The Ten-Year Head Start (2)
BOOM!KABOOM!BOOM!
The heavy guns on the 2nd Fleet destroyers roared to life. This wasn't a warning shot; it was a clear, calculated act of aggression. Because the South Korean fishing boats were in such close proximity to the North Korean vessels, the destroyers didn't aim for direct hits on the fishing boats, focusing instead on the sterns of the North Korean ships. But that was more than enough.
KABOOM!BOOM! With deafening roars, flames erupted from the hulls of the North Korean vessels that had been racing to seize the South Korean fishing boats. Direct hit!
The North Korean naval ships immediately returned fire. And they weren't aiming at the fishing boats—they were firing directly at the South Korean warships.
"That’s it! You bastards walked right into it!"
The South Korean sailors cheered, unleashing a far greater barrage of shells toward the North Korean ships. The sky was literally blanketed in incoming fire. Thanks to this, the North Korean naval ships were dismantled even more horrifically and rapidly than their fishing boats. Simultaneously, South Korean warships closed in on the fishing boats, escorting them to the rear.
"P-please, spare us!"
"Save us!"
Desperate cries in a thick North Korean accent filled the air. While many had died as their ships were reduced to scrap metal in an instant, there were just as many begging for rescue.
"Do not cross the NLL!"
Under the command of the field officer, the North Korean civilians on the fishing boats were rescued, but those who had been firing from the naval ships—the "definitely North Korean soldiers"—were left to their fate. An hour later, the news spread across the nation: North Korea had attempted to kidnap South Korean fishing boats, and the Republic of Korea Navy had decisively crushed them.
In original history, the First Battle of Yeonpyeong occurred in 1999. Because of the memories of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong and the West Sea Skirmish, many people might assume it was a "defeat," but the Republic of Korea actually won the First Battle of Yeonpyeong in 1999. It was the same in Yoon-gi’s timeline. The only difference was that it happened ten years early.
A battle ten years ahead of schedule. What did this signify? For South Korea, it was merely an indirect event, but for North Korea, it carried immense weight. Because this was a dictatorship where "Kim Il-sung was still alive," not the absolute, singular rule of Kim Jong-il. Of course, even in this situation, there were no "surface-level" problems with Kim Jong-il’s power.
"What is this? We lost?!"
Kim Jong-il leaped from his seat and hurled an ashtray at Kim Shin-geun’s head. CLACK! The heavy ashtray collided squarely with his skull, producing a sickening, sharp crack.
"Urgh!"
Kim Shin-geun collapsed, clutching his head in agony. But he had to regain his posture as quickly as possible. Kim Jong-il was not the type of man to feel pity just because someone looked like they were in pain.
"What order did I give you?"
"Y-you ordered me to capture the South Korean fishing boats!"
Kim Shin-geun shouted his reply, blood dripping from the wound where the ashtray had struck. Kim Jong-il was furious. A single mistake in this situation would undoubtedly land him in a prison camp. It was only because Kim Shin-geun was a close aide that he was still standing; anyone else would have been executed—or sent to Yodok or Aoji—before the ashtray was even thrown.
"That’s right. I told you to capture those South Korean boats. Is that so difficult?"
"I am sorry! It is all my fault!"
Kim Shin-geun deliberately took all the blame upon himself. No excuses worked in front of Kim Jong-il. An excuse about the South Korean military being prepared? That wouldn't fly. To suggest that Kim Jong-il’s order itself was unreasonable? That would be no different than begging for a firing squad.
'Please, please...!'
By some miracle, Kim Shin-geun’s tactic worked.
"So, what was the problem?"
Kim Jong-il’s tone softened, if only slightly. This gave Kim Shin-geun the perfect opening to offer an excuse.
"It seems the Colonel who received the order was too impatient."
"Impatient?"
Kim Jong-il’s eyes narrowed.
"Yes. In his haste to carry out the brilliant order of our Dear Leader, he could not wait long enough and rushed in the moment he saw the South Korean boats. All of this was an expression of his loyalty..."
"Enough!"
Kim Jong-il cut him off and continued immediately.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has no need for idiots who cannot even do what they are told. Execute him!"
"D-Dear Leader. That Colonel already died in the battle..."
"He’s dead?"
"Y-yes, that is correct."
"Then send his family to the prison camp. Do you understand?"
Kim Shin-geun felt a burning sensation in his gut. In truth, he had been trying to shield the fallen Colonel. It was Kim Jong-il who had ordered the boats to be captured as quickly as possible in the first place. The Colonel had simply followed that order and died for it. Furthermore, thanks to Kim Jong-il’s behavior at the summit, the South Korean Navy had been able to predict the North’s movements. But Kim Jong-il didn't ask questions; he ordered the execution of the Colonel, and upon hearing he was dead, ordered his family to the camps. If he didn't follow this order? Kim Shin-geun would be next.
"What are you thinking about right now?!"
When Kim Jong-il roared, Kim Shin-geun scrambled to explain.
"I-I was just thinking about which camp to send them to. I apologize, Dear Leader!"
"Is there anything to think about? Send them to Yodok!"
"Understood!"
A moment later, Kim Shin-geun managed to escape the office. "Ugh..." If Kim Jong-il’s anger had reached its peak, he might have been sent to Yodok himself. Cold sweat poured down his back. His shirt was soaked through, the fabric changing color from the moisture.
'Damn it, I have to risk my life every time I meet him. I can't do this anymore...'
Kim Shin-geun hadn't wanted to be a close aide to Kim Jong-il. He had just happened to become someone Kim Jong-il called upon frequently, and eventually, he became an aide. Because of that, every day was sheer agony.
'Damn it, why did I have to catch his eye back then...'
In reality, high-ranking North Korean officials tried their best to avoid any contact with Kim Jong-il. If they did have contact, they had to ensure it was a special kind of connection, because normal interactions were impossible to handle. For example, Jang Song-thaek, who married Kim Jong-il’s younger sister, could make mistakes without much trouble. Another example was Choe Hyon, whom Kim Jong-il cherished because he had provided decisive help in the succession. But those who simply caught Kim Jong-il’s eye and became aides had to walk on thin ice every single day. Just like Kim Shin-geun.
'No. If this continues, I’ll be executed someday too.'
Kim Shin-geun thought of the Colonel who had been executed—and whose family was sent to the camps—simply for carrying out Kim Jong-il’s orders. That was when he made his decision.
'I must go to the Presidential Palace.'
Kim Shin-geun went to the Presidential Palace to meet Kim Il-sung. However, it took quite a long time to get an audience, as Kim Il-sung was currently spending time with his Pleasure Squad.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it.'
With every passing second, Kim Shin-geun was gripped by an unfathomable anxiety. What if Kim Jong-il found out he had visited the Presidential Palace? It might pass, but given Kim Jong-il’s manic-depressive personality, he could easily find a reason to pick a fight.
It was the same binary choice of survival or execution he would surely face again. Kim Shin-geun felt dizzy, his body trembling until Kim Il-sung finally agreed to see him.
"Is there a reason you’ve come to find me?"
Kim Il-sung, who had ended his session with the Pleasure Squad a bit early because of Kim Shin-geun, wore a sullen expression. This was Kim Il-sung’s office. The interior, decorated luxuriously with tiger-skin rugs, seemed to display his power. But it was all a facade now. Though he enjoyed a life of luxury in the palace, he had not been able to exercise true power since handing over full authority to Kim Jong-il.
"Comrade President, our People’s Army has suffered a crushing defeat in the West Sea."
"...What did you say?"
Kim Il-sung didn't understand what he had just heard for a moment.
"Have you heard that the agreement with South Korea regarding Mount Kumgang tourism did not go well?"
"Ah, I heard that from the Standing Committee member."
Even with Kim Shin-geun in front of him, Kim Il-sung couldn't bring himself to say "I heard it from Jong-il." Even though it was his own son. The fact that he used formal, official language was proof that his power had waned. Kim Shin-geun, while agonizing over his choice, judged that this was his only option.
"And have you heard the Standing Committee member’s words about showing the insolent South Koreans a lesson?"
Kim Il-sung wore a slightly bitter expression. "Well... I heard that, too." There was no way Kim Il-sung could oppose what Kim Jong-il wanted to do.
"That retaliation failed. The Standing Committee member ordered the capture of South Korean fishing boats, and in the process, one of our People’s Army Colonels died, and five of our warships and seven of our fishing boats were sunk. The number of soldiers dead or missing is in the hundreds."
"Hmm..." Kim Il-sung furrowed his brow. At 77 years old in 1989, the wrinkles on his forehead were deep, making it look as if he were in deep contemplation. He actually was, to a small degree.
"However, the Standing Committee member has ordered the family of the deceased Colonel to be sent to a prison camp."
Kim Il-sung was just as much a fan of purges as Kim Jong-il, but Kim Il-sung had purged other factions, not those who were loyal to him. That was why Kim Shin-geun was betting everything on Kim Il-sung. Of course, in terms of creating prison camps and erasing the human rights of countless people, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were the same. No, one could say the entire North Korean territory was a place where human rights were non-existent.
"Well... wouldn't it be possible for him to give such an order...?"
Kim Il-sung spoke in a cowed voice. He was currently terrified of Kim Jong-il. Moreover, even if he listened to Kim Shin-geun, there was nothing he could do.
"Did you have a personal connection with the Colonel?"
At Kim Il-sung’s question, Kim Shin-geun shook his head. "That is not it."
"And yet you ask me to stop the Colonel’s family from going to the camp?"
Kim Shin-geun shook his head. "It is not just about stopping this one instance."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kim Shin-geun prostrated himself on the floor and bowed his head. He continued quickly.
"Comrade President! When you held full authority, our Democratic People's Republic of Korea was a good country to live in. It was a country where everything went well as long as you were loyal to you, Comrade President. But after you stepped down, too many things have changed. Please, I beg you, take back full authority!"
It was a desperate cry, dripping with loyalty and a yearning for survival. But Kim Il-sung could not grant his request. Because Kim Il-sung truly had no power left. In original history, Kim Il-sung wrote a poem in 1991 called Ode to the Baekdu Bright Star and presented it to Kim Jong-il. A poem of flattery praising his son. Can you logically understand a father presenting such a thing to his son? It meant that in his final years, Kim Il-sung was a man with no real power, his life as fragile as a fly’s.
"Ahem! I will pretend I did not hear about this matter. Get out."
At Kim Il-sung’s words, Kim Shin-geun shouted again.
"Comrade President!"
"I said get out!"
In the end, Kim Shin-geun had no choice but to leave, tears streaming down his face.
"Hoo..." Kim Il-sung let out a long sigh. It wasn't that he didn't understand Kim Shin-geun’s feelings, but what could he do? He himself was a candle in the wind, not knowing what would happen the next moment. Not long after the private meeting between Kim Il-sung and Kim Shin-geun ended, Gorbachev of the Soviet Union suddenly summoned Kim Il-sung to the Kremlin.