Chapter 538: 61

October 14th, 2019 18:30 (China Standard Time 17:30)

China, a highway connected to Shanghai.

“Damn it, they’re not responding!” Team Leader Lee Won-ho bellowed as he gripped his Chinese phone tightly. Park Gi-oong, who was sitting in the back seat, saw Lee Won-ho’s reaction.

“Team Leader Lee, are you having trouble contacting unit one?” Agent Park asked anxiously.

“They aren’t responding. We are now under condition Class One. Everyone destroy and dispose of your cell phones.”

“You don’t think they got taken out, do you?” Agent Youn Tae-jin muttered in a worried tone from his place in the driver’s seat.

“Stop jinxing us, would you?” Park Gi-oong shouted back.

“Relax, Agent Park. The Manager and Team Leader Ji aren’t men who would go down easily. We have to head to the Shanghai embassy. We’ll wait for them to contact us there. Agent Youn, step on it.”

“I am sorry,” Chief Youn Tae-jin apologized quietly to Agent Park. Then he stepped on the gas.

* * *

October 15th, 2019 12:30 (China Standard Time 11:30)

China, Shanghai embassy.

Team Leader Lee Won-ho, who drove all night to reach the Shanghai embassy in China, reported back immediately to NIS headquarters in Korea. They waited for Team Leader Ji’s party to contact them again, but the phones remained silent. Around noon that day, a shocking report came on the news. Mysterious strangers started a gunfight at the Fu-nan motel, and five bodies had been found.

The bodies on the ground were all censored in the broadcast, but the NIS agents could tell they were the bodies of their fellow agents. Park Gi-oong and the other agents from Foreign Intelligence Unit One were all dumbfounded by their fellow agents’ deaths. After a minute, they began to weep.

The Leaders of Foreign Intelligence Units One and Two both contacted the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Department to request that they be allowed to recover the bodies. The response they got was that, due to the unofficial nature of the mission, the department couldn’t step in to recover the bodies. The agents were promised, however, that the department would do all it could to recover the bodies and bring them home.

Park Gi-oong lay on an embassy bed and wept.

“Damn it, I should have been there.”

Park Gi-oong couldn’t help but blame himself, and inside his head, the past four years he had spent with Team Leader Ji Dong-chul since he entered the NIS passed by like a film.

* * *

October 25th, 2019 11:30

Seoul, Kangnam-ku. NIS Hana-won hospital ward.

Kim Soon-hee spent three days in the Shanghai embassy, and after using her South Korean passport to safely leave China, she stayed in the Hana-won hospital ward. After a week passed, her body slowly began to recover, and she was interviewed about Kim Ki-soo and other related incidents.

“How is your recovery?” Director Youn Ho-il of the Foreign Intelligence Department asked carefully.

“I feel much better.”

“I know you’re feeling ill, but since the matter is urgent and important, we came by to ask you a few questions.”

“Ask away. I will try to answer everything within my knowledge.”

Director Youn Ho-il pulled the chair closer to the bed.

“A month before the Pyongyang terrorist bombing, your brother Kim Ki-soo visited you in Shanghai, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“According to our intel, Mr. Kim Ki-soo handed you one million yuan. Is this true?”

“I got it in a large travel carrier.”

“Did he say anything else when he handed you the money? This is an important matter, so please tell us.”

At that moment, Kim Soon-hee’s gaze began to shift. Then she gripped the blanket with both her hands and seemed to be troubled.

“We are in South Korea. You will see your older cousin soon, and there is no need to fear.”

“The thing is…”

Kim Soon-hee, who was anxious and had tears in her eyes, must have come to a decision. She took a deep breath and then looked directly at Director Youn Ho-il.

“Yes, I will tell you all that I know.”

“Could I record our conversation?” Director Youn Ho-il asked, pulling a recorder out of his pocket and showing it to Kim Soon-hee.

Kim Soon-hee nodded her head and then began to speak.

“When my older brother came to visit me in Shanghai, he told me about something terrifying as he handed me the bag of one million yuan. He said an assassination had been planned for Kim Jong-un and the South Korean leader on August 15th, and if it succeeded, then our family could live a luxurious life in North Korea.”

“Did he tell you about the man who ordered the assassination plans?”

Kim Soon-hee hesitated again and then spoke. “If something happened to him and his family on the day of the assassination, he told me to take the money, run, and ask for help from Comrade Lee Byung-chul.”

“Lee Byung-chul?”

“Yes. The Vice-Chairman of the National Defense Committee.”

“So does that mean Lee Byung-chul is the man behind the assassination?”

“I’m sorry. My brother only mentioned him to ask for help if something went awry, rather than telling me who actually gave the order.”

“Yes, I understand. If that is the case, why didn’t you ask for Lee Byung-chul’s aid, Ms. Kim Soon-hee?”

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“I was afraid, after hearing the news of my father and mother being executed before the day was finished. So I couldn’t even think about asking for help, but that was when I got in touch with my cousin and tried to come to South Korea. But…”

Kim Soon-hee burst into tears. She had remembered the deaths of her parents and elder brother, things that she had tried to blot out of her memory.

“That is more than enough. Thank you for your cooperation. Please rest up and take care of yourself. You will be able to meet your cousin in a few days.”

Director Won Il-ho took the recorder and left the hospital room. Then he ordered the agents standing by outside the hospital room and then headed to the NIS building.

* * *

October 25th, 2019 11:30

Seoul, Kangnam-ku. NIS Secretary’s office.

Inside the Secretary’s office, Secretary Na Bong-il and Directors from each department were listening to the recording Director Won Il-ho had brought in. A moment later, the recorder stopped playing.

“Lee Byung-chul, he is an ally to Kim Yo-jong and the current Vice-Chairman of the National Defense Committee. He is 61 years old, has an aggressive temper, and is one of the main persons in power in the current power class. He is one of the hardliners who was behind the Yeonpyeong naval battle and the bombardment of Baek-ryung Island. His view of our nation is very negative,” Director Kim Na-yoon of the North Korean Intelligence Department explained briefly.

“Lee Byung-chul.” Secretary Na Bong-il thought for a moment as he tapped the table with his finger, then asked a question to the middle-aged man sitting next to him. “If that is the case, what is the probability that he is the man behind the Pyongyang Terrorist Bombing?”

“Normally, those who carry out assassinations ask for a promise of their family’s protection if the attempt fails. Especially if the mission was to take out Kim Jong-un and the President of Korea. We can assume that is why Kim Ki-soo told Kim Soon-hee to ask for Lee Byung-chul’s aid if she was on the run,” Lee Gilj-joon explained gravely. He was the head of the Intelligence Analysis Department.

“Hearing you explain that, it does sound like a reasonable course of action,” agreed Director Won Il-ho, who had spoken with Kim Soon-hee.

“I also agree.” When Director Huh Young-joon from the Anti-Terrorist Investigation Department spoke up as well, the other directors also nodded their heads and agreed.

“Everyone seems to be in agreement. I would like Department Head Lee to conduct a careful analysis with his agents and send in an official report.”

“Yes, sir.”

A few days later, the Intelligence Analysis Department had come out with a report related to Lee Byung-chul. As Department Head Lee Gil-joon had said, the conclusion was that Lee Byung-chul had been behind the terrorist bombing in Pyongyang. Secretary Na Bong-il had made an official report to the Blue House, and the Blue House couldn’t avoid changing their policies related to North Korea after learning the identity of the man behind the terrorist bombing three years previous.

* * *

October 25th, 2019 11:30

Seoul, Jongro-ku. Blue House President’s office.

Inside the President’s office, the staff for national security and North Korean relations were gathered to discuss Lee Byung-chul.

“This is a grave matter,” said National Security Director Oh Jang-soo, placing his hand on his forehead as he racked his brain.

“I apologize. This is the fault of the NIS for not staying abreast of all the ongoings of North Korea,” NIS Secretary Na Bong-il apologized, bowing deeply.

“There’s nothing we can do. Since Lee Byung-chul planned this from start to finish, and succeeded, that means we must figure out how to form a relationship with North Korea and leave behind the current policies we had planned.”

Minister of Unification Oh Seung-tae coughed a few times and then began laying out the key points.

Firstly, the Korean government had to figure out Lee Byung-chul’s true intentions for assassinating Kim Jong-un and the Korean President. Honestly, though, the reasoning was obvious. His plan was to oust the Kim dynasty that had been passed down for three generations and take power himself.

However, the question was how well he had prepared before executing the assassination plan. Did he plan this by himself, or did he have help from foreign entities? This was the question that remained. As a second urgent question for the Korean government, how many of his allies were hiding and active in the political sphere?

On the surface, North Korea seemed to be moving under First Vice-Chairman Kim Yo-jong’s command, but now there were a number of dangerous individuals like Lee Byung-chul, committing heinous crimes and hiding in the shadows as they waited for their chance to overthrow the current North Korean regime. Due to the circumstances, the Korean government couldn’t safely deliver their findings to First Vice-Chairman Kim Yo-jong.

Who could they entrust such information to in North Korea? Currently, the man who was most friendly towards South Korea was Party Secretary Kim Yeong-chul from the South/North relations meetings, but he couldn’t be fully trusted. Also if this information was leaked to Lee Byung-chul before it could reach the First Vice-Chairman’s ears, then he would take drastic measures and cause major issues in North Korea. This could lead to the threat of war in the Korean peninsula again and inflict a second wound on Korea’s recovering economy.

“You’re right. Now that we know North Korea is like a ticking timebomb, we must change our method of approach. Since that is the case… Minister Oh Seung-tae?”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

The President stood up from his seat and paced back and forth for a bit. Then he seemed to come to a decision as he glanced at all the government officials in front of him. He stopped his gaze at Minister Oh Seung-tae.

“I think I need to meet Kim Yo-jong in person,” he said in a determined tone.

Minister Oh Seung-tae and the other officials all became wide-eyed.

“Absolutely not. It is too early and untimely for you to meet with her in person, sir,” National Security Director Oh Jang-soo said, standing up quickly.

“That is right. Like the National Security Director has said, it is too risky for you to take action, sir. I will meet with First Vice-Chairman Kim Yo-jong first.”

Minister of Unification Oh Seung-tae also stood up to dissuade the president. The rest of the Ministers and the NIS secretary added their voices of opposition.

“Everyone, please sit down. I know why you are all so worked up. However, in this situation, I am the only one that can directly converse with Kim Yo-jong. We must work towards having me go to Pyongyang in person.”

The President’s adamance despite the opposition from numerous officials left everyone standing in silence.

“I will wait for the Ministry of Unification to get me in contact. Also, Secretary Na?”

“Yes, sir.”

The President moved his gaze to NIS Secretary Na Bong-il, then asked in a calm tone, “What happened to the bodies of the NIS agents who passed away in the line of duty in China?”

The entire office fell silent under the President’s question.

“We are returning them home via an unofficial route.”

“That is a relief. I figured it would be difficult since it was China.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“No need to apologize. Instead, please give all the respect and compensation to the agents and their families that the nation can offer. I am full of sorrow that this is all I could do and say as the President.”

The President glanced at the ceiling and sighed deeply.

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