Chapter 147: The Truth Finally Revealed

"Who doesn't know that?!"

NIS Director Om Giyeon shouted at the top of his lungs, consumed by genuine fury.

["Director Om, I understand how you feel, but please try to understand our position as well."]

"Since that's your answer, I have nothing more to say. We'll talk later."

Click.

The moment Director Om Giyeon slammed the phone down, Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong immediately spoke up.

"Director Om, what did the bank say?"

"They said we'd need a search and seizure warrant before they could let us inspect Choi Dongcheol's bank account."

"Damn those bastards! Would it really have killed them to cooperate? So what do we do now?"

"We either wait for the warrant or ask Choi Dongcheol directly. We don't have another option."

"If we want to save time, questioning that bastard will be faster."

"He received special training. Getting the answers we need out of him won't be easy."

Director Om Giyeon emphasized that Choi Dongcheol had come from the Reconnaissance General Bureau.

I, however, saw things differently.

Thanks to the herbal tranquilizer, I possessed the ability to suppress another person's will.

After organizing my thoughts, I carefully spoke.

"There's no harm in trying. Why don't we interrogate Choi Dongcheol?"

"I was planning to do that anyway."

"May I be present during the interrogation?"

"There's nothing preventing it, but I'm curious why you want to be there."

"I have an idea that might make him talk."

"I see? Care to share it?"

There was no way I could tell him about my ability.

"The idea isn't fully worked out yet, so I'd rather not explain it. I'll make it clear during the interrogation."

"Very well. In that case, let's go question him."

As we entered the interrogation room, I saw Choi Dongcheol sitting in a chair with his hands and feet bound. He turned his head toward us.

Director Om Giyeon and I sat across the table from him.

Looking at him expressionlessly, Director Om Giyeon spoke.

"Aren't you curious who I am?"

"I wouldn't say I'm not."

"I'm Om Giyeon, Director of the National Intelligence Service."

"...!"

Om Giyeon deliberately revealed his identity to observe Choi Dongcheol's reaction.

Just as he had expected, Choi Dongcheol's face filled with unmistakable shock.

"Hmm. It seems you've got quite a guilty conscience."

"..."

"You have a rough idea why you've been brought here, don't you?"

"Ever since I defected from the North, I've lived honestly as a citizen of the Republic of Korea."

"Honestly? Do you really have the right to say that while living as a gangster?"

Unable to answer, Choi Dongcheol fell silent.

Om Giyeon continued watching him before speaking again.

"As you know, Lee Jeongsu is being interrogated next door. He made some rather unbelievable statements. I came here simply to verify whether his testimony is true. I'd appreciate it if you answered my questions honestly and withheld nothing."

"What do you want to know?"

"Lee Jeongsu testified that he gave you fifty percent of the money extorted from victims of your gambling scams. Tell me where that money went."

"In the middle of February, during my trip to Macau, I handed it over to my former commander as payment."

"The commander you're referring to is Major General Jeong Sancheol of the Reconnaissance General Bureau?"

"Yes, but..."

Director Om Giyeon immediately understood why Choi Dongcheol had stopped himself.

He wanted to ask how we even knew about Major General Jeong Sancheol.

"As unbelievable as it may sound, Major General Jeong Sancheol defected to our country several days ago."

"...Major General Jeong really defected?"

Choi Dongcheol stared at Om Giyeon in complete disbelief.

"You don't seem convinced, but I can arrange for the two of you to meet tomorrow morning."

"...That won't be necessary."

"As you wish. Then will you finally admit that you lied to me?"

"...Yes."

"One lie is enough. Tell me where the 7.5 billion won you received from Lee Jeongsu went."

"I transferred it to my family in the North."

Realizing the moment had finally come, I turned toward Director Om Giyeon.

"Director Om, may I continue the interrogation?"

"Proceed as you see fit, Chief Cha."

Nodding in gratitude, I began questioning Choi Dongcheol.

"You're caught in a serious contradiction."

"What do you mean...?"

"Before your defection, you were a major in the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Do you really think the North would have left your family alone after someone of your rank defected?"

"..."

"Of course, if your family hadn't been punished, you could have sent them money."

"..."

"But if your family remained unharmed, then there's only one possible conclusion."

"Your defection was fake."

"If you disagree, go ahead and prove me wrong."

"...I didn't send the money to my family."

I had expected exactly that answer and had already prepared my next move.

"So the money is still sitting in your bank account?"

"..."

Bang!

I deliberately slammed my fist onto the table with all my strength and fixed him with an unsettling stare.

The instant our eyes met, Choi Dongcheol began trembling like a leaf.

It seemed the herbal tranquilizer's ability to suppress another person's will was working perfectly.

Taking advantage of the moment, I continued.

"Before questioning you, we already checked your account balance. I don't think there's any need to continue pretending."

"...Yes."

I had intentionally asked a vague question to see how he would respond.

As if he understood exactly what I meant, he answered in an almost inaudible voice.

In other words, the 7.5 billion won was no longer in his account.

To be absolutely certain, I decided to press him one more time.

"Where did the money you received from Lee Jeongsu go?"

"I used it to help North Korean defectors who had fallen on hard times."

I immediately knew Choi Dongcheol was lying again.

This time his answer had come far too quickly.

To completely break his resistance, it was finally time to reveal my hidden trump card.

"Do you know Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol, the second-in-command of the Reconnaissance General Bureau?"

"...Yes."

"I'm glad you do. Hard as it is to believe, he also defected to our country."

"What?!"

Choi Dongcheol looked genuinely horrified.

"If you'd like, I can arrange for you to meet him tonight."

"...What would be the point?"

"If you don't want to meet him, that's your choice. But here's something interesting."

"The fact that he defected is one of our country's highest-level state secrets."

"Aren't you curious why I just told you?"

"...Honestly, I am."

"He brought us a list of spies operating in our country. We're analyzing that list right now."

"You'd better pray your name isn't on it."

"Haa..."

The defeated sigh that escaped Choi Dongcheol's lips told me we were ninety percent of the way there.

Only the final push remained.

"You didn't just stage a fake defection. You also lied throughout this interrogation. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"...I'm sorry."

The moment Choi Dongcheol admitted his defection had been fake, I knew we had achieved our goal.

Still, there were more answers I needed.

"You could be sentenced to death for obstructing this investigation. However, if you answer our questions honestly from this point forward, we'll consider showing mercy. But if we discover even one lie during verification, that promise is void."

Choi Dongcheol closed his eyes, apparently gathering his thoughts.

I quietly waited.

I already knew what decision he would make.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Ask whatever you want."

"Tell me where the 7.5 billion won from Lee Jeongsu went."

"I transferred around five hundred million won to my family in the North. The rest I sent to my comrades."

"The comrades you're referring to are spies operating in our country, aren't they?"

"...Yes."

At that moment, Director Om Giyeon turned toward me with barely concealed excitement.

"Chief Cha, may I continue the interrogation?"

"Please. Go ahead, Director Om."

With that, I stepped back and Om Giyeon took my place.

"How many spies received money from you?"

"Fifteen in total."

"Do you have a list of those bastards?"

"I do, but..."

Om Giyeon immediately understood why Choi Dongcheol had hesitated.

He was trying to negotiate.

"It seems you want something in return. Am I right?"

"That's right. If it becomes known that I betrayed my comrades, my family in the North won't survive. Keep my betrayal secret forever."

"That's not a difficult request. If you have any other conditions, say them."

"If I simply disappear without a trace, the North will immediately become suspicious. Come up with a plan to deal with that."

Director Om Giyeon looked at me.

I already knew what he wanted, so I answered without hesitation.

"Choi Dongcheol wasn't arrested as a spy. He was arrested during the operation against the Scorpion Gang. I think we should make this case as public as possible so the North learns about his arrest."

"Exactly! That's exactly what we should do."

"To minimize the North's suspicions, we need to portray this bastard as one of the Scorpion Gang's key leaders."

"Naturally. That's precisely what we'll do."

Om Giyeon nodded before turning back to Choi Dongcheol.

"You'll spend three or four years in prison. Once the North's surveillance weakens, we'll arrange for your parole."

"I understand."

"Now tell me where you've hidden the list of spies."

"In my apartment there's a pair of black dress shoes inside the shoe cabinet. I hid a USB drive in one of the soles."

"Give us your address and the door code."

"Incheon, Namdong District, Mansu-dong, Jugong Apartments, Building 145, Apartment 2504. The door code is 12545."

The instant Choi Dongcheol finished speaking, an NIS field agent rushed out of the room.

Watching him leave, Om Giyeon said,

"We'll resume your interrogation after we've recovered the USB drive."

"Yes. Understood."

"Chief Cha, shall we?"

***

After the interrogation ended, we entered the observation room.

Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong immediately gave me a thumbs-up.

"Chief Cha, I have the deepest respect for your remarkable abilities."

"You're praising me so much I don't know where to hide."

"Haha, I'm only speaking from the heart."

"It's already the middle of the night. May I head home now?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

Director Om Giyeon spoke before Commissioner Choi could answer.

"What do you mean?"

"We still have to verify whether Choi Dongcheol's testimony is true."

"But shouldn't your NIS agents be the ones handling that?"

"We may need your assistance, Chief Cha. Stay here until the verification is complete."

"I understand."

Bzzz. Bzzz.

As silence settled over the room, Om Giyeon's phone suddenly began vibrating.

As if he already knew who was calling, he answered immediately.

"Team Leader Jeong, how did it go?"

["Director, we've recovered the USB drive."]

"Excellent work. Have you checked what's on it?"

["Just as Choi Dongcheol said, it contains the personal information, addresses, and other details of fifteen individuals."]

"We need to arrest those spies immediately, so return as quickly as possible."

Click.

After ending the call, Om Giyeon turned to us.

"Well then, shall we discuss how to arrest the spies?"

"Director Om, I'm just a civilian."

"No one in this room considers Chief Cha to be a civilian."

"Oh, give me a break..."

With a long groan, I dropped heavily into the nearest chair.