Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 240



Only Krnovel

#240. You can repay me slowly.

Although there was an uncomfortable atmosphere between South Korea and France over the issue of returning cultural assets, the state visit proceeded as scheduled.

Today was the day that de Gaulle and Lee Kang-cheol went to the French House of Representatives and Senate together to give a joint speech.

“We have discussed with the French side and simplified the schedule as much as possible.”

When Kim Kyu-sik reported to Lee Kang-cheol, Lee Kang-cheol asked back with a puzzled expression.

“No, why?”

“There was a strong request from Chief of Security Lee Seong-su. France uses the Palace of Versailles when the House of Representatives and the Senate meet together, but it is said that it is not very good for security.”

“is it so?”

“Yes, from my perspective, the front of the palace looked so vast that it seemed dangerous. There was also a well-developed forest surrounding it.”

“Huh! Right!”

“So we negotiated to shorten the time as much as possible. Originally, we were going to try to cancel it, but since this is a matter under the jurisdiction of the National Assembly, not the de Gaulle administration, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also reluctant.”

“I guess so. What’s the big deal? Just let it go.”

“All right.”

When the time came and Lee Kang-cheol and his party arrived at the Palace of Versailles, many people, including members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, were already seated in the courtyard of the Palace of Versailles.

The Versailles Courtyard can accommodate a whopping 20,000 people, but due to the turbulent political climate and the continued security issues raised by the South Korean side, only a little over 10,000 lawmakers and citizens gathered.

As we approached the podium, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate and President de Gaulle warmly welcomed Lee Kang-cheol, and the members of the National Assembly and citizens welcomed him with applause.

Clap clap clap clap!

“Wow wow wow wow!”

“Good morning. Welcome to the French Parliament. I am Gaston Monnerville, President of the Senate.”

“Thank you for welcoming us.”

“I am Jacques Chavan-Delmas, President of the National Assembly (the lower house). On behalf of the French people, I welcome the President of the Republic of Korea.”

“Hahaha! Thank you.”

After a brief ceremonial ceremony with greetings, President de Gaulle ascended the podium first and stood in front of the podium.

“Dear French citizens! And Mr. Monnerville, the President of the Senate, and other senators! Mr. Chaban-Delmas, the President of the National Assembly, and other members of the National Assembly! I have come here today to invite the President of the Republic of Korea, who is paying a state visit. I am… … .”

President de Gaulle’s speech was simple yet powerful.

Although Lee Kang-cheol was the guest of honor, he emphasized the legitimacy of giving up the Algerian colonial administration, conscious of the recent situation, and went on to emphasize the alliance and close cooperation with South Korea, which had not only defeated the Soviet Union and risen to the ranks of the world’s greatest military powers, but was also leading the world economically, following the United States.

And the concluding remarks of the speech were, of course.

“Vibrate France!”

As expected, it ended with “Long Live France.”

And he guided Lee Kang-cheol to the podium.

Lee Kang-cheol’s speech also had no special content.

In order to simply support President de Gaulle’s policy of abandoning Algeria, he spent a considerable amount of time talking about how harsh colonial rule South Korea had been under, and in response, the South Korean government said that it actively supported President de Gaulle’s abandonment of Algeria in accordance with the principle of national self-determination.

He also added a slight threat that if they still did not give up their colonial management policy, they would not be able to form an alliance with the Republic of Korea, which made the audience tense for a moment.

But the last comment ended up being just lip service.

“A TOUTES LES GLOIRES DE LA FRANCE! (To all the glory of France!)”

“Wow, wow, wow!”

It was a saying carved on the wall of the Palace of Versailles.

When Lee Kang-cheol deliberately memorized these words and said them, the lawmakers and citizens reacted explosively.

“Vibrate France! Vibe la Core!”

Amid the cheers, de Gaulle appeared satisfied and took Lee Kang-cheol’s hand, stepped forward to the podium, and raised both hands as if responding to the cheers.

Gunther, a former SS sniper, sensed that his time had come.

I had been waiting for the right moment to snipe since the event started.

In particular, when de Gaulle was giving a speech at the podium, he was deeply troubled, but in the end, he did not pull the trigger.

Because the podium looked unusually large and heavy, it looked suspicious.

A podium built high, as if to hide de Gaulle’s body, which was nearly two meters tall.

I felt like he was up to something, so I didn’t feel like sniping through the podium.

Even if we were to aim for the head, it would not work because de Gaulle kept shaking his head while giving such a passionate speech.

Since it was a long-range sniping shot of nearly 900m, it was obvious that if I shook my head after firing, I would miss the shot without a doubt.

If you wait, the opportunity will come.

Patience was one of the most important basics of being a sniper, and with patience, the opportunity eventually came.

As lawmakers and citizens cheered enthusiastically for the South Korean president’s speech, de Gaulle took Lee Kang-cheol’s hand and walked up to the podium.

The opportunity has come.

Gunther carefully aimed at de Gaulle’s heart and pulled his index finger.

bang!

A 7.92×57mm bullet flew.

and.

puck!

It hit President de Gaulle squarely in the heart, and he was seen falling to the ground.

It’s a success.

There was no way I could survive being hit in the chest with a 7.92mm bullet.

Now all that’s left is to take advantage of the chaos to escape.

“100 million!”

“Kkaaaak!”

“It’s a sniper shot! The president has fallen!”

In an instant, the stage became a mess, but unlike the French security guards who were flustered, the South Korean security guards moved quickly according to the pre-determined manual.

“Move! Move!”

It didn’t matter whether de Gaulle fell or not.

Because the top priority was Lee Kang-cheol’s safety.

Security agents rushed in and dragged Lee Kang-cheol behind the podium, making him crouch.

This podium was a special podium made by the Korean Security Service, and the inside was lined with 20mm steel plates, making it the safest place on the stage.

Then, they dragged de Gaulle, who had just collapsed, and hid him behind the podium.

After finishing protecting Lee Kang-cheol in about 2 seconds, Lee Seong-su calmly continued to speak into the microphone.

“Did you detect the sniper?”

“Yes, Soda has detected it. Sniper confirmed 900m away on the right side of the front!”

SODA is the South Korean product name for the Acoustic Counter-Sniper System, to be exact, SODA-v, but it was just called SODA.

It was a device that detected shock waves and gunshots when sniping within a 1.5km radius, and reported the sniper’s location through digital signals and voices with a whopping 98% probability.

“Don’t kill me! Aim for the lower body!”

“All right!”

A sniper from the security office took advantage of the confusion to catch up with the sniper as he tried to escape, and aimed for his lower body with a K-14 sniper rifle.

and.

bang!

The security guard’s sniper’s telephoto lens scope showed the sniper being hit in the leg and falling.

“It has been processed.”

“Well done. There might be more guys, so everyone be on the lookout. Team Leader Jeong, secure the guy.”

“All right.”

Only then did Director Lee Seong-su stand up, and the chaos moved towards the back of the podium.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am fine. What about President de Gaulle?”

“We are currently checking the details.”

“Is your primary care physician closest?”

“Yes, he is coming up to the stage now.”

First Lady Lee Sun-young was the closest doctor, but it was impossible to expose her to such a dangerous situation.

Soon, the presidential physician rushed to the collapsed de Gaulle to check the details.

As he hurriedly took off his coat, he saw that there was a bullet lodged in de Gaulle’s chest.

Around the heart of a bulletproof vest, like the NIJ Level IV bulletproof vest worn by Lee Kang-cheol.

“How is it?”

“Haha! I was surprised, but our bulletproof vest blocks it well? When on earth did you put this on?”

“I relayed this to the President this morning at his instructions. I made him wear it by half-threatening him that he would not come to the National Assembly if he did not wear it.”

“Well done.”

“So you just fainted?”

“Yes, his vitals are all fine. He just passed out from the shock.”

“Phew! That’s a relief.”

“Huh? You’re waking up now.”

De Gaulle, who had fallen, groaned and wriggled before opening his eyes wide.

“Ouch! Oh my, it hurts!”

“It looks like more than two ribs are out.”

“Me, did I buy it?”

“Yes, he did. The bulletproof vest stopped the bullet well. Of course, he was momentarily unconscious due to the impact.”

“Hey, please help me up.”

“You can’t get up now.”

“Ugh! It really hurts. No. I need to let the French people know that I’m alive and well. Please help me up.”

“Tsk! Then just wait a moment. I’ll give you some painkillers.”

“Please.”

After a while, when the painkillers had taken effect and the sniper had been secured and safety was somewhat improved, de Gaulle stood up and poked his head over the podium.

“The President is awake! He is alive!”

“Ugh! General de Gaulle is alive!”

“Long live France!”

“Viva!”

De Gaulle took the microphone with a deliberate frown, knowing that the pain would not be so bad any more thanks to the powerful painkillers.

Even though I had come back from the gates of hell, I was not a fool to miss this opportunity.

“Ugh!”

“De Gaulle! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! This de Gaulle is alive!”

“Long live! Long live! Long live de Gaulle! Long live France!”

The deputies and citizens cheered enthusiastically, thanking de Gaulle for being alive.

It was something anyone could have easily predicted.

If de Gaulle had died under these circumstances, it was clear that the French Fifth Republic would have fallen into extreme chaos.

No, before that, de Gaulle was a hero who saved France.

It is impossible to lose such a hero so meaninglessly.

“I! I would like to express my infinite gratitude to the Republic of Korea and President Lee Kang-chul!”

“Huh? Why are you saying thank you to Korea?”

“This morning, President Lee Kang-chul sent me the latest South Korean bulletproof vest. He even threatened me that I would not come to the National Assembly today if I did not wear it.”

“Oh my God!”

“So that’s why you survived even after being shot!”

“That’s right! South Korea saved this de Gaulle! It prevented France from falling into chaos! Long live South Korea!”

“Long live the Republic of Korea! Long live!”

“haha…….”

When de Gaulle raised his hand, Lee Kang-cheol smiled shyly and waved to the cheering citizens.

That evening.

De Gaulle and Lee Kang-cheol, both wearing compression bandages wrapped around their chests, sat across from each other.

“Are you okay?”

“Ugh! I think I’m going to die because the painkillers are starting to take effect. I asked my doctor back home to give me more painkillers, but he said no more. He said they’re bad for your health. Then he gave me painkiller pills, but they’re worse than shots.”

“Hahaha! That’s right. Just bear with it even if it hurts.”

“I can’t help it. Anyway, thank you very much. Thanks to you, I survived.”

“Hahaha! I’m glad I could save President de Gaulle.”

“I owe you my life. It also saved our country from chaos. Thank you very much.”

“Anyway, that’s fortunate.”

“So, before I came here, I was on my way here after giving orders as the President.”

“What orders?”

“They ordered that all cultural assets of the Republic of Korea be identified and returned without exception. They said that no objection would be tolerated to this order.”

“Oh! Thank you! Hahaha!”

“No. It’s about your country’s cultural assets returning to their proper place. What I feared more than death was the chaos of our France, but you prevented that. This isn’t even a way to repay the favor.”

“Hahaha! Then you can repay me slowly.”

“… … .”

I thought he would decline and say it was okay, but Kang-cheol Lee didn’t know what decline was.