A few days later, Eric arrived in Korea. I t him in the study at the Pyeongchang-dong residence.
“Eric, have you been well?”
“Of course. It’s been a while, boss.”
He looked the sa as ever—confident face, strong voice, full of pride. Things must be going well for him.
After shaking hands, we sat down.
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
“Haha, I had sothing to discuss that was difficult to say over the phone, so I ca in person. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Inconvenience? Not at all. I’m the one who should visit more often, but I’ve been too tied up with work.”
We opened the conversation with so small talk. While we were speaking, Manager Ma ca in carrying a teapot and teacups.
“Have a seat too, Manager Ma. You should hear this as well.”
I lifted the teapot and poured tea for both Eric and Manager Ma, then filled my own cup.
“Do you still like tea, Eric? Try it. It’s a good one.”
“Oh! Thank you.”
Eric lifted the cup and took a sip. Fortunately, he seed to like it; his expression brightened.
“Between Afghanistan and preparations for the Iraq War, this must be your busiest ti. You ca all the way here, so it must be sothing important... Did sothing happen with the company?”
Eric shook his head.
“No, there’s no problem with the company.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Actually, this is the best ti for us. The United States is our biggest client, after all.”
Private military companies shine during war.
So with another large war imminent, Black Bear was entering its golden age.
If it wasn’t a company issue, then it must be sothing even bigger. I looked at Eric silently.
“Boss, what I’m about to say is classified.”
eting my gaze, Eric set down his teacup.
His smile disappeared, and he began to speak seriously.
“The Iraq invasion has been scheduled for next Wednesday. First, there will be missile and air strikes, followed by the U.S. ground forces—and our deploynt alongside them. More than half of our company’s contractors will be sent to Iraq.”
So the Iraq War was finally about to begin. Despite opposition from many Middle Eastern countries, the United States ignored it as expected.
“Hmm... That’s quite a large deploynt.”
“Other PMCs are sending a fair number of people too, but even combined, they won’t match our numbers.”
“Black Bear must’ve secured quite the foothold. The U.S. hiring so many contractors—it’s political, isn’t it?”
“Yes. In reality, there’s little difference between the cost of deploying regular troops and hiring contractors. But by using contractors, they can minimize dostic military casualties.”
“Typical Arica—always with their tricks.”
Following Afghanistan, the upcoming Iraq War had stirred growing anti-war sentint within the U.S.
Contractors could die in droves, but their deaths weren’t recorded as combat casualties. The Bush administration saw that loophole as a way to avoid political attacks.
“This ti, though, the Pentagon agreed to supply us with equipnt. In Afghanistan, we used our own, but in Iraq, we’ll be operating the sa gear as the U.S. military.”
“And why such generosity from the U.S.?”
“Because I negotiated well, haha.”
Eric laughed, proud of himself, and didn’t bother to hide it. I smiled back.
“The Departnt of Defense will provide armored vehicles, helicopters, and heavy weaponry. Of course, it ans we’ll be deployed in higher-risk zones.”
“There’s no avoiding casualties in war, but still—minimize losses among our n. No matter the cost.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
Even though rcenaries earned their pay through risk, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
“So you’ll withdraw everyone from Afghanistan?”
“That’s actually what I ca to report.”
I looked at him curiously.
“Right now, Black Bear is providing security for Ahmad Shah Massoud, the representative of Afghanistan’s transitional governnt. But we need to reassign those personnel to Iraq. To make up for the gap, I’d like to send Igor’s team to Afghanistan.”
“Igor’s team?”
“Yes. We’ll deploy Arican Special Forces veterans and Western Europeans to Iraq, and Eastern Europeans to Afghanistan. That’s the most effective arrangent.”
If Eric said that, there must be a reason. Still, I asked for clarification.
“And why is that?”
“Because Ahmad Shah Massoud doesn’t fully trust the Aricans. With the upcoming presidential election, there have been so frictions.”
“I see. The rumors said the U.S. originally backed Hamid Karzai.”
“That’s right. Hamid is Arica’s man. But the one with the army and higher public support is Ahmad. And Afghanistan isn’t a normal democratic state—it’s a coalition of tribes. Those tribes aren’t exactly friendly toward Hamid.”
In my previous life, Hamid, backed by the U.S., had beco President of Afghanistan.
But it was actually the Northern Alliance that had helped the U.S. oust the Taliban.
Those from the Northern Alliance demanded key governnt positions from Hamid, and he had no choice but to yield.
To strengthen his own base, Hamid favored the Pashtun, his own ethnic group.
That caused friction with the Northern Alliance, and eventually allowed the Taliban to rise again.
“If Hamid wins—or if the U.S. installs him by force—the Northern Alliance will stage a coup. The U.S. knows this, which is why they’ve set up Ahmad as the interim leader. He’s the only one supported by all the different ethnic groups in Afghanistan. He’ll beco President eventually.”
That was exactly why I’d saved Ahmad.
He was a thorn in the Taliban’s side—and the only person capable of uniting Afghanistan’s divided peoples.
If he beca President, the internal strife would subside, and the various tribes would join hands to eliminate the Taliban.
Afghanistan was a treasure trove of underground resources, but years of civil war and instability had kept its mines untouched.
If Ahmad could bring even a few years of peace, countless companies would rush in to develop those resources.
“Ahmad’s only weakness is that he can’t speak English. He knows so Russian, though. That’s why sending Igor’s team is best. They need ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) to stay close to him, and communication is key.”
“All right, let’s do that. Contact Igor and deploy him. But we can’t send everyone. Russia’s about to start its own war soon.”
“Yes, I heard that from Igor. We don’t need many—just two teams, for Ahmad’s personal security and his family’s protection.”
When I gave my approval, Eric smiled.
“Also, Ahmad requested to et you personally.”
“?”
How would Ahmad even know about ? Seeing my puzzled look, Eric added,
“To be precise, he asked to et the real owner of Black Bear.”
“Hmm······.”
eting him in person made uneasy.
Afghanistan wasn’t fully stabilized yet; the Taliban were still waging guerrilla warfare in the outskirts.
After so thought, I asked the person who knew the situation best.
“Eric, is Kabul safe?”
“Yes, it’s safe. The U.S. military has full control of the area, and security is stable. The main Northern Alliance forces are all stationed in Kabul too. The Taliban wouldn’t dare attack there.”
“And why does he want to et ?”
“He said he’d explain in person. He didn’t give any details.”
Ahmad... I hadn’t planned to et him myself, even after ordering his rescue.
But there was nothing to lose from eting him. I decided to accept.
“All right. Coordinate the schedule and let know.”
“Yes. I’ll arrange it with Ahmad.”
“Was this the reason you ca?”
“Yes. Talking on the phone would’ve been risky. The U.S. has gone insane lately—under the excuse of tracking terrorists, they’re indiscriminately wiretapping and monitoring everything, even illegally.”
I frowned unconsciously. If they were spying that heavily on their own citizens, imagine what they were doing to foreigners.
“I understand the governnt’s stance, but it’s excessive. I’m sure our headquarters is under surveillance too.”
“And you’re letting that slide?”
“No reason to cause trouble unnecessarily. It’s not like we’re doing anything illegal.”
Fair enough. Causing friction now would only complicate things.
“Are you going to Iraq yourself, Eric?”
“I’ll probably oversee overall operations from headquarters. Ellen will act as the field commander.”
“Ah, Ellen’s reliable. Still, make sure he avoids civilian casualties.”
Ellen was more aggressive than Eric—probably because he’d spent so long on the front lines.
“I can’t make promises. We’ll try to minimize it, but it’s impossible to avoid completely.”
“After the war, companies tied to will enter Iraq for reconstruction projects. If Black Bear’s contractors beco hated by civilians, that could complicate business. Minimize unnecessary harm.”
“I’ll try.”
Eric didn’t give a definite answer.
Well, battlefield judgnt was their domain anyway. At least he’d keep it in mind now that I’d said it. That was enough pressure for today.
I sensed the conversation had run its course and stood up.
“If that’s all, let’s get going. You’ve co a long way—let’s have dinner. You’re flying out tomorrow morning, right?”
Eric also stood.
“Yes. I need to prepare for deploynt as soon as I return.”
“Good. Let’s go. Do you like Korean food, Eric?”
I took him to an old traditional restaurant in Myeongdong.
Eric seed to enjoy Korean food quite a bit. We drank traditional liquor and talked for a long ti.
As the glasses emptied, night deepened.
A week later, the United States began its indiscriminate air raids on Iraq.
Operation Shock and Awe.
A military campaign that, as the na suggested, plunged the world into shock and fear.
Cruise missiles fired at the start of the operation reduced Baghdad’s presidential palace and key facilities to rubble in monts.
The area around the presidential palace was engulfed in flas within minutes.
Then, 300,000 ground troops from the U.S., U.K., and allied nations advanced simultaneously—north from the Kurdish region and south from Kuwait.
A full-scale invasion. I set down the newspaper bearing the image of the burning presidential palace and shook my head.
“So it’s begun at last.”
I checked the ti and stood up. Before heading to Afghanistan next week, I needed to settle Congressman Jeong Chanseong’s issue.
For that, I’d need Congressman Heo Tae-min. So I set off for the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province to et him.
After a long drive, I arrived at the restaurant where we’d agreed to et.
Though it was lunchti, the place was empty. As I got out of the car, a man approached.
“Are you President Kim Muhyuk?”
I nodded. The man bowed slightly.
“I’m Oh Cheol, Chief Secretary to Representative Heo Tae-min.”
I already knew him from my background checks.
He had served Heo Tae-min since his early political days.
“The Representative is waiting. Please follow .”
Oh Cheol led to the innermost private room.
“He’s inside. You may enter alone.”
He glanced at Manager Ma before saying to ,
“Wait outside.”
I instructed Manager Ma to stay put and slid the door open.
Inside sat Heo Tae-min, his hair completely gray.
He looked even more stubborn than in his photographs.
Thinking that, I walked forward slowly and bowed lightly.
“Pleased to et you. I’m Kim Muhyuk.”
“Likewise. I’m Heo Tae-min.”
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