Perfect Mission Chapter 34 - White Tiger (1)

Chapter 34. White Tiger (1)

 

“Shouldn’t you go?”

Suyeon asked Junho, who was heading to the bus stop. She really didn’t want to bring up the new transfer student, Seo Hae-rin. The more she talked about her, the worse she felt, her self-esteem plummeting. But the situation earlier was a bit… unsettling. As a fellow woman, she felt like she couldn’t just leave it.

But Junho, as if he were from another planet, asked, “Where?”

“Hyeonuk and Hae-rin. Hyeonuk seemed really angry with her. It could be… dangerous. It’s happened before.”

“It has? I thought he was good to girls.”

“I’ve only heard rumors. That no girl he likes can refuse him. There was one case before… but it’s just a rumor.”

“What was the rumor?”

Suyeon hesitated for a moment, then said,

“I heard she was… forced. Like I said, it’s just a rumor…”

“What about the girl?”

“She transferred. That’s why it’s just a rumor. No one even knows who she is.”

“Hmm…”

He should have been concerned, but Junho just nodded, his expression unchanging. Suyeon, annoyed, blurted out, “Aren’t you worried at all?”

“Worried? Why should I be?”

“You… don’t you like her?”

“Me? Hae-rin?”

“Yeah. That’s why you took her out.”

A strange tension formed between them, and Daeseong, who had been listening with one earbud in, subtly lowered the volume. He looked away, but his ears were perked up.

“No, I just had something to ask her.”

“What did you want to ask?”

“That’s a secret.”

Junho said, and started walking towards the bus stop again, as if the conversation was over.

Suyeon felt a pang of disappointment. It wasn’t because she didn’t get the answer she wanted. She had always thought of Junho as a kind, albeit clueless, game-loving boy, but now, he seemed different.

Junho, seeing Suyeon standing there, glanced back and said,

“You don’t have to worry about Hae-rin.”

His unexpected words made his two friends focus on him.

“Why?”

“How come?”

Junho frowned, as if he were being forced to say something he didn’t want to.

“Can’t you tell just by looking at her? She doesn’t look like a pushover. She’s the type who can take care of herself.”

Daeseong didn’t understand. How could that delicate, kind-looking girl be a tough one?

“Hey, let’s be honest. How does she look tough? Didn’t you see her tearing up when Hyeonuk scowled at her?”

“She was tearing up? Hae-rin? Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?”

“I’m pretty sure she was. Her eyes were all red.”

“That bastard… he’s seeing what he wants to see. She looked at him like he was a dog barking at the moon.”

“That’s ridiculous! No way!”

Suyeon, watching their childish argument, was confused, but she got the feeling that Junho wasn’t afraid of Hyeonuk. That made it even stranger. If he wasn’t afraid of Hyeonuk, why wouldn’t he help Hae-rin? It was a perfect opportunity to get closer to her. Why was he throwing it away?

As she thought about this, she found herself asking a philosophical question: should she be happy that Junho didn’t like Hae-rin? And then—

“Aaargh! No way!”

She couldn’t accept the answer to her own question, and she let out a cry of despair. She grabbed her head with both hands, and the two boys stared at her, wide-eyed. She ran away, still clutching her head.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Junho watched Suyeon’s retreating figure, then glanced back towards the school and continued to the bus stop. Suyeon had asked if he was worried about Hae-rin, but he wasn’t. He actually hoped something would happen and she would quit school. But he didn’t think Goblin’s daughter would be easily defeated by a high school bully. If she was, it would be a huge shock and trauma for her, but at least she would be out of the agent world and safe from being killed. But would that happen?

‘Would Goblin have raised his daughter to be so weak?’

She hadn’t even flinched when he stabbed her, and she had run through the streets of Hongdae. Any other girl would have collapsed on the spot, crying. And for Junho, Hae-rin was not a priority.

‘Five years ago, Prague. And Goblin.’

He had to figure this out. Then, he remembered the phone and the matchbox he’d taken from Beretta and shoved into his drawer. He hadn’t turned on the phone because he hadn’t been ready to deal with it, but now, he felt like it was time.

Junho went to his officetel and took them out. The old, pre-smartphone model felt both strange and familiar, a mix of his own memories and Jo Gyeongcheol’s. As expected of an agent, there were no saved numbers. But in the call log, there were no personal mobile numbers starting with 010. Only a local number starting with 031…

Junho looked at the matchbox with the word “Sunset” on it again. He had a feeling this was the number. And the address Beretta had on him before he died:

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

Junho searched for the address on a portal site. He thought he might find a shop called “Sunset,” but surprisingly, it was just a villa. The surrounding area was also filled with villas, not a place for a shop. Then again, it was unlikely that he would carry the address of such an important place with him. This address was probably the location of the next target after Goblin.

Just then, Bzzz—

His burner phone vibrated. Only three people had this number: Gyeongsik, the real estate agent, and Evil Ghost. Since it was an unknown number, it had to be Evil Ghost.
Junho cleared his throat a few times to lower his voice. He needed to get a voice changer next.

He answered the phone.

“You took your time.”

[I’ve been a little… distracted, thanks to someone.]

“Didn’t I clean things up for you? Better than being injured, right? I could have killed you.”

[…Let’s forget the past and have a constructive conversation.]

Forgetting a near-death experience was out of character for him, but Evil Ghost’s response was surprisingly by the book. When you were exposed and your opponent was hidden, your options were limited. His instinct was to threaten to hunt him down and tear him apart, but rationally, he knew he was at a disadvantage. If you knew you were a target, you had to either disappear or beg for mercy. Or, like Evil Ghost, negotiate.

“Let’s hear it first.”

[Someone gave me information about you. They offered to pay me 10 billion won to take you out, in addition to the success fee. I had no reason to refuse.]

“And that person is?”

[Unfortunately, we don’t know his identity. You can believe me or not. You know how it is. People don’t reveal their true identities when they make that kind of request.]

As much as it sucked, he wasn’t wrong.

“So that’s it? You don’t know?”

[I really don’t. I don’t know his identity.]

“Then you have to die.”

[Hey! Calm down and hear me out.]

“…”

[I really don’t know his identity. But I have a suspicion. For the past few years, Korea has become a hotbed for agents. A new syndicate has emerged, and many independent agents are taking jobs from them. What’s surprising is that this group is putting out a huge number of requests, and they’re acting like a black hole, sucking in agents from all over Asia.]

“So, like an assassination guild? And?”

[They don’t just do assassinations, but I don’t know the details. But not many people can put a 10 billion won price on someone’s head. It’s usually large corporations or organizations, and there aren’t any large criminal organizations of that scale in Korea. Even the Triads don’t put a 10 billion won price on someone’s head.]

“…So what are you thinking?”

[I think the request might have come from that syndicate. They might have outsourced it to us because they couldn’t handle it themselves. But the important thing is, as far as I know, they’re the only ones who can put out a 10 billion won contract in Korea.]

“What’s the name of this place?”

[I don’t know. I received a mysterious email three years ago. It was a recruitment email for elite agents for high-value contracts, over 1 billion won each. And only those who were invited could join.]

This was completely unexpected.

“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

[I don’t know the full story either. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. This is all I know.]

“Hmm… is that all?”

[I’ve told you everything I know. I don’t know their name, their location, or who sent the email. Oh, one more thing. They said you needed a token to join. I don’t know what it is, of course.]

Why? Why did his gaze fall on the 80s-style matchbox at that moment?

There was always a reason for the things an agent carried on a mission. It wasn’t that he was carrying something useless; it was that he hadn’t figured out its purpose yet. The purpose of the matchbox.

“Alright. I’ll think about it.”

Junho hung up. If this matchbox was the token, his only clue was the phone number. Some countries had reverse phone lookup services, but Korea didn’t. He had searched for the number online, but of course, nothing came up. There was only one thing he could do.

Junho sent an email to the NIS. He asked them to find the locations of 30 random shop numbers, including that number.

Now there was only one thing left to do. Go to that address and see who lived there. Junho had a bad feeling. He needed more equipment.

“I’m bleeding money.”

He had felt rich with the 2 billion won worth of Bitcoin, but now it was all disappearing.