Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Once Lee Jung-ho joined them, he wasted no time.

"We're desperately short of personnel. We need not only field operatives but intelligence and operations specialists as well. Our intelligence capabilities must cover human sources, computers, and systems."

It was an obvious point. Until now, they simply hadn't had anyone capable of handling recruitment.

"Hire everyone you need. Just remember to send me their résumés before you bring them aboard."

"Of course, sir. Also, our current Nonhyeon-dong office is too small and exposed. I'll establish a separate headquarters. Security is our highest priority."

"Don't worry about the money. Find us something of the highest standard."

Within a few days, Lee Jung-ho identified a promising building near Sinsa Station.

"Isn't there too much pedestrian traffic around there?"

Lee Jung-ho smiled at Yi-hyeon's question.

"Places like this are actually easier to secure. They're also convenient for operatives coming and going. We'll only occupy part of this twelve-story building, so we can lease the remaining space to ordinary tenants. I'll establish a separate front company in Pangyo for our systems intelligence division, since we'll need to install considerable computing equipment."

Yi-hyeon merely nodded, thinking to himself that espionage and security apparently worked this way nowadays. It was a revelation.

But none of those arrangements could compare to Lee Jung-ho's final proposal.

"We need a double for you, Representative."

"What?"

Yi-hyeon stared blankly, but Lee Jung-ho continued without the slightest hesitation.

Ever since joining the organization(?), Lee Jung-ho had made a point of treating Yi-hyeon with almost excessive deference in front of others. He was setting an example to establish discipline. Even Lee Seung-uk and Lee Myeong-hun, who considered themselves founding members(?) of the organization, didn't dare step out of line in his presence.

Lee Jung-ho knew their military records inside and out, and he enforced discipline with the expressionless severity of a grim reaper. Besides, he was a former general whose military career was far beyond anything they could aspire to. A general from the Defense Intelligence Command, no less.

"You must always be prepared to die before the representative does. Only then can our entire organization survive. That includes me."

Nobody dared argue with his chilling words.

But this was another matter entirely. A double!

Alone with Yi-hyeon, Lee Jung-ho explained plainly.

"It's common practice in organizations that conduct covert operations. Protecting your alibi is paramount, and in an emergency, your double must be capable of dying in your place."

"······."

Had he recruited someone a little too frightening?

"I'll take care of everything myself."

And Lee Jung-ho's work didn't stop there.

The man was also proficient in all manner of shady(?) operations—or could immediately summon people who were. Forged identities and passports for operatives, for example.

He could even arrange passports from foreign countries such as China and Russia.

"I've done all this sort of work before. And these aren't merely counterfeit passports. They're genuine."

He flashed a broad grin as he spoke.

In less than two months, Lee Jung-ho had established an entire organizational structure and moved into the Sinsa-dong building. Their offices occupied the top four floors, and the premises were officially registered as the Korean branch of Ahold & Duran Company.

When Yi-hyeon asked about it, he learned that Ahold & Duran Company was a genuine corporation established in California. Its Korean branch would serve as their front company.

"You have companies in which your American corporations have invested, don't you? We'll take on small assignments from them and conduct legitimate business. That's why quite a few of our employees are foreigners. We might as well handle miscellaneous work and earn enough to cover our office expenses."

That was what Lee Jung-ho told Yi-hyeon, who could only watch in something resembling a trance.

He really had recruited someone terrifying!

* * *

Around the time Yi-hyeon was laying the foundations of his organization, at an old mansion on the outskirts of Xi'an, China.

"Who on earth could have done this to you? I never imagined someone like that existed in a tiny country on the Korean Peninsula."

An elder of the martial arts school to which Song Mei had returned stood in her room, speaking with agitation. His face was aged and deeply wrinkled, but his eyes blazed fiercely.

Song Mei was currently receiving treatment from the elders in the school's infirmary. With her uncle being one of the famous Politburo Standing Committee members, securing a room at Beijing's finest hospital would have been easier than turning over his hand. But after examining her, the school's elders had insisted her condition was beyond conventional medical treatment.

She had suffered internal injuries from an incomparably profound internal energy, one so advanced that even they couldn't gauge its strength. In truth, they also hoped that studying her condition might offer some clue to the martial art responsible.

Song Mei's condition had actually deteriorated since her return. The school was treating her internal injuries using secret remedies passed down through generations, but she showed no signs of improvement.

The elderly masters gathered for another meeting. They had already held so many discussions about possible treatments that no one could remember the exact number. Blowing on their steaming tea, they deliberated at length.

"First, we must identify the man responsible. Then we need to determine the origins of the martial arts he practices."

They had heard this proposal at every previous meeting, so nobody found it particularly novel. But today, someone suggested taking matters further.

"Let's send another group. Choose our most outstanding disciples and have one of the elders here lead them. We can use the MSS operatives to locate the man, then have the elder personally capture him and bring him back."

"Hmm."

The others nodded, finding the suggestion reasonable. At that moment, someone who had remained silent until now spoke up. He appeared to be the youngest person present, with a short mustache and round glasses. His name was Chen Guoliang. His father was one of the school's senior elders, but because the older man was ill, Chen had recently begun attending the elders' meetings in his place.

"That would risk overlapping or conflicting with the MSS operation. You all know how this began. Someone with influence over the MSS originally asked our school for help capturing a Korean named Song Yi-hyeon, so we dispatched Mei. During that mission, she encountered this mysterious martial artist. If we intend to send anyone else, we need to coordinate with the MSS from the beginning."

His argument was reasonable, and everyone nodded. This time, however, the oldest elder spoke.

"There's something rather strange about all this. Is the operation even an official MSS mission? I can't understand why the MSS is so intent on capturing that young fellow, Song Yi-hyeon."

The bespectacled man let out a long breath before answering. He had already settled the matter in his own mind.

"According to the MSS, they're interested in the exceptional combat prowess he demonstrated during his military service. But there's no need for us to dig into the deeper circumstances at this stage. It's not as though they'll tell us anyway. We simply need to cooperate with the MSS and receive the compensation we've been promised."

Of course, the circumstances were considerably more private and complicated than that, but he had absolutely no intention of revealing them to these old men.

In the end, they decided to consult the MSS and dispatch another group to Korea.

What they didn't know was that before they could put their leisurely deliberations into action, Yi-hyeon would come visiting them himself.

* * *

"I need to go to Xi'an."

When Yi-hyeon announced his decision, Lee Jung-ho nodded.

"I'll make the arrangements. We'll need suitable personnel and equipment, and I'll select operatives to send ahead. First, please give me a brief outline of what you intend to accomplish in Xi'an."

Lee Jung-ho had already understood the plan taking shape in Yi-hyeon's mind.

A preemptive strike!

Waiting around for an enemy attack he could plainly foresee wasn't in Yi-hyeon's nature. Now that his organization was taking shape, he intended to strike first.

While Lee Jung-ho prepared Yi-hyeon's secret business trip(?) to China, Yi-hyeon met with Yu Min-seon.

"I never imagined someone that important would join you, Representative Song. General Lee Jung-ho, of all people."

Yu Min-seon stared intently at Yi-hyeon. He hadn't told her anything, yet she already knew all about it.

When Yi-hyeon merely nodded, Yu Min-seon tilted her head and asked again.

"Representative, surely you don't··· mean to tell me you don't know much about General Lee Jung-ho?"

"General Im Gi-yong introduced us. What else am I supposed to know?"

At Yi-hyeon's question, Yu Min-seon gaped at him for a long moment before finally finding her voice.

"My God! Someone like that practically falls into your lap, and that's your reaction?"

Understanding that she was referring to Lee Jung-ho's abilities, Yi-hyeon asked casually,

"I take it he was quite a formidable figure during his military career? He hasn't told me much about those days."

Yu Min-seon scooted closer and lowered her voice.

"Listen carefully. There's a saying that if the NIS had Director Seo Gyeong-pyo, then the Defense Intelligence Command had Lee Jung-ho. That's how extraordinary he is. Some of the restrictions on his record have finally been lifted, so I can talk about him now. But when he was on active duty, even mentioning his name was practically taboo. He was so capable that there were rumors hostile countries, especially China and Russia, had placed him at the very top of their assassination lists."

Seeing the stunned expression on Yi-hyeon's face, Yu Min-seon added,

"Oh, you probably don't know Director Seo Gyeong-pyo either, do you? He's a legend in the NIS. He operated mainly overseas before mysteriously disappearing, but people inside the agency used to say he could accomplish things a hundred elite operatives couldn't manage together. His greatest weapon was this. He was a genius. Three years after his disappearance, he was officially declared dead according to procedure, and a star was engraved for him on the agency's memorial stone."

As she spoke, she tapped her temple with a finger. The fact that she continued using honorifics even while discussing him informally suggested that Yu Min-seon held the man in considerable reverence.

Yi-hyeon had heard that when an NIS operative died in service, the agency couldn't always follow official procedures or award posthumous decorations. Instead, it engraved a star on a stone memorial within its grounds.

He'd also heard that operatives who died serving their country would consider that single star recognition enough.

"The reason I asked you here today is to tell you that you'll be coordinating your work with President Lee Jung-ho from now on."

"······."

Yu Min-seon fell silent.

"What's wrong?"

Curious, Yi-hyeon asked, and after hesitating, Yu Min-seon answered.

"Well, this is something our director is worried about, too. General Lee Jung-ho is such an important figure that we're wondering whether Sky Team can even keep up with him."

Ah!

Yi-hyeon finally understood. Until now, Sky Team had effectively been leading his Nonhyeon-dong team. But Lee Jung-ho's Ahold Team, as Yi-hyeon privately called it, operated on an entirely different level.

In NIS terms, a man who would be more than qualified to serve as its director had now come to work under Yi-hyeon.

"You might not be at that level yet, but you can grow into it, Team Leader Yu. I'll help with whatever you need."

Yu Min-seon's expression immediately brightened at his words.

"Don't you forget what you just said, Representative Song."

Their positions seemed to have reversed without either of them quite noticing. Until now, Yu Min-seon of the NIS had held a slight psychological advantage by providing Yi-hyeon with useful information. But the arrival of someone as formidable as Lee Jung-ho had changed the balance entirely.

And when Yu Min-seon visited Lee Jung-ho at the Ahold Team office in Sinsa-dong that day to introduce herself(?), she was subjected to a thorough dose of military discipline.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General."

"Ah, you're Yu Min-seon, aren't you? The one leading Sky Team."

"Y-yes, sir."

In the reception room on the building's eighth floor, Yu Min-seon found herself standing through the entire encounter with Lee Jung-ho, unable even to take a seat.

"I know your director, Lee Gyu-seong, somewhat. He was a capable fellow in the Special Warfare Command. I hear he's doing well at the NIS, too?"

"Yes, sir."

Yu Min-seon offered only a vague answer. After all, she was hardly in a position to evaluate Director Lee Gyu-seong, her highest-ranking immediate superior.

"As you know, Team Leader Yu, our Representative Song is a man of extraordinary potential. There's no telling how far he'll go. That's why your role will be important from now on. Smooth communication with the NIS is essential."

"Yes, sir."

Although he was essentially treating her as a mere liaison officer for the NIS, Yu Min-seon could only answer stiffly. Lee Jung-ho's presence was far too intimidating for her to offer her own opinions or attempt a proper conversation.

"Tell Director Lee that we should have a meal together sometime."

"Yes, sir. I'll be sure to pass that along, General."

Lee Jung-ho interrupted her.

"President. More precisely, branch president. That's how you'll address me from now on."

"Yes, sir."

Faced with Lee Jung-ho's utterly serious, unsmiling expression, Yu Min-seon shrank back without even realizing it.

'He really means it!'

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