TL: EKID
Inside the warehouse office, there was a single branch chief’s desk, and in front of the desk, two four-seater sofas and one single-seater sofa were arranged in a ㄷ-shape. Both the desk and the sofas were uniformly dark charcoal gray in color.
Three cabinets stood side by side against the wall, and there were dents here and there. At a glance, they looked like marks made by fists.
The Black Dragon Society Dandong Branch office looked just like any other logistics warehouse site office.
Wang Yudong, the Dandong Branch Chief of the Black Dragon Society, was sitting on the single-seater sofa, and Deputy Branch Chief Wu Shi was sitting at the end of the four-seater sofa, close to Wang Yudong.
The two were talking about the shootout that had occurred at the gas station.
“What did Office 39 of North Korea say?”
“They said there was no problem on their end during the last deal. They insist they definitely sent 20kg of drugs with 98% purity.”
Office 39 of North Korea is an organization established in the 1990s in charge of earning foreign currency. It is a secretive organization that provides ruling funds for the North Korean regime, unhesitatingly committing illegal activities such as opium, counterfeit currency, arms sales, and cyber crimes.
“Who cares about the drug purity? I’m asking who the hell started the shootout and who stole the drugs and the money.”
“Office 39 is actually demanding an explanation from us regarding the shootout. They say that if we can’t explain, they’ll hold us fully responsible for the failed deal.”
“Crazy bastards! They killed all our guys who were on site, and now they want us to explain ourselves?”
“Since it happened in our area and there was no CCTV, they’re suspecting we stole the drugs.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Wang Yudong felt frustrated. All his men on site were killed, and the drugs and money were gone. Then the answer was obvious. Wasn’t it Office 39 of North Korea who took the drugs and money?
Yet Office 39 was pushing the blame onto the Black Dragon Society, demanding they take responsibility.
“They also asked if the incident happened because we brought counterfeit currency.”
“What are they talking about? Counterfeit currency? That’s bullshit!”
“In any case, if we don’t compensate for the drug payment and the casualties, they say they’ll cut off all future drug dealings with us.”
“Unbelievable. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”
Wang Yudong leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought. After a moment, he asked Wu Shi another question.
“What do you think? Do the North Korean bastards seem like they’re playing dumb?”
“Those North Korean guys are known for being unreasonable and stubborn, but it didn’t seem like Office 39 knew about the incident. When we first called them after the shootout, they genuinely seemed clueless.”
“Hmm… then who took the drugs and the money? If there was a third party at the gas station, that bastard probably got rid of the CCTV too, right?”
“Of course. I’m currently checking the vehicles that passed the highway at that time through a trusted Public Security officer. The culprit should be revealed soon.”
“Find him no matter what! When we catch that bastard, I’ll tear him limb from limb.”
With those words, Wang Yudong slammed his fist on the desk.
Bang
Wu Shi, trying to calm the enraged Wang Yudong, added another comment.
“How could anyone distribute drugs in Dandong without going through the Black Dragon Society? Office 39 will eventually have no choice but to deal with us again.”
“Of course. Tell the guys to thoroughly crack down on anyone trying to distribute drugs through the back door!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that not a single drug shipment from North Korea is distributed without passing through our hands.”
In Liaoning Province, no one can distribute drugs without permission from the Black Dragon Society. Behind the Black Dragon Society stands the Triads.
At that moment, a thought flashed across Wang Yudong’s mind.
“Could it be some crew working with the Suit Shop guy?”
“We eliminated those bastards in advance.”
Wang Yudong brought up the Suit Shop.
As expected, the ones who killed the Suit Shop owner and Old-man Choi were these very people.
“No matter how I think about it, if it’s not Office 39, then it has to be those bastards from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea. Maybe they knew we were sending drugs to Incheon and planned this?”
“That’s not possible. The three guys associated with the Suit Shop have already crossed the Jordan River.”
The Black Dragon Society is responsible for supplying drugs purchased from North Korea to South Korea and other third countries. Three months ago, a shipment entering through Incheon Port was caught by customs. Since then, the National Intelligence Service of South Korea caught the scent and began monitoring the Black Dragon Society.
“Weren’t there just two of them?”
“When we raided the Suit Shop, there was one more ethnic Korean there.”
“Was he also from the NIS?”
“He didn’t appear to be. We investigated and found that he’s an ethnic Korean who has lived in Dandong for over 30 years. His identity was verified.”
“Then did you kill him too?”
“Just in case. Last week, he had dinner with the Suit Shop owner. Why would someone who wasn’t a customer visit the Suit Shop owner twice in one week?”
“If it feels off, it’s best to take care of it completely. Good job. While you’re at it, dig into the surroundings of that ethnic Korean too. If you’re short on manpower, use the lower-tier units of the Black Dragon Society in Dandong.”
“Understood.”
“Push the Public Security too. We have to find the money bag and the drugs within a week. Got it?”
“Yes, I’ll mobilize all the personnel we can.”
Wu Shi bowed his head to Wang Yudong and left the office.
Wang Yudong, the Dandong Branch Chief of the Black Dragon Society, leaned deeply into the sofa.
By next week, he had to send the goods to the drug organization in Incheon. But now he had not only lost the drugs but also 2 million US dollars, it was enough to drive him crazy.
“Whoever touched my stuff will not be forgiven. Even if they die, I won’t let them die peacefully.”
Wang Yudong got up from the sofa and walked to the window of the second-floor office, gazing into the warehouse as he spoke to himself.
***
I accessed the site the sunglasses man had told me about.
<Yellow Rudbeckia>
When I entered the site, it looked like a blog selling flower seeds.
On the main page, there were four pictures of Rudbeckia flowers.
Just as the sunglasses man instructed, I searched for the bee in the photos. Among the four images, there was only one bee.
I clicked on the bee. Then a new window popped up on the monitor. It was an authentication screen.
<Yellow Rudbeckia> was a portal to a secret site, and the bee in the photo was the entrance to that secret site. I inserted the USB certificate and entered the password.
After authentication, a simple screen appeared, with only file upload and messaging functions available.
There was a ‘1’ in the message box. I clicked the message box.
-Upload manager changed to Dove No. 5.
That was it.
Dove No. 5 referred to me. It meant I was now the manager of <Yellow Rudbeckia>.
I closed and exited the site.
‘Since I did as instructed and accessed the site, today’s mission is complete.’
After spending a year and a half on a trivial mission monitoring the Yalu River Bridge, my role had now been upgraded by one level. From now on, I would also be uploading videos myself.
‘I like that I can go out now, but I’m not sure if it’s something to be happy about.’
In this line of work, more responsibilities always mean greater risks.
I left the room with the camera and editing equipment and went to the kitchen.
This afternoon, I personally went grocery shopping and filled the refrigerator and pantry with daily necessities.
Rather than instant food, I bought a bunch of fresh ingredients like vegetables and meat. I also bought two cartons of the Korean cigarette, Raison Black.
“Tonight’s dinner is kimchi stew with pork.”
I washed some rice and started cooking it in a pot. Then I took pork out of the refrigerator. I cut it into large chunks and stir-fried it in sesame oil in a pot. Once the meat was mostly cooked, I poured Bibigo kimchi into the pot. When the kimchi stew began to boil, I added a chopped Cheongyang chili pepper.
The smell of cooking rice and kimchi stew filled the house.
“Nice.”
Once the rice and kimchi stew were ready, I placed the entire pot on the dining table and began eating.
“Wow, this kimchi stew broth tastes amazing.”
For some reason, even in a dangerous situation, my appetite remained unchanged.
Even though Old-man Choi, whom I’d known for a year and a half, had died, the food still tasted good.
“Life is truly sad. Don’t be too disappointed, old man.”
Wishing for Old-man Choi’s peaceful passage to the afterlife in my heart, I scooped a spoonful of kimchi stew into my mouth.
“Even if I die, I should at least eat three meals a day before I go, or else it’d be too unfair.”
Those bold enough to attack the Suit Shop wouldn’t just sit quietly after losing their money and drugs. They would most likely dig into the surroundings of Old-man Choi, who died at the Suit Shop.
Even while eating, I was thinking about how to handle this situation.
“If this place gets exposed, I’ll use that as an excuse to report it to The Company and leave.”
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that relocating the ops room was the best decision.
Suddenly, I remembered the money bag filled with 100-dollar bills.
“Taking the drug gang’s money bag and moving the ops room. That’s it.”
Just by rough estimate, the money in the bag looked to be over two million dollars.
“If it’s not counterfeit, this is a jackpot…”
After finishing the meal, I placed the empty bowls in the sink and did the dishes.
Earlier in the day, I had also bought some coffee beans. Unlike during Old-man Choi’s time, now I could finally think about brewing freshly ground coffee myself, which made me quite pleased.
Just as I finished washing up and was about to brew the coffee.
-Woof woof, woof woof
An alarm sounded.
When I entered the editing room and checked the monitor, I saw two unfamiliar men loitering near the second-floor landing on the stairs leading up to the fourth floor. The two unfamiliar men clearly looked like gangster lackeys.
There are eight CCTVs installed in the commercial building. Checking the split-screen monitor showing all feeds, I didn’t see anyone else.
Only those two had entered the building. The way they were snooping around made it clear they came to investigate the commercial building.
I turned off the alarm, lit a cigarette, and sat in the ops room chair. Then I monitored the movements of the uninvited guests through the CCTV screens.
A moment later, the two men reached the fourth floor.
***
Nightclub <Aladdin> in downtown Dandong
This nightclub is run by the Dandong Brown Bear Gang, a subordinate organization of the Black Dragon Society.
Wang Chuqin, boss of the Dandong Brown Bear Gang, who had just returned from being summoned to the Black Dragon Society’s Dandong Branch, gathered his men at <Aladdin>. It was 5 PM, just before the nightclub opened for business.
Once about fifty members had gathered, Boss Wang Chuqin gave them instructions.
“From this moment on, if you see any suspicious guys selling drugs or recklessly spending US dollars in downtown Dandong, report it immediately. Got it?”
“What about the drugs sold by the Black Dragon Society?”
One subordinate asked a question.
“You moron! I said suspicious guys, didn’t I? Does it sound suspicious when the Black Dragon Society sells drugs?”
Deputy boss Fan Jiandong, who was standing next to Wang Chuqin, asked,
“What’s this all about all of a sudden? Drugs and US dollars?”
“Looks like someone stole drugs and money from the Black Dragon Society.”
“What a crazy bastard. Who the hell steals Black Dragon Society drugs in Dandong, without a shred of fear?”
“No kidding. The Black Dragon Society is in complete chaos right now.”
“I can picture it already.”
“Fan Jiandong, you check this place.”
Boss Wang Chuqin of the Dandong Brown Bear Gang handed a memo with an address to Deputy Boss Fan Jiandong. The address written on the memo was the address of the commercial building owned by Old-man Choi.
“What am I supposed to check?”
“I don’t know either. It’s a building owned by the ethnic Korean who died at the Suit Shop. They want everyone living there checked. Get it done today.”
“What a pain.”
Fan Jiandong left <Aladdin> with three of his men.
Wang Chuqin shouted at the remaining subordinates.
“What are you all standing around for? Move, move! Go find those suspicious bastards!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Dandong Brown Bear Gang members all headed out at once.