Perfect Mission Chapter 31 - Seo Hae-rin (1)

Chapter 31. Seo Hae-rin (1)

 

If he could, he would have killed them both. But he only had one shot. The moment the sniper was discovered, the target would find cover. So he had to choose. The man who killed on orders, or the man with the information. Junho decided to kill the man with the information later.

What surprised him was that Evil Ghost seemed to have no idea that Goblin was dead. So, who had tried to kill Goblin? And if Goblin had kept Gorilla’s identity a secret, was someone else targeting Gorilla? If there were two parties after Gorilla, why?

Junho’s mind was in a mess as he left the clubhouse after the shot. He left the golf course, stuffed his golf clothes into his Boston bag, revealing the T-shirt and pants he was wearing underneath. He put on a hat from his bag and walked along the road that connected the beach and the hotel. He walked for over 2km before heading into the city, confident that he wouldn’t be found, even if they searched all the CCTV footage around the golf course.

To be even more thorough, he took the subway to Bucheon, walked another 3km, and then took a taxi home.

“Getting away is harder than sniping.”

He was exhausted when he got home. Moving, hiding, moving again… He finally understood why special forces soldiers did the thousand-mile march. Jo Gyeongcheol had also believed that marching was a fundamental skill for an agent, and that physical fitness was the foundation. He ran 5km every day for a reason.

Junho took a hot shower and passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 

***

 

NIS headquarters, Naegok-dong.

Director Kim Cheolsoo hadn’t slept a wink since the night before, preparing for the morning meeting. His eyes were bloodshot, and he smelled faintly of sweat, but no one dared to tell him to go wash up. Everyone knew how serious the situation was.

He entered the conference room and saw Second Deputy Director Jeong Sejin, Director of the Counterintelligence Bureau Do Cheolmin, and Director of the Internal Intelligence Bureau Yoo Hanseok already there. Glad that he wasn’t the center of attention this time, Director Kim Cheolsoo took the remaining seat. Director Yoo Hanseok began.

“You probably haven’t slept a wink since you heard the news this morning.”

Director Yoo Hanseok of the Internal Intelligence Bureau, with his pale skin and neat, short hair, looked like a newly commissioned platoon leader, but he was already in his late forties. He displayed an image of the front of the hotel on the conference room screen. The zoomed-in image showed a hotel room with a shattered window.

“How could I sleep? If some nosy reporter gets a hold of this, the fallout will be a nightmare.”

Second Deputy Director Jeong Sejin’s voice was laced with anger.

“Yes, sir. Since we were already monitoring Michael Hwang, we were able to assess the situation quickly. I’ll start with a summary of the incident. Last night, around 10 p.m., the window of Michael Hwang’s room at the Paradise Hotel in Incheon was shattered. If it had been broken from the inside, the glass would have been scattered outside the hotel. But we found very little glass outside. It’s difficult to explain without it being a sniper attack.”

“Did you confirm this at night?”

“Yes, sir. Our agent confirmed it, requested backup, and searched the area. He told the hotel staff to check the room, but they were denied entry.”

“What about Michael Hwang?”

“His voice sounded fine.”

“So, what? Michael Hwang wasn’t the target?”

Second Deputy Director Jeong’s face relaxed. Michael Hwang had close ties to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and if he had been killed, they would have had to explain it to them, officially or unofficially.

“It seems someone was killed, but the hotel is not cooperating. Perhaps because of the large amount of Chinese investment, they’re even refusing our request for water usage records. The police were getting nowhere, so we had to reveal our NIS identity and force our way in. The water usage in the early morning was over three tons.”

“So someone died, and they’re just trying to cover it up?”

“It seems Michael Hwang doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it. He must know that the NIS is involved, so if he didn’t get rid of the body, it might still be there.”

“That makes sense. If we investigate the death, it could be bad for him too. I don’t know who did it, but they’ve just made things complicated and annoying.”

“Whether it was intentional or not, it’s definitely a problem for Michael Hwang. Someone is targeting him, but he can’t make any rash moves.”

“He knows a sniper is after him, so he’ll move, even if it’s risky. Keep an eye on him. Are you looking for a suspect?”

“Yes, sir. The golf course is the only possible sniping location, so we’re reviewing all the CCTV footage from the clubhouse and the surrounding roads. I’ll report back as soon as we find anything.”

Second Deputy Director Jeong Sejin turned to Director Do Cheolmin of the Counterintelligence Bureau.

“Director Do, who would have a motive to target Michael Hwang?”

“He has a lot of enemies. Even though he mostly operated in mainland China, a guy with his reputation… if you asked who wanted to kill him, the line would probably stretch from here to Gangnam Station.”

“So you don’t know.”

“I really have no idea. There are a lot of people who want him dead, but it takes more than just guts and skill to snipe him in Korea. And Michael Hwang arrived in Korea at 4 p.m. yesterday. Whoever did this knew that. That kind of intelligence suggests an organization, not an individual.”

Second Deputy Director Jeong turned his gaze back to Director Yoo Hanseok of the Internal Intelligence Bureau.

“Where do you think the gun came from?”

“We’ve been investigating all possible smuggling routes since this morning, but there’s a chance the sniper isn’t Korean. If so, it’ll be difficult to catch him.”

“First explosives, now guns. Our country, once a drug-free nation, is now a drug market. If guns are added to the mix, it’ll be a disaster. If this makes the news, it’s over. You know that, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes.”

Everyone bowed their heads to Second Deputy Director Jeong. They knew how sensitive the issue was, and they knew it was their fault. No excuse would justify a smuggled firearm, especially a sniper rifle. It was something out of a comic book.

Second Deputy Director Jeong Sejin turned to Director Kim Cheolsoo.

“Hey, Cheolsoo.”

“Yes, Deputy Director.”

“What about the girl?”

“We’ve given her a rental apartment. She said she’ll join the NIS after she graduates and spends some time in college.”

“Really? The First Deputy Director is keeping an eye on her, so take good care of her.”

“Yes, sir. She asked if she’d get a monthly salary if she joined, so I think she’ll join for financial reasons, even if she has to work part-time to get by.”

“Good. Even if she doesn’t, we’ll need her to unlock the device, so keep an eye on her.”

“Understood.”

“And check if she’s in contact with Gorilla.”

“We’ve linked her phone screen to ours. We’ll know if she contacts him.”

“Okay.”

Second Deputy Director Jeong Sejin nodded and stared at the hotel on the screen.

 

***

 

The countless people coming and going from the hotel room last night…

Gyeongsik, who had gone to the pool in his robe, had to give the performance of his life. He had to be a perfect chaebol, unshaken by the commotion and the suspicious gazes.

‘When I get back from the pool, I’ll remove the bug first.’

Following James’s instructions, he had removed the bug from the wall as soon as he returned from the pool. He’d spent a sleepless night. He couldn’t help it. The sound of footsteps, like rats scurrying in an attic, startled him awake every five minutes.

How could he not know? He knew something had happened while he was at the pool. He had seen James kill a man with a gun with his own two eyes. He’d been sent to the pool so he wouldn’t be in the room when they stormed it, to avoid suspicion. But that didn’t mean he was completely out of danger. What if they changed their minds and came for him? What if they stabbed him or shot him? He would be dead.

But Gyeongsik didn’t run. If he moved rooms or disappeared, their suspicion would turn into certainty, and they would hunt him down. He had to be bold and stand his ground. And he knew that was why he had been given 300 million won.

‘Honey, kids. Dad will get through this. I’ll get through this and protect you.’

Gyeongsik was terrified, but he didn’t leave the room until morning. He woke up early, as usual, and had breakfast. He had barely slept, but he ate the same amount and left for “work” at the same time to avoid arousing suspicion.

[Everything alright?]

Gyeongsik, dressed in a suit and pretending to work on his laptop at a Starbucks near the convention center, received a text from James. A check-in.

[Yes, everything’s fine. I had breakfast as usual and came to work.]

[Mail the bug at a convenience store. I’ll send you the address.]

[Understood.]

Gyeongsik leisurely sipped his drink. After surviving that ordeal, he felt like he had grown.

‘Ha, what was all that about…’

And for some reason, the feeling of being a spy who had successfully completed a mission wasn’t so bad.

 

***

 

Junho felt unusually good when he arrived at school. It might have been because of his weight loss, but this feeling was different. His body felt light and springy, and his limbs moved exactly as he wanted them to.

‘Is it because I didn’t have any nightmares?’

Last night, for the first time in a long time, he hadn’t dreamt of dead bodies. He usually woke up suddenly, his pillow soaked with sweat and tears. But last night, he slept soundly. Maybe it was because he had punished the bad guys? The thought made him feel even better.

“What made you so happy this morning?”

“You’re different today. Not going to take a nap?”

Of course, it was Ahn Suyeon, provoking him as usual. Daeseong had been hanging out with her a lot lately, talking about games, and surprisingly, she was a good listener. With Junho sleeping all the time, Daeseong had probably found a new audience in Suyeon.

Junho said to Daeseong and Suyeon, “I think my body is finally getting used to the diet. I feel so light.”

“Whoa~ Have you been to the doctor? Isn’t it bad to lose weight so quickly?”

Daeseong asked, concerned.

“I get really hungry sometimes, but I’m not starving myself. I eat a lot of meat. My mom runs a restaurant, you know. We have a lot of meat at home. I just eat less rice. I feel great!”

Junho jumped up and down, showing off his newfound lightness. The new, smaller school uniform his mother had bought him fit perfectly, which also boosted his mood.

Hyeonuk, annoyed by Junho’s display, turned away and started talking to his deskmate, who was also a bully. Junho briefly glanced at them, then turned back, pretending not to have seen anything, and was about to chat with Daeseong when the teacher came in.

But then…

“We have a new student today.”

Junho’s good mood instantly vanished when he saw the girl who walked in.

“Go ahead, introduce yourself.”

She raised her hand with a blank expression and said,

“Hello. I’m Hae-rin. Seo Hae-rin.”

She had changed a lot. Very different from when Goblin had died.

“Alright, where should you sit? There’s an empty seat over there, you can sit there.”

Hae-rin, as she had introduced herself, sat in the empty seat two rows in front of Hyeonuk.

“She was a good student at her previous school. You’re all seniors, so help her adjust, but don’t try to distract her from her studies. Understand?”

“Yes, sir~”

The boys were all mesmerized by the pretty new student, but Junho’s gaze held no warmth.

The only one who noticed the killing intent in his eyes was Hyesun, who calmly met his gaze.