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Chapter 351: Clue (2)

It would become a terrifying weapon if someone truly powerful were to get their hands on it.

Hence, I had been trying to track down Kim Dong-Soo\'s intel team ever since I traveled back in time as I was aware of the dangers posed by the X-FILE. Unfortunately, I hadn\'t been able to find any traces of them.

However, now that Kim Dong-Soo had been suspended from the company, clues were finally resurfacing. Kim Dong-Soo\'s hidden power was revealing itself.

I calmed my excitement and spoke to Lee Soo-Chan. "Soo-Chan. From now on, it\'s okay to miss a few details. Just keep your distance from Kim Dong-Soo and watch. If you get too close, they might come after you."

-Do you know who it is?

"It\'s just a guess, but I\'m almost certain."

Our opponents were people handling information.

Unlike me, Lee Soo-Chan had many vulnerabilities, and if he dug too deep, he could be targeted.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lee Soo-Chan agreed.

-Understood. Oh, and I took a photo.

"A photo?"

-Yes, I\'ll send it via KkTalk. I took it yesterday.

Lee Soo-Chan sent a picture of someone who might be part of the intel team.

The photo showed a man in his late forties wearing a baseball cap pulled down low, making it difficult to see his face clearly.

Nonetheless, this was already a step in the right direction, given that I hadn\'t even seen the intel team\'s faces before in my past life.

-Then I\'ll see you at Eun-Gi\'s trial next Thursday.

"Yeah, see you then. And... thank you as always."

-You don\'t have to thank me. Not between us.

After hanging up, I fell into deep thought.

I couldn\'t chase after them myself since it was a potentially endless task and dangerous situations could arise.

I needed someone capable—someone who could handle things if a problem arose during the process.

At that moment, one person came to mind.

***

I arrived at Choi Eun-Tae\'s mansion in Myeongdong.

After I greeted him, Choi Eun-Tae anxiously inquired about Eun-Gi\'s situation. "The trial is next Thursday, but has Eun-Gi said anything about wanting to see me?"

"Resentment built up over twenty years won\'t disappear overnight. Please trust me and be patient," I replied.

According to Lee Soo-Chan, Kang Eun-Gi had been asking about Choi Eun-Tae frequently these days, suggesting that his closed heart was starting to open a little. It seemed like I would be able to bring good news soon.

President Choi Yung-Ho of Daeheung Savings Bank chimed in to support me. "Sir, as he said, don\'t be hasty and wait patiently. At least now you know where your son is, don\'t you?"

Choi Eun-Tae grumbled with a sullen expression. "Yung-Ho, whose side are you on?"

Choi Yung-Ho smiled softly. "You know I\'m always on your side, Mr. Choi."

"Then why are you saying Team Lead Jung is right?"

Even as Choi Eun-Tae protested, Choi Yung-Ho continued to smile.

Despite his grumbling, Choi Eun-Tae soon changed the subject. "Anyway, what brings you here today?"

I showed Choi Eun-Tae the photo I had received from Lee Soo-Chan.

"This guy is feeding information to Chief Kim. Could you please look into him?"

Choi Eun-Tae looked at the man in the photo and tilted his head in thought. "Yung-Ho, isn\'t this the guy?"

Choi Yung-Ho glanced at the photo and frowned. "Yes, that\'s him. How could I ever forget his face?"

At that moment, a shiver ran down my spine.

The identity of Kim Dong-Soo\'s secret intel team, which he had hidden so well in my past life, was about to be revealed.

"Who is he?" I asked.

Choi Eun-Tae explained the man\'s identity to me.

***

The man was known as Colonel Baek.

Being a former black agent from the National Intelligence Service, he operated along the China-North Korea border and conducted countless covert missions.

He was discharged after being implicated in a corruption scandal in China, and then went on to form his own intel team which specialized in high-stakes information, such as political scandals.

However, no one knew if Baek was his real surname or if he had ever actually held the rank of colonel. It was just how he introduced himself.

I initially thought the person in the photo was simply a member of the intel team. However, he turned out to be the team leader—Colonel Baek.

"How did you come across Colonel Baek?" I asked.

Choi Eun-Tae explained, "I hired someone to dig up dirt on a political figure who was opposing me. And the next day, a stranger showed up at my house and told me that I should hire the best of the best if I wanted the job done right. The guy I originally hired just quit without giving any reason."

At that time, the man had introduced himself as Colonel Baek.

"Still, Colonel Baek\'s services wouldn\'t come cheap. Kim Dong-Soo can\'t possibly afford him, can he? Maybe Man-Sik is funding him?"

"I\'m not sure. But I\'ve received reports that Kim Dong-Soo has been meeting with President Jiang Wei of Hwayeon Media Inc."

Choi Eun-Tae\'s eyes sharpened. "So it seems Kim is trying to secure a new backer outside of Man-Sik, huh?"

"I think so too. But we should confirm the source of the funding: whether it\'s from Choi Man-Sik or Jiang Wei."

Choi Eun-Tae looked at Choi Yung-Ho. "Yung-Ho, you\'ll have to handle this. Find out who\'s funding him."

"Yes, sir."

Choi Eun-Tae then turned back to me. "Leave this to us, Team Lead Jung. We have a score to settle with this guy, too."

In the past when Choi Eun-Tae had hired Colonel Baek for an investigation, he had ordered one of his subordinates to dig into Colonel Baek\'s background.

However, that subordinate ended up betraying him and joining Colonel Baek, causing significant damage.

Choi Eun-Tae, who had been harboring a grudge, now looked eager for payback.

I was glad I had come here. Without even setting conditions, they were now willing to investigate Colonel Baek on their own.

After agreeing to stay in close contact with Choi Eun-Tae regarding this matter, I called Lee Soo-Chan. I was planning to leave the task of tracking Kim Dong-Soo entirely to Choi Eun-Tae\'s side.

At that moment, Lee Soo-Chan answered in a hurried voice.

-Hyung-nim, I\'m in Myeong-dong right now and that guy we saw yesterday has shown up again.

Lee Soo-Chan had gone to check in on his team who was observing Kim Dong-Soo from a distance and Colonel Baek had coincidentally appeared in the area.

Fortunately, Myeong-dong was close by.

"Do you think you can catch him?"

-I\'m sorry. I saw him enter an alley, but I don\'t know where he went. I\'m just watching the entrance because I didn\'t want to follow too closely and get caught.

I quickly looked at Choi Eun-Tae.

Choi Eun-Tae and Choi Yung-Ho\'s eyes glinted sharply.

"Come to think of it, today is the second day."

Colonel Baek usually met clients only twice. The first meeting was to confirm their identity, and the second was to accept the job.

If that was the case, this was a golden opportunity.

Choi Eun-Tae\'s eyes gleamed as he spoke. "Yung-Ho, take the team and head out right now."

"Yes, sir."

Choi Yung-Ho immediately started assembling a team in a hurry.

In the meantime, I told Lee Soo-Chan to keep an eye on Colonel Baek and make sure he didn\'t get away.

***

At the shabby Chinese restaurant, Taesung Jjambbong, in Myeong-dong, Kim Dong-Soo and Colonel Baek, who was wearing a black cap, were silently sipping tea.

This was Kim Dong-Soo\'s second meeting with Colonel Baek following yesterday\'s, as Colonel Baek had promised to explain how to handle future requests today.

After five minutes of silence, Colonel Baek\'s phone rang.

Colonel Baek simply nodded in response to the caller. "Yes. Got it. Send it to me via text."

Not knowing what was going on made Kim Dong-Soo increasingly anxious.

Ever since he received a warning from Choi Man-Sik that making one more mistake would result in him shouldering all the blame, Kim Dong-Soo had sought out Jiang Wei to secure another path.

In response, Jiang Wei introduced him to the man sitting in front of him: Colonel Baek.

"Colonel Baek... So how do I place a request from now on?" Kim Dong-Soo asked.

The man in the black cap set his tea down and smiled enigmatically. "President Jiang Wei will cover the costs, so you just need to place the request, Mr. Kim. If you have any business, contact me using this phone."

Colonel Baek handed him a new smartphone, saying it was a burner phone.

As Kim Dong-Soo took the phone, Colonel Baek spoke again. "Oh, and this will be our last meeting."

"What do you mean this is our last meeting?"

"Just as I said. We won\'t be meeting in person anymore. Now, I\'d like you to confirm something."

Colonel Baek handed his phone to Kim Dong-Soo.

Kim Dong-Soo\'s eyes widened. "This... this is..."

On the screen were pictures of Kim Dong-Soo completely naked.

"Is this you?" Colonel Baek asked.

"What... what the hell do you think you are doing right now!?" Kim Dong-Soo responded agitatedly.

Colonel Baek grinned as he scrolled through more photos. As he did, images of Kim Dong-Soo and various celebrities entangled in scandals kept appearing endlessly.

Sweat started dripping from Kim Dong-Soo\'s forehead. "H-how did you get all this...?"

"If you betray us or blabber about meeting me, these photos will be released to the media. Understand?"

Kim Dong-Soo nodded quickly. "Y-yes, I understand..."

Colonel Baek chuckled and put the phone back in his pocket. "When I take on a job, I only ask for two things from my clients. One: keep my identity a secret. Two: don\'t lie to me. It\'s pretty simple, isn\'t it? As long as you keep the promise, you won\'t have to worry about these photos being leaked."

"I-I understand."

Colonel Baek nodded. "Well then. I\'ve already received the advance payment, so make your request. What information would you like?"

Kim Dong-Soo\'s eyes glinted. "I want a list of every celebrity\'s scandals!"

Until now, Kim Dong-Soo had used private investigators to gather dirt on celebrities. However, that level of information wasn\'t enough to completely control them.

With Jiang Wei promising to fund him continuously, Kim Dong-Soo planned to create his own secret file.

Colonel Baek smiled faintly. "That sounds interesting. But with the money I received from President Jiang Wei, I can only cover two top-tier celebrities."

Kim Dong-Soo asked with surprised eyes. "What? Didn\'t you say you received 1 billion won as an advance?"

"Yes. It\'s 500 million won per person, so 1 billion covers two."

"Why is it so expensive?"

"You wanted information strong enough to control celebrities permanently, didn\'t you? If you want information at a private investigator\'s level, you\'re free to leave. Or you can choose four lower-tier celebrities instead."

The cost of information varied depending on the target.

After some hesitation, Kim Dong-Soo decided to go with S-class celebrities.

"Alright, then dig up dirt on two S-class celebrities. I don\'t care who they are as long as they\'re people I can recruit by the end of this year."

Colonel Baek smirked. "I\'ll find the most suitable candidates and compile a file. You\'ll be satisfied, I assure you."

Colonel Baek\'s confident demeanor made Kim Dong-Soo hopeful.

At that moment, Colonel Baek suddenly asked, "To make it easier to communicate, why don\'t we give that file a name?"

Kim Dong-Soo responded as if he had been waiting for this. "X-FILE."

"X-FILE, huh... Classic and easy to remember. Alright, let\'s call it that."

A broad smile spread across Kim Dong-Soo\'s face.

Just then, his phone rang.

[Caller ID: Jung Yoon-Ho]

"Why is this guy calling at a time like this?"

It was as if Jung Yoon-Ho had been waiting for Kim Dong-Soo to meet with Colonel Baek.

That\'s when Colonel Baek\'s expression suddenly twisted.

"You haven\'t told anyone about our meeting, have you?"

The moment Colonel Baek reached into his coat, Kim Dong-Soo quickly shook his head. "N-no! Absolutely not."

Colonel Baek looked at him suspiciously. "Answer it on speakerphone."

"Okay."

Swallowing nervously, Kim Dong-Soo answered the call. "Yeah? What is it?"

-Mr. Kim, it\'s Team Lead Jung. I\'d like to see you right now.

"Why the hell would I want to see you?"

I have something important to discuss. I\'m in Myeong-dong right now. Where are you?

Colonel Baek gestured with his hand, signaling Kim Dong-Soo to hang up.

"Forget it. I\'m not interested in seeing you right now!"

Click.

As soon as Kim Dong-Soo hung up, Colonel Baek glared at him. "You really didn\'t tell Team Lead Jung about our meeting, did you?"

"I didn\'t! I swear!"

Colonel Baek looked around cautiously as he glanced toward the kitchen. "Then call him back and bring him here right now."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I\'ll slip away, so I need you to keep him occupied."

Colonel Baek quickly stood and rushed toward the kitchen.

Following his instructions, Kim Dong-Soo called Jung Yoon-Ho back. "Actually, I do have something to say. I\'m at Taesung Jjambbong in Myeong-dong. I\'ll send you the location. Come alone and let\'s talk over a drink."

-I\'ll be there soon.

***

I arrived at the entrance to the alley leading to Taesung Jjambbong in Myeong-dong. It had taken me less than five minutes to get there from Choi Eun-Tae\'s house.

As I got out of the car, six more vans pulled up behind mine.

Screech.

Choi Yung-Ho and thirty of his men all sporting buzz cuts and dressed in black suits poured out from the vans.

At that moment, Lee Soo-Chan who had been guarding the alley entrance ran up to me. "You\'re here."

"What\'s the situation?"

"No one has come out yet."

Because Taesung Jjambbong\'s building had multiple exits, Lee Soo-Chan couldn\'t be sure. However, he explained no one had left while they were watching.

I pat him on his back. "Good job, Soo-Chan. Mr. Choi\'s people will take over from here on."

"Yes, hyung-nim."

That\'s when Choi Yung-Ho began instructing his thirty men as if they were on a rabbit hunt. "Search every alley and block all the exits!"

"Yes, sir."

The men in black suits ran down the alleys connected to Taesung Jjambbong.

I turned to Choi Yung-Ho and said, "Colonel Baek might still be inside with Kim Dong-Soo."

"We\'ll search the surrounding area. You go inside and update us on the situation."

I had a tracking device and a bug hidden on me just in case.

"Understood."

Taking a deep breath, I began walking toward Taesung Jjambbong.