Chapter 232: The Secret Hidden in the Laptop

“Could Kwak Cheolhun have gone out on some business and gotten caught by agents from North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau?”

Kwak Cheolhun had been in contact with Commander Kwak Taesu just a few hours before his disappearance.

If North Korean agents had kidnapped him, Pyongyang would have called Commander Kwak to blackmail him long ago. However, it was reliably known that he had received no calls whatsoever from North Korea. That meant the chances of Kwak Cheolhun having been abducted by Reconnaissance General Bureau agents were zero.

The main problem was that I couldn’t share that reasoning with Gary Harrison, head of the CIA’s European branch.

After a brief pause to figure out how to answer, I said,

“If they’d caught him, the Reconnaissance General Bureau agents wouldn’t be scrambling around like this, rushing to Switzerland from all directions.”

“I completely agree with Chief Cha’s assessment,” Lee Hyeonsol chimed in.

As a former National Intelligence Service field operative, Team Leader Lee was excellent at separating the wheat from the chaff. I was currently speaking with Branch Head Harrison, and knowing Lee Hyeonsol’s disciplined nature, he would never have interrupted without permission.

Looking at it the other way around, that could only mean one thing: he had compelling evidence that I didn’t know about yet. Deciding to test my theory, I asked him outright.

“Chief Cha is correct,” Lee Hyeonsol replied.

“And why do you believe Kwak Cheolhun hasn’t fallen into the hands of the Reconnaissance General Bureau?”

“To keep hiding and running, he needs a lot of money.”

“Of course.”

“There were 50,000 Swiss francs in his suitcase.”

If the Reconnaissance General Bureau agents had captured Kwak Cheolhun, the first thing they would have done was interrogate him. Naturally, they would have immediately learned about the large sum of money. To them, 50,000 francs was an enormous amount, and the temptation to take it would have been too great.

And yet that sizable bundle of cash remained untouched in the suitcase. Based on that fact, Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol concluded that the young man had not been captured by North Korean intelligence.

“Ah, now I see what you’re getting at,” I said with a nod.

Having performed his role perfectly, Lee Hyeonsol stepped back.

“Director Harrison, you understand the angle Team Leader Lee is approaching this from too, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s get back to the real question. Where could Kwak Cheolhun be?”

“He’s been cooped up in this hideout for so long. Couldn’t he have simply gone on a trip to clear his head?”

I shook my head, rejecting Harrison’s suggestion.

“Considering all his personal belongings are still here, we can rule out a trip.”

“That’s true... Now that I think about it, you’re right.”

“Anyone else have any ideas?”

As though he had been waiting for precisely this moment, Jeong Gwangseok, head of the personal security team, spoke up.

“Chief Cha, Kwak Cheolhun should have a cell phone with him, shouldn’t he?”

“Of course.”

“What if we try tracking his location through his phone?”

In fact, the NIS had already tried tracking Kwak Cheolhun through his phone number. Jeong Gwangseok knew that perfectly well. The only reason he asked the question in front of me was to avoid arousing the CIA’s suspicions.

Since I had figured out what he was doing, how could I pretend not to understand the hint?

“To track his location, we first need to find out Kwak Cheolhun’s phone number, correct?”

“Couldn’t we request the number from the university he attends?”

I deliberately turned my head toward Gary Harrison. As though he had read my mind, Harrison grabbed his phone and hurried into the bedroom.

Realizing the moment had come, I addressed Lee Hyeonsol in Russian.

“Team Leader Lee, what are the chances that Kwak Cheolhun comes back here?”

“If nothing fatal has happened to him, he’ll definitely return.”

“You mean to retrieve the 50,000 francs in his suitcase?”

“Exactly, Chief Cha.”

Bzzzz!

While we were considering the possibilities, the phone lying on the table began to vibrate. Looking at the screen, I saw the name of National Intelligence Service Director Om Giyeon. I needed to contact him anyway, so his call came at the perfect time.

“Director Om, I’m listening.”

“Have you arrived at Commander Kwak’s mountain house?”

“We arrived an hour ago and immediately sent Saho to inspect the inside of the house.”

I told Om Giyeon everything that had happened in the house without holding anything back.

“...Right now, Director Harrison is bending over backward trying to track Kwak Cheolhun’s location through his phone number.”

“Ugh, he’s wasting his time.”

“I completely agree with you on that, Director.”

“Then I’ll tell you the real reason I called, Chief Cha.”

“I’m listening.”

“Commander Kwak Taesu, preparing for the worst-case scenario, emailed Kwak Cheolhun highly classified information concerning Kim Jonghun’s family.”

“Ah, so that’s why the North is turning everything upside down trying so desperately to get their hands on him?”

“That’s what I think too. Kwak Cheolhun should have saved the email he received on his laptop.”

I covered the phone’s receiver with my hand and issued an order.

“Quickly! Check whether Kwak Cheolhun’s laptop is here!”

At once, the NIS operatives and Korea Investment employees scattered throughout the rooms. The CIA agents, unable to understand Russian, merely blinked in confusion, having no idea what was happening.

After briefly glancing at them, I continued my conversation with Om Giyeon.

“We’re searching for Kwak Cheolhun’s laptop right now.”

“Got it.”

“Couldn’t a copy of the classified materials Commander Kwak sent still be in his email?”

“He deleted the email immediately after sending it to his son.”

“Then we have no choice but to find the laptop itself.”

“Exactly. By the way, I’ll text you Senior Colonel No Gwangcheol’s contact information as soon as we hang up.”

The team of North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives who had poured into Switzerland to capture Kwak Cheolhun was led by Senior Colonel No Gwangcheol. Fortunately, he was a direct subordinate and junior colleague of Major General Jeong Sancheol, who had defected to our side. Since I wanted to get in touch with him, I had asked Director Om for his number.

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Chief Cha, are you really planning to meet him in person?”

“There’s no harm in trying. It’s worth a shot.”

At that moment, NIS operative Hong Jongsu emerged from the study with a laptop in his hands. Hurrying over to me, he reported that the device was password-protected.

I nodded and immediately relayed the information to Om Giyeon.

“...We won’t know whether the laptop belongs to Kwak Cheolhun until we crack the password.”

“Haa... What a mess.”

If the laptop hadn’t been password-protected, we could have immediately determined its owner. If luck was on our side and it belonged to Kwak Cheolhun, this entire tangled knot could be unraveled within minutes. That was why Director Om let out such a heavy sigh.

I needed to reassure the disheartened director.

“We’ll find Kwak Cheolhun no matter what, so don’t worry.”

“I certainly hope so.”

After exchanging a few more words with the NIS Director, I ended the call. The instant I did, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan spoke to me.

“Chief Cha, couldn’t Kwak Cheolhun have written down his laptop password somewhere?”

“It’s possible.”

The moment I finished speaking, Kang Inhan and the others resumed their search.

Some time later, Gary Harrison returned from the bedroom. I had a bad feeling about it, and for good reason—the branch head’s face was dark.

“Director Harrison, did something happen?”

“I got Kwak Cheolhun’s number and called him, but his phone is turned off. We immediately submitted a request to the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service to track its location, but it turns out the last call made from that phone was the evening before last—to Commander Kwak.”

‘We already knew that without you.’

“Then something must have happened the evening before last?”

“That’s what I’m inclined to believe as well. But tell me, why did the NIS operatives and Korea Investment employees suddenly start rushing around?”

The CIA still had no idea that Commander Kwak Taesu had successfully defected to South Korea. Therefore, I couldn’t reveal to Harrison the information I had received from Director Om Giyeon.

After thinking for a couple of seconds, I replied,

“I just spoke with Director Om Giyeon. During our conversation, it occurred to me that Kwak Cheolhun might have valuable information saved on his laptop.”

Harrison glanced at the laptop sitting on the table and asked,

“Ah, so that’s why you have it?”

“Exactly. Unfortunately, it’s password-protected.”

Harrison finally understood what was going on. The NIS operatives and Korea Investment employees were searching for clues to Kwak Cheolhun’s laptop password.

And the moment it sank in, anger boiled up inside him. He abruptly sprang from the sofa and roared at the CIA agents standing around like statues.

“Did you come to Switzerland for a vacation?!”

After getting chewed out by their superior, the CIA agents scattered in every direction. Harrison watched them go with a contemptuous look before sitting back down on the sofa.

“Chief Cha, I apologize for shouting.”

“I completely understand, so don’t worry about it.”

“If you manage to crack the password, will you share the information with us?”

‘And why the hell would we do that?’

The words nearly slipped off my tongue, but I exercised monumental restraint and held them back.

“First, we need to confirm that this is Kwak Cheolhun’s laptop and get past the password. We can decide what to do after that.”

About twenty minutes later, everyone gathered in the reception room again. Judging from their gloomy expressions, no one had found any clues to the password.

Wanting to confirm my suspicion, I looked at Kang Inhan.

“You’re right, Chief Cha,” the Chief Secretary confirmed.

“Well, that leaves us with only one option—we have to find the guy, no matter what.”

“Do you have any ideas about how to locate him?”

“If nothing has happened to him, there’s a chance he’ll return to the mountain house.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I think we should leave some NIS operatives and CIA agents here to keep watch.”

“I fully support that proposal!” Gary Harrison volunteered first.

“Haha, then it’s settled. Operative Hong, you’re in charge of monitoring this location.”

“Yes, sir!” Hong Jongsu answered loudly and crisply, clearly pleased to have been entrusted with such an important assignment.

“The rest of us will head to a hotel in central Interlaken for now. If anything important happens, let me know immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Director Harrison, shall we head to Interlaken?”

We had barely crossed the threshold and stepped outside when Saho cleared the fence in a single bound. To everyone’s astonishment, however, he was carrying an animal in his jaws that was nearly as big as he was.

Watching the little cat approach, I nearly fainted from shock. Saho had a wild fox in his jaws—a species that had long been considered extinct back home!

‘Goddammit! I’m going to lose my mind!’

Saho, however, couldn’t have cared less about my distress. Looking immensely pleased with himself, he ran up to me and, still holding the wild fox in his jaws, leaped straight into my arms!

Smack!

Without the slightest hesitation, I gave Saho a solid smack on the back of the head.

Caught completely off guard by the betrayal, the wild cat tumbled out of my arms and dropped the fox onto the ground. Baring his bloodstained fangs, he growled threateningly.

“You little bastard! If you wanted to hunt, couldn’t you catch squirrels or rabbits? Why the hell did you have to catch a fox?!”

“...Grrr?”

“Foxes are an endangered species, you idiot!”

As though he understood my words, Saho immediately hid his fangs and wagged his tail guiltily.

Still looking utterly dumbfounded, I turned to Team Leader Seo Donghun.

“Take Saho inside and wash him thoroughly.”

“Yes, sir!”

With a short reply, Seo Donghun picked Saho up and carried him back into the house. After watching them go, I turned to Hong Jongsu.

“Bury the fox before any locals see it.”

“Understood. Although foxes are actually quite common in Switzerland.”

I pressed my index finger to my lips and added sternly,

“Operative Hong, don’t you dare tell Saho that.”