“What? Alex was hospitalized?”
Upon hearing the news of Alex’s hospitalization, Daehun sprang up from his seat.
He looked as if he were burning with rage, but in truth, “surprised” was the more accurate description.
“Yes. Last night he developed vomiting and fever symptoms, so it seems he went to the ER.”
A brief silence.
He didn’t ask anything more.
“Let’s go for now. Get the boys ready.”
Right now, the first thing he had to do wasn’t figure out the cause of the incident.
It was checking Alex’s condition.
“We’ll prepare immediately.”
Geonsu answered shortly.
Dozens of large black sedans entered the hospital in a line.
That sight alone radiated an immense threat.
As the cars stopped, men in black suits got out all at once and lined up.
Their movements were swift, without a single unnecessary motion, no words, no eye contact.
They were oppressive in and of themselves.
Normally, Daehun hated this kind of exaggerated staging, this ceremonial display.
But today was different.
He needed to show the hospital staff exactly who was hospitalized here.
He needed to warn them what would happen if they dared treat Alex carelessly.
He needed to imprint it on them.
Daehun slowly walked in through the men in black suits.
Geonsu followed behind him.
“Room 2308.”
Geonsu quietly whispered from behind.
The elevator was already held.
Daehun slowly stepped into the open elevator.
The hospital staff on duty, and even the patients, could only stare at that sight.
There was an aura to them that no one could stop or question.
Above all, they looked cool.
Room 2308.
When they arrived, it was a VVIP suite.
He felt somewhat relieved.
He’d been ready to say something if it had been a six-patient room, but it seemed Scott had handled things well.
When the hospital room door opened, Alex came into view.
It seemed like Alex’s face had halved in just one day.
“How did this happen?”
“I think something I ate yesterday didn’t agree with me.”
Daehun’s brow furrowed.
“I’m going to kill these bastards...”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to rough up the bastards who sold this yesterday. You think I’ll let it slide?”
“Why would you beat them up?”
“Because they sold this trash. Because they sold spoiled goods.”
“You crazy bastard. If the food had gone bad, all of you should be sick too. Am I the only one hurting? Didn’t we all eat together?”
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, that made sense too.
“Guess I got too comfortable after finally coming back to Korea and let my guard down. Thanks to that I’m resting well, so it’s nice. So don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“Hm.”
Just then the door opened and Gwon Jua came in.
Gwon Jua frowned once at the sight of the men in black suits filling the hospital room, then continued speaking.
“I told you yesterday that too many people here would be uncomfortable?”
“Hey, you—”
Hearing that, Daehun got angry and was about to say something when Scott grabbed his arm.
And speaking in a very low voice into Daehun’s ear.
“She’s his ex-girlfriend. There’s still something lingering there. Potential sister-in-law material.”
Daehun’s eyes widened.
He looked at Scott. Looked at Alex, then looked back and forth between them at Gwon Jua.
Sister-in-law?
Alex had a girlfriend like that?
Someone that pretty, and a doctor?
Daehun felt a slight sense of betrayal.
He had thought Alex was a lifelong bachelor like him.
Before he could even voice his betrayal, the hospital room door opened again and the hospital director appeared.
“Chairman. It is an honor that you have visited us personally.”
The hospital director bowed deeply to Daehun.
“Ah.. you were the director here?”
“Yes. I am the director here.”
The hospital director answered with a forced smile.
Daehun and the hospital director had met at some gathering in the past.
That was when they became acquainted.
Not that they were close.
It was simply the director’s great ambition to build a closer relationship with Daehun, who was close with the foundation chairman, that had made him come all the way here.
“Please take good care of this patient.”
“Don’t worry. I will line up all the best doctors for you.”
Daehun shook his head.
“Not the best doctors. Is it possible for that person to be the attending physician?”
Daehun asked, pointing at Gwon Jua.
The hospital director didn’t hesitate for even a second.
“Of course. Of course it’s possible.”
“Then, I shall take my leave with that understanding. I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry. I will handle it well.”
Daehun gave Inbae a look, lightly took the director’s shoulder, and left the hospital room.
The men in black suits also left the hospital room entirely.
Only then could the hospital room find peace.
.
.
.
He was discharged after staying two more days in the hospital.
His condition had already improved, but he stayed a little longer because it felt like he was getting some real rest.
While hospitalized, he even got a health checkup.
They said he was healthy.
He knew he was healthy, but having it confirmed put him in a good mood.
On the day of discharge.
Gwon Jua came out of the hospital to see him off.
“Call me. Let’s grab a meal sometime.”
Gwon Jua said.
“Yeah. I’ll definitely call.”
I nodded.
I headed home in the vehicle prepared by the Obsidian Unit.
I was smiling without even realizing it.
*******
“After expanding the analysis of Team Leader Bak Dojin’s corporate card statements to two years, transactions requiring explanation number 102, and the amount is 82.1 million won. That is all.”
Inspector Jeong Useok put down his prepared report and looked at Director Baek Doyun.
The report contained two years’ worth of Team Leader Bak Dojin’s corporate card statements, and problematic transactions were marked in red.
Red marks were densely packed across the report.
Director Baek Doyun spoke while looking at Inspector Jeong Useok.
“Dig deeper. Dig deeper.”
“Pardon?”
What came out of Director Baek Doyun’s mouth was completely different from what Inspector Jeong Useok had been thinking.
Had he misheard?
Dig deeper?
Usually at this point the words were to stop.
‘We know it’s suspicious. But shouldn’t we be a bit understanding?’
‘Let’s wrap this up appropriately.’
‘Let’s end this with a warning.’
‘What good is it for civil servants to point knives at each other?’
‘They must have their circumstances too.’
But Director Baek Doyun’s answer was completely different from expectations.
“Dig to the end. Let’s see how far it goes. Have you drawn up the on-site audit (field investigation) plan?”
“Pardon? No. Not yet...”
“Get going. Go out and turn everything upside down.”
“But if we go for an on-site audit, would they even hand over the documents? Won’t they refuse, saying it’s classified?”
“Then even better~”
Director Baek Doyun answered with a slight smile.
He seemed to be thinking something else entirely.
Director Baek Doyun thought this was a good opportunity.
The image of the Board of Audit and Inspection was very poor.
The reason was that it failed to properly fulfill its role.
It was a Board of Audit and Inspection that bullied the weak and cowered before the strong.
An institution that only watched how high-ranking officials and powerful departments were doing, while handling low-level civil servants strictly by the book.
People thought that.
Was it necessary for it to be like that, when it was an institution created to handle wrongdoing?
Discussions about whether the Board of Audit and Inspection was even necessary were taking place in the National Assembly.
But it wasn’t that the auditors wanted to be that way.
The Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection was also a parachute appointee from somewhere.
If the Chairman told them not to do it, how could civil servants defy that?
If they defied it, they immediately became audit targets.
Civil servants of the Board of Audit and Inspection would end up being audited.
As a result, the Board of Audit and Inspection had become what it was.
It had grown powerless.
Conversely, the National Intelligence Service had weakened considerably, but still possessed enormous power.
Especially since there were many secrets in its operations, everything the NIS used was labeled classified.
It was effectively an immunity.
They could only be punished if there was evidence of wrongdoing,
because the documents proving their wrongdoing were all classified by law.
But the situation had changed a few years ago.
Concrete evidence emerged that the NIS had intervened in domestic politics.
Through a National Assembly resolution, NIS documents were forcibly disclosed, and those who checked the materials were shocked beyond measure.
“We will no longer interfere in domestic politics.”
There was a statement from the newly appointed NIS Director, but no one believed those words literally.
The NIS was still heavily involved in domestic politics.
It had become a dog of power.
But the regime had changed.
The new president wanted the National Intelligence Service to truly focus on its duties as an intelligence agency.
He wanted the NIS to be normalized.
Director Baek Doyun decided to probe this point.
He decided to fight the NIS once, with the new government at his back.
He would face off against the National Intelligence Service, which had been the supreme power.
Just by doing that, the Board of Audit and Inspection could become an equal to the NIS.
The evidence seemed sufficient.
Team Leader Bak Dojin’s card payment records looked suspicious no matter who saw them.
Even if they claimed it was work-related, it didn’t matter.
The Board of Audit and Inspection could gain the symbol of having done what it was supposed to do.
It could gain the image of an institution that did its job, standing up to the powerful National Intelligence Service.
That alone was a winning trade for the Board of Audit and Inspection.
Conversely, the NIS would inevitably be cornered the more it refused to be investigated openly, running away saying it was a secret, it was classified.
Public perception of the NIS was that poor.
Director Baek Doyun decided to go all the way this time.
“Get going. If you need anything, contact me directly. I’ll back you up as much as possible, so.”
“Thank you.”
Inspector Jeong Useok gathered his materials and headed to the National Intelligence Service for the on-site audit.
*****
NIS mini conference room.
Inspector Jeong Useok and Team Leader Bak Dojin sat facing each other.
“I am Inspector Jeong Useok. I request your cooperation for the on-site audit.”
Jeong Useok politely requested as he opened the report.
But the answer that came back was not so.
“You’ve come a long way, but I have nothing to tell you.”
“Pardon?”
Jeong Useok asked back in disbelief.
He hadn’t asked anything yet.
Yet the answer was that there was nothing to say.
His arrogance pierced the sky.
“Classified.”
Bak Dojin spat out a single word as if showcasing his ultimate technique.
It was the ultimate technique capable of nullifying any attack.
To such Bak Dojin, Jeong Useok spoke politely once more.
“A tip came in, so if you could just explain that part, I would like to conclude it as unfounded. I don’t want to drag this out either.”
Jeong Useok spoke softly.
He gave him an exit.
But it didn’t work on Bak Dojin.
“You’ve come a long way, so I’m sorry I can’t give you a good answer. Since you’re here, have a meal. The cafeteria here is quite delicious.”
Bak Dojin said in a playful voice.
Inspector Jeong Useok was angry but held it in.
He had seen many rude people like this.
If he got swept up by this, they would point to his attitude rather than the content.
He didn’t want to give them any pretext.
“Then may I take this conversation as your official explanation?”
“That’s for you to figure out. Wouldn’t it be overreach for me to meddle in that too? We each remain faithful to our duties.”
Bak Dojin answered with a snide remark.
“Understood. Thank you for your time.”
Jeong Useok bowed once more and stood up.
That evening’s news.
[Controversy over NIS Corporate Card Statements — Audit Impossible Under ‘Classified Information’]
[NIS Response to Board of Audit and Inspection Request to Verify Corporate Card Usage — ‘Classified Information’]
[A Shield Named ‘Classified Information’ — Why is the NIS Beyond Verification?]
[NIS Corporate Card — Public Funds or Extraterritoriality?]
[NIS Corporate Card, Dismissed as ‘Classified Information’ to Board of Audit and Inspection Request — Is Control Possible?]
[NIS Corporate Card, No One Able to Verify Usage History.]
Bak Dojin’s face hardened as he checked the news.
He immediately called Jeong Useok.
\- This is Jeong Useok.
“Hey. What the hell are you doing?”
\- Who is this?
“Hah. It’s Bak Dojin, you bastard.”
Bak Dojin growled as if he would devour him.
But the voice on the other end of the receiver was all too calm.
\- Aha.. but what is this regarding?
“Don’t know and asking? This is you, isn’t it? You leaked the story, didn’t you?”
\- I’m not even a media outlet, so how could I control something like that? Wouldn’t that be overreach?
“What?”
Jeong Useok’s annoyed tone.
He was throwing back the exact words Bak Dojin had said during the day.
Bak Dojin was furious to the top of his head.
“I simply reported exactly what was there. That you said you couldn’t answer anything because it’s ‘classified information.’ Didn’t the news report the same? That you ‘can’t do anything because it’s classified information?’ It seems the article came out exactly according to your answer. Do you have any complaints?”
“You... you...”
Park Dojin could not say a word in the face of Jeong Useok’s blatant mockery.
- Then I’ll hang up now. It’s quitting time.
Click.
Fuck.
Furious, Park Dojin hurled the phone away.
Only then did Park Dojin realize.
That saying nothing at all, at times, said the most.
******
The matter grew serious.
Upon hearing the news, the president ordered an immediate and substantive investigation.
A special investigation team was formed, and they began verifying not only the corporate card records of every NIS employee, but even their special activity funds.
There was not a single clean person among the NIS employees.
There was not a single NIS employee who had not used corporate cards and special activity funds as if they were their own money.
Everyone had been hiding behind the perfect shield of confidentiality, spending tax money to their hearts’ content.
But now that shield had shattered.
Because of Park Dojin.
The resentment of every member of the NIS turned toward Park Dojin.
Because of Park Dojin, the honey pot had been smashed.
Everyone looked at Park Dojin with resentful eyes.
Park Dojin was subjected to an internal audit.
Even within the NIS, they were taking this matter seriously.
They could not cover it up.
The NIS no longer served as a shield for Park Dojin.
Until the internal audit was complete, Park Dojin was banned from coming to work.
He was completely excluded from his duties.
The only thing Park Dojin could do was drink.
A bright future at the NIS had been guaranteed to him,
no, he had thought it was guaranteed, but it had vanished in an instant.
Even if the internal audit found him innocent, promotion would be difficult.
No one pushed a flawed person upward.
The NIS was that kind of organization.
On top of that, he was being resented by the members of the NIS.
He might have to write a letter of resignation.
And there was no chance he would be found innocent.
The truth was, he had used it for personal reasons.
He had gone to nice restaurants with women he wanted to impress and swiped the corporate card.
He had eaten with people he wanted to entertain and swiped the corporate card.
There was no way the NIS did not know that.
Angry, he drank another glass.
There was nothing he could do.
He felt helpless.
As he drank, lost in his own thoughts, the atmosphere changed.
The street tent bar that had been bustling with people had, at some point, fallen silent.
When he raised his head, there was no one in the tent bar except Park Dojin.
Not even the owner running the place.
Feeling that something was wrong, he was about to leave when someone came inside.
“Uh… huh?? Uh… uh. You… Gong Inbae.”
The person he had been seeing several times a day on a monitor until just a few days ago walked in.
It felt somehow unreal.
“Have you been well, Team Leader?”
Gong Inbae greeted him with a smile.
“How did you…?”
“Goodness. You should at least shave. What’s with that beard? It’s not even the kind of beard that grows in nicely. Looks like a barbarian’s beard, doesn’t it?”
Gong Inbae spoke as if teasing him.
But Park Dojin was in no state to play along.
“Just leave. If you want to drink, go somewhere else.”
“But I came to see you, Team Leader. How could I go somewhere else?”
“What?”
Park Dojin stared at Gong Inbae in shock.
In that instant, a chill flashed through his mind.
No way… no way…
“It was… you?”
Park Dojin struggled to speak.
“Correct.”
Gong Inbae answered brightly.
Park Dojin was enraged.
He tried to stand, wanting to throw even a single punch, but he could not get up.
Someone was standing behind him.
That man pressed down on Park Dojin’s shoulder, keeping him from rising.
He exerted his strength, but he could not overcome it.
In the end, he gave up on standing.
Park Dojin was a man who had trained quite a bit.
With just a brief clash, he could tell.
Whether he could win or not.
The man standing behind him was someone Park Dojin could not beat.
He gave up on hitting Gong Inbae.
Instead, he got angry at Gong Inbae and poured out his rage.
“Do you know what happened because of you? Huh? The NIS is in chaos right now. How are you going to take responsibility for this? Huh? How are you going to take responsibility?”
“What responsibility am I supposed to take?”
Gong Inbae answered half-heartedly.
The sight irritated him.
“You have to take responsibility for making it turn out like this.”
“That’s what I’m asking. What did I do wrong? That’s the question. Normally, people take responsibility for what they themselves did, don’t they?”
When asked like that, he had nothing to say.
When he thought about what Gong Inbae had done wrong, nothing in particular came to mind.
“You said you did it, didn’t you? So you should take responsibility.”
“If you’re telling me to take responsibility for making a report, I will. But I’m not the one who committed corruption. You are. I’m not the one who drank and ate with women and swiped the corporate card. So what responsibility am I supposed to take?”
“That’s…”
“Ah… So even though you’d been stealing all this time and no one said anything, I spoke up and you got caught? So it’s my fault?”
“…”
“So you do know you’re a thief.”
Park Dojin had nothing to say in response to Gong Inbae’s words.
So now, he wanted to ask what he was truly curious about.
“But why did you stab me in the back? You had no reason to do this.”
“Same as you.”
“What?”
“I just wanted to give you some shit. You said you wanted to give me shit, didn’t you? I only wanted to pay you back in kind. Though I didn’t know it would snowball this badly.”
“Hah…”
Park Dojin wore a dumbfounded expression.
“Anyway, stop drinking for today.”
“Why?”
“There’s something you need to eat later. If you’re full, you won’t be able to eat it.”
Park Dojin’s expression changed.
Ominous thoughts filled his head.
He was dyed with fear.
Gong Inbae’s expression was dangerous.
He wanted to beg for his life.
But the words would not come out.
“If you want to ruin someone else’s life, you should start knowing that your own life could get fucked too. Don’t you think?”
“…Don’t do this…”
“Just drink one last glass of soju. I’ve prepared cement as your side dish.”
“……”
“I’ll feed you until you’re full. Until your stomach bursts. Apparently, it works best if you eat it while you’re still alive.”
“……Please…”
“When you go to hell, live diligently instead of playing around with other people’s lives.”
“Sp… spare me.”
Park Dojin, who had been stiff and arrogant, fell to his knees.
And begged.
“Please spare me.”
“Then I’ll see you in hell.”