December 20th, 2016 10:00. Sejong-si Government Office Building. Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s Office.

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  “Yes, come in, please.”


  “Minister, we just received contact from the Blue House to attend an emergency meeting at 3:00p.m.”


  “An emergency meeting?”


  “Yes Minister, the meeting’s about the Korean Medicine building and the site.”


  “Hmm……three in the afternoon you say? If that’s the case, we should head to Seoul, eat lunch there, and then attend the meeting at the Blue House. Secretary Kang, can you prepare to head to Seoul?

  “Yes, I’ll get the vehicle ready, sir.”


  A few minutes later, the Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho gave short orders to the two secretaries and went to Lee Ja-sung, who was responsible for guarding the secretary’s office.

  “Bodyguard Lee.”


  “Yes, Chief Secretary.”


  “There’s an emergency meeting at the Blue House today. We’re planning what topics to bring up in the meeting and their solutions in the car on the way. Secretary Lee, who’s in charge, will also come along……so you should use a different vehicle to follow us.”


  “What? I’m sorry Chief Secretary Kang, but I must ride with the Minister since I’m his bodyguard. To maintain a close proximity is my utmost priority.”


  “My, my, this guy……aren’t you just stiff as a board? This is an emergency meeting that’s being held. The Minister must have some good ideas about what could come up during the meeting today…… It’s because we’re out of time, you know? It’s not like we do this every time, but just for today. Can’t you be a bit more flexible in times like this?”


  Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho drove Lee Ja-sung into a corner with an even more temperamental tone than usual. In response, Lee Ja-sung acted to hesitate, then spoke after putting his head down slightly. “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll follow the Minister with a different vehicle. I’ll go to the parking lot first to prepare.”


  “Yes. Glad you see things my way. Lee, please, let’s be a bit more flexible towards each other; we could get along like flowing water. If you bring up rules and guidelines every time, it’s very difficult……”


  “Well, I’m off!” Lee Ja-sung bowed his head before Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho could even finish his words, turned away, and began to walk off to the elevator that leads to the parking lot.

  “Oh my! That, that.”


  Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho had a bewildered look on his face from the way Lee Ja-sung acted. He wanted to bring him back to scold him and swear at him for being insubordinate, but since he was an NIS agent, he could not do so.

  “Ahhh! I don’t know what to do with him. I swear if I keep this up, I’ll go to my grave early!”


  Minister Ahn Sang-tae and his entourage arrived at the parking lot ten minutes later. Lee Ja-sung, who was waiting at the official vehicle, opened the back door.

  “Oh, thank you, Lee.”


  “It’s nothing, sir.”


  Lee Ja-sung slightly stuck his body close to Minister Ahn Sang-tae as he got in the back seat and put something in his right suit pocket. Afterward, he casually closed the door and said to Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho, “Well then, I’ll follow you in the other car.”


  “Yes, drive safely…… ”


  As Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho got in the backseat, Minister Ahn Sang-tae asked him, “Is the plan to give that Lee Ja-sung the slip ready?”


  “Yes Minister, no need to worry. Our staff already took care to make sure the vehicle will break down when it enters the highway.”


  “Hmm, is that so? Alright. Let’s head out then!”


  “Yes, Minister.”


  As the official vehicle moved, Lee Ja-sung, who was waiting behind them, got into his black van and started it. The official vehicle and the black van were approaching the Nonsan Cheon-an Highway 30 minutes later.

  Pffft~ Pffft~

  A moment later, the car Lee Ja-sung was driving started spitting out a rough sound, and soon the engine stopped. Lee Ja-sung calmly changed lanes and parked the van on the highway shoulder. He pulled out his smartphone and made a phone call while looking at the official vehicle moving further away.

  “It’s Lee Ja-sung.”


  “Yes, Lee, why’re you calling us while driving?”


  “There’s a problem with the vehicle, so I parked it on the shoulder.”


  “My, how did that happen? Hmm, the Minister can’t wait for you because of the Blue House meeting this afternoon, so I’d like you to call the insurance company, take care of that well, and come up to Seoul with a different car.”


  “Yes, I understand. I’ll take care of matters here and follow you immediately.”


  “Yes, it’s cold, so stay safe and vigilant, Lee.”


  “Yes.”


  Lee Ja-sung finished the phone call, then made another one.

  “This seems to be a situation: threat level 1.”


  “Did you take measures?”


  “Yes, Manager.”


  “It might be a rash decision, so proceed with caution……also, two other staff will come in as a backup in Seoul.”


  “Yes, I’ll contact them again.”


  Lee Ja-sung, who kept the phone call short, pulled out another smartphone. On the screen, a GPS map showed up with a blinking red dot that was following the Nonsan Cheon-an Highway towards the direction of Seoul. When Lee Ja-sung confirmed the tracking device was working without any issues, he pulled out a cigarette and with a weighty smile lit it.

  Lee Ja-sung came down to the parking lot ten minutes before their departure to Seoul and inspected the car he was going to drive. He found traces of intentional tampering and reported this to his superiors before leaving. Also, he secretly planted a tracking device in Minister Ahn Sang-tae’s pocket.

  Meanwhile, inside the official vehicle, Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho, who had just finished his phone call with Lee Ja-sung, turned around to see Lee Ja-sung’s black van parked on the shoulder leave his sight. He smiled, looked at Minister Ahn Sang-tae, and said, “Minister, it seems we took care of Lee Ja-sung.”


  “Chief Secretary Kang, you are trustworthy. I knew you would pull through.”


  “You’re flattering me too much, sir. Well, we’ll head straight to the promised location, sir.”


  “Secretary Yoon, head to Chung Dam-dong……and speed up a bit……”


  Chief Secretary Kang Man-ho could not have dreamt that the highway he was speeding past—what with all its clear scenery—would become the highway to hell not just for Minister Ahn Sang-tae, but for him as well. He believed he had given Lee Ja-sung the slip.

  * * *

  December 20th, 2016 12:30. Seoul Kangnam-ku Cheongdam-dong, High-end Korean Restaurant.

  “Long time no see, Minister Ahn.”


  “Yes, you’re right. It must have been almost two years since the last time I saw you in America. Ha, ha, ha.”


  Cheongdam-dong, the secret high-end Korean restaurant, was a place any Korean politician would have been to at least once. This is where the CIA Branch Director Arnold greeted Minister Ahn Sang-tae heartily.

  “Did you have any trouble getting here?”


  “Ha, ha, ha, don’t mention it. I had to work hard to give the person who tails me everyday the slip; it was like pulling a cicada off a tree.”


  “My, my, that sounds troublesome. Are there a lot of secret projects going on in Korea these days, Minister?”


  Minister Ahn Sang-tae, who heard Director Arnold’s sly questioning to get on the true topic of the meeting, answered coyly as well. “That’s a secret. Ha, ha, ha, we’re in a state of national emergency. All things are hectic, you know?”


  “Ah, yes, it must be. Since you must attend the meeting at the Blue House this afternoon, why don’t we finish our meal and then have our fun conversations after, Minister?”


  “Let’s do that, Director Arnold.”


  In an alley across from the high-end restaurant, there was a black, box-shaped vehicle. Lee Ja-sung had called in the insurance company to give them the car and used a patrolling vehicle to arrive in Seoul to meet with NIS Operations Unit 1’s Manager Lee Dong-gyu and Ahn Hyun-gil, then he followed the tracking signal to this location.

  “How’s the bugging status?”


  “The clarity isn’t that great, sir.”


  The black, box-shaped vehicle was equipped with a wiretapping equipment. The small object the size of a dime that Lee Ja-sung had secretly planted on Minister Ahn Sang-tae not only had location tracking capabilities, but also audio bugging.

  “Shouldn’t we be able to hear them clearly from this distance?”


  “I’m not sure. There seems to be some wiretapping interference signals coming from nearby.”


  Agent Ahn Hyun-gil was trying his best to concentrate and listen to the conversation through the headphones, but the static and sounds made it impossible to do so. Lee Ja-sung in response also wore headphones and began to concentrate on the conversation. However, they could not hear because the static would interrupt them mid-conversation.

  “Agent Ahn, this conversation is being recorded, correct?”


  “Yes, sir.”


  “Then let’s leave figuring out the conversation to the audio department at the agency and check it out there later. Lee Ja-sung, I want you to call Chief Secretary Minister Ahn Sang-tae right now.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Ring ring ring~

  “Hello.”


  “This is Lee Ja-sung.”


  “Ah yes, did things go smoothly after the car broke down?”


  “Yes. I contacted the insurance company and had the car towed. Also, I just arrived in Seoul. Where are you currently?”


  “I’m at Cheong Dam-dong for lunch.”


  “Then I’ll head there immediately.”


  “No. There is no need. We’ll head to the Blue House in a moment, so you can just meet us there. Let’s do that.”


  “Yes, Chief Secretary.”


  “Well, see you soon.”


  Two cars appeared at the restaurant an hour after Lee Ja-sung’s phone call. The first car to show up was Minister Ahn Sang-tae’s official vehicle, and the one that followed was a black sedan with American Embassy plates rather than a Korean one. Agent Ahn Hyun-gil pulled out the camera and began taking multiple pictures.

  “Agent Ahn, that’s enough for now. Take the wheel. Lee Ja-sung, you should head to the Blue House. We’ll tail that American Embassy vehicle.”


  * * *

  December 20th, 2016 15:00. Seoul Jong-ro ku Blue House President’s Conference Room.

  “Hello. I am the Planning and Coordination Officer from the Ministry of Trade and Industry Han Gil-ho.”


  A man in his 40s dressed in a neat brown suit was standing at the opposite end of the table. He greeted everyone to announce the plans regarding the Ministry of Korean Medicine’s takeover of corporations.

  “The selection of corporations the Ministry of Korean Medicine will buy out were chosen by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, putting economic stability and integrity of the management staff as top priority. Out of the 60 corporations considered, the one selected is Sin-Oh Pharmaceuticals, which makes medicine for high cholesterol and other ailments. Sin-Oh Pharmaceuticals makes 30 million dollars in yearly profits and have shown a yearly growth rate of 15%. They are rare in the fact that 10% of their yearly profits go into developing new medicine. That’s why they were selected for this project.”


  Planning and Coordination Officer Han Gil-ho pointed towards the company’s analysis chart and continued his presentation to the government bureaucrats, which included the President. However, Minister Ahn Sang-tae could not pay attention to the Planning and Coordination Officer’s presentation for the conversation he had with Director Arnold from the CIA an hour ago was still ringing in his ears.