The hotel where the South Korean special envoy delegation was staying had been sealed off.
Ard soldiers were standing guard in front of the doors to the rooms where the delegation was lodged.
“Wow, this is insane. What the hell is going on now?”
Myungsoo ca to my room looking disheveled.
He must have been startled by the sudden gunshots echoing outside—his face was completely drained of color.
“It’s Jang Songthaek starting a bloody purge. It won’t affect us, so don’t worry about it. Go back and get so sleep.”
“What? You hear gunshots and you expect to sleep, you crazy bastard? And there are soldiers with guns guarding the rooms where the special envoy delegation is staying!”
“That’s just in case sothing happens. It’s to protect you and the delegation. If sothing goes wrong and there’s even a hint of a terrorist incident targeting the envoys, then everything falls on Jang Songthaek. Think of it as a special asure.”
Even after I tried hard to calm him down, Myungsoo still looked uneasy.
I went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of cold mineral water.
“Here. Drink this and calm down.”
“O-Okay.”
With trembling hands, Myungsoo took the bottle and gulped it down. The bottle was empty in no ti.
Bang!
Just then, another gunshot rang out in the distance.
At the sound, Myungsoo flinched. His hand clenched tightly around the empty bottle, turning white.
With a face full of anxiety, Myungsoo asked,
“......Like you said, nothing big is going to happen, right?”
I answered with a faint smile on my face.
“Jang Songthaek already has control over all the forces in Pyongyang. Even if Kim Jongil showed up, he wouldn’t be able to touch Jang Songthaek in Pyongyang. It’s about ti things wrapped up, so don’t worry.”
Unlike Myungsoo, who was still fidgeting, I felt oddly at ease.
It seed Jang Songthaek had decided to take my advice.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for gunshots to be echoing through Pyongyang in the middle of the night.
Perhaps he finally accepted it, because Myungsoo gave a small nod.
“I’m sleeping here.”
It didn’t look like all his worries were gone, though. He got up, then threw himself onto the bed.
“This should be the safest place in Pyongyang, right?”
I chuckled at his behavior. After having a private eting with Jang Songthaek and then hearing gunshots, it was understandable.
“Yeah. Sleep. You must be tired.”
Myungsoo nodded and soon began snoring.
I got up and walked over to the window. After taking a deep breath, I pulled back the tightly drawn curtains.
Pitch black. A city literally swallowed by darkness.
The streets of Pyongyang below didn’t even have proper streetlights turned on.
‘If he’s finally made up his mind, then he’d better do it properly. I hope Jang Songthaek has hardened himself by now.’
A weak leader didn’t suit the current Pyongyang.
Reform and opening policies are always carried out amid resistance from vested interests.
At present, Jang Songthaek had ousted Kim Jongil and seized power.
So even if people pledged loyalty on the surface, there was no telling how things would change over ti.
‘Fear. Only fear can rule them. Blood has to be {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} shed, whether we like it or not.’
China’s reform and opening were possible because a dictator nad Deng Xiaoping existed.
He firmly suppressed those who opposed him and pushed his policies through.
As a result, despite being a one-party communist dictatorship, China beca a strange, unique country that advocated a free economy.
And eventually, with ti, it grew into an economic powerhouse capable of threatening the United States.
‘Deng Xiaoping wasn’t afraid to stain his hands with blood either. Jang Songthaek, you have to be the sa.’
Bringing up Jang Geumsong’s na hadn’t been the wrong call after all.
The reason I ntioned Jang Geumsong to provoke Jang Songthaek was to awaken his ruthlessness.
How much Jang Songthaek cherished his only daughter, Jang Geumsong, only beca known after her death.
If Jang Geumsong hadn’t died...... If he hadn’t completely fallen out with Kim Kyonghui, would Jang Songthaek have been purged after Kim Jongun took power?
This too was a path I had created—one that had never been walked before.
This ti, I had to prevent her death.
Jang Geumsong had to remain Jang Songthaek’s weakness to the very end this ti.
“The gunshots stopped.”
The intermittent gunfire could no longer be heard.
Only then did I close the curtains and lie down on the bed.
As the ringing gunshots faded, Myungsoo’s snoring filled the room instead.
Honestly, he was the sa no matter the era. I let out a quiet laugh, then soon surrendered myself to sleep.
“Hey! Muhyuk!”
My body was suddenly shaken violently. When I forced my eyes open, Myungsoo was shaking back and forth.
“You’re up. What ti is it?”
“Seven. I’m about to head back. The special envoy delegation probably stayed up all night with their eyes wide open.”
I nodded and lifted my stiff body.
“Give so water.”
Pouting, Myungsoo tossed a bottle of mineral water. I caught it easily and opened the cap.
After drinking, I asked Myungsoo, whose dark circles had sunk all the way to his jaw.
“You’re not going back to sleep? You only slept about four hours. Aren’t you tired?”
“I am. But today’s the last day of the schedule. We need to get moving. We’re heading back to Seoul tomorrow morning. I’m busy again today. What about you? What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to look around Nampo.”
“Really? You’ll be busy too, then. I’m heading out. Take care.”
Myungsoo waved and left. I returned the greeting, then got off the bed and flung the curtains open.
Last night’s chaos was nowhere to be seen; warm morning sunlight stread in.
“Nice weather.”
When I ca out after showering, Manager Ma had brewed coffee and placed it on the table.
“I was just thinking about coffee. Thank you, Manager.”
The rich aroma brushed past my nose. When I had almost finished the cup, Manager Ma spoke up.
“Boss, the person who will guide you to Nampo City will be arriving shortly.”
“They sent soone who knows Nampo well, right? They’d better have.”
I planned to look around every corner while I had the chance. For now, it wasn’t like I could freely co and go in North Korea.
Once I finished getting ready to go out, there was a knock on the door, perfectly tid.
When Manager Ma opened it, the man who had guided before was standing there.
He bowed deeply and said,
“I’ll be attending you again today.”
Not bad. We’d t before, and he seed fairly competent at his job.
I returned his greeting and asked,
“Do you know Nampo City well?”
“Yes. It’s my hotown. My parents still live there.”
An incredible coincidence. Or was it really a coincidence?
From the start, Jang Songthaek sending this man as my guide probably wasn’t unrelated to the fact that he was from Nampo.
Either way, soone familiar was better.
I took the coat Manager Ma handed and stood up.
“Your na is...... Ri Jeongu, right? I heard it during the call.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Seems like fate is fate. I’ll be in your care today. I’m Kim Muhyuk.”
“I know.”
When I smiled and held out my hand, Ri Jeongu carefully took it—using both hands.
That sight made laugh without realizing it.
“By the way, it seems you’re in high favor with Vice Chairman Jang Songthaek. You can even speak with him directly.”
“Ah, no. You flatter too much.”
“Vice Chairman Jang wouldn’t have sent soone he didn’t trust to . If that weren’t the case, it would be a problem in its own way......”
When I trailed off and gave him a pointed look, Ri Jeongu answered quickly.
“I served Vice Chairman Comrade in the State Security Departnt. Because of that connection, I’m still at his side.”
“I see. Let’s get going, then. How long will it take?”
“It’s about 50 kiloters away. If we take the highway, an hour will be enough.”
I followed Ri Jeongu out of the hotel. Once we got into the car, he started driving carefully.
The car moved slowly. Looking out the window, I asked,
“I noticed this last ti too, but there really aren’t many cars on the road.”
“Fuel is in severe shortage. At present, only vehicles authorized by the Workers’ Party are allowed to operate.”
“Is it really okay to tell things like that? Won’t it cause problems later?”
“Well...... You’re soone who already knows. And you’re also soone who will invest in the Republic. Vice Chairman Comrade told to answer all of the president’s questions truthfully.”
It wasn’t just talk—it really seed he was soone trusted by Jang Songthaek. He was explaining things in quite a bit of detail.
In the distance, the Ryugyong Hotel ca into view. Its grotesque exterior remained unchanged.
“So they’re not rebuilding the Ryugyong Hotel?”
The Ryugyong Hotel was a project Kim Jongil ordered after seeing Korea’s 63 Building, aiming for a system rivalry.
He wanted to show North Korea’s superiority by building a 100-story structure—taller than the 63 Building, which was the tallest in Asia at the ti.
On Kim Jongil’s orders, North Korea quickly signed a contract with a French construction company and began work using their technology and capital.
But it was a reckless project that ignored the state’s finances.
‘In the end, they didn’t just fail to pay—they flat-out refused to pay.’
Kim Jongil and the North Korean governnt were always like this.
Eventually, the construction costs went unpaid, and France halted construction, demanding paynt.
After prolonged, inconclusive negotiations, the French contractor gave up on everything and withdrew from North Korea.
After that, they negotiated with real estate companies from several countries, but none led to construction resuming.
“If Vice Chairman Comrade’s reform and opening succeed properly, construction should be able to resu soon.”
I shook my head at Ri Jeongu’s hopeful words.
“I’m not so sure. Even building it as it is would be a problem......”
The Ryugyong Hotel project was flawed from the very beginning.
It was rushed to be completed in ti for the Pyongyang World Festival of Youth and Students, held in response to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Naturally, due to shoddy construction, cracks were found in the frawork itself.
If construction continued like this, it wouldn’t be able to function as a hotel and would end up as nothing more than a symbolic structure.
“If they resu construction as it is, it’ll probably collapse. It would be better to demolish it entirely and rebuild from scratch.”
“But the Republic’s face......”
Ri Jeongu’s words reflected the North Korean governnt’s stance.
Pouring astronomical amounts of money into pointless projects just to save face—when they didn’t even have the money. Grand dreams with empty pockets.
“Dressing up a building that was wrong from the start will only make it look more ridiculous. The Western world already knows it’s just a showpiece.”
It would be better to rebuild it anew as a gesture of goodwill. That would save Jang Songthaek’s face too.
Of course, I intended to take the operating rights—but that was another matter.
Before long, we passed the Ryugyong Hotel and left Pyongyang behind.
“This is the highway from Pyongyang to Nampo.”
A ridiculously wide, twelve-lane highway—six lanes each way—with not a single car in sight.
“This road was built entirely by human labor, without borrowing the power of machines. Isn’t it magnificent?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Ri Jeongu’s pride-filled explanation.
With no money and no technology, there was no choice but to grind people down.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Ri Jeongu continued explaining as he drove.
“University students voluntarily answered the Republic’s call. Thanks to their efforts, it was completed in two years. That’s why the Great Leader nad it the Youth Hero Highway.”
So that joke was true after all—that it was called the Youth Hero Highway because they dragged young people out to build it.
“Vice Chairman Comrade said he plans to designate Nampo City as a special economic zone. Then this road will beco the lifeline connecting Pyongyang and Nampo. All of this is thanks to the foresight of the Great Leader......”
If I kept listening, I’d be hearing Kim Ilsung praise without end, so I cut him off.
“For sothing like that, the road surface isn’t in very good condition.”
“.......”
Ri Jeongu pressed his lips shut. They always went silent when it was inconvenient.
Compared to the highway we’d taken from Kaesong to Pyongyang, the road surface here was even worse.
“The road between Kaesong and Pyongyang is the sa. Overall, it looks like it needs maintenance work. For a country to develop, its roads need to be in good condition.”
Economic developnt always started with building basic infrastructure.
North Korea’s current state had to be compared to South Korea in the 1980s.
And even that only applied to Pyongyang, a few nearby satellite cities, and special places like Kaesong and Rajin.
Other cities could hardly be said to have progressed past the 1960s.
As we drove along the highway, Ri Jeongu explained whatever there was to explain.
After about an hour, we finally arrived at Nampo Port.
When I got out of the car, the sea breeze stimulated my nose.
“Nice. So this is Nampo Port.”
The largest port in North Korea.
If Incheon Port was Seoul’s gateway, then Nampo Port was Pyongyang’s gateway.
Sea routes were established to Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, and Shanghai in China.
In short, geographically speaking, it was perfect.
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