The Sorrows of the Surviving
The inspection of the National Security Office had fizzled out in the end.
From the beginning, it had been Yoo Jeong-hun’s initiative, and once the momentum was gone, it had long since lost all force.
Ko Jeong-un was ordered back to work.
Before his return, Kim Jin-cheol summoned Ko Jeong-un to the presidential safe house in Samcheong-dong.
It was Ko Jeong-un’s first time visiting the place.
Members of the Presidential Security Service escorted him inside, and Kim Jin-cheol received him alone at a table.
On the table sat a bottle of fine whiskey and two glasses.
“Director, I’m sorry about this.”
Kim Jin-cheol held out a glass filled with whiskey.
It was liquor handed to him by the president himself.
He couldn’t refuse.
Ko Jeong-un took the glass Kim Jin-cheol offered.
The president raised his own glass.
Clink—
The glasses touched.
Without a word, Ko Jeong-un turned his head and drank the whiskey.
A sharp, pungent heat lingered on his tongue.
“This is the kind of thing public officials go through, isn’t it? There’s always some unfairness. Let it go.”
His tone was almost the same one a man might use to soothe a child.
Kim Jin-cheol was troubled by Ko Jeong-un’s silence.
“Your Excellency.”
“Ha. Director, every time you call me like that, my heart drops right through the floor.”
Kim Jin-cheol meant it.
Ko Jeong-un was always saying things that startled people.
This time was no different.
And Kim Jin-cheol sincerely hoped Ko Jeong-un would not bring up Yoo Jeong-hun.
He had already guessed that Ko Jeong-un had killed Yoo Jeong-hun.
But suspicion and fact were different matters.
If Ko Jeong-un said outright that he had killed Yoo Jeong-hun, it would put him in an awkward position.
As president, he couldn’t simply let it pass, but he also couldn’t afford to make a scene over it.
The best outcome was for Ko Jeong-un to say nothing at all about Yoo Jeong-hun.
“Director. Let’s just drink today. You can give me your report when you’ve returned to work.”
As he said that, Kim Jin-cheol picked up the bottle.
But Ko Jeong-un did not raise his glass.
“I was worried our director might not be patriotic after all.”
In the end, Kim Jin-cheol set the bottle back down.
“All right. What is it?”
“I previously reported suspicious financial dealings involving North Korea’s upper ranks.”
Kim Jin-cheol’s expression hardened.
“That was about Yoo Jeong-hun—no, that chief of staff business is over, isn’t it?”
Annoyance edged into his voice.
“It is true that Chief of Staff Yoo Jeong-hun leaked Operation Storm to Ri Yong-sik.”
“So he got money from those communist bastards in return, didn’t he?”
“No.”
“No? What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s separate from Yoo Jeong-hun’s leak of Operation Storm.”
“Then why the hell did that bastard Yoo Jeong-hun leak state secrets to the North?”
“He appears to have feared civil war with North Korea.”
“……”
Kim Jin-cheol was at a loss for words.
Then he drained the whiskey in one gulp.
More than drunkenness, rage was boiling up inside him.
He had thought Yoo Jeong-hun sold secrets to the North for money.
And he had preferred that version.
The fact that the man who had used him like a puppet was, in the end, just another hypocrite who had sold himself for cash had made Kim Jin-cheol feel almost comfortable.
But if that wasn’t true…
Then Yoo Jeong-hun had truly believed, until the very end, that he was the leader of the Republic of Korea.
And Ko Jeong-un recalled the scene from a few days earlier, just before Yoo Jeong-hun died.
* * *
A few days earlier.
After climbing Bukhansan in response to a taxi driver’s call, Yoo Jeong-hun had been smashed in the face by Kang-hae’s fist, his cheekbone caved in and his ribs broken.
If Ko Jeong-un had not restrained him, Kang-hae would have shattered every bone and joint in his body on the spot.
Kang-hae had seized Yoo Jeong-hun by the nape of the neck and dragged him to the edge of the cliff.
Yoo Jeong-hun looked down.
It was at least fifty meters below.
“Let me smoke one cigarette before I go.”
Having given up on living, Yoo Jeong-hun made the request to Ko Jeong-un.
Ko Jeong-un gave a silent nod, and Yoo Jeong-hun took a cigarette from his pocket and put it between his lips.
The tooth holding the cigarette trembled, and when he exhaled, a heavy pain shot through his nose.
“Did you take money from the North too?”
Ko Jeong-un asked, looking at Yoo Jeong-hun.
“Hahaha.”
At that, Yoo Jeong-hun burst into loud laughter.
The sound echoed sharply through the darkness.
“Ko Jeong-un, you insult me to the very end.”
Even in the dark, Yoo Jeong-hun’s eyes shone brightly.
“You really thought that I—Yoo Jeong-hun—sold state secrets for something as trivial as money?”
No, Ko Jeong-un had not thought that.
According to the information he had uncovered, the suspicious financial dealings with the North had been going on for a very long time.
“Ko Jeong-un, do you really think Kim Jin-cheol has what it takes to be a leader? Kim Jin-cheol is nothing but an indecisive fool who can’t see a single step ahead.”
“……”
“You’re a soldier too, so you must understand. If war broke out right this second, what would happen to the Republic of Korea? At least five million dead. Economic damage of more than four trillion dollars. And that lunatic Kim Jin-cheol nearly dragged this country into the abyss over his petty pride.”
“So you leaked secrets to the North? To prevent war?”
“It was for the good of the Republic of Korea.”
“You think politics is a game of chess, don’t you?”
“What…?”
“Do you have even the slightest regret for my dead men? For the innocent people who died under enemy shelling?”
“I saved five million people instead.”
“No. That’s only a hypothetical. The ones who actually died were civilians hit by artillery fire, and my men who died in enemy territory without even knowing whether the operation had been exposed.”
“……”
“You’re nothing more than a sociopath obsessed with playing president.”
“That’s offensive.”
“You said Kim Jin-cheol didn’t have the qualifications to be president. Since when did you think that?”
“From the beginning.”
“Then why did you help him for twenty years if he was unqualified?”
“……”
“If he didn’t have the qualifications, then you should never have helped him. That would have been the right thing for the Republic of Korea.”
Ko Jeong-un gave Kang-hae a look.
And Kang-hae stepped toward Yoo Jeong-hun.
“It’s not over yet. My comrades will be waiting for me in hell.”
After saying that, Kang-hae kicked Yoo Jeong-hun in the stomach.
Yoo Jeong-hun fell over the cliff, and after several minutes of indescribable agony, gasping for breath, he died.
* * *
Thud—
Kim Jin-cheol slammed his glass down hard.
“So what you’re saying, Director, is that the suspicious financial dealings with the North had nothing to do with Yoo Jeong-hun?”
“That is correct.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. For now, that is the case.”
Kim Jin-cheol poured whiskey into the glass he had just set down.
Gulp, gulp—
Then he threw it back in one swallow.
“Find out.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
* * *
National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul.
Kang-hae visited the graves of the comrades who had taken part in Operation Storm.
There were wreaths of artificial flowers in front of the graves.
And in the end, standing before Hajun’s grave, the last one he had come to see, Kang-hae broke down and cried.
“I’m sorry…”
In the end, he had found and killed the man who had dragged his comrades to their deaths.
But…
It was not a death worthy of that crime.
He should have died in even greater agony.
Kang-hae regretted that he hadn’t done it.
For a long time after that, he clutched at Hajun’s grave and wept.
“I’ll come back.”
Wiping away the tears streaming down his face, Kang-hae rose to his feet.
Then he left the cemetery.
The sun was sinking low in the sky.
Kang-hae sorted his thoughts.
The revenge for his comrades was now over.
What remained was revenge for his family.
It was time for the trash who had killed his brother and driven his parents to their deaths.
To do that, there were a few things he needed to set in order first.
Kang-hae took out his phone.
And called Seong Ha-yeong.
It was the first time he had called her before she called him.
The ring went on.
After a moment, Seong Ha-yeong answered.
[Yes.]
“This is Na Kang-hae.”
[What is it?]
“Could we meet for a moment?”
[Um… right now?]
Seong Ha-yeong’s flustered reaction came through the phone.
“If it’s all right with you, I’ll come to where you are now.”
[All right.]
After he hung up, an address came through from Seong Ha-yeong—some café near her home.
Kang-hae took a taxi and headed there.
An hour later.
Kang-hae ordered an iced Americano, and Seong Ha-yeong ordered a warm café latte.
After their drinks came, they took a table on the second floor.
Seong Ha-yeong had been so suddenly called that she hadn’t even had time to put on proper makeup.
And her clothes were casual, too.
“Is something wrong?”
“Thank you for everything so far.”
“……?”
“I’m going to leave the National Security Office soon.”
“……!”
Seong Ha-yeong set down the mug she had been holding.
She had been startled by the call from Kang-hae an hour earlier, but this was far more shocking.
Before meeting Kang-hae, Seong Ha-yeong had been imagining on her own why he had asked to see her.
That he might confess he had killed the chief of staff too, or if not that…
But the words she heard now had left her speechless.
“I thought it would be polite to let you know in advance.”
“Then are you going back to the Intelligence Command?”
“No. I’m planning to leave the service.”
“Why all of a sudden…?”
“I have things I need to do.”
“Then maybe…?”
Seong Ha-yeong cut herself off and glanced around.
Most of the people in the café were college students studying with earphones in.
Lowering her voice a little more, she went on.
“Are you going to keep doing things like the work you’ve been doing all this time…?”
“……”
Kang-hae did not answer, but Seong Ha-yeong could see from his eyes that her guess was right.
Her heart felt heavy.
Why is Kang-hae doing this…?
She knew he had killed many people.
It was against society and against the law.
Most of all, it was wrong.
There had been more than once when she thought she should tell someone.
But she couldn’t.
There seemed to be a reason behind Na Kang-hae’s actions.
And then there was the other thing…
Seong Ha-yeong spoke again.
“Then when are you quitting?”
“I’ll submit my resignation to the director tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?!”
“Yes.”
“……”
Silence settled between them.
Seong Ha-yeong finally managed to speak again.
“Is that all…? What you wanted to say to me today?”
“Thank you for everything so far.”
“……”
“I’ll get going first.”
Kang-hae stood up.
And left the café, leaving Seong Ha-yeong behind.
Alone in the café, Seong Ha-yeong felt as if she had been made into a fool.
And Kang-hae’s steps were heavy too.
He thought he had been too cold.
Kang-hae knew that Seong Ha-yeong’s feelings for him went beyond ordinary human affection.
He felt the same way.
Seong Ha-yeong was beautiful.
Above all, she was considerate of him.
She had known he killed people, but she hadn’t reported him.
So she must have thought deeply about it.
She must have been trying to understand him.
But the things he would have to do from here on were dangerous.
If his relationship with Seong Ha-yeong grew deeper, she might be placed in danger.
Kang-hae did not want to harm her in any way.
The next day.
Kang-hae went to see Ko Jeong-un after he had returned to work.
And handed him his letter of resignation.
“What is this?”
“My resignation.”
“Do you want to return to the Intelligence Command?”
“No.”
“Then you plan to leave the service.”
“Yes, sir.”
“For your family’s revenge?”
Kang-hae wasn’t particularly surprised that Ko Jeong-un knew.
There was no way they would not have run a background check when he joined the Intelligence Command.
And anyone who knew his past would easily guess that he was dreaming of revenge.
“Your brother died in Cambodia. Your parents passed away a year after that.”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to kill them all?”
“Yes.”
“Na Dong-hae. Born in 1996. Admitted to Seoul National University’s Department of Computer Engineering with excellent grades. You received scholarships while enrolled, and before enlistment, you won prizes in programming competitions held by the university and various companies. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then you enlisted in the 55th Division. After discharge, you left for Cambodia. There, while managing the server for an illegal sports gambling site under detention by the Jeguk-pa gang, you died from assault. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“……?”
“Your brother was not like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your brother did not manage a gambling site server in Cambodia. He developed cryptocurrency.”
“……?!”