God of Blackfield

Office of the National Intelligence Service Director.

Unlike previous directors, Go Gun-Woo had placed two chairs in front of his desk so he could sit face-to-face with the department managers. Currently, Kim Hyung-Jung was sitting in one of the chairs.

“The evidence is too clear for it to be tampered.”

“Hmm.”

“We have CCTV footage of the car from the moment it left its parking to the moment it reached its destination. We also have several witnesses who can testify to the circumstances of the kidnapping.”

Kim Hyung-Jung laid out a few photos in front of Go Gun-Woo. One was a black and white photo of the car that Oh Gwang-Taek drove.

The CCTV footage photos’ time and location were clearly printed in the lower right corner in a digital-looking font.

“And this Choi Chun-Sik?”

“He appears to have been disposed of after the murder. We haven’t confirmed the details yet.”

“Assault, kidnapping, confinement, murder, and disposing of a dead body…”

“He’s the son-in-law of Yang Dong-Sik, a member of the DMZ team who was assigned to our counter-terrorism team before the last Libyan operation. His daughter died three days ago of terminal stomach cancer.”

“Was that the funeral you went to recently?”

Go Gun-Woo was treating Kim Hyung-Jung more comfortably than before.

“Yes, sir. Apparently, Choi Chun-Sik assaulted her until he got the insurance money. The injuries she sustained made it impossible for her to survive surgery, ultimately leading to her death the same day we brought her to a hospital.”

Go Gun-Woo looked at the photo again, then gazed back up.

“Where are those three people now?”

“They went back to the hotel after the funeral this morning. They are scheduled to leave for Mongolia tomorrow morning.”

“If something goes wrong, it’ll cause trouble for the assistant director.”

Go Gun-Woo sighed and turned the monitor on his desk toward Kim Hyung-Jung.

“This information came in yesterday. I thought you might want to take a look at it…”

Click, click.

Go Gun-Woo opened a file—a text document in the form of an email—in the Director’s Direct Reports folder.

It had all fields filled out—including date, time, subject, and content—except for the sender field.

“This is about the assistant director and his associates kidnapping and murdering Choi Chun-Sik…”

Click, click.

“And this is regarding the assistant director making promises to American intelligence.”

Go Gun-Woo scrolled down.

“It says that he has promised to make South Korea build next-generation energy facilities in the US affirm our friendship with them, and recognize their influence in Asia.”

Click, click.

“It also has an entire section dedicated to the installation of heavy and medium-sized missiles at our base in Mongolia. It even came with photos of the evidence. If these things are published in foreign news, our people won’t leave the assistant director alone.”

Kim Hyung-Jung, who had been looking at the monitor, straightened his back and glanced at Go Gun-Woo with a serious expression.

“These files were probably sent to me to target the assistant director. If the public learns that three of the agents he recruited had kidnapped and murdered a civilian and even dumped his body somewhere…”

Go Gun-Woo’s expression was now as serious as Kim Hyung-Jung’s.

“I will report this to the President. I know it will be difficult, but how about you go to the hotel and try to get these three to turn themselves in?”

“Shouldn’t you inform the assistant director first?”

Go Gun-Woo shook his head resolutely.

“Right now, we need to focus on protecting the assistant director. To do that, we have to begin with an internal crackdown. I’m willing to bet my position and my conscience, as I’m sure you are, that the promises he made to the US intelligence bureau and the missile installation in Mongolia were all for the good of our country.”

Kim Hyung-Jung responded with an agreeing gaze.

“I don’t know what attitude the assistant director will have toward the three of them, but don’t you think it would be better to keep them out of the loop for now? That way, he can’t intervene in any way. Besides, depending on his reaction, there is a good chance that the agents, the Jeungpyeong special forces team, and even the 606 soldiers who respect the DMZ team’s Kang Chul-Gyu will rebel.”

Kim Hyung-Jung took a deep breath. However, it didn’t make him any less tense.

“Do you have any way to find the overseas agent who submitted this information?”

“I don’t, sir. In his determination to eliminate corruption within the NIS, the late Director Hwang prevented us from recording any non-public information input.”

“Then this must be some kind of threat. If I keep quiet after being given this much information, they’ll blow it to the press. Do you think I’m being too sensitive?”

“No. I believe that’s a valid hypothesis.”

“On the other hand, it can also mean that one of our agents overseas is working for the enemy.”

“Yes, sir.”

Go Gun-Woo straightened up.

“Manager Kim, we must protect the assistant director.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll go meet the DMZ team members in question now.”

“I’ll head straight to the President.”

The two men stood up at the same time.

***

On his way to the hotel, Kim Hyung-Jung called ahead to see if Kang Chul-Gyu was out.

- All three of them are in their rooms.

“Tell him I’m paying him a visit. Let me know if he’s going out.”

- Copy.

Just as he put the phone down, the red traffic light changed to green.

He wished the light hadn’t changed. Unfortunately, the roads were clear enough that he could drive quickly and smoothly.

This was how it always was. It wasn’t odd for things not to work out the way one wanted them to.

Upon reaching the hotel, Kim Hyung-Jung parked the car and went to the 11th floor.

Ding.

He stepped off the elevator, went to Kang Chul-Gyu’s room, and rang the bell.

“Who is it?”

Click.

The door opened as the question was asked.

“Come in.”

Kim Hyung-Jung made a brief bow, then entered the room.

It was neat.

The bed was made so well as if it hadn’t been used, and the utensils and fixtures were still in place. Aside from a cheap bottle of water—which looked like it had been bought from a grocery store—on the table, everything seemed untouched.

Kang Chul-Gyu offered Kim Hyung-Jung a seat a couple of times before the two finally sat down together at the table.

Kang Chul-Gyu was sharp and had a heavy demeanor.

However, time was fair to him too. His forehead and the crinkles around his eyes showed the weight of the past.

Kang Chul-Gyu waited for Kim Hyung-Jung to talk, but Kim Hyung-Jung couldn’t bring himself to.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Rustle.

After some time, Kim Hyung-Jung placed a photo on the table. Upon seeing the picture, Kang Chul-Gyu looked at him as if asking for an explanation.

“Someone tipped off the prosecution.”

Kang Chul-Gyu’s eyes revealed nothing. Kim Hyung-Jung wondered if he was going to deny it.

“Choi Chun-Sik’s kidnapped, assaulted, confined, murdered, and abandoned a civilian.”

A tremendous sense of gravity settled over the room as Kim Hyung-Jung finished his sentence.

“There are forces out to get the assistant director, and we don’t want them to capitalize on this case.”

“What can we do?”

Kim Hyung-Jung let out a sigh and looked at Kang Chul-Gyu, who was sitting across from him.

The legend of the DMZ. As a soldier and a member of the special forces team, Kang Chul-Gyu was renowned in North Korea, Russia, and even China.

This man, instead of asking to be saved, asked what he could do so Kang Chan wouldn’t be harmed.

“I think you should turn yourself in.”

“I see. Can I take the fall on my own?”

“That is a bit difficult.”

Forced to give brutal answers, Kim Hyung-Jung’s throat burned.

“To put a definite end to this situation, you, President Oh, and the two others with you will likely have to turn yourselves in.”

“Is there any way to get at least President Oh out?”

“That won’t be easy. The best I can do is keep this case off the news as much as possible. If you turn yourself in before the prosecution announces it, I will take care of the rest. I suggest that you four go together to satisfy the prosecutors.”

Kang Chul-Gyu nodded.

“The sooner the better, I suppose,” he mused.

“That’s right.”

“Can you wait a little while?”

“I have until this afternoon.”

Kang Chul-Gyu got up from the table and picked up the room phone next to the TV.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Kim Hyung-Jung sighed, punctuating the silence.

“It’s me. Come to my room with Dong-Sik.”

Click.

Kang Chul-Gyu hung up afterward. He then went back to the table and sat down.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

For the first time, Kang Chul-Gyu looked like he wanted something for himself.

“Please wrap up this case so that the assistant director will never know who did it, and make it clear that everything happened under my orders.”

The weight of Kang Chul-Gyu’s words settled on Kim Hyung-Jung’s chest, rendering him unable to do anything but gulp.

Ding.

When the bell rang, Kang Chul-Gyu rose from his seat and headed to the door.

There was no greeting or conversation—the two men simply entered with heavy expressions, seemingly sensing the atmosphere in the room. They nodded at Kim Hyung-Jung and took their seats.

“Take a look at that photo,” Kang Cul-Gyu said. “Someone has reported what we did to the prosecutor’s office. This could harm the assistant director.”

Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik looked up from the photo.

“If we turn ourselves in this afternoon, Manager Kim says he can wrap all of this up quietly. I plan to go to the prosecution now,” Kang Chul-Gyu explained.

Nam Il-Gyu nodded in understanding.

Were they expecting this?

Kim Hyung-Jung looked at them curiously.

“I was the one who killed Choi Chun-Sik and poured him into the molten iron, so I should go in first,” Nam Il-Gyu replied. “You and Dong-Sik should come after, sir.”

“You mother—” Yang Dong-Sik yelled before they could finish comprehending what Nam Il-Gyu had just said. However, upon glancing at Kang Chul-Gyu, he swallowed the curse back in. “What’s wrong with you? I was the one who murdered the bastard who killed my daughter, you idiot! I did it for her! She’s not your daughter, so why are you trying to be cool?!”

Yang Dong-Sik turned to Kim Hyung-Jung.

“Let’s go. Sunbae and Il-Gyu followed me without knowing anything. You know he assaulted my daughter, right? I was going to kill that bastard, but I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t know the area, so I dragged these two along. Sunbae even tried to talk me out of it…”

“Dong-Sik,” Kang Chul-Gyu called, cutting Yang Dong-Sik off.

“I gave the orders. You two and President Oh just followed my commands, so don’t say anything else.”

“President Oh has to go too?” Nam Il-Gyu asked.

Kim Hyung-Jung nodded.

“Sunbae,” Nam Il-Gyu called. He was wearing a pilled cotton t-shirt, worn pants with creases, and old sneakers.

“We shouldn’t cause the assistant director any trouble,” he said calmly. “If you’re framed as the main culprit, the assistant director will be greatly shocked, so please let it be known that Dong-Sik and I perpetrated this incident, and you unknowingly became involved in it.”

“Hey!” Yang Dong-Sik yelled in protest.

“Let’s just do as I say, Dong-Sik. Considering someone’s already reported this, trying to get away with this now will only affect sunbae-nim. In what world does it make sense that the two of us can’t stop you? I’m the one who took care of the guys at the farmhouse anyway, so let’s just stick to this plan. We have to protect sunbae-nim and President Oh.”

Through gritted teeth, Yang Dong-Sik nodded, agreeing that they needed to protect Kang Chul-Gyu and Oh Gwang-Taek.

Kim Hyung-Jung couldn’t do anything but quietly watch.

They would be given a lawyer. Even so, that wouldn’t happen until later. Right now, Kim Hyung-Jung had nothing more to say.

“Have you contacted President Oh?” Nam Il-Gyu asked.

“Not yet,” Kim Hyung-Jung replied.

“Then let’s go to the hospital together,” Nam Il-Gyu suggested, showing his willingness to take action.

He wanted to take care of things before Kang Chul-Gyu said something, and they were all aware of that. How could they not be?

“Il-Gyu.”

“... Yes, sir.”

Kang Chul-Gyu was now smirking.

“If I shirk my responsibilities because you asked me to, then from that moment on, I’ll be nothing more than an old, cowardly man. Do you think I’ll be able to face the assistant director then?”

Under Kang Chul-Gyu’s piercing glare, Nam Il-Gyu found it difficult to answer.

“Let’s not waste any more time and just say you followed my orders.”

This was the first time that Kim Hyung-Jung saw Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik not reply to Kang Chul-Gyu.

“Let’s call President Oh first.”

Kim Hyung-Jung called the hospital only to find out that h Gwang-Taek wasn’t in. Nevertheless, thirty minutes later, the former gangster arrived at Kang Chul-Gyu’s room.

Thus marked the beginning of a shouting spree that echoed through the room.

“It was done in my factory! My factory! I was the one who found out where that son of a bitch was! The women at the prosecutor’s office will laugh if they hear that I, Oh Gwang-Taek, followed you around without knowing what was happening! What’s wrong with you?!”

Oh Gwang-Taek was so loud that Kim Hyung-Jung had to ask him to lower his voice several times.

If someone was listening in the next room, they would have thought it was a group of freedom fighters trying to take credit for killing a traitor.

After about two hours, the debate finally ended.

“Let’s go.”

Oh Gwang-Taek stood up.

“You just need to turn yourself in by the end of the day. Go and see your family.”

“I saw them earlier today. Didn’t you say this can get in Kang Chan’s way? So let’s go right now.”

Oh Gwang-Taek’s final remarks must have sounded decisive. The moment he finished speaking, Kang Chul-Gyu, Nam Il-Gyu, and Yang Dong-Sik stood up from their seats and rushed Kim Hyung-Jung.

This wasn’t what Kim Hyung-Jung wanted.

He had hoped for some more time, and maybe even to have a nice hot meal with them before leaving. However, Kim Hyung-Jung couldn’t stop them.

***

Go Gun-Woo sat across from Moon Jae-Hyun at a table overlooking the backyard of the Blue House. He had to wait a while due to Moon Jae-Hyun’s hectic schedule.

Go Gun-Woo first told Moon Jae-Hyun about Choi Chun-Sik’s murder. “The last thing I heard was that they were going to the prosecutor’s office to turn themselves in.”

He then went on to report the agreements Kang Chan had made with the US intelligence bureau and the installation of missiles at their base in Mongolia.

“So our assistant director is being targeted.”

“That’s what we think.”

Moon Jae-Hyun drummed his fingers, his gaze drifting to the grass in the backyard.

“I gave the assistant director the level of responsibility as the Deputy Director-General of the DGSE.”

Moon Jae-Hyun smiled at Go Gun-Woo, which the latter found surprising.

“You don’t have to say that. I also believe in the assistant director. Whenever I recall the sacrifices he has made for our country and the things that he has done, I always feel ashamed that I’m the president.”

Go Gun-Woo listened to Moon Jae-Hyun with an awkward expression.

“I knew a day like this would come. It was always like this whenever we discovered talented individuals. Things will be different this time, though. Let’s do everything in our power to protect him.”

“Yes, sir.”

For the first time, Go Gun-Woo felt grateful that he chose to become the Director of the National Intelligence Service—that he was now leading the organization that could protect Kang Chan.

“Since he’s terribly fond of his agents, please meet with him personally… Or at least arrange a meeting for the three of us so we can console him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Moon Jae-Hyun stood up from his seat.

“We must protect the assistant director.”

He then turned away.

***

After stopping by the prosecutor’s office, Kim Hyung-Jung made his way to Kang Chan’s office.

Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho, dressed in suit pants, shirts, and shoes, greeted Kim Hyung-Jung. Kang Chan’s form-fitting shirt accentuated his physique, which seemed like something out of a commercial.

“Welcome, sir.”

“Would you like some coffee?”

Afterward, they offered him a seat. Having Kang Chan greet him so welcomingly made him feel bad.

Seok Kang-Ho filled a mug to the brim with coffee and set it in front of Kim Hyung-Jung.

“What brings you here?”

Kang Chan wasn’t an idiot. He knew that Kim Hyung-Jung’s expression was different from normal.

“Today…”

Kim Hyung-Jung told him that he had just come from the prosecutor’s office. With difficulty, he then explained the reason why.

Aware of what Kang Chul-Gyu meant to Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho pulled out a cigarette and gave it to Kang Chan as soon as he was finished with his explanation.

“I’ll have one later.”

This was the first time Seok Kang-Ho and Kim Hyung-Jung had seen Kang Chan refuse a cigarette.

Kang Chan slowly got up and walked to the window. Amid the dead silence that had filled the room, he then faced the sunlight coming through the glass pane.