cultivated a friendly image rather than a stern one, and it was working very well in the current situation.
"Today is a great day for the Republic of Korea to destroy the Government-General to fix the manners of those Japanese bastards. However, we need your cooperation to smash the Government-General, and it seems like cooperation isn't going so well today?"
YS’s words continued.
"The Japanese are surely filming this place right now, and I’m worried that an article will appear in the Japanese evening papers later talking about the 'national character of the Korean people' or something. Honestly speaking, isn't the national character of the Korean people far superior to that of the Japanese people?"
In an instant, a fervent spark began to burn in the hearts of the people who had gathered to watch.
[[[[[WOOOOOOOO!]]]]]
While cheering, the citizens all began to move away from the Government-General as if they had promised to do so. And when he thought enough distance had been gained, YS grabbed the microphone again.
[[[[[FIRE!!!!!]]]]]
Following YS’s instructions, the control agents stood in front of the citizens to prevent anyone from moving forward again.
“Your Excellency, did you see that?”
“Hoo… this, I think the Prime Minister could be President.”
“Hmm! Hmm! If you really want that, wouldn't it be possible if you got a lot of opposition votes in this June’s election?”
As YS made a joke, N looked at him with an expression that suggested it was a real shame.
“Oh my! Even if I wanted to yield it to you, it would be difficult! Looking at the public sentiment right now, it seems impossible for me to get opposition votes in June even if I wanted to.”
The national referendum regarding N’s continuation as President scheduled for June. Naturally, it was clear that there was absolutely no possibility of N receiving opposition votes in the current atmosphere.
“Cough, it’s a shame. To think I have to wait four more years.”
“I guess I can work the Prime Minister for four more years?”
“Puhahahaha!”
“Hahahah!”
N and YS had truly become partners like no other. In actual history, N and YS were very good partners. N frequently sought advice from YS during his term, and YS also helped N a lot. Of course, while liquidating the Hana-hoe, YS had no choice but to send N to prison, but N did not resist YS’s actions and took responsibility for what he had done. It wasn't for nothing that N, despite being the leader of a military coup, had a lot of supporting public opinion.
“Oh, it’s finally starting.”
On the opposite side of Gyeongbokgung. That is, tanks began to appear from the direction of the Government-General. Just a year ago, if tanks appeared on the road, the people would have been terrified. Because it was common for the tank barrels to be pointed not at North Korea, but at the citizens. But today, the barrels of the tanks were pointed not at the citizens, but at the Government-General.
Choi Deok-bae, watching this scene, was so excited that he was practically dancing, floating wildly around Yoon-gi. Yoon-gi didn't say anything to Choi Deok-bae either. Yoon-gi was also watching the situation in a state of great excitement.
“Yoon, you seem to be in a very good mood?” Merrill said. Although Merrill was sitting next to Yoon-gi, she wasn't as emotionally invested as he was. In a way, it was natural. However, Yoon-gi didn't get angry at all. It couldn't be helped if she didn't know.
“Yeah! If you’re a true citizen of the Republic of Korea, today is a festival, a festival!”
“Somehow, I feel like I’m heating up too.”
“Heating up?”
At Yoon-gi’s suddenly sinister expression, Merrill blushed and hit Yoon-gi’s shoulder repeatedly. In normal times, this would be the timing for Choi Deok-bae to intervene. However, Choi Deok-bae was paying no attention to Yoon-gi and Merrill. Choi Deok-bae’s attention was solely on the tanks that had finished preparing to fire.
And finally. The commander of the tank unit entered the countdown for the firing order via radio.
“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4……”
In an instant, Choi Deok-bae commanded Johnson. Johnson, without any ‘Johnson-Johnson!’ expression, flew quietly toward the tank unit commander and stimulated his psychology.
“3…, 2…, 1…, FIRE!!!!! Huh?”
In an instant, the tank unit commander realized what he had said and his face turned white. He had clearly only thought it, but to have it come out of his mouth instead of ‘Launch’… However, the situation had already occurred.
BOOM! KABOOM-! KABOOM-BOOM!
The shells fired from the tank barrels hit the Government-General squarely, and the Government-General began to be shredded into rags by dozens, hundreds of shells. Choi Deok-bae was a person who had seen the Unyo Incident in person. No, in the first place, because Choi Deok-bae knew the reality of Japan better than anyone, no good feelings toward Japan could exist. As such, Choi Deok-bae was truly satisfied today.
[[[[[[[WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!]]]]]]]
The citizens also held a festival for the day. Those who couldn't come to Jongno could enjoy the scene of the Government-General collapsing through the broadcast screens of the three major networks. Dust was flying, and the citizens were inhaling that dust, but that didn't matter at all. The Government-General had collapsed! That fact was what mattered.
While the people were cheering like this.
“Chiksho! Those insolent Joseon-jins!”
Japanese politicians were watching the broadcast of the Government-General collapsing and bursting with rage.