The Nine Tailed Fox

Colonel Chin smiled.? “You heard him say it?”

“I did,” responded Major Ho, languidly sipping a second glass of whiskey.? He knew that Chin hated giving him the whiskey.? Looking at the glass, Ho smiled.

“And he still trusts you?”

“He does.”

“Perfect.”

Major Ho reclined easily in one of Colonel Chin’s chairs.? It was already past 9pm, so Colonel Chin’s staff, including Major Kim, were already home.? This was the normal time that Major Ho would visit Colonel Chin.? Ho and Chin had a mutually beneficial relationship.? Ho’s relaxed attitude during these meetings bothered Chin, not to mention that Ho would shamelessly drink two glasses of Chin’s favorite whiskey.? Chin knew to be patient, however; at least for now.? Ho was one of Chin’s informants.? Chin knew that Major Ho enjoyed a feeling of superiority over him, but this was not something that bothered Colonel Chin.? A man like him did not let pride, rank, or protocol interfere with their objectives.? Above all, Chin valued the protection and sustainment of his mediocrity.? Ho helped Chin maintain organizational inertia and paranoia, common bedfellows of a mediocre existence.

Pyongyang, a retched cauldron of small mindedness, subversive competition, pointless meetings, unread strategy documents, and various other artifacts of a military staff was a perfect playground for someone like Ho.? He was a sadist.? He enjoyed manipulating people and watching their lives unravel.? He had spent the last five months engendering Major Kim’s trust.? Ho’s wife had met Kim’s wife, Park Song-Ri, and they had attended the local Worker’s Party of Korea community meetings together.? Park and Kim were the type of people who trusted the lies they were told.? They believed the rules mattered, that the truth was non-fungible, and though they often did not understand decisions, they believed the problem was their ignorance and not that the decisions were flawed.? Major Kim and Park Song-Ri were na?ve.? They were a savory treat for a sadist like Ho.

“So, what was it exactly that he said?” Colonel Chin stretched his swollen legs in the chair opposite Ho.

“He implied the score was wrong.”

“Hmmmm, and was it?”

“Of course not!”? Ho knew that this question was a trap.? He had sparred many times like this with the colonel and he was not ready to lose face under such an indelicate attack.? Ho was embarrassed for Chin.

“Of course not,” cooed Chin, sipping his whiskey.? “But how exactly did he say it?? Did he accuse the Dear Leader of NOT getting 11 holes in one during his first ever round of golf?”

“He would never say that,” responded Ho cooly.? He felt Chin was boorish, but he liked Chin’s whiskey, and he cherished the opportunity to humiliate Major Kim.? “After the game, he said he planned to contact the International Golf Federation to check if the Dear Leader’s score exceeded Jack Nicklaus’s score.”

“Ohhhhh, that is bad,” said Chin gravely.? “Let’s have another glass of whiskey and figure out what we must do about Major Kim.”? Ho and Chin both grinned and talked late into the evening.

...to be continued next week in Weekly Serial #4

Bibliography:

(1) To learn more about the Nine Tailed Fox, also known as "Kumiho" in Korean folklore, please go here: Kumiho: Unveiling the Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox Korean | Mythlok