World Domination through Planet Development - Chapter 26
Only Noblemtl
Episode 26. Colonel Kim Cheol-ryeong of the Ministry of National Security
Colonel Kim Cheol-ryeong.
His homeland, North Korea.
An equal world.
… a thoroughgoing class society.
A place where people of bloodlines from the South are thoroughly persecuted.
A dictatorship led by three generations: Kim I-sung, Kim Jong-i, and Kim Jong-dong.
But in any case, there are exceptions.
His grandfather was forcibly conscripted into the North Korean army and fought during the Korean War.
His family was left as prisoners of war by the North Korean army, and his grandfather was forced to continue serving in the North Korean army.
When the U.S. and UN forces pushed back the North Korean army, the South Korean company led by his grandfather was inadvertently left behind.
The unit that was expected to defect held out for two whole days at the Daeryung River before being killed.
He was forced to make an inevitable choice for the sake of his young children and family.
Thanks to this, it served as one of the factors that enabled them to endure until the arrival of Chinese military support, and the North Korean regime later promoted this on a large scale.
He was treated well at the time, to the point where he was awarded the Kim I-seong Medal even after his death.
In particular, since it has been used politically, those with poor foundations were appointed as representatives, saying that those who have contributed to the country should be treated this way.
But now it has all become forgotten history.
Now is the era of Kim Jeong-dong.
It was okay up until Kim Jong-I’s regime, but it was impossible for it to last until the third generation.
Kim Cheol-ryeong rose to the rank of colonel at an early age.
Because of the nature of his work managing political prisoners, the organization he worked for had a fast rate of promotion.
This also means that he also received a lot of special privileges in the past.
However, judging from his accumulated military experience, he intuitively felt that this was where he would end up.
Kim Cheol-ryeong returned home with heavy steps.
His house was in a remote area on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
Most of the military officers working in Pyongyang are relatively well off, as they live with people who pay rent.
There is a shortage of housing even for military officers.
But what’s important to him now is that he may even have to sell this house.
If he has come this far, it means his life in Pyongyang is not far off.
No matter how well you treat them, the limit is that they will only send you to the local security department.
I can stand feeling shabby.
But it was hard to bear having my family shoulder that burden.
Kim Cheol-ryeong opened the door to his house.
Squeak.
“Are you here?”
It was his wife.
Kim Cheol-ryeong nodded silently.
“If you’re here, please come eat.”
“No problem.”
Fortunately, I was able to eat a late meal outside today.
Actually, it’s closer to begging, but that’s the daily life of most military officers.
If you want to make even a little bit of a living, there is no other way than to get food and use your authority to take as many bribes as possible.
Still, it seemed like business was going pretty well today, as his wife confidently recommended a meal.
I guess today is my lucky day.
If possible, it might be better to deliver bad news on a day like this.
“know?”
“I am sleeping.”
He is the youngest and only son.
It was all the more special because he was born at a late age.
He watched for a long time, wondering how to bring up the subject.
But after spending so much time like that, I eventually ended up lying down on the bed.
It was not easy to convey such news to that smiling face.
It will be soon enough that I will be leaving Pyongyang… .
I guess we can talk tomorrow. Okay, let’s talk tomorrow.
I fell asleep like that.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
Dark dawn.
Kim Cheol-ryeong opened his eyes to a slight vibration.
What does this mean?
Next to him, his wife was sleeping soundly.
It sounds like it’s coming from the floor.
He carefully put his ear to the floor.
Knock knock. Knock knock.
The sound gradually gets louder.
Wha…what?
Kookwakwang!! Kkuik!!
A loud noise erupted from the living room, accompanied by the squealing of a pig.
“mom!”
The startled child woke up and looked for his mother.
His wife, who had been sleeping, also woke up in surprise.
“Dongho’s father… what on earth are you talking about?”
“I’m going to go out and see, so you stay here. Take good care of the child.”
Although he felt otherwise, he remained calm on the outside and spoke to his wife.
Are you a thief? What kind of thief would make such a loud noise?
He took the fire and carefully left the room.
The living room was filled with dust and the pig was cowering in a corner, startled.
There was something rising in the center of the living room.
This was the first time in my life I had seen anything like this.
“What is that?”
His wife looked out the door and said, “How disobedient he is.”
He didn’t answer, but looked around at something rising up.
It was just the right size for a person to fit into a coffin, and its exterior was incredibly smooth.
Wheeing.
As he slowly approaches, what appears to be a door opens with a squeak.
It seemed big enough for one person to fit in.
As if telling me to come in.
He entered slowly, as if possessed by something.
“Dongho’s father!”
His wife cried out in surprise, but he walked inside.
Nothing much happened.
If the outside had a sort of iron exterior, the inside had an iron frame with glass windows installed on all sides.
And there was an automatic button (button) with an arrow drawn on it.
I had an instinctive feeling that this was an elevator.
I haven’t ridden it much, but I have some experience.
But where on earth does this elevator go?
What on earth is down there that something like an elevator is popping out of?
It was something that was out of control.
But he felt like it was calling to him.
Kim Cheol-ryeong slowly walked out and back to his wife.
“Dongho’s father… What the heck is that… .”
“Comrade, listen carefully.”
Kim Cheol-ryeong said with a heavy expression.
“… … ?”
“I have to go and find out what that is.”
“What are you talking about?”
His wife still doesn’t know what it is.
“I won’t make much of a fuss. If he doesn’t come by morning, report him then.”
“It would be better if you reported it now…”
“Never! Never report first.”
He gave his wife a clear warning and then looked at the child hiding behind her.
“Listen carefully to your mother. Got it?”
The child nodded without answering.
I was really worried that the boy was not good at numbers.
He left his worries behind and went back into the elevator.
His wife looked behind him with anxious eyes.
Finally, he pressed the automatic button with a determined look on his face, and the door closed smoothly as expected.
“Dongho’s father!”
The elevator began to descend after hearing my wife’s scream.
Pot!
The lights inside came on.
It wasn’t very bright, but there was no problem with clearing the view.
His faint sense of presence told him that he was going down, but the elevator didn’t make even the slightest vibration.
Judging from the way the wall reflected on the other side of the glass passed by, the speed seemed to be considerable.
Wheeing.
How many hours have passed?
Only the faint sound of the elevator operating was ringing in his ears.
The stuffiness of the confined space is squeezing his mind.
I wish I had a watch… .
That was when.
I felt the elevator slowing down.
It is clear that the speed is slowing down as it approaches its destination.
But the deceleration time also lasted for quite a while.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a bright light came through the window, making me frown.
And what entered his eyes was one world.
There was an underground cavern so huge that its end was unknown.
A world that he had only heard of in childhood fairy tales was unfolding before his eyes.
The ceiling is so high that you can see the floor far below the elevator.
“What is that…?”
His gaze naturally turned to the floor.
A grid pattern visible on the floor.
At first I just thought it was like that.
However, there was no pattern drawn on the floor.
There was something… something that was filled with something in a square shape.
As the elevator descended towards the floor, the shape became clearer.
It was a legion.
It was a sight to behold, countless soldiers lined up and filling the floor.
“What the… what the heck is this… .”
Ding.
Finally, as the elevator reached the floor, the door opened with a beep.
A wide road opened up between the lined up troops.
And in front of him stood what appeared to be some kind of vehicle and a beautiful woman.
“Mr. Kim Cheol-ryeong, this way.”
She knew his name even though she was seeing him for the first time.
But he couldn’t say anything and just followed her onto the train.
As he boarded, the vehicle rose into the air and began to take off.
Kim Cheol-ryeong looked around as he walked.
The lined up troops were all wearing our Joseon military uniforms.
Of course, there is no unit that actually has all that level of equipment and supplies it.
Could it be that this is an army raised in secret?
But this was absurd, considering the reality of Joseon where even paving a single road was difficult.
He knows the reality of Joseon better than anyone else.
How far did it go like that?
Something began to appear in the distance, in the center.
Table?
A long table was placed horizontally in the middle.
And then I noticed someone sitting on my left.
But before I could even check, the vehicle started heading to the right.
“Mr. Kim Cheol-ryeong, please sit over here.”
The woman who guided me to the right side of the table then stood back quietly.
A well-prepared meal was laid out on the table.
These were amazing foods that I had never seen before in my life.
I had a vague feeling that this kind of food was something only people of Baekdu Mountain blood would eat.
[Please eat without complaining. You must be hungry.]
Shudder.
A voice that echoes through a huge space.
Kim Cheol-ryeong looked ahead absentmindedly.
I realized that it was said by someone sitting so far away that I couldn’t see them.
Eating a meal at the crack of dawn… .
[Hmm~ This is really delicious. Who made this? Anyway, it’s a steak made by a very famous chef in America. Oh, he didn’t make it himself, but it’s 100% the same. It’s not made by him, but it’s the same anyway, so that’s it.]
Is this the American bastard’s?
I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying, but I could tell that the steak was delicious.
Kim Cheol-ryeong cut a steak with an unfamiliar knife and put it in his mouth.
A piece of finely chopped meat melted in his mouth.
But he put down his plate with that one bite, the first and last.
I waited like that for a long time.
The unidentified person on the other side seemed to be absorbed in his meal for a long time.
“Look… here…”
Kim Cheol-ryeong’s voice, which he had struggled to get out, sounded unusually small.
I wonder if it can be heard from that far away.
[Ah! That’s right. You’ve already eaten it all? I guess you have some left over. Does it not suit your taste?]
I think I heard it.
Maybe there is something on the other side that can hear this.
“That’s not true….”
[Are you curious as to why Mr. Kim Cheol-ryeong came down here?]
As expected.
The author had clearly been waiting for me to come down here.
“… Yes.”
[I hope Mr. Kim Chol-ryeong becomes the leader of North Korea.]
“… … !”
North Korea…? Leader…?
[Oh, right. It’s North Korea. Is it just called Joseon?]
He understood too.
I pride myself on living without taking my eyes off the world, but I am not indifferent to what is going on in the world.
I have heard what they call themselves in South Korea.
Even the security forces found it so interesting that they would secretly look at the confiscated South Korean items.
I knew that South Korea was different from what the party taught… .
Could this be a secret base of South Korea?
“Are you telling me to betray my country?”
[Huh? That’s not it… No, I’m telling you to betray Kim Jeong-dong.]
How is that any different from telling someone to betray their country?
I thought that instinctively, but then a thought occurred to me.
As the author says, if one were to assume the position of supreme leader, it would not naturally be the case that one has betrayed one’s country.
When did I ever have a chance to think like this?
It was not an area where a single pedestal could be considered.
[Mr. Cheol-ryeong will be transferred to Chagang Province in exactly one week. And he will be purged in exactly one month.]
“… … !!”
Kim Cheol-ryeong came to his senses at his words that hit the nail on the head.
Even though I heard it from a complete stranger, I somehow had no doubts.
Because I somehow held on to the belief that he wouldn’t actually do that.
But was it really meant to be that way?
He turned his head to the left for a moment.
A huge army is lined up without a single flaw.
Gulp.
His instincts were speaking.
Fear and awe for the master of this place.
They were telling me to follow the author.
He calmly thought about what kind of organization he had been working for.
In the name of loyalty, countless people have been persecuted and oppressed.
It was the same for him too.
I definitely thought that there would come a day when I would have to pay the price… .
I looked back at the man sitting far away.
The one who will save you.
“Are you by any chance from South Korea?”
[Me? Uh… well, that’s true… but does that matter?]
Does it matter?
Of course it’s important… isn’t it?
Yeah, no.
It wasn’t that important.
It was clearly one of the most important things in his life, but surprisingly, he didn’t think about it at all now.
But why of all people, myself?
In Joseon, there are many people who would give their lives in loyalty if given the position of leader.
“Why me?”
Kim Cheol-ryeong asked.
When he heard Kim Cheol-ryeong’s question, he burst into laughter.
[Huh? … Haha. Uh… Hmm. That’s a really important question. But Cheolryeong-ssi has quite a few reasons, unlike me. Sara… No, just know that I chose you.]
I was chosen… .
But there is one thing that is still important to him.
family.
“What about my family?”
[Don’t worry about that. I’ll keep you all safe.]
Family, survival, and desire.
Uncontrollable thoughts and emotions boiled inside me.
Kim Cheol-ryeong looked back once more.
The huge legions were radiating their awe.
“Let me try it.”