Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 401



Only Noblemtl

#2 Part 11. The Giant’s Ultimatum (3)

“By the way, Director, haven’t you been to the Sontag Hotel several times? It is said that the area around Yongsan Station and the area around Pyongyang Station are the most luxurious and bustling areas, but the Sontag Hotel is the best. I heard that the view is also good.”

“Even so, the only time I’ve been there is during important meetings. And that was before you came.”

And this hotel was also quite familiar to the cabinet and the Marshal’s Office. Whenever a very important meeting was held or an important envoy from abroad came, they would rent the Sontag Hotel’s banquet hall and use it.

Not only was the space too small to use the buildings of Gyeongungung or Gyeongbokgung Palace, but there was also the risk that the contents of internal meetings would leak to the Ikmunsa, the Imperial Palace Council, or the Ministry of the Interior.

In any case, thanks to this, the already famous hotel became even more famous, and even the emperor occasionally stayed there for a day or two to check the public opinion, as if he wanted to experience the fame himself. It goes without saying that they hired Western chefs and ceremonial staff who had worked in the imperial palace, so it goes without saying how good the service was.

“Then I’ll wait outside, Director. Please dress well and come out.”

The adjutant nodded and greeted Roha, who had approached me, before turning around and walking toward the vehicle.

“You’re early. Let’s change and go. If we change and go now, it’ll be a little tight, but we’ll get there on time.”

“I thought we were going to have a family meal somewhere quiet, but I didn’t expect to end up in such a fancy place. He really is a father-in-law.”

“… Do you think Father said that since it was a place where family could truly share affection, let’s have a simple meal? If that was the case, he would have just come to my house, had a quiet meal, and left. Oh, and I left Min-jeong with Mom, so don’t worry.”

Already, Roha had already matched the dress code and handed me an army captain’s uniform, saying, “When did it get ironed neatly? It was sharp and alive.”

“Please wear this today instead of your baggy work uniform. It’s going to be a pretty big place, so dress like an army general.”

“This is more uncomfortable than you think. You’ll know when you try it on, but it’s incredibly cumbersome.”

“… Do you plan on embarrassing Hongik’s daughter in front of people? If that’s the case, then just wear whatever you want.”

At these words, I had no choice but to raise the white flag and surrender. I couldn’t make her a laughing stock in front of everyone. I quickly changed my clothes, prepared the white handcuffs (gloves) as per the regulations, and got into the car. On the way to the Sontag Hotel in Yongsan, I saw many more cars coming and going than usual.

Even in the Far East, I was deeply moved to see the sight of Fordism’s grace pouring down and the streetlights flashing red as if mocking even the bright daylight.

Over there, near Myeongdong, the Imperial Opera House, built in 1907 by the Emperor using funds from the Ministry of Finance, following the example of Vienna in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was almost finished, boasting a magnificent Western-style appearance. I heard that the Imperial Orchestra will be having its first performance there by the end of this year.

“Over there, the opera house is almost finished being built.”

“That’s right. With the money to build that, you could have created a new division. Or bought another cruiser.”

Of course, the Minister of Finance was angry when he saw that and said that it was a luxurious waste of money, but among the Westerners and diplomats who visited the place, they gave it a good review, saying that the Emperor enjoyed quite an old-fashioned hobby.

“… It was a place where people from the business world gathered and gossiped.”

“Go and stop talking nonsense.”

“Okay, okay.”

I said with a bitter smile. I could guess to some extent why he had called me to this place. Perhaps he was trying to lobby or persuade them about sending troops. The business community was already expressing concern that our exports, which had been a big part of the trade with Russia, were decreasing, and that sales of Japanese products were increasing after the declaration of war against Germany.

Perhaps the intention behind inviting me to such a gathering of businessmen was clear. Suddenly, I looked at Roha, who was sitting next to me, and asked her one question. It was also a very trivial curiosity about how she would respond if something unexpected happened.

“…What do you think I would do if I went out to the battlefield of the Savior?”

Then, she, who had been leaning against the back of the chair and humming the melody of a song that had been playing recently, looked at me like a furious cat and responded sharply.

“Don’t even think about such horrible things. Oh my god, the last time you went on an expedition to Manchuria, you left without even saying goodbye to Minjeong and me, and I still haven’t gotten over it. If your mother said you were too much, wouldn’t that be enough?”

“I’m sorry. But I have to finish everything within two weeks… … .”

“Are you saying that knowing how much the child is looking for his father?”

And in Loha’s voice as she answered, various emotions were mixed. She seemed to be trying to hide her anxious feelings and to hide her trembling voice, she seemed to be trembling a little more than usual. When I turned my head to see her, she was pouting, but she was covering my hand with one hand and looking out the window with a cold expression.

“… And I doubt our father would have called you that. He knew better than anyone that if we got involved in the war going on in Europe, you would end up having to go.”

“Yeah, I guess so. That’s what it should be.”

I looked around at the scenery while trying to comfort her. I felt the same way as her. It was my job to fight on the battlefield, but that was only for the invaders who had invaded my country. It was not for me to fight in the name of my country and the emperor all the way to that faraway place.

And not long after that, the vehicle stopped and the deputy looked at me and said,

“Director, we have arrived. Please get off.”

Then, the adjutant got out of the passenger seat and opened the door towards me. A man wearing the uniform of an army general got out right in front of the hotel, and soon after, I saw Roha getting out while holding my hand. It seemed like everyone who was talking around the hotel was looking in this direction. Ignoring those stares, I looked at the driver who was rolling down the window and said.

“It looks like this story will be quite long. Go eat a hearty dinner and rest nearby. But don’t go too far. I have to catch a ride right away.”

Then he handed the driver a 500 won bill straight from his wallet. Maybe it was because he received a large bill that he had never seen before, or maybe it was because he was able to eat something he normally wouldn’t have been able to, but his eyes were even wider than usual.

Usually, when I go on a business trip like this, I would buy hotteok to eat as a cheap and simple meal while I am in a meeting, or if I had the time and money to spare, I would eat a bowl of janggukbap or seolleongtang sold at the market. This could be said to be the driver’s usual meal.

Or, when my wallet was thin, that is, when payday was approaching and I was short on money, I might have gone to a noodle shop and eaten a bowl of kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) made with Australian wheat, which had been available at a low price at some point.

Well, this might be similar to eating with city workers. But with the 500 won bill I gave you, you could have a luxurious meal that would be better than seolleongtang and janggukbap. You could go to a fancy restaurant and buy and eat fancy food like tangsuyuk, which could be considered high-class cuisine, and other things that you wouldn’t normally be able to eat.

“Oh, I understand! Then, Director, I will wait nearby for a while.”

And if he knew the area around Hansung well, he would know where to spend this money. He received a large bill that was ten times the soldier’s monthly salary, quickly took the car, and headed somewhere. At that sight, Roh-ha smiled faintly, and the adjutant clicked his tongue.

“That guy, that… … .”

“If not now, then when will he have fun? Adjutant, then take the lead.”

“Oh, I understand. Director, just follow me.”

So I entered the banquet hall on the second floor of the hotel with my adjutant, and there was the scene I had been thinking about. There were various prepared meals, waiters busily carrying wine, men laughing heartily as if the world was going away, and people whispering secret stories among themselves. It was all there.

And at the same time, I could sense a very strong atmosphere here.

***

“Oh my, that driver really had a bad time today.”

“The director is also very generous. Well, since he is so generous, he gives us these weapons one by one.”

Meanwhile, in the dark streets around the hotel, a car without a license plate was standing there. They were the staff of the first section of the Records Investigation Office who had been quietly following the Operations Director’s car since it headed to Sontag Hotel, and who had received direct orders from the Records Director, Jo Dong-yoon.

They were wearing black suits, each wearing a bowler hat pulled down low, and were carrying assault carbines and Hongik Auto-5 semi-automatic shotguns. They also had a Madsen machine gun and various firearms loaded into their trunks, ready for any eventuality.

“Ugh, I’m tired. When do you think it’ll end?”

“For high-ranking people, once you enter a place like that, it usually takes 4~5 hours. Just wait for reference.”

They stuffed the bread and hotteok they had bought instead of dinner into their mouths, keeping an eye out for anyone who might threaten them. The orders they had originally received were to secretly protect the operations director and his wife, and to chase away any other men who were watching them, so they had to keep watch here until they returned home after having fun at the hotel.

“By the way, your wife is quite a beauty, isn’t she? Well, it would take a hero like the director to be able to win such a beauty.”

“Don’t say anything strange and just look around you.”

One of the assistant managers, who was watching the two of them enter the hotel through a small telescope, put a caramel in his mouth and said. The night shift workers and the guards were occasionally given the things they could buy as much as they wanted by writing a voucher. The pay was not as high as expected, and it was almost the only advantage that the records investigation office could boast of, since they worked well past the closing time.

“By the way, it seems like the old man is quite sensitive these days.”

“Hey, I heard those Gyeongungung guys are really noisy. The Imperial Guard, the Ikmunsa, and even the National Military Police have been going around messing around with the cabinet and the old men of the Marshal’s Office. A few days ago, the 3rd Division guys beat up some Ikmunsa guys who were hanging around the Army Minister’s residence, which caused a problem.”

“Didn’t you say on the surface that you would apologize and discipline him?”

“Well, I said that out loud so as not to offend His Majesty the Emperor… … I heard that yesterday, the old man invited the kids from the Third Division and treated them to a very lavish meal at a restaurant. He said that he beat up those Ikmunsa guys who he didn’t like.”

In fact, that wasn’t all. The cabinet and the military seemed to be cooperating with each other, but they couldn’t trust each other completely, so much so that there were rumors that they were using the intelligence department of the National Police Agency to monitor the movements of the royal family and military personnel.

As the Korean Empire boasted of its greatest development since the war, the city became more and more splendid and national power grew day by day, but that was only the story of the high-ranking officials. For those who received their salaries regularly and were on the front lines in the shadows, the rift between conflicts felt deeper than ever.

“Gyeongungung is divided into the Imperial Guard, Ikmunsa, and the National Military Police, Jongno is divided into the Police Intelligence Department, and our Yongsan is divided into the Records Investigation Office, all fighting over secret battles. It’s quite a sight to behold.”

The captain, who was sitting in the passenger seat, opened the bottle of cider that the youngest had bought earlier, took a sip, and spoke. There were times when they would get together for counterintelligence operations and such, but usually, they would confront each other and confront each other like this, so it was understandable.

“It’s only because the directors are strong that things are like this. If not for them, things would have been a mess already. The directors, who are the heads of the military, are consciously increasing the authority of the cabinet and keeping Gyeongungung in check.”

“But do you still mobilize the National Police Agency’s Intelligence Division to conduct surveillance?”

“Can you live in this mess without a gun or information and feel uneasy?”

The laughter and conversation lasted only a short while. When they had finished half of their cider, a car suddenly stopped and they saw people dressed in suits like them looking around for something. The team leader quickly emptied the cider he was drinking and signaled for them to get out of the car.

He could tell intuitively that they were the ones sent from Gyeongungung Palace, dressed similarly to them. They had one hand in their pocket, they were wearing sunglasses that didn’t match the night, and they were looking around in a strange manner. Those awkward poses were probably the National Military Police, whose organization had recently begun to expand.

The Records Investigation Office does not raise such foolish people. Only those with no experience or skills would do such stupid things. Those who got out of the car began to approach them quietly but quickly, as if they had surprised the Japanese in Wonsan during the Far East War.

“It’s time for us to be treated by our master. Let’s catch those guys and take them to Namsan. They’re definitely the Gyeongungung guys who came in without fear, so let’s give them some education.”

The leader smiled bitterly, placed his hand on the shoulder of the man in the suit who was not looking back, and pushed the Colt automatic pistol he had in his bosom into his back. That was how the night of Hansung ripened.