Chapter 41: That Time I Rode the K-Wave in South America (4)

TL: Skye

Time flew by quickly. Between chewing over the unpleasant encounter with Eom Gyu-seong and putting out every fire that had piled up on my desk, a full two weeks had already slipped past.

And then.

"...Dismissal?"

"Yes. As of yesterday, the disciplinary dismissal of Ambassador Eom Gyu-seong has been finalized."

I received news I'd never seen coming. An ambassador posted to San Marcos, dismissed after a mere two weeks?

"An ambassador holds vice-minister rank, a senior appointment... What on earth did he do to get axed this fast?"

Granted, the man had radiated nothing but bad vibes from our very first meeting, but I hadn't expected the blade to fall this quickly.

"The charges are embezzlement, bribery, and breach of dignity maintenance obligation."

Isabella explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

"During his tenure as consul general, evidence surfaced that he embezzled tens of thousands of dollars from consulate operating funds. The embezzled amount itself wasn't enormous, but combined with the substantial kickbacks he received in exchange for greasing the wheels for Korean companies operating in China, it was enough to seal the disciplinary decision. On top of that, evidence came out that he'd been keeping a mistress locally and living lavishly. His wife has reportedly left the house and is preparing to file for divorce."

"Good grief..."

So he was the kind of person who made me click my tongue in disgust.

"He really didn't seem like the type to... actually, no. He absolutely did."

He'd looked exactly the part, now that I thought about it.

"But how did all of this come to light so quickly? Internal investigations usually take ages."

"Apparently the National Intelligence Service went after him with everything they had."

"The NIS?"

For a split second, the face of Deputy Director Moon Seong-mun flashed through my mind.

"Well, good riddance in any case. He was a thorn in our side too, so we should be grateful they took out the trash for us."

"Indeed. The Korean government has also promised, by way of apology, to send a thoroughly vetted individual as his successor."

I nodded and said,

"Let's take a lesson from this ourselves. Domestically, you and Lucio have things locked down tight, so nothing slips through the cracks. But once we start dispatching diplomats abroad, who knows what could happen? If someone goes overseas and starts pulling stunts, there's no way to catch them."

"You needn't worry about that."

Isabella smiled with unshakable confidence.

"The Presidential Secretariat and SIA have already jointly selected and begun training diplomatic audit agents. Every embassy or consulate we open going forward will have one agent embedded under the title of accounting officer, monitoring every move and submitting weekly reports."

"...Of course you have."

This is exactly why I can sleep soundly at night.

"Incredibly reassuring. You've left me with absolutely nothing to do."

"When Your Excellency points a finger, we simply run in that direction."

"......"

Before the praise could escalate into something that gave me goosebumps, I steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Anyway, how's the Northern Petrochemical Complex coming along?"

In truth, this project mattered far more than Eom Gyu-seong's dismissal. It was the venture that would put wings on San Marcos.

"Hyunhwa Construction is already developing the site. Grading and foundation work are complete, and full-scale infrastructure construction is proceeding on schedule with the completion of the northern expressway."

"They certainly don't waste time."

Chairman Jeong Suman of Hyunhwa Group had reportedly staked everything on this, calling it his second founding. Apparently that hadn't been empty talk.

'His ideology is extreme, and he bulldozes through business the same way.'

"So the remaining piece is the Northern Port the Americans are building for us?"

The linchpin of this entire project was logistics.

Step one: pump crude from the Northern Oilfield, send it via pipeline to the refinery plant, and produce various petroleum products. Step two: process those into plastics, textile feedstock, and other chemicals at the adjacent chemical industry facilities, then move everything to the port for export.

The entire process would happen in a one-stop loop within a ten-kilometer radius. The savings on logistics costs alone were going to be staggering.

"How's the port construction progressing?"

"The major American construction firm Kiewit has been contracted for design and supervision, and it's been agreed that Hyunhwa Construction will take on the actual building work as a subcontractor."

"Oh, Hyunhwa landed that contract too?"

"From the American side, it was more cost-effective to entrust it to Hyunhwa, which already has equipment and manpower on the ground. Of course, Hyunhwa also submitted a competitive bid."

"Then I'm sure they'll do excellent work. The terms of the complex contract haven't changed, correct?"

"No, sir. The government provides the land and Hyunhwa handles all development in exchange for a hundred-year rent-free lease on the site. Rental income from companies that set up operations in the complex will go to Hyunhwa."

"A hundred years... That is a long time."

"In return, all port usage fees and customs duties generated at the Northern Port revert to the government. Run the numbers, and it's far more advantageous for the government in the long run."

"A win-win arrangement, then. Excellent."

We'd acquired an industrial complex without spending a fortune upfront, and snagged port operating rights as a bonus. There was no better deal to be had.

"Please pass along my regards to the Senior Secretary for Construction. Tell him to make sure Hyunhwa has everything it needs to work without any hitches."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Isabella replied crisply.

Everything was running smoothly. At this rate, retirement wouldn't be far off...

'Ah, right. My retirement fund got completely drained.'

Well, money could always be earned again. No big deal.

If push came to shove, I could ask them to set aside a little something under the name of severance pay.

'Eh, it'll work out one way or another.'

But as the old saying goes, good fortune invites disaster.

"...What? The senior executives implicated in the terror attack have fled?"

I received news I'd never anticipated.

***

The sudden phone call left Yu-jin utterly blindsided.

"I'm sorry, I'm having trouble understanding... How was it even possible for them to escape? I thought this was a covert operation?"

To his bewildered question, Ellen, the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the U.S. State Department, answered in a low voice from the other end of the line.

[It appears information was leaked from the inside. I'm deeply embarrassed.]

"Haah..."

Yu-jin let out a heavy sigh of frustration.

"Can you apprehend them?"

[Hoo... To be frank, it's going to be difficult.]

Helplessness bled through Ellen's voice.

[They went all-in on scrubbing their identities before slipping out, so Interpol cooperation would be essential, but that risks exposing the operation to the outside, making it impossible. That leaves CIA assistance, but... with the current situations in the Middle East and Russia, all their resources are tied up there.]

"So... you're just going to let them go? Terrorists?"

[I'm sorry. The FBI is conducting an all-out search, so please give us a little more time. Oh, and separately, development of the Northern Oilfield will proceed without disruption, so you needn't worry about that.]

"...Understood."

After hanging up, Yu-jin sank deep into his chair. His stomach churned.

Because of their greed, not only his friend Ian but the President and every single Cabinet member had been killed. And because of that, here he was, stuck in the seat of Acting President, scrambling to hold the government together.

Yet the masterminds had slipped through the net and waltzed away scot-free.

What infuriated him most was that he didn't even have the means to protest.

'In the end... this is what it means to be a powerless country.'

Yu-jin rubbed his face with both hands.

And watching him from nearby, Isabella's eyes hardened into a razor-sharp edge.

To her, Yu-jin's sigh was no mere expression of frustration. It felt like the sorrow of the faith she served, and a rebuke aimed at her own incompetence as his aide.

'How dare they make His Excellency grieve.'

Isabella suppressed the fury boiling inside her and quietly slipped out of the office.

The moment she stepped into the corridor, she drew her phone from her jacket and dialed a familiar number.

The other end picked up before the first ring even finished.

[Go ahead, Director.]

It was Lucio, the SIA Director.

"As expected, the FBI let them slip."

[I'd already heard.]

"Had you?"

A flicker of brightness crossed Isabella's face.

The fact that he'd known before she even called meant Plan B was working flawlessly.

[...How is His Excellency?]

"Deeply distressed. And I don't want to see that look on his face for even one second."

[Those useless bastards... Can't even catch someone in their own damn country.]

Isabella spoke in a voice cold as ice.

"When can we expect results?"

[Two days.]

Lucio stated without hesitation.

[I'll have the report on his desk before His Excellency's morning coffee goes cold.]

Lucio gazed out the window into the settling darkness and dialed another number.

"It's me. Looks like we need to round up some stray cats. Send every cat detective to the situation room."

The truth was, Lucio had never trusted the FBI from the start. More precisely, he had no faith in America's rule by money.

What kind of country was America? A place where nothing was impossible if you had enough cash. Expecting information not to leak during an investigation was naive to the point of stupidity.

Back when he was still SIA's Intelligence Director, Lucio had secured Isabella's authorization and set a plan in motion.

The plan: turn the senior attorney from Douglas & Hoffman, the one they'd previously brought in through peaceful means to resolve the Chevron affair, into a double agent.

Lucio had coerced the lawyer into approaching the Chevron executives with an offer to provide escape routes as a contingency.

The Chevron executives, who'd never seen it coming, walked right into the trap. And today, at last, that groundwork was bearing fruit.

"Three hours ago, the targets used forged passports to transit through Houston Airport and landed at Santa Elena Airport in Belize. From there, they went into hiding at a safe house with the help of a local cartel."

Lucio pointed at the map.

"But what they didn't know is that the local cartel in Belize is already cooperating with us."

The red dot on the map indicated an isolated house on the Belizean coast.

"They're holed up here right now. They're completely convinced they'll receive new passports tomorrow morning and board a flight to Brazil. Word is they've had residences set up across Brazil for some time. The plan was probably to scatter in every direction and vanish the moment they arrived. All without realizing their safe house isn't safe at all."

A chilling smile settled on Lucio's lips.

"Go show them just how far the wrath of San Marcos can reach."

Click.

The sound of operatives checking their weapons in unison filled the room.

"The objective is capture alive. They need to kneel before His Excellency. However..."

Lucio paused for a beat, then added coldly,

"I don't care if they come back crippled. As long as they're still breathing."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"You have thirty-six hours. Get there and back as fast as you can."

The moment the order dropped, the operatives vanished like the wind.

Lucio stood alone in the empty situation room, gazing up at the photograph of Yu-jin hanging on the wall.

"Your Excellency, just a little longer. I will see your justice done."

As if in answer, Yu-jin's photograph gleamed.

*****

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