George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 75

< Episode 74 >

The old conference room, where zombie-like voices leaked out, testing the limits of soundproofing and proving that catalog performance differed from actual performance, appeared eerily quiet, almost as if it were empty. It was so silent that the thought, ‘Maybe they dug a tunnel and escaped?’ naturally arose, fueling the anxiety of the agent guarding the door. Fortunately, no such crazy thing had happened.

In fact, it wasn’t unreasonable for the agent to have such thoughts. The antique door exuded a cold, sticky, ghostly aura, making one wonder if a spirit was attached to it.

Each time, the agent took breaks to recite the Lord’s Prayer, but then, remembering that the person reciting the Lord’s Prayer in a movie is the first to die, he ridiculed himself for doing this and urged himself to stand guard properly.

Indeed, even if a vengeful spirit were attached, upon witnessing the person about to grab and turn their doorknob, they would rather strangle themselves to achieve enlightenment.

With that thought, the agent stepped back significantly, not wanting to be harmed in the series of events that were about to unfold.

“Shall we see if the canned goods are well-done?”

That person was none other than the artisan who created this horrific scene, and the employer most notorious for mistreating people in the world: George W. Bush, the President of the sole superpower, the United States.

“Oh, my! Good heavens. What on earth happened here?”

The scene behind the door was quite different from what Bush had expected. Bush had anticipated piles of documents filled with useful ideas, not piles of discarded ideas.

A4 papers, filled to the point of being black with writing, were crumpled into balls, so numerous that it was hard to estimate their quantity. If gathered in one place, they could form a mountain almost as tall as a person, to exaggerate slightly. Moreover, dozens of fountain pens and ballpoint pens were broken and rolling around on the floor in an unsightly manner.

This was just the state of the place; the people inside were in even worse condition.

Their basic posture was slumped in their chairs. Contrary to politicians who value decorum and appearances, their clothing was in an unbearable state. Their hair was disheveled, regardless of gender, and the shadows and dark circles under their eyes were a silent cry to be let out of this place immediately.

Even though it hadn’t even been a day since they were canned [forced to brainstorm], judging by their condition, it seemed like it had been almost a week.

However, uniquely, only one person stood tall, firmly planted on both feet, amidst the chaos created by Bush’s words, and greeted him.

“Nothing…! Happened!”

That person’s name was Andrew Card, the Chief of Staff whom Bush trusted more than anyone else.

“Whoa.”

In fact, Bush was prepared to overlook any state they were in, but he couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at Card’s relatively intact appearance.

“Did anything come out of it?”

“We have come up with three plans.”

Three plans in just one day! That’s quite a lot. Bush decided to listen to their ideas.

“The first plan is one that the President will dislike.”

Isn’t that audacious? The very first plan is one that Bush would dislike. However, considering who was speaking, Bush decided to bear with it.

“A plan I’ll dislike? Are you thinking of giving sunshine to North Korea or something?” [Referring to South Korea’s Sunshine Policy of engagement with North Korea]

Even though it’s only been a day, this is the concentrated answer created by grinding the best elites from the world’s strongest nation, isn’t it? Bush didn’t expect an emerald tablet with all the truths of the world written on it, but he at least wanted an answer that could cleanly solve the problem that was stuck in his craw like a thorn.

Perhaps because of this, Bush was unknowingly anticipating the answer from his Chief of Staff’s mouth more than necessary.

“It’s not that. It’s a plan to erase North Korea from the map. We will deploy six carrier strike groups and use bunker busters [bombs designed to penetrate hardened underground structures] to indiscriminately bomb key military facilities, tunnels, and bunkers that we have identified day and night.”

“Huh, that’s too much of an overreaction for a mere protest. I like it. Continue.”

If Kim Jong-il were here, he would have gladly pointed out that it wasn’t something that could be packaged with the word ‘overreaction,’ but this was America, so no one raised any objections.

“Wouldn’t that risk wiping out South Korea as well?”

North Korea wouldn’t just sit idly by, so South Korea would also be hit quite hard. Missiles can be intercepted, but artillery shells cannot. And wouldn’t those shells just fall in some remote mountainous area of Gangwon Province? They would fall on all of South Korea’s major roads, factories, ports, military bases, and air force runways.

However, with Japan and the US forces stationed there, the United States would suffer little damage. The US, having ended the Cold War, was only supporting Korea and Japan to check China.

So, even if North Korea were to be unified through anticommunism right away, theoretically, there would be no problem for the US in checking China in East Asia. However, the Chief of Staff knew that Bush was abnormally obsessed with Korea, so he expressed it as the method he would dislike the most.

“Next?”

“We will regard it as an intention to develop nuclear weapons and completely tighten the screws on the light-water reactor [a type of nuclear reactor]. This involves increasing reconnaissance aircraft and military satellites to be operated on the Korean Peninsula and mobilizing the army to block all exports going between China and North Korea, completely isolating North Korea.”

China, which had been running wild without knowing the fear of the world just because it had grown a bit, was now caught in a Qing Dynasty-made leash [referencing a period of Chinese history marked by weakness and foreign influence], so the remaining connections on the North Korean side were only with Russia or the former communist countries in the Middle East, including Syria.

The Middle East had been a mess since September 11, 2001, so there was no answer, and Russia was sharpening its dull sickle and replacing the hammer handle [symbolic of Russia rebuilding its strength], so it was not in a situation to turn its eyes elsewhere, and was trying to avoid a full-scale war with the United States for the time being. Therefore, North Korea, with all trade routes completely blocked, would not be able to smuggle exports or imports.

“Additionally, we will send all North Korean workers residing abroad back home. They know better than anyone what consequences will follow if they ignore this recommendation.”

Even now, most of the funds for North Korea’s nuclear development came from foreign currency earned by North Korean workers dispatched abroad. If they were completely cut off from overseas and truly made Pyongyang and all its people a dark country where they earned their living day by day, their thinking would change around that time.

However, this method also had its drawbacks.

“The method is good, but it takes too long.”

It would only bear fruit during or after Bush’s term. Moreover, whether that fruit would be a nutritious and sugary fresh fruit or a dry, tasteless fruit of the underworld would only be known at that time, which was one of the reasons why this plan was avoided.

“So, there is one more plan.”

The Chief of Staff skillfully pulled out the next card like a salesperson at a mobile phone store, as if he had been waiting for it.

“Is that the last one? Let’s hear it.”

The Chief of Staff, who had been full of composure until just now, felt his Adam’s apple pulsate greatly unconsciously after hearing that. The meaning contained in those words was nothing special. It meant that if he didn’t like this one either, the door open behind Bush would close again, and the door to Bush’s heart would also be firmly closed.

“Set fire to the light-water reactor.”

“That’s a fantastic idea. I don’t know whose head it came from, but it was such a novel idea that I want to use it as a target for this artillery training specifically.”

Bush looked around at those who were tense in this mess, and then opened his mouth, filled with terror.

“So, who is the protagonist of this touching idea?”

“It’s my idea.”

It was the Chief of Staff who opened his mouth. It wasn’t the Chief of Staff’s idea, but he realized that it was safest for him to say it, so he decided to take it upon himself.

“Hmm.”

Hoping that it wasn’t nonsense at least, Bush gestured with his chin, urging the Chief of Staff to explain. He was only listening to the absurd plan of ‘Let’s burn the light-water reactor!’ because it was his top aide, the Chief of Staff.

Bush was the man who hated the Chinese character for patience the most. Such a Bush was already enduring for the second time. The Chief of Staff knew better than anyone that a good result would not come out if he exploded, so he was more nervous than ever.

The Chief of Staff licked his lips, which were drying and cracking. He felt a slight taste of iron and salt between the cracks.

“We set fire to the light-water reactor to create an opportunity for our military to intervene.”

Indeed, it wasn’t nonsense at least. It was a plausible plan that seemed worthy of coming from the Chief of Staff’s mouth, but that alone was not enough.

“Continue. Tell me more.”

“Our CIA and the South Korean side have North Korean residents secretly recruited through the National Intelligence Service [South Korea’s intelligence agency] mixed in with the protesters. If we give the signal, they will enter the light-water reactor and set it on fire.”

Currently, the light-water reactor is guarded alternately by the North Korean and South Korean armies. The South Korean government described this as a symbol of harmony, while the North Korean government gnashed its teeth, calling it a symbol of humiliation. Of course, it was only the high-ranking officers of the North Korean army, led by Kim Jong-il, who actually thought so. But since the thoughts of the upper echelons soon become the thoughts of the people, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

In any case, since the guards were the North Korean and South Korean armies, if the guard was breached and the light-water reactor was set on fire at the time when the North Korean army was on duty, questions could be raised about the North Korean army’s security and control capabilities, and ultimately, enough room could be created for the US military to intervene.

“Hmm…. It’s all good, but….”

Bush groaned, constantly stroking his chin as if something was bothering him.

“Is there a problem?”

“There is and there isn’t.”

That was because this scheme and a certain scene kept overlapping in Bush’s mind.

‘Didn’t the invasion of Iraq fail in the same way?’

The reason why the US invasion of Iraq failed was not only because there was no exit strategy and they didn’t understand the local culture despite occupying it, but also because they didn’t receive the support of the international community by making the absurd lie that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

‘Well, originally, all schemes risk losing your wrist if caught [facing severe consequences].’

However, the US wouldn’t lose its wrist even if its scheme was caught. Who would believe North Korea’s words? The only ones they could appeal to were China and Russia, but these two were in a groggy state outside the ring.

“Which one would you like to do?”

He swallowed the words, ‘Or are you going to reject them all and close the door?’ The Chief of Staff could only look wistfully at Bush, who was closing his eyes and pondering as if meditating. Because the answer that came out of there could either close or open that door.

A total of twenty-two pairs of eyes were focused only on Bush’s mouth, which would become the key to liberation from this prison disguised as a conference room.

After 10 minutes had passed, words finally popped out from between Bush’s lips.

“Not fire.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s use bombs instead.”