Perfect Mission Chapter 7 - The Start of a Double Life (1)

Chapter 7 – The Start of a Double Life (1)

 

Kim Cheolsoo, the head of the Industrial Security Department at the NIS, was startled by the message he received from the Overseas Operations Team leader.

“Hey! Gorilla secured the item and dumped it in a clothing donation bin at an apartment complex. Get ready!”

At his command, a dozen agents sprang into action. Split between two vans, they sped towards the apartment complex like bullets.

Dozens of police officers were already surrounding the area, and the residents, clueless as to why the police had suddenly descended, were milling around curiously.

Director Kim Cheolsoo approached the clothing donation bin in question and addressed Deputy Oh Hyeonwoo, who was standing there with a tense expression.

“Open it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Finding the item wasn’t difficult. Something wrapped in newspaper didn’t belong in a clothing donation bin.

They carefully unwrapped the newspaper and found a tiny chip. They immediately got back into their vehicles.

“Check it.”

The vehicle was equipped with a full set of electronic devices, so analyzing the chip’s contents was no problem.

A short while later, Director Kim Cheolsoo, having confirmed that the tiny chip contained hundreds of gigabytes of core data related to graphene materials, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s the right one. We found it.”

“Whew, that was close. But why did we find it so quickly? Don’t tell me this bastard had it all along?”

“Would he betray his client for a mere $700,000?”

“Just saying. It’s strange.”

“I agree, but…”

Deputy Oh Hyeonwoo, a veteran with nearly ten years of experience, also tilted his head in confusion, but there was nothing more they could discern at the moment.

“Check all the CCTV footage in the area. We’ll find something on his route here.”

“Yes, sir. However… this is a highly sensitive matter, and if Gorilla finds out, it could cause problems.”

Director Kim Cheolsoo was well aware of that.

“I know. But it was too fast. Do you know how many hours have passed since we gave him the mission? He retrieved the item and disappeared in that short amount of time. Even if Gorilla wasn’t directly involved, he must have had some prior information. I need to know what it is.”

“It was definitely too fast. The industrial spy disappeared without a trace like a ghost from the moment Manager Kim Seungryong of Daewon Chemicals handed over the data. How could Gorilla find him so quickly? There must be some connection.”

Assistant Manager Yoo Hyeree, the intelligence analyst, chimed in. Smart and resourceful, she was one of Director Kim’s favored employees. She was also beautiful, so no one on the team disliked her.

“What about Michael Hwang?”

“He’s still staying at the Paradise Hotel. We confirmed he had breakfast at 8 a.m.”

“Then this hasn’t been handed over to China…”

“Michael Hwang might be a decoy.”

“I know. But Michael Hwang is too big of a fish to be used as a decoy. And the assassins who arrived last night… Michael Hwang definitely called them in. That means this is the real deal, not a copy… Why did things turn out this way?”

“Sir?”

Director Kim Cheolsoo sat down on a folding chair in the vehicle and crossed his arms. With a serious expression, he began voicing his doubts.

“It’s been over a week since the data was leaked from Daewon Chemicals. That’s enough time to go from Korea to Russia, then to the US, and then to Brazil. If we hadn’t found it by then, it would mean there was an accident during delivery. But why was there an accident? If there was going to be an accident, it should have happened at Daewon Chemicals.”

“You’re right. Stealing the data was too easy, and the spy was bold and meticulous enough to deliberately expose Manager Kim Seungryong while covering his own tracks. If such a person had a delivery accident…”

“An internal conflict?”

“Within ASA?”

Director Kim Cheolsoo nodded and stroked his chin.

“There could be an internal conflict, or the agent might have been trying to do something with the data. That’s why I’m even more curious. How could Gorilla figure out the spy’s whereabouts and retrieve the data so quickly? In such a short time…”

“We’ll investigate thoroughly.”

The team members understood Director Kim Cheolsoo’s intention to uncover the agent’s movements, despite the risk.

“What about the money?”

“Of course we have to pay him. He completed the mission.”

As he watched the $700,000 being transferred from the NIS funds, Director Kim was deep in thought.

 

***

 

“Oh, this is nice.”

Junho was looking at an officetel in Yeouido. He was touring the place, which was a little over 10 pyeong (355 sq ft), with a real estate agent.

He chose Yeouido because it wasn’t too far from his home and was relatively central in Seoul.

“This size is perfect for a student living alone. Good for studying too. But where do you go to school? If it were Seoul National University, you’d be looking around Sillim, and if it were Yonsei or Hongik, you’d be looking around there.”

“Haha, actually, I’m not a college student. I’m preparing for employment.”

“Oh my! You look so young, I thought you were a student. How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“You look so much younger!”

“Haha, really? Thank you.”

He was still a minor, so it was difficult to sign a lease under his own name. He couldn’t bring his mother, his legal guardian, to sign the contract either. Fortunately, Jo Gyeongcheol had several fake IDs that made it possible.

“So, what do you think…?”

“Could you lower the monthly rent? I’m thinking of signing if it’s around 900,000 won.”

“900,000 won? Alright. I’ll negotiate with the landlord. You’ll sign if it’s 900,000, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay!”

The negotiation over the phone ended quickly. The landlord, whose officetel had been vacant, agreed to the compromised price on the condition that Junho didn’t have any pets.

“Please send me your ID so we can draw up the contract.”

“Yes, I have a picture of it, so I’ll send it to you.”

“Okay.”

Junho immediately sent the picture, and the real estate agent frowned as she stared at it on her phone.

“This is…”

“Yes, that’s me. I took that picture when I was really into music.”

One of Jo Gyeongcheol’s fake IDs was for a man named Kwon Dojun, in his mid-twenties, with long hair. The picture of a long-haired man with glasses looked different from Junho with his short hair, but if he insisted that he’d cut his hair, the other person would have no choice but to accept it.

“Yes… you seem to have an artistic flair.”

“Haha, that was when I was younger. Now I’m focusing on studying.”

“Oh, you’re such a responsible young man. I’ll contact you after I confirm the move-in date with the landlord. Please send a deposit of 1,000,000 won.”

“Okay.”

After securing a separate residence and returning home, Junho checked his email. A message had already arrived.

[Item confirmed.]

[Thank you for completing the mission.]

[The promised amount has been deposited.]

Junho chuckled after reading the three-line reply. Although he had known all the answers, he was the one who carried out the mission, and he had earned $1,000,000 in just a few days.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, he had deceived a few people, but he had prevented a technology leak that could have caused significant damage to the country. The news said it was worth at least 300 billion won?

Compared to that, $1,000,000 wasn’t a fair price, but it didn’t matter. He had done the right thing and earned money, proving that life was worth living, even without games.

“This is just the beginning.”

This mission was like a tutorial for beginners in a game. How to move, how to talk, how to disguise himself, how to hide…

Although he was a bit clumsy and awkward since it was his first time, he had followed his plan and succeeded.

From now on, he wouldn’t be given the answer sheet in advance, so he had to be thoroughly prepared.

But why couldn’t he stop smiling?

“Hehehe…”

He giggled even while lying in bed.

‘A world-traveling agent… and that’s me…’

Quietly throwing punches and kicks in the air, expressing his joy, Junho suddenly remembered something and bolted upright.

He hadn’t figured out who the fake detective at Seunghwawon was working for, or what ASA’s true intentions were. They had confirmed Jo Gyeongcheol’s death, but they’d also received the message that Gorilla was alive. They must be confused, and now that they’d lost the data, they must be furious.

He couldn’t just bask in his success; he had to start working on his physical condition. Junho changed into his workout clothes to go to the gym.

“Hehe… James Bond? Or Jason Bourne? Heh…”

Despite his worries, Junho couldn’t stop smiling.