Chapter 123: That Time We Got a Foreign Loan in South America (4)

TL: Skye

The moment Yu-jin accepted the troop deployment, Drump pulled out his phone as if he had been waiting for exactly that.

“I need to share this wonderful news immediately!”

“...Right now?”

“Timing is everything, my friend.”

Yu-jin wondered whether the president of the most powerful country in the world should really be acting like this, but he decided not to think too hard about it.

‘It’s Drump.’

And thirty seconds later.

A post appeared on the SNS account with the most followers in the world.

[San Marcos is America’s greatest ally, and Yu-jin Choi is my best friend and a tremendous leader! Together, we will make the world safer and more prosperous! The fake news will never tell you this, but San Marcos is doing incredible things right now! God bless America! God bless San Marcos!]

After composing a post filled with his signature chaotic prose, Drump slipped his phone back into his pocket and grinned broadly.

“Now, let’s head to the press room!”

The White House press room.

The flags of the United States and San Marcos hung side by side behind the podium.

Drump took the podium first.

“Today, the United States and the Republic of San Marcos have reached a historic agreement.”

After announcing the $100 billion loan and the troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, he turned the podium over to Yu-jin.

Hundreds of camera lenses pointed at Yu-jin.

It would have been perfectly natural to feel nervous, but Yu-jin’s expression remained calm.

He had held countless press conferences over six years in San Marcos. A few hundred cameras were nothing.

“Today, the United States and San Marcos have taken the friendship between our two nations to a new level. The $100 billion loan, to be provided over ten installments, is proof that the United States believes in the future of San Marcos, and I intend to repay that faith.”

Yu-jin paused briefly to catch his breath before continuing.

“San Marcos is a poor and small country. But I do not believe that means we are incapable of contributing to world peace. That is why, as President of San Marcos, I have decided to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz.”

Truthfully, if world peace was the goal, leaving Iran alone would have been a hundred times better, and Yu-jin thought so too, but what could he do?

If he wanted to survive in America’s backyard, he had no choice but to stay on Drump’s good side.

Besides, he had already gotten a hefty sum of money out of the deal.

When the press conference moved into questions, a CNN reporter raised a hand.

“Mr. President, I understand that San Marcos has no National Assembly. Some say that makes it a de facto dictatorship. What do you think?”

The kind of blunt question American reporters were known for.

But Yu-jin could be just as blunt.

“We held a legitimate presidential election under a direct election system, and I was elected with the support of the majority of our people. What dictatorship anywhere in the world could hold a presidential election this transparently?”

At the simple, straightforward answer, a second reporter raised a hand.

“International oil prices have surged following the recent strikes on Iran. For an oil-producing country like San Marcos, wouldn’t that be a good thing? Why go so far as to deploy troops?”

“When oil prices rise, our revenues increase in the short term. But that drives global inflation, and in the long run, it does not benefit the San Marcos economy either.”

“Why not?”

“I have no intention of turning San Marcos into a country that survives by selling its natural resources. I want it to be a country that lives by industry and technology. But if the global economy falls into recession, that dream grows more distant.”

The second reporter nodded as well, and soon the hardest-hitting question arrived.

“I’ll ask you frankly. Aren’t you deploying troops because of the loan?”

The press room fell silent as everyone waited for Yu-jin’s answer.

Yu-jin remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“We are not deploying troops for money. We simply hope the situation in Iran is resolved as soon as possible.”

A diplomatically safe answer.

But Yu-jin did not stop there.

“And.”

Yu-jin looked the reporter directly in the eye.

“Is it wrong to deploy troops for money?”

A murmur swept through the press room.

The reporter’s eyes widened.

“You all remember the Vietnam War.”

The reporters tilted their heads at the seemingly abrupt remark.

“From 1964 to 1973, 340,000 South Korean troops fought alongside the United States in Vietnam.”

Yu-jin’s voice was calm, but heavy.

“Why did they go into those jungles? Why did their country send young men into a place where they might die?”

Yu-jin paused for a moment and looked around at the reporters.

“Because the country was poor. Because its people were starving. Because it needed that money to pave roads, build factories, and send children to school.”

Yu-jin continued.

“And what happened fifty years later? South Korea became one of the world’s ten largest economies.”

Yu-jin gripped the podium with both hands.

“I am in the same position. However, I will not deploy a single soldier without their consent, and those who volunteer for the deployment will receive substantial benefits from the government.”

“......”

His voice grew firm.

“I am the president of San Marcos. I have a duty to keep the people of San Marcos warm and well fed. There is nothing I will not do to fulfill that duty.”

Yu-jin looked straight into the camera.

“If fulfilling that duty required me to take up a rifle myself, I would do so without hesitation. Because that is my duty as Choi Yu-jin, President of San Marcos.”

The press room froze.

And then.

Clap.

Drump applauded.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Applause broke out among the reporters as well.

Clapclapclapclapclapclap—

Hundreds of reporters rose to their feet and applauded.

At precisely the right moment, Drump patted Yu-jin on the shoulder and stepped up to the microphone.

“Thank you, President Choi. Thank you everyone!”

The two presidents smiled.

The cameras captured the moment.

After the press conference, the rest of Yu-jin’s schedule in the United States was relatively quiet.

In New York, he met with San Marcos expatriates and had lunch with businesspeople interested in San Marcos.

No major deals were signed, but it was more than enough to make the name San Marcos known in the American business world.

Once his entire schedule was finished, Yu-jin boarded the flight home.

And the reaction from Korean netizens who had watched Yu-jin’s unprecedented string of moves was nothing short of explosive.

[City Inside — San Marcos Gallery]

Title: WAS THAT PRESS CONFERENCE FOR REAL???? Gave me chills

ㄴ A Korean holding a press conference at the White House, holy shit

ㄴ His English pronunciation is insanely good. As expected of a Duke MBA

ㄴ He’s fucking amazing at speeches. Our politicians should learn something from him

Title: CNN reporter asked His Excellency if he was a dictator

ㄴ ??? Dictatorship? San Marcos?

ㄴ They literally hold elections, what dictatorship lmao

ㄴ Guess the American media thinks every South American country is a dictatorship

ㄴ Typical Western prejudice

ㄴ His Excellency fired back with “What dictatorship holds transparent elections?” lmao so satisfying

ㄴ Apparently no National Assembly = dictatorship lol. Does having a National Assembly automatically make a country democratic? Looking at ours, sometimes we’d be better off without one

ㄴ lmaoooo beat them down with facts

ㄴ Wait, they seriously don’t have a National Assembly?

ㄴ They used to, but apparently the previous president dissolved it because the corruption was so bad. Seems like that actually worked out better?

ㄴ Country got better after dissolving its National Assembly lol maybe we should try it too

Title: Is it wrong to deploy troops for money?

ㄴ Reporter was left speechless lmao

ㄴ Got chills the moment he mentioned the 340,000 Korean troops in Vietnam

ㄴ The guts it takes to say that in front of American reporters, holy shit

ㄴ It’s scarier because he’s not even wrong

ㄴ “Even if they told me to grab a rifle and go to the Middle East, I’d do it”

ㄴ His Excellency is seriously amazing at speeches. Wish our politicians were even half that good

ㄴ If that was improvised, that’s even crazier

Title: Apparently they’re buying 6 decommissioned warships from the US for basically scrap value

ㄴ San Marcos Navy leveling up fast, holy shit

ㄴ Doesn’t this basically make them the strongest in the Caribbean?

ㄴ Drump really does seem to like Choi Yu-jin

Title: His Excellency’s diplomacy summarized

China: Belt and Road proposal → His Excellency: I’ll just take the money, thanks^^

America: What?! We’ll give you more! → $100 billion

Strikes on Iran → Oil prices skyrocket → Crude exports hit the jackpot

Hormuz deployment → Gets decommissioned warships practically for free

ㄴ One person did all this?

ㄴ His Excellency is using diplomacy cheat codes

ㄴ Textbook example of a small country extracting gains from the great powers around it

ㄴ Professor, will this be on the exam?

Of course, Yu-jin had absolutely no idea Korean netizens were reacting like this.

***

At the same time.

Libertad.

An underground conference room beneath the Presidential Palace.

Officially, this place did not exist.

A room marked on no blueprint.

Completely soundproofed, with its entrance hidden behind a bookcase in Isabella’s office, this was the meeting place of none other than the UJF.

[UJIN FOREVER.]

Three core members of the secret organization that supported Yu-jin’s absolute power sat around the table.

Isabella.

Lucio.

Pedro.

Footage of the American press conference was playing on the table.

[I am the president of San Marcos. I have a duty to keep the people of San Marcos warm and well fed.]

Yu-jin’s voice from the video echoed through the underground conference room.

[If fulfilling that duty required me to take up a rifle myself, I would do so without hesitation.]

The video ended.

After a brief silence, Isabella spoke first.

“I assume you all saw how His Excellency distinguished himself in the United States?”

Isabella looked around at the three faces.

“His Excellency’s international stature is rising. But.”

Isabella’s eyes sharpened.

“The higher his stature rises abroad, the stronger his foundation must become at home.”

Isabella placed a document on the table.

[Plan for the Reestablishment of the San Marcos Navy]

“Once we take delivery of the six decommissioned warships, we’ll effectively be creating a navy from scratch. You’re both aware of that.”

Pedro nodded.

“We’ll have to rebuild the military organization from the ground up. Either recruit new volunteers or transfer some personnel from the Army.”

“As the military expands, there may be people who begin harboring disloyal thoughts.”

“Hmm, yes. That’s certainly possible.”

Pedro nodded.

After all, in a developing country, the stronger the military became, the greater the likelihood of a coup d'etat. That was a truth as old as time.

“So I prepared this.”

Isabella turned to the next page.

[Establishment of the Special Intelligence Operations Unit — Top Secret]

“While we’re restructuring the military, I think we should create a unit within it and give that unit a special mission.”

Isabella spoke calmly.

“Officially, it will be a Navy maritime operations unit. In practice, however, think of it as a blade for His Excellency.”

Lucio leaned forward and asked.

“You mean to create an intelligence organization within the military, like the SIA.”

“Hmm... Not a bad idea. How large a unit are you thinking?”

“We’ll begin with fifty personnel. We’ll select the best soldiers from the Navy and Army, but there will be one criterion more important than any other.”

Isabella spoke firmly.

“Absolute loyalty to His Excellency.”

“......”

Pedro uncrossed his arms and spoke.

“All right. And once they’re trained, what exactly do you plan to use them for?”

“I intend to assign them as security personnel for the generals.”

“...Sounds to me like you intend to hold the generals’ lives in the palm of your hand.”

“Yes. They’ll monitor them, of course, and if necessary, they’ll also serve as His Excellency’s blade.”

In other words, if any signs of betrayal appeared, they would eliminate the offender immediately.

“Hmm...”

Pedro looked uncomfortable.

Naturally.

He was effectively the highest-ranking man in the military, and she was asking him to hand the lives of the generals over to her.

“You’ll help me, won’t you? Maternal uncle?”

Isabella asked, her eyes sharp.

Faced with eyes filled with a crazed, fanatical loyalty toward His Excellency, Pedro nodded as though conceding defeat.

“...Haa. It’s for His Excellency. How could I refuse? Fine. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you intend to tell His Excellency?”

At Lucio’s question, Isabella thought for a moment before answering.

“You know His Excellency’s personality. I don’t intend to tell him.”

Yu-jin was not someone who actively sought to expand military power.

He would do so when necessary, but he would never go out of his way to forge a blade for himself.

Isabella saw things differently.

For the San Marcos regime to remain stable, she believed His Excellency needed a blade.

Whether His Excellency wanted one or not.

“Then we’ll leave it there for today.”

Isabella rose, looking at the gleaming statue of Yu-jin.

“For the Sun of San Marcos.”

“For the Sun of San Marcos.”

The UJF’s official slogan echoed through the underground conference room.

*****

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