Chapter 109: People Converging on Macau

At last, the moment I had been dreading finally arrived.

I had no choice but to reveal the truth about Saho to National Intelligence Service Director Om Giyeon. Naturally, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan filled in all the details I had deliberately left out.

"...We were planning to test Saho's abilities in the near future."

"I understand what you're saying. But can I really believe what Director Cha is telling me?" Director Om Giyeon's voice carried unmistakable skepticism.

Since I had absolute faith in Saho's abilities, I wasn't worried in the slightest.

"If we're lucky, you'll be able to see Saho's capabilities with your own eyes in Macau."

"And how exactly do you intend to use him?"

"Saho not only possesses intelligence that far surpasses that of an ordinary wild cat, but his physical abilities are also exceptional. I plan to send him into enemy territory to gather intelligence."

At that moment, Chief Secretary Song Dosok interrupted, clearly wanting to point something out.

"Director Cha, you won't be able to take Saho to Macau."

"What do you mean?"

As if reading my thoughts, Song Dosok continued without hesitation.

"You'll need permission from the airline to bring him."

"Then can't we just get that permission?"

Song Dosok shook his head.

"It's not that simple. Saho is an animal, so he has to pass quarantine inspection before boarding the plane. You'll need an international veterinary passport, vaccination certificates, a health certificate, and pet registration documents. But the biggest obstacle is that Saho is an endangered wild animal. It's impossible to obtain official paperwork for him."

"...Damn. One problem after another."

"There is one way to take him out of the country, but the chances of success are extremely low."

"What way? Hurry up and tell us," Chairman Park Yeongil demanded before I even had a chance to speak.

"We can fly to Macau on your private jet, Chairman."

"Then what's the problem? We'll do exactly that."

"But even if we arrive there, Saho won't be able to enter the airport building after landing."

"Hmm, I see. Director Cha, how should we solve that?" Chairman Park asked.

After thinking for a moment, I answered.

"We can open the hatch and release Saho before Chairman Yoon's private jet reaches its parking position on the tarmac. By the time we've cleared immigration and left the airport, Saho will have already found us on his own."

"And what if he can't find you?"

"Saho is incredibly intelligent, and his sense of smell is phenomenal. Finding us won't be difficult for him."

"But won't people panic if they see him?"

"They'll just think he's an ordinary house cat."

"Well... I suppose you're right." Chairman Park Yeongil nodded repeatedly in agreement.

***

"Where did this come from all of a sudden?" Mom asked in confusion after listening to me.

How could I possibly tell her I was flying to Macau to help wipe out a massive underground scam and gambling syndicate?

"This business trip to Macau has actually been planned for quite a while. One of our business partners suddenly requested an urgent meeting, so I have to leave tomorrow."

"Oh, I see."

"And this time, I'm planning to take Saho with me."

At that moment, something unexpected happened.

Saho, who had been lying comfortably on the floor, suddenly jumped to his feet, bit onto my pant leg, and started dragging me toward the front door. His entire body language screamed that he was ready to fly to Macau immediately.

"Not now. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

Understanding what I meant, Saho slowly wandered outside with an obviously disappointed expression.

Watching the whole scene, Mom asked curiously,

"Why are you taking him along?"

Naturally, because he would be an invaluable spy if an emergency arose.

I genuinely regretted that I couldn't tell her the truth.

"I think he's getting bored staying here."

"Honestly... That cat has a better life than I do. He's even traveling overseas."

Mom hadn't left Korea since her honeymoon. There was a heavy sigh in her voice.

Since I understood exactly how she felt, it was my duty as a good son to respond.

"As soon as Hyeonji's vacation starts, you two should definitely travel abroad together."

"But won't that cost a fortune?" Mom asked cautiously.

"Don't even think about the money. You know perfectly well how rich I am."

"Well... in that case, it's a deal. I'll talk to Hyeonji when she gets home."

"Sounds good. I'm going upstairs to pack."

***

After going up to the third floor, I quickly packed my suitcase before sitting down at my computer to wait for the U.S. stock market to open.

Soon, there was a knock on the door, and Cha Hyeonji walked in.

"Big Brother, you're leaving for Macau tomorrow?"

"Yeah. That's how things turned out."

Pointing at Saho, who had already made himself comfortable on my bed, Hyeonji asked,

"And why are you taking this little rascal with you?"

"Didn't Mom explain it?"

"She did, but it still sounds ridiculous."

"If you're jealous of the cat, then you should go on a trip too."

"Big Brother... You're really going to send me overseas?" Hyeonji whined in an intentionally cute voice.

"Stop acting like that. You're giving me goosebumps. Go to Europe during your summer vacation."

"But that'll cost an insane amount of money! Are you sure it's okay?"

"We have plenty of money. It's about time we started living like normal people."

"Fine. You convinced me."

"Now I've got work to do, so close the door on your way out."

The moment Hyeonji left, the U.S. market opened.

Golden Health's stock, which had already collapsed the previous day, plunged even further the instant trading began.

This had to be Chairman Gomez and Chairman Bongard launching their second wave of short selling.

Without wasting any time, I called Korea Investment President Cho Myeongsu.

As though he'd been waiting for my call, he answered on the very first ring.

["Director Cha."]

"Close every short position immediately."

***

The next morning.

With Mom and Hyeonji seeing us off, Saho and I wheeled our suitcases out of the house.

But another surprise was waiting outside the gate.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan was standing there beside the driver.

"Chief Secretary Kang? What brings you here?"

"The Chairman personally instructed me to accompany you on this trip, Director Cha."

"But won't it inconvenience him if you're not by his side?"

"Director Cho will temporarily take over my duties. Please get in. It's time to leave."

The driver carefully placed my suitcase in the trunk, and I settled into the familiar seat of honor in the back.

The car pulled away smoothly.

Kang Inhan glanced at Saho, who was sleeping on my lap, before asking,

"Are you certain Saho will be able to find us?"

"I gave him very specific instructions. He'll have no problem. Right, Saho?"

The cat let out a soft rumble before nodding his head.

"You heard him, Chief Secretary Kang. That's his answer."

"Yes, Director Cha."

"Are the two of us the only people from our organization going to Macau?"

"No. Twenty personnel will accompany you, including Team Leaders Jeong Gwangseok and Seo Donghun."

"So including the people searching for K&J Bio's fugitive CEO Go Yeongjun, that makes forty in total?"

"Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol and his twenty subordinates have an entirely different mission during this trip."

"Right. I completely forgot. Has Lee Hyeonsol reported anything new?"

"There's still no progress regarding Go Yeongjun. However, late last night Jeong Sancheol met with an extremely suspicious individual. Lee Hyeonsol reported that the man had a very intimidating appearance."

"Did you manage to get a photograph?"

Instead of answering, Kang Inhan quickly tapped his phone a few times before handing it to me.

On the screen was a photograph of a man in his fifties with sharp, severe facial features.

Just as Kang had said, his face looked exceptionally grim.

After forwarding the photo to my own phone, I immediately called National Intelligence Service Director Om Giyeon.

After several rings, his surprised voice came through.

["Director Cha? Is something wrong this early in the morning?"]

No matter how urgent the matter was, it would have been rude to jump straight to the point.

"I wanted to ask how things are going with Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui."

["That bastard left for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates an hour ago."]

So he was returning to China through Dubai.

"That's good news. No one's tracking him, I hope?"

["He's been disguised so thoroughly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. The chance of being exposed is practically zero."]

Since the intelligence director sounded so confident, I could only trust his judgment.

"Excellent. What about Choi Dongcheol from the Scorpion Gang? Have you confirmed his identity yet?"

["We're maintaining constant covert surveillance on him. We should have concrete results soon."]

"I sincerely hope he turns out to be a North Korean intelligence operative."

["I completely agree with you, Director Cha."]

Now that the routine questions were out of the way, it was time to address the real issue.

"Last night Jeong Sancheol met with a man who appears to be Korean, either from the South or the North. I'll send you his photograph. Could you run him through your databases?"

["Of course. Send it immediately."]

Om Giyeon's voice instantly turned serious.

He clearly realized how significant this could be.

I ended the call and sent him the photograph.

Barely thirty seconds later, my phone vibrated.

Knowing exactly who it was, I answered immediately.

"Director Om, did you identify him?"

["The man in the photograph is Jo Ilcheol, Deputy Director of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau—the organization's second-highest-ranking official."]

"That's one hell of a big catch."

["You're absolutely right. Are your people still following him?"]

"Yes. Our security team is maintaining surveillance."

["That's an enormous stroke of luck. I'd like to speak directly with the person coordinating the surveillance on the ground. Is that possible?"]

"I'll hand the phone to Chief Secretary Kang. He'll coordinate everything."

Kang Inhan gave Om Giyeon Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol's phone number before returning the phone to me.

After the brief conversation ended, Kang asked curiously,

"Is the man Jeong Sancheol met really that important?"

"According to Director Om, he's one of the most powerful figures inside North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau."

"And what would someone that important be doing in Macau?"

"We'll find out soon enough. Lee Hyeonsol's team hasn't taken their eyes off him."

Kang Inhan nodded before handing me a plastic folder.

"Here's the report on the Golden Health short-selling operation."

Without delay, I opened the folder and began reading.

In short, the investment had generated a 70% return.

My personal share of the profits alone amounted to a staggering eight billion dollars.

Considering that I was also entitled to a percentage of Chairman Yoon's, Chairman Bongard's, and Chairman Gomez's profits, my fortune was about to grow even larger.

The news made me want to dance.

But with events unfolding so seriously, I forced myself to suppress my excitement.

When we arrived at Seoul Airport, yet another surprise awaited us.

Director Om Giyeon himself was standing outside the terminal.

"Director Om, did you come to see us off?"

"No."

"Then..."

"The appearance of Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol in Macau means something extremely significant is about to happen there. I've decided to go personally and assess the situation on site."

Om Giyeon was a very recognizable figure in certain circles.

If someone like him suddenly appeared in Macau, wouldn't the Chinese intelligence services notice immediately?

I carefully voiced my concern.

"I'll enter Macau under deep cover and in disguise. No one will suspect a thing."

Bzzzz.

At that moment, my phone vibrated.

Looking at the screen, I saw that it was FBI Director Glenn Nevers.

After apologizing to Om Giyeon, I answered.

"Director Nevers."

["Director Cha, when are you planning to depart for Macau?"]

"I'm already at the airport. We're about to board."

["Then you'll arrive before we do."]

"Could it be..." I deliberately paused, trying to gauge his intentions.

["I'm going there personally to find out why Jo Ilcheol has come to Macau."]

"But isn't that outside the FBI's jurisdiction?"

["North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau is directly involved in narcotics trafficking and cryptocurrency theft through cyberattacks. That makes it very much the FBI's business."]

"You're right. My apologies—I overlooked that. But Macau is Chinese territory. Won't you run into problems at the border?"

["Don't worry about that. We'll handle it ourselves."]

Well, when the director of the world's premier investigative agency told me not to worry, there wasn't much left for me to say.

"Very well. I'll see you in Macau."