Chapter 190
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: Yuna-rin
Na Gang-in asked from the back seat of the police car.
"Why did you salute me?"
The officer in the passenger seat turned around to look at him.
"Aren't you a government agent?"
"Uh..."
The fact that the person sent to pick him up didn't know who he was meant Park Soon-gi had deliberately kept it under wraps.
Na Gang-in thought of Min Young-hee, another Total Fist Way student who handled both government and private gigs as a freelance agent.
Na Gang-in gave a vague answer.
"I'm a freelancer."
"Ah, got it. But you're heading out on government business right now, aren't you?"
Na Gang-in still hadn't heard what the situation was.
"I suppose so...?"
The police car arrived in Mapo-gu.
Na Gang-in got out of the car.
Total Fist Way student Park Soon-gi came running over.
"Master Na! Thank goodness you're nearby... Who are these guys? No, those people. The one who told us to bring him, but instead they picked up some random old man..."
Na Gang-in said,
"It's me. This is just a disguise for a film shoot."
"Huh?"
Park Soon-gi peered closely at Na Gang-in's face and jumped in surprise.
"Whoa! It really is Master Na? Wow, modern movie makeup is insane. You look like a totally different person. So were you in Jongno for a shoot too?"
"Yes. I just finished morning filming and was taking a break."
"Phew. What a relief. If you'd been in Jongno instead of near your house, we might've sent a helicopter."
Na Gang-in glanced around.
Na Gang-in asked,
"Does this incident need to be handled discreetly?"
"As expected of Master Na. You grasped the situation the moment you arrived."
"I still don't even know what happened."
Park Soon-gi said with a grave expression.
"There's a hostage situation."
"Where?"
Park Soon-gi pulled out a tablet PC, brought up a map of the area, and pointed to one spot.
"That single-story building over there. You can't see it directly from here. Armed thugs have taken the people inside hostage. We've got snipers positioned in the surrounding buildings."
The map marked the sniper positions as well.
Na Gang-in pointed to that spot on the map.
"Put a sniper here too. Have armed units on standby this way. If the enemy tries a forced breakthrough with the hostages in this direction, they'll mix in with civilians around here. That could make things a lot worse."
"Ah, yeah, that could happen. We'll implement it right away."
Park Soon-gi relayed the info over his radio.
Na Gang-in waited for him to finish, then asked,
"So why handle this incident under wraps?"
"The perps have guns. If a shootout breaks out in the middle of the city, the public backlash would be..."
"Huh?"
Park Soon-gi said, looking flustered.
"Come to think of it, almost every shooting this year involved you, Master Na?"
"None of those were incidents I started, though?"
"I know. Of course I know. I heard you just got caught up in them by chance and resolved them."
"Exactly. This time's the same—got dragged in by coincidence. That's how it's always been."
"Experiencing it firsthand like this really drives it home."
Na Gang-in shifted the topic while looking at the map.
"Doing a secret op so civilians don't panic? Normally, you'd just send in the police special forces."
Park Soon-gi hesitated.
"Well... this is classified, but..."
"You asked for my help, didn't you?"
Park Soon-gi explained in a low voice.
"One of the hostages is a VIP. If this goes public before rescue, their identity could leak. Then the perps would know who they've got."
"That'd put the hostage's life at even greater risk. Focusing on one person makes extraction harder."
"Yes. Exactly why we can't go public."
"Got it. Next step—what's the plan?"
"Our negotiator will take the items they demanded and go in unarmed to talk. They're hungry, apparently—they asked for hamburgers."
"Big role for the negotiator."
"Right? That's why we called you, Master Na."
Na Gang-in blinked.
"Pardon?"
"Please help."
"I'm a combat specialist, not a negotiator."
The Joint Investigation Headquarters had gotten involved in this case too.
The Joint Task Force got roped into the hostage rescue because of Na Gang-in.
The task force chief said gravely,
"Think Na Gang-in will join the op?"
A police executive replied,
"One of our Total Fist Way students from the police is on site. We told him to convince him somehow, so let's wait."
Another government official asked,
"Why not just send in the special forces and wipe them out?"
"We'd catch the perps, sure. But the hostages would die. Higher chance for the VIP. Who's taking responsibility for that?"
"If the current plan fails, the hostages die anyway, right?"
"Still, this has way better odds."
The task force chief said,
"We've griped plenty about all the overtime because of Na Gang-in."
"Not just once or twice."
"But going through this, I get it. Every time, without him, it would've been a disaster—just thinking about it is horrifying."
"Uh... yeah. Before, we got the call after it was resolved, so we knew intellectually. But seeing the incident unfold first... it's pitch black ahead."
"This time, even if it means overtime, I'd love for Na Gang-in to work with us. No other way to save the hostages safely."
"Pardon? I mean, sure, but why more overtime..."
"Just a figure of speech. You know."
Park Soon-gi explained the situation.
"This isn't something negotiation can fix anyway. They're demanding safe passage out, but we can't allow that. If word got out, it'd lead to more copycat hostage crimes."
"And the higher-ups who let the perps go would get their heads on the chopping block."
"Exactly. Switching to a public op ramps up the risks and endangers the hostages more."
Na Gang-in knew what Park Soon-gi wanted.
"So you want me to pretend to be the negotiator, go in, and take them down?"
Park Soon-gi looked apologetic.
"Who else could go in unarmed, alone, and subdue armed gunmen?"
"Probably no one."
"In a normal situation, it'd be impossible. That's why they demanded food—they think so too."
Park Soon-gi said cautiously to Na Gang-in,
"But Master Na, you've pulled off the impossible before, haven't you?"
"I keep telling you, those were all coincidences I got dragged into."
"Word from above is, you're the only one who can pull this off. I agree—I train under you, so I know best."
"You know I'm a civilian, right?"
"Yes. You've taken down international mercenaries, pirates, armed robbers, and all sorts as a civilian. I know. That's why the brass wants to specially appoint you as an inspector..."
Na Gang-in shot down the special appointment offer flat.
"No thanks. Fixed hours don't suit my constitution."
"Understood. I told them that too. They just ordered me to float it anyway."
"Anyway, I'm a civilian."
"Of course. So, embarrassing as it is... please help. We've analyzed every angle—no other way."
"Tricky spot."
Na Gang-in did want to help.
He muttered softly,
"I thought I'd just give advice from the back."
"To do that, I need info. Can't make suggestions without knowing what to base them on."
The one with the info was right in front of him. Na Gang-in said to Park Soon-gi,
"First, give me all the intel you've gathered so far. I'll assess the situation, then we talk."
Gong Ji-hyeon returned to the building where filming was in full swing.
Shin Eun-ha spotted her tilting her head and asked,
"What's up?"
"Eun-ha unnie. I just saw our teacher outside."
"Gang-in oppa?"
"Yeah. But a police car came speeding up, and this cop got out and saluted him."
"Huh?"
"Super weird, right?"
"What happened next?"
"Huh?"
"You didn't ride off in that police car, did you?"
"No, but he got in and they drove off somewhere."
Shin Eun-ha instantly grasped the situation.
"That oppa again!"
"Pardon? Again?"
"Never mind. You'd get hurt if you knew. Better off not knowing."
She stepped into a corner and called Na Gang-in.
He picked up shortly after.
"Where are you right now?"
"Park Soon-gi? Why? Did he ask for help? Tell him police business is for the police!"
"For real? Just advice? Not shooting and fighting again?"
Na Gang-in hung up. Shin Eun-ha said with a suspicious look.
"Sounds really shady..."
Shady, but she couldn't go looking. The assistant director called her.
"Shin Eun-ha! Time to prep!"
"Got it. Coming now."
Park Soon-gi pulled up the files on his tablet PC and showed them to Na Gang-in.
"This is the blueprint of the building they've taken over. We haven't ID'd them yet, but estimates range from three to ten perps. Confirmed semi-automatic pistols."
"Why are they holed up in there?"
"The internal alarm went off. Our VIP we’re worried about triggered the emergency call too."
Na Gang-in looked up at Park Soon-gi and asked,
"Who the hell is this VIP?"
"Pardon? Well..."
"I need info to help."
Park Soon-gi hesitated, then answered.
"A scientist."
"Field?"
"Biochemistry. Has a medical license too."
"You're picking a fight because you think I'll take this job?"
Na Gang-in asked Park Soon-gi,
"Why's the government protecting this person?"
"I'm not fully briefed... Probably because she's an outstanding scientist?"
"You don't know much."
"Not my department."
Park Soon-gi pulled up a document on the tablet.
"This is all the info I have."
It listed only the VIP's name, age, photo, and a brief bio.
"Yuna-rin. Thirty-seven. Professor at Korea University?"
Na Gang-in quietly asked,
"You know her?"
"Huh? When?"
"Just five years from now?"
Doubt crept in. 2027 info couldn't be found on the current world's internet.
"Why's that in your initial data?"
Jeon Ji-in knew Kwon Soo-yeon's name because her future achievements were that monumental. The Iramide solar cell was core to 2082 energy tech.
"First Nobel in science—that's a page in Korean history."
That's the level for inclusion in Jeon Ji-in's initial data.
"So what specific achievement gets Dr. Yuna-rin the Nobel?"
"Huh?"
"You said science Nobel winner?"
"So you're like... you know the table of contents but not the book."
"Fair enough."
Na Gang-in checked Yuna-rin's info again and said,
"Dr. Yuna-rin winning the Nobel five years from now means she survives this mess intact. No need for me to step in, then?"
"Why?"
"Elaborate."
"She might not have been there originally? So no death today, Nobel in five years?"
"But now she's taken hostage. Could die. Gotta rescue her, then?"
Na Gang-in said to Park Soon-gi,
"Not just for Dr. Yuna-rin—gotta save everyone trapped in there. I'll help."
Park Soon-gi's anxious face lit up.
"As expected of Master Na! I knew it!"
"Don't count on it."
"Got it."
"Park Soon-gi, you're entering special training next to handle this yourself."
"Understoo— Pardon?"
Park Soon-gi waved his hands in panic.
"Master Na? No, I called because I couldn't..."
"Everyone else's training needs ramping up too. Classes have been too lax lately. My bad."
"Ah. Not just me, then it's a bit better. Ha, haha."