Cabbage plantations in Gangnam district.
"There's no reason to sell it, but······."
The owner is staring at me.
And that is where Cheongdam-dong would come to be concentrated later on.
'What did Senior Gwangpil say?'
The owner's eyes are hoping at me.
"Is 5,000 won per person okay?"
It is amazing that you are able to purchase land in Cheongdam-dong for 5,000 won. Yet, Kim Gwang-pil is looking confused as to why someone would be willing to purchase land like this for 5,000 won.
"Yes, yes."
If I just sign the land purchase contract, 2,000 pyeong of land which will be the hub of Cheongdam-dong will belong to me.
'This is also a grain of rice to the chairman of Shinsung Group.'
This is how you should invest.
'But why do I keep noticing?'
There is something in the eyes of the landowner that he desires from me.
"Senior Gwangpil, what did you say to that old man?"
"I didn't say anything."
Senior Kim Gwang-pil addressed me in an indifferent manner.
"Hey, high and mighty sir."
Tall and young nobleman?
"senior."
"I simply mentioned that I work in the Blue House. I have to get the best out of what I can."
"Your Majesty, I request your favor."
It is a favor.
"Senior, you must not do this."
"Listen, noble and young sir."
Senior Kim Gwang-pil is teasing me now, too.
"I am not particularly someone who likes to ask for favors from people, but I'm doing it because it concerns my child."
The landowner, the old man, grasped my hand tightly.
"What's happening?"
"Seongsu."
Instead of the old man, senior Kim Gwang-pil summoned me.
"why?"
"Have you heard about the joint liability system?"
"That joint liability system is no longer there."
"That's what it says in the Constitution. In fact, can I find work? Even if I pass the bar exam, can I work as a prosecutor?"
That's correct.
"So?"
"Son of this man is attempting to get into the military academy, but he is caught red-handed in the crime of collective punishment."
"So?"
"You apply your strength."
"What am I attempting to do?"
As I spoke, Kim Gwang-pil stared at me as if mocking me.
"When do you say it is Your Majesty's will?"
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"Senior, are you seriously going to do this? Incidentally, what is this collective punishment?"
My cousin is a guerrilla fighter. Due to someone I do not even know, my son who wishes to be a general is unable to go to the military academy. Your Majesty, assist me. After that, I will sell you the property I am purchasing and the adjacent property for a very low price.
The words of the old man reminded me that there are too many vices in South Korea that must be rectified.
"The land next door?"
"The land around here has belonged to our family for generations."
"You are a large landowner. But why did your cousin become a guerrilla?"
"Do you get it? I'm your cousin."
That's correct.
"If you add all of that up, it comes to ten thousand pyeong."
If I do this, it's a kindness.
"I'll check it out."
This is my first evil act.
But actually, I went to visit the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had promised to call me his nephew, fabricated that I was his good friend, and got a letter of recommendation.
[If the 8th cousin of your brother-in-law, then it's Seongsu, as you said.]
When I arrived, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appeared not to know that I would arrive so soon.
[That's why I don't believe a young South Korean who wishes to serve his country by entering the Korea Military Academy should be denied the chance because of a cousin's cousin matter.] [That's right. But what's your friend's name?] [Lee Kwan-jin.] [All right, I'll endorse you with a letter of recommendation.] [Thank you.] [What did you receive?] [Yes?] [I was shocked when I checked what you have been doing in Vietnam.]
He seems to have even received reports on how to earn money using the US military.
[I'm sorry.] [If I just keep receiving orders like this, I'll be penny wise.]
The Chief of Staff, who promised that he would look out for me like a nephew, did not miss the chance to warn me.
[Yes, Uncle.] [His Majesty has also been notified.]
I saved someone young and gained a ten-thousand-square-foot plot of land in Cheongdam-dong, anyway.
But now it's a grain of sand.
* * *
January 4, 1972, the Blue House presidential office.
"Lee Seong-su's trip to Vietnam was like this."
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency reported on Lee Seong-su while monitoring the president.
"Hahaha, this fellow will earn dollars wherever you toss him."
The President has now been informed about Lee Seong-su's foreign exchange income in Vietnam.
Your Majesty, you should reprimand him."
The chief of staff addressed the president.
"Naturally I had to reprimand him, but he was a fellow who had announced his goal of becoming an investor and businessman, and he did this in order to somehow raise seed money."
When something is good, everything is good.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"He's going to become a good businessman. By the way, Jung-jung appears to be available these days."
"yes?"
"You have so much spare time you could be spying on my own people."
He is a president whose expression becomes totally different.
The head of the Central Intelligence Agency and chief of staff in the Blue House couldn't help but wonder out loud.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
"If you do have time to spare, you should investigate trends in North Korea and report it back to us."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"It's time to reduce the tensions a little bit on the Korean Peninsula."
On July 4, 1972, the 7.4 South-North Joint Statement was made.
"Your Majesty, I will go to Pyongyang."
The head of the Central Intelligence Agency intervened to make things right. Lee Seong-su's issue was again having this butterfly effect.
"You?"
"Yes, as Your Majesty said, I think that peace should now be established on the Korean Peninsula."
"Yes, go as a secret envoy."
And in accordance with South Korean history, Lee Hu-rak, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, went to Pyongyang as a clandestine special envoy on May 2, 1972.
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* * *
January 5, 1972, Oval Office, White House, United States.
Outside the White House, protesters are still protesting to commemorate the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
"The Korean government hasn't responded yet?"
President Nixon inquired of his aide.
Though, the president had already ensured the outcome of a cabinet meeting that extra troops would be sent to Vietnam, even at the expense of giving Korea a loan of 500 million dollars.
Of course, it is a deputy secretary who has to go through the U.S. Congress to be passed, but since there was Senator Walker Smith, a strong Democratic politician, present, it was only natural for it to pass through Congress.
"Yes, I am coming out to hold out."
"Then I guess I'll have to swing the whip once."
The whip Nixon referred to was, naturally, a threat to pull American troops out of Korea and ship them off to Vietnam.
"Are you really going to withdraw US troops from Korea?"
The aide echoed back, just in case.
"I can't take it out."
With the majority of Asia in communist hands, Korea was looked at by American politicians as, in a sense, a breakwater that kept Japan from becoming communist.
"ah."
"Nevertheless, we have to swing the whip and top it off with a vice minister."
Lee Seong-su's scheme is finally closing in on success.
"Notify the ambassador of this."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
President Nixon, addressing his staff, couldn't shake the feeling that this was probably not the end.
* * *
January 7, 1972, Blue House Secretary's Office.
From January 3rd, I began to work in the secretary's office rather than the security office as a sergeant.
I also experienced personally the strangeness of the relationship between the Secretariat and the Security Service.
"His Majesty is looking for you."
The chief secretary rushed into the office and talked to me. And when the Blue House chief secretary spoke these words, all the other secretaries gave me envious glances.
"Yes, sir."
"Is there a possibility for English interpretation?"
"yes."
When I was talking to Senator Walker Smith in English, the Chief of Staff was also present, and he was asking me the same thing.
"The American ambassador has visited you, Your Excellency."
The Blue House chief of staff addressed me calmly, his eyes indicating that the outcome of the protest operation was finally out.
"let's go."
* * *
Blue House Presidential Office.
Aside from the president, an interpreter was translating the words of the American ambassador to the president.
"Is this secretary here?"
Since it is an official event, the president doesn't address me by name.
'It's like a family atmosphere.'
The president's youngest son addresses me as hyung.
And my third daughter also began calling me oppa.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Sit down."
"I will sit down."
As I sat down, the American ambassador glared at me.
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'Everything in this room is blue.'
But only the US ambassador to Korea is orange.
Orange is a color produced when red and yellow mix.
'Near the enemy.'
This is also ironic.
"Repeat what President Nixon said."
The President addressed the American Ambassador, who delivered the message in the presence of an interpreter.
"President Nixon and the United States, as the defenders of liberal democracy, sincerely hope that South Vietnam will not fall into the communist fold."
The interpreter delivered the American ambassador's words to the president.
"Keep on speaking.
I remain steady as the interpreter translates. And the president is looking at me as if urging me to remain steady and pay attention.
"You are also in a position where you know how protests against sending troops to Korea are intensifying. I feel that Your Excellency the President is shouldering a tremendous amount of political load because of that."
The editorial is lengthy.
'Now I'm going to threaten you.'
But that intimidation will not happen.
However, unless more Korean soldiers are sent to Vietnam, President Nixon states that he will have no option but to pull the U.S. troops serving in Korea and deploy them to Vietnam."
"Seongsu."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You take it in order."
It's time for me to rise to the occasion.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The American Ambassador appeared after I replied to the President.