Return to Korea, Part 3
Could he really be planning to set the cargo ship on fire right now...?!
Seong Ha-yeong could hardly believe the Morse code Na Kang-hae had sent her.
She hoped desperately that he wouldn’t, but then again, if it was Kang-hae, she could imagine him doing exactly that.
For now, she had to prepare for the worst.
If a major fire broke out aboard the cargo ship, it would send out a MAYDAY call for maritime rescue.
And once that signal went out, any vessel or rescue unit that received it would have to respond immediately.
“Nara.”
Seong Ha-yeong called to Seo Nara, the junior staffer in the situation room.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Check the positions of our navy ships and coast guard cutters in the West Sea, as well as Chinese naval vessels and Coast Guard Bureau ships.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And look into any vessels in the EEZ that are close to the cargo ship.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
Kang-hae left the engine room and slipped into the machinery room.
Then he searched for the sprinkler control unit.
To start a serious fire, the sprinklers had to stay off.
And once the flames reached the engine, the crew would send out a MAYDAY call.
It would be best if a South Korean warship or coast guard cutter showed up first.
But even if that didn’t happen, the people aboard the cargo ship would still be rescued before anyone else.
At the very least, it would stop the ship from crossing over to North Korea for now.
Found it.
The moment Kang-hae found the sprinkler control unit, he locked it down.
Then he took out his knife and cut every wire around it.
Now it was time to light the fire.
He pulled a lighter from his pocket and set the severed wires alight.
Crackle—
Snap-snap—
Crackcrackcrack—
The wires caught like a detonator’s fuse.
Kang-hae quickly got out of the machinery room.
A moment later, the room was engulfed in flames.
And from the cargo ship’s speakers, the alarm for a fire alert blared through the vessel.
Major O Ban-seok of Bureau 35, the overseas intelligence arm of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, had been sent to Macau under orders from the Party to bring back Jo Gwang-il and Baek Kang. He was asleep in his cabin when the sound woke him.
Not long after, one of Bureau 35’s men came into the room and said, “What is it?”
“Major, sir. I think there’s a fire.”
“Damn it, shit...”
O Ban-seok headed straight for the bridge.
As soon as he found the captain there, he shouted, “What’s going on?”
The captain was a Chinese man in his late forties, his face hard and stubborn in the way only a sailor’s could be.
“There’s a fire in the machinery room,” he said irritably.
“Then put it out.”
“The sprinklers aren’t working.”
“The sprinklers aren’t working?”
“I’m telling you. Fuck, the engine’s going to catch too if we don’t hurry.”
O Ban-seok felt something was off.
But the captain’s words stopped his suspicion from going any further.
“Then we’ll have to send a rescue signal.”
“That won’t do.”
“If the containers catch too, it’ll be too late.”
With an annoyed click of his tongue, the captain reached for the VHF radio to send out a distress call.
O Ban-seok drew the pistol he’d tucked into his waistband and aimed it at the man’s head.
“Put the radio down.”
“W-what are you doing...?”
“Where’s the fire?”
“The machinery room.”
“We’ll put it out ourselves.”
Using the radio, O Ban-seok ordered the Bureau 35 men in the cabins to head to the machinery room and put out the fire.
Besides Jo Gwang-il and Baek Kang, the cargo ship was carrying cargo that absolutely had to make it to the North.
Oil and refined petroleum.
French wine and cognac.
New drone motors developed by a German drone company.
If a South Korean warship or police vessel arrived after hearing the distress signal, it would create a disastrous situation.
And although it would be slightly better than dealing with South Korea, running into the Chinese Coast Guard Bureau wouldn’t exactly be welcome either.
China had recently imposed strict sanctions on oil bound for North Korea.
That could lead to problems too.
That could not happen.
O Ban-seok took out a cigarette and put it between his lips.
Even then, he kept the gun trained on the captain’s head.
And the moment he lit the cigarette, suspicion began to rise again.
Why now, of all times...?
He had been on cargo ships running between Macau and North Korea many times before, but this was the first time there had ever been a fire.
And it happened now, of all times, with Baek Kang and Jo Gwang-il on board.
Something was wrong.
If someone deliberately set the fire...
Then they were after Baek Kang and Jo Gwang-il.
He didn’t care about Baek Kang, but Jo Gwang-il could not be handed over.
That reactionary bastard had stained the honor of Bureau 35 by laying hands on the Dear Leader’s ruling funds.
He should be torn apart by recoilless artillery in front of his own family.
They could never let him be taken away.
O Ban-seok picked up the radio again.
“Where are you?”
“We’ve just arrived, sir.”
“What about Baek Kang and Jo Gwang-il?”
“We left them in the cabin.”
“Then two of you get back to the cabin right now and keep watch on them.”
“Yes, understood.”
After ending the exchange, O Ban-seok took a deep drag from his cigarette.
Something didn’t feel right.
Meanwhile, Kang-hae was watching the whole scene through binoculars from the deck between the bridge and the cabins.
He saw O Ban-seok aiming a gun at the captain’s head, and the Bureau 35 men running toward the machinery room with fire extinguishers.
Kang-hae headed toward the stern, where the cabins were located.
The ship pitched and rolled in the waves, but he never lost his balance.
He reached the cabin where Jo Gwang-il and Baek Kang were being held.
After checking his surroundings, he drew his pistol and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
There was always the chance that someone else besides Jo Gwang-il and Baek Kang was inside.
“Who is it?”
Jo Gwang-il’s voice came from inside the cabin.
Instead of answering, Kang-hae knocked again.
After a moment, the door opened, and Jo Gwang-il poked his face out halfway.
His face was a wreck.
One eye was swollen half shut, deep blue bruises marked his forehead and cheekbone, and his lips were split open and crusted with blood.
The moment Kang-hae met Jo Gwang-il’s eyes, he mouthed a question asking who was with him.
Jo Gwang-il shook his head.
Kang-hae carefully stepped inside the cabin.
And there, at last, he came face-to-face with Baek Kang.
According to the description Daniel Parker from the CIA had given him, Baek Kang was supposed to be in his late twenties or early thirties, but he looked much younger than that.
Maybe his slight build made him seem that way.
Baek Kang flinched the moment he saw Kang-hae holding a gun.
Kang-hae raised one hand to calm him.
“Thank you.”
Jo Gwang-il looked at Kang-hae as he spoke.
“Let’s get out first.”
Then footsteps sounded in the distance.
Even from the sound alone, Kang-hae knew there were two men coming.
A moment later, two Bureau 35 men entered the cabin under O Ban-seok’s orders.
Bang-bang!
They dropped where they stood, struck by Kang-hae’s bullets.
* * *
National Security Office Situation Room.
“Ma’am.”
Seo Nara, a National Security Office staffer, approached Seong Ha-yeong and spoke.
“I checked what you asked about earlier.”
“Tell me.”
“Right now, we have one destroyer, three patrol ships, and one coastal patrol vessel in the West Sea EEZ.”
“Their distance from the cargo ship?”
“The nearest 2nd Fleet patrol ship is about 120 kilometers away.”
“And the Chinese side?”
“Six destroyers from the North Sea Fleet and one support ship. One of the destroyers is about 70 kilometers away.”
That was bad.
If the cargo ship sent out a MAYDAY call, the Chinese warship would arrive first.
“Um, but...”
Kim Min-ji called to Seong Ha-yeong hesitantly.
Seong Ha-yeong turned to her with a look that said, What is it?
“There’s a bulk carrier operated by Ilseong Shipping about twenty kilometers from the cargo ship.”
“Thank you.”
Seong Ha-yeong fell into thought for a moment.
Ilseong Shipping...
It felt like a cruel trick of fate.
And then a stream of emotions and thoughts passed through her mind.
She reached her conclusion.
Saving Kang-hae comes first.
Seong Ha-yeong left the situation room.
Then she took out her phone and called the number saved in her contacts under “Seong Hun.”
After a short ring, the man named Seong Hun answered.
[It’s been a long time.]
“I have a favor to ask.”
[Hah. You didn’t call once for more than two years, and now you’re opening with a favor?]
“It’s urgent.”
[Then speak.]
“There’s an Ilseong Shipping bulk carrier in the EEZ right now. You know about it?”
[It’s probably a ship coming from Saudi Arabia.]
“Near that bulk carrier, there should be a cargo ship called River Dragon. It left Macau. If that ship sends out a distress signal, please rescue it.”
[Rescue it?]
“There are people on board. Getting them out comes first.”
[Hah. You act like I’m someone you’ll never see again, and now you’re asking me to save people. I suppose I’ll live long enough to see anything.]
“Please.”
[Has the work been tolerable?]
“Yes.”
[Then come to Seongbuk-dong this weekend. We’ll have a meal. It’s been a while.]
“All right. But you must do as I ask.”
[Could I refuse a favor from my one and only granddaughter? Don’t worry.]
“I’m hanging up.”
After ending the call, Seong Ha-yeong bit down hard on her lip.
She was furious, but she didn’t regret it.
Saving Kang-hae came first.
* * *
It was already his third half-smoked cigarette.
O Ban-seok, still in the bridge, flicked the burnt-down stub onto the floor and spat out a thick gob of saliva.
Crackle—
At that moment, a voice came through the radio.
[Listen, O Ban-seok.]
It was Jo Gwang-il’s voice.
“What the hell?”
At the sudden sound of Jo Gwang-il’s voice, O Ban-seok barked in shock.
[Some South Korean bastard just shot our Pak Su-nam comrade and Ri Jong-seong comrade dead.]
“What the hell are you talking about?”
[He burst into the cabin all of a sudden, didn’t he?]
“Then where is that bastard now?”
[I’ve got him pinned down.]
“Wait right there!”
O Ban-seok radioed the men he’d sent to the machinery room to put out the fire.
But they didn’t answer.
“Damn it!”
He called Jo Gwang-il again.
“Bring him here. Now.”
He’d intended to have his men in the machinery room do it, but they still weren’t responding.
But he couldn’t leave the bridge with the captain still there.
If he stepped away for even a moment, the captain might send out the rescue signal.
Five minutes later.
Kang-hae entered the bridge with blood all over his body, his arms bound with rope, and Jo Gwang-il standing behind him with a gun aimed at his back.
“What the hell is going on here!”
O Ban-seok shouted at Jo Gwang-il.
And the instant Jo Gwang-il saw O Ban-seok lower the gun he’d been pointing at the captain, he fired at O Ban-seok’s forehead without hesitation.
Bang—
O Ban-seok collapsed to the floor.
Before Jo Gwang-il radioed O Ban-seok, Kang-hae had gone to the machinery room and taken care of all the Bureau 35 men trying to put out the fire.
It hadn’t been hard to deal with men already locked in a desperate fight against the blaze.
After that, Kang-hae and Jo Gwang-il had worked out the plan together.
Kang-hae knew O Ban-seok had a gun trained on the captain’s forehead.
He had worried that if he entered the bridge too hastily, the captain might end up dead or badly hurt.
If the captain died, there would be no one left to send the distress call.
So Kang-hae had put his own gun in Jo Gwang-il’s hand.
He didn’t think O Ban-seok would kill him on sight just for seeing him.
And to lower the man’s guard, he’d even tied rope around his own wrists.
Just as expected, O Ban-seok lowered his weapon.
And Jo Gwang-il, who had received combat training from Bureau 35, seized the opening without hesitation.
Bang-bang-bang—
While Jo Gwang-il moved in to confirm the kill on O Ban-seok, who had crumpled to the floor, Kang-hae freed his own hands from the rope.
He had tied the knot loosely from the start, so it came apart easily.
Kang-hae immediately went up to the captain and said, “MAYDAY.”
The captain, who had just watched a man die in front of his eyes, nodded frantically again and again with a terrified expression.
He gripped the VHF radio and, under Kang-hae’s instructions, sent out the distress signal.
“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY. This is MV River Dragon. We are located at 35 degrees 41 minutes North, 139 degrees 46 minutes East. We have a fire on board, requiring immediate assistance. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.”
[MV River Dragon, this is MV Ocean Star at South Korea. We have received your MAYDAY call. We are currently en route to your location. Estimated arrival time is 50 minutes. Prepare all crew for possible evacuation if needed. Over.]
Kang-hae could understand the exchange.
Fortunately, the nearest ship was flying the South Korean flag.
It was time to go home to Korea.
With Jo Gwang-il, and with Baek Kang.