November 21, 2023, 15:30 (Iraq time 09:30)

  About 20 kilometers north of Kirkuk, Iraq The 111th Marine Battalion of the 11th Marine Corps Brigade, which had been obstructed 10 kilometers from Kirkuk, the final occupation of the Kurdistan Revolutionary War, stopped and retreated 20 kilometers behind it early two days ago.

  The Golden Division, outfitted with advanced equipment, had prevented the 111th Marine Battalion from attacking using as many as six armored brigades. As a result, Lieutenant Colonel Na Hyuk-jin, commander of the 111th Marine Battalion, cursed them while ordering his troops to retreat.

  Lieutenant Colonel Na Hyuk-jin would have ordered a frontal breakthrough rather than a retreat order if their tanks were White Tiger tanks instead of the Black Tiger tanks that they were using currently. Even though the Golden Division’s primary tanks were the M1A1 Abrams and the Russian-made T-80U tank, which were used in Korea before reunification, the number of tanks in the six armored brigades reached 400.

  It would take significant risks to deal with 400 third-generation C-2A1 black tankers and 200 armored vehicles armed with anti-tank guided missiles.

  As the situation worsened, the 111th Marine Battalion retreated 20 kilometers north of Kirkuk, switched from offensive to defensive tactics, and set up defenses.

  Currently, the 11th Marine Corps Brigade (Kwangryong)’s 112th and 113th Marine Battalions had taken over Altun Kupri for the Republic of Kurdistan and were all engaged in the occupation of large oil fields in Kirkuk. Kirkuk had 11 large oil fields that would take at least two days to occupy.

  In other words, the 111th Marine Battalion had to defend it no matter what until the brigade headquarters and the other two battalions arrived on the 23rd. Otherwise, it would have given up the Altun Kupri, which was only temporarily occupied.

  Meanwhile, after the Golden Division had completed its deployment to Kirkuk’s northern part, the six armored brigades started their operations to recover Altun Kupri. As a result, a huge scuffle with the 111th Marine Battalion was expected.

  Roar! Roar! Whoosh.

  Despite the 13-kilometer distance, a massive cloud of dust that could be seen with the naked eye was rising. More than 200 tanks and armored vehicles were moving, creating dust clouds.

  “It’s enormous.” Corporal Lee Hae-sung, the 132 Tank catcher who identified more than 200 tanks that appeared as red light through clouds of dirt, was surprised and couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

  “Oh, my God! They’ll all be burning scrap metal in no time,” Sergeant Kim Yoon-sung, the tank’s chief, responded by setting M1A1 Abrams tanks to target them one by one through Hyun Si-kyung.

  “Commander! Isn’t there a lot of them?”


  The turret automatically moved according to the set target and the aiming point was gathered in the center of the turret of the enemy tank of the first target.

  Corporal Lee Hae-sung said, “Hold the plasma tank tightly so that you can fire them at any time and wait for the order.”


  “Hey, hey! It may be a numerical disadvantage for offensive tactics, but didn’t you learn in tactical training that this number is sufficient to cover?”


  Tuck!

  Sergeant Kim Yoon-sung opened his left arm and lightly hit Corporal Lee Hae-sung’s helmet.

  “Oh! I learned it but isn’t this your first time facing this in real life?”


  “Yeah, yeah, it’s possible because you’re a corporal catcher without a lot of experience.”


  “Are you underestimating me because I’m a corporal?”


  “Yes, son of a bitch, I’m underestimating you. What are you going to do about it?”


  To relieve tension before the battle, Sergeant Kim Yoon-sung joked and hit Corporal Lee Hae-sung’s helmet, and soon after, a thundering sound could be heard at the rear.

  It was the sound of artillery shells from the C-9A1 Lightning Self-Propelled Guns and plasma-diffused bullets flying from the northern tip of Altun Kupri.

  Dozens of 155mm plasma diffuse shells fired at 18 gates at the same time flew in an invisible parabola, and they were soon fired all over Kirkuk’s northern end.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  With the first blast, plasma diffused ammunition sprayed through the air, quickly exploding and engulfing everything on the ground.

  Massive debris on the ground shattered the top of the turret of the upcoming Golden Division’s M1A1 Abrams tank, resulting in explosions inside the turret. The long chariot then shot limply away, and the caterpillar, which had been turning to dust, came to a halt.

  A catastrophe of this magnitude struck not only the tanks but also artillery units and anti-communist units of the Golden Division, which were waiting far behind. Even before the battle, all types of reconnaissance forces were mobilized to capture all of the Golden Division’s units.

  While artillery units and incoming armored forces were bombarded with artillery, Iraq, which had only mobilized its air force, was bombarded with anti-air forces.

  Twelve Su-25 ground-attackers and four Su-30K warplanes from Baghdad’s airbase were flying at a rapid pace to battle the defense of the 111th Marine Battalion.

  November 21, 2023, 17:00

  The intersection of Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, South State

  Despite Corea’s declaration of a general state of emergency that prohibited all rallying activities, the protests quickly spread across the country on the 17th.

  According to one of the president’s aides in the Blue House, the government should use public power to crack down on the issue. Otherwise, it could lead to national division.

  President Choo Un-hee, on the other hand, did not know whether she should do so or wait for an active resolution to the protests, but she continued to urge Kim Soo-kyeom, the Minister of Government Administration to focus on the safety of ordinary citizens.

  Senior presidential officials and ministers continued to visit the Blue House and make sincere statements to the president, but they were forced to return after learning that she was aware of it.

  Against this backdrop, two protesters with different political tendencies confronted each other in Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, and they were swearing at and slandering each other.

  At the southern end of Sejong-daero, 250,000 protesters in red bands demonstrated with flags and panels condemning the current central government, while 300,000 conservative civic group protesters criticized the Red Protesters as “left-wing red groups.” Both were protesting against each other.

  These opposing political protesters had become more violent over time, and the 30,000 police officers deployed to stop them had attempted to contain the situation by erecting human shields in multiple layers and mobilizing vehicles.

  However, protesters from both sides broke down the police barrier and clashed. The rough stone between ideologies occurred at the intersection of Sejong-daero, and it will be remembered as the most painful memory in the history of the unified Corea.

  November 21, 2023, 17:30

  Nam Joo National Intelligence Service in Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Choi Jo-sil of the Foreign Intelligence Service)

  “You’ve arrived?”


  Director Lee Young-jin was visiting the director’s office, where all the interrogation rooms of the Foreign Intelligence Agency were shown.

  “Yeah, what have you got?” Director Lee Young-jin entered the office with his secretary and asked Director Kang Ki-won.

  “I’m sorry, but so far……,” Director Kang Ki-won bowed his head and trailed off.

  “Until when we can hold them?”


  If they could not get critical evidence or a confession within the next three hours, Kim Hyung-chul and Woo Byung-hoo would be released. All items seized and searched at the time of the arrest were not useful as evidence.

  “20:00.”


  “Well, less than three hours left.”


  Director Lee Young-jin checked his watch and continued, “Sigh, the president is still looking forward to it.”


  At the sound of Director Lee Young-jin’s sigh, Kang Ki-won wanted to hide in a rat hole.

  November 21, 2023, 18:00

  Kaesong University Hospital (admission room) in Bukseong-gu, Hwanghae-do, North State

  Manager Lee Hye-jin was in the intensive care unit after two surgeries, and this afternoon she was moved into a general room and was allowed to have visitors.

  “I want you to quit after this. What do you think?”


  Manager Lee Hye-jin, who was lying on the bed with her entire leg wrapped in white bandages, was furious at Namgoong-won’s words.

  “Won, what kind of job can I get after this kind of injury? Do not say that again because I’m fine!”


  “You’re fine? Ask them to move you to the internal service department instead of fieldwork!”


  “Won! What is wrong with you?”


  “What do you mean? I’m so worried! If I meet that bastard, he will be dead.”


  Feeling upset, Namgoong-won’s voice went up.

  “Honey, I don’t have the strength to fight with you! Let’s talk about this later!”


  “No way! Give me your answer right now.”


  A knock was heard at the door.

  Knock, knock, knock, knock!

  “Yes, come in.”


  The door opened and a man with a bouquet of flowers came in. It was Team Leader Park Gi-oong.

  “Oh! You are here, too.”


  Team Leader Park Gi-oong bowed to Namgoong-won and immediately approached Manager Lee Hye-jin and hugged her while asking about her health.

  “Oh! I was so worried. Manager, how’s the wound?”


  “Oh! Thank you for the flowers. It’s okay. They said the surgery went well.”


  “That’s a relief. I’m sorry for being late. I came a few days ago, but they didn’t allow visitors, so I just went back.”


  “Oh, I see. Then let us have a meal together.”


  “I didn’t think of that. Haha.” Team leader Park Gi-oong scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.

  “Team Leader Park! How’s it going? Did you catch Oh Ji-wan?”


  Manager Lee Hye-jin, who had just been in the intensive care unit for three days after surgery, knew nothing. The Counter-Terrorism Investigation Department deliberately refrained from reporting anything to her for her safety.

  “You didn’t know. I caught him that night.”


  Namgoong-won asked a question when he said that he had caught him, “Who?”


  “Haha, I got him.”


  “As expected, you are the most elite agent in our department.”


  “I’m flattered, manager!”


  “Can I see his face?”


  When Namgoong-won asked with an angry expression, Team Leader Park Gi-oong answered with an embarrassed expression, “Oh Ji-wan is being treated at the NIS hospital. When he was arrested, he was severely injured. So, we couldn’t even interrogate him until now, haha. What do you think would happen to him if my face looked like this?”


  Park Gi-oong pointed to his face. Even after three days, the bruises and swelling around the eyes had not been removed yet.

  “Well done! And Won, you are a civilian!” After looking at Park Gi-oong’s face with a pitiful expression, Manager Lee Hye-jin immediately turned to Namgoong-won and chided him.

  Nam Goong-won replied with a disappointed look on his face, “Hye-jin! What do you mean, civilian? I’m an honorary NIS agent! What’s wrong with you?”


  In fact, even after resigning from the National Intelligence Service, Namgoong-won sometimes helped with requests for specialized work such as hacking. So, he was considered a non-regular agent.

  “Won! That’s enough. Did you find anything else through Goo Sang-sik?” Lee Hye-jin glared at Namgoong-won and asked Park Gi-oong again.

  “Yes, I’ve asked the manager’s department and they didn’t get any information from him.”


  “Team Leader Park!”


  “Yes, manager!”


  “Goo Sang-sik was very afraid of Oh Ji-wan. I think it’s because he betrayed him. Oh Ji-wan probably doesn’t know yet. If we use that well, I think we’ll get important information from Goo Sang-sik.”


  “Ah, I see. Even so, it is hard to secure evidence. I heard that Kim Hyung-chul and Woo Byung-hoo will be released today…… I don’t think this is the time to be here. I’ll go first.”


  “Yeah, go!”


  “Yes, take care of yourself.”