Page 249 of Never
Now we’re making progress, Kai thought. ‘There are several, most of them unwelcome,’ he said. ‘The final victor here could be South Korea, or the US, or China, but that doesn’t exhaust the field.’ He leaned forward and spoke intensely. ‘If you are to have your wish, and North Korea is to be ruled by North Koreans, you need to make an ally of at least one of the other contenders.’
‘Why would I need allies?’ Kai noticed the use of ‘I’, assuming Ham was translating exactly. As Pak saw things, he himself was the rebellion. ‘I am winning,’ he said, confirming Kai’s thought.
‘Indeed you are,’ said Kai with an admiring tone. ‘But so far you have fought only the Pyongyang regime, which is the weakest of the forces involved in this conflict. You will finish them off with only a little further effort: today’s air assault must have damaged them fatally. But you may find yourself in difficulty when you come into conflict with South Korea or the US.’
Pak looked offended, but Kai felt sure the man saw that the logic was undeniable. Stern-faced, Pak said: ‘You have come here with a proposal?’
Kai had no authority to make proposals, but he did not admit this. ‘There could be a way for you to take control of North Korea and at the same time give yourself an impregnable defence against future interference from South Korea or the US.’
‘And that is…?’
Kai paused, choosing his words carefully. This was the crucial moment of the conversation. It was also the point at which he exceeded his orders. He was now sticking his neck all the way out.
He said: ‘One: attack Pyongyang immediately with all your forces except nuclear, and take over the government.’
Pak showed no reaction: this had always been part of his plan.
‘Two: be recognized immediately by Beijing as president of North Korea.’
Pak’s eyes lit up. He was imagining himself as the acknowledged president of his country. He had long dreamed of this, no doubt, but now Kai was offering it to him tomorrow, guaranteed by the might of China.
‘And three: declare an unconditional unilateral ceasefire in the war between North and South Korea.’
Pak frowned. ‘Unilateral?’
‘That’s the price,’ Kai said firmly. ‘Beijing will recognize you andat the same timeyou will declare the ceasefire. No delay, no preconditions, no negotiations.’
He expected resistance, but Pak had something else on his mind. ‘I’ll need President Chen to make a personal visit to me,’ he said.
Kai could see why that was so important to Pak. He was vain, of course, but politically shrewd too: the pictures of the two men shaking hands would legitimize him in a way nothing else could. ‘Agreed,’ said Kai, though he did not have the authority to agree to anything.
‘Good.’
Kai began to think he might have achieved what he had hoped for. He told himself it was not yet time to rejoice. He could yet be thrown into a cell. He decided to get out of there while he was winning. ‘There’s no time for formal written agreements,’ he said. ‘We’re going to have to trust one another.’ As he spoke, General Ham’s words came back to him:Don’t trust them. But Kai had no choice. He had to gamble on Pak.
Pak reached across the desk and said: ‘Then let us shake hands.’
Kai stood up and shook his hand.
Pak said: ‘Thank you for coming to see me.’
This was dismissal, Kai realized. Pak was already behaving like a president.
Ham stood up and said: ‘I’ll take you to your helicopter.’ He led Kai outside.
The weather was still cold but sunny, with little wind and no cloud, perfect flying conditions. Kai and Ham walked a yard apart as they crossed the base to the helipad. Speaking out of the corner of his mouth, Kai said: ‘I think I did it. He agreed to the proposal.’
‘Let’s hope he keeps his word.’
‘Call me tonight if you can, to confirm that the attack on Pyongyang is going ahead.’
‘I’ll do my best. You need the details of secure contacts with Pak, and he needs the same from you.’ Ham wrote a series of numbers and addresses on a pad, Kai did the same, and they exchanged.
Ham saluted crisply as Kai climbed into the helicopter.
The rotors began to turn as he was fastening his seat harness. A few minutes later the aircraft lifted, tilted, and veered north.
Kai allowed himself a moment of sheer triumph. If this worked out, the crisis would be over by tomorrow morning. There would be peace between North and South Korea, the Americans would be satisfied, and China would still have the crucial buffer in place.
