짱이다

To be the head.

Chung-guyok, Pyongyang, March 17th, 1952

Decadency breeds complacency. There was a poster in Pak Il-U’s office that said as much, and it was a motto he had lived by before the war. Minister Yoon Si-U thought of it as he observed the sorry state of the Ministry of Social Security’s headquarters. The American bombing raids had reduced much of Pyongyang to a state somewhere between half-constructed and half-destroyed - the People’s Construction Brigades (which were optional in Pyongyang, for the time being) had made work of repairing the bomb damage almost as it soon as it happened. It seemed as if their handcarts full of building materials were being trucked to and fro throughout the city with undying dedication.

Nevertheless, the necessities of war had forced the Ministry of Social Security out of the lavish Government Complex and around the street, inside the old Nippon Building (somewhat uncreatively renamed the Korea Building) which had once been a telephone exchange. This put it much closer to the huge Prisoner Detention Complex No. 3, which was a converted hotel and where American war criminals were held. This building had seen its better days, and as the Ministry of Social Security was really a subministry, it had been shoved in along with the Postal Ministry and the Electric Power Ministry.

Minister Yoon Si-U’s office was the only private office the ministry could provide, and sat on the far corner of the building nearest to the river. The windows in the office had been blown out half a dozen times by bombs, and the workmen installing the latest panes had just departed when Minister Yoon Si-U received his next visitor.

“Minister, I present Pak Kwan-hui.”

Yoon Si-U hid his surprise at hearing that name - one he had not heard in at least two years. The man walked in - Pak looked as if the war had only sharpened him; he was strong, fit, tough. Battle-hardened. Clearly, he had been part of the opening salvo of the war.

“Yoon Si-U,” he said in his rapid, chattery country accent, “I had not thought you would be a Minister - and here you are!”

Yoon Si-U could not detect if this was meant to be a joke, but smiled forcefully anyway. “Pak Kwan-Hui, I was not sure I would ever make the pleasure of your acquaintance again after you departed Lee Chang-Ok’s service.”

“A tragedy,” Pak Kwan-Hui said, “what happened to Lee. But, I suppose the bombing raids have taken many lives.”

That was the story Pak Il-U had used for the end of Lee Chang-Ok. The man had too many sycophants for the Interior Ministry to admit to killing him directly, and suicide was simply outside Lee Chang-Ok’s character. A certain glint in Pak Kwan-Hui’s gaze told the minister that he knew that story was false.

“What brings you to me, Pak?”

“Oh! It appears you are my commander now, Minister.”

“Commander?”

“Pak Il-U has designated me as the head of the Political Security Bureau, and believes that our close cooperation will be very fortuitous in the near future.”

It was not unlike Pak to spring this on Yoon, a characteristic that he had come to deeply despise. “I had thought the Political Security Bureau was defunct.”

“It is subsumed under your agency. My adjutants -” he gestured down the hall “- will provide the relevant documents and clearances. I wish to know what progress you have made, so far.”

The Minister looked uncertain, but Pak’s broad smile and eager expression had always been hard to resist - even if Yoon had seen the madness hiding below the surface. He motioned him to come closer.

“Intelligence has reached me,” Yoon said, “regarding meetings between the Soviet Korean faction and Soviet representatives. There are whispers of someone collaborating with the criminal element in the north. And, there seems to be unusual army activity in Hamhung… All of which are difficult to piece together.”

Pak Kwan-Hui took in this information. “It is imperative to focus on the Soviet Koreans first.”

“Then you shall take the next train to Chongjin,” Yoon Si-U stated. He smiled after a moment at his former colleague’s blank expression - it was the first order he had given Pak Kwan-Hui himself.

After a moment Pak stood, bowed by way of salute, and left the room.

To be continued…