Chapter 139: A Sharp Counterattack

“What on earth is going on, Specialist Cha?”

The moment Cha Jiham hung up, Chairman Yoon Jongu asked cautiously.

“The thing is... We just received word that President Go Yeongjun is dead.”

“What?!”

Chairman Yoon Jongu shouted so loudly that members of the secretariat rushed into the office. He waved them away before continuing in astonishment.

“Specialist Cha, is that true?”

“I heard it directly from Director Om.”

“Do you know how President Go died?”

“Director Om said he would personally brief us.”

“When?”

“We agreed to meet at the NIS safe house in two hours.”

“I understand. Secretary Song, contact Chairman Park, Secretary Lee, and Commissioner General Choi immediately. Tell them to come to the NIS safe house.”

***

“Chairman Yoon, what was so urgent?”

Chairman Park Yeongil sat down on the empty sofa and asked with obvious displeasure.

“I invited you here for lunch.”

“Hmph. At an NIS safe house?”

“Why not? It's quiet and comfortable.”

“Well, aren't you something? There's nothing in particular I need to discuss with you. Director Cha, tell me what's happened.”

They had decided there was no longer any reason to hide the facts they already knew.

“Director Om arrived at the Jeju Naval Base two hours ago and says he has something important to tell us.”

“Did the North Koreans find out that Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol defected to our country?”

“I don't think that's it. President Go Yeongjun is dead.”

“That's hardly news.”

President Go Yeongjun had committed an enormous crime by embezzling 1.8 trillion won from his company. Logically, news of his death should have shocked everyone.

Yet Chairman Park Yeongil's reaction was surprisingly indifferent.

As if reading everyone's thoughts, Chairman Yoon Jongu spoke first.

“Chairman Park, why aren't you surprised at all?”

“Go was the type of petty bastard who only looked out for himself and abandoned everyone else. If he'd started spilling everything that happened in Macau, just imagine the consequences.”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, someone knocked, and NIS Director Om Giyeon entered.

The conversation between Chairman Park Yeongil and Chairman Yoon Jongu naturally came to an end. Everyone stood to greet him warmly.

“Director Om, you've worked hard.”

“We merely followed the plan Director Cha prepared.”

“Being too modest isn't always a virtue.”

“If Chairman Yoon says so himself, I have no grounds to argue.”

“Hahaha! Shall we sit down and talk?”

Director Om Giyeon took a seat on the sofa before looking at Jiham in confusion.

“Director Cha, didn't you invite Secretary Lee and Commissioner General Choi?”

Secretary Song Dosok had asked Secretary Lee Jihun and Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong to arrive at the NIS safe house by eleven o'clock.

However, it was already twelve minutes past eleven, and neither had appeared.

That was why Director Om was curious.

“That can't be right. I'll call them right away and see when they'll arrive.”

Knock, knock.

Just as Jiham picked up his phone, another knock sounded.

The door opened, and Secretary Lee Jihun and Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong walked inside.

As soon as brief greetings had been exchanged, Chairman Yoon Jongu suddenly said,

“Secretary Lee, Commissioner Choi... You two must have been born in the Year of the Tiger.”

“What makes you say that all of a sudden?”

“We were just talking about the two of you, and here you are.”

Jiham immediately understood the implication.

Chairman Yoon Jongu was alluding to the saying, "Speak of the tiger, and it appears," while subtly scolding them for arriving late.

Everyone else seemed to understand as well, because Secretary Lee Jihun hurriedly explained,

“We wanted to come earlier ourselves, but the President kept us back and simply wouldn't let us leave.”

“When there's a lot of work to do, delays are unavoidable. Don't worry about it.”

So you stab us first, then pat us on the back?!

The words nearly escaped Secretary Lee Jihun's lips, but he displayed superhuman restraint and swallowed them.

“Regardless of the reason, we were late. Please accept our apologies.”

“I accept your apology, Secretary Lee. Director Om, please tell us why you gathered everyone here.”

Deciding the timing was perfect, Director Om quickly began.

“I assume I don't need to go over everything that happened in Macau?”

“Director Cha and Secretary Kang explained it all to us last Saturday.”

“Good. My plan was to put Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol's group, President Go Yeongjun, and Director Qin Hao aboard a submarine and bring them back to Korea. However, on my way to meet President Go and Director Qin, I received a call from CIA Director Griffin.”

“Why did he call?”

“He said the CIA agents monitoring the safe house had gone silent and demanded to know what had happened.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him our operatives had knocked them unconscious.”

At that moment, in everyone's minds, Saho had completely become an NIS operative.

“Director Griffin became furious and demanded an explanation, so I answered honestly—we don't appreciate being watched.”

“And how did that end?”

“He lost his temper and hung up on me.”

“He deserved it, but what if he decides to retaliate?”

Instead of answering, Director Om Giyeon turned toward Jiham.

Immediately, everyone else's eyes followed.

Jiham understood exactly what they were thinking, so he spoke without hesitation.

“Director Om, why don't we take this opportunity to utterly crush Director Griffin?”

“How?”

Director Om asked eagerly.

It was obvious that Griffin had become a thorn in his side.

“If not for our country, the U.S. government would never have dismantled the American branch of the Triad. Nor would they have discovered Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui's North Korean weapons and drug smuggling operation. Use that. Grab Director Griffin by the collar and slam him into the ground.”

“Hahahaha!”

Director Om Giyeon burst into hearty laughter.

Everyone else laughed just as loudly.

After the laughter subsided, Jiham continued.

“We'll stay quiet. You call Director Griffin and put him on speaker.”

“I understand.”

Director Om nodded before dialing Griffin's number.

After several rings, Griffin's irritated voice came through the speaker.

“Why are you calling?”

“I'm calling to hold you accountable, Director Griffin.”

“The one who should be demanding answers is me, not you, Director Om.”

“Excellent. Then let's determine who's right and who's wrong. Director Griffin, do you enjoy having people spy on you?”

“Of course not. But the NIS was suspected of hiding Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol.”

“And what exactly were your suspicions? Let's hear them.”

“We used reconnaissance satellites and searched all of Macau for the van he was traveling in. We found nothing.”

Director Om had anticipated exactly this argument and had already prepared his response.

“Deputy Director Jo was fleeing both us and the CIA and FBI. He knew remaining in the same vehicle would get him caught, so naturally he changed transportation.”

“Let's assume that's true. Then why did the NIS stop searching for him?”

In reality, they had already captured Jo Ilcheol's group, making further searches meaningless.

But that was something they could never admit.

“We received intelligence indicating Deputy Director Jo had fled to Hong Kong. That's why we redeployed most of our personnel there.”

“And why didn't you share such critical intelligence with us?”

“Do the CIA and FBI report every single move they make to us?”

“Ahem...”

Griffin merely cleared his throat.

He clearly had no response.

But Director Om's real offensive was only beginning.

“I believed you, Director Nevers, and I were all in the same boat. Apparently, you don't see it that way.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Our country provided the FBI with intelligence on the American Triad branch. As for the CIA, we—”

“Wait a moment,” Griffin interrupted rudely. “Are you trying to accuse me of something?”

“The Korean government received perfectly adequate compensation from the United States.”

In exchange for the intelligence, South Korea had received two billion dollars in cash, a fifty-percent reduction in the cost of maintaining U.S. troops stationed in Korea, and a formal guarantee of an American nuclear response should North Korea launch a nuclear attack.

That was exactly what Griffin was referring to.

“I believe our country suffered tremendous losses in that exchange.”

“What nonsense.”

“Thanks to dismantling the American Triad network and the drug distribution gangs, President Douglas's approval rating jumped by more than twenty percent. On top of that, you obtained the perfect weapon for bringing down his greatest political rival, Governor Brant.

“But all our country received...”

Director Om deliberately paused before continuing.

“...was two billion dollars in cash and a one-billion-dollar reduction in military maintenance costs.”

“You also received an official nuclear umbrella guarantee.”

“You only provided that guarantee to prevent our country from developing its own nuclear weapons. We had no choice but to accept. And after all that, you still claim we weren't on the losing end?”

“...I can't deny that.”

After a long silence, Griffin admitted it.

Director Om had struck exactly where it hurt.

“Now let's discuss something else.”

“...There's more?”

Griffin's voice had noticeably lost its confidence.

He was clearly losing momentum.

“If it weren't for us, the United States would never have learned that Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui and Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan were smuggling North Korean weapons and narcotics. Do you agree?”

“...I do.”

“Then think about this. What would have happened if we hadn't considered the CIA and FBI to be in the same boat as us?”

“......”

“We could simply have hidden that information. Even if we had chosen to share it, we could have demanded an astronomical price. Yet Director Cha asked for nothing more than the address of Politburo member Liu Peiqi's villa. And after all that, you still claim we weren't the ones who took the loss?”

“...You're right, Director Om.”

“And knowing all of this, the CIA and FBI still dared to send agents to spy on us?”

“...For that, I sincerely apologize.”

At last, Director Griffin raised the white flag.

Director Om could have continued tearing him apart, but he wisely chose to stop there.

After all, even a cornered mouse will bite a cat.

And the man on the other end of the line was still the Director of the CIA.

“Fortunately, fate smiled on us. We captured Deputy Director Jo and his men in Hong Kong.”

“Is that true?”

In reality, Jo Ilcheol had been captured at Major General Jeong Sancheol's hideout.

But Director Om lied without batting an eye to preserve their agreed-upon story.

“That's correct. Deputy Director Jo and his people were loaded onto a submarine and transported back to our country.”

“...I see.”

Griffin's voice was filled with unmistakable disappointment.

Director Om decided to throw him a small bone.

“If Deputy Director Jo provides any intelligence related to the United States, I'll share it with you.”

“You really will?”

“Of course. Not for free.”

“Well... naturally.”

After exchanging a few more words, Director Om ended the call.

As though he had been waiting for precisely that moment, Secretary Lee Jihun immediately spoke.

“Director Om, wasn't it a little early to reveal that Deputy Director Jo had been captured?”

“During the voyage back to Korea, I spoke with Deputy Director Jo at length. He possesses an enormous amount of highly valuable intelligence concerning the United States. I decided there was no point letting such valuable information rot, so I simply dangled the bait. Griffin swallowed it eagerly.”

“Ah... I see.”

Secretary Lee Jihun nodded in understanding, finally grasping the full scope of Director Om's strategy.