Chapter 179
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Kwon Soo-yeon
A detective from the Joint Investigation Headquarters asked about Na Gang-in's relationship with Kwon Soo-yeon. He could answer that, but it would only drag the conversation out longer, which wouldn't help matters.
Na Gang-in deliberately steered the discussion in another direction.
"Those guys who raided Palstar Tech's warehouse yesterday. I heard they were after anti-tank missiles. What's the reason?"
The joint task force detective explained.
"They weren't planning to fire ones without warheads. They were trying to steal our country's missile technology."
"Even stealing a single missile, there's a limit to what they could reverse-engineer, right?"
"True. But it seems they didn't just target Palstar Tech's warehouse. There were attempts at tech leaks from other companies too."
"Tech leak attempts..."
"They probably wanted a real anti-tank missile to verify if the info or parts they'd smuggled out were genuine. Of course, they'd analyze its performance too. And naturally, they'd plan to reverse-engineer it for tech intel."
"So, did they succeed in smuggling anything out?"
"For starters, we found a few missile parts in their van."
"Those were probably parts they'd scatter at the scene to fake an explosion accident."
"Yes. We're guessing they leaked defective mid-development parts that were supposed to be scrapped."
"If they burn up and melt, it'd be hard to tell if they're old models, new ones, defective, or not."
"Exactly. Naturally, we're thoroughly investigating the manufacturer of those parts, and checking all the other companies involved in missile development too."
Na Gang-in thought to himself.
'Iron Man Machinery's gonna get dragged into the mess too.'
The joint task force detective gave an awkward laugh.
"Lucky for us, there's still something to salvage on our end. Haha."
"'Lucky' might be a stretch..."
"Ah. If a more serious tech leak had already happened beyond those scrapped parts, then yeah, we couldn't call it lucky."
"All we can do is hope it didn't go that far."
"That's what we're praying for too. We'll know for sure once the investigation wraps up."
"Good to hear. But anyway."
Na Gang-in furrowed his brow slightly as he asked,
"If this is an industrial espionage case, is Director Cha involved again by any chance?"
The joint task force detective shook his head.
"We asked the captured guys just in case, and even Yang Yong-jun, but they don't know who it is. It might not be Director Cha's doing."
Na Gang-in saw it differently.
"Or maybe Director Cha's being even more cautious than before. To avoid exposure to the police."
"Could be. We're not ruling out that possibility and will keep investigating."
In the middle of their talk, Na Gang-in's phone rang.
If it were anyone else, he could ignore it and call back later. But the caller was Chief Surgeon Lee Jeong-ho. At this point in time, there was only one reason Lee Jeong-ho would call first.
"Excuse me for a sec. Gotta take this."
Na Gang-in stood and stepped aside to answer.
"Hello."
- The detailed exam results are in, and they're not good.
"Should I come there?"
- No. Meet at our usual spot.
Na Gang-in's expression hardened. The usual spot Lee Jeong-ho mentioned was Son Seong-hyeon's plastic surgery clinic.
"Got it."
Na Gang-in returned to his seat and told the joint task force detective,
"Something urgent came up today, so I'll have to cut it short. Contact me next time, and we can pick up."
"Ah, sure. But, um..."
The joint task force detective swallowed nervously, tense.
"Don't tell me another incident broke out..."
"Nothing like that. It's personal."
The detective let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew. Good. Ha, haha."
Na Gang-in arrived at the plastic surgery clinic. Lee Jeong-ho hadn't gotten there yet.
The clinic director, Son Seong-hyeon, explained the situation.
"Soo-yeon's condition has gotten a lot worse."
"Yesterday, she seemed recovered enough to walk on her own."
"She looked fine on the surface, so we let our guard down. But the detailed diagnosis came back bad. My brother-in-law concluded we need to operate ASAP."
Chief Surgeon Lee Jeong-ho was a world-renowned authority on that rare disease.
"How many people know about Soo-yeon's condition?"
"Just us. No one else at that hospital can definitively diagnose Khyatiger Syndrome except my brother-in-law."
"So, what's the plan?"
"Soo-yeon can still move on her own for now, so we discharged her first. She's on her way here."
Na Gang-in glanced around the clinic interior.
"What about the staff?"
"It's Saturday, so everyone's gone home."
"That's a relief."
Thirty minutes later, Kwon Soo-yeon arrived.
All the necessary tests had already been done at the general hospital, and the data copied.
Na Gang-in slipped into Son Seong-hyeon's office when she arrived. To minimize the number of people who knew he was participating in the surgery.
But a problem arose.
The moment Kwon Soo-yeon entered the clinic, she called out loudly,
"Gang-in? You're here, aren't you?"
AI Jeon Ji-in spoke up.
- Agent Kwon Soo-yeon has figured out you're here.
"How?"
- Everyone in this clinic right now is a suspect. One of them must be loose-lipped.
Kwon Soo-yeon's voice came from outside again.
"Gang-in?"
Na Gang-in had no choice but to step out of the office.
"Uh... Soo-yeon. How'd you know I was here?"
Kwon Soo-yeon smirked.
"I saw your car in the parking lot. What are the odds you'd just happen to be in another part of this building right now?"
"Ah..."
He'd driven her in that car just yesterday from Gapyeong to Lee Jeong-ho's general hospital. He'd used it before too, when dropping her off at school.
AI Jeon Ji-in chided him.
- Turns out the loose lips were the agent's.
"Heavy mouth, but careless actions. Let's call it that."
Kwon Soo-yeon asked,
"So why are you here?"
"Well..."
Seeing Na Gang-in at a loss, Kwon Dong-jin nearby quickly covered.
"Gang-in's been helping us out for a while now."
"Huh? For a while? Since when?"
"Well..."
Na Gang-in chimed in to back him up.
"Since the day we ran into each other at school again. You looked really unwell then. And it just so happens I know Chief Surgeon Lee Jeong-ho."
Kwon Soo-yeon pieced it together.
"Ah! Since it's a secret surgery, you needed someone reliable, so you roped him in?"
"Uh? Yeah. Right! That's it. Who else can you trust like me?"
Kwon Soo-yeon looked worried.
"But if this surgery gets exposed, even if you were just helping, you could still get in trouble..."
- The agent is the mastermind behind this illegal surgery. If it leaks, you'll be arrested.
"Hey. It's fine. As long as it doesn't leak."
His voice was a bit loud this time, and Kwon Soo-yeon heard it. She beamed.
"Thanks. You've been like this since way back..."
AI Jeon Ji-in reacted.
- Chance to learn about the agent's past.
But Kwon Soo-yeon didn't continue. She glanced at the others, said thanks, and headed into the operating room.
Na Gang-in smacked his lips.
"So, what happened between us back then? Why'd you stop midway?"
- Right?
Kwon Dong-jin sighed.
"Phew. Dodged that one."
Na Gang-in asked,
"What happened?"
Lee Jeong-ho answered.
"I heard she went through something dangerous at that Gapyeong warehouse yesterday. The stress and intense activity must've strained her body."
"She didn't seem this bad yesterday."
"I didn't anticipate it getting this severe either."
Lee Jeong-ho was a global authority on the disease. Yet there was still so much he didn't know.
"This isn't a condition you can judge by common sense. It's so bizarre, it feels more like a curse than an illness."
Kwon Dong-jin had other priorities.
"What about surgery practice? Last time, we shaved off exactly one second from the cutoff. Don't we need more practice?"
Lee Jeong-ho shook his head.
"Soo-yeon looks fine on the outside, but we don't know when her time bomb might go off. We operate today."
"But... prep takes time, so maybe one more practice run..."
"If we tire out, the actual surgery time will only get longer."
"That..."
Lee Jeong-ho knew it was unavoidable too. He just needed somewhere to vent his anger.
Kwon Dong-jin shouted,
"Yang Yong-jun! I won't let that bastard get away with it!"
Yesterday, Palstar Tech's president's second son, Yang Yong-jun, had taken Kwon Soo-yeon along and gotten her caught in a shootout, worsening her condition.
The surgery prep process was cross-checked multiple times. With limited manpower and the need to shorten time, no surprises could be allowed. That meant even more thorough preparation. And naturally, that took time.
Kwon Soo-yeon lay on the operating table, waiting for prep to finish. All sorts of thoughts flooded her mind.
'Can it succeed? Can I really survive?'
Last time, Lee Yeon-ji, whose surgery succeeded, didn't even know what illness she had. She thought it was just a necessary procedure, and believed it was simple because she recovered so fast.
But Kwon Soo-yeon was different. She'd known for a long time she had an inoperable disease and was dying from it. Then Lee Yeon-ji's successful surgery with the same condition gave her hope.
Still, this surgery was dangerous. She knew that well.
'I still have so much I want to do. This can't be the end of my life, right?'
Anesthesia began. She saw Na Gang-in entering the operating room.
'Huh? Why's he coming into the OR...'
She couldn't think further. Her consciousness faded.
Before starting in earnest, Lee Jeong-ho warned,
"We cut one second off the cutoff in last practice. But one small mistake, and we'll blow past that."
Everyone tensed.
"A slight overrun might be okay."
Kwon Dong-jin's face brightened a bit.
"But the time limit itself isn't precise. If Soo-yeon's runs even a little shorter than expected, we could finish within cutoff and still fail."
That's why they needed more practice to shave off more time. But yesterday's incident threw everything off.
"We still lack data on this disease, but we have to operate anyway. No choice."
Lee Jeong-ho gripped the scalpel. The surgery began.
Na Gang-in said to AI Jeon Ji-in,
"Ji-in. It's all on you."
- For Earth, I'll do my utmost for this surgery to save the early developer of the Iramide solar cell.
"Big cause, so lift any restrictions you can. Use everything available."
Omega Tech President Scarlett Kelly tapped the table with her fingers.
"Who the hell's been using our company name in Korea? Which bastard is it?"
Jessica replied,
"All we've got is that it's a mercenary group hired by international industrial spies. Once Korean investigators dig deeper, we might learn more."
"Objective?"
"From the info so far, the mercs were after Korea's new anti-tank missile."
Scarlett tilted her head slightly.
"But Na Gang-in was interested in the solar cell developer."
"Right? He called you asking if you'd contacted that researcher instead of Palstar Tech."
Scarlett thought for a moment, then said,
"That solar cell researcher. Find out who they are and exactly what research they're doing."
Jessica stared at Scarlett.
Scarlett defended herself.
"What? I love solar tech, you know that. Gotta know why Na Gang-in cares so much about that researcher."
"Which is the real goal? Solar cells? Or Na Gang-in?"
"Oh, Jessica. Korea has this great saying: kill two birds with one stone. I want both."
Iron Man Machinery's lab underwent a special government inspection.
The joint task force detective met with headquarters chief Lee Tae-seong.
"I met you last time about the Dragon Plate inquiries, and now you're handling this too."
"It's important. But we'd like to hear about your situation."
"All I can say is that every company involved in new anti-tank missile development is being checked for leaked materials. We ask for your full cooperation."
Lee Tae-seong boasted loudly.
"Our company has rock-solid security, so no issues. We outsourced to pros for the system build and management, and even had top hackers audit it."
"Hackers?"
"Ah, defensive white-hat hackers. The kind who fend off attacks or trace hackers back to catch them."
The joint task force detective nodded.
"Ah, yeah. I know someone like that."
Lee Tae-seong bragged,
"The white-hat hacker I know is even better."
The detective recalled Na Gang-in was Iron Man Machinery's Dragon Plate development team lead.
"Wait... Is that amazing hacker... Na Gang-in?"
"Oh? You knew?"
"Sigh. Yeah. All too well."
"Why the sudden sigh..."
"No reason. Just... he does too damn much."
Lee Tae-seong laughed.
"Tell me about it. He surprises me all the time."
The joint task force detective grumbled,
"He's great at getting tangled in cases too. Sure, he solves them, but we end up pulling overtime because of it. Haaa. Might as well just work with us..."