Chapter 340
Chapter 340
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Spear and Shield (1)
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The man read the briefing document.
The document contained information on a rising star in the Agency for National Security Planning who had shot up the ranks at an alarming speed.
Bae Sung-jun, Deputy Director of Intelligence at the ANSP.
His promotion speed was unprecedented in the history of intelligence agencies.
It had taken him just two years to climb from a Grade 3 bureaucrat to the vice-ministerial level of Deputy Director.
Was that even possible?
He had talent and backing, of course, but without incredible luck, it would have been impossible.
‘Luck. What nonsense.’
The man didn’t believe in luck.
Behind anything packaged as luck, there was always something hidden.
“Director Chae.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man handed over Bae Sung-jun’s file and said,
“In your view, Director Chae, what kind of person does Deputy Director Bae seem like?”
Security Director Chae In-seop answered without the slightest hesitation.
“He’s a dangerous man.”
“Is that so?”
“He shows endless kindness to his close aides, but the face he reveals behind the scenes is entirely different. Seeing how he’ll stop at nothing to climb the ranks, I’d say his true nature is closer to a savage, cruel beast.”
“A savage, cruel beast.”
The man wasn’t surprised by the words.
In truth, intelligence operatives who went around with gentlemanly faces usually hid dangerous beasts beneath their masks.
By that logic, Bae Sung-jun’s tendencies weren’t particularly unusual.
But Bae Sung-jun was special.
His terrifying promotion speed, his endlessly cunning methods, and the bizarre luck that smiled upon him.
There was something unsettling about Bae Sung-jun.
Even keeping that in mind, the man had continued to promote him.
‘Keep your friends close. And your enemies closer.’
The man had a habit of elevating suspicious figures high up and observing their weaknesses.
“Keep Director Chae monitoring Deputy Director Bae.”
People often thought the Presidential Secretariat was the pinnacle of intelligence, but that was only for ordinary administrations.
The Presidential Security Service, which moved like an extension of Jang Dong-yoon’s will, also possessed its own independent intelligence network.
Most ANSP executives didn’t even know about it.
As a hidden intelligence agency, the Security Service ran off-the-books networks independently, and it could also draw information from the Intelligence Command and Defense Security Command through military connections.
This was the president’s ultimate bulwark.
“Understood.”
Chae In-seop bowed deeply to the president.
The Security Service’s surveillance of Bae Sung-jun began that way.
Chae In-seop first mobilized his off-the-books organization.
The operation’s command fell to Deputy Operations Director Kim Sung-eun of the Security Service.
Kim Sung-eun deployed 12 security officers under the Security Service and 36 from the off-the-books group for the operation.
He even brought in equipment from the Intelligence Command.
“Find out exactly what Bae Sung-jun is doing and what he’s thinking.”
Of course, the surveillance wasn’t crude like in the early Cold War days.
Masking it so the target wouldn’t sense the eyes on him was basic protocol.
“Start with his house.”
After checking Bae Sung-jun’s schedule, Kim Sung-eun sent agents into an empty house nearby.
The agents who entered filmed every corner of Bae Sung-jun’s home.
To ensure smooth operations, they deployed a large array of cutting-edge gear, including shortwave receivers.
The first day’s operation ended with cataloging the fixtures in Bae Sung-jun’s house.
Then, a week later.
The Security Service infiltrated Bae Sung-jun’s home again, this time with wiretapping equipment obtained from the Intelligence Command.
The bugs they brought were identical to the fixtures in Bae Sung-jun’s house.
“This goes right here. What if we forget the positions?”
The agents installed wiretaps throughout every nook and cranny of Bae Sung-jun’s home.
From ballpoint pens to lightbulbs and mirrors, the bugs came in all sorts of forms.
These devices had been secretly developed by the Intelligence Command.
“Don’t put bugs in spots where ANSP guys habitually check.”
“Understood.”
Kim Sung-eun set up the command vehicle nearby and directed the operation.
“Deputy Director, this is your assignment. Deputy Director, assignment.”
“What’s going on?”
When Kim Sung-eun picked up the radio, an agent monitoring the route to Bae Sung-jun’s residence reported in.
“Bae Sung-jun is heading home.”
“Got it. Team 3, commence blocking operation.”
“Yes, sir.”
To delay Bae Sung-jun’s arrival, agents waiting at key points quickly put up construction signs and blocked the road.
In the ten minutes his arrival was delayed, the agents finished up and slipped out of the residence.
“Operation complete.”
“The bugs?”
“We installed all twelve. We’ll even hear him taking a piss.”
“From now on, Team 2 handles surveillance of Bae Sung-jun’s residence.”
“Understood.”
In truth, if Bae Sung-jun’s home hadn’t lacked anti-bugging measures, they would have used laser listening.
What was this laser listening technique the Security Service mentioned?
Laser listening involved firing a laser at a window from hundreds of meters or even kilometers away, detecting vibrations in the air to eavesdrop on conversations inside.
It sounded like advanced tech, but Korea and the Soviet Union had used it since the 1940s.
The countermeasure was surprisingly simple.
Just play a record loudly during conversations.
Because the tech struggled to filter out noise.
Bae Sung-jun’s house had such anti-eavesdropping measures in place.
“What about the ANSP side?”
“We’ll handle that through a separate collaborator, so don’t worry about it.”
Kim Sung-eun began slowly building a net around Bae Sung-jun.
His office, safe houses, residence, vehicle—anywhere he went, they planted bugs.
Was that the end?
Not at all.
The Security Service also tailed Bae Sung-jun.
For tails, they used private security contractors.
The reason was simple.
“No matter how well we disguise ourselves, fooling another agent’s eyes isn’t easy. Better to keep rotating in fresh faces.”
That wasn’t all.
The Intelligence Command’s most powerful tool, Cheonan, was also deployed for Bae Sung-jun surveillance.
Cheonan recorded all of Bae Sung-jun’s conversations and analyzed them down to the last detail.
Not just the content, but even background noises.
But Bae Sung-jun was no ordinary man.
He never discussed important matters over phone or telegraph.
His phone conversations stayed at the mundane, everyday level.
The Security Service surveilled him this way, but gleaned almost nothing.
“Our surveillance isn’t compromised, is it?”
Chae In-seop read the report and berated the deputy director.
“No, sir, Director.”
If the bugs had been found, Bae Sung-jun wouldn’t have stayed quiet.
But he showed no reaction.
He hadn’t even reported it to the ANSP, let alone touched the devices.
That alone proved he hadn’t noticed the bugs yet.
“So you’re saying we haven’t scraped up a single piece of intel from Bae Sung-jun?”
It couldn’t be.
There was something to Bae Sung-jun.
Chae In-seop thought so.
“Surveil him even more thoroughly for another week.”
“Understood.”
This time, the Security Service maximized Cheonan’s resources.
“Pull every call from his close aides too.”
If Bae Sung-jun showed no openings, watch his inner circle.
They surveilled for a week that way, but again, nothing major surfaced.
Even monitoring conversations from his most trusted core aides yielded nothing special.
Just as the Security Service was about to taste disappointment.
One piece of intel caught their ear.
“Bae Sung-jun called the police to release certain individuals? Where’d you confirm that?”
“Police records.”
“Get me the list now.”
The Security Service’s network finally caught Bae Sung-jun’s tail.
As a result, two names appeared on their list.
“Han Seok-ryul, Lee Ja-seong. Find out who these guys are and have it on my desk by tomorrow evening.”
The Security Service squeezed police, Intelligence Command, and off-the-books networks.
Soon enough, the pair’s identities came into view.
“Revival Gang? Some small-time thug outfit in Pyongyang? Why would they be tangled with a top ANSP exec?”
It was baffling.
A power player like Bae Sung-jun could command massive gangs with a word.
Why use small fry as underlings?
‘Did we screw up the investigation?’
Kim Sung-eun thought so, but decided to probe the Revival Gang first.
But the Security Service’s investigation ended there.
“Deputy Director, your assignment! Deputy Director!”
“What’s going on?”
“Bae Sung-jun just blew the lid off the bugging. The ANSP is officially launching an investigation into unauthorized wiretapping of senior executives.”
“What?”
With the situation turning like this, it wasn’t the time to dig around Bae Sung-jun’s circle.
They had to swiftly cover up the Presidential Security Service’s involvement first.
“Pull back all agents in the field.”
“What about the Revival Gang probe?”
“Hand that off to the police.”
“Understood.”
Kim Sung-eun bit down hard on his cigarette.