October 7th, 2019 17:00 (China Standard Time 16:00)

  China, Chong-qing.

  Ji Dong-chul and Park Gi-oong began their search for Kim Soon-hee by getting in contact with a defector guide. He told them that a year ago, Kim Soon-hee received a phone call from her brother warning her of the impending arrests. She tried to defect to Korea by traveling through Thailand, but one day, she vanished. There was a rumor that she had been sold to a human trafficking ring in Chong-qing. Therefore, Ji Dong-chul and Park Gi-oong had come to Chong-qing in July and begun searching high and low for Kim Soon-hee.

  “Manager Ji, this job sucks. Let’s take a break,” Agent Park Gi-oong said tiredly.

  He had spent the entire day trudging through alleys in Chong-qing looking for clues. He made a face that showed he couldn’t go on any further and plopped down on a small wooden chair in the alley.

  “Look, I’m tired too, okay? Let’s just finish checking this alley, then we can rest back in our rooms! So hurry up and follow me.”


  “Oh God, fine. I can’t believe foreign intelligence agents are looking for a person in such an unsophisticated manner. That’s my life…… Hey, wait up!”


  Park Gi-oong hauled himself up and ran after Ji Dong-chul.

  After an hour, Ji Dong-chul and Park Gi-oong returned to their shoddy lodgings empty-handed and laid down on the bed. They had spent a month in Chong-qing, the hottest place in China. Despite their lodging being full of cockroaches, the two men seemed to have adjusted well enough, and their room had become a place of refuge within the city. Park Gi-oong, who was staring at the ceiling, remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flier he had gotten on the street. It was covered with pictures of voluptuous women and some other things, but from his instincts as a man, he could tell that this was one of those massage places that people went to for other motives……

  “Damn, she’s hot. They’re almost better than the Japanese porn stars.”


  “What is it?”


  “This.” Park Gi-oong handed over the pamphlet. “I got it from an old lady this morning, and it seems like it’s for massages.”


  Manager Ji Dong-chul slapped his forehead with a sudden jolt.

  “What’s up?”


  “What sort of places did we cover in our search?”


  “Whorehouses, adult massage parlors, and karaoke bars.”


  “Right. But there was something that we overlooked.”


  “What?”


  Manager Ji stood up from the bed and snatched the flier from Park’s hand. He smiled.

  “Call-in massages.”


  “Oh my God, we did forget them, didn’t we? How did I get the flier and not think of that?”


  “Agent Park, that is the difference between a veteran and an amateur.”


  “I have been working here for four years, sir.”


  Ji Dong-chul called the number on the flier, posing as a Korean who had come to China on a business trip. He requested a girl who could speak Korean, then hung up.

  “Now let’s wait.”


  Thirty minutes passed before there was a knock on their door.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Ji Dong-chul opened the door. Outside were two decent-looking women in revealing clothes. Two rough-looking men with short hair stood behind the women with crossed arms. They looked at Ji Dong-chul, and one of the men said something to the two women before they went downstairs.

  “Come in.”


  The two women came in and stood awkwardly. Park Gi-oong, who was sitting on the bed, motioned to one of the women to come over.

  “Hello.” The woman must have been an ethnic Korean in China, and she spoke in a Yianbian accent.

  “Oh, you can speak Korean, not Josen?” asked Park Gi-oong, referencing a dialect common in North Korea.

  “Yes. I am an ethnic South Korean in China.”


  “What about her?” Park Gi-oong pointed to the woman in the red dress, and the South Korean woman turned around and started to answer.

  “Don’t say anything unnecessary,” the lady in the red dress said suddenly.

  Ji Dong-chul’s eyes glittered for a moment and his gaze became fixed on her. Her accent was more North Korean than South. Ji Dong-chul came closer to her and spoke.

  “Are you also from South Korea? Hello.”


  Ji Dong-chul acted first. He believed the women would only let their guard down if they were confident that he was an ethnic Korean as well.

  “What are our options for services?” Park Gi-oong asked.

  “You get an hour and a half, and it’s 800 yuan per person,” the ethnic Korean woman answered. “A special massage is also available during our normal session.”


  “Special massage?”


  “My god, you know. Men and women together.”


  “Ah ha ha, that kind of special massage?”


  “Why are you being so coy and making me blush when you already know?”


  “We don’t need a special massage, so just give us the normal one. We will give you a generous tip.”


  “Thanks, Oppa.”


  “It’s been a long time since someone called me Oppa,” Park Gi-oong murmured in a pleased voice. He handed the woman a 100 yuan bill from his wallet and plopped down on the bed.

  “You should lay down on the bed as well,” the lady in the red dress said to Ji Dong-chul.

  “Ah, yes.” Ji Dong-chul also pulled out a 100 yuan bill from his wallet and handed it to the lady in the red dress.

  “It’s fine. I don’t need it.”


  The ethnic Korean woman stopped massaging and turned to the other woman in annoyance. “Kyung-hee, the Oppa is giving you the money, so take it. What are you doing?”


  “Ah, your name is Kyung-hee? It’s fine. Take it.”


  Kyung-hee must have felt eased by Ji Dong-chul’s kind tone. She took the money with both her hands and bowed.

  “Thank you. I will spend it well.”


  After an hour, the massage was coming to an end.

  “Hey, miss,” Ji Dong-chul said carefully.

  “What?” Kyung-hee asked.

  “You’re from the North, right?” Ji Dong-chul asked.

  “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t ask about stuff like that.”


  “Actually, we are searching for someone from the North called Kim Soon-hee. To take her back to Korea with us.”


  Ji Dong-chul was speaking in a soft voice to keep the ethnic Korean woman from overhearing. The lady called Kyung-hee was taken aback, and she kept massaging him without saying anything.

  When it was time for them to leave, Kyung-hee came up to Ji Dong-chul and whispered shortly to him, “Oppa, please call me again.”


  A moment later, a knock came from the door. It was the rough-looking men. The two ladies took the money and left the room.

  The door closed and Park Gi-oong asked, “Manager, did you get any clues?”


  “Luckily, I think so.”


  October 8th, 2019 10:00

  Jeonbook, Gunsan-si. Hyunwoong shipbuilding yard.

  At the shipbuilding yard of Hyunwoong Heavy Industries, a launching ceremony was being held for the three King Sejong class KD-3A ships: number four King Tae-jo, number five King Tae-jong, and number six King Sung-jong. The ceremony had originally been planned for mid-June, but due to additional equipment installation, finishing the ships had taken four months longer than expected.

  The three King Sejong ships would be officially deployed after six months of testing, and they would replace the three King Gwang-gae class ships that were currently protecting the three seas. Following the first stage of the Naval Reinforcement Plan, the three King Sejong class ships and the six Yi Sun-shin class ships, which were originally under the 7th Mobile Warfare Force, would be divided evenly between the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea. The six King Gwang-hae class Hocula destroyers were to be officially deployed in October of 2020 in the 7th Mobile Warfare Force. Lastly, seven 6,000t displacement submarines were planned to be officially deployed as well. That elevation of Korea’s submarine-capability would close the first stages of the plan.

  When the first part of the 2020 Naval Reinforcement Plan was complete, the naval forces in each of the three seas would be reformed and consist of one KD-3A Aegis destroyer, one KD-3 Aegis destroyer, two KD-2 Antiair destroyers, and one KD-1 Antiair destroyer. Once the fleet had strong enough antiair capabilities to strike down ballistic missiles, they would officially become a full naval force.

  Also, once the six KD-4 Hocula destroyers were equipped with Hocula systems, they would be unmatched within their class in Northeast Asia.

  The Korean navy didn’t stop there, though. The second stage of the Naval Reinforcement Plan was designed to achieve naval supremacy within Northeast Asia. It called for the secret construction of battleships, salvage ships, and even aircraft carriers.

  Also, the interior docks of the Ulsan Hyunwoong Heavy Industries held a partially-constructed KCX-1 Hocula cruiser. Construction had begun on January 10th under heavy security, and the ship was intended to be deployed by February of 2021.

  Displacement: 15,100t (load displacement: 18,500t)

  Length: 235.5m

  Width: 24.6m

  Draft: 8.8m

  Output: 4x Plasma superprotonic Mod-D engines

  Speed: 60 knots

  Range: 30 years, unlimited

  Crew capacity: 220

  Weaponry:

  48 multiple launch rocket K-VLS2 *2

  Haegoong Missile: (GTAS- 150 Surface to Air missile) Range 200km, Mach 6

  68 multiple launch rocket K-VLS3 *2

  Haechun Dragon Missile: (GTAS- 300 Surface to Air missile) Range 420km, Mach 10

  48 multiple launch rocket K-VLS2 *3

  Chun Dragon A Missile: (Surface to Land cruise missile) Range 5,200km, Mach 3.5

  Redshark A Torpedo: (Ship to Submarine missile) Range 105km, Underwater 120 knots

  Haesung A Missile: (Ship to Ship cruise missile) Range 250km, Mach 3.5

  36 multiple launch rocket K-VLS4B *1

  Abaris (SSM-1000K Ship to Ship supersonic cruise missile) Range 450km, Mach 8

  36 multiple launch rocket K-VLS4B *1

  Trianna (S-SSM-500S ballistic strike missile) Range 12,000km, Mach 40

  6 multiple launch rocket (3X2) *2

  Mjolnir-PIP(Surface to Land CLBM missile) Range 15,000km, Mach 45

  8 multiple launch rocket torpedo launchpad *2

  S-SSSFM-500B Trident (Ship to Submarine supercavitating flow torpedo) Range 150km, 660 knots

  Last shot 22mm laser, Vulcan Beam *6

  16 multiple launch rockets

  Shield-M2*4 (Short range Surface to Air missile) range 50km, Mach 6

  100mm Squire K-2 two-barrel cannon, range 250km (High-density plasma cluster rounds)

  Radar: Photon multi-area Hocula B.L. 2.0 radar

  Sonar: Supersonic-02MP Underground sonar / KSQR-1000K towed array sonar

  Electronic Warfare: KSLQ-1000(v)K Sonata/ KSLQ-201K SECM, / IC system

  Aerial equipment: Two MH-101 Surion II Antisubmarine choppers, one reconnaissance drone (Falcon eye)

  October 9th, 2019 15:00

  North Korea, Pyongyang. National Defense Board Vice Chairman’s official residence.

  Six men were gathered in Vice Chairman Lee Byung-chul’s official residence.

  “Are preparations going well?” asked Vice-Chairman Lee from his couch in the middle of the room. He pulled deeply from a cigar and exhaled the smoke in a stream.

  “Yes, we are preparing. But, the way things are going these days isn’t……” Park Young-sik, the Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, drifted to a stop.

  “What do you mean? What happened?”


  “The thing from last time. After that North/South committee meeting, our population’s living conditions have improved, and the people are beginning to talk about peace. Our men are being swayed by this as well.”


  “Don’t worry about that. I will take care of it. Something will happen soon, so put your troubles out of your mind and work hard.”


  “All right, Comrade Lee Byung-chul.”


  “Is there any news from you?” Vice-Chairman Lee turned and shouted to a man sitting on the right side of the room.

  Minister Kim Won-heung, from the Ministry of the People’s Safety, sat up a little straighter and answered loudly, “I have no words, sir. I am searching through the entire area of China, but we still haven’t found them.”


  “Is that supposed to be an answer? It has been three years. Three years! Three years have passed searching for that traitor! Do you realize that?”


  Minister Kim Won-heung was the equivalent of an NIS Secretary in Korea, but all he could do was wipe the sweat from his hands on his trousers and stare blankly at the floor. A moment later, Vice-Chairman Lee stopped shouting long enough for Minister Kim Won-heung to answer.

  “We have received intel that the traitor Kim Gi-hyuck has defected to South Korea through the intelligence agency,” he said, his voice as quiet as the flap of a mosquito’s wing.

  “You son of a b*tch, why did you wait until now to mention that?” Lee Byung-chul demanded, lifting the ashtray in front of him in rage.

  Kim Won-heung covered his face with his hands instinctively and spoke urgently. “But we have also learned that the traitor Kim Soon-hee is in Chong-qing China, and our agents are searching for her. If you give use more time, we will take care of her.”


  Lee Byung-chul lowered the ashtray and hissed, “Minister Kim Won-heung?”


  “Yes, comrade Lee Byung-chul.”


  “In the event that she defects to South Korea, you and your entire family will be executed. Do you understand me?”


  “Of course. I will take care of her as soon as we find her.”


  “Everyone else, listen up. There isn’t much time left. Especially for you, General Manager of Staff Ahn Gang-un. You must handle the military leaders well. I will give you as much financial aid as you need.”


  “I understand, I will take care of them.”


  Vice-Chairman Lee Byung-chul was the puppet-master behind the scenes in North Korea. He had sided with First Vice Chairman Kim Yo-jong after the terrorist attack in Pyongyang, and he won the fight for power after branding the higher-level party members as traitors and putting his allies in their places. Most of his power came from the three ministries with the largest influence: the North Korean Police, the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces, and the Ministry of the People’s Safety were all in Lee Byung-chul’s hands.