February 7th, 2021, 10:00

  The prime minister’s cabinet building, Adachi prefecture, Tokyo, Japan

  Negotiator Randy Johnson, who had spoken with the Corean Ministry of Foreign Affairs the day before, walked into the cabinet building while being guided by the government officials of Japan.

  “Welcome.”


  “Great to meet you.”


  Yagumachi Genzo, Prime Minister Abe’s secretary and trusted aide, personally greeted Randy Johnson and his entourage from the front entrance. The two men greeted each other with a brief handshake and stepped into the building. They took the elevator to the 8th floor and halted in front of a fancy looking entrance.

  “Please head on in. The prime minister is waiting for you.”


  Secretary Yagumachi Genzo politely opened the door and guided Randy Johnson in.

  Randy Johnson noticed that the room’s interior was extravagantly decorated in Italian style. He glanced around before stepping into the room. An elderly man was sitting on a large sofa placed at the center of the room.

  “Thanks for coming. I am Shinzo Abe.”


  “Hello! I am Randy Johnson, the white house’s foreign policy negotiator.”


  “Yes, please take a seat.”


  The two men had sat across from each other at the large sofas and made light conversation while drinking the tea that the secretaries had prepared. Yagumachi Genzo, who had been standing behind Prime Minister Abe, spoke up about the topic that had called for this meeting.

  “Negotiator Randy Johnson! We would like to go over Corea’s demands if you would please.”


  “Yes, let’s.”


  When Randy Johnson turned around and snapped his fingers to his aide standing behind him, he pulled out a briefcase. Randy Johnson punched in the passcode, then placed the documents on the table.

  “These are Corea’s demands for Japan.”


  Prime Minister Abe carefully read over the documents. After a while, his eyes began to dart back and forth. Then he tossed the documents to Yagumachi Genzo while frowning. He carefully took them and read quickly.

  “They are considering our nation as the defeated one in this war? How could you bring demands like this to us?” Yagumachi Genzo, who had been famous for his feats as the Ministry of Defense’s negotiator, also seemed shocked at the demands while speaking to Randy Johnson.

  “I also believed Corea’s demands were too much and tried to request for an amendment of their demands, but the Corean president was adamant. He kept saying there is no room for negotiation for these demands. What was I supposed to do? Since America is neutral in all of this, we had no choice but to accept them as they are, and deliver them here.”


  Randy Johnson, who seemed a bit flustered, shrugged while speaking.

  Prime Minister Abe retorted back in an angry tone. “Do you think we contacted President Trump to hear unbelievable demands like this? How could you do this to your ally?”


  Prime Minister Abe slammed his fist on the table. The half-full cup of tea spilled and its content poured over the entire table.

  “I have requested to President Trump to put an end to the illegal warfare Corea is committing and punish them for their crimes, not to hear such insane demands.”


  Randy Johnson had expected Japan to oppose the demands made by Corea, but he did not expect Prime Minister Abe to refuse these conditions this brashly. Since he was unaware of the truth behind President Trump and Prime Minister Abe’s phone call, he was slightly shocked.

  “Prime minister! The American government wants the war between Corea and Japan to end peacefully. That’s why we are doing everything in our power while maintaining our neutrality, and you have the nerve to be upset with us?”


  When Randy Johnson finished speaking, Prime Minister Abe snatched the documents secretary Yagumachi Genzo was holding, tossed them at Randy Johnson, and shouted at him.

  “Are Corea’s demands truly for a peaceful end to the war? These are demands that consider our nation the defeated one, are they not? Is President Trump aware of these demands?”


  “He gave me full authority over this negotiation, so he does not know the details.”


  “Show this to President Trump immediately. We will talk after that.”


  Prime Minister Abe stood up from his seat with a furious look on his face and vanished into the other room.

  Prime Minister Abe’s actions were rude, considering Randy Johnson had come in place of President Trump. However, since negotiator Randy Johnson was unaware of the truth behind the relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Abe, he had no choice but to stifle his rage and stand up.

  “I’ll guide you to your accommodations. Please follow me.”


  Secretary Yagumachi Genzo spoke first.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”


  “Mr. Johnson, Corea has set the deadline for the negotiation at 18:00 tomorrow, so you must give Prime Minister Abe a sure answer by then.” Secretary Yagumachi Genzo, who was taking the lead, spoke in a threatening tone.

  “How are the Japanese able to speak so rudely? It’s as if they consider our government to be nothing. Is there something between our nation and theirs that I am not aware of?” Randy Johnson thought as he followed Secretary Genzo. Suspicious thoughts filled his head as he kept walking.

  * * *

  February 7th, 2021, 11:00

  Seoul, Yongsan-ku, B2 bunker (ROK military joint command center)

  The morning operation had been interrupted by America’s interjection. The Joint Chief of Staff began to conduct a secret meeting that even considered warring against America.

  “I can’t understand it. The Americans have put a fly in our soup, but for what?” Vice-chairman Choi Ho-il started the meeting with an upset tone.

  “I suppose there’s something between Japan and America that we are unaware of. Don’t you think so, vice-chairman?” Chairman Kang Ui-sik answered.

  “Aren’t you curious about what that is? I wish I knew what those bastards were up to.”


  “Let’s leave the politics to the politicians and focus on our duty as soldiers, and discuss the topic of war against the Americans first. Before we do, let’s have a quick briefing about Russia’s military movements. Lieutenant General Ahn.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Lieutenant General Ahn Gil-won, the intelligence director, stepped up to the podium.

  “We will begin the briefing about Russia’s military movements.”


  Lieutenant General Ahn Gil-won started the briefing by showing the footage he prepared on the screen.

  “The Russian military is showing no active movements, unlike the early stages. We are analyzing their movements from various angles, but we are currently unable to come up with a sure conclusion. The conclusion we were able to come up with is that they are waiting for the opportunity to strike. Please direct your attention to the screen.”


  The intelligence about the 5th military from the eastern forces showed up in detail.

  “The intelligence you are looking at is the latest one and is based on the 24-hour surveillance we conducted since January 21st.”


  The 5th military’s equipment shown on screen were all the latest ones that Russia had developed and placed on the field. The latest T-14 Armada tanks were already fully mobilized into their armored forces. Russia’s 5th military was also equipped with the latest technology such as: the MSTA-S 2S19 self-propelled guns, 152mm 2S35 Koaltrisia-SV, 9K720 Iskander short-range ballistic missiles, Tor-M2U anti-air interception missile systems, Panchiri-S KAMAZ-6560 systems, Rakushka armored vehicles, BMD-4 next-generation infantry armored vehicles, and the S400 Triumph surface-to-air missiles.

  “The army’s equipment has been replaced with the latest equipment, but their air force and navy are still in a similar state as before.”


  “I guess those Russians must have had a hard time transporting all that gear over,” vice-chairman Choi Ho-il spoke sarcastically.

  Vice-chairman Shin Sung-yong chimed in as well. “You’re right. I just hope they don’t regret their decision after they get annihilated.”


  “Right? If Putin thinks that will be enough to stop us, he will sorely regret his decision.”


  When the room became abuzz, Lieutenant General Ahn Gil-won cleared his throat and made everyone direct their attention back to the briefing.

  Vice-chairman Choi Ho-il, who noticed his signal, raised his hand and spoke. “I apologize for disrupting your briefing Lieutenant General Ahn, please continue.”


  “Thank you, sir. As mentioned in the last briefing, our eastern front lines are being guarded by the 11th and 12th corps under the 5th sentry command. Then, the 82nd armored division and the 81st mechanized infantry division are set to be the reserve force for them. The 3rd military command’s 5th corps with its 6th mechanized infantry division, 8th mechanized infantry division, and the 3rd armored division were to be tasked with defending the border located at the Duman River. However, since Russia’s 5th military’s power has been bolstered, we have changed the assignment of the defending forces.”


  “Which forces have been chosen?” Chairman Kang Ui-sik asked.

  “Yes, the 20th armored division from the 7th mobile corps have been chosen. They were originally planned to be stationed at the Youngju area (Jirin province) and act as the reserve force at the Manchurian area, but after discussing the matter with other military commanders, we have concluded using them as the main defending force against Russia’s 5th military.”


  “They fought so hard during the war against China, and now they are tasked with another crucial mission! Please give my regards to General Lee Un-hyung.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  “That concludes our briefing! Other decisions remain the same as our last briefing.”


  Lieutenant General Ahn Gil-won saluted and returned to his seat. Lieutenant General Na Tae-yoon, the operations director, stood up from his seat and went up to the podium.

  “Up next, is our response and plans for the military conflict against America, if the situation worsens.”


  When Lieutenant General Na Tae-yoon finished speaking, the military strength of the U.S showed up on the screen.

  “This statistic is based on the military power the U.S is willing to deploy if there was a war on our peninsula. Please direct your attention to the screen.”


  Lieutenant General Na pointed the screen with his laser pointer.

  “The mobilizing forces will be 690,000 men from the army, marines, navy, and air force. 160 vessels and 2000 planes will be deployed as well. For the army, the 2nd infantry division under the 8th military and its additional 4 divisions will be deployed, while the 7th naval fleet and the 7th fighter wing from the air force will join the fight. We will now begin the detailed briefing about each force.”


  * * *

  February 7th, 2021, 16:00

  Tokyo, Japan, Haneda Airport

  The large-scale air raids from Corea had caused the Haneda International Airport to crowd up from people trying to leave the nation. Secretary Yagumachi Genzo was surrounded by men in black suits and exited the customs area through the designated area for government officials with his entourage.

  Secretary Yagumachi Genzo’s destination was Moscow, Russia. Prime Minister Abe, who was upset by Corea’s unbelievable demands, had called Secretary Genzo to task him with an important mission. He was to be sent as an envoy to meet with President Putin of Russia and deliver Prime Minister Abe’s message.

  Yagumachi Genzo boarded the plane headed to Russia. He sat on the comfy business class chair and closed his eyes to think about the important mission he was to go through.

  Soon, the JAL B717-200 plane headed to Moscow pulled onto the runway. The four engines roared and the plane began to move forward. As the plane gained momentum, it moved along the runway and flew into the sky.