Chapter 237: Showcase
“Conditions? You mean conditions simply for hearing them out, not even for participating?”
Lee Seokjin’s brow furrowed deeply.
He trusted Junho, but as an officer of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, he could not help feeling that this conversation was crossing a line.
But Junho did not care.
“Yes. Please tell them that if they accept, I will at least talk to them.”
“Mr. Lee Junho. I like you, and I trust you. But this is....”
“This is also for you and the Deokso unit, Major.”
“What does that....”
As Lee Seokjin flinched, Junho continued calmly.
“If I stepped forward to talk with them without any conditions, how do you think they would see me? And how would they see you, Major, after you made me come to the negotiation table so easily with just a few words?”
“......!”
Lee Seokjin’s widened eyes slowly hardened.
“They would look down on us.”
“Yes. On top of that, they will be incredibly annoying to you as well, Major. Or else they will start bypassing you after meeting me. Either way, there is no benefit in it for me or the Deokso unit.”
“Mm. But... no, never mind.”
He wanted to say that, as the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, they should not be weighing profit and loss, but Lee Seokjin shut his mouth.
No matter how much they had achieved a degree of self-sufficiency, Deokso still lacked many things and needed supplies and support.
But in this world, too much had happened to Lee Seokjin and the Deokso unit for them to simply believe the government’s word and sit around sucking their fingers.
Above all, at least half—no, more than half—of what Lee Seokjin and his men had managed to accomplish so far had been because of Junho, who stood before him now.
If Junho had not been there, forget settling in Deokso. It was uncertain whether his soldiers and the residents would even have survived this long.
“I understand what you mean. But what exactly are these conditions? As far as I know, things are not exactly good on Jeju’s side either.”
He was saying Junho should not set conditions that were too unreasonable.
But Junho spoke with the certainty that whether it was the Jeju government or the military, they would have no choice but to accept in the end.
“Because things are not good for them, they will have no choice but to accept. My conditions are....”
***
“...What? A helicopter? He asked us to support him with a helicopter?”
“Yes, Minister. He says if we do that, he will talk with us. There is more that he wants, but compared to the helicopter, it is minor....”
“Ha...!”
When the Minister of National Defense had first heard that they had not only found the person they had wanted so badly, Lee Junho, but had also managed to make contact with him, he had cried out in triumph.
But once he heard the conditions Lee Junho had presented, and conditions required merely to “begin” a conversation at that, he was past angry. He was dumbfounded.
“Arrogant little bastard. A civilian wants a helicopter? Does he think helicopters are toys? Does he know what kind of times we’re living in, daring to....”
It was already infuriating that he had set conditions in this grave time when the survival of the nation was at stake, but the condition itself was for a military helicopter?
“He was a lunatic. Where is that bastard now? He needs a few bullet holes put in him before he....”
“The commander of the unit that made contact says he does not know his exact residence.”
“...What?”
The Minister of National Defense, who had been willing to threaten Lee Junho if they could locate him, twitched around the eyes.
“Does that make any sense? You’re telling me they don’t know where one lousy civilian is?”
“Yes. According to the report from that unit commander, they first met him near the Namhan River or the Bukhan River, but even after trying several times, they could not find out. Given the current situation... he seems to think Lee Junho may be moving around from place to place.”
“Ha!”
It was absurd, but it also seemed possible.
A world where every piece of infrastructure had collapsed.
The reality was that it was difficult to determine even the current locations and situations of Republic of Korea military units on the mainland, let alone those of civilians.
“Fine. Let’s say that is the case. Why does that lunatic say he wants a helicopter? Is he trying to run away to some island or something?”
“That is... he says we should watch and learn.”
“What?”
“Hahaha! Is that bastard insane?”
As the Minister of National Defense, the Deputy Director of the Second Bureau who was part of his line, and the staff officer grew even more dumbfounded, the adjutant hurriedly added more explanation.
“The unit in question is currently located here, in Deokso.”
The adjutant pointed to one spot on the map.
“At first, they had secured only this area. After that, through drone reconnaissance, they identified the locations of Alphas, then sent troops out at night to snipe the Alphas and eliminate the remaining individuals, and in that manner....”
As the adjutant’s explanation continued, the green hatching on the laptop screen—indicating safe areas—grew wider and wider.
In the end, when the Minister of National Defense saw the broad safe zone, nearly two kilometers in radius, his mouth fell slightly open.
“At present, the secured area has expanded this much.”
“Oh....”
The Minister of National Defense’s expression brightened.
Even divisions and generals who had been considered exceptional had been unable to do much, so it was surprising that battalion-level forces commanded by one mere major had achieved results of this scale.
“What did you say that commander was like? What class is he?”
“He is Major Lee Seokjin. And he is ROTC.”
“Tsk. Well, for ROTC, he did well enough. But tell me. What does this have to do with what that kid Lee Junho said?”
“According to Lee Seokjin’s report, the one who taught him the tactics that made this possible was that Lee Junho. Lee Junho taught him, and even demonstrated them himself. He said several times that without him, it would have been impossible.”
“......!?”
The three men’s eyes widened.
Seeing his superior’s shocked expression, the adjutant straightened his shoulders as if he had done it himself and continued.
“And according to Lee Seokjin, if they had had helicopters, it would have been even smoother. So if we send a couple of helicopters, fuel, and the minimum personnel needed to operate them, that kid Lee Junho says he will personally show us how it should be done. That is his condition for agreeing to talk with us.”
“.......”
The Minister of National Defense exchanged looks with the two men who were like his hands and feet.
It did not take long to make a decision.
***
One week after meeting Kang Baekho and Lee Seokjin.
Junho met Lee Seokjin again at the water leisure sports center.
And there, Junho saw Lee Seokjin looking extremely excited.
“A helicopter came in from the West Sea side just a little while ago.”
“I see.”
It was something he had already expected, so Junho nodded calmly.
Two days ago, Lee Seokjin had told him that Jeju had accepted the conditions, and in that time, it seemed they had actually sent the helicopters all the way to Deokso.
“They are two Marineons. Four pilots and three maintenance personnel. They came with the auxiliary fuel tanks filled to the brim, so the combined remaining flight range of the two is about seven hundred kilometers. Hahaha. I can’t believe they actually accepted this.”
“That is good. Did they send the other things too?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. They sent everything.”
Even though they had sent not one but two helicopters, Junho reacted as if it were only natural, making Lee Seokjin, who had been excited all by himself, continue a little awkwardly.
“They sent the K15 light machine guns and the ammunition in the requested quantities. Since I said our unit would use the 5.56 mm subsonic rounds, they sent all of those too. Ah, they also supplied roughly nine hundred rounds of M995 armor-piercing ammunition. Other than that....”
“Ah, that is good. You brought them, right?”
“Yes....”
These were helicopters.
Helicopters.
And not some crappy little 500MD fly, but Marineons used by the Marines.
But Junho seemed happier about being supplied with things like light machine guns and ammunition, so Lee Seokjin felt his excitement drain away all at once.
“I will load the supplies into our vehicle first.”
Watching Junho wear a bright smile that was rarely seen from him, Lee Seokjin smacked his lips, then soon seemed to remember something and spoke carefully.
“But, Mr. Junho.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“We have not known each other for very long, but from what I have seen, you do not seem to like getting entangled with the military or the government very much... Is there a reason you changed your mind?”
Instead of the bright smile, a bitter smile settled on Junho’s face as he said,
“That is because the moment they asked about me, it was already over.”
“...What?”
“I mean I can no longer keep avoiding them just because I dislike it.”
“Ah.”
That was right.
Junho, too, had no desire to get entangled with the government or the military leadership if he could avoid it.
It was a problem directly connected not only to his own safety, but also to the safety of the shelter family.
But that side had already learned about him, and not only that, they were looking for him.
In other words, sooner or later, he would have no choice but to face them.
At least until 2027, when Junho had ended his own life, the Jeju government would remain intact.
But if he dealt with them passively now, or avoided them entirely?
When they eventually met, there was a far greater chance that the relationship would begin as a hostile one rather than a friendly one.
In that case, Junho judged that it was better to begin while this side held the initiative.
Furthermore, the officer named Lee Seokjin, as Junho saw him, was somewhat poor at lying and, because of his sense of responsibility, was not the kind of person who could keep silent about Junho forever.
Above all, in Deokso, there were already more than several hundred people who had witnessed what Junho himself had done.
There was no possibility that all of those people would keep their mouths shut.
In other words, now that the UDT and the Jeju government had found the Deokso unit, Junho could no longer stay hidden.
“Jeju wants to retake Yeouido, does it not? And they want me to play some role in that.”
“Most likely, yes.”
“If I had stepped forward to talk without setting conditions, it would have flowed exactly the way they wanted. If I refused, the relationship would have grown ugly.”
“That is certainly....”
“Rather than that, it is better for me to step forward proactively. Besides.”
Click.
Junho lifted the K15 light machine gun easily with one hand, as if it were a K2 rifle, and shouldered it.
Then, toward Lee Seokjin, who was staring at him with admiration, he grinned and said,
“If I show them clear results one more time, would that side not become even more desperate and cling harder? To me, and to you as well, Major—the only person who can communicate with me.”
“......!”
Lee Seokjin’s eyes widened.
He had thought Junho had requested cooperation from him and Kang Baekho, and on top of that asked for helicopters, simply to deal with the three allied Alphas in the Yeondeok district and their colony.
But Junho had been considering far more than that.
Above all, Lee Seokjin could tell what the “results” Junho had just mentioned were.
“Mr. Lee Junho, surely...?”
Clack. Lift.
Holding two K15 light machine guns in both hands, Junho nodded calmly.
“Yes. Before I talk with Jeju, let’s completely clear Deokso Station. Three or four days should be enough.”
The reason he had set conditions not for accepting Jeju’s demands, but merely for agreeing to talk.
And the reason those conditions had been helicopters, weapons, and ammunition.
It was right there.
Of course, the ultimate objective was the three Alphas that had formed an alliance in the Yeondeok district and their colony.
The helicopters, as well as the weapons and ammunition he had requested, were necessary when dealing with them.
But he could not reveal that this was his objective.
There was no way that side would accept if he simply asked for what he wanted without explanation.
That was why he needed a showcase.
What kind of person Lee Junho was—the man in whom Jeju, and the Minister of National Defense himself, showed enough interest to order direct contact.
What abilities he possessed, and what kind of work he could do for them if they formed a friendly relationship.
And....
What would happen if, by any chance, they became hostile.
“I went through this a few times back when I worked at a company. Usually, the side that thinks too much loses the negotiation.”
Completely clearing Deokso-ri, where most of the residents of Wabu-eup, with its population of roughly sixty thousand, lived.
Junho was certain that this would be the best showcase to make the Jeju government—Minister of National Defense or whoever the hell else—unable to take him lightly.