How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

Vice Chairman Wei Chen, Director Pan Kai, and I sat around the table, sipping drinks and chatting casually.

“Department Head Cha, Pan Kai and I are planning to return to Macau tomorrow morning.”

“Why are you in such a hurry? Why don’t you meet Director Griffin before you leave?”

In truth, Vice Chairman Wei Chen himself desperately wanted to meet Director Griffin. Establishing a personal connection with him would undoubtedly be beneficial. However, his position as vice chairman of the Triad tied his hands.

“Director Griffin probably won’t want to meet with me.”

“If it hadn’t been for the Triad, there’s no way we could have reduced China’s naval base in Dalian to ruins.”

“That may be true, but we’ve already received two billion dollars in compensation from the U.S. government.”

Cutting off my conversation with Vice Chairman Wei Chen, I immediately dialed Director Griffin’s number. After several rings, his cheerful voice came through the phone.

[I was just about to call you, Department Head Cha.]

“So Advisor Graff has already contacted you?”

[That’s right. I’m flying out tomorrow morning.]

“I see. Let me know your arrival time, and I’ll meet you at the airport.”

[I’ll send it to you in a message as soon as we hang up. By the way, is Vice Chairman Tang Guochang still with you?]

“Something else came up, so he left immediately after dinner.”

[I see. May I ask why you called?]

“I’m with Vice Chairman Wei Chen right now. Since you’re coming to China anyway, would you like to meet him?”

[Is there any need for that?]

Director Griffin’s response clearly conveyed his refusal. Still, I was absolutely certain I could change his mind, so I wasn’t worried in the slightest.

“Triad members have infiltrated deep into the Chinese military. If they want to, they can destroy any Chinese military base.”

[Ah, I hadn’t considered that.]

“May I take that to mean you agree to meet Vice Chairman Wei?”

[How could I refuse a request from you, Department Head Cha?]

“Haha. Excellent. Then I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow.”

Click.

After hanging up, I turned to Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

“You heard my conversation with Director Griffin, didn’t you?”

“I certainly did... But are we going to have to destroy another Chinese military base?”

“No. I only mentioned it as a precaution in case something unexpected happens.”

Bzzz—

At that moment, Director Pan Kai’s phone, which was lying on the table, began vibrating. After checking the caller’s name, he rose from the table and stepped away to take the call. A short while later, he returned to his seat and reported what he had heard.

“Brother-in-law, Director Liu Haoran and Dandong Public Security Bureau Chief Pu Zhenghua just left Politburo member Liu Peiqi’s house. Both of them looked deathly pale.”

“They must have seen the news reports about the hacker groups being wiped out.”

“Most likely.”

“Well, the clash between Politburo member Liu and Deputy Secretary Zhang should be quite a spectacle.”

“I think so too. By the way, do you think Liu Peiqi will send people after Director Go Yeongjun?”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen’s gaze shifted toward me. Instantly grasping what he was getting at, I answered without hesitation.

“If I were Liu Peiqi, I’d definitely send people to the Philippines because I couldn’t bear to lose that money.”

“Because of the money?”

“He’s convinced that Director Go Yeongjun stole the gold bars straight out of his villa.”

“Ah, I see.”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen nodded vigorously.

***

The next day.

We were on our way to Dalian International Airport to meet Director Griffin.

“Department Head, I’m curious about something. Why is Director Griffin personally flying all the way here and putting himself at risk?”

“He’s coming here to meet Vice Chairman Tang Guochang.”

“There must be a good reason for that, of course?”

“Yesterday, I realized that Vice Chairman Tang is consumed by the ambition to accomplish something great. But he was hesitating because he thought his chances of success were too low. Director Griffin is coming here as President Douglas’s secret envoy to give him confidence.”

“Ah, now I understand.”

“Everything I just told you must remain secret for the time being.”

“I’ll take this secret to the grave.”

“So will I, just like Chief Secretary Kang...”

Team Leader Lee Menghong and Agent Choi Seonghun, who was behind the wheel, also promised to keep it secret.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry. Still, when will we be able to return home?”

Originally, we had planned to fly back this morning. However, Director Griffin’s arrival had forced us to alter our travel schedule.

“I don’t know the exact date we’ll be returning either.”

“Sigh...”

A heavy, devastated sigh escaped Chief Secretary Kang Inhan’s chest.

***

I checked the current time on my phone and felt anxiety creeping over me.

The passenger plane that had departed from Incheon International Airport had landed at Dalian International Airport an hour ago. Even allowing time for immigration and baggage claim, Director Griffin should have appeared long ago. Yet for some reason, he still hadn’t emerged into the arrivals hall.

As though reading my thoughts, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan spoke worriedly.

“Department Head, could Director Griffin have run into trouble at immigration?”

“It took us quite a while to get through immigration when we entered China too.”

“I have a bad feeling about this... Should we call Director Griffin?”

“If something had happened to him, the first thing they would’ve done is confiscate his phone.”

Bzzz—

As the tense minutes dragged on, the phone in my hand vibrated. I immediately glanced at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number. Just in case, I answered without hesitation.

“This is Cha Jiham.”

[Department Head Cha, this is NIS Director Om Giyeon.]

“Director Om?”

[I’ll explain why my number has changed when we meet.]

“Did you... come to Dalian?”

[That’s right. If Team Leader Lee Menghong is with you, put him on the phone.]

I immediately handed the phone to Lee Menghong. After exchanging a few brief words with NIS Director Om Giyeon, he ended the call. As he returned my phone, Lee Menghong summarized their conversation.

“Three people came.”

“Is the third Director Nevers?”

“That’s right. Director Om told us to prepare a minivan.”

That worked out perfectly. We had come in a seven-seat minivan.

At that very moment, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan, who had been staring intently at the arrivals exit, called out to me.

“Department Head, that man over there is Director Om.”

I could only frown in confusion. The man Kang Inhan was pointing at was a complete stranger to me. On top of that, he looked about ten centimeters taller than NIS Director Om Giyeon.

“That man?”

“His gait is exactly the same as Director Om’s.”

A moment later, the stranger quickly approached us and greeted me.

“Department Head Cha, how have you been?”

“Is that really you, Director Om?”

“You must be surprised by my height. I’m just wearing platform shoes.”

“Ah, I see. May I ask why the inspection took so long?”

“Dalian seems to be under a state of emergency, so they’ve tightened inspections of foreign nationals to the extreme. I’m a Korean citizen, so I got through faster than Director Griffin and Director Nevers.”

“We had no idea things were this tense.”

“Let’s hurry to the parking lot.”

At first, I couldn’t understand Director Om’s reasoning. We still hadn’t met Director Griffin or Director Nevers. Noticing my confusion, he explained.

“There are surveillance cameras everywhere inside the airport. There’s no reason for us to leave footage of all of us meeting together.”

“Now I understand. Follow us.”

We hurried to the parking lot and immediately climbed into the minivan.

“Phew~”

NIS Director Om Giyeon let out a breath of obvious relief. It seemed the process of entering China really had been quite an ordeal.

“What if Director Griffin and Director Nevers run into trouble?”

“They’re entering on official passports, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Not fake ones?”

“Intelligence officers carry several sets of documents in case of unforeseen circumstances.”

“Well, officials of their rank are issued the highest-level diplomatic passports, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. But don’t you need a visa to enter China?”

“We prepared a plan for entering China in advance in case the worst happened, so we obtained visas beforehand. But because you carried out the operation flawlessly, our trip here almost became unnecessary.”

In other words, they had obtained Chinese visas ahead of time as insurance against the worst-case scenario.

“Thorough preparation.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

“Still, what is the main purpose of your visit?”

“If Vice Chairman Tang Guochang stages a coup, the greatest beneficiary will be you, Department Head Cha. However, since you’re a civilian, there’s an extreme limit to the range of benefits you can personally receive from him.”

“So you came here so our country could receive those benefits in my place?”

“Exactly.”

“But for both me and our country to benefit, his coup has to succeed, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} doesn’t it?”

“If our country, you, and the United States actively support him, success is guaranteed.”

I completely agreed with Director Om, so I decided to change the subject.

“Before Director Griffin and Director Nevers arrive, there’s one thing I’d like to clarify.”

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“Vice Chairman Tang Guochang is convinced that Reconnaissance General Bureau Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol fled to the United States.”

“I’ll tell both of them to stick to that story.”

“Please do. And one more thing. He believes Commander Kwak Taesu is hiding somewhere in China.”

Bzzz—

At that moment, the phone in my hand vibrated. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. Guessing who it was, I answered immediately.

“Director Griffin?”

[Haha! You guessed it. Where are you?]

“We’re near Exit One. Come out that way and we’ll pick you up.”

[Got it. I’ll be right there.]

Click.

After hanging up, I addressed Agent Choi Seonghun in the driver’s seat.

“Agent Choi, you heard our conversation, right?”

As soon as Choi Seonghun pulled the minivan up to Exit One, Director Griffin and Director Nevers emerged through the airport doors.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan jumped out of the vehicle and waved to signal them. Spotting us, the two men quickly approached and climbed inside. Kang Inhan jumped back in after them and slammed the door shut, and Choi Seonghun immediately drove off.

“Director Griffin, Director Nevers, welcome to China.”

“Hahaha! Thank you.”

Director Griffin smiled faintly and loosened his tie.

“Director Griffin, you know why the entry inspections are so strict, don’t you?”

“Of course. When are they going to lift this heightened security in Dalian?”

“Yesterday, during our meeting with Vice Chairman Tang Guochang, we pinned the entire attack on the base on North Korean special forces. I convinced him that the saboteurs had already returned to North Korea, so the heightened security should be lifted soon.”

“That’s good news. By the way, did Vice Chairman Tang believe you?”

‘Well, as the saying goes, the crying child gets fed first.’

“To tell you the truth, Vice Chairman Tang initially suspected the United States. Vice Chairman Wei Chen and I had to work quite hard to convince him otherwise.”

“I see... I can never thank you enough, Department Head Cha.”

“There’s no need.”

“Is there anything I should keep in mind when I meet him?”

“He turned out to be far greedier for money than anyone could have imagined.”

“Are you saying I should give him a substantial gift when we meet?”

Director Griffin’s instincts, as always, went far beyond the ordinary.

“Exactly.”

“And what kind of gift would work best?”

“In the end, money is best.”

“Ah...”

Director Griffin nodded knowingly, immediately grasping what I had in mind.