AGENT 58

It had been eight days since Yongnae went missing in Korea. If Yongnae had not been involved in the Gucheon City murder cases, the probability was high that it would have been dismissed as a simple missing person case. However, Yongnae suffered from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and furthermore, he had been linked to Yiwon, the new drug organization from Hong Kong. Therefore, less than a day after Yongnae disappeared, an investigation headquarters was immediately established in Korea.

It was not a team comprised of police officers who merely chased simple murderers or drug offenders. They were the Metropolitan Investigation Team, a special headquarters dedicated to international crimes rather than domestic ones.

“Missing person Kim Yongnae. Age 27. A Grade 6 civil servant serving as an indoor air quality and odor analysis agent for the Jeonbuk Provincial Government.”

“And the ones who kidnapped him?”

“Park Jongtae, Hwang Changsik, Jeong Pilgu, and Lee Howon. A total of four people, all members of the Black Horse Gang. Three high-ranking officials of the Black Horse Gang were the drug offenders that Yiwon, the Hong Kong drug organization, handed over to the police.”

“If that is the case, the current situation is that the Black Horse Gang kidnapped Kim Yongnae to catch Yiwon.”

“Yes. That is correct. At approximately 6:20 PM on the 11th, the Black Horse Gang vehicle that kidnapped Kim Yongnae as he was leaving work in front of the Imsil Research Institute headed for Gunsan in the early morning of the 12th for a stowaway trip. The last information is that they boarded a cargo ship bound for Hong Kong from there.”

“Any word from the embassy yet?”

“None.”

Tsk. Cheolwon, the team leader, clicked his tongue.

Kim Yongnae. The fact that he, a mere research civil servant who had never even received training, personally found the Gucheon City serial killer and returned alive was already famous within the police force. People went as far as to say he was not an odor analysis agent, but a special mission agent hidden by the government.

Cheolwon also felt admiration for several parts while reading Kim Yongnae’s profile. His quick brain and his ability to grasp details that others easily missed. If he wanted to, Cheolwon genuinely wished to recruit him into his own team.

In fact, ever since learning of the kidnapping, he had been hopeful. He wondered if the man would escape using that extraordinary brain. However, by now, it was a time when he should have already escaped and headed to the embassy, so Cheolwon felt an urgent heart regarding the lack of news from Kim Yongnae. Since there were many organization members who carried guns, he feared that if something was going to happen, it had already happened.

Cheolwon nodded as if he understood the general situation, and soon after, he took out his cell phone and forwarded the contents he had organized to someone.

Buzz—

Then, he immediately received a message from the recipient.

[Kwon: One unidentified body with a gunshot wound found on a beach near Ma Wan Village, Hong Kong. DNA information for five Koreans required.]

An unidentified body meant the Hong Kong police had already concluded it was a foreigner. Cheolwon instructed his subordinates to hand over the DNA information of the four Black Horse Gang members, including Yongnae, to the Hong Kong police right now.

“When do we join them?”

“First, our primary pretext is to rescue the kidnapped Kim Yongnae. We will join when the other side confirms the life or death of the hostage.”

“Wow… a joint investigation with Interpol. I am a bit nervous.”

This special mission investigation headquarters was formed with Cheolwon at the center following a request for a joint investigation with Interpol. The scale was quite large for finding just one kidnapped civil servant, but in reality, this was a mission labeled as a hostage rescue operation for appearance’s sake.

Instructions had come down from the main office for us to use this incident to personally apprehend Yiwon, the new Hong Kong organization, and beyond that, even the triads. It seemed they intended to take this issue for political and diplomatic purposes to be used for the upcoming presidential election.

“I really hope Kim Yongnae is alive.”

Because of that, the life or death of Kim Yongnae was very important. If Kim Yongnae died, they would lose the opportunity to apprehend Yiwon and the triads.

The three people, who had joined Weizhen outside and had dinner, split up as they usually did to get into the cars to head to the mansion. Yongnae, who felt uncomfortable because Weizhen had discovered his search terms, naturally got into Lee Suji’s car, but this time, he regretted this choice a little.

“You said you could go even with your eyes closed, but are you lost?”

“Ugh… why do the roads feel so unfamiliar today.”

Since Lee Suji always drove without setting a destination on the navigation, he thought the man had memorized the way to the mansion like a father who had memorized every road to his hometown, but apparently, that was not the case. Checking the map on the phone he was holding, they had already been circling for over 40 minutes around a distance that was 20 minutes away from the lodging. Not even a single ant could be seen in the surroundings now.

“Enter the destination into the navigation even now.”

“No. If we go this way, it’s fine.”

“Did you not say those exact words earlier?”

“This time is for re—al.”

Yongnae, with eyes that said he could not trust him, glared at Lee Suji once. Then Lee Suji smirked, telling him not to worry, and turned the steering wheel to the opposite side of the road leading to the mansion once more. He then immediately watched the rear through the rearview mirror and side mirrors.

In fact, Lee Suji was intentionally taking a different path right now. He had felt gazes watching and following him and Yongnae since the street, and he had informed only Weizhen of that fact while eating. And to Kim Yongnae, he was pretending to have taken a wrong turn while shaking off the car following from behind.

If you ask why he hid that fact instead of just saying it,

“Ah, right. Teacher.”

“Yes.”

“They say one body with a gunshot wound was found on the beach at Ma Wan Village yesterday.”

“Pardon? One? Are you saying only one was found?”

“Yeah. The police say there are no other Korean bodies.”

“Then, does that mean the rest of the organization members might be alive?”

“How should I know? But you see… when you escaped, Teacher, were they all alive then?”

It was to test Yongnae. To see if he really escaped alone, or if he had colluded with them and escaped together only to pretend not to know now. Lee Suji naturally thought it was the former. But Seo Soo and Weizhen did not. Weizhen was suspicious, asking why he would come find them if he had escaped, and Seo Soo was the type who never trusted anyone by nature.

Ultimately, at Weizhen’s words that you are at least a little closer so you should test Kim Yongnae, Suji found it bothersome but thought he should at least pretend to ask. While he was watching for a chance, someone following them suddenly sparked suspicion toward Yongnae, causing him to ask urgently.

“Yes. At that time, except for one person who had been shot, the other three were alive.”

“But why did you escape alone?”

“………”

“Because they were the ones who kidnapped you, Teacher?”

“…No.”

“Then…?”

Just say that’s why. Why say it’s not. Suji moistened his drying lips with spit and waited for Yongnae’s answer. He could have just said, “Because they were the bad guys who kidnapped me, I thought this was the moment and ran off alone!” so why… It was like that last time too. Kim Yongnae held something like a sense of guilt toward those who kidnapped him. I mean, why on earth?

Besides, reports were pouring in from everywhere that the other three, excluding the one who was the head for now, had shown their faces in Tsim Sha Tsui. He wondered if Kim Yongnae, who knew the location of the mansion, might stab them in the back.

Weizhen was putting forward a hypothesis that he shouldn’t have told the story about Joe’s Dumplings back in Korea; that their setting up a lodging above it was for the purpose of kidnapping Susu. He argued that Kim Yongnae was not kidnapped from the beginning, but had come in collusion with the Black Horse Gang.

Suji told him not to talk nonsense, asking how that skinny body could strike us and why he would do that to us when we gave him 300 million won. But Weizhen said something even more nonsensical.

‘Did you see Kim Yongnae’s eyes? I’m telling you, he’s completely insane. He’s crazy for Susu right now, so he colluded with the Black Horse Gang. So he must have decided that if they kidnap Susu, he takes the body for himself, and the drugs and money are handed over to the Black Horse Gang.’

‘…Are you an N?’

‘What is that.’

Hey, your eyes are more insane. There really is no bullshit like that bullshit, Suji had laughed, even clapping his hands.

“Actually, I was not kidnapped by the Black Horse Gang.”

However, at the answer heard from the side, Screech— Suji’s car came to an abrupt halt.