In Search of the Magician of Opium
That evening, at the motel where Jaehyuk was staying, he was receiving a report from Seungcheol about information on Shin Jaeguk, the drug chemist affiliated with Gangryonghoe.
“So the Gangryonghoe drug technician named Shin Jaeguk has suddenly gone dark, and you and the other syndicate members are heading to Vietnam to find him?”
Seungcheol was currently organizing data on Gangryonghoe while speaking to Jaehyuk through a Bluetooth earpiece.
“Yes. Three people were selected from each business division, for a total of eighteen heading to Vietnam.”
“I always wondered where Gangryonghoe was getting that high-grade heroin and fentanyl… So these bastards have been raising a golden goose in Vietnam.”
Seungcheol tapped on his keyboard, entering information about Shin Jaeguk into his computer.
“I’ve sent you an email with the personal details of the man I believe is Shin Jaeguk. Verify if it’s the right person and we’ll talk again later.”
Once Seungcheol ended the call, Jaehyuk turned on his laptop and checked his mail. The file on Shin Jaeguk had arrived. He entered the password and opened it.
Shin Jaeguk. Age fifty. Despite the nickname “Magician of Opium,” he wasn’t much of a student. After graduating university he couldn’t find work, so he did odd jobs until he stumbled into drug manufacturing. He has a wife and one daughter, both currently living in Korea… This is definitely him.
Jaehyuk slowly tapped his mouse with his finger while staring at the monitor filled with Shin Jaeguk’s personal information. In his mind, he reviewed the details not written on the screen.
He imported opium from Myanmar, processed it into heroin and fentanyl at factories in Vietnam and Thailand, then let Gangryonghoe handle the distribution. Since this file was written before Shin Jaeguk was arrested in Vietnam, those details aren’t included.
Because all of Shin Jaeguk’s crimes in Vietnam had not yet been exposed when this file was created—before his arrest—it only contained information about a few minor drug offenses, his prison sentence, and release.
Anyway, once we get to Vietnam this time, I’ll look for Shin Jaeguk and also secure solid evidence that Gangryonghoe built and operated a drug factory there.
In his previous life, Jaehyuk had only encountered information about Shin Jaeguk within the country. He rarely had the chance to go abroad, so the deeper details had been uncovered during his undercover work by hacking into a Gangryonghoe executive’s computer. As a result, the Korean police had spent nearly two years working with Vietnamese authorities to gather concrete evidence of Shin Jaeguk’s crimes.
This time, I’ll find definitive proof and deliver a real blow to Gangryonghoe.
With that firm resolve, Jaehyuk stared hard at the photograph of Shin Jaeguk displayed on the monitor.
Meanwhile, at the building where Jeonghan was staying, he lay sprawled on the sofa, resting.
From what I hear, Jaehyuk is going too, and there’s no word of any other undercover agents being sent. So it’s just the two of us. I’m not sure if the two of us alone can gather information effectively… Should I request backup from command? Honestly, two people seem too few to dig up intel on Gangryonghoe in Vietnam…
While Jeonghan continued lying there, staring at the ceiling with worry, his phone vibrated. He answered the call from Yamada Yukiko.
“Hello?”
“Jeonghan, what are you doing?”
They had exchanged numbers a few weeks earlier, so both had each other’s contact information.
“Just lying down. What about you, Yukiko?”
Wearing mint-colored loungewear, Yukiko lay on her stomach on the bed and smiled as she replied.
“I’m just lying down too. I was bored being alone, so I called you.”
“If you’re bored, you could watch a movie or a drama…”
“They’re all boring. Talking with you is more fun than any drama or movie.”
Ooh…? Is this a green light?
Thinking that, Jeonghan continued the warm and friendly conversation with Yukiko. Through it, they learned more about each other than before. That Yukiko was two years older than him. That her hobby was yoga and his was reading manga. That they both loved Americano. And that her white hair wasn’t from dye but the result of Marie Antoinette Syndrome.
“Your white hair was caused by stress?”
“Yes. Were you very surprised when you first saw it?”
“I was surprised. Because it was incredibly beautiful.”
“Really? You didn’t think it made me look like a grandmother?”
“Not at all. If anything, you looked like the mysterious sorceress heroine from a manga.”
At his words, she spoke softly to him.
“Thank you. For saying that.”
“Uh… it’s nothing.”
With a smile playing on her lips, she asked, “Jeonghan, are you free this Friday?”
“Friday?”
“Yes. I wanted to meet up and hang out with you then.”
Hearing that, Jeonghan replied with clear regret.
“I’m sorry, Yukiko. I have to go overseas for a business trip around then. I might not be able to contact you for about two weeks. Can we meet after I return?”
“You have to go on a business trip abroad?”
“Yes. I’m really sorry.”
Yukiko remained silent for a moment before answering.
“That’s too bad. Then please contact me as soon as you return. I’ll be waiting.”
“I will. I’ll definitely call you.”
“It’s getting late. Get some good rest and let’s talk tomorrow too.”
“Okay. Sleep well, Yukiko.”
The two ended the call on a pleasant note. After hanging up with Jeonghan, Yukiko looked down at her phone with a slightly hardened expression.
(A business trip overseas…)
With that thought, Yukiko stared at her phone screen for a while with a serious, displeased look on her face.
A few days later, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Jaehyuk, Jeonghan, and the Gangryonghoe members arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Since they’re looking for Shin Jaeguk, a key figure in Gangryonghoe, they sent quite a large group.
Jaehyuk looked around, observing the Gangryonghoe members who had come to Vietnam. From Crown Holdings came Shin Taebum, Gangryonghoe’s top blade expert, along with two of his subordinates. From Crown Capital came Kang Taehyun, Ju Taeyeol’s mercenary subordinate, and two of his men. From Crown Hotel came Im Kanghun, Park Jaehyuk himself, and Woo Sanggyu. From Crown Entertainment came Kim Hyun, Lee Jeonghan, and Shin Chaeyoon.
Especially those two… Among everyone here, they’re on the same level as Im Kanghun—not your average thugs.
With that thought, Jaehyuk looked at the two men walking ahead of him: Oh Hajun, executive director of Crown Mu-yeok, and Ma Doowon, executive director of Crown Construction. Both had also come with two subordinates each.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Vietnam. It’s been about three years since I went after that con artist on Chairman Cha’s orders, right?”
Oh Hajun
Hajun, with his messy hair, broad shoulders, clean-shaven face, angular features that made him look like he was in his late twenties, and height around 180 centimeters, walked while looking around the airport interior.
The man standing beside him asked, “Oh, you mean the bastard who scammed Chairman Cha’s grandmother and ran off?”
Ma Doowon
Doowon appeared to be in his early thirties. He had neat hair and a gentle face. If not for the horizontal scar beneath his left eye and the diagonal scar near his right, his features would have looked too soft for a gangster. He stood around 190 centimeters tall and had a larger build than Hajun.
“Yeah. We chased him for three days before we finally caught him alive.”
“When I came looking for Chairman Cha on our boss’s orders, I was pretty shocked to see the con artist you’d caught lying on the floor with all four limbs cut off and his guts spilling out.”
“I believe all con artists should die that way.”
Saying so, Hajun grinned at Doowon. His attitude suggested he didn’t even consider con artists to be living beings.
Jaehyuk secretly glared at Hajun with contempt.
As expected of Chairman Cha Junkyung’s subordinate—his disgusting personality is exactly like his boss’s. Gangsters in general are usually out of their minds with rotten personalities, but especially the Crown Mu-yeok side. Not a single one of them seems mentally sound. Including that bastard.
“By the way, where are we supposed to receive the weapons that Entertainment is sending?”
At Hyun’s question, Kanghun answered.
“I know a location. We’ll pick up the weapons there at dawn. Before that, I think we should try to locate Shin Jaeguk first.”
“Personally, I’d prefer we find him quickly before getting the weapons. I have a bad feeling we’re going to need them for something big.”
“It’s probably just a feeling.”
“I really hope so.”
After leaving the airport, the Gangryonghoe members began their operation to find Shin Jaeguk, the man known as the “Magician of Opium,” somewhere in Vietnam.
Time passed.
The Gangryonghoe members scoured every corner of Ho Chi Minh City looking for any trace of Shin Jaeguk, but it was all in vain. They asked Vietnamese gangs and the Chinese triads operating in Vietnam about his whereabouts, but every single one claimed they didn’t know. Some even pointed weapons at them and demanded excessive money. However, since these were well-known powerhouses within Gangryonghoe, they weren’t easily intimidated. Besides, their opponents were also wary of the Vietnamese police, so no one dared to open fire recklessly.
In an illegal gambling den, Jaehyuk pressed his right foot down on the solar plexus of a bloodied Vietnamese gangster lying on the ground and looked down at him. When the man said something to Jaehyuk in Vietnamese, Sanggyu translated.
“He says he doesn’t know anything. Claims he was just lying to get some cash.”
“Another dead end? I’m getting sick of this.”
Jaehyuk lifted his foot, then kicked the man hard in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. Around Jaehyuk and Sanggyu, more than a dozen Vietnamese gangsters lay sprawled and covered in blood.
After yet another failure, Sanggyu asked Jaehyuk with suspicion.
“Maybe this Shin Jaeguk guy isn’t even in Vietnam anymore?”
“That’s unlikely. Vietnam has relatively good public security among Southeast Asian countries, and most of the smuggling routes that allow escape anywhere in Southeast Asia start from Vietnam’s port cities. So he’s probably still here.”
“Hmm… That does make sense.”
A long time passed, and the sky had grown dark with the early dawn hours. Holding an M4A1 assault rifle equipped with a red dot sight, Jaehyuk looked at the scene before him and thought.
Every time I see Gangryonghoe’s weapons smuggling, I think the same thing… Why the hell do they have so many weapons? Are they seriously planning to go to war with a foreign army?
The Gangryonghoe members were loading the various weapons they had received into the vehicles. Jeonghan placed the Magpul-customized M4A1 he was holding into the trunk and said to Jaehyuk.
“Let’s get everything in the car first.”
“Yeah… sure.”
Jaehyuk also put his rifle in with Jeonghan’s. A short while later, they moved their firearms into a shabby warehouse deep in the jungle. After storing the weapons, the Gangryonghoe members headed to a hotel.
Hyun spoke to the group.
“It’s already very late. How about we all rest a little at the hotel before moving again?”
“Sounds good. We’ve been moving since dawn. I’m exhausted.”
“At this rate we’ll all die of overwork before we even find President Shin.”
Doowon and Hajun answered Hyun. Taehyun offered his opinion.
“Then how about the people who are still energetic continue searching for President Shin?”
At Taehyun’s suggestion, Taebum simply nodded quietly. Hyun replied.
“In that case, I think the ones who are still fine should form teams and keep looking for President Shin. The tired ones should go rest and join the search later.”
“Understood. Director Shin Taebum? Would you like to move with me?”
“......Alright.”
To Taehyun’s question, Taebum gave a short answer and followed him. Jaehyuk, Jeonghan, and several other members also moved out with the pair.
“You okay?”
“Still wide awake.”
The two followed the gangsters as they set out once more to find Shin Jaeguk.
But they never realized that a certain pair of eyes was watching them from nearby.
Suddenly, Jeonghan felt a chill and looked behind him, but there was nothing unusual there. Just citizens laughing and chatting, people sitting on outdoor chairs eating, and tourists taking photos.
“What’s wrong?”
“......It’s nothing. Must have been my imagination.”
Dismissing the feeling as unimportant, Jeonghan continued walking with Jaehyuk.
However, he failed to notice that behind him, a person wearing jeans and black sneakers was sitting on a chair near a convenience store entrance with one leg crossed, reading a newspaper. The person slightly lowered the paper and watched Jeonghan’s back with eyes hidden behind blue sunglasses.