Perfect Mission Chapter 20 - Counterattack (3)

Chapter 20 – Counterattack (3)

 

People might assume all agents are the same, but there are actually various types. First, there are freelance or independent agents who work alone, without any affiliation. Then there are contract agents who are bound by contracts, not individual missions, with organizations. And finally, there are agents who are directly employed by organizations.

If you were to ask which type had it easiest, it would be the agents employed by organizations. They received various forms of support and often worked in teams, significantly reducing the risk of injury or death.

Independent agents, on the other hand, had to take various measures to protect themselves, one of which was maintaining multiple fake identities. Like rabbits digging multiple burrows, independent agents prepared several identities as a matter of course. Since they had no organizational support, they had to prepare everything themselves.

Could Junho utilize Jo Gyeongcheol’s other identities? Of course. The problem was that he didn’t know their current status. He didn’t know why Jo Gyeongcheol’s identity was exposed, and he couldn’t risk contacting them without knowing what kind of trap might be waiting.

From the moment Gorilla’s identity was compromised, he couldn’t trust anyone. He could trust Goblin’s innocence, having witnessed his death, but everyone else was a suspect.

That’s why Junho needed another identity. Someone to act as a proxy and interact with people on his behalf. He couldn’t use anyone he knew, so choosing a homeless person, someone with nothing left to lose, was his best option.

His current actions were meant to instill certain behaviors in the homeless man, following Jo Gyeongcheol’s methods.

“Your name?”

“Yoon Gyeongsik.”

“Good. Can you still use your ID?”

“What do you mean… are you asking if I sold it?”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t.”

“Good. Then go register a business license. Real estate rental should be suitable. Use this as your business address. And you’ll need a new phone.”

Junho handed him an envelope containing a stack of 50,000 won bills and a piece of paper with an address. Yoon Gyeongsik looked inside the envelope, quickly tucked it away, and asked,

“This much money…”

“You’re not going to buy the latest phone, are you?”

“Of course not. I’ll get the cheapest one.”

“It doesn’t have to be the cheapest. Just a few years old is fine. After you register your business, rent a car. 24 hours should be enough.”

“Understood. What kind of car?”

“A mid-size sedan.”

Yoon Gyeongsik seemed to understand and nodded.

“Something… presentable?”

“You understand well.”

Junho deliberately maintained a formal tone, ensuring that Yoon Gyeongsik continued to treat him with respect. He couldn’t risk revealing his young age. Yoon Gyeongsik was a proxy, an errand boy, not a friend or colleague.

“Even though I’m in this situation, I’m still capable. I’ve done things… before…”

“I’m not interested in your story.”

“Ah, right. I apologize.”

“Go get the phone first.”

Yoon Gyeongsik returned with a cheap phone. Junho entered the burner phone number into the new phone and asked,

“Do you have family?”

“Yes.”

“Are you in contact with them?”

“Well…”

“How long has it been since you last contacted them?”

“About two months.”

“Don’t even think about contacting them. This isn’t for my sake, but for yours.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“I told you this is dangerous. Your family could be in danger. So don’t contact them. I’m warning you.”

Yoon Gyeongsik gulped and nodded.

“I understand.”

“If you’re worried about your family, I can help them after the job is done. But you can’t contact them.”

“If that’s the case, I won’t contact them. That’s enough.”

He bowed his head repeatedly, perhaps from the pressure of being the head of the household.

He didn’t know how things would turn out. He just hoped that after dealing with ASA’s connections in Korea, things would calm down a bit. No agent in their right mind would deposit all their money in a bank. If things went well, he could help Yoon Gyeongsik’s family since he wouldn’t have much use for the money himself.

Junho borrowed a pen from the store, wrote something on a tissue, and handed it to Yoon Gyeongsik.

“After you rent the car, park it here and contact me. Then wait.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll pay you three times what you received earlier after the job is done.”

Yoon Gyeongsik’s fingers trembled.

“R-Really?”

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“Will it be… very dangerous?”

“It might be. It might not be.”

Yoon Gyeongsik, probably having nothing left to lose, straightened his posture and said,

“I’ll contact you.”

Junho watched him leave and exhaled softly. Yoon Gyeongsik might think he was lucky, but he might regret it before the day is over. But it couldn’t be helped. He would do his best, and Junho would do his.

 

***

 

Park Jaesoo, who ran a real estate agency in Cheongdam-dong, had been anxious about going to work lately. It all started with that strange phone call. He’d received a call about listing a luxury penthouse worth nearly 10 billion won. Even as a real estate agent, he didn’t get his hopes up when a high-value property was listed. He needed a buyer.

But a client appeared just two hours after he received the listing. And the client didn’t even bat an eye at the price of the penthouse. A rare wealthy client.

That was the only good part.

Shortly after the client left, he received a text message that made him uneasy. Why had the client said it was okay to give out the passcode? He’d been agonizing over it all day.

The next day, as he was about to leave work, someone roughly shoved him back inside. Before he could react, he was subdued, and a masked man asked,

“What’s the passcode to the penthouse at Rosen Village in Cheongdam-dong?”

If he hadn’t received that text message, he might have hesitated. He might have kept his mouth shut, even if it meant getting beaten up. But remembering the message, Park Jaesoo blurted out the passcode as soon as the question was asked.

“It’s 042345!”

He answered so quickly that the masked man looked at him strangely.

“You remember the guy who came to see the Rosen Village penthouse the other day? Tell me everything you know about him.”

Park Jaesoo, without even raising his head, recounted everything he remembered about the man, from the moment he arrived to the moment he left. And then, thankfully, the masked man disappeared, and the danger passed.

Did he report it to the police? He couldn’t.

“If you report this, you’ll find your family’s body parts delivered to your doorstep.”

How could he report it after such a threat?

Since that day, Park Jaesoo had been living in fear, unable to tell anyone about what had happened.

But then…

“You want to see this penthouse?”

The middle-aged man who arrived in a mid-size sedan nodded.

‘Why this one…’

Park Jaesoo was flustered, but it was his job. If a client wanted to see a property, he had to show it to them. So, he took the new client to see the penthouse. The price was the only issue; the house itself was picture-perfect, and no client would dislike it.

And then, surprisingly, this client expressed his desire to buy the house.

“You really want to buy it?”

“Yes. I’d like to finalize the deal as soon as possible. Even today, if possible. I have the money ready.”

Park Jaesoo’s heart pounded at the client’s claim of having 9.6 billion won ready. The 0.3% commission would amount to almost 30 million won. How could he refuse?

“Could you wait a moment? I need to call the owner…”

“Sure, take your time.”

Yoon Gyeongsik waited patiently.

Park Jaesoo, trying to calm his nerves, called the owner and informed him that he had a buyer.

[Today? Good. Can you come to this address? Let’s sign the contract there.]

“Okay, I’ll write it down.”

Park Jaesoo wrote down the address, his face beaming.

But his smile didn’t last long.

“The deal is off.”

The man who claimed to be the building manager appeared and declared just that. Park Jaesoo was about to protest, but the words caught in his throat. That voice, that aura… he instinctively knew it was the same person who had threatened him that night.

“Why not?”

Yoon Gyeongsik, the potential buyer, demanded an explanation. The man said, “This property isn’t solely his. He can’t sell it as he pleases.”

“Is there a lien on it? The records I pulled were clean.”

“Anyway, it’s complicated, so look for another property. You said you were meeting the person who listed this property, right?”

“Yes…”

“Where? Write down the address and phone number.”

Park Jaesoo’s trembling hand wrote down the address and phone number he’d received earlier. The man snatched the paper, made a zipping motion across his lips at Park Jaesoo, and left the agency.

“That bastard…”

Park Jaesoo collapsed onto his chair, his legs weak with frustration. But Yoon Gyeongsik simply stared at the man’s retreating figure.