TL: EKID
“Is the motorcycle ahead the same one that appeared on the national highway CCTV?”
“Yes, definitely. Even the license plate matches.”
“Then that bastard followed us all the way to the hotel?”
“It could be a coincidence.”
Before getting into the car, Wu Shi saw the man standing next to the motorcycle.
And when he realized that the motorcycle beside that man was the one in the photo received from the Public Security, he immediately informed Wang Yudong as soon as he got in the car.
“Waiting outside the hotel paid off. Don’t lose him, no matter what.”
“I’ll call more guys.”
Wu Shi called the Triads headquarters office. To definitely catch the suspect from the gas station, he needed more men.
“Arm everyone in the warehouse and come to Zhenxing Road. As fast as possible… just get moving for now. I’ll give you the destination later.”
Wu Shi’s voice grew louder during the call.
Wang Yudong tilted his head while keeping an eye on the motorcycle ahead.
It looked like the motorcycle wasn’t just going its own way but was following the car in front.
In front of the motorcycle, a Volvo car was driving down the road.
“Isn’t that Volvo in front the one Director Choi is riding?”
“Yes, it is. It’s definitely a car from Office 39.”
Unexpectedly, the motorcycle, suspected to be from the gas station incident, was following the car of the Drug Director from Office 39?
“The gas station incident… don’t tell me Office 39 set us up?”
“If we catch that bastard and beat it out of him, we’ll find out.”
“If Office 39 staged the gas station incident themselves, I’ll never forgive them.”
Wu Shi, sitting in the passenger seat, gave instructions to the driver subordinate.
“Follow him without making him suspicious.”
The motorcycle followed the Volvo, and behind them, the Benz drove through Dandong’s night streets.
***
At the entrance of <Along the Forest Path Bar>, there was a sign that read ‘Closed Today’.
Inside the bar, four men and one woman were seated.
The man in the cardigan, Falcon No. 9 called Daegun, a man wearing sunglasses from the Dalian safehouse and his colleague, and the woman was an employee working at <Along the Forest Path Bar> alongside the cardigan man. She was also a member of The Company.
The man with sunglasses was Falcon No. 5, and the colleague who came with him was Falcon No. 8. They, too, were mobilized for this operation.
“The target has moved. We can’t wait any longer, we’ll proceed with the operation.”
“When will the Shenyang team arrive?”
“It’ll take about an hour for them to get here.”
The cardigan man, Dove No. 1, responded to the sunglasses man’s question.
“The target seems to be heading to a North Korean safehouse in Dandong.”
“There will likely be many North Korean agents at the safehouse, what do we do?”
Falcon No. 9 asked.
“In that case, we’ll have to wait until the target leaves the safehouse.”
“We’ll head out for now. Thanks to Dove No. 5, we might be able to locate the North Korean safehouse today.”
“Keep your body cams on. And report frequently.”
As Dove No. 1, the operation leader, finished speaking, the sunglasses man stood up first.
“Remember this. Our objective is to secure the target’s custody.”
The cardigan man, who was leading today’s operation, reiterated the mission goal.
Falcon No. 9, the sunglasses man, and Falcon No. 8 left <Along the Forest Path Bar>.
***
The Volvo entered a two-story mansion located in Yuanbao District. The house was situated deep inside a residential area, with a hill behind it.
As the Volvo pulled into the garage, a middle-aged man and a young woman were seen getting out of the car. While the garage shutter came down, I slowly turned right from the house and continued up the hill road.
Not long after, a resting area for residents hiking the hill appeared. A few exercise machines were also installed at the rest stop. I parked the motorcycle there. Fortunately, the house where the Volvo had entered was clearly visible from the shelter.
“So that’s the North Korean safehouse.”
I observed the mansion while keeping myself hidden.
Then I saw a Benz turning onto the uphill road leading to the house and coming to a stop.
“What’s that car?”
The Benz that had stopped remained for a moment, then turned around and went back the way it came.
“That looks like the Black Dragon Society’s Benz I saw at the hotel… no way those bastards followed me?”
Focused on the Volvo, I hadn’t realized I was being tailed.
I took out my phone and called Dove No. 1.
“I’ve arrived.”
-Confirmed. I’ve sent agents to your location. They’ll be there in 20 minutes.
“I’m being followed. It’s the Black Dragon Society guys.”
-Why would the Black Dragon Society follow you?
“I don’t know. Whether they’re following me or the target.”
-… Got it. The delivery truck is the car our agents are in.
“It’s a dead-end road, so tell them to park near the neighborhood entrance and come on foot. There’s a CCTV camera covering the road in front of the mansion.”
-Be careful yourself. Ah! And the man getting out of the car was well captured. Good work.
No. 1 hung up. He had a habit of ending calls immediately after the matter was handled.
Still, it seemed that the moment the middle-aged man got out of the Volvo in the safehouse garage was clearly captured on the body cam.
‘I should have brought a gun at least…’
Worried I might be searched by the Public Security at the hotel, Dove No. 1 had ordered me to go unarmed. But had I known I would end up at a North Korean safehouse, I never would’ve come unarmed.
Hiding in the hilltop rest area, I alternated my watch between the mansion and its access road.
***
When the Volvo stopped in the garage of the Office 39-owned safehouse, Director Choi Young-gil and Lee Song-kyung got out of the car. From the garage, they entered the mansion through the door connected to the front entrance.
Section Chief Lee, who managed the safehouse, greeted Director Choi.
“Welcome, Director.”
“Section Chief Lee, notify the Black Dragon Society of the trade location today.”
“There’s something you need to see first.”
Director Choi looked at Section Chief Lee.
There must be a reason he was saying that.
“What’s the matter?”
“Someone followed you.”
“What?”
Section Chief Lee guided Director Choi to the CCTV room.
“I’ll play the footage from when your car entered.”
At his words, the agent operating the CCTV hit the play button.
On screen, the Volvo was seen entering the garage, and right after, a motorcycle passed by. Then, shortly after, a Benz stopped at the alley entrance.
“Wait, that car…”
“Yes. It’s Wang Yudong’s car, the boss of the Black Dragon Society.”
“You’re saying Wang Yudong followed me?”
“That’s right. He just confirmed the safehouse location and left right away.”
“Hmm…”
Director Choi Young-gil fell into thought for a moment.
He was curious about the Black Dragon Society’s motive for tailing him.
“Could it be that the Black Dragon Society is up to something?”
“Up to something?”
“It’s suspicious that they confirmed the safehouse location by tailing you.”
The Black Dragon Society had pleaded for the drug trade to resume, offering compensation for the gas station incident.
The fact that they followed a car from Office 39 also seemed suspicious to Director Choi.
‘Were they trying to identify the safehouse location?’
That was the first thought that came to mind. To locate the Office 39 safehouse.
“From now on, tighten the safehouse security.”
Director Choi ordered Section Chief Lee to enhance security at the safehouse.
Because of the appearance of the Black Dragon Society’s Benz in the alley, the people at Office 39 didn’t pay much attention to the motorcycle that had passed in front of the house.
“What should we do about today’s trade?”
Section Chief Lee asked about the drug trade scheduled with the Black Dragon Society.
“Put it on hold. Suspend all drug dealings with them until I give further instructions.”
“Understood.”
Sometimes, unexpected events caused by coincidence lead things down an unintended path.
That’s what happened tonight when Wang Yudong, the Black Dragon Society’s Dandong branch chief, followed the man on the motorcycle.
He had simply been tracking the gas station suspect he happened to run into, but because of that, he ended up being misunderstood by Office 39.
The same goes for Office 39. Because of the man on the motorcycle, they were now suspected of being behind the gas station incident.
The North Korean agents at the Office 39 safehouse began moving busily to strengthen security.
Two North Korean agents exited the safehouse. They headed up the hill road to patrol the perimeter.
***
The Black Dragon Society’s Benz, which had gone down the alley, was now parked at the entrance of the neighborhood.
“Are you sure Director Choi’s car and the motorcycle both went into that house?”
“There’s only that one house at the end of the alley. It’s clear both vehicles entered that house’s garage.”
Wang Yudong and Wu Shi assumed that the motorcycle I was riding had followed the Volvo into the safehouse.
Well, since I had turned right and disappeared from their view, it made sense for them to think that way.
“Then doesn’t that mean it was Office 39 that took the drugs and money from the Peace Gas Station?”
“One hundred percent.”
“Those bastards still had the nerve to take my money again today? I’ll kill those bastards.”
“They probably thought we wouldn’t have a clue.”
“They figured even after the gas station incident, we’d come crawling back, begging for more drugs, right?”
Wang Yudong was absolutely livid.
‘Getting played by those North Korean bastards, what a disgrace.’
Just then, a message from Section Chief Lee of Office 39 arrived on Wang Yudong’s phone.
[Today’s deal canceled]
The message was short and to the point. No reason for the cancellation, no mention of a new date.
“Haah~ this is driving me nuts.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Those North Korean bastards just took the money and now say today’s trade is canceled.”
“This is bad. We need to ship the goods to Incheon by the day after tomorrow. If not, those Malaysian bastards will steal our client. The Daerim gang in Seoul said if they don’t get the goods by the day after tomorrow, they’ll start taking Malaysian product instead.”
With the massive market of South Korea on the line, China’s Black Dragon Society was locked in fierce competition with the Malaysian drug cartel.
For Wang Yudong, there was no more time to wait.
“Our guys should be arriving soon. What do we do?”
“What do you mean what? If we sit on our hands now, the Black Dragon Society will be seen as a bunch of morons in this scene. As soon as the boys arrive, we storm the mansion.”
“Will Shenyang approve?”
“Approve? What am I, a grade-schooler? Do I need to ask for permission to do my job? We secure the goods first, then report it afterward.”
“Understood.”
With even the promised trade canceled, the suspicion in Wang Yudong’s mind, that Office 39 was behind the gas station incident, solidified into certainty.
A misunderstanding had started everything, but the situation kept escalating.
Tonight, a war was about to break out between the Dandong branch of the Black Dragon Society and North Korea’s Office 39.
***
An elderly woman in her seventies came down the hill path walking a dark brown dachshund. She was likely returning home after a walk.
The dachshund, excited to be outside, was trotting ahead of her.
“Whew, sweetheart, let’s take a break.”
Strangely enough, the dachshund seemed to understand her right away and came over to the bench I was sitting on.
Maybe taking a break at this bench was a routine for the old lady and the dachshund.
The old lady sat next to me on the rest area bench, and the dachshund wagged its tail happily while looking at me.
“You must be a kind man. This little one never goes near bad people.”
“Ah, yes… she’s smart.”
“You bet she is. Even when I tell her to take the stairs, she insists on waiting in front of the elevator. She’s so funny, you wouldn’t believe it. Hohoho.”
The old lady kept talking the whole time she sat on the bench. She talked to herself and laughed at her own words.
Just then, two men wearing black jackets came up the hill path. They were North Korean agents patrolling around Office 39.
They glanced briefly at the old lady and me, then continued up the hill path.
Thanks to the old lady and the dachshund, it seemed the agents mistook me for a local resident.
I patted the dachshund’s back for good measure.
Then it happened.
Vroooom
Vroaang
Two vans and two sedans came roaring up the alley with loud engine noises. At the very back, the Black Dragon Society’s Benz came into view.
The two North Korean agents who had been heading up the hill rushed past me again, running. They sprinted down toward the front gate of the safehouse.