The next day.

Panmunjom became the stage as Hu Jintao and the Chinese delegation crossed the border.

Hu Jintao mobilized not only foreign press but also Chinese media outlets to broadcast the moment across the world.

On the North Korean side, Jang Songthaek, along with the entire top leadership, came out to greet him at the front.

“Haha, President Hu Jintao. Welcome.”

“Chairman Jang Songthaek. Good to see you.”

The two embraced warmly.

“It’s been a while, Chairman Jang.”

Although Hu Jintao and his delegation crossed the border, Yoon Changho remained on the southern side and greeted Jang Songthaek from across the line.

“It’s been a long time, President Yoon.”

After finishing the embrace, Jang Songthaek stepped up to the military demarcation line and extended his hand.

His hand crossed over the line. Yoon Changho clasped it with a smile.

“Chairman Jang. Have you been well?”

The two stood there, hands clasped, exchanging words.

Needless to say, reporters captured every second of it.

“Thanks to you, the situation in our Republic has improved greatly.”

“Isn’t it simply that your policies are finally bearing fruit? We merely lent a small hand.”

“If not for your firm resolve, our North–South relations could never have progressed this far. I am always grateful.”

I listened to the conversation between Jang Songthaek and Yoon Changho from a distance.

‘Looks like Hu Jintao and Jang Songthaek had this planned for quite some time.’

This was the visit of a head of state.

Even with the South Korean government’s approval, something like this couldn’t have been arranged so quickly.

Which meant it had already been coordinated in advance, and South Korea’s approval was merely a final formality.

‘Seems Jang Songthaek and Hu Jintao have grown closer.’

I had heard that after Jiang Zemin lost power completely, multiple rounds of talks had taken place between China and North Korea.

By the time I finished organizing my thoughts, the conversation between Yoon Changho and Jang Songthaek had ended.

“Then we’ll meet again.”

“Of course. I’ll invite you to Seoul, so please make sure to visit, Chairman.”

They released each other’s hands and turned simultaneously toward their respective entourages.

After rejoining his delegation, Yoon Changho turned his head and looked this way.

His gaze landed exactly on me.

I gave a slight nod and began walking at the very rear of the procession behind Jang Songthaek and Hu Jintao.

At Panmungak, the two leaders held a brief meeting with reporters in attendance.

Meanwhile, I spent time in the room assigned to me.

Then there was a knock.

Wen Jiabao stood at the door.

“President Kim. May I come in for a moment?”

“Of course.”

I welcomed him warmly.

“But aren’t you attending the meeting?”

“The two leaders are speaking alone with the press present.”

So even Wen Jiabao and the working-level staff were excluded. On the surface, it was about unity, but no real discussions would take place.

“So nothing important will be discussed.”

“Most likely.”

“Still, it seemed like a visit that required quite a bit of preparation.”

“Haha. There were several exchanges behind the scenes. It was all extremely confidential—fewer than ten people across both countries knew about it.”

“I see.”

“Did it upset you, by any chance?”

Wen Jiabao carefully studied my expression.

He seemed puzzled that I would even be asking about it.

“No. There’s no reason I needed to know.”

Yoon Changho might have been offended, but I wasn’t particularly bothered.

Still, it was clear Jang Songthaek was weighing Hu Jintao against me.

I wondered who he would ultimately choose.

But I never once thought I would lose to Hu Jintao.

If anything, he would eventually ask for my opinion.

“I’m relieved to hear that.”

Wen Jiabao smiled openly in relief.

I changed the subject.

“Did Chairman Chang Xiaobing return to China? I noticed he wasn’t part of the delegation earlier.”

“Yes. He asked for understanding and [N O V E L I G H T] left on a morning flight. He said he needed to convene a board meeting to pass this agenda.”

“That’s unexpected. Leaving the President’s delegation like that.”

“I permitted it. Of course, with President Hu’s approval as well.”

“The way he smiles... he resembles you quite a bit. Hard to believe you’re just distant relatives.”

At that, Wen Jiabao fell silent.

It was clearly a topic he didn’t want to discuss, so I let it go.

I could look into it quietly later.

“Well, that’s not what matters. Did you hear from Chairman Chang Xiaobing?”

“I only heard the general outline. There wasn’t enough time.”

“I offered fairly favorable terms. Out of respect for you, I didn’t attach any additional conditions besides Apple’s.”

“Thank you.”

He already knew.

The exclusive contract I secured from Apple was for my own benefit.

And that I would choose whichever side accepted Apple’s terms along with my two additional conditions.

“If you encounter any difficulties with your business in China, please let me know.”

“Hmm.”

“There’s no need for compensation. So don’t feel burdened.”

“I understand. I’ll think about it and let you know.”

Just then, there was another knock, and a man entered.

“Premier, it’s time to move to the next schedule.”

“Already?”

“Yes. The President is looking for you.”

“Understood. I’ll head out immediately.”

After the man left, Wen Jiabao stood.

“President Kim. You’ve heard about today’s schedule, correct?”

“Yes. I plan to leave midway and look around elsewhere.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Hu Jintao’s group was scheduled to tour multiple locations, starting with the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

I had no intention of following them.

“I’ll see you later in Pyongyang.”

“Very well.”

After Wen Jiabao left, I moved as well.

Dozens of vehicles were lined up in front of Panmungak.

I got into the last one.

Jang Songthaek had prepared three vehicles in advance for me.

I spoke to Ma Seokdae, who got in with me.

“We’ll break off from Kaesong and head toward Nampo City.”

“Yes, boss.”

The vehicles began leaving one by one.

I departed last.

When we arrived at Nampo City and stepped out, I looked around.

It’s completely different from before.

The first thing that caught my eye was an apartment complex nearing completion.

“It’s changed quite a lot. This is your first time seeing it in person too, right?”

“Yes. It’s transforming at an astonishing pace.”

Even Ma Seokdae looked impressed.

The once lifeless city was gone, replaced by a massive construction site filled with workers.

“Are you President Kim Muhyuk?”

Someone approached us.

“Yes. And you are?”

“I’m Kim Cheolgeun from Joongwoo Construction, overseeing the Nampo region.”

“Ah, I heard about you from Chairman Kim Byungwoo.”

I extended my hand, and Kim Cheolgeun grasped it with both of his, looking deeply honored.

“It’s an honor, sir. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

An older man, hair already graying, running around a construction site in North Korea of all places.

It showed how seriously Joongwoo Construction was taking this project.

“I’ll guide you.”

I nodded and followed him.

Nampo City was my design.

I intended to completely transform it into something entirely new.

The place where the West Sea Barrage once stood had already been demolished without a trace.

“This will be the site for the outer port.”

He led me to the designated area.

There were no structures yet, but countless machines and workers were already busy.

“The biggest issue was the sand accumulated on the seabed. We’ve removed a considerable amount, but it’s still not enough.”

“How long will it take?”

“Just the groundwork will take about two years.”

When I didn’t respond, he added firmly,

“But after that, construction won’t take long. Joongwoo Construction has extensive experience building ports.”

“I’ll trust you.”

He continued explaining confidently.

After surveying the future port site, I followed him around further.

The place had changed so much that its old 모습 was unrecognizable.

“How are the workers being paid?”

“In won.”

“Not dollars?”

“No. We exchange dollars through the North Korean government into won and pay wages that way.”

“I see.”

“Yes. The exchange rate has been fixed, and the circulation of dollars in the market is being strictly controlled.”

Jang Songthaek had adopted a pegged exchange rate system to raise the value of the currency.

Alongside currency reform, he was blocking dollar circulation and promoting the use of won.

Maintaining a fixed exchange rate required massive foreign reserves.

Fortunately, North Korea had substantial compensation funds from Japan.

“Ah, it’s lunchtime.”

Workers began heading off in groups.

“How are meals handled?”

“They eat the same meals as North Korean workers.”

“Really? Then let’s go there.”

“...The menu isn’t particularly impressive.”

“That’s fine. I wanted to try it at least once.”

After hesitating, Kim Cheolgeun led us to a dining area made of temporary structures.

There were dozens of them.

“Is this just one?”

“No. There are several dozen like this.”

“I see.”

We entered without lining up.

“Director!”

A woman rushed over after spotting him.

“You’re eating here today?”

“Yes. And this is—”

“I’m Kim Muhyuk.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of you. The president—”

Before she could finish, Kim Cheolgeun introduced her.

“She’s in charge of this cafeteria.”

“So you’re the owner.”

“Yes.”

“You seem close. What’s your relationship?”

“Haha... she’s a relative.”

These construction-site cafeterias were lucrative businesses.

It was common for executives’ relatives to run them.

“I see. Let’s eat.”

I had no intention of questioning it.

That was simply how people survived.

“Sir, please don’t misunderstand. We don’t cut costs using low-quality ingredients.”

“Haha, don’t worry. I have no intention of saying anything.”

“Thank you!”

Kim Cheolgeun bowed deeply.

We took trays and moved forward.

It was a Korean-style buffet.

After filling my tray, I sat down and took a spoonful of seaweed soup.

It tasted better than expected.

“It’s better than I thought.”

“The ingredients are imported from South Korea. Not daily—once a week in bulk. It’s still difficult to source food locally.”

He explained in detail, clearly worried about giving a bad impression.

I nodded occasionally and looked around.

“What percentage of the staff are South Korean?”

“About 1%. The rest are North Korean.”

As expected, most people were speaking in North Korean dialects.

After finishing everything on my tray, I stepped outside.

“I see soldiers around as well.”

“Yes... well.”

Kim Cheolgeun gave a bitter smile.

Something about it felt off.

“Is there a problem?”

“...Well.”

“Go ahead.”

After glancing around, he lowered his voice.

“There’s some... abuse from the soldiers.”

“Abuse?”

“Yes. Not toward South Korean staff, but they demand kickbacks from the workers here.”

I frowned.

“Kickbacks? Who has the guts to take kickbacks here, in a place personally overseen by Chairman Jang Songthaek?”

“It seems to be an established practice. We protested several times, but the results weren’t good.”

“Did you report it to Pyongyang?”

“No... we have to keep working with them. Reporting it directly to Pyongyang would be...”

I nodded and looked around.

My eyes met a group of soldiers laughing among themselves.

They stared straight at me, smirking.

“South or North, people are the same everywhere.”

Even the smallest bit of power makes people want to stand above others.

That didn’t change here either.