TL: Skye
Purchasing weapons is a process that requires considerably complex procedures.
First, you establish a weapons procurement plan, allocate the budget, then announce a public tender. After that, you receive proposals, select a preferred bidder, verify the products, and finalize the contract.
And what about the seller's side? The company that wins the contract must confirm the destination isn't on the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's export prohibition list and obtain an export permit. If technology transfer is involved, they have to pass through five stages of review, including defense technology assessment, technology export specialist committees, and technology export review boards.
In short, weapons procurement takes anywhere from several months to several years.
But we didn't have time. With Garcia preparing for independence, following every procedure to the letter could mean the country falling apart before we finished.
'This is exactly when connections come in handy.'
I scrolled through my phone and found the name Kim Min-sik.
He was currently working as Director of Overseas Sales at Hyunhwa System.
How does someone in their thirties become a director, you ask?
For this guy, it's possible.
Top of his class entering Korea University's Business School.
Top of his class graduating from Korea University's Business School.
Multiple first-place wins in competitions during his time at Korea University.
And most importantly...
This guy's great-uncle is the chairman of Hyunhwa Co.
His father is a four-term National Assemblyman, and his mother is a university president.
Well, that said, he wasn't some spoiled chaebol heir running wild. He even served in the military and lived pretty normally.
I didn't even know he came from that kind of family until graduation.
If I had known, we couldn't have been friends.
Recalling the great friendship we'd built during our university days, I pressed the call button.
Ring... ring... click.
[Ugh... who's calling at the crack of dawn... hello?!]
Hearing my friend's voice after so long, I couldn't help but smile.
"Hey, Min-sik?"
[Who is this...?]
"It's Yu-jin."
[...Yu-jin? Yu-jin who... oh, Choi Yu-jin who went to America?]
"Yeah, I'm in a bit of a rush right now. Let me ask you for one favor."
[Out of nowhere, what kind of favor? Want me to lend you money?]
"Not money. I need goods."
[Goods? What kind of goods?]
I swallowed hard and got to the point.
"Military drones."
[...What?]
"Get me some drones. About 3,000 of them? Money's no issue, and the better the performance, the better."
A moment of silence followed.
[Hey. Where are you right now? Your number looks really weird.]
Min-sik's voice suddenly turned serious.
[You're... not really Choi Yu-jin, are you? You piece of shit.]
"What are you talking about? It's really me."
[Ah, You bastards try everything. Hey! Last time it was Seoul District Prosecutor Kim Mi-young, right? What's it this time, the concept of a friend who got sold off to South America? Hey, you bastards! Let me get some sleep at dawn! Huh?!]
Click.
The call ended.
"......"
I stared at the disconnected phone with a dumbfounded expression.
"Damn. This was an international call."
Calling at the crack of dawn from an international number and demanding 3,000 drones out of nowhere was admittedly grounds for misunderstanding.
Of course, every second counted right now, so I pressed the call button again.
Ring... click.
The number you have dialed is currently unavailable...
He wasn't picking up.
After thinking about what to do, I opened Cocoa Talk, tapped his profile, and pressed the call button.
Beep-boop-beep, beep-boop-beep~ click.
The moment he answered, I spoke as if I'd been waiting.
"I'm really Choi Yu-jin. Class of '06, Korea University Business School. The same Choi Yu-jin who comforted you when you confessed to a girl from our year at the freshman orientation after drinking, got rejected, and cried while throwing up in the bathroom."
[......]
Silence flowed from the other end of the receiver. The dark history attack seemed to have landed perfectly.
[...Is it really you, Yu-jin?]
"Yeah, you punk."
[Dude, why is your number like that? Did you get kidnapped or something?]
"I told you earlier, San Marcos."
[San... what? Where is that?]
"That's not what's important right now. Can I get those goods I mentioned quickly?"
[3,000 military drones?]
"Yeah, those. Ones with machine guns mounted would be great, self-destruct types work too. Just bring me whatever you've got. I saw on your website you sell some kind of package deal?"
Min-sik let out a hollow laugh.
[Are you insane? 3,000 military drones is a scale that only an entire corps would operate. You think an individual can buy something like that?]
"A nation is buying them, so don't worry."
[A nation?]
"I'm working for the San Marcos government."
[You said San Marcos, right? Hold on a second.]
He must have looked it up, because he spoke again.
[...This place has a GDP of 17 billion dollars a year? Dude, our stuff is expensive.]
"No friend discount?"
[You think we're some corner store in the neighborhood? Giving you a discount because we're friends.]
"I'm joking. We have the money, so don't worry. I'll pay cash. Upfront payment is possible too."
[When do you need it by?]
"Within a week."
When I gave him the delivery date, I heard an exasperated noise from the other end of the phone.
[You crazy bastard! You think weapons export is a joke? We need government approval, security screening, it takes at least six months minimum! You want me to whip out 3,000 units just like that? What am I, Doraemon?!]
"What's the point of being friends otherwise? Help me out somehow."
[No matter what, I can't. If we ignore procedure and push forward, I could end up in handcuffs.]
"If you can drop them at Libertad Airport within seven days somehow, I'll add twenty percent on top."
At the exceptional terms, Min-sik asked in a surprised voice.
[...Has this been discussed with their government?]
"I'm calling you after everything's already been settled."
[The money? You can guarantee I'll get paid?]
"If you want, I can wire you an advance."
[Really?]
"If you don't believe me, send me your corporate account. I'll wire you half."
A sigh came through the phone.
[You're sure you have the authority for this?]
"Of course."
[Let me ask one more thing.]
"Go ahead."
[What's your position?]
No matter how close we were as friends, I couldn't lie when a major deal was on the line.
"It's a bit complicated, but..."
After a moment's thought, I came clean.
"Think of it as roughly president."
[What?! You have nothing better to do than prank call me at the crack of dawn...!]
After that, I had to spend quite a while explaining to Min-sik that this wasn't a phishing scam.
***
Seven days later. San Marcos, Libertad International Airport.
A massive gray aircraft descended through the clouds.
Boom—!
The moment the dedicated transport plane chartered from Hyunhwa System touched the runway, a heavy vibration traveled all the way to the feet of those waiting on the tarmac.
"...I can't believe this actually worked."
Martial Law Commander Pedro murmured in disbelief. Yu-jin smirked at him.
"Did I not tell you that the speed of Koreans is unmatched?"
"Even so, there are procedures to follow... I never imagined it could be brought here this quickly."
"Koreans are a people who offer next-day delivery even when shipping goods from one end of the country to the other. Never underestimate Korea again."
"When did I ever underestimate..."
Yu-jin left the flustered Pedro behind and watched as the massive aircraft came to a complete stop.
Soon, the transport plane's cargo hold opened, and forklifts began busily moving drones out.
'Never thought I'd live to see the day when a high exchange rate would work in my favor.'
Thanks to the recent won-dollar exchange rate soaring to 1,500 won, even with the twenty percent markup, the total came to less than 200 million dollars.
If it had been the exchange rate from when Yu-jin left Korea, it would have easily cost 300 million dollars.
Just as Yu-jin was letting out a sigh of relief, a familiar face appeared coming down the stairs.
"Hey! Choi Yu-jin! Yu-jin!"
It was his friend Kim Min-sik. Spotting Yu-jin, he immediately ran over. Yu-jin waved back, happy to see him, but—
Rumble!
Soldiers who had been guarding the perimeter instantly blocked Min-sik's approach.
"Eek!"
Min-sik's face went pale as armed soldiers surrounded him.
"It's alright. He's my friend."
At Yu-jin's intervention, the cordon dispersed. Min-sik approached and spoke in Korean while patting his chest to calm himself.
"So you really are the president."
"Not president. Acting President."
"Same difference."
In truth, he was becoming something beyond even president, but Yu-jin kept that to himself.
He was worried the guy might say something weird at the alumni reunion later.
"Thanks for all your hard work. You saved me."
"Hard work, please. The Poland contract fell through just in time, so we had excess inventory anyway, and chartering a plane was quick. It wasn't difficult."
Min-sik smiled bashfully and gestured toward the people coming down behind him.
"Let me introduce you. This is our company's engineering team. They'll handle everything from drone setup to operational training. These are our aces who spent three days and nights preparing."
"It's truly wonderful to meet Koreans here in a foreign country. Thank you for making such a long journey. I'm Yu-jin Choi, Acting President of San Marcos."
When Yu-jin politely bowed his head, the technical staff looked flustered and bowed back as if returning a formal greeting.
"N-not at all! We're honored that you would receive us like this."
Perhaps because the head of state of a foreign country was Korean, they seemed quite taken aback yet fascinated.
"I'd appreciate thorough training, please. Our soldiers aren't familiar with modern weapons, so there will likely be many mistakes."
"Please don't worry. We came thoroughly prepared. We've even finished translating the manual into Portuguese."
"As expected! Let me know if you need anything. The finest hotel... oh, there are no hotels. Instead, I'll arrange the best government quarters for you."
"We appreciate your consideration."
That was when it happened. A middle-aged man in a sharp suit approached from behind the technical staff. Despite being surrounded by numerous soldiers, he showed no sign of tension, wearing a practiced smile as he offered his business card.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Moon Seong-mun from Daeho Trading."
Daeho Trading. Yu-jin tilted his head at the unfamiliar name, and Kim Min-sik introduced him.
"He provided tremendous help with this export deal. Without him, today's delivery wouldn't have happened."
"Is that so?"
When Kim Min-sik introduced him, Yu-jin clasped his hand.
"Thank you so much for this."
"Not at all. I merely coordinated a few things in the middle."
CEO Moon's eyes gleamed as he asked.
"If you happen to have time later, might we have a conversation? I believe it would be beneficial for San Marcos."
"Of course, absolutely. You've helped us so much, I should make time even if I don't have any. But I'm a bit busy right now..."
"Whenever you have a moment, please call for me. I'll be waiting."
"Understood. I'll contact you at this number."
After finishing their introductions, everyone departed.
Kim Min-sik and the other Koreans headed to the Armored Division Headquarters to train soldiers on how to operate and maintain the drones they had brought.
And Yu-jin...
"Shall we begin right away, then?"
"Yes. I now call to order the first San Marcos Civil War meeting."
He began the meeting to start a civil war.
*****
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