Free Web NovelIt had been put together in a hurry, so it was sloppy—but even so, I thought it was a fairly decent operation.
Trying to patch up those sloppy parts by pulling the DEA into this operation was now coming back to bite me like this.
If Hong Seokgeun ended up in a U.S. prison, Hong Jinwoo might turn on me and charge in, ready to die together.
Then I’d have to kill Hong Jinwoo.
A parent who loses a child can do anything.
If that happened, I’d have to kill him just to eliminate future trouble.
But it was too late to roll back the operation now, and killing Hong Jinwoo wasn’t particularly appealing either.
I organized my thoughts in a short span of time and spoke to Jessica.
“I’ll refuse anything dangerous.”
— Of course.
“If I agree, can he be released immediately?”
— We can send him back right away.
After hearing Jessica’s answer, I turned my head toward Hong Jinwoo.
“She says that if I help the DEA, it can be covered up immediately. What do you say, Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo?”
“Is that true? Please, do it.”
“One last warning. No matter what I ask of you, you must comply.”
I drove my conditions into Hong Jinwoo’s head once more as he clung to me desperately.
Realizing just how serious the situation was, he nodded with a rigid expression. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Without taking my eyes off him, I spoke to Jessica.
“All right, for now. We’ll talk again later.”
— Got it. I’ll wait.
I sent Hong Jinwoo away, then planned to call Jessica again to figure out exactly how things had spiraled into this mess.
Setting down my phone, still warm from the call, I said to Hong Jinwoo,
“Go home and wait for your son to contact you. And do not speak of this matter to anyone, anywhere. If this leaks outside... then everything that happens afterward will be your responsibility.”
“Of course. I won’t tell anyone, anywhere.”
At my cold warning, Hong Jinwoo replied as if it were only natural.
If anything, it would hurt him more than me. He’d want this buried, not exposed.
“So my son will be released?”
That depends on what I do. Instead of answering, I issued a dismissal.
“Assemblyman. You should leave now and wait at home. This has grown too large—I need a bit more time to think about how to handle it.”
“President Kim...”
“Staying here won’t make things move forward. I’ll contact you as soon as possible. That’s all for today. Please go.”
“...I’m begging you.”
As he rose from his seat, Hong Jinwoo pleaded once more.
Like someone who’d glimpsed a single ray of light in pitch-black darkness, his face looked utterly desperate.
After confirming that he’d left the office, I called Jessica again.
“Jessica.”
— I was waiting, Charlie.
“What on earth happened? Hong Jinwoo was here earlier, so I couldn’t ask in detail. How did things turn out like this?”
When I pressed her, Jessica explained the situation.
— The DEA Director personally contacted the Department of Homeland Security. He said they couldn’t just stand by after being used for someone’s personal affair, and demanded that Mr. Hong be handed over to them.
“The DEA meddling in DHS business—don’t they have any chain of command?”
— The DEA isn’t an intelligence agency; it’s a law enforcement agency. If it’s about stopping drug crimes, they’re the kind of people who’d topple a country’s president.
Jessica complained pointedly, but I wasn’t in the mood to joke.
“This is a big disappointment. It’s fine that you tied him up tightly, but hasn’t the situation snowballed out of control? Or did you sell me out to the DEA?”
— What? That’s ridiculous. You’re my precious joker card, Charlie. If I reveal you, I’m the one who loses.
She hurried to deny it, but I was still suspicious.
For Jessica’s usual standards, there were too many sloppy points.
No matter how rushed the operation was, someone like her being dragged around by the DEA didn’t sit right with me.
“It’s possible your superiors cut a deal with the DEA behind your back.”
— ...That might be the case.
Even Jessica couldn’t deny it outright.
Since I was the one who’d asked for the favor in the first place, it wasn’t easy to press her harder.
“All right. Proceed as originally planned.”
— Of course. I’m going to report to the higher-ups right away and send him back.
“I’ll say this again—don’t do anything that puts my safety at risk. Make sure you report that too.”
— Yes. I’ll be sure to pass it along.
“Then we’ll talk again.”
Just as I was about to hang up, Jessica called out.
— Charlie. Wait a moment.
“What is it? Do you have more to say?”
— What about the next Al Qaeda attack location we talked about...?
She really didn’t want to lose out on anything. I ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) deliberately replied curtly.
“After making things this complicated, do you really have to bring that up right now?”
— You promised, Charlie.
“You broke the promise first. You dragged in the DEA and asked me to help with an operation that wasn’t even in the plan—and now you want that too? I’d say the information I gave you about the terrorist behind the Spain attack still being in Madrid was already a huge help.”
— H–but...
Flustered, Jessica stumbled over her words.
Seeing her like this was new. Of course, I did intend to give her the information.
There was still plenty of use to be had out of her.
I’d given information too easily, and it seemed she’d forgotten its value. She needed a reminder.
“The information I’ve given so far has been of great help to the United States. It was exchanged through deals, sure—but I trust you know which is more valuable: what I received, or what you took from me. So don’t demand things as if they’re a given. You only get to make demands when every detail of a deal has been fulfilled without the slightest deviation.”
— ...This really wasn’t intentional.
“Intentional or not isn’t my concern. The bottom line is that I now have to help with a DEA operation that was never part of the plan.”
Jessica didn’t respond. If she had any conscience at all, she wouldn’t be able to.
“Listen carefully, Jessica. This is the last time. If something like this happens again, I won’t do business with you. Even if you point a gun at me, I won’t. Do you understand?”
— I understand. It won’t happen again.
Hearing her subdued reply, I felt satisfied.
Looks like she finally remembered her place.
“Good. I’ll hand over the information once everything is sorted out. I need some time to compile what I have as well. One thing I can tell you is that the next target is the UK.”
— The UK? Is that true?
“Yes. As far as I know, it is.”
— Where do you even get information like that?
“Don’t pry into other people’s trade secrets.”
No matter how thoroughly they investigated me, they’d never find my source.
Because the information I provided came from the future.
“And besides, does it really matter? The information I’ve given you so far has never been wrong, has it?”
The future had changed a lot, but the parts I hadn’t directly interfered with remained the same.
Aside from the Twin Towers attack happening earlier and Afghanistan stabilizing more quickly, what was meant to happen still happened.
“I’ve confirmed that the UK is the target. I’ll need to dig deeper to know more.”
— ...How long will that take?
I already knew who the terrorists were and when the attack would occur, but it was too early to say.
“I’ll contact you within the year. And just knowing it’s the UK should be enough, shouldn’t it? With just that, neither U.S. nor UK intelligence agencies will be sitting idle.”
I said that, but without knowing who they were, they’d never catch them.
All but one of the perpetrators were children of immigrants born in the UK.
There were countless Muslims in the UK—you couldn’t possibly search them all.
And although they took orders from Al Qaeda, they weren’t formal members, making them even harder to find.
— We’ll do what we can... but if you get more concrete information, please contact us.
“I will. I’ll find out as quickly as possible and get in touch. That’s all for now.”
I ended the call and set down the hot phone. freēwebnovel.com
A sigh escaped me.
“Damn it. This is getting needlessly complicated.”
Manager Ma, who’d been standing behind me, stepped closer and asked,
“Boss, are you really going to help the DEA?”
“I don’t have a choice. I’ll help them. I hate complicated things, but here we are.”
As I nodded, he looked at me with worry written all over his face.
Having seen and heard so much firsthand, it was only natural for him to be concerned.
“It’s best not to get directly involved with drug cartels. The mafia uses violence as a last resort, but cartels use violence first.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that a lot of mercenaries are hired by drug cartels. Sounds like it’s true.”
“Yes. Aside from massive firms like Black Bear, smaller mercenary companies often count drug cartels as their main clients. They pay enormous sums—far more than the hardship warrants—to buy loyalty.”
Drug cartels hiring mercenaries to protect themselves.
That was what made money so terrifying.
If money’s involved, people will even pluck a tiger’s whiskers.
“What if I end up having to go to Mexico and meet them? Will my safety be guaranteed?”
“Are you serious, Boss?”
“Ha ha, don’t get so worked up. I’m just asking, in case.”
When I answered with a laugh, Manager Ma sighed.
Then he replied firmly.
“We’d need to reinforce your security team.”
“Do you think it’s more dangerous than Afghanistan?”
Memories of the ambush in Afghanistan surfaced.
That had been truly dangerous. I could’ve died.
“It’s not comparable to Afghanistan, but it’s still dangerous.”
At his serious response, I smiled to reassure him.
“That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”
I trusted Black Bear—but more importantly, I’d already warned them I wouldn’t do anything dangerous.
They knew it would be a loss to make an enemy of me, so they wouldn’t act like moths flying into a flame.
“Manager, look into Hoseok Construction’s share structure, Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo’s relationships with his family, and everything about that household. They seem like an interesting family.”
“Understood, Boss.”
After bowing his head, Manager Ma left and closed the door behind him.
Left alone in the empty office, I sat back and pondered how best to handle this whole situation.
* * *
As promised, Jessica released Hong Seokgeun without charges.
Once freed, Hong Seokgeun returned to school, packed his things, and immediately flew back to Korea.
What kind of conversation Hong Jinwoo later had with his son, I don’t know.
I left that aside—anything I needed would come out if I looked into it—and shifted my attention to the Progressive Party, which was tearing itself apart internally.
In the meantime, the party’s infighting had grown so severe that the future was impossible to predict.
They’d entrusted party reform to an emergency committee, but with someone who understood real-world politics so poorly at the wheel, it would’ve been stranger if there hadn’t been turmoil.
And the seeds I planted were sprouting too.
Kim Seokjin, who had made a deal with me, began attacking Interim Chairman Kim Seonggeun.
Faction lawmakers under Kim Seokjin’s direction also gave interviews criticizing Kim Seonggeun.
It was only natural that Kim Seonggeun’s leadership took a serious hit.
— A person who doesn’t understand real-world politics is distorting the spirit of the Progressive Party. We shed blood to secure democracy. While we were protesting with blood and sweat, what does a scholar who sat comfortably in lecture halls reading books even know?
Young lawmakers under Hong Jinwoo who supported Interim Chairman Kim Seonggeun pushed back.
— It’s because of outdated politicians like former Chairman Kim Seokjin that we’ve fallen this far. Now the Progressive Party must change.
No matter what anyone said, the flower of politics was negativity.
Caught in endless, baseless slander, Kim Seonggeun was at a loss.
He avoided the press, continued meetings with the emergency committee, and began rolling out reform proposals one by one.
First, he proposed abolishing the decades-old party chairman system, holding a national convention to elect multiple standing committee members, and shifting to a collective leadership system in which the candidate with the most votes among them would serve as chair.
On top of that, he finalized the convention rules.
Instead of limiting voting rights—weighted differently—to delegates and dues-paying party members only, he proposed selecting the chair and standing committee members through a combined vote: 50% delegates, 30% registered party members, and 20% public opinion polling.
Other reform proposals followed in quick succession.
But the more he pushed, the more the Kim Seokjin faction attacked the interim chairman and committee members.
The mutual slander only intensified, and the media seemed eager to fan the flames.
Taking a step back from the Progressive Party’s unpredictable infighting, I decided to spend some time dealing with matters I’d neglected.
“Wow. You really tore everything down.”
The Eunmi Apartment redevelopment site, where construction had finally begun.
Watching the site—demolition complete, groundwork underway—I couldn’t help but exclaim.
