George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 145

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“I never thought I’d be helping a communist leader.”

To be precise, he was a dictator who espoused communism, and now he was preparing for capitalist reforms, forced by American threats. But in any case, both terms were used negatively in modern society, except in a few countries, so weren’t they essentially the same?

‘And all because of a cigarette.’

One consolation was that this wasn’t about selling out the country. When he suddenly received the call, he expected something like, ‘Heh heh, become a dog of our republic, and we’ll give you money,’ like in a movie. But surprisingly, it was a rather bland request.

Indeed, if one were simply looking for ‘information,’ the CIA would be the best choice. Thinking that far, he lit a cigarette. Thanks to this, he wouldn’t have to worry about cigarettes, at least while stationed here. A cigarette from a dictator. It felt like it would fetch a high price on eBay.

‘But this wouldn’t be an act of treason, would it?’

He had received approval from above, so problems shouldn’t arise, but he felt a great aversion to passing on this information. Of course, this sense of crisis only came after smoking several cigarettes. At that time, he wasn’t in his right mind due to nicotine withdrawal.

“The desired information is ‘the President’s schedule for the next week.’ I would never send that. What on earth is the higher-up thinking?”

Well, he was benefiting from being in the middle, so he couldn’t complain. But at this rate, it was suspicious whether the higher-up was being infiltrated by this dictatorial country. Of course, that would never happen, even if someone died and came back to life.

“Did they think it’s okay because it’s just a week? Or do they have something else in mind?”

It was good to be free from nicotine withdrawal, but as a reaction, his worries only increased. At this rate, it was all for naught. More than anything, once he became calmer, he realized how much he had been relying on nicotine.

‘Three packs were definitely too much. I need to gradually reduce it.’

「Mr. Thomas Wesson. You are summoned.」

“Just one more cigarette first.”

After that, the number of cigarette packs he smoked a day became four.

If you were to ask why they requested the U.S. President’s schedule for the week, it was, of course, to determine whether he was coming to North Korea or not.

Kim Jong-il had asked with the premise that he would be ripped off in various ways, but surprisingly, he was able to obtain this top-secret information with ease.

“But what on earth is this?”

He was expecting a typical schedule, but what Kim Jong-il received was a single sheet of paper. The paper was the actual schedule being used, and the schedule had the President’s itinerary written on it by ‘date.’ To put it simply, there were only ‘twenty lines’ on that wide A4 paper. Considering that times were usually marked down to the minute, this was truly absurd.

“Are these guys making fun of me?”

“The U.S. insists that it is the actual schedule being used.”

What exactly happened was that a proper schedule was being used before the departure. But after the departure, this kind of schedule began to be used. The reason was very simple: the esteemed U.S. President had directly ordered it to be changed.

The reason for doing so was nothing special; he simply ‘wanted to use the schedule as he pleased.’ Therefore, it simply stated how long he would stay in each country.

“You’re telling me you believe that?”

Kim Jong-il rebuked the messenger who brought this information. But the messenger was also taken aback. Would anyone believe that this was the real schedule? Besides the emotional reason that it obviously wasn’t, there was also a rational reason. Even so, wouldn’t the subordinates be confused without a schedule? And how would they provide security? How about controlling the distance for safety?

“And what on earth is this? Playing with the cat? Why is something like this on the schedule? Are these guys playing with me!”

Kim Jong-il, feeling utterly ignored, couldn’t control his anger and tore the schedule to shreds, his hands trembling.

“Still, wasn’t the original purpose achieved? ‘He’ is not visiting North Korea!”

From the beginning, their purpose was to confirm whether he was coming to North Korea or not. They weren’t curious about the U.S. President’s schedule. Now that they knew he wasn’t coming, wasn’t this a joyous occasion?

The problem was that those words really touched Kim Jong-il’s nerves. The situation where he, who could be said to be the master of this country, was more concerned about someone else’s opinion greatly agitated Kim Jong-il, who had a solipsistic [believing that oneself is the only reality] personality.

And a major change occurred in Kim Jong-il’s body. Due to poor eating habits, Kim Jong-il had fat accumulating in his coronary arteries. Originally, his diet wasn’t that great, but recently, due to excessive stress, his food intake had increased significantly, and the taste of the dishes had become more stimulating than ever.

The number of cigarettes he smoked a day doubled, and the alcohol became bitter and harsh. In the case of alcohol, it represented his feelings. It would be easier to understand if I said it was a substitute for bile. In fact, it was as bitter as bile, so he thought there was no difference between bile and alcohol.

It was because he felt like he would really go crazy if he didn’t do this. At this moment, Kim Jong-il was experiencing the results of maintaining such a lifestyle for a year with his whole body.

“Uh, uh!”

Are you familiar with myocardial infarction? When fat and blood waste gradually accumulate in the blood vessels leading to the heart, eventually blocking them, it is called arteriosclerosis [hardening and narrowing of the arteries]. The heart’s role is to send blood throughout the body, but if the blood vessels are blocked, there is sending but no returning, so the heart cannot function properly. It gradually becomes necrotic [tissue death]. This is called myocardial infarction, and if it continues and stops permanently, it is called cardiac arrest. And the situation Kim Jong-il was experiencing now was ‘myocardial infarction.’

“Gua- Guards! Guards! No! Doctor! Call a doctor!”

At his cry, the bodyguards rushed into the office like a flood. This matter was such a serious secret that even the bodyguards had been sent out of the office.

The chief physician, who was always stationed behind the guards, rushed in three minutes later.

“How is he, doctor?”

The head of the bodyguard command, who was responsible for Kim Jong-il’s protection, asked anxiously.

“Ah, don’t worry. Uh… I performed CPR and surgery to open the coronary artery. The blood vessels were so blocked that it almost became a big problem.”

“The Leader Comrade is not regaining consciousness at all. What on earth happened?”

“Unfortunately, his eating habits were not good.”

“What does that mean?”

“Uh… I shouldn’t tell just anyone, but the situation is what it is. Please keep it in mind. From now on, the Leader Comrade will not be able to consume any oily foods, including his favorite sushi. Frankly, it’s a miracle that he survived.”

Those who heard those words all began to murmur without realizing it. In the past, they wouldn’t have dared to open their mouths for fear of dying, but this clearly showed that Kim Jong-il’s power had weakened quite severely.

“What does this mean? Are you saying that General Kim Jong-il’s life is in imminent danger?”

“Oh dear. Our republic is definitely doomed. Oh dear.”

“Quiet! Quiet! Everyone be quiet!”

The head of the bodyguard command, unable to bear the sight, waved his pistol and shouted. Only then did those who were afraid of getting a bullet between their eyebrows shut their mouths. They were all powerful figures who were doing well in North Korea, but their power didn’t even reach the heels of the head of the bodyguard command.

“You reactionary bastard! You’re not a doctor, you’re a complete traitor! A miracle he survived? What was that?”

“Look! We couldn’t do it with our level, so we even called in medical staff from Germany. More than anything, General Kim Jong-il is already old. That’s what I mean. Humans can’t do anything about fate!”

“Y- You!”

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to shoot him, even though he was the highest authority in North Korea. If he shot him, there would be no one left who could see Kim Jong-il’s condition.

“Doctor, I’ll be watching you! Understand?”

‘The rumor must not spread.’

The most dangerous time for a dictator is when he is seriously injured. Even in this time when his influence is shrinking, he has lost his mind, so there is really no answer. The influence Kim Jong-il has now is so weak that it is unclear whether the successor Kim Jong-il designates will be the next successor if Kim Jong-il dies.

Internal problems were internal problems, but the biggest problem was that South Korea was constantly watching for an opportunity.

‘If General Kim Jong-il passes away, South Korea will integrate our North Korea. And then there will be no place for me there.’

Not only the head of the bodyguard command but also most of the North Korean officials would face similar problems. Rather, lower-level managers would have no problem with their jobs. Because even if the top can be replaced, the bottom is hard to replace.

What does this mean? If the bottom changes, the act of properly understanding the area itself becomes impossible. Why do they only change key positions when merging other countries in war? There is a reason for that.

“I’m going crazy, really.”

The bodyguard command, which is the personal guard, was not a place where everyone was united by loyalty and passion. Rather, what loyalty? They were people who came to this barren North Korean land in search of a better life and success. But now that the path to success was blocked in just about a year, they were completely driven crazy.

It was a relief that Kim Jong-il, who maintained his power, was alive, and he was trying to do something while he was alive, but he couldn’t even do that, so how could he not go crazy?

“But what on earth did he see?”

The results of the interrogation would come out soon, but he was too busy to even hear the results of the interrogation. More than anything, he couldn’t leave Kim Jong-il’s side. Therefore, the head of the bodyguard command’s question only deepened.

“Achoo!”

“Do you have a cold?”

“No, it’s because of this guy’s fur.”

White was lying on Bush’s lap, showing off his belly. But even though he was showing off his belly, his head was sticking out of his thighs, and his feet were touching the ground. It was a problem caused by White being too big.

In a typical airplane, it would be impossible for pets to enter the cabin, but this was Air Force One.

“Mr. President. But why did you include time to play with the cat in the schedule?”

“Ah, this guy throws a fit if I don’t take care of him.”

Not only was he big, but he was also cunning and strong, so the option of entrusting him to someone was impossible. More than anything, he catches eagles, so where would you entrust such a beast?

The Deputy Chief of Staff was blankly looking at it strangely, and then he hesitated whether to tell the newly acquired information now, but in the end, he opened his mouth. Still, wouldn’t national affairs take precedence over a mere cat?

“Mr. President. Urgent news.”

“What is it?”

White, who was disturbed by this time, glared at the Deputy Chief of Staff.

“Kim Jong-il has collapsed.”

“Is that so?”

Bush was quite calm. It was somewhat expected. Because from the beginning, Kim Kap-hwan remembered Kim Jong-il’s cause of death as cardiac arrest due to myocardial infarction. The timing was just a little earlier.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you do when your friend is hospitalized?”

“Yes?”

The Deputy Chief of Staff was flustered because such an unexpected answer came out, but he decided to just say what came to mind.

“Usually, I would visit him, right?”

“You know well. Turn the plane around.”