December 26, 2019, 14:00

  President’s office, Blue House, Jongro-ku, Seoul.

  Korea’s intelligence agencies, the NIS and the Defense Security Command, directed their attention to Lee Byung-chul. Both organizations started to collect and analyze various information related to the situation in North Korea, excluding already-known information and intelligence.

  A few days later, they succeeded in wiretapping the phone call between Lee Byung-chul and the unidentified person from Washington. After analyzing the conversation, they concluded that Lee Byung-chul’s final goal was to target the fifth South-North representative staff meeting in February of next year.

  “We must postpone the meeting,” NIS Secretary Na Bong-il said in a forceful tone. Inside the president’s office, only silence could be heard. No one objected to the secretary’s comment. The president also fell into deep thought and looked at the scenery outside, which had turned white with snow.

  While this was happening, Minister of Unification Oh Seung-tae said carefully, “It might be dangerous, but we can proceed.”


  NIS Secretary Na Bong-il stood up, leaned forward, and spoke once more. “Minister Oh, you could lose your life in the terrorist bombing.”


  “I could lose my life, as Secretary Na said. However, postponing the meeting won’t change the situation in North Korea. It might even give time for a coup to happen, and wouldn’t that be worse?”


  National Security Director Oh Jang-soo couldn’t think of a better plan and answered neither in the affirmative or the negative. “I can’t think of anything better.”


  The president quietly called the minister over. “Minister Oh Seung-tae.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  “I oppose your plan. I can’t send you, considering the danger.” The president spoke curtly, a determined look in his eyes.

  “I am grateful to you for saying so. However, there’s no guarantee that the NIS’s intel is 100% correct, is there? Even if the intel is correct, there will be time before the South-North representative staff meeting starts, so couldn’t we come up with a solution by then? I believe we can come up with a plan by then.”


  “A plan……” the president said. He lapsed back into thought and put both his hands on the table, then looked at NIS Secretary Na Bong-il. “Is it possible?” he asked the secretary. “Under the assumption a terrorist attack will occur, can we stop it?”


  NIS Secretary Na Bong-il’s head began to swim when he heard the president’s question. He wanted to confidently say they were more than capable of doing so, but if he said that, he could be cornered into sending Minister Oh Seung-tae to his death. Therefore, he took a moment to think, and then came up with a solution.

  “I cannot guarantee it,” NIS Secretary Na Bong-il said. “However, if we change the location of the meeting to our side at Panmunjeom (The Joint Security Area), then we could possibly stop the attack.”


  “Good. If so, Minister Oh, let’s change the meeting location to our jurisdiction area. Could that be possible?”


  “Considering the current atmosphere of the South-North relationship, I don’t believe there will be any opposition.”


  “Let’s proceed with the plans as scheduled, only changing the location. However, if moving the location proves to be difficult, then we will delay the meeting.”


  Minister Oh Seung-tae also seemed to believe that this was the best course of action. Agreeing with the president’s words, he said, “All right, Mr. President. I will report back to you after I hear back about the request to change the location of the meeting.”


  * * *

  December 28, 2019, 16:00

  Training classroom in the 99th Flight Training Wing Air Force Base Basement, 3rd floor, in Muju-gun, Jeonbuk.

  Despite it being a Saturday, the 99th Flight Training Wing trainees were all busy learning how to operate the next-generation fighter jets.

  Choi Young-ho wanted to pass out, having listened to the instructor repeat aviation concepts like lift off and drag until he felt like his ears were going to fall off. However, with the thought of becoming a next-generation fighter jet pilot, he rubbed his tired eyes and paid attention to the instructor.

  “Young-ho, you’re working way too hard, don’t you think?” his best friend Jeon Chang-bin said, poking his side with a pen.

  “Don’t you know I’m the type that sees things through until the end?”


  “My a*s. You?”


  “Stop distracting me. You should pay attention too, you know? Don’t fail the exam, and stay here for another month.”


  “You must’ve forgotten about how your grades were lower than mine at the Academy, haven’t you, Young-ho?”


  “I was preoccupied by something else! But not now.”


  “Excuses.”


  * * *

  December 31, 2019, 10:00

  Naro Space center in Goheung-kun, Jeonnam.

  This past January, the first Woorinaro rocket was launched, and in October. the second reconnaissance satellite, “KS-SS Apollo” 1, 2 and 3, was launched into orbit. In less than two months, the third rocket, Woorinaro 3, was being prepared for its journey into space.

  This satellite was kept top secret, and it was only reported to the press as an early warning system satellite. However, the actual satellite that was launched was the strategical interception satellite “Zeus 1.” It was expected to reach a geostationary orbit of 36,000 km, and it could enter into any orbit with its own plasma thrust engine. It was acquired and developed from Splithian’s scientific technology, and marked the pinnacle of Korea’s applied technology.

  Size: 5.5(H)x2.6(D)x1.80(L)m,

  Weight: 150t

  Orbit: 36,000㎞ Geostationary Orbit

  Functions: Invisibility concealment system, shield cover system

  Thrusters: Plasma Superprotonic engines (Engine weight 80t)

  Weaponry:

  Strike Laser Cannon: High power laser beam -> to strike down ballistic missiles and other land structures

  Space to Land K-SH S Zinog Missile (diameter: 220m, length: 3m) 4 launch system (2*2)*2 = 8 units -> destroys within a 5km radius a plasma amplification missile

  Space to Land K-SE S Epirus Missile (diameter: 130m, length: 2.5m) 8 launch system (4*2)*2 = 16 units -> destroys electronics within an area of 15km radius with a SEMP pulse.

  Because of its invisibility concealment system, it cannot be detected by any optical camera.

  In 1967, the leaders of space exploration—America, Russia, China, and Japan—formed an agreement to ban weaponized satellites. They could conduct theoretical research on satellite weapons like Zeus, but could not commercialize them. However, the reason these countries didn’t develop such a satellite was due not only to the ban, but also because a weaponized satellite would be too heavy, and a launch receptacle that could carry such a load had not yet been developed. Korea’s Woorinaro, however, had a thrust capacity of 500t, so it was more than capable of launching Zeus 1 into orbit.

  The Korean government proceeded with the four-stage plan to erect the KAMD (Korean Air and Missile Defense) system to defend against neighboring countries armed with nuclear weapons, including North Korea.

  Stage 1: Use the KS-AD Zeus to strike down all types of missiles targeting Korea, including ballistic ones, before they reach the nation’s airspace, and then retaliate against the missiles’ source with the Laser Cannon.

  Stage 2: Use the “Three-Toed Crow” space fighter jet’s laser cannon to strike down the ballistic missile in space before it releases its warhead.

  Stage 3: Use the advanced missile defense “KS-LD HADES” system, which is more advanced than America’s THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system, to strike down long-range missiles up to 5,000 km and S-LSM-600 Bident before entering outer space at an altitude of 1,000 km to 5,000 km.

  Step 4: Strike down missiles with KD-4 Hocula Destroyers and Hocula Cruiser’s Trianna missiles with a range of 3,200 km at an altitude of 500 km to 3,000 km and make a final strike using the SM-3 Block 1A missiles from the KD-3A Destroyer at an altitude of 500 km.

  A moment later, the Woorinaro 3 emitted blue flames and began to rise into the atmosphere. When it reached an altitude of 2 km, it showed an explosive force, then accelerated and shot through the atmosphere.

  Two hours later, the Zeus 1 successfully reached geostationary orbit, and Korea had successfully finished the first stage of its KAMD program. When the program reached its fourth stage in 2021, it would have surpassed the American MD system.

  * * *

  December 31, 2019, 16:30

  CC Bunker, Yongsan-ku, Seoul (Strategic Interception Satellite KS-AD Zeus 1 mission control).

  The Yongsan CC bunker was used as a command center for the U.S-Korea allied forces, but after the US armed forces left the peninsula in June, operational authority was returned to Korea, and the bunker was now used as the mission control for the aerospace force.

  At the center of the mission control room, head of operations for the Zeus strategic interception satellite, was a 500-inch screen, with four 300-inch screens to its right and left, along with ten other smaller screens. The operators were seated in three rows and were all staring at their own monitors and working nonstop.

  One of the operators, who was busily checking variables, grabbed a headset and spoke loudly.

  “Data link from Apollo 2 satellite. Missiles detected. Targets headed for the Eastern Sea air space by 37°7’35.18″N and 8’49.85″E area, directions at 0-9-3, and speed at Mach 0.8.”


  “Data link from Apollo 2 satellite at East Sea air space and 130.°”


  The interception commander sent in the order to strike. “Lock on, and screen 1 zoom in, open.”


  “Lock-on one, and screen 1 zoom in open!”


  The center screen of the satellite command center had zoomed in on Korea’s atmosphere and caught a cruise missile speeding through an area 50 km East of Uljin-kun.

  “Engage Zeus interception system.”


  “Interception system online!”


  The strike operator repeated the orders of the interception commander and began operating the keyboard and control levers. Zeus 1, at an orbit of 36,000 km, began to thrust from its nozzles, then changed its angle toward earth slightly before opening its circular doors, revealing a laser cannon.

  “Plasma! Output 100%!”


  After the output operator’s report, the strike operator shouted that they were ready to strike. “Target scan complete. Ready to strike!”


  The strike operator turned his head to look at Commander Lim Soo-ho, who nodded his head, and then shouted after receiving the sign to go ahead.

  “Fire.”


  “Fire!”


  At the commander’s order, the operator pressed the button to fire. When he did so, the Zeus satellite’s gun port began to spark up and then emit a blue light straight toward the skies over the East Sea.

  Whirl~ Boom~

  The cruise missile flying at the speed of Mach 0.85 was struck by the blue beam of light, and then disappeared after exploding into dust.

  “Target has been hit! Final strike location! N 37° 8’37.93″ E 130°16’37.78,” the operator shouted excitedly, and everyone in the command center cheered and raised their arms in celebration.

  “Yeah!”


  Clap clap clap!

  The missile strike test conducted after confirming the status of Zeus after entering orbit was successful. The Zeus 1 Satellite interception system, which was originally designed to target ballistic missiles, had successfully intercepted a slow target at the speed of Mach 0.85.