Perfect Mission Chapter 15 - Lee Hongshin (4)

Chapter 15 – Lee Hongshin (4)

 

He felt it again: this girl was smart. She didn’t back down, even knowing she’d get hurt. She had guts. Like father, like daughter? Being Goblin’s daughter, she was definitely different.

But she was still just a high school girl. If she wanted to live a long life, she shouldn’t look back at this world.

But Hyesun’s final gaze bothered him.

After sending Hyesun off and returning safely to his officetel, Junho started tending to his wounds, which he hadn’t been able to properly clean at the motel. He disinfected the cuts with chlorhexidine he’d bought at the pharmacy—

“Aaargh! Haa… haa…”

The disinfectant stung the knife wounds, sending waves of excruciating pain through him. He felt a pang of guilt for stabbing Hyesun and berated himself for not training harder, which led to him being in this state.

At least he hadn’t injured his face. He wasn’t too worried about the scars on his body. Wasn’t that how it always went in movies? The incredibly handsome protagonist takes off his shirt, revealing countless scars. The woman is shocked and concerned, curious about his past. But the man brushes it off casually…

“Cool. So cool.”

Junho was secretly pleased with his scars.

The killer who murdered Goblin… Junho knew who he was. A middle-aged man he’d never seen before, skilled with a knife, who tortured and killed Goblin without hesitation. There was only one person who fit that description.

Codenamed Beretta.

He took his codename from the Beretta pistol. A Korean who mostly operated in Southeast Asia, he was a notorious killer.

Junho was satisfied that he’d taken down such a person, even though he had to resort to a cheap shot. But the movements he made at the last moment, when he finally subdued the man, were strange. It felt like he wasn’t himself. He swung the knife, but it didn’t feel like he was the one swinging it…

That’s why he couldn’t clearly remember how he won.

“Practice is the only way.”

He had to practice relentlessly to recall that memory. If he could recapture the feeling of that fight, he could improve significantly.

“But I wonder if she’s doing okay?”

The NIS must be in an uproar right now. They thought they were getting the $10 million and the North Korean agents’ account details in exchange for Hyesun, but they’d have discovered that it was just a device containing the account password. He could imagine their frustration.

If Goblin could have easily accessed the $10 million himself, he wouldn’t have held onto it like a precious treasure. He kept it because accessing it required flying to France, kidnapping a high-ranking official from the North Korean embassy, extracting his thumbprint, and escaping safely.

But that didn’t mean the device was worthless. High-ranking North Korean officials could be purged at any moment, and many stationed overseas wanted to defect. If he held onto the device, he could seize an opportunity and gain a huge sum of money. He could even use it to strike a deal with a North Korean official and split the money.

So, despite their frustration, the NIS wouldn’t abandon Hyesun. They needed her iris scan to access the information on the device. Goblin’s foresight in using his daughter’s iris scan as the first layer of security had saved her. If he had been more technologically skilled, he would have added a second layer of security, but unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to crack that.

“Well, they’ll figure it out.”

He’d given them a device containing $30 million in slush funds, so it was their problem now. He had fulfilled Goblin’s request to save his daughter, so he had no regrets.

He felt relieved. Although Goblin was dead…

Junho took out the phone, the note, and the matchbox from Beretta’s belongings. He didn’t turn on the phone yet. He wasn’t prepared to deal with it, so he put it in his desk drawer.

The note contained the address of Goblin’s workshop and another address below it:

[221 Sanghyeon-ro, Pogok-eup, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do?]

‘Where is that?’

This address wasn’t in Jo Gyeongcheol’s memories. There must be something there, but he decided to put it aside for now, placing it in his desk drawer as well.

All that was left was the matchbox.

‘Sunset?’

The old-fashioned design and slogan, something from the 80s, bothered him. There was only one conclusion: it wasn’t something he’d just picked up randomly. It must be a symbol, a key to something.

He put the matchbox in his desk drawer. The throbbing pain in his body had subsided considerably. He couldn’t go to a hospital, so he’d have to avoid public bathhouses for a while and just wash up at home.

“Ow…”

Junho groaned, covered himself with a thick jumper on the bare officetel floor, and closed his eyes.

 

***

 

Interrogation room, NIS headquarters.

Hyesun, who looked much younger than eighteen, sat alone on a cold metal chair. Her arm was bandaged. She stared at the table with a blank expression, patiently waiting.

Behind a one-way mirror, several people observed her.

“How is she?”

Assistant Manager Yoo Hyeree turned to Director Kim Cheolsoo, who had just entered, and replied,

“She’s… unique.”

“In what way?”

“We’ve been observing her for over an hour, and she hasn’t moved a muscle. She doesn’t seem anxious… almost like she’s been trained.”

“So, she’s Goblin’s daughter, after all? What about her personal life?”

Assistant Manager Yoo Hyeree held up her tablet, displaying Hyesun’s social media profiles.

“As you can see, she’s just like any other high school girl. Eating tteokbokki with friends, going to amusement parks… She likes fashion and talks about boys. It doesn’t match her current demeanor.”

“That’s why you think she’s trained.”

“Yes.”

If it was her true nature, it would be understandable. But for a bubbly, carefree high school girl to display such composure in this situation was either a sign of a split personality or extensive training.

“What about the device? What did the IT department say?”

This time, Deputy Oh Hyeonwoo answered.

“They said it’s difficult. Our hacking tools are useless, and if we try to force it open, we might damage the contents.”

“Damn it, so we have to get a North Korean official’s thumbprint after all.”

“It seems so…”

Director Kim Cheolsoo gestured towards Hyesun in the interrogation room.

“Let’s see how she reacts.”

“Yes, sir.”

Assistant Manager Yoo Hyeree nodded and left the room. The door to the interrogation room opened, and she entered.

“How are you feeling?”

Hyesun stared at Assistant Manager Yoo, who sat across from her with a bright smile, and answered quietly,

“I’m hungry.”

“Really? What should we get you? The food here is pretty good. Oh, today’s special is gomtang (beef bone soup). Should I order some for you?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

Assistant Manager Yoo typed something on her phone and showed Hyesun the message.

[Please bring a bowl of gomtang to the interrogation room!]

“See? Just wait a bit.”

“Okay.”

A moment of silence passed, and Assistant Manager Yoo asked Hyesun, who was looking down again, “Is your arm okay?”

“Yes.”

Hyesun still hadn’t raised her head.

“Can you tell me more about what happened? How did you injure your arm?”

“He told me to turn around and gave me directions to a karaoke place. Then he covered my mouth with his hand and stabbed me.”

“I see. That must have hurt. What did he look like?”

“…”

“Hello?”

“I don’t want to answer that question.”

Assistant Manager Yoo, who had anticipated this kind of response, smiled.

“I understand you’re scared. But wouldn’t you feel better if we caught him quickly?”

Hyesun raised her head and said something unexpected.

“I’m afraid of the people who killed my father. I’m not afraid of the man who stabbed me, as long as I keep his secret.”

“He stabbed you.”

“But he also saved me. If you keep asking about him, I won’t cooperate.”

Refusing to cooperate. Those weren’t words you’d expect from a high school girl. It was a prepared answer.

They could try to break her, but the problem was that they needed her cooperation to unlock the device. With the power dynamic firmly in Hyesun’s favor, Assistant Manager Yoo couldn’t press her further.

Just then, the door burst open, and Director Kim Cheolsoo entered. At his glance, Assistant Manager Yoo left the interrogation room. Director Kim roughly pulled out a metal chair, sat down with a thud, and slammed his hand on the table. He stared at Hyesun and smirked.

‘Look at this.’

Most women would flinch at that kind of behavior. The harsh scraping of the metal chair and the intimidating atmosphere were enough to make even the bravest woman cower. This wasn’t an act; it was an instinctive reaction, like the knee-jerk reflex.

“This isn’t a police station. There’s no lawyer here to fight for your human rights. You must have heard from your father what kind of people we are.”

“…”

“Don’t be insolent and answer my questions. What kind of person is Gorilla?”

“…”

“Should I give you a reason to talk?”

A strange smile played on Hyesun’s lips as she looked down.

“Are you laughing?”

“Are you going to torture me?”

“You think I can’t? What you brought us is North Korean property. We might act like gentlemen in other matters, but when it comes to North Korea, even our superiors turn a blind eye.”

“Go ahead, then.”

Director Kim Cheolsoo, unfazed by her defiance, stared at her and then snapped his fingers at the one-way mirror.

“Bring me some rope and pliers.”

The agents behind the mirror hesitated, exchanging glances, but then Deputy Oh brought the requested items.

“Tie her up.”

Deputy Oh immediately tied Hyesun’s right hand to the armrest of the metal chair. He even tied her hand to the chair so she couldn’t move it. Director Kim squatted in front of Hyesun, holding the pliers.

“Have you ever had your fingernails pulled out?”

“…”

“It’s quite painful. No one will come to help you, no matter how loud you scream. But feel free to scream if you want.”

He gripped Hyesun’s index fingernail with the pliers.

“…”

“Aren’t you going to pull it out?”

He wasn’t just holding it lightly. He was applying enough pressure that most people would struggle. But Hyesun didn’t react, except for slightly tensing her hand. And then she asked, wasn’t he going to pull it out?

Director Kim chuckled and tossed the pliers onto the table.

“Hey! Give her some food.”

Deputy Oh Hyeonwoo, worried, rushed into the interrogation room. Director Kim closed the door behind him and patted Assistant Manager Yoo on the shoulder as he walked past.

“She’s better than you were when you first joined.”

“I can do that too, you know.”

“Really?”

“Of course~”