Chapter 260: The Outcome Everyone Wanted

Team Commander Jang Gukcheol thought this might actually be for the best. If what Cha Jiham had said came to pass, the damage to his family living in North Korea would be minimized.

"All right. I'll make the call exactly as Director Cha instructed."

"A wise decision. Just in case, how about putting the call on speaker?"

"Let's do that."

After receiving Jang Gukcheol's answer, I nodded slightly. Hong Jongsu, who had been waiting nearby, immediately handed him a phone. Jang Gukcheol dipped his head slightly in thanks and dialed the number. The phone had barely begun ringing when an agitated, breathless voice came through.

[Commander Jang! Where are you right now?]

"Ahem! Please forgive me... We've been captured by those CIA hounds."

[What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!]

"Senior Colonel No Gwancheol came to us last night."

[What for?]

"Senior Colonel No told us that Kwak Cheolhun, Commander Kwak Taesu's only son, had been captured by CIA agents and urged us to participate in his rescue. I wasn't in a position to make that kind of decision, so Senior Colonel Cho Yeongil reported it to our superiors, and the information eventually reached the Comrade Chairman as well."

[And what instructions did the Comrade Chairman give? Speak up!]

"He ordered us to deploy even the Guard Command soldiers stationed at the young master's house in the operation to rescue Kwak Cheolhun."

[Hmm, I see... And what happened after that?]

The voice of Kim Jonghyeok, North Korea's ambassador to Switzerland who had escaped unharmed, was filled with extreme anxiety. Jang Gukcheol refreshed his memory of what Cha Jiham had told him and answered.

"The Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives and Guard Command soldiers went to rescue Kwak Cheolhun, leaving only the four of us at the young master's house. But late at night, more than twenty armed men smashed the windows and stormed the house."

[But there were surveillance cameras installed all along the fence!]

"The Guard Command personnel handled the cameras, so we weren't familiar with how they worked."

[I see... And I suppose those armed men were from the CIA?]

"You're absolutely right, Comrade Ambassador."

[Describe exactly what happened next!]

"We were taken by surprise. We didn't even have time to put up a proper fight before we were captured alive."

[Why the hell would those CIA hounds storm the young master's house in the first place?!]

Jang Gukcheol realized that the decisive moment had arrived. The lives of his family back in the North depended on his answer.

"The thing is, something extremely valuable was stored in the basement."

[Valuable? What are you talking about?]

"The Comrade Chairman converted part of his slush funds into gold bars and hid them in the basement."

[W-what?! You mean the Americans found out about the gold?!]

"Otherwise, the CIA would've had no reason whatsoever to storm the young master's house."

[Could it be...]

Jang Gukcheol understood perfectly well why Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok had trailed off.

"You're thinking along the right lines, Comrade Ambassador. The Americans took every last gold bar."

[Good grief...]

Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok's heavy groan seemed to fill the entire basement.

"Comrade Ambassador, we're terribly sorry that we failed to protect the young master and the gold..."

[There were only four of you against more than twenty CIA agents. You never stood a chance.]

Jang Gukcheol finally dispelled the sticky fear that had been lodged deep in his heart. Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok's words amounted to an effective pardon.

"Thank you for understanding our situation, Comrade Ambassador."

[There's no need for formalities... Where are you right now?]

"It seems to be a CIA safe house, but I don't know the exact address."

[Why would the Americans suddenly show you such mercy and let you make a call?]

How could he admit that he was acting under Cha Jiham's instructions?

"I made a scene and demanded that they let me contact you, and Director Griffin gave in."

[The CIA Director is personally there?!]

"Because of last night's emergency, he flew in from the United States on short notice."

[Emergency?]

"Last night, while attempting to rescue Kwak Cheolhun, our Reconnaissance General Bureau and Guard Command forces engaged the CIA in a fierce battle."

[Right! That's what happened! And what was the outcome?]

"All... All of the Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives and Guard Command soldiers died heroic deaths."

[Whaaat?!]

Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok screamed as though he'd been struck by lightning.

"I personally confirmed their deaths with my own eyes."

[...I see.]

The ambassador's voice instantly deflated. He immediately grasped just how catastrophic the situation was.

"Director Griffin would like to speak with you, Comrade Ambassador."

[...Put him on.]

Taking the phone from Jang Gukcheol, Director Griffin addressed Kim Jonghyeok.

"Ambassador Kim, this is Eddie Griffin, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency."

[Hello, Director Griffin.]

"I'm contacting you to lodge an official protest with the North Korean side."

[Listen! Shouldn't our country be the one lodging a protest?!]

North Korea had lost twelve tons and 750 kilograms of gold secretly hidden by Kim Jonghun. His eldest son, Kim Juchol, had suffered abrasions all over his body. On top of that, thirty-five Reconnaissance General Bureau and Guard Command soldiers had been eliminated, while four members of Unit 974 had been taken prisoner. From Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok's perspective, he had every reason to be furious.

Director Griffin, however, had absolutely no intention of agreeing with him.

"Your Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives and Guard Command soldiers attacked our people first."

[But the CIA was forcibly and illegally detaining Kwak Cheolhun!]

"Did you ask Mr. Kwak Cheolhun himself about the circumstances?"

[...]

Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok had no response.

"Mr. Kwak Cheolhun came to us for help of his own accord. We merely provided assistance on humanitarian grounds."

[Well, if that's how you're going to put it, I have nothing to say. At least return the bodies of the dead soldiers.]

"We haven't yet finished establishing all the details of the incident. The question of repatriation will only be decided after a full investigation."

[Do what you must. And immediately return the captured Unit 974 soldiers along with the gold you took.]

"A considerable quantity of illegal weapons was discovered in Kim Juchol's house. We are obligated to investigate how the soldiers of Unit 974 gained access to that arsenal. We must also establish the origin of Kim Jonghun's gold bars."

[Are you... implying that you won't return anything?]

"You've understood perfectly."

"Haa, unbelievable!"

Ambassador Kim Jonghyeok let out a helpless groan. Deciding that was enough, Director Griffin changed the subject.

"The Swiss government also intends to lodge an official diplomatic protest with North Korea."

[And what does Switzerland have to protest about?!]

"Your Reconnaissance General Bureau operatives and Guard Command soldiers were illegally moving around Swiss territory carrying firearms."

[...Oh, what a disaster.]

"I'm busy, so I'll end the call here."

Click.

After ending the call, Director Griffin handed me the phone and asked,

"Tell me exactly what Commander Jang discussed with Ambassador Kim."

Since Jang Gukcheol had conducted the conversation in Korean, Griffin and his men hadn't understood the details.

"Commander Jang conveyed everything exactly according to your instructions."

"And what happens now to the families of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, Guard Command, and Unit 974 soldiers who remain in the North?"

"Ambassador Kim believes that all the Reconnaissance General Bureau and Guard Command operatives died in battle. So their families aren't in any danger."

"What about the families of the Unit 974 soldiers?"

"The ambassador accepted that Unit 974 was taken by surprise and captured by CIA agents. If they're lucky, their families will get away with minimal consequences. To make absolutely sure, why don't we leave some CIA agents' fingerprints inside Kim Juchol's house?"

"You're suggesting we pin the gold theft on us once and for all?"

"I won't deny it."

"Fine. Let's do that."

Leaving the satisfied Director Griffin behind, I returned to my conversation with Jang Gukcheol.

"What were the three Stingers hidden in the secret compartment intended for?"

As though reconstructing the events in his memory, Jang Gukcheol paused before answering.

"About a year ago, the young master came home from school with abrasions all over his body. I asked what had happened, and he said he'd gotten into a fight with some racists. I immediately reported it up the chain, and the news eventually reached the Comrade Chairman himself."

"And what happened afterward?"

"The Comrade Chairman flew into a rage and ordered us to blow the homes of those racists' families to pieces. We immediately went to the black market and purchased three Stingers."

"But a Stinger is a surface-to-air missile system, isn't it?"

"We tried to obtain surface-to-surface missiles, but we couldn't find any because we were in such a hurry."

In other words, there wasn't any deeper meaning behind it.

"I see. What happened next?"

"A few days later, the young master said he'd made up with those boys and ordered us to cancel the retaliation."

I felt relieved. If Kim Juchol hadn't settled the conflict, an enormous scandal could have erupted.

"So in the end, the adults were dancing to the tune of a children's quarrel."

"You can say that again."

"What's inside the safe in the corner?"

"My laptop and various documents."

"I'm curious why you'd keep a laptop in a safe."

"Well, that's because... No, never mind."

'There's obviously something important behind this, isn't there?'

To uncover the truth, I addressed Jang Gukcheol in Korean.

"Since it's only us Koreans here, you can speak freely."

"I had two primary assignments. You already know about the first, so I'll skip it. The second was managing the Comrade Chairman's real estate holdings throughout Europe."

That meant the laptop contained a registry of Kim Jonghun's properties. To confirm my guess, I looked at Jang Gukcheol. He immediately continued.

"You're right, Director Cha."

"Hmm, I see. And how many properties does he have?"

"About thirty, including buildings and plots of land."

"That's quite a list. Naturally, they're all registered under proxies?"

"In the young master's aunt's name."

"His aunt...?"

As if reading my thoughts, Jang Gukcheol immediately explained.

"The housekeeper who cleaned the house is the young master's aunt."

A wave of frustration washed over me at that moment. If we'd captured Kim Juchol's aunt, we could have confiscated all of Kim Jonghun's real estate. But what could we do? That bus had already left, kicking up clouds of dust behind it.

"Ah, I see."

"You didn't know she was his aunt?"

"I heard something about it in passing from Senior Colonel Cho Yeongil. But he wasn't sure about the information himself, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

There was no reason for Jang Gukcheol to know the details of my relationship with Cho Yeongil.

"If I'd known for certain, I would've taken her alive."

"That's true..."

"Let's get down to business. What country would you like to live in from now on?"

"The United States."

Senior Colonel Cho Yeongil and his men had fled to South Korea. If Jang Gukcheol ran into Cho Yeongil on South Korean soil, it would create an extremely awkward situation.

"Excellent. I'll honor your request."

"Really?!"

"I promised to settle you in whichever country you chose."

"Haha, I'm sincerely grateful!"

"What do you think about receiving your resettlement money in cash rather than gold?"

"Cash would be even better."

"Then it's settled. Give me an account number, and I'll transfer one hundred million dollars to you."

"But there are only four of us."

Selling twenty-five kilograms of gold could bring in around twenty million dollars. For four people, that came to eighty million dollars. Jang Gukcheol asked again in confusion, unable to understand why I'd offered a hundred million.

"Consider the extra twenty million a bonus for your exemplary cooperation."

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your generosity, Director Cha."

"Don't mention it. If the opportunity arises, we'll meet again."

After finishing my interrogation of Jang Gukcheol, we went upstairs to the living room to continue our discussion. I relayed the gist of our conversation to Director Griffin and the others, naturally leaving out the sensitive details.

"...Commander Jang expressed his desire to live in the United States."

"I see. We'll take the Unit 974 soldiers with us."

"I'd greatly appreciate that. Now, shall we discuss how we're going to divide the gold bars seized from Kim Juchol's house?"

"With pleasure!" Director Griffin replied, an eager gleam in his eyes.