January 1st, 2024, 07:20

  B2 bunker in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Namju (conference room of the Armed Forces Joint Command Control Center)

  The Joint Chiefs of Staff completed the briefing on the results of the ‘Eraser Operation,’ the start of the unlimited retaliatory attack in which they deployed the largest force in history to devastate the entire region of New China’s border, and the briefing on the second operation, ‘Flattening Operation,’ was just about to begin.

  Brigadier General Lee Hun-sang, head of the Operations Planning Division, who established the second phase of ‘Flattening Operation,’ took the stage next to the screen, with a microphone placed near his mouth. They were in a meeting room that was packed with commanders and staff members from every army division.

  “From now on, we will begin the briefing on ‘Flattening Operation,’ the second stage of our unlimited retaliatory attacks.”


  As Brigadier General Lee Hun-sang announced that he was about to start the briefing, the screen automatically turned on, and a digital map showing the entire border between South Korea and New China appeared.

  While the first phase, ‘Eraser Operation,’ was a defensive attack to halt New China’s advance, the second phase, ‘Flattening Operation,’ was an aggressive attack on New China’s major cities and industrial facilities.

  “Please look at the screen first.”


  As a consequence of Brigadier General Lee Hun-sang’s words, a digital map of not only the border but the entire New China appeared on the screen and numbers were assigned throughout the country.

  The numbered cities were mostly large cities with populations in the millions, or industrial complexes, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan, Datong, Changzhou, Shijiazhuang, Hengshui, and Binzhou.

  The ‘Flattening Operation’ was established to end the war with New China at an early stage, and it was literally intended to flatten the targeted cities, as the name suggests. Despite the fact that most of these cities were populated by a large number of civilians and military operations should have been limited, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Shin Sung-yong, who was entrusted by the president with unrestricted retaliatory attacks and full control over all operations, ordered the operation to proceed regardless.

  Therefore, it was a simple operation in which they planned to completely flatten the cities by conducting a massive attack after ordering residents of the targeted cities to evacuate through the use of various media and means for a week.

  Even though the operation was sensitive because it risked isolating Korea from the UN and the international community as a result of the civilian massacre that might occur if the civilians did not comply with the evacuation order and remained in the cities, the Ministry of National Defense and the government were not currently in a position to be concerned about this.

  This was because of New China’s manipulation over the years, which siphoned off-key plasma technologies and used the plasma bombs developed by them in their previous invasion, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths in the civilian city of Najin.

  About 10 minutes later…


  “Finally, in seven days from now at 10 p.m., the second phase ‘Flattening Operation’ will begin. We will launch attacks in those 32 cities. That concludes today’s briefing.”


  At the end of the briefing, some of the commanders and staff who were sitting looked worried.

  January 1st, 2024, 09:30

  The Central Military Manpower Administration in Guro-gu, Seoul

  South Korea, as usual, welcomed the new year in a festive atmosphere, but at 2 a.m., various media outlets reported the Russian military’s massive counterattack and the surprise invasion of the New China Army. As a result, the South Korean military, which was defending the border area, suffered greater losses than expected.

  As a result, people trying to celebrate the holiday peacefully were filled with anxiety and fear, but the active response from government ministries and President Choo Un-hee’s public statement helped to alleviate their concerns.

  The Republic of Korea, which nearly fell into great chaos as a result of the war’s expansion due to New China’s participation, was able to settle down without major disruptions and end the situation without much agitation. Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration received a flood of military support inquiries from young people in their twenties and office workers in their thirties who had heard the news, by either calling or visiting them in person.

  Amid the crowds of people who were flocking to the Central Military Manpower Administration, there were reporters from various broadcasting stations.

  “Why did you come here today?”


  A beautiful female reporter asked a young man who appeared to be an office worker.

  “I came here after hearing the news this morning.”


  “Then, are you here to enlist in the military?”


  “Yes, that’s right. Haha, I only packed these simple things.”


  The young man smiled brightly, showing the backpack he was carrying.

  “But how old are you?”


  “Haha, I’m 32 years old.”


  “So you are not in the reserve forces as you’ve turned 32, right?”


  “Yes, that’s right. It’s been two years since I’ve completed my reserve service.”


  From 2022, the period of reserve forces had been reduced to six years and civil defense to four years.

  “And you’re still applying to the military?”


  “How does that matter in a national crisis? Although it has been over eight years since I was discharged from the military, all the things I learned while serving in the military for two years are still in my NDA. Hahaha.”


  “Oh! In DNA?”


  “Yes, yes, here, here.”


  The man tapped his chest and looked confident.

  “Oh, thank you for the interview. Would you like to say something before you go?”


  When the reporter asked him, the man coughed several times and looked at the camera.

  “I’m sorry, mum and dad. I’m sorry for surprising you with my re-enlistment in the army when you hadn’t even had your breakfast. As a Korean man, I just couldn’t stay. My parents let me go without saying anything! I’ll be back in good health. Thank you. Salute!”


  After his modest salute, the other men who were standing in a long line cheered and applauded.

  “You’re really cool. If you re-enlist, I hope you will be able to discharge in good health. Thank you again for the interview.”


  At the end of the interview, the camera caught only the reporter in close-up, and the reporter’s remarks continued.

  “Patriotism appears to be soaring in the sky. Finally, let me conduct another interview with someone else.”


  The female reporter approached a man in line who appeared to be very young and asked him for an interview.

  “Hello, I’m reporter Nam Bo-ra of KBS. You look so young. How old are you?”


  “Argh! I shouldn’t have an interview. Can you blur my face?”


  The young man avoided the camera, covering his face with his hands.

  “Yes, I see. We’ll blur you. Why did you come here?”


  Hearing the reporter’s question, the young man proudly looked at the camera and answered.

  “Of course, I’m here to join the army.”


  “Well, how old are you?”


  “Hehe, I’m a sophomore in high school.”


  “What? A sophomore in high school? That means you are 18 years old. You can’t join the military at this age. Didn’t you know?”


  “That would be normal in normal times, but we are now at war, so I believe it is possible. Didn’t the students perform admirably during the Korean War?”


  “Oh! The situation was like that at the time, but now…”


  “Reporter!”


  “What?”


  The young man, who stopped the reporter from completing her sentence, put his hands on his waist and said proudly.

  “Whether it was then or now, it’s natural to sacrifice yourself for your family and country. Even if I can’t go to the battlefield, there will be something I can do behind the scenes.”


  For a sophomore in high school, he had some sensible things to say.

  “Yes, I understand. Do your parents know about this?”


  When asked by the female reporter, the young man flinched and replied in a hoarse voice, his bold appearance had disappeared.

  “No, I came out secretly as soon as I had my breakfast.”


  “Well, your courage and goals are admirable, but wouldn’t it be better if you had first discussed it with your parents?”


  At that time, the men who were listening to the interview laughed and shouted.

  “Student! Since we will be protecting our country, you should come back after passing your entrance exam!”


  “Your brothers will be going first, so go and eat more! Haha.”


  “You’re going to be beaten to death by your parents. Hurry up and go home!”


  The teasing with laugher was heard from all over the place.

  “Ah! This will be blurred, right?”


  “Yes, it will be blurred when it’s on air.”


  “Then, I’ll tell my parents first and come back.”


  “Okay. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you for the interview.”


  “Yes, thank you.”


  As soon as the interview was over, the young man turned away and shook his head. The camera director’s cue sign was heard.

  “HAHA, did you get a picture of that student?”


  Putting the camera on his shoulder, the camera director smiled and said, and the reporter responded with a smile as well.

  “He is a great student. Seeing a high school sophomore who came all the way here at once to protect his country, I feel proud. Dang!”


  “I know. He’ll become a great person later.”


  On January 1st, 2024, 10:00

  LF Apartment (1103) in Jamsilbon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul

  Manager Lee Hye-jin, who welcomed New Year’s Day alone at home because of Manager Namgoong-won’s business, was about to go to work when the interphone in her living room rang.

  “Who are you? Huh? Director Kang?”


  She walked to the front door after being surprised to see the face of Kang Ki-won, director of the Foreign Intelligence Agency, on the interphone screen.

  “What’s going on? My house?”


  When she opened the front door and saw Director Kang Ki-won standing with a serious expression on his face, she immediately had an ominous thought.

  It was certainly not normal for the director of the Foreign Intelligence Agency to be there on New Year’s Day.

  Her heart began to pound when Namgoong-won’s name came to her mind.

  “I’m sorry to come like this on the holidays.”


  “No, it’s okay. Come in, Director!”


  “Okay, excuse me.”


  The expression on the face of Director Kang Ki-won, who sat on the sofa in the living room, remained unchanged. Manager Lee Hye-jin, who carefully examined this, handed him a coffee cup and said.

  “Director General! Are you here because of my husband’s business?”


  Director Lee Hye-jin asked.

  “Right. I’m here because of Namgoong.”


  At that moment, manager Lee Hye-jin collapsed on the floor of the living room as her legs buckled beneath her.

  “Manager Lee! Are you okay?”


  Director Kang Ki-won assisted her.

  “Oh! I’m sorry. I am okay.” Manager Lee Hye-jin sat on the sofa across him, calmed down herself, and asked carefully.

  “What happened to my husband?”


  Director Kang Ki-won took a sip from the cup of coffee and explained to her what had happened in Tianjin last night.

  “What? My husband died?”


  Ominous thoughts were always right. As a result, manager Lee Hye-jin had tears flowing from her eyes.

  “It is too early to confirm…He was wearing a protective suit at the time of the explosion, so the chances of him still being alive is high!”


  Director Kang Ki-won exaggerated the slim possibility of his survival to reassure her as much as possible. However, as a veteran of the National Intelligence Service, she understood that Director Kang Ki-won’s words were only meant to comfort her. Perhaps this is why she couldn’t stop crying.

  “Good news will come soon, so let’s endure it for a while even if it’s difficult. Got it, Manager Lee!”


  “No, I should go there myself.”


  “No! Didn’t you watch the morning news?”


  “What news?”


  “Well, I guess you didn’t see it. The New China Army began invading the border early this morning! Now that we’re at war, it’s too dangerous to go there!”


  “But I can’t wait like this. I’ll have to go there and look for him by myself.”


  “Manager Lee! I completely understand how you feel! But I can’t let you go! Why don’t we wait a couple of days? If you haven’t heard from me by then, I’ll be in charge of sending you there.”


  “Okay. Director Kang!”


  After a while, Director Kang Ki-won left, leaving manager Lee Hye-jin alone in the living room, thinking about the phone call she had with Namgoong-won the day before. She could still hear his voice greeting her and talking to her as if nothing had happened. She covered her chest and cried incessantly……