Selecting a Petty Devil as the Leader

Sangjwa (Colonel) Chin Thae-bok hated his job.? He had grown slow and fat.? He avoided conflict, delegated problems, and deferred decisions due to supposedly inadequate data.? He only left his office to berate his officers to prioritize their subordinates over themselves.? He wanted to retire to live unobtrusively in government housing.? He felt he was owed this after years of unquestioning sycophancy to his superior officers.? It’s too bad that he was also Major Kim’s brigade commander.

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Rumors about Major Kim reached Colonel Chin.? Some of the other officers in the brigade thought Major Kim was creating problems.? These rumors bothered Chin.? He hated problems and people always seemed to create problems.? He often pondered how his life could have been happier if he did not have to deal with people.? He had hoped that Kim’s arrival would relieve him of his responsibilities.? Chin did not like responsibility; he had spent his career avoiding it.? Because of this, he was well liked and kept getting promoted.? Chin liked getting promoted.? Promotions meant he was able to get better housing and more money to give his wife, which made her bother him less.? He liked it when his wife did not bother him.? His only trouble was figuring out how to delegate his responsibilities so he never had to make decisions.? He knew that making decisions could lead to trouble.? Chin hated trouble.

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“Major Kim, come here.”? Chin hated leaving his office.? “MAJOR KIM!!!”? Chin knew that Kim was hard of hearing.? “GODDAMNIT, KIM, CAN’T YOU HEAR ME?!?!”? Chin chuckled.

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“Major Kim, Major Kim, Colonel Chin is yelling for you,” said Hasa (Staff Sergeant) Choe Chun-Nam in an urgent tone.

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“Sir, I apologize!? I did not hear you.”

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“Of course you didn’t,” sneered Colonel Chin.? Kim felt embarrassed.

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“So, Kim, I’ve heard rumors that you are creating problems.”

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“Creating problems, Sir?”

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“Yes.”

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Kim had never been in a conversation like this before.? He was not sure what to say.

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Chin was enjoying this.? “You need to be careful not to mess up this assignment, Major Kim.? My understanding is that you were the only VI Corps artillery officer selected to join the PDC.”

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“Yes, Sir.”

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“Well, just be careful that you don’t cause any problems.? You wouldn’t want to get into trouble.”

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“No, Sir.”

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Kim waited for Colonel Chin to speak.? “What!” hissed Colonel Chin.? Kim left the Colonel’s office.

Kim tried to focus the rest of the day.? He determined to speak with Major Ho before he went home.

...to be continued next week in Weekly Serial #3.

Bibliography:

(1) Boris Fishman used the phrase, "Selecting a Petty Devil as the Leader" in his Forward to "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. The book may be purchased here: Amazon.com: The Master and Margarita: 50th-Anniversary Edition (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition): 9780143108276: Bulgakov, Mikhail, Askew, Christopher Conn, Pevear, Richard, Volokhonsky, Larissa, Fishman, Boris: Books