Chapter 114
The Visitor
A space with a large, round table the color of rich walnut, and four chairs.
Except for that space, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.
The light above was only cast down as far as the table.
After a moment, a door opened and people entered, accompanied by the light flowing in from outside.
Two men and two women. They entered quietly, took their places, and sat down.
Three of them took something out from their pockets and placed it on the table.
They were all masks.
The comical expression of Hyottoko belonged to Im Deok-chang of the National Intelligence Service; the kitsune—the pointed ears and protruding snout—was Kwon So-jeong, wife of the head of the W&W Group; the mask with a crimson, drunken-looking face, shojo, was Jung Yoon-joo from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
The last person to enter was Baek Ji-woong, the chairman of the W&W Group.
However, since he had no mask, he simply sat quietly.
Once everything was ready, Im Deok-chang spoke first.
"それでは始めましょう. (Then, let us begin.)"
After speaking in Japanese, he pressed a button on the table, and three semi-transparent screens appeared in a triangular formation at the center of the circular table, each displaying red characters.
【紅】 【友】 【會】
This was the Honguhoe (紅友會), signifying a brotherhood forged in a crimson spirit.
Soon the characters vanished, and three masked figures appeared.
Different from the previous masks...
There was Hannya, with icy blue eyes, fearsome protruding fangs, and two large horns.
Tengu, with a stern expression and long nose over a red face.
And lastly, Hakushikijou, whose wrinkled brow, narrow eyes, and long white beard were set in place.
After a moment of silence, Hakushikijou, with a voice distorted by a modulator, spoke from the screen.
[As you all know, our group's fortunes of late have not been favorable. To name just a few... The failure to secure TN SOFT, setbacks in acquiring shares of Taeshin Group, and the failed funds transfer at Hwain Techon. On top of that, we've lost multiple operatives and had to close several branch offices.]
As Hakushikijou spoke, the expressions of the four who were present darkened along with the surroundings.
He continued.
[Because of this, there have been considerable setbacks in our original plans. Determining that internal recovery would be difficult, we decided, inevitably, to issue a summons for the first time in four years.]
National Intelligence Service, supreme Prosecutors' Office, and major conglomerates.
Even the four sitting here in the open wielded considerable influence within South Korea.
The impact of such people uniting for a cause could not be underestimated.
Yet the somber mood revealed how differently things had turned out from what they had hoped.
It was then that Tengu spoke from the screen, breaking his silence.
[We spent three years rebuilding our group after it was cut in half. The matter was sensitive, so we operated as covertly as possible. But not only did things go awry from the very first step, how do you explain exposing our operatives in Russia?]
A silence fell over the group.
Im Deok-chang, as Hyottoko, swallowed hard, his Adam's apple moving. Everything Tengu mentioned had been under his authority.
"As you know, the Vladivostok incident in Russia was not my unilateral decision. During the operation, we discovered traces of Gordon Grimes—already flagged as a person of interest by our group—which left us with no choice but to send in operatives."
Eventually, he had drawn Baek Ji-woong into the decision to eliminate Tae Ju-ha.
Naturally, Baek Ji-woong did not take this sitting down.
"I have something to say about that as well. As Hyottoko said, I did agree. However, as I reported, my agreement was only about dealing with Tae Ju-ha over the Taeshin Group shares issue; I did not agree to the entire operation."
"What kind of sophistry is that? You agreed, but you won't take responsibility?"
"I submitted several reports on Kang In-hyuk through my subordinate, Baek Si-hwan. The need for caution was clearly stated. But Hyottoko disregarded this and led the operatives, not just failing the operation but exposing them, too."
Im Deok-chang could not immediately respond. He had been the one to request those reports several times.
He clenched his fist and glared at Baek Ji-woong across the table as if he wanted to kill him.
Hakushikijou spoke again.
[Exposure is one thing, but Gordon Grimes was a ruse planted by an external force occupying the airport servers. Failing to see through that was Hyottoko's mistake. But the person who squandered operatives by closing branch offices without authorization is also not blameless.]
This time it was a rebuke aimed at Baek Ji-woong.
As this was coming from Hakushikijou, one of the highest-ranking executives, no one could take it lightly.
Baek Ji-woong, of course, decided he couldn't stay quiet under these circumstances.
"If this summons is simply to assign blame, then there are many here who must be held responsible."
Kwon So-jeong and Jung Yoon-joo, sitting to his sides, shot sharp looks at him.
Kwon So-jeong's problem was that the $1.4 billion she siphoned off through Hwain Techon ended up in the hands of the French government.
And Jung Yoon-joo failed to handle things in the prosecutor's office when the plan fell apart.
As no one was free from blame, Baek Ji-woong purposely brought up the issue forcefully.
On the screen, Hakushikijou was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
[I didn't expect the chairman to speak so boldly with Kitsune seated at your side.]
"This is for the group, isn't it? And I would think those above us know best that now is the time for solutions, not assigning blame."
If scapegoats had been needed, Baek Ji-woong would have been dealt with when he disposed of the Daemyung Detective Agency branch without authorization.
He provoked everyone, thinking that he knew the organization's tendencies and movements well enough himself.
Tengu's gaze from behind the mask shifted to Baek Ji-woong.
[As the chairman said, we are not gathered here to debate right and wrong. What we need now is a game-changer to set the winds back in our favor.]
[Does Tengu have something in mind?]
In response to Hakushikijou's question, tengu hesitated slightly before answering.
[First, we need to erase the traces of exposure. Hyottoko, how is the National Intelligence Service dealing with the Russia situation?]
The question was directed at Im Deok-chang.
"I am currently the person in charge of dealing with our operatives who were moved in Europe by myself, and the investigation into the funds discovered in Notex's luggage, centered on the Second Division. They are currently investigating a Korean employee of Notex."
[How are you handling it?]
Tengu asked in return.
"If I were to deal with the European operatives just like I did when I was head of the Asia branch, it would only draw more suspicion. So I think we have to clean things up by eliminating some parts of Songchon's overseas unit."
Songchon was a secret organization within the National Intelligence Service, rumored among government high-level officials and entrepreneurs.
It was not fiction; Im Deok-chang was currently managing it.
[You think that's the only way to keep things clean?]
"We're already under suspicion. If the matter isn't wrapped up with a convincing result for the Director, they'll trace it back to Songchon and possibly discover us as well."
Tengu nodded in his masked form.
[It sounds unavoidable. Do the others agree?]
This was directed at Hakushikijou and Hannya, who had remained silent.
[I agree.]
[I concur.]
With those answers, Im Deok-chang exhaled a small sigh of relief.
Hakushikijou moved to another topic.
[If the National Intelligence Service's side is to be cleaned up using Songchon, what about Notex? If they are tracked, could it not endanger the connection to Hwain Techon and even the W&W Group?]
Im Deok-chang tensed again.
"I am to be in charge of the investigation of the Korean employee at Notex."
[When was that decided?]
"... About a week ago. However, I intended to report only after preparations were complete and command authority was confirmed."
At this, Hakushikijou gazed at him quietly.
Tengu took over the questioning.
[By taking it on, do you mean to resolve it personally? Couldn't something strange be discovered inside the National Intelligence Service?]
The Korean employees at Notex had been WID agents from the start.
While handling the funds, they'd been in charge of surveillance and security, and died in Oruch Al Pasha's attack.
Of course, their true identities had to remain secret forever.
"I'll wrap up the matter in a way that avoids undue suspicion within the NIS. Of course, should anything go awry, I'll cut it off at my level."
This situation had left him quite isolated.
Had he not taken over this matter from the Director, Jin Jong-man, things might have become even more precarious.
[Let's trust you to it. Does anyone else object?]
Everyone gave their silent assent.
But as there was still an important matter left, Hakushikijou spoke again.
[Now we must decide how to handle the missing funds. Does the W&W Group have a plan?]
Baek Ji-woong cleared his throat and responded.
"We're planning to liquidate some companies we were working on after the Hwain Techon case. Not all of them, but we expect to raise at least $300 million immediately."
That was more than 400 billion won.
[So you intend to bring forward the replenishment from other companies as well.]
There was still a shortfall of $1.1 billion. Bringing it up required companies as big as Hwain Techon, which would not be easy and would take time.
"Given the Hwain Techon case, it's difficult to raise such a sum all at once. If too many things like this happen, traces might be left behind."
Everyone understood.
[None of us are unaware of the situation, so let's use this to take care of the immediate emergency.]
Tengu and Hannya simply nodded in silent agreement, as before.
In this way, most matters covered by the summons had been discussed.
At that moment, Hannya, who had been silent since a single earlier reply, opened his mouth.
[There's one other matter I'd like to share.]
Hannya was responsible for overseeing and training WID operatives.
Normally, he almost never spoke up, so everyone looked a little surprised.
[And what is that?]
Tengu queried, and Hannya continued.
[Someone visited the area where our camp used to be.]
With that explanation, everyone's faces grew tense.
Even Hakushikijou and Tengu's mask, on the screens, seemed subdued.
Tengu put forth the next question.
[By the area where the camp used to be... do you mean the Naya region of Mongolia?]
[Correct.]
The WID camp was an extremely secret location.
Even the top executives knew only roughly where it was, and no one could visit it without Hannya's approval.
It was so far from any local village that an accidental visit was virtually impossible.
[Have you identified who it was?]
[I took a picture.]
At his answer, one side of the screen filled with a photograph uploaded by Hannya.
Several people's expressions became even more grim at once.
"... Skull."
It was a photograph of a person in a black combat suit and a full-face skull mask.
[Is this the same 'Skull' as in the earlier reports?]
Hannya, never having seen him in person, asked dubiously.
Im Deok-chang explained.
"From the mask, I'd say so. We also suspect that this outfit is the standard attire of those in the organization related to Skull."
Because Skull appeared so unpredictably, they believed he was not just a single person.
[Then Skull appearing in Naya... that must have been due to information leaking from the Korean side.]
The atmosphere grew more serious at Hannya's grim utterance.
Skull had first appeared when he infiltrated the KQ Group disguised as a security guard and killed Pyo Jun-woo and other operatives.
At the time, Pyo Jun-woo had disclosed the Naya region, and Baek Si-hwan, then a second-class agent, silenced him—but it was already too late.
Naturally, this information had reached the Organization, and Hannya immediately relocated the camp.
And yet, Skull had found his way to that very spot.
The atmosphere around the round table grew even heavier.