Perfect Mission Chapter 17 - Approaching Danger (2)

Chapter 17 – Approaching Danger (2)

 

Daeseong glanced at Hyeonuk, who had returned unscathed, and muttered, “Be careful. He looks like he wants to eat you alive.”

“Let him. And while he’s at it, I hope he takes a bite out of my fat.”

Junho, unconcerned with the high school drama, was beaming, thinking about Yesol, who had greeted him earlier.

Suyeon, seeing this, sneered.

“Enjoying life?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Hmph!”

Junho, whose life had previously been devoid of dopamine except for games, was now experiencing a daily dopamine rush. Jo Gyeongcheol’s memories didn’t return all at once; they surfaced one by one, like unexpected gifts, as he kept thinking, just like how people recall long-forgotten memories.

Exploring those memories was more stimulating and rewarding than watching a movie. And on top of that, a cute girl like Yesol had shown interest in him, like an anime heroine, so he couldn’t help but be happy.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

Daeseong clicked his tongue, seeing Suyeon’s face contort, and Junho turned his attention back to the window, ignoring Hyeonuk.

Just then, his burner phone vibrated. An email from Jo Gyeongcheol’s account. The sender was ASA.

[It’s been a long time since the cargo arrived. We’ll give you 72 hours. If we don’t receive the cargo within 72 hours, we’ll collect the payment.]

Junho inwardly cursed at their audacity.

‘These sons of bitches…’

Regardless of the reason, they had tried to double-cross him and take everything for themselves, and now they were trying to shift the blame onto Jo Gyeongcheol. It was absurd.

“Collecting the payment” didn’t mean they wanted their money back; it meant they were coming for his head. In short, they were threatening to kill him if he didn’t bring them the Daewon Chemicals data.

“Phew…”

Junho took a deep breath and considered his options. Logically, he could just ignore them. He hadn’t left any evidence, and no one in their right mind would suspect a high school senior, instead of pursuing the late Jo Gyeongcheol.

But he still felt uneasy. They had killed Jo Gyeongcheol, even though they believed he had completely concealed his identity, and they still didn’t know how he’d been exposed.

‘I need to be even more careful.’

He didn’t know what they would do in the next 72 hours, but since he couldn’t find any flaws in his actions, he decided to wait and see.

After school, Junho went to his officetel and continued his disguise practice and other training. He could feel himself getting slimmer and more skilled every day.

Just as he was about to leave for home after finishing his training, his burner phone vibrated again. Another email from ASA.

[I hope you like the gift.]

A gift? In the world of espionage, a “gift” was never a genuine gift. It usually referred to a bomb or a nasty surprise.

Junho, feeling a chill run down his spine, called his mother immediately.

[Yes, son? What is it?]

“Um… I think I’ll be a little late.”

[You’ve been coming home late a lot lately.]

“Mom, you shouldn’t nag your son so much. I have a big~ gift for you today.”

[A gift? Oh my! The mock exam results are out!]

“Heh, Mom. I told you to have expectations, right? I’ll show you the score report when I get home.”

[Oh my, oh my! What happened? I can really get my hopes up, right? If you’re lying, you’re getting a spanking!]

“I’m serious. Everyone was so surprised that they want to celebrate at karaoke, so I’ll stop by there before coming home.”

[What kind of score did you get? Can’t you tell me over the phone?]

“No. I’ll only show you the score report.”

[Alright, alright. But don’t come home too late~ Good job, son~]

“Okay~”

After hanging up, Junho wiped the smile off his face.

“What if it’s not my mom? The school? No, that’s not possible.”

They wouldn’t kill his friends when he had family. The fact that his mother was safe meant they hadn’t found him, as he’d expected. But he couldn’t figure out how they could have possibly found him.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he started searching for news articles. One article caught his eye.

[Body of Man in His 30s Found Brutally Murdered]

[The body of a man was found in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, at 11 a.m. today. The body showed signs of multiple stab wounds and burns, suggesting a murder motivated by revenge… The man was reportedly working as a security guard at a luxury villa…]

“Those bastards…”

Was this it? His only point of contact with a civilian. He had been disguised, and he’d given a false name and contact information, so he hadn’t been worried.

The stab wounds and burns meant they tortured him before killing him, and they must have known the security guard knew nothing. They killed him out of spite, and to send a message to Junho.

You’re next. So, be afraid.

They were as ruthless and brutal as a South American gang.

He was shaking with rage, but he couldn’t do anything. He wasn’t ready yet; a direct confrontation would only lead to his death.

But then a thought occurred to him.

‘What if I don’t confront them directly? How?’

It would be possible if he could completely conceal his identity from start to finish. But for that, he needed equipment. A gun, a sniper rifle, to be precise. And to get that, he needed money. A lot of money…

When he thought about money, only one place came to mind. Jo Gyeongcheol’s luxury villa. There was a considerable amount of cash in the safe there, even though ASA now knew about the place.

He needed a way to get in without raising suspicion. As he thought about it, several ideas came to mind. All of them extremely risky.

“You didn’t believe me when I said it was a mistake to mess with me.”

Junho was going to show them. Very clearly…

 

***

 

The next day, after school, Junho went to his officetel to prepare. He applied thick, dark fake eyebrows and lightened his skin tone with makeup, making himself look unusually pale for a man. He carefully applied the makeup to his neck and the back of his hands as well. Dressed in a slightly worn jumper and jeans, he transformed into a man in his early thirties with a carefree air.

His destination was Itaewon.

Itaewon, a popular spot in Seoul, was known for its large international community and vibrant nightlife. But Itaewon had another characteristic, unknown to most: it was a haven for counterfeit goods. Although less prevalent than before, countless counterfeit goods were still sold there, from handbags and clothes to watches.

Junho bought a few fake watches while he was there and then acquired a burner phone from a shop Jo Gyeongcheol frequented. The main purpose of his visit to Itaewon was to get the burner phone.

He got a burner phone, despite having a secondary phone, because he needed to make a call. For large criminal organizations, tracing a call back to its owner through the registered name was child’s play. An organization like ASA would have a few contacts within the Korean police and government, giving them immediate access to home addresses and other personal information.

That’s why a burner phone, used only for a short period, was essential when he needed to make a call without revealing his identity.

Junho made the call from Itaewon before returning to his officetel. He called the real estate agency near the luxury villa in Cheongdam-dong, deepening his voice to sound gravelly.

“I want to list my property.”

[Oh, I see. What’s the address?]

“The address is Cheongdam-dong… The price… The passcode is 042345, so you can go in and take a look.”

Jo Gyeongcheol was dead and had no family. He was an orphan and had broken up with his fiancée, so he had no remaining ties to the world. Naturally, with no one to inherit his estate after his death, his house would be vacant, and the landlord probably didn’t even know he was dead.

In this situation, someone listing the property?

If the property was listed, the real estate agent would visit to assess it, and ASA would be alerted if anyone went to that floor. They might even find out just from the listing itself.

But he had no other choice. This was the only way to get to the 6th floor without a key card.

Junho went to his officetel, changed into a clean suit, waited for two hours, and then visited the real estate agency.

“I’d like to see some properties. Budget isn’t a concern. Do you have anything good?”

The real estate agent, who had just received the new listing, showed him some old photos of the villa.

“How about this one? It’s expensive, but it’s a penthouse on the 6th floor. Very luxurious, with a great view. Also…”

“This looks good. I’d like to see it.”

“Shall we go now?”

With the real estate agent, getting to the 6th floor was no problem.

“We’re here to see the property.”

The security guard, at the agent’s words and seeing his business card, readily swiped his key card to grant them access to the elevator going up to the 6th floor.

Beep!

Junho carefully observed the security panel as the agent entered the code. If ASA had tampered with it, there might be some changes. But there were no visible differences from before.

“Here you go. Please come in.”

Entering the villa, the same awe he’d felt before washed over him. There were no signs of anyone else having been there. No noticeable stains on the marble floor, no changes in the furniture arrangement.              

Junho wandered around, examining the place, turning on the faucets and lights.

“It’s nice.”

“Right? It’s rare to find a place this size and quality. There’s no inventory. People with money tend to hold onto their properties.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, you’re lucky to see this.”

Junho nodded, entered the master bedroom, and then said to the agent, who was looking around the living room,

“I’m not good at taking pictures, would you mind taking some photos of the place with my phone? I need to discuss it with my wife.”

While it was common for clients to take pictures, it was rare for them to hand over their phones and ask the agent to do it.

But this was a client viewing a 100 billion won luxury villa, so the agent readily agreed.

“Certainly.”

As the agent went upstairs to take pictures, Junho quickly entered the code to the safe. They hadn’t opened it either; the cash was still there. He quickly stuffed the bundles of cash into his bag, closed the safe, and walked out casually.

“Here you go. I took some good pictures, so your wife should be able to get a good idea of the place.”

“Thank you. It’s really nice. How much did you say it was?”

“Shall we talk about it on our way down?”

“Let’s.”

They closed the door and got into the elevator.

“It’s 105 pyeong, listed at 9.6 billion won. The previous owner bought it for exactly 9 billion, so it’s not overpriced. Of course, if you decide to buy it, we can negotiate.”

“9.6 billion is a bit much… Would a discount of 600 million be possible?”

“Well, I can’t say for sure, but…”

As the agent was about to answer, the elevator doors opened, and two men stood before them. Both were large, well-built men in suits, and Junho recognized them immediately.

“How did you get here?”

One of the men approached and asked. He had a scar above one eyebrow, tanned skin, and a faint smell of oil.

The real estate agent, naturally, blinked at the intimidating man and replied,

“I’m a real estate agent. The owner listed the property, and we’re here to see it.”

“The owner listed the property? And you are…?”

“I’m a potential buyer. Why are you asking? Who are you?”

Junho inwardly scoffed.

‘Do you think you can act recklessly in broad daylight, under CCTV surveillance? Mortar?’

Kim Jaeguk, codenamed Mortar. A former member of the 707th Special Mission Battalion and, technically, Jo Gyeongcheol’s junior. He was ruthless and reckless, willing to do anything to complete a mission, but he’d also betrayed his colleagues for money several times.

Junho was pleased. He’d been meaning to kill this bastard anyway.