The Crown Prince of the New Military Regime (3)
"Yes, I think it would be best to focus on this side." Choi Cheol-ho pointed his finger at a name on the document. It was Jang Jae-jun.
"How would you like to proceed?"
"He’s the eldest son of JSD, and he’s the same age as my son. So, I’m going to move to the neighborhood around the elementary school where this child will be enrolling."
"You intend to build a connection through my cousin, then?"
Listening to Yoon-gi’s incredibly calm voice, Choi Cheol-ho realized he had found the right answer. 'I don't know if it was a test or revenge, but at the very least, I’ve succeeded in being recognized as someone useful.'
Choi Cheol-ho felt a sense of relief and continued, "Even though he’s quite lacking compared to you, my son is also fairly bright. So, there shouldn't be any problem in picking one child and becoming close friends."
"They say you can tell the son by looking at the father. I would have worried a lot if it were my eldest uncle, but I can trust you, my second uncle."
Thinking that his older brother had truly burned his bridges, Choi Cheol-ho couldn't even imagine how badly his brother must have behaved. 'I don't think he’d tell me if I asked, but there must be a reason.' He was curious, but there was something more important right now.
"There is some information I need to ask of you again. Just let me know which school this child, Jang Jae-jun, will be enrolling in. If you tell me that, I’ll handle the rest. I just need to build a connection with JSD and ask for the next instructions, right?"
"Exactly. Then, please come back here in a few days."
"It doesn't have to be in a few days; call me anytime. I’ll come running immediately."
A few days later, Choi Cheol-ho heard from the housekeeper that his older brother had come by and caused a scene.
"I'm home!"
At the shout of his son, Choi In-gi, Shin Mi-ra smiled brightly and went to the entrance to greet him.
"You're back?"
"Yes, Mom! I brought a friend home today, is that okay?"
"Of course, whose friend is it? Hello, what’s your name?"
At the warm reaction of his friend’s mother, the child, whose distinctively sharp-cornered eyes were his most notable feature, bowed his head.
"Hello. My name is Jang Jae-jun."
He didn't seem arrogant, but he wasn't intimidated either. It was a fitting demeanor for a child whose father was the commander of the Capital Defense Command Security Group in an era where the military held absolute power.
"Yes, Jae-jun. Have a good time playing with our In-gi."
Feeling comfortable with Shin Mi-ra’s elegant aura, Jang Jae-jun followed his friend, Choi In-gi, into the room.
"Wow... you have so many toys."
Once they were alone in the room, Jae-jun began to show his age.
"My cousin brings them over often. If you want to play with them, feel free."
"Really?"
"Of course. We’re friends."
With In-gi’s permission, Jae-jun looked around at the toys filling the room. There was a built-in display cabinet, and it was filled with 1970s-style plastic models, arranged in perfect order. The 70s, the early days of plastic models. Compared to the 2010s, they were very crude items, but they were more than enough to capture the eyes of a child in this era.
"Wow, this is almost the same as the one I saw at my dad’s unit."
Jae-jun picked up a toy modeled after a WWII German cannon and marveled at it.
"Wow, you can really see cannons?"
"Yeah. My dad is a colonel. He’s at the Capital Defense Command now, so I don't see them often, but when he was a battalion commander, I saw them all the time."
"Your dad is a soldier!"
At In-gi’s voice filled with envy, Jae-jun rubbed his nose and grinned. The best profession for a father in the eyes of children in this era? It was a soldier who had secured a good line of succession.
"Do you want to come to my dad’s unit later and see the tanks? If things go well, my dad might even let you ride one."
"Yes! I really want to ride one!"
Born as a man in the Republic of Korea, he would see tanks to the point of exhaustion in about 15 years, but In-gi had no idea and was thrilled.
"Then, I’ll go home later and ask my dad."
"Yes!"
In-gi and Jae-jun began playing war games with the toys for a while.
During January and February, Yoon-gi had bought an enormous amount of toys for his cousin, In-gi. Thanks to that, In-gi’s favorability toward Yoon-gi was sky-high, and he had managed to win over Jae-jun’s favor in a way that didn't befit a young child.
"Ah, I lost again. I guess it’s because your dad is a soldier."
There was no reason for there to be winners or losers in playing with toys, but In-gi’s words were enough to make Jae-jun feel good.
"Kids, have some snacks."
"Thank you. Wow!"
Jae-jun, who had been thanking her, was startled and stared intently at the snack tray.
"In-gi, what are these snacks? I’ve never seen them before."
"Yeah. My cousin brings them often. He says they’re the most popular snacks in America."
"Wow... I’m so jealous. I wish I had a cousin like that..."
Shin Mi-ra carefully and naturally stroked the hair of Jae-jun as he spoke.
"Jae-jun, eat plenty. If you like them, I’ll pack some for you to take home later."
"Really?"
"Of course. But you have to stay close friends with our In-gi, okay?"
"Yes! In-gi is my best friend!"
Shin Mi-ra smiled, asked for the phone number to contact his home, and left. Jae-jun immediately grabbed a snack and shoved it into his mouth.
"Wow... this is so delicious..."
As Jae-jun made an impressed expression, In-gi offered him another snack. "Try this too. I’ve already had some, so you can eat them all."
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
With In-gi’s permission, Jae-jun shoved the snacks into his mouth without a break, and soon he was panting and patting his bloated belly.
"Wow... that was so good..."
"Then, do you want to play again?"
"Wait, I’m too full right now."
In-gi shook his head at Jae-jun, who had a happy expression.
"There’s something we can play even if you’re full."
"What is it?"
In-gi lifted the cloth that covered the color TV in the room.
"Ah, you have a TV in your room too!"
"Yeah, there’s a toy that needs a TV."
"A toy that needs a TV?"
"Wait."
In-gi turned on the Atari 2600 (Atari Video Computer System) that Yoon-gi had brought. Then, a colorful screen, which was hard to see in the 70s, began to appear on the color TV.
"Huh? This is the game they have at the electronic arcade!"
Jae-jun pressed his body against the TV, almost sticking to it.
"My cousin’s maternal grandfather is a US Army brigadier general. He said his grandfather bought it for him in America."
"Wow! Your cousin’s maternal grandfather is in the US Army? And a brigadier general at that?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, that’s a higher rank than my dad!"
"I don't know much about that. Anyway, want to play a round?"
"Yeah!"
Jae-jun, his eyes sparkling, became engrossed in the game as soon as he took the controller from In-gi. Several hours passed. It was time to go home, but Jae-jun couldn't get up from his seat, looking regretful.
"Jae-jun, shouldn't you be going home soon? The person who came to pick you up is waiting outside."
At Shin Mi-ra’s words as she opened the door, Jae-jun put down the controller, but he hesitated and kept looking at the TV screen with regret.
Seeing this, In-gi spoke to Jae-jun.
"Do you want to have this?"
"Huh?"
For a moment, Jae-jun doubted his own ears.
"Do you want to have this? I can just ask my cousin for another one. My cousin likes me a lot."
"Really? Can you give this to me?"
"I told you. We’re friends."
Jae-jun hugged In-gi tightly, looking like he was about to burst into tears. "In-gi, thank you!"
"Mom, I can give this to Jae-jun, right?"
"Of course, it’s your property."
Because he had Shin Mi-ra’s permission, Jae-jun jumped for joy. A moment later, Jae-jun, carrying a bundle filled with the game console and plenty of snacks, bowed 90 degrees and left his friend’s house.
"Honey, Jae-jun has left."
At Shin Mi-ra’s words, Choi Cheol-ho came out of the main room quietly and asked his son, In-gi.
"In-gi, did you tell him that Yoon-gi hyung’s maternal grandfather is a US Army brigadier general?"
"Yes, I told him!"
"Well done."
After stroking his son’s hair, Choi Cheol-ho brought out two large, well-wrapped boxes from the main room and handed them to his son.
"Yoon-gi said to give these to you."
"Wow!"
The boxes, which he tore open with a cheer, contained the Atari he had just given to Jae-jun and a new game console, the Odyssey.
"You have to keep listening to Yoon-gi hyung in the future, too. Okay? Yoon-gi hyung really likes you."
"I like Yoon-gi hyung the most in the world!"
It was a statement that might have been a little disappointing, but both Choi Cheol-ho and Shin Mi-ra nodded inwardly. They had gained the opportunity to transform from an ordinary wealthy family into a power broker with ties to the military regime.
Jae-jun, who returned home in a car driven by a soldier from his father’s unit, felt his expression sour the closer he got to home. And when he opened the front door, his face stiffened at the sight of his father, but he let out a sigh of relief when he saw his mother was there too.
"What time do you think it is?"
With eyes sharper than Jae-jun’s and lips pressed tightly together, his strict father’s words made Jae-jun pull his neck in like a turtle and mumble in response.
"I... I was playing at a friend’s house..."
It was a look that hadn't been seen at all at In-gi’s house. Then, Jae-jun’s mother, Im Gyeong-ja, hugged her son.
"Oh my, it can happen if a child makes friends. Didn't the friend’s mother call, too? But, Jae-jun. What is this?"
Jae-jun, feeling relieved by his kind mother’s actions, untied the bundle as if to show it off.
"My friend’s mom and my friend gave it to me!"
When the Atari and a bundle of American snacks spilled out of the untied cloth, Im Gyeong-ja’s eyes went wide.
"My goodness, these look like American goods... what do your friend’s parents do for a living?"
"I don't really know about my friend’s parents, but my friend’s cousin’s maternal grandfather is a US Army brigadier general."
Watching his wife and son, JSD, who had been clicking his tongue, twitched for a moment.
'Maternal grandfather is a US Army brigadier general? Is that possible?'
What JSD thought of was a Korean-born US Army brigadier general. However, this was practically impossible in terms of the era. Even as of 2014, there had only been about 8 Korean-American generals in the US military.
"Jae-jun."
At his father’s low call, Jae-jun flinched for a moment.
"...Yes."
"Are you sure your friend’s cousin’s grandfather is a US Army brigadier general?"
"Yes... I heard it clearly."
JSD began to check the contents of the bundle his son had brought.
"What is this?"
At his father’s question pointing to the Atari, Jae-jun mumbled in reply again.
"An electronic game console..."
"An electronic game console? Something this small? No, wait. A game console?"
JSD momentarily thought about smashing the Atari, but he remembered the fact about the US Army brigadier general and held back for a moment.
'A family that is friendly enough to give this to my son, and they have a background of a US Army brigadier general in the family...'
JSD’s political mind began to churn.
"Oh my, welcome."
Since Im Gyeong-ja was about ten years younger than JSD, Choi Cheol-ho and Shin Mi-ra, who were visiting JSD’s house, felt a sense of familiarity in their own way.
"Hello. My name is Choi Cheol-ho. It is a great honor to be invited by your family like this."
Choi Cheol-ho, who bowed his head, also greeted JSD standing next to him, and when JSD held out his hand, he shook it and bowed his waist again.
"Welcome. Dinner is prepared, so let’s eat."
At JSD’s words, dinner began, and conversation between the ordinary couple began to flow back and forth. In the middle, JSD asked what he thought of the current political situation, but Choi Cheol-ho gave an answer that satisfied JSD with his characteristic poker face, so a friendly atmosphere was maintained throughout the meal.
"Jae-jun, you go play in your room with your friend and your younger sibling."
"Yes!"
Jae-jun, who had answered loudly to his father’s words for once, took In-gi and his younger sibling by the hand and went into his room, leaving only the two couples in the living room.
"I’ve brought coffee."
When Im Gyeong-ja set down the coffee, JSD spoke first.
"By the way, hearing from Jae-jun, I heard there is a US Army brigadier general in your family?"
"Ah, yes. He is among the in-laws of my father. I heard he is currently with the US Forces Korea, but have you perhaps heard of 'Brigadier General Colson'?"
For a moment, JSD slapped his knee in admiration.
"Ah, that person! I know him too. But I had no idea his son-in-law was Korean. By any chance, what does your father do...?"
Choi Cheol-ho kept a polite expression and replied, "Yes, he is currently operating a small company called Samwoo."
It could never be called small, but it was a polite expression. JSD thought for a moment and recalled the Samwoo Group.
"Ah... so you were the son of the Samwoo Chairman."
In reality, JSD would not treat him this way just because he was the son of the Samwoo Group Chairman. More than 90 percent of JSD’s current reaction was solely due to Brigadier General Colson. Therefore, not a single word that would make the atmosphere uncomfortable was exchanged while drinking tea.
"By the way, is the nephew who treats your son well a college student?"
Choi Cheol-ho smiled softly and shook his head.
"No. He is now 11 years old."
Then JSD showed a puzzled reaction.
"He is 11, but is it okay for him to play with things like game consoles?"
Choi Cheol-ho caught that the opportunity had arrived.
"Ah, my nephew is truly a prodigy. Last year, he even went to Harvard in America and had discussions with graduate students."
"What? An 11-year-old went to Harvard and had discussions with graduate students?"
"Yes, he is attending elementary school, but he is currently receiving straight A’s, and I understand he has finished quite a bit of advanced learning as well."
Hearing this, JSD sighed.
"Haa, as a father of two children, I am very envious. Just looking at Jae-jun, it’s not even a comparison."
Choi Cheol-ho quickly picked up the conversation.
"Then, how about having your child receive tutoring from my nephew?"