The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 225

225. I Want to Go Back (The End)

Tiananmen Square.

Darkness was descending.

The People’s Liberation Army was sure to launch a surprise attack under the cover of night, trying to avoid exposing the gruesome crackdown.

The protesters prepared for the final battle, making Molotov cocktails.

The protest leaders urged ordinary citizens to return home, but over 5,000 remained, providing food and vowing to share their fate.

A messenger rushed to Commander Cha, panting.

“Commander, a person from the People’s Liberation Army headquarters has arrived. They want to see you!”

“From the People’s Army?”

Shortly after, a man with short hair and dressed in civilian clothes arrived.

He introduced himself.

“I am a special envoy sent by Chairman Liao Ming of the Military Commission.”

“A special envoy?”

“This is my identification, and this is a handwritten letter from Chairman Liao Ming.”

His ID stated he was the Chief of the Military Commission Security Department.

*

The leadership gathered for an emergency meeting.

“Commander, this is a trap. If they have an urgent proposal, why don’t they come themselves? Why ask you to come out? This is clearly a plot! They’re trying to arrest you and wage psychological warfare by claiming you surrendered!”

Commander Cha said.

“Let’s say I go to enemy territory, get captured, and get shot. What changes?”

“…….”

“It doesn’t benefit the People’s Army at all. Since I’m prepared to die anyway, what does it matter if I die a few hours earlier?”

The oldest villager among the citizen soldiers said.

“Commander Cha’s words make sense. Since the envoy was sent in a highly volatile situation, let’s hear what they have to say. Even if it’s a recommendation to surrender, or even if they arrest Commander Cha, we shouldn’t have any regrets.”

Thus, Commander Cha secretly left the Forbidden City, known only to the leadership.

*

The Military Commission Chairman’s command post.

The Military Commission Chairman and Commander Cha were the only two facing each other.

The Military Commission Chairman said.

“To come all the way here, you certainly have guts.”

“If you seek life, you will die; if you seek death, you will live. I have already given my life, so what is there to fear?”

“Actually, if you hadn’t come, I was going to go in myself.”

“…….”

He expected a list of surrender conditions, but the introduction was unusual.

Commander Cha asked.

“Are you going to offer conditions for surrendering and being spared?”

“Surrender? Hahaha. If you really want to get down to it, this is also a kind of surrender.”

“…….”

*

Tiananmen Square.

The sun was rising in the east of the square.

Nothing had happened during the night.

Krrrrrr-

As day broke, the tanks started their engines.

Tututututu–

Over 50 assault helicopters also vigorously spun their propellers.

Foreign correspondents on Tiananmen urgently telexed [sent news via telegraph] that the Chinese government forces’ crackdown had begun.

The Military Commission Chairman rode in a jeep and stopped in front of the tanks lined up in four rows.

Screech-

And shouted into a handheld microphone.

“We are the people’s army that defends the people! The direction we must advance is not Tiananmen, but the opposite direction! Aim the cannons at the Communist Party headquarters, the Chairman’s office!”

The soldiers were bewildered, but the front-line commanders immediately understood what it meant.

No matter how much it was an order, they were not happy with the operation to massacre tens of thousands of civilians, and with Deng Xiaoping’s misrule, an order that relieved their frustration had been issued.

“Advance to the Chairman’s office, the Party headquarters!”

Krrrrrr-

The tanks and armored vehicles rotated 180 degrees and rushed towards downtown Beijing.

Tutututututu-

The helicopters also took off all at once and headed downtown.

The citizen soldiers watching this from the Tiananmen gate cheered.

“Wow! The People’s Liberation Army is retreating!”

“We won!”

Foreign correspondents also telexed that the People’s Army had given up the bloody crackdown.

However, it was not just a retreat.

They did not know it was a coup against the current leadership.

In the midnight negotiations, the Military Commission Chairman said to Commander Cha.

“The People’s Liberation Army will side with the Democratic Alliance from this moment on. Please accept this surrender!”

The only way for the citizen soldiers, the chairman, to avoid purging was to side with the citizen soldiers.

Thus, the Military Commission Chairman and Vice-Chairman switched to a new tiger [transferred their allegiance to a new leader].

*

Chairman’s office.

The chairman, who had worked overnight and came to work, showed a nervous reaction to the noisy helicopter sound.

“Why are they delaying the midnight crackdown and making a fuss by carrying out the operation in broad daylight! Are they trying to promote it to foreign media? Anyway, the Military Commission Chairman will be fired after this is over, so there’s nothing more to see. How dare they make such a commotion above my office! Tell them to go to Tiananmen!”

At this time, a rope came down from the window, and the silhouette of a black object descending was seen.

“What is it? Why are they rappelling here?”

Clang!

Crash!

The window shattered, and at the same time, special agents burst through the door.

The chairman shouted with bloodshot eyes.

“What are you doing! Do you know where this is!”

The special agents pointed their guns at him.

“Move and you’re dead! Hands up and get down!”

“What? Are you crazy now?”

At this time, the Military Commission Chairman entered through the broken door.

“Chairman Deng Xiaoping, I arrest you for the anti-people, anti-revolutionary crime of massacring the people!”

“What? Arrest me? You are committing treason right now!”

“What are you doing!”

The special forces tied up Deng Xiaoping.

At the same time, the Communist Party headquarters was surrounded by tanks.

* * *

10 years later.

Clatter! Clatter!

The Trans-Siberian Railway, which departed from Seoul, was heading to the Manchurian plains via Hamheung.

Although it was early winter, snow had fallen all night, and the world was all white and brilliant.

It was the field where independence activists waged anti-Japanese struggles during the Japanese colonial period.

In the first-class seat of the train, Jung Joo-hyun and Park Jung-woong were sitting, admiring the snow country beyond the window.

Jung Joo-hyun took a deep breath and said.

“Hoo~ It’s so refreshing!”

Park Jung-woong, with deeply wrinkled face, said.

“Now that I’ve safely completed my term, I’m treating you to a trip.”

Jung Joo-hyun safely completed three consecutive terms and was on a railway trip with Park Jung-woong.

Jung Joo-hyun returned to his position as the head of Tiger Fund after his retirement, and Park Jung-woong maintained his position as the head of the National Wealth Fund.

“We need to complete the highway connecting Mongolia and Manchuria first.”

With the democratization of Tiananmen ending in the victory of the citizen soldiers, China was dissolved into 12 countries.

Mongolia and Manchuria immediately tried to merge with South Korea, but the Soviet Union opposed Korea’s absorption, so they remained independent countries for the time being.

However, Brezhnev soon died, and since the Soviet Union would soon collapse and dissolve, there was no need to risk diplomatic friction, so they were waiting for the right time.

Deng Xiaoping and the leadership were all purged and received the death penalty or life imprisonment with hard labor.

Only the Military Commission Chairman and Vice-Chairman survived and eked out official positions in the divided country based in Nanjing.

Clatter! Clatter!

Jung Joo-hyun said.

“I’ve been advised to run for UN Secretary-General, and I’m considering it.”

“Oh, that’s a good job too! It’s meaningful to take care of the global community rather than just one country. There will be big changes in the Soviet Union soon, so there will be a lot to do at the UN level. That’s why we’re on the Trans-Siberian Railway now.”

Jung Joo-hyun asked.

“Is Gorbachev that important of a figure?”

“Of course. The collapse of the Soviet Union is essential to complete the Korean Federation. He is the one who will calmly dismantle the absolute state of the Soviet Union. Yeltsin will also play a role, so let’s meet him together when we go to Moscow.”

“For workaholics like us, work is travel and travel is work. But I’m saying this because I’m worried about you, President Park. Isn’t it time for you to get away from the heavy workload and rest?”

“Haha, if I play, I’ll only have idle thoughts. My mind is still clear, but it’s true that my limbs are not listening to me anymore. Now that I hear it, I think I should prepare for the time to return [retire].”

Clatter! Clatter!

The train ran across the white Manchurian plains.

Afterward, Jung Joo-hyun was elected as the UN Secretary-General.

Gorbachev came to power as General Secretary, the Soviet Union was dissolved, and Mongolia and Manchuria were incorporated into the Korean Federation, and South Korea recovered the territory of Goguryeo [ancient Korean kingdom].

* * *

Caribbean Sea (1999).

A point of light, like a lamp, floats leisurely on the black night sea in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.

Splash-

The Angel No. 3, a super-luxury cruise ship called a moving hotel with 3,000 crew and passengers, weighing 91,000 tons, cut through the waves.

It was almost midnight, but the thousands of rooms with onboard parties, shows, and casinos were not going to turn off the lights to celebrate the millennium.

VIP room.

In the top-floor VIP room with a view of the swaying sea through the terrace window, elderly Park Jung-woong was sitting with his back against the bed.

His body was Park Jung-woong, but his soul was Jung Joo-hyun.

As death approaches, do people seek the hometown where they were born?

With death flowers blooming here and there on his face [signs of aging], he was 82 years old and had returned to the place where he had regressed.

He got up, put on a gown, slowly opened the door of the room, and went out.

He headed to the stairs leading to the top deck, which had the best view on this cruise ship.

Although it was a whale-like giant ship, it swayed and tilted in the ocean waves, causing seasickness.

He walked along the deserted health center hallway, holding onto the railing.

He passed the health center with the interior lights turned off.

He heard some noise from inside the health center.

“Could it be….”

He saw a man and woman entangled, panting roughly.

“Huff, huff!”

He shook his head and walked on.

“They’re still enjoying their youth.”

He went to the top deck as if nothing had happened.

He came out onto the deck, leaned against the railing, and sucked on an electronic cigarette until his cheeks were sunken.

Whoosh~

The cigarette smoke quickly scattered in the wind.

He muttered.

“I’ve lived as a president and a conglomerate chairman, but when it’s over, there’s no trace left like that smoke.”

He looked back on the past when he had regressed, using the night sea as a screen, and patted himself on the back.

How can I fill this emptiness?… No matter how sophisticated I pretend to be, humans are animals of desire… There will be no black hole in this universe as huge as human greed… If I wish to live another life, will the sky listen this time too?

Then suddenly, a hazy fog rolled in. It was a thick fog that made it impossible to distinguish the front.

His hand trembled at the same omen as before.

“Finally, a miracle….”

Whoosh~

A strong wind blew, and the fog, which had been so thick, scattered into the air like cigarette smoke, and one particularly bright star was seen in the sky above the horizon.

And that star grew larger and larger, dragging its tail.

“A shooting star!”

He made a wish.

“Life itself was precious. I will gladly accept anyone’s life, whatever it may be, and I look forward to regressing once again!”

As president and conglomerate chairman, he had tasted all the power and pleasure that a human could have.

So he vowed to live gratefully as given, no matter what kind of life it was this time, and sent his wish.

The fist-sized shooting star grew to the size of his head and came closer and closer to him.

The object falling in flames was indeed a military transport plane.

“Ah!”

The transport plane engulfed in flames crashed straight into the cruise ship like a targeted missile.

Kwang!

With the shock of his body being torn apart, everything was sucked into a silent vortex of darkness.

He couldn’t tell whether he was sinking into the sea or crushed into powder by the collision.

He felt as if the lamp of consciousness was fading and sinking into the pitch-black deep sea for a while.

And a flash of light was seen in the distance and quickly approached.

He was quickly sucked into the tunnel of light.

“Aaaagh!”

[Rebirth of a Conglomerate President 1967 The End]