Chapter 148: You Do Understand What a Time-Lagged Strike Means, Don’t You?

"Where have you been until this hour?" my mother asked worriedly as she opened the door.

There was no way I could tell her I'd been delayed because of a meeting about capturing North Korean spies. In awkward situations like this, the best strategy was to dodge the question.

"Work's been crazy. It just never ends."

"Even so! What kind of company makes people work until the middle of the night?"

"Come on, Mom. Lots of people work nights these days."

"Really?"

At that very moment, based on the list recovered from Jeong Sanhak's apartment, National Intelligence Service agents and the police were drawing up an operation to arrest the spies. So technically, I wasn't completely lying.

"Of course. I'm exhausted. Can I go get some sleep?"

"Yes, hurry up and get some rest."

Dragging my weary body upstairs, I immediately sensed that something was off.

Saho was a nocturnal animal. He never stayed still at night for even a second. On top of that, his hearing was incredible, so he always knew the instant I came home.

But now he was curled up on the bed without moving.

Feeling that something was wrong, I gently patted his back.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Looking miserable, Saho shook his head.

Only then did it hit me.

Besides me, there was only one person in this house capable of ruining Saho's mood.

Cha Hyeonji.

The two of them alternated between getting along perfectly and suddenly becoming sworn enemies. Although, to be fair, Saho was always the one who started it.

Which meant he'd obviously done something to earn Hyeonji's punishment.

If I pointed out his mistake now, he'd only sulk even more. For the sake of household peace, I decided to take his side this once.

"Get some sleep. When I wake up, I'll scold Hyeonji."

Only then did his resentment melt away, and Saho happily leaped into my arms.

After stroking his head, I set him back on the bed and went to the bathroom.

By the time I washed away the day's fatigue and returned to my room, Saho had disappeared. He'd probably gone out for one of his nightly walks to relieve the stress from his fight with Hyeonji.

"I can't believe I'm treating a cat like a child," I muttered as I dropped my leaden body onto the bed.

But memories of interrogating Jeong Sanhak kept flooding my mind, and sleep refused to come. After tossing and turning for quite a while, I finally drifted off.

***

Click, click!

Feeling something trying to wake me, I reluctantly opened my eyes and saw Saho.

He had his teeth sunk into my collar and was trying to drag me off the bed.

I immediately understood what he wanted.

Since I was awake, it was time to go scold Cha Hyeonji.

"You never give up, do you?"

Shaking my head, I climbed out of bed.

With Saho in my arms, I went downstairs. Cha Hyeonji was helping Mom prepare breakfast.

The moment she spotted Saho in my arms, she shot him a murderous glare before looking at me.

"You little snitch! So you ran to my brother to complain because I scolded you?"

"All right, tell me exactly what happened."

"Last night this little brat got bored and wandered into my room. When I wouldn't play with him, he started causing trouble."

"And what did he do?"

"He deliberately knocked over and smashed my favorite bottle of perfume! I got mad and smacked him on the back of the head. That's why he's still pouting."

Just as I'd expected, Saho was completely at fault.

But if I sided with my sister, the cat would hold a grudge all day.

Making sure Saho couldn't see, I discreetly winked at Hyeonji before continuing my act.

"No matter how angry you are, violence isn't acceptable."

"You scold Saho all the time!"

"I'm disciplining him."

"So was I!"

"Still making excuses? Hurry up and apologize to Saho."

Cha Hyeonji stared at me in disbelief for a long moment before reluctantly saying,

"...Sorry, Saho. I went too far."

"And you, Saho. You started this, so apologize to Hyeonji too."

Jumping out of my arms, Saho flopped flat onto the floor at Cha Hyeonji's feet.

She snorted and gently stroked his head.

Watching the entire scene, my mother asked in amazement,

"Jiham, why does Saho act exactly like a person?"

"Because Saho is a sacred animal."

"Oh, right. That's true."

"By the way, Mom, when are you planning to start preparing to open your restaurant?"

"I was thinking I'd start looking into everything little by little."

"If you're going to run a restaurant, who's going to take care of the house?"

"I worked in the restaurant business for over twenty years and never neglected the house once."

Bzzz—

Right in the middle of our conversation, my phone vibrated inside the pocket of my sweatpants.

Pulling it out, I saw Director Nevers' name on the screen.

It wasn't the best place for a conversation, so I stepped into the living room before answering.

"Director Nevers, have you already arrived in Korea?"

["We landed at Osan [N O V E L I G H T] Air Base thirty minutes ago and just left for Seoul."]

"Welcome to Korea. Have a safe trip."

["It's nothing. Director Om Giyeon, Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong, and I are planning to have breakfast together. Would you like to join us, Director Cha?"]

"I'd love to, but officially I'm just a businessman."

["Director Om said he'll speak with Hangang Group and take care of everything."]

I tried to decline politely, but as always, my objections fell on deaf ears.

"All right. Where should I meet you?"

["We're heading to an NIS safe house now."]

"Understood. I'll leave as soon as I'm ready."

Click.

After hanging up, I hurried back toward the kitchen.

"Mom! Don't make breakfast for me!"

***

Following an NIS agent, I stepped into the living room and immediately sensed something unusual.

The faces of NIS Director Om Giyeon and Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong, who had come to greet me, were darker than storm clouds.

That could only mean one thing.

Something unexpected had happened after I'd gone home.

Wanting to confirm my suspicion, I cautiously addressed Director Om.

"Looks like I was right."

"That's correct, Director Cha."

"Would you mind telling me what happened?"

At his gesture, I quickly took a seat on the sofa, and Director Om continued.

"After you left, we began working out the details of the operation, and one critical problem came up. We can't arrest all fifteen spies simultaneously."

North Korea knew exactly which people Jeong Sanhak had been funding.

If the NIS and the police arrested all of them at once, the North would immediately realize Jeong Sanhak had betrayed them.

And that would inevitably put his family, who remained in North Korea, in danger.

Fortunately, I had already come up with an excellent solution.

"I'd been thinking about that problem too."

"You have...?"

Hope lit up Director Om Giyeon's eyes as he froze mid-sentence.

"You're thinking along the right lines, Director."

"Haha! I knew it! Go on, tell us your idea."

"Before I do, I have one question. Is there a leader among those fifteen spies?"

"Naturally. The man in charge is Lee Jonghyeok."

"Lee Jonghyeok... Director, you do understand what a time-lagged strike means, don't you?"

Om Giyeon instantly grasped the implication behind Cha Jiham's question.

He was suggesting that they capture Lee Jonghyeok first, then gradually round up the remaining spies one after another.

But the plan had one major flaw.

"Director Cha, if we arrest Lee Jonghyeok first, the remaining agents will immediately go into hiding."

"What if he's arrested for an entirely different reason? Would they still run? Even if they try to cover their tracks, the NIS has every one of them under constant surveillance, so capturing them shouldn't be difficult."

Director Om Giyeon exchanged a meaningful glance with Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong.

Understanding exactly what the NIS Director was thinking, Choi answered without hesitation.

"If we catch him in the act, we can arrest him without a warrant."

"Can you catch Lee Jonghyeok red-handed?"

"Without any problem."

Leaving Commissioner Choi's confident answer behind, Director Om looked back at me.

"Let's say we arrest Lee Jonghyeok in the act. When should we arrest the others?"

"Considering the time required to persuade Lee Jonghyeok to cooperate, two or three days later."

"But if we already know who all the spies are, is there any reason to wait?"

"I don't think Lee Jonghyeok knows only those fourteen agents."

"Ah... I see where you're going with this."

Om Giyeon nodded in understanding.

"Since we have the opportunity, I'd like to wipe out the entire spy network operating in our country in one sweep."

"I'd like that too, but there are simply too many spies. It won't be easy."

"There are really that many?"

"Our estimate is around fifty thousand."

"That's... an insane number."

"Exactly. Anyway, enough about headaches."

But I had no intention of dropping the subject.

"Director, may I ask one more question?"

"I'll answer only if I like the question. Deal?"

"Of course. How much is the reward for capturing a spy?"

"Up to two billion won. Why do you ask?"

"The Scorpion Gang extorted fifteen billion won from the victims of illegal gambling dens. But only about two billion remains in their possession."

Only then did Director Om Giyeon realize what Cha Jiham was getting at.

After all, Jeong Sanhak had turned over fifteen spies.

Technically, he could receive as much as thirty billion won in reward money.

Cha Jiham wanted to take that money and return it to the scam victims.

Wanting to confirm his suspicion, Director Om asked directly.

"You only guessed half of it, Director."

"What did I get wrong?"

"Jeong Sanhak took only half of the money stolen from the victims."

"Director Cha, are you saying we should squeeze the rest out of Lee Jeongsu?"

Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong spoke before the NIS Director could.

"Exactly, Commissioner."

"But Lee Jeongsu testified that he only had two billion left."

I shook my head.

"Lee Jeongsu said he had only two billion won left from the extorted money."

"Exactly! That's what I mean!"

"But if we thoroughly squeeze his personal assets, we'll recover much more. And if that still isn't enough, we'll squeeze his subordinates too."

"We'd love to, but in practice that's extremely difficult."

"I never suggested the police should be the ones doing the squeezing."

"Then..."

It looked as though Commissioner Choi had finally understood, and he stopped himself.

Naturally, I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"We'll do the squeezing ourselves."

"Oh! That would be an enormous help!"

"My grandfather always says, 'Nothing in this world is free.'"

"And what do you want in return?"

"While collecting those debts, we may accidentally use a little force. I'd appreciate it if you'd overlook a bit of rough handling."

"You don't need to worry about something that minor. Although I'd still ask you to avoid unnecessary violence."

"I'll pass your request along to Secretary Kang."

Bzzz—

Just then, the phone on the table vibrated.

Glancing at the screen, I saw Kang Inhan's name.

After apologizing to Director Om and the Commissioner, I answered.

"Secretary Kang, go ahead."

["The Chairman would like to hear a report about yesterday's incident. He asked that you come to the office."]

"Director Griffin and Director Nevers invited me to breakfast, so I'm currently at the NIS safe house."

["One moment, please."]

A moment later, Chairman Park Yeongil's voice came through the phone.

["Director Cha, ask Director Om whether I may join you for breakfast as well."]

The situation was becoming very interesting.