Chapter 233: The Clue We Finally Found

Thanks to the kindness (?) of Branch Head Harrison, we were able to stay at a first-class hotel in central Interlaken.

After getting a little rest, we gathered in my room for dinner and a leisurely conversation.

“Director Harrison, we’ll cover our own accommodation expenses.”

“I’m merely following Director Griffin’s instructions.”

I wanted to reply, ‘You’re not providing these services for free, are you?’ but held my tongue out of courtesy.

“I’ll personally thank Director Griffin later.”

“I’d be glad if you did.”

“It’s already past seven thirty in the evening, yet the sun is still high in the sky. Quite a sight.”

“Because Switzerland is at a high latitude, you can still see a mild midnight-sun effect here. That’s why the sun won’t set until around nine thirty.”

“Long daylight hours aren’t always a good thing.”

“That’s true. By the way, aren’t you tired?”

In South Korea, whose time zone was ahead of Switzerland’s, it was currently two thirty in the morning.

I had arrived in Zurich at one thirty in the morning local time.

With all the nonstop running around, I hadn’t yet had a chance to recover from either the journey or the time difference.

That was why Director Harrison had asked.

“With everything going on, I don’t feel tired at all.”

“We need to find out where Kwak Cheolhun is as soon as possible. I’m very worried.”

“If we keep looking, we’ll find a way. I’m sure we’ll find him soon.”

Bzzzz—

At that moment, the phone lying on the table vibrated. Glancing at the screen, I saw Director Griffin’s name.

The reason for his call was obvious.

Director Harrison had already reported to him that we had obtained Kwak Cheolhun’s laptop.

“Director Griffin, I’m listening.”

[Director Cha, the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives who poured into Geneva are moving toward Interlaken.]

“You mean they’ve also learned about Commander Kwak Taesu’s mountain house in Interlaken?”

[That’s what we believe.]

“We can’t find so much as a hair from the missing Kwak Cheolhun, and now they’re descending on us too. The situation is getting more and more depressing.”

[That’s precisely why I suggest eliminating all the Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives and reducing the number of unknown variables.]

However, I didn’t support Director Griffin’s proposal.

They might be North Korean citizens, but they were still our own people.

“Wouldn’t eliminating them make the situation even more complicated?”

[We’ll make sure it’s handled discreetly.]

In such a difficult situation, the best course was to take a step back.

“I’ll think it over and give you an answer later.”

[Very well. Director Harrison reported that you recovered Kwak Cheolhun’s laptop.]

At last, the unavoidable moment had arrived.

“There’s one detail in Director Harrison’s report that needs clarification.”

[Clarification?]

“The laptop is password-protected, so we haven’t been able to confirm yet whether it actually belongs to Kwak Cheolhun.”

[But it was found in his hideout, wasn’t it?]

“Of course, but there’s always a possibility of error.”

[Ah, that’s true. Is there any way to bypass the password?]

At that moment, NIS operative Hong Jongsu’s number appeared on my phone screen.

He was currently keeping watch over the mountain house where Kwak Cheolhun had been hiding.

His call could only mean one thing—something unexpected had happened.

After briefly explaining the situation to Director Griffin, I hurriedly answered the incoming call.

“Operative Hong, I’m listening.”

[Director Cha, two men just entered Commander Kwak Taesu’s mountain house.]

“Is that so? What do they look like?”

[Considering they’re both mixed-race, they look like they might be from South America.]

What a relief.

If the thugs had turned out to be North Koreans, things would have taken a nasty turn.

“Understood. Go on.”

[The thugs entered a code into the electronic lock on the front door and went inside.]

Kwak Cheolhun himself had changed the code to the mountain house’s front door.

Therefore, the fact that they knew the correct combination and were able to enter could only mean one thing—they had gotten it from him.

“Then it’s reasonable to assume Kwak Cheolhun is with them?”

[I think so too, Director Cha. One more thing: a short while later, the thugs came back out carrying a suitcase.]

That raised a question.

“Operative Hong, how long did the whole thing take them?”

[About a minute. Why do you ask?]

“I wanted to figure out what kind of relationship they have with Kwak Cheolhun.”

[Ah, I see. Would you share your thoughts?]

“If they were acting at his request, they would have spent time gathering his personal belongings. But if they came back out after only a minute carrying nothing but the suitcase, then they were only interested in his money.”

[You mean he was kidnapped?]

“That’s what I’m leaning toward.”

[I’ll follow the thugs’ car immediately.]

“Wait.”

I hurriedly stopped Hong Jongsu just as he was about to hang up.

[Director Cha, is there something else?]

“Take a picture of their license plate and send it to me.”

[Understood.]

Click.

In a hurry, Operative Hong ended the call.

The moment I lowered the phone from my ear, Director Harrison addressed me.

“Director Cha, was Kwak Cheolhun kidnapped?”

“We can’t say for certain, but the probability is extremely high.”

“Damn... The worst-case scenario has happened.”

On that point, I completely agreed with Director Harrison.

There was a very high chance that the thugs would kill Kwak Cheolhun as soon as they took his money.

If that happened, our chance of accessing the classified information on his laptop would be lost forever.

Praying inwardly that things wouldn’t come to that, I continued.

“Nothing has been decided yet, so let’s hope for the best.”

“What else can we do? By the way, why did you ask Operative Hong what the thugs looked like?”

“I thought they might be people from the North.”

“I see. And what do they look like?”

“Presumably mixed-race.”

Bzzzt—

The phone in my hand vibrated briefly.

Operative Hong Jongsu had sent me a picture of the vehicle’s license plate.

I checked the message in a flash and showed the screen to Director Harrison.

Understanding my intention, he immediately dialed a number.

After giving them the license plate number, he ordered them to identify the vehicle’s owner.

Once he finished the call, I suggested,

“Let’s call it a night with dinner. Why don’t we move to the living room and continue talking there?”

Bzzzt, bzzzt—

As soon as we moved into the living room and sat down on the sofa, Director Harrison’s phone rang again.

As though he had been waiting for that very call, he immediately listened to the person on the other end and hung up.

“Director Cha, the thugs’ vehicle turned out to be a rental. It was rented by a Colombian citizen named Cali Escobar.”

“So the thugs are Colombian?”

“There’s a high probability they are.”

“We need to identify this Cali Escobar.”

“Escobar is an extremely common surname in Spanish-speaking countries.”

From Director Harrison’s tone, it was clear that identifying the man without a photograph would be impossible.

“In that case, there’s nothing we can do.”

“If we track down their hideout, we’ll find out who this Escobar is.”

Bzzzt, bzzzt—

Time dragged unbearably slowly until my phone suddenly trembled in my hand again.

Knowing who it was, I hit the answer button instantly.

“Operative Hong, I’m listening.”

[The thugs’ hideout is on the shore of Lake Brienz. There’s a checkpoint in front of the gate with armed guards on duty.]

“What do they look like?”

[They appear to be South American.]

“The license plate check indicates they’re Colombian.”

[I see. The fence has two layers of barbed wire and there’s a dense network of surveillance cameras. The fence itself is too high, so I couldn’t see what was inside.]

“Text me the address of their base and remain where you are.”

Bzzzt—

Not long after the call ended, a message arrived from Operative Hong Jongsu.

Once again, I showed the screen to Director Harrison.

Immediately grasping what I wanted, he dialed a number without hesitation and dictated the address he had received.

The moment he hung up, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan spoke to me.

“Director Cha, why don’t we send Saho into their base?”

Truthfully, the same thought had occurred to me.

The only problem was that Saho was still sulking furiously over the smack I’d given him on the back of the head earlier.

Trying to coax the cat sprawled across the floor, I spoke to him in a soft, ingratiating voice.

“Saho, aren’t you bored being cooped up in the hotel?”

“...Meooow?”

“If you promise you’ll only hunt rabbits and squirrels...”

Before I could finish, Saho nodded vigorously in agreement.

“But I have one condition. Team Leader Seo?”

As though he had read my mind, Team Leader Seo Donghun immediately scooped Saho into his arms.

“Director Cha, I’ll take Saho out for a walk.”

“Call Operative Hong and ask him where you should take that walk.”

“Understood.”

After giving a crisp reply, Team Leader Seo Donghun left the room with Saho in his arms.

Watching them go, Director Harrison asked in bewilderment,

“Director Cha, are you really planning to use Saho at the thugs’ base?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“But Saho can’t talk, can he?”

“That problem can easily be solved with a miniature camera mounted on his head.”

“There’s still almost an hour until sunset.”

I understood what Director Harrison was worried about.

He was afraid the thugs might spot the cat.

“Saho has infiltrated heavily guarded facilities in broad daylight several times, and he’s never once been detected.”

“I understand, but for some reason I still can’t shake this uneasy feeling.”

“Saho is a sacred animal. If danger arises, he’ll assess the situation himself and take appropriate action.”

Bzzzt, bzzzt—

As the nerve-racking wait dragged on, Director Harrison’s phone began vibrating again.

As though he had been expecting the call, he answered immediately.

After exchanging a few brief words, he instructed the CIA agent on duty,

“Bring me the laptop immediately.”

A short while later, an agent brought the device.

Director Harrison connected to the internet and downloaded an email attachment onto the desktop.

The objects in the spy-satellite photographs were smaller than a fingernail.

Using the mouse, he enlarged the downloaded image and displayed it on the screen.

The photograph showed the main mansion, two auxiliary buildings, and several vehicles in the parking area.

Staring intently at the monitor, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan spoke up.

“Looks like there are quite a few thugs there.”

“Chief Kang, what makes you think that?” Harrison asked curiously.

“Because three of the parked vehicles are vans.”

“Ah, now I see your reasoning.”

“We should send this image to Team Leader Seo Donghun.”

“Do as you see fit, Chief Kang.”

After receiving Harrison’s permission, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan took a picture of the mansion image with his phone.

Then he sent it to Team Leader Seo Donghun.

Immediately afterward, he called him, exchanged a few words, and ended the call.

As soon as he lowered the phone from his ear, Director Harrison turned to me.

“Director Cha, why do you think the thugs kidnapped Kwak Cheolhun?”

“I believe it was because of money.”

“Money?”

“They took a suitcase containing 50,000 Swiss francs from his hideout. Why else would they take only that?”

“Ah, I see...”

Director Harrison nodded in understanding.