Empire of the Ring

“What? Eriksson took all of the paintings and jewelry?”

“Yes. He said that they are rare paintings by a famous artist. He was also surprised to see such high-quality.”

Eriksson was extremely delighted when he saw the paintings Youngho showed him. They were painted by a famous artist in the 19th century that had been traded by only a handful of people. If they were genuine, each piece would cost about tens of millions of dollars. He also said that if the auction was held, it would be worth one used fighter jet per piece.

The total number of paintings that Youngho stole was 24, and Eriksson handled them very preciously, saying that such artworks were not very common.

“How can someone who’s not even an expert know about paintings so well?”

“He’s a middleman of the Information Agency and a European. He must have that much of an eye.”

“Whoa, that means we’ll get to save our cash.”

“There’s more good news than that. They told you to keep it a secret for now, but I can’t because my mouth is itchy.”

“What’s the matter?”

“I think I can get the pilots for fighter jets.”

“What are you saying?”

“The Swedish Air Force will dispatch their pilots to the state.”

“They’re all crazy. Does it make sense for a neutral country to break into another country’s civil war?”

“Strictly saying, they’re coming as an instructor. Since our pilots might get into trouble while flying the jets, they’ll jump on the jets with them too.”

“Oh, that’s exactly what I said. They’re intervening anyway.”

“That’s exactly what we needed.”

The time and cost of training a pilot were said to be over 80,000 dollars, and not many countries would waste such resources to another country. That was why Park Jong-il could not believe it.

“That’s why you sold all of the paintings and jewelry?”

“What do we do with them? They’ll only get molds if we keep them in the basement. It is also a great work for humanity to find a man who can manage world-class famous paintings. I should be nominated for the Nobel Prize.”

Youngho joked as he was in a good mood, but Jong-il did not budge.

“Why don’t we hire pilots instead of borrowing them. You know, just like the mercenary.”

“You think there’s a place like that?”

“The East European pilots are not treated very well, so they’re all busy looking for jobs in civilian airlines. I think we should try to coax them in.”

“Will they come here when there might be a war soon?”

“Let’s not give up on that too early. I will get Hong Sung-ki to contact them. Maybe some people with macho instincts might be intrigued to come.”

Hong Sung-ki had been full of pride these days.

It was because the Russian alcoholic air engineers were now functioning well in the state. No one supported his idea when he first brought the alcoholics, but because of his determination, the state now had great air engineers.

No one would’ve thought of such an idea, and he was now recognized for his driving forces and endurance. Jong-il thought that with Sung-ki’s eloquence, it would be possible to coax anyone into moving to the state.

“Deputy Director Hong. Don’t stand there. Come and sit here.”

“You make me nervous because you’re acting too friendly now.”

His body was already fidgeting with excitement which was quite opposite of his words. His unique gestures made Youngho laugh.

“Sit when I speak nicely.”

Park Jong-il snapped at him right away, but he did not blink.

“Director, everything about you is alright, but you still think I’m your junior soldier.”

“You were still in high school when I was discharged from the Navy. You’re just a little kiddo to me.”

“Oh, don’t be too harsh on me. We’re all growing old together.”

“I’ve been so busy these days, so I didn’t have a chance to beat you up. I guess now is the time to establish my authority. Don’t stop him because he’s going to submit to me today.”

“Oh, stop talking nonsense. Everyone, just sit down. I don’t have time to joke right now.”

“Hey, Youngho! That guy’s just crawling up to me. We should get rid of the deputy director system at the Intelligence Department.”

Hong Sung-ki was just looking at Youngho’s mouth, ignoring Park Jong-il’s words.

“Hong Sung-ki, we’ve got a fun mission. Do you want to try it?”

“What is it? Is there another group of alcoholics?”

“Well, it’s a recruitment mission, but your target is Eastern European Air Force pilots.”

“People there are also heavy drinkers.”

“Yes. There are many beauties, too. I recommended you for this job, so be thankful for that.”

“That’s why I love you, Director.”

“Ewww, what’s wrong with you? You’re not going to bring back drinkers this time, are you?”

“If the pilots in charge of flying fighters drink, they’re not qualified for the job. I’ll pick the right guys and bring them. But what’s going to be the bait for the Eastern Europe pilots?”

“I bet Hong Sung-ki can achieve anything without a bait, but he should have good conditions to bring useful people, right?”

“Unless the pilot is out of his mind, he won’t come to our state. I need something to hook them.”

“You can decide it according to the circumstances. That is my offer.”

***

Kim Chun was panting into Youngho office hastily. He had sweats on his forehead which was not easily seen in Kazakhstan’s April weather.

“What’s the rush?”

“I was running to come faster to tell you good news, but I was delayed because my legs were twisted.”

“You could’ve just called.”

“I just wanted to see you get surprised.”

“I don’t get surprised so easily these days. There are so many surprises in my life already.”

“Behold! We’ve found an oil field.”

“What?!”

“Dr. Park Young-sun will be back soon and report in detail.”

“Please tell me more.”

He said that he was overseeing the replacement of several trees frozen to death last winter in front of the Grand Palace, and found Young-sun covered in crude oil. Park Young-sun was on his way to the palace, but he was blocked by Kim Chun because of the floor cleaning, so he told what he discovered. Kim Chun got too excited that he stopped what he was doing and came running to Youngho’s office to deliver the news.

Park Young-sun, who appeared in a clean attire after a while, looked like an elementary school student who just did something to be proud of.

“Doctor Park, thank you for your hard work. You managed to pull it off after digging all the way through.”

“I wish it was a gas field, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

Youngho, who was born and raised in Korea, where there was not a drop of oil, always envied oil-producing countries. Although he had a share of an oil field in Baku, it was only given because of his connection to Yaniv. Finally, the autonomous state discovered oil reserves. Regardless of the volume of the oil crude, the mere possession of the oil field had enormous power.

“What if it was a gas field and an oil field? Dr. Park, it’s important that we found the oil field.”

“We need to check the volume of the oil deposits, but I can assume that it’s quite a lot by the emitted pressure.”

“I should check it out for myself. It’ll only feel real when I touch the crude oil myself.”

“It’s already getting dark. We already stopped the vents, so not a lot of amount comes out now. If there’s any left on the surface, it must’ve been smeared to the ground already.”

“I can’t just let it pass today. I should have a drink.”

“I’m quite thirsty now, too.”

All of the leaders of the state, who were said to be heavy drinkers, gathered that night.

The news that crude oil was found was like a long-waited rain since there had only been grim news lately. They felt a sense of hope.

The discovery of crude oil would not immediately make the state millions of dollars, but it was good enough of a news that blew away people’s financial worries.

“What? Did you say we should start a rumor about the discovery of the crude oil?”

“That’s a way to make the Arirang state look powerful. People will look up to the state as a place where the future is guaranteed.”

Everyone looked surprised at Youngho’s remarks.

It was understandable since it was a risky idea—since the state did not have the power to protect it.

“Wouldn’t the central government try to take it away from us?”

“They don’t have the time to do that now.”

“What if they still want to interfere?”

“I’ll ignore it without mercy. I’m not going to let anyone working in the government come near to our state.”

“Are you sure that’s possible?”

“Don’t worry. Sooner or later, no one will think of crossing or touching our state.”

“I know that you must have reasonable thought behind this, but the Kazakh government is still not dead. I feel like you’re being too hasty when the president is still in power.”

“Commissioner Kim, if someone asked you to leave the state, would you?”

“No, I stressed that I can’t leave even if I’m dead. They’ll have to bury my body here, in that case.”

“What are you afraid of when you’re as determined as that? Did you watch the training process of the Foreign Legion?”

“Yes, I have. I was horrified only by watching them.”

“If there’s a force that tries to wipe us out, they’ll go after it to the end of the planet and punish it. I will do my best to fight, too. So you can count on us.”

Youngho was confident that the Foreign Legion of the state could paralyze the whole Kazakhstan instantly by launching a guerrilla attack. However, taking over the nation through military power would not get him the public’s support.

He needed to gain support from all of the departments such as the military, academia, and cultural circles to reduce the chaos.

The Foreign Legion would be the last resort for the autonomous state.

“How far are you thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to take over the whole Kazakhstan?”

“Why? Is there a law that says no?”

“It’s because it’s too much. I feel suffocated.”

“You’re suffocated by this? Don’t you want to become the first prime minister from our state?”

“Don’t say that, even as a joke. I’m going to have a heart attack.”

“Mr. Commissioner, why don’t you relax a little bit? Even if we only end up with our state later on, what’s the harm of having a big dream now?”

“I used to be a middle school teacher and a travel agent who lived a normal life. I met you, and I was given an undeserved title and authority. As someone who had been faithful to the autonomous state, I want to give you an advice. I hope you don’t forget that the bigger your greed, the bigger your loss will be.”

“How can I not understand what you mean? But, the joys and sorrows of the success of hard work must be great when your goal is high. If I can make a better environment for everyone, I’ll show some greed.”

Even Kim Chun was unable to reply to the remark.

The state had come too far that it could not quit in the middle.

“If you feel that way, then I will do my best.”

“Don’t overdo it. You’ve done a good job so far. Don’t worry about the outside world and try to keep our residents from shaking.”

“By the way, are you sure you want to give me the position of the prime minister?”

“You are doing such a great job at governing the autonomous state. Would governing Kazakhstan be any different? Of course, that is when the public supports you.”