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It was bright and sunny in Jeungpyeong that Tuesday morning. It was already late autumn as evidenced by the red blanket over the mountains that were waiting for winter to arrive.
A sedan got off the highway and came to a stop halfway on the road leading to the mountains.
Click.
As soon as Kim Tae-Jin stepped out from the passenger seat, Suh Sang-Hyun got out of the driver’s seat.
“Is this the place?” Kim Tae-Jin asked out loud.
The road that Kim Tae-Jin was looking at was clean of any trace of the accident—there wasn’t even a single piece of debris. Kim Tae-Jin glanced at the mountain. When he turned to the road again, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, cupping the fire from the wind with his hands.
“Whew!”
The autumn wind carried away the smoke he exhaled toward the mountains. As he set down the cigarette to one side of the road, his face wrinkled so much that it seemed he was trying to bottle up his anger.
He was in front of Suh Sang-Hyun right now. He had to behave as his higher-up should.
“Whew!” Kim Tae-Jin let out a long sigh and pressed his fingers to his temples. “I told Kang Chan that we should let Wui Min-Gook live. I relentlessly chased Wui Min-Gook around because I was furious that he killed my subordinates, but I did technically kill his subordinates as well. I wanted our generation to be the last to get that kind of blood on our hands.”
Kim Tae-Jin turned to look at the mountains and highway again, his eyes glinting with intense anger.
“I realized I have become overly weak-hearted ever since I retired from the military. I can’t believe I said we should stop the killing there when I used to regularly stab necks and hearts… I made an excuse that I didn’t want to dirty Kang Chan’s hands any further, and I foolishly thought that there would be nothing more cruel to Wui Min-Gook than having a disabled body anyway… Those are nothing but pathetic notions. I’m ashamed.”
Kim Tae-Jin turned to Suh Sang-Hyun.
“Starting tomorrow, you will be in charge of Yoo-Bi Corp,” Kim Tae-Jin ordered.
Suh Sang-Hyun’s expression showed mixed emotions.
“Just until we catch Wui Min-Gook, at least. I suddenly remembered the old days after listening to what Kang Chan said. Back when I lost my subordinates and I started to desperately search for the enemy’s outposts, I couldn’t have felt more disappointed in my country. I remembered how I felt when I had to forcibly take off my uniform,” Kim Tae-Jin murmured.
“So you plan to search for Wui Min-Gook yourself? To protect a talented individual like Mr. Kang Chan?” Suh Sang-Hyung asked.
Kim Tae-Jin gazed back at Suh Sang-Hyun’s hurt expression.
“Have you forgotten, sir? Once upon a time, I followed in your footsteps, Director—I mean Sunbae-nim. I liked you so much that I took off my uniform with my own hands. I might not be as good as Mr. Kang Chan, but I’m not so bad either. And there are plenty of expert consultants who can run Yoo-Bi Corp anyway,” Suh Sang-Hyun confidently said.
Seeing Kim Tae-Jin’s grin, Suh Sang-Hyun reciprocated with a similar kind of smile.
***
There were only two people in the conference room, but the atmosphere was heavier than ever.
“There hasn’t been any response from the Chinese intelligence bureau. It seems like their power struggle is still ongoing.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun gulped down some water, parched from anxiety.
“There is no excuse for Congressman Huh’s espionage charges. However, there’s a prevailing opinion that there might be something else behind the decision to sentence him to death in this matter. This one-sided announcement from China is evidence of that,” Hwang Ki-Gyun stated.
“Something else?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
Hwang Ki-Hyun looked quite stumped.
“The most realistic analysis is that they are attempting to recover their pride, which they lost due to the recent Beijing airport terrorist incident,” he answered.
“I heard the faction responsible for internally eliminating Huh Geuk is in power now, though. Taking that into consideration, is all that still really necessary?” Moon Jae-Hyun questioned.
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“The party in control right now probably finds it burdensome to completely suppress the opposition. Hence, they’re choosing to execute Congressman Huh as a form of warning and a gesture of reconciliation to the opposition party,” Hwang Ki-Hyun replied.
Moon Jae-Hyun remained silent, listening thoughtfully.
“Even though we have strengthened security, the number and anger of the protestors gathered in front of the Chinese embassy is surpassing our expectations. We can’t reach Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo either. And Mr. President…” Hwang Ki-Hyun trailed off after hesitantly addressing Moon Jae-Hyun. “Mr. Kang Chan is adamant about getting revenge for General Choi Seong-Geon.”
“I heard about that last night as well. His words are still ringing in my ears—that the country isn’t doing anything for a general who gave everything he had for his motherland,” Moon Jae-Hyun grimly said.
Seeing the look in Moon Jae-Hyun’s eyes, Hwang Ki-Hyun chose his next words carefully.
“Then what do you think, Mr. President?” he asked.
“The United States has never let any incident slide where their citizens were harmed. We have never done anything like that as well, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the means to. Nevertheless, I’m hesitant for the same reason as always. Will my decision result in the needless sacrifice of our precious young people?” Moon Jae-Hyun solemnly responded.
“Yang Bum, the man who holds real power in China right now, and French Ambassador Lanok are on close terms with Mr. Kang Chan. Moreover, in the midst of the current situation, China has unusually sentenced Congressman Huh Sang-Soo to death, and the French ambassador has requested to meet us. I’d say Mr. Kang Chan was likely already aware of Congressman Huh Sang-Soo’s death sentence before it was even announced,” Hwang Ki-Hyun mused.
“Everything will depend on what we do now, then. I’m sure that’s why Ambassador Lanok requested a meeting with us,” Moon Jae-Hyun stated, then nodded. “There’s almost no chance of success in this operation, but even if it does succeed, there’s no chance that they’ll return alive, is there?”
Even Hwang Ki-Hyun didn’t have an answer to that question.
“And Mr. Kang Chan lacks the experience for these types of operations. He could potentially end up as a sacrificial pawn in information warfare,” Moon Jae-Hyun said, making another astonished expression due to the absurdity of the situation. “If he just continues to grow like this, he will certainly be a never-before-seen bundle of fortune for our motherland. We should be trying to keep him safe and protect him, but he now insists on launching an operation against North Korea—to kill the leader of our enemy, no less…”
Moon Jae-Hyun burst out laughing in disbelief. He shook his head from side to side.
“He’s making us stake everything on this. Will we present Kang Chan as the face of our intelligence and properly support him or will we keep hiding and covering him up? Either way, the person in question wants to take revenge for Choi Seong-Geon. I suppose this must be how fathers with outstanding sons feel,” Moon Jae-Hyun added.
“Mr. President, we shouldn’t provoke the United States any longer,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said out of worry.
“General Choi Seong-Geon called me not too long ago. I told him twice that no matter what happens, I will be responsible for him and his soldiers, but look at how things have turned out,” Moon Jae-Hyun muttered dejectedly.
A sense of sadness flickered across Hwang Ki-Hyun’s eyes as he listened to Moon Jae-Hyun.
***
Huh Ha-Soo’s mixed emotions were evident in his expression.
“The likelihood of canceling the event tomorrow has increased, hasn’t it? Given the situation, even the ambassadors would understand,” Huh Ha-Soo said anxiously.
“The security detail is still guarding the event hall,” his assistant informed him.
“What’s most important is knowing what China is planning and making sure I’m not negatively impacted by it,” Huh Ha-Soo said with determination.
“I think it would be wise to issue a statement, at the very least.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Huh Ha-Soo agreed.
“The reasons aside, public emotions are running high. There is significant criticism of the president and the government’s incompetence.”
“Have we gotten a response from the United States?” Huh Ha-Soo asked.
“They are adopting a wait-and-see approach.”
“The National Intelligence Service, and now China and the United States. All of my communication channels have been severed. We need something to turn this situation around. A move that can help us overcome this crisis in one fell swoop,” Huh Ha-Soo muttered anxiously.
Huh Ha-Soo’s burly assistant, Kwak Do-Young, carefully observed Huh Ha-Soo’s mood from across him.
“Is that young punk more capable than we expected or did we just miss something about Moon Jae-Hyun?” Huh Ha-Soo murmured to himself. “The poor guy is probably terrified on foreign soil. These punks didn’t have any power, ability, or even a proper diplomatic channel before, yet they have now sentenced to death a man who worked behind the curtains for the country.”
Huh Ha-Soo stared daggers in an empty space.
“Contact the broadcasting stations and newspapers to request their cooperation in criticizing this situation. They should be well aware that if we continue at this rate, we’ll only be gotten rid of one by one,” Huh Ha-Soo stated commandingly.
“Understood, sir,” Kwak Do-Young replied.
“The citizens are the only ones we can trust now. There are still many wise citizens in this country who recognize our efforts and support us. The media has to do its job properly to ensure that the people can see the current situation as it is,” Huh Ha-Soo announced.
“I will make your intentions clear,” Kwak Do-Young obediently replied.
“What about Director Wui?”
“He hasn’t contacted us yet,”
Huh Ha-Soo nodded. After a while, he emphasized, “Finding out what they’re trying to do this time should be our priority.”
“I will do my best, sir,” Kwak Do-Young reassured him.
“That poor guy,” Huh Ha-Soo muttered under his breath once more.
***
After listening to the news about Huh Sang-Soo, Kang Chan didn’t move from his room. He needed some time to organize his thoughts.
He had no doubt in his mind that Wui Min-Gook was the one who attacked Choi Seong-Geon and that Huh Sang-Soo was behind him as well.
But did Yang Bum really get rid of Huh Sang-Soo that way because he was grateful for the other incident in the past?
The execution day was still pending. There was something to this that Kang Chan was missing.
He had to look beyond the surface of the ocean and check what could be hiding beneath the water. That was just the tip of the iceberg of what he had to ponder about.
First and foremost, if permission for the execution wasn’t granted, he would have to figure out a new plan to carry out the revenge. Would Lanok send the Foreign Legion’s special forces team all the way to North Korea? Kang Chan doubted it.
He thought about it for quite some time.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
After a while, his phone began to ring. Upon picking it up, he said, “Yes, Mr. Ambassador. This is Kang Chan.”
- Mr. Kang Chan, what does your schedule look like today?
“I don’t have anything scheduled at the moment,” Kang Chan replied.
- I was just requested for a last-minute appointment. There’s someplace I hope to go with you. I think I’ll arrive at the hotel in about an hour, so do you think you can come down when I call you?
“Yes, sure. I’ll see you then,” Kang Chan said.
After hanging up, Kang Chan told Seok Kang-Ho about the conversation.
“Anyhow, we have to take care of this issue with Wui Min-Gook as fast as we can if we want to go back home. What the hell are we doing right now?” Seok Kang-Ho griped.
“That’s exactly how I feel,” Kang Chan agreed bleakly.
He wanted to speed things up, but there was nothing he could do right now.