IMTS 07

Chapter 07

[Uh…]

Yeonhee flinched slightly at the suddenly spoken words, “information manipulation.” Sometimes, Cheonga’s stories could sound out of nowhere, like this one.

However, it wasn’t that her statements lacked logic—it was just that her mind processed things so fast that only the conclusion came out without showing the process. Looking back, her reasoning had never actually been illogical.

“Her sister must have seen something again,” Yeonhee thought.

Deciding that was enough, she immediately responded to Cheonga.

[I’ll check the log records again. If I didn’t misread them before, there’s a chance this really could be manipulation.]

“Mm-hmm. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

[But sis, this kind of information manipulation is impossible at Cheonghwa-pa’s level. They may be top planners in Korea, but…]

Cheonga noticed Yeonhee trailing off and quickly asked,

“Would it be possible if it were another planner?”

[Hmm. Is there any planner in our country bigger than Cheonghwa-pa?]

“Well… maybe Yamokdang or Beonchahoe are trying to expand into Korea.”

Several drug trafficking organizations that had previously tried to establish trading routes in Korea came to Cheonga’s mind.

“Or maybe… Yong Federation?”

The moment that name came out, Yeonhee could be heard taking a deep breath through the receiver.

[Oof. Sis… that definitely raises the probability, but the Yong Federation is too extreme. If they’re aiming to enter Korea, we’d basically be poking a wild boar with a stick right now.]

Cheonga let out a sigh in response.

“Exactly. They scare me a little too.”

At the hospital cafeteria’s serving counter.

Cheonga held the tanghulu skewer in her hands and stared at it quietly.

“Ma’am, is the skewer too small? I can give you one more.”

Every Friday, the hospital cafeteria had a “no leftovers day” event. Cheonga, who always finished her tray spotless, was given another skewer with a cheerful smile by the staff.

Cheonga let out a deep sigh, holding tanghulu skewers in both hands.

Of all things, tanghulu.

Looking at it, her recent conversation with Yeonhee naturally came back to her mind.

Yong Federation.

They were a massive drug trafficking organization based in the Filipino-Chinese community.

Back when Cheonga worked at the headquarters, she had been tasked with monitoring key figures from the Yong Federation who visited Korea.

Yet despite all the fuss and meticulous preparation on their part, their movements were nothing remarkable.

On the first day, they visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Namsan Building, then enjoyed attractions at Jamsil World the next day, and toured PC bangs afterward…

On the surface, it was just an ordinary tourist itinerary with nothing unusual.

But could it really have been “without incident”?

Their movements were neat, but an uneasy feeling lingered.

Cheonga had even suggested additional investigation to Jeong Taebong, the head of the task force at the time.

−It’s a tricky case. If we dig too deep, we’re in trouble too. One more step and the NIS would have to get involved. Let’s not blow things up unnecessarily.

Her proposal was flatly rejected.

So even now, it was impossible to know whether the Yong Federation’s moves were preliminary operations to enter Korea.

“What if it really is the Yong Federation?”

If they were truly the ones manipulating Min Yushin’s information, the problem would be serious.

−Sis, that’s like poking a wild boar with a stick.

Cheonga looked at the tanghulu skewers in her hands and sighed again.

Once, she had been in charge of analyzing core information for the headquarters’ drug investigation TF, handling crucial intelligence. And now here she was, following the movements of drug traffickers with nothing but a small skewer.

She waved the tanghulu skewer back and forth.

‘Can something like this really stop the Yong Federation…? Can it?’

She let out a short snicker at the absurdity of the thought.

Probably, she had been so absorbed in thought that she momentarily lost focus.

The tip of the skewer suddenly pricked something with a plop, and a short, surprised “Ugh!” escaped her.

“…Huh?”

Wait a second. Did I just hit something?!

As expected, the skewer she had been swinging was now stuck in someone’s back.

The broad back shivered, making the red, sugar-coated fruits on the tanghulu sway sweetly.

Unfortunately, Cheonga felt an odd sense of familiarity from that back.

The owner of the skewered back turned around.

The white coat fluttered as he turned, almost like slow motion.

Sure enough, it was Min Yushin.

He slowly lowered his mask, meeting Cheonga’s gaze. Then his head dropped further to look at the fruit skewer sticking out through the coat.

Yushin looked at Cheonga again, his face slightly contorted.

“…Are you out of your mind?”

Cheonga could only twitch the corners of her mouth.

“Wa… ah. No? Hahaha. Oh… how did this… get stuck here? Not tofu, but… it goes in so deep…”

Why was it that whenever she saw Min Yushin, she kept saying such nonsense?

She didn’t know herself.

“Wasn’t a mop enough? You’re stabbing people back and forth, what the…”

Cheonga waved her hands frantically, saying, “Ahh! No! That can’t be!”

Yushin bit his lips as if his back hurt.

She could see his Adam’s apple move repeatedly as he swallowed.

Under the piercing gaze of Yushin looking down at her, Cheonga instinctively hesitated and stepped back.

One step.

Another step.

“I-I’m really, really sorry!”

She hurriedly ran off, leaving the tanghulu skewer still embedded in his back.

It was already the second time Cheonga had assaulted Min Yushin.

As a result, she was suffering from fairly serious aftereffects.

“Oh. What should I do.”

She stopped in her tracks, looking down at her hands.

The memory of the skewer piercing Min Yushin’s back during lunch yesterday still lingered at her fingertips.

Did I really stab him?

No… human flesh isn’t pierced that easily, right?

Really?

Even if Min Yushin was suspicious, she shouldn’t have stuck a skewer into his back like that.

Especially when she couldn’t even be certain he was an enemy.

He might have been a civilian with no connection to any drug lord.

And if he really was linked to a major planner, that would be an even bigger problem.

Cheonga had essentially revealed her presence to him herself.

No matter how she thought, no plausible solution came to mind.

All she could do all day was mutter to herself, “What should I do? Hehe, I’m doomed. What should I do? Huh. Sorry…”

“Huuuh. What do I do.”

What could she do?

Until her mind was clear and a breakthrough solution appeared, all she could do was avoid Min Yushin for a while.

But even that plan soon failed.

“Hey, sisters, how about the annex cafeteria today? They said there’s a special dish. I’ll even get coffee!”

Worried she might run into Yushin, Cheonga purposely went all the way to the far-off annex.

But then…

“……”

The moment she swiped her meal card at the annex cafeteria, the first thing she saw was Min Yushin’s back while he was eating.

He was extremely conspicuous.

Tall, small head, broad back, pronounced neck line… she couldn’t ignore him even if she tried.

Cheonga stood in front of the serving line, tray in hand, hesitating.

Maybe it’d be better to run away.

But unfortunately, a loud voice cut through her hesitation.

“Bokseon! Stop standing there and get your food! I saved a spot for you, so come over here!”

Her older sisters, who had already claimed seats, waved at her and tapped the empty space. The loud sound made Yushin’s shoulder flinch and tremble. Surely it did.

“Ahaha… haha… okay, I’ll go.”

Her mind was in a daze.

In her fluster, she ended up placing the soup on her tray before the rice and piled the sauce like a mountain instead of the meat, but she didn’t even have time to notice.

To get to the table her sisters had reserved, she had no choice but to pass by Yushin’s seat. There was simply no other way.

Cheonga bit her lip and stepped forward, trying to act as natural as possible.

Don’t make eye contact. Breathe quietly. Walk calmly.

Her steps, carrying the tray, were unusually cautious.

Her sisters, unaware of her inner turmoil, waved cheerfully.

The gestures, as if signaling Yushin, only made Cheonga’s heart race even faster.

Note: “총책” refers to the head planner of a drug trafficking operation, either as slang or in investigative terminology.