2. New Mission #8
They found out later that he wasn’t Hiro when you were already abducted by a group of maniacs.
Lim was right. Taekjoo’s streak of bad luck had started with the flight and only got worse from there. All because of that drunk Russian. That was how Taekjoo ended up meeting Vasily, who was pretending to be from Gazprom.
But if I may ask, you arrived much later than expected. Did something happen?
There was a small commotion during the flight.
Did someone have too much to drink?
How did you—?
How did he know? Of course he knew, it was his doing. It annoyed Taekjoo that Vasily had a quick death. He deserved more, worse. He clenched his fist to calm himself, then winced. His wrist hurt.
Taekjoo looked down at his right arm. The spot where the murder fiend had grabbed him was bruised, the shape of a hand clearly visible.
Taekjoo felt the shock from earlier and the horror of his encounter with the killer.
He had to find out who the monster was. Otherwise, he’d keep reliving that humiliation.
Taekjoo confided in Lim about the killing maniac. He would take whatever help he could get, even from the headquarters. However, Lim’s reaction was underwhelming.
- Well, if you didn’t even see his face, then there’s no way to find out who he is.
You said yourself that only four thousand packs of the cigars were sold.
It means the number of buyers is at least four thousand.
Tracing and digging after each of them would take forever.
Also, his shoes weren’t exclusive either, right?
Taekjoo was about to disagree but stopped. Lim wasn’t wrong.
- It’s unfortunate you had to go through so much trouble on the first day of the mission.
Taekjoo nodded indifferently at Lim’s attempt to comfort him. Lim, after watching his subordinate for a while, leaned forward closer to the screen.
- I understand you like working alone, but seeing you struggle on your first day only makes me anxious, especially when I’m so far away from you. You’re like a sitting duckling.
Lim was being was being unusually gentle all of a sudden, and continued.
- So, I found someone to help you.
Taekjoo had a bad feeling about this.
“You never said anything like this before.”
Taekjoo responded, frowning. This mission was Taekjoo’s solo mission. There was no talk of a partner until he left.
Lim was telling Taekjoo this news just now while he was already in the middle of the mission. This sly fox of a man. Taekjoo glared at the monitor. Lim wasn’t intimidated at all. He continued talking.
- This guy knows all the ins and outs of that city and has a solid grasp of how money and influence work there too.
I’m sure he’ll be a big help to you. After seeing how things play out, he’ll find you and reach out in a day or two.
I’ll send you a picture of your new partner sometime soon, so make sure you take a good look at it.
He was as talkative as he was shameless. Oh, Lim seemed to have remembered something at the last minute.
- You’ll be sitting down with the project stakeholders tomorrow, so make sure you have a good understanding of the LNG facility project details.
The line disconnected before Taekjoo could even say a single word of objection. Then, he received a file from Lim. Taekjoo opened it with a sulk. It was a 572-page document full of details about the Russia-Japan contract and everything related to the LNG facility project.
Taekjoo was speechless.
Taekjoo glared at the file and its tiny letters, then he suddenly turned his head toward the crease-free, pristine bed. It looked very tempting. But he had no choice.
Taekjoo heaved out a long sigh and got up.
He walked over to the minibar and grabbed a can of beer.
Beads of condensation dotted the surface of the can.
It didn’t take long for Taekjoo to down it and return to the table.
He took deep breaths as he sat down. He hadn’t studied this hard in a long time.
***
Taekjoo was utterly bored in his seat at the restaurant.
He was set to join a luncheon with key figures of this bilateral project.
Fortunately, none of the Japanese team found him suspicious.
No one had time to spare for a regular employee.
All Taekjoo had to do was get through this luncheon without any trouble.
After that, he just needed to attend the celebratory banquet in a few days.
The moment he joined that banquet, where Russia’s economic and political elites would gather, it would mark the end of his fake identity. He would no longer be Sakamoto Hiro.
Taekjoo glanced at his watch. The luncheon was supposed to start at noon, but the hands of the clock had already passed twelve and were slowly moving toward half past twelve.
The ones who had arrived on time had to sit through the awkwardness.
Why? Because the president of Gazprom hadn’t arrived yet.
One of the Gazprom staff members kept reaching out to the office for updates on the delay...
The poor thing couldn’t even sit still. He looked helpless and miserable.
“Mr. Sakamoto?”
Taekjoo was so distracted by all the fuss from the Gazprom staff member that he missed a question. It came from a Russian government official.
“Yes? Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat that for me?”
“I heard that you had to go through an unfortunate incident on the day you arrived in Russia. How are you doing?”
“Oh, yes, I wasn’t harmed at all, thanks to the quick response from the Russian police. One of the officers was even kind enough to give me a ride to my accommodations.”
“Oh dear, I don’t think my apology can make things better, but I’m truly sorry you went through such a terrible experience.”
“No, it’s okay. You don’t owe me an apology. It’s me who should’ve taken more precautions. I regret that it was my mistake.”
Taekjoo was the one apologizing. However, his words were oily with pretense, and his eyes were anything but regretful. Still, the Russian official kept apologizing. And the entire Japanese delegates, not wanting to be outdone in politeness, responded with apologies of their own.
“We’re sorry to have caused you trouble.”
“No, no, we’re the ones who should apologize.”
It was an endless exchange of regrets, passed back and forth.
Taekjoo’s stomach felt uneasy. All eyes turned to Taekjoo the moment he stood up. His initial plan was to leave discreetly, but now that it was impossible, Taekjoo smiled and asked to be excused.
“Please excuse me.”
He even mimed washing his hands before leaving.
A heavy sigh escaped Taekjoo as soon as the door was closed behind him.
The tie around his neck felt suffocating.
He decided to undo it but flinched. Taekjoo saw that the Gazprom staff member was still on the phone in the hallway.
His voice became softer, yet his tone remained visibly upset.
He pressed the person on the other end, lowering his voice as he spoke.
“Where is the president? Has he even left the office? Why are you torturing me like this!”
Taekjoo quietly passed behind him, and not long after, the Gazprom staff member exploded.
“Proxy? What do you mean a proxy? Are you kidding me?”
It was the moment that undid everything the person had worked so hard to achieve. Taekjoo tutted lowly and went on his way to the restroom.
The restroom was situated further down the hallway, past a turn. The door reached about fifteen feet in height. Taekjoo scanned the surroundings first, as was his habit. He didn’t notice anything strange, and it seemed that he was alone in the restroom. He let out a sigh and stood before the sink.
Taekjoo’s hands were clean, but he still washed them, replaying his actions in his mind.
The day before yesterday, he fell asleep while perusing the material Lim had sent him.
He tossed and turned a bit, but overall, it wasn’t a bad night’s sleep.
Maybe he had simply passed out, drained both mentally and physically.
Yesterday morning, Taekjoo finished studying the remaining material.
Afterward, he headed to the airport to escort the Japanese visiting team.
He mentally retraced everything that had happened since.
He hadn’t made any mistakes. He had to admit—cramming had worked.
Thanks to two days of intense studying, Taekjoo had no trouble understanding and joining in on conversations.
At that moment, Taekjoo heard someone talking by the door. Only one person was speaking, so either he was talking to himself or on the phone with someone. Was it the one from Gazprom earlier? As the door opened, Taekjoo heard the voice better. He froze instantly.
“—no, I am here, but it’s gonna be boring.”
Taekjoo found the speaker’s voice familiar. Where was it? Where did I hear that voice?
It couldn’t have been that long ago, but the voice was not familiar enough for Taekjoo to have heard it often. Yet, he was positive he’d heard it once before —and it had left a strong impression on him.
While Taekjoo struggled to grasp a memory that was just out of reach, the voice, after a brief pause, continued speaking. More precisely, the voice was coming from behind him.
“Let’s make one thing clear. I’ve covered for you enough last time.”
It was him. Taekjoo didn’t have to look behind—he was sure it was him. It was the killing machine Taekjoo had come across in the makeshift building two days ago. The moment Taekjoo realized it, all his senses sharpened. His sense of smell was the first to awaken.
He could smell the deep scent of damp leaves subtly smoldering.
And as expected, it was followed by a light yet rich note of cognac.
Cohiba Behike. The man didn’t have the cigar between his lips.
He hadn’t done anything yet. However, Taekjoo felt like an invisible weight was pulling his shoulders down, immobilizing him.
The man seemed to be on the phone right by the door, judging by how his voice kept coming from behind Taekjoo.
In the midst of it all, Taekjoo felt a gaze. He didn’t have to look back or check the mirror to be certain. The murderer was looking at him, Kwon Taekjoo. A shiver ran down Taekjoo’s spine.
“Fine—for now.”