CNA BOOK 6 - 4 - (2/2)

"Mom, now you should find your own name instead of being someone's daughter , someone's wife, someone's mother ... Do whatever you want to do, and meet some people you haven't seen before."

He always wanted his mother to live for her , not for Kwon T aekjoo himself. When making

choices, he hopes she puts what she wants and how she wants to do it first. Did her sincerity get through? His mother smiled, her stif f shoulders softening. She also held

the airline ticket that was awkwardly in her hand tightly .

"Can you really trust me and come back, son?"

"Then, if not me, who are you going to trust?"

He smiled confidently . His mother also smiled contentedly and began to look at the airline

tickets that Kwon T aekjoo had prepared for her . Then, she chattered like an excited girl,

wondering where she had put her passport, whether the expiration date had passed, whether she would be able to handle it since it was her first time leaving the country alone. Kwon Taekjoo watched his mother happily .

However , the peaceful atmosphere did not last long. Suddenly , his cell phone rang in his

pocket. He secretly checked the caller ID. His instinct that it was not wrong was right. It was

a call from headquarters. As soon as he arrived at headquarters, he went to the director 's office. Director Kwak let Kwon T aekjoo in and stared at his monitor . His expression looked quite serious.

"Director ."

"Oh, okay ."

He raised his head at the sound of his name. His stif f face softened consciously .

"Did you rest well?"

"Yes."

Director Kwak nodded and got straight to the point. It was a part where he could guess the

urgency of the matter .

"The operation has been approved."

"When should we depart?"

"Before that, there's something I need to know ."

"What?"

"This Vladivostok operation will be in cooperation with the US and Japan."

He immediately objected to the unexpected announcement.

"Cooperation? Y ou mean this isn't an independent operation?"

"Since this is information that we've obtained with dif ficulty, it would be better for us to

judge its truth and process it on our own. It's much cleaner that way . Even if it fails, we won't make a fuss about contaminated information. I didn't even get cursed at for that."

Director Kwak continued, as if he fully understood Kwon T aekjoo's feelings.

"But you know . The goal of this operation isn't simply to figure out North Korea's movements. The secret talks between North Korea and Russia could pose a great threat to world peace. If that's the case, we should share the information with neighboring countries

later. Wouldn't it be better to open up and receive support rather than being accused of trying to monopolize the information at that time? The operation location is Vladivostok."

He didn't know what he meant. Vladivostok was a global diplomatic arena. It is because it is a place where democracy and socialism clash ideologically and a bridge between Europe and Asia geographically . It was also the area where diplomats and intelligence agents from each country were most

active. That also meant that if a certain country carried out operations there, there was a high probability that it would be exposed to either side. It was not an entirely unreasonable choice to decide to cooperate with countries with similar interests rather than being subject to unexpected interference during operations.

The problem, however , was that Kwon T aekjoo himself preferred solo missions. Although he sometimes received help from Zhenya, it was still easier to observe the situation on the spot and respond irregularly . During operations, he did not plan ahead. He tends to follow his intuition, so it was even more so. He was frustrated even when he had to collaborate with other NIS employees or special forces, but now he had to work with foreign agents. He didn' t feel like it at all.

"Director . This is called cooperation, but it' s very likely that we'll end up getting into trouble

if we only consider our own national interests."

"I know . There will be more irrational and troublesome things. But what can we do? W e can't just follow our inclinations or convenience when the fate of our country is at stake."

"Haa....."

"I promise. Y ou won' t have any direct contact with foreign agents. No matter what the two

countries do. W e agreed to keep two elite agents on standby , but only come to the forefront if you fail. Since we've come this far , let's use their information to our advantage. W e haven' t yet confirmed which route North Korea will take or what they'll use to get into Vladivostok. You don' t have three bodies, so let' s think of it as using a double. W ouldn't it be fun to use agents from other countries like your own hands?"

"How can we trust them? They'll try to get their own share at a crucial moment. If you interfere without permission, you'll ruin things. Do you get hurt once or twice?"

"How can they trust you with everything?"

Director Kwak smiled mischievously . Just as Kwon T aekjoo didn' t trust his opponent, it was natural for his opponent to be suspicious of Kwon T aekjoo himself. Even so, it was a

luxurious complaint for those who were trying to take a position with information obtained

by others. He clenched his fists and held back his anger .

"We will be in char ge of the operation entirely , so you don' t have to worry too much. The

Won will also guarantee your autonomy as much as possible. However , there are many

people who are holding back, so we must make this a success. Do you understand?"

"Ha. Yes, well."

He replied lukewarmly . He didn' t say anything out loud. Although he showed signs of being

irritable, Kwon T aekjoo would eventually follow his superiors' orders. Although he was rough, stubborn, and unconventional, he never went beyond the established line. His extraordinary will to survive, which stemmed from his unfortunate family history , also enhanced his operational capabilities. This was the reason Kwon T aekjoo had established

himself as the best agent for the past 10 years.

Director Kwak held out his tablet in front of the irritated Kwon T aekjoo.

"I'm going to explain the details of the operation now . A few days ago, Kim Gil-ha from the Operations Bureau of the North Korean General Staf f visited the North Korean consulate in Vladivostok. Kim Gil-ha is like a secretary to Shim Y eong-il, the Operations Bureau Director . The fact that he went to Vladivostok before Shim Y eong-il was a top secret between North Korea and Russia. The intention was to inspect the site before the meeting. In addition, ominous circumstances are being captured one after another . First of all, the Vladivostok. Hotel owned by the Bogdanov family seems to not be accepting reservations for two weeks. It was originally used mainly for government events and banquets rather than attracting general guests, but it seems that outsiders have been completely banned from entering as of

yesterday . Communication with the outside world has also been completely blocked. In

addition, there is news that some sections of Russky Island in Vladivostok have been

controlled. They say it was under the pretext of regular inspections of under ground water

supply and sewage systems and road maintenance work. Isn't the timing perfect?"

"Russky Island...?"

"Yes. It is where the Far Eastern Federal University is located. Ji. A few years ago, the North Korea-Russia summit was held there."

"Would they try to meet again at a place that already received attention once?"

"Maybe they are aiming for that. If the two countries' key figures meet too secretly , there will be all sorts of rumours about its purpose. They just met for the purpose of technical

cooperation between the two countries. If we want to make it look good, there is no place

better than a university . We have to keep all possibilities open. That is why we need cooperation with other countries. The final meeting place between North Korea and Russia is estimated to be three places. The Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island. And the place where the North Korean delegation will stay . Vladivostok Hotel. Finally , Khasan Station."

"'Hasan?''

"There's not necessarily only a sea route to get from North Korea to Russia, right?"

Khasan is a small city in Primorsky Krai, where the borders of Russia, North Korea, and

China meet. W ith a population of less than 3,000, it became famous because in the past, when a North Korean leader visited Russia by rail, he changed trains there. Russian trains use a broad gauge with a rail pitch of 1,520 mm, while North Korea uses a standard gauge with a rail pitch of 1,435 mm, so in order to travel by rail, he had to change trains in Khasan. This was not only for people, but also for The same was true when transporting supplies. The fact that Russia and North Korea were still close allies was proven by the fact that many North Korean logistics trains were coming and going from Hasan.

"According to local intelligence sources, the atmosphere there is also unusual. It was

originally a military zone, but it seems that more personnel were deployed than usual.

Security has also become tighter ."

After hearing this, he was suspicious of all three places. No matter how much Kwon T aekjoo was involved, he couldn't monitor Primorsky Krai, Vladivostok, and Russky Island at the same time. Even the National Intelligence Service's support would have its limits. In the end, he had no choice but to admit that it was an inevitable collaboration.

Kwon T aek-ju asked in a relieved tone.

"Then, are you going to Hassan first?"

"No. There is already an American intelligence agent working as an engineer there. If any

strange movements are detected, we will inform you immediately . We have decided to wait at the airport in case the North Korean delegation enters the country by air route. It is also our job to monitor the Vladivostok hotel where the delegation will stay 24 hours a day ."

"What about Far Eastern University?"

"W e will be in char ge of that in Japan. We will follow the delegation's every move and find out if they will go to Far Eastern University or the second meeting place. If you move, I'll follow you and join you then."

"Hmm... If I do it wrong, I'll end up like a dog that's been killed."

"I believe you'll handle it well so that it doesn't happen. Y ou'll be heading straight into the

middle of the enemy lines, so prepare firmly ."

"Understood."

"If you fail by any chance, we'll have no choice but to immediately activate Plan B. W ouldn't

it be heartbreaking to put all the fish you've caught into someone else's net?"

Director Kwak added with a bitter smile. It's not enough to share the high-level information

obtained by the National Intelligence Service with other countries, but It was a warning not to pass it on to the other side. However , to Kwon T aekjoo, it sounded like a warning not to mess up the work because of his relationship with Zhenya. Perhaps being in char ge of the

Bogdanov family's hotel among the three places was also a kind of loyalty test. Since the matter was the matter , he didn't feel bad about being suspected in that way . Kwon

Taekjoo himself had decided that this time, he would clearly distinguish between public and

private af fairs. He quietly took a bite.

"I'm looking forward to this time too."

"Y es. I'll be back."

He took his passport and quietly left. As soon as he closed the door , he let out a long sigh. At the same time, various thoughts flooded into his head. He couldn't ruin a great undertaking with personal feelings. If Kwon T aekjoo hesitated even for a moment, many people would be hurt. Was Zhenya really not related to this incident? If he ran into his blood relative during the operation, they would point guns at each other . Even if Kwon T aekjoo pulled the trigger , and his blood relative got hurt, wouldn't Zhenya be okay? What if he ran into Zhenya at the scene? What if the guy who said he didn't know anything was actually a lie? What would happen then? What would happen then...

The more he thought about it, the more complicated his mind became. It was a feeling. He shook his head to shake of f the endlessly growing thoughts. He took a deep breath to calm his dizzy mind. Soon, Kwon T aekjoo raised his head and a determined expression appeared on his face. He walked briskly down the hallway with his lips tightly shut. His shadow , shining in the light, gilded steadily without wavering. For now , he had no choice but to believe. Zhenya, and Kwon T aekjoo's own beliefs.