Crash—!
"Unit 711 has been hit!"
At the thunderous explosion and the operations officer's horrified shout, Squadron Leader Major Joo Yong-hoon hastily snapped his head around to look behind him.
As Patrol Boat 711 abruptly altered course to avoid colliding with a North Korean patrol vessel that had suddenly reduced speed, its flank was exposed—and as if the enemy had been waiting for that exact moment, they fired an 85mm tank gun.
At a distance of less than 500 meters, the preemptive strike came so suddenly that 711 had no chance to evade. The armor-piercing shell fired by the enemy struck it head-on.
Seeing the bridge of 711 engulfed in thick black smoke, Major Joo Yong-hoon felt a surge of rage rise in his chest and shouted.
"Blow that bastard out of the water immediately!"
"We don't have a proper firing angle. Returning fire is difficult!"
Because they had already passed the North Korean patrol boat while executing a blocking maneuver, an immediate counterattack was not possible.
The enemy had clearly calculated everything in advance—lying in ambush and striking their rear, as though luring them into a carefully laid trap.
Realizing they had fallen perfectly into the enemy's scheme, Major Joo Yong-hoon ground his teeth and issued a sharp order.
"Hard to port, ninety degrees! The moment you have a firing angle, unleash every round we've got!"
Patrol Boat 712 threw up a spray of white water as it made a sharp turn to the left.
As the hull tilted steeply to one side, the personnel inside the wheelhouse staggered in unison, scrambling to grab onto anything they could and bracing their legs to avoid being thrown to the floor.
It was an extremely dangerous maneuver—one that could easily cause the high-speed craft to lose balance and capsize—but this was no time to worry about such risks.
Gripping the safety handle in front of him, Major Joo Yong-hoon watched as streaks of orange tracer rounds fired from the North Korean patrol boat flew in succession, slamming relentlessly into 711. He bit down so hard on his lip that he could taste blood.
Meanwhile, the wheelhouse of 711, struck by the 85mm tank shell, was utterly devastated.
The bulletproof glass windows had shattered, fragments scattered in all directions, and acrid smoke obscured their vision.
The crew lay sprawled across the floor, groaning in agony, their bodies soaked in blood.
Captain Seo Jung-hoon, the commanding officer, had not escaped unharmed either. The moment the blast hurled him violently against the rear wall, his consciousness was cut off.
Lying sprawled on the deck with blood streaming from a torn forehead, Captain Seo Jung-hoon struggled to lift his eyelids at the relentless roar of gunfire and the urgent shouts pouring from the communications speaker.
[.....Wheelhouse, respond. Damn it! If you're alive, say something.]
"Ugh."
As Captain Seo Jung-hoon tried to push himself up, his face twisted in pain at the excruciating agony shooting through his left leg.
Lowering his head, he saw that a shell fragment had struck his thigh, and one side of his trousers was completely soaked in bright red blood.
"Keugh."
Enduring the pain, Captain Seo Jung-hoon looked around.
Everyone was down with injuries, some serious, some minor, but seeing them writhing and groaning in pain, he felt a measure of relief. It seemed that, fortunately, no crew member had lost their life.
It was only because the bridge was an enclosed type and firmly reinforced with armor plating that the damage was limited to this extent. Had it been a fully exposed older Chamsuri-class vessel, none of them would have escaped unharmed.
As he had been slammed against the wall, he must have injured other parts of his body as well; a crushing wave of pain surged through him as though his entire body were breaking apart. Still, Captain Seo Jung-hoon gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
Under the continued concentrated fire from the North Korean forces, the remaining bulletproof glass shattered completely, sparks flying without cease. Keeping his body bent as low as possible, Captain Seo Jung-hoon made his way toward the instrument panel.
He then grabbed the dangling hand microphone with one hand and hurriedly pressed the transmit switch, speaking into it.
"I'm the captain. Is everyone all right!"
At that, Sergeant Gong Ha-seong, the senior-most member in the Combat Information Center, responded hurriedly.
[Captain! You're safe.]
Raising himself slightly and lifting his head above the shattered bulletproof window of the wheelhouse, Captain Seo Jung-hoon clenched his teeth at the sight of the starboard Sea Vulcan gun blazing away as it returned fire at the enemy vessel.
"Report status, all sections!"
[Combat Information Center reports no abnormalities!]
[Engine room is holding as well.]
Considering they had taken a preemptive strike at such close range, the damage was not as severe as it could have been.
Captain Seo Jung-hoon allowed himself a small sigh of relief—only to frown at the next report.
[The enemy's autocannon fire has struck the turret. We can't use the main gun!]
Turning his head toward the bow, he saw that the OTO Melara 76mm main gun turret had been hit by autocannon rounds, its armor torn apart and left hanging in ragged strips.
Bang! Bang-bang! Whizz!
As a hail of tracer rounds and enemy bullets slammed into the wheelhouse walls, Captain Seo Jung-hoon instinctively ducked. Pressing the hand microphone to his mouth, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Concentrate all firepower and take out that damned 85mm tank gun first!"
[Yes, sir! Understood.]
At the very instant the acknowledgement came, the 20mm Sea Vulcan cannon unleashed a destructive roar as its six barrels spun furiously.
With a mad firing rate of over six thousand rounds per minute, intense flashes burst from the muzzle, hammering the enemy's main gun that had been trained directly at them.
Around the North Korean patrol vessel's main gun—an old T-34 tank turret mounted onto the deck—20mm rounds poured down quite literally like rain, sending showers of sparks flying in every direction.
Lifting his head above the shattered bulletproof window, Captain Seo Jung-hoon watched the scene and shouted, the veins in his neck standing out.
"Fire! Keep firing until it's dead!"
Beside the relentlessly spinning Sea Vulcan, red-hot brass casings clanged and clattered as they were ejected, ringing out—clang, clang!—before piling up across the deck.
The sailors out on deck, taking cover behind armored plating, unleashed a furious barrage from their K2 assault rifles as if determined to avenge the strike they had suffered first.
Rat-tat-tat! Tat-tat-tat! Tat-tat!
"Kill those bastards! All of them!"
Though it was their first experience of real combat, the sailors—having witnessed the bridge shattered by the preemptive strike and their comrades wounded—forgot even their fear. Burning with a desire for revenge, they pulled their triggers in a frenzy.
The North Korean forces possessed superior firepower, not only with the 85mm tank gun but also a quad-mounted 14.5mm anti-aircraft gun and a twin-barreled 37mm autocannon. However, their turrets were of an open design, offering little proper cover. Under the torrential hail of incoming rounds, they scrambled desperately to take shelter.
As the enemy vessel's assault began to falter, the 85mm tank gun—under the concentrated fire of the Sea Vulcan—erupted in sparks. Paint was blasted away, and in an instant the turret's armor was torn apart helplessly.
At that moment, a sharp tearing sound ripped through the air, and a massive column of water shot up beside the port side of the North Korean patrol boat.
"712!"
"It's friendly! We're saved!"
The sailors firing small arms from the deck let out cheers.
When Captain Seo Jung-hoon looked past the North Korean patrol boat, he saw 712, which had come racing in after a sharp turn, pulling up on the opposite side. As if venting in one burst the fury over what had been done to their comrades, it poured relentless fire from its OTO Melara 76mm naval gun and 20mm Sea Vulcan cannon.
"Whew."
Without realizing it, Captain Seo Jung-hoon let out a sigh of relief. Tightening his grip on the hand microphone, he issued another command.
"Don't stop firing. Make sure the enemy does not return alive!"
Drrrrrr. Drrr-rrrr.
Boom!
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Tat! Bang! Bang!
The 76mm naval gun, the 20mm Sea Vulcan cannon, and even the K2 assault rifles clutched in the sailors' hands—every weapon available—were brought to bear, unleashing an overwhelming crossfire upon the enemy vessel.
Massive columns of water erupted one after another, and dozens of orange tracer streams poured down like a sudden squall, turning the North Korean patrol boat into a riddled hive in an instant.
***
11:45 a.m., Yeouido, Seoul.
Wearing a white dress shirt and a silk necktie, Seok-won sat alone at his office desk, his expression heavy.
In the stillness, he tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingertips and repeatedly glanced at the desk clock set off to one side, as if unable to contain his anxiety.
"By now, the results should be out. Why is there no word?"
Muttering in a subdued voice, Seok-won loosened his tie knot with a frustrated gesture.
Just as unease began to creep in—wondering whether, contrary to his expectations, heavy casualties had occurred on their side as in the original course of history—the vibration alert sounded.
He quickly reached out, picked up the cellphone resting on his desk, and spoke.
"Hello."
[This is Lee Cheol-gyun.]
Hearing the stiffened tone of the voice on the other end, Seok-won immediately sensed that, just as he had anticipated, an engagement had taken place in the West Sea.
However, careful not to reveal that he had already expected it, he responded in an even, detached tone.
"What is it?"
[At around 10 a.m., there was a military clash between the South and the North near the NLL north of Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea.]
"...Is it serious?"
Swallowing dryly, he asked—and Lee Cheol-gyun answered at once.
[We'll have to wait a little longer for the full details, but according to information released by the Ministry of National Defense, the clash occurred after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the NLL and launched a preemptive attack. In the process, one of our high-speed craft was heavily damaged, and the enemy vessel, which was immediately counterattacked, sank, resulting in multiple fatalities.]
"How extensive are our casualties?"
Tensing sharply at the thought that, as in the original course of events, there might have been heavy losses on their side, Seok-won let out a silent sigh of relief at Lee Cheol-gyun's next words.
[After more than thirty minutes of intense fighting, there were over twenty wounded, but no fatalities.]
"That's truly a relief."
[The wounded are being urgently airlifted by helicopter to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, and for now, it appears there are no critically injured whose lives are in immediate danger.]
As Seok-won's expression softened with relief, Lee Cheol-gyun continued.
[Breaking news will be announced shortly through the broadcasts.]
"All right. If you learn anything further, contact me immediately."
[Understood.]
After ending the call and setting his phone down, Seok-won finally relaxed the tension that had been gripping his shoulders.
"It's a relief that there were no fatalities."
A considerable amount of money had gone into it, but saving the six lives that would otherwise have been lost before they could even fully live made it more than worth the cost.
Had events unfolded as they originally had, they would have fought desperately despite being at a disadvantage. The price, however, would have been severe: one Chamsuri-class patrol boat sunk, six killed in action, and eighteen wounded.
Instead, although the number of injured had increased, the fact that there was not a single fatality was an extraordinary outcome.
On top of that, the North Korean patrol boat—which had launched a cowardly preemptive strike and previously would have returned safely—had been sunk. It was a deeply satisfying result.
Calming his excitement and regaining his composure, his eyes soon began to gleam.
"Now that we've prevented those needless sacrifices, it's time to make some money."
Seok-won immediately picked up his cellphone and pressed a speed-dial number.
A moment later, the call connected, and the voice of Director Choi Ho-geun came through.
[Yes, Chairman.]
Leaning back into the plush chair, he went straight to the point.
"What happened with the defense stocks I told you to buy last time?"
[As instructed, we completed diversified purchases totaling 500 billion won.]
"Good."
At that, Director Choi Ho-geun hesitated briefly before speaking cautiously.
[We carried it out as you directed, but with tensions between the two Koreas easing due to the Sunshine Policy, defense stocks haven't been performing well recently. Holding them long-term doesn't look particularly favorable.]
Following the June 15 Inter-Korean Summit, with the Mount Kumgang tourism project, reunions of separated families, and the Kaesong Industrial Complex initiative underway, the thawing atmosphere between the two Koreas had continued. Under such circumstances, being told out of the blue to buy defense stocks had honestly made him wonder whether it was the right call.
In a grave tone, Seok-won spoke to Director Choi Ho-geun, who was still unaware of anything.
"There was an engagement this morning near the NLL between a North Korean patrol boat and one of our high-speed craft. There are multiple wounded."
[What? Is that true?!]
Startled, Director Choi Ho-geun asked again.
"Breaking news will be out shortly, so monitor it and gauge the market's reaction."
[Ah, understood.]
After setting his cellphone down, Seok-won sank deep into the backrest of his chair.
"With this, I should be able to recoup the money we spent building the high-speed craft."