How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

That question made me want to let out a long sigh.

Wei Fei had obviously developed feelings for me because of the lingering effects of the herbal tranquilizer.

Otherwise, why would she ask such a direct question to a man she’d only just met?

If I hadn’t already achieved my objective with Director Pan Kai, I might have played along and given her the answer she wanted.

But now there was absolutely no need.

“I already have someone I’m dating with marriage in mind.”

“I see...” Wei Fei’s voice carried unmistakable disappointment.

But life rarely unfolds according to plan.

That was because NIS Director Om Giyeon abruptly inserted himself into the conversation.

“Wei Fei, Team Leader Cha doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

Feeling that things were taking a dangerous turn, I immediately turned toward Director Om.

As if reading my thoughts, he calmly spoke in Korean.

“Jiham, I’ll explain everything later.”

“I understand.”

Ignoring my reply, Om Giyeon turned back to Wei Fei.

“However, there are quite a few women who are deeply interested in Team Leader Cha.”

“And Director Om knows who they are?” she asked curiously.

“Chairman Clark Bongard’s granddaughter, as well as another female relative...”

“Wait.”

Director Pan Kai interrupted Om Giyeon midway through the sentence, looking completely stunned.

“Is something wrong?”

“I simply find your words difficult to believe, Director Om.”

“Director Pan, you’ve probably already guessed that I’m not an ordinary CEO.”

“I knew it. Would you mind telling me who you really are?”

“I serve as the Director of the National Intelligence Service, the Republic of Korea’s primary intelligence agency.”

“What?!”

Om Giyeon fully understood why Pan Kai was so shocked.

The man had most likely assumed he was simply some high-ranking police official.

Learning that he was actually the head of an entire national intelligence agency naturally left him speechless.

“If the Chinese government learned that I’d come to Macau, it would cause an enormous diplomatic scandal. That’s why I had no choice but to conceal my identity. I hope you understand.”

“I completely understand. But why reveal your identity to me?”

“Director Pan, aren’t we in the same boat now?”

“Ah... well... that’s certainly true.”

Pan Kai nodded vigorously, pretending he completely understood Om Giyeon’s reasoning.

“Now, returning to our earlier conversation,” Om Giyeon continued. “The granddaughter of Chairman Gomez, who heads Mackayson, America’s largest pharmaceutical wholesaler, is also extremely interested in our Team Leader Cha. Incidentally, Chairman Gomez is the head of the influential Lucino family that controls New York.”

“So the heirs of families that powerful are interested in him?”

“That only proves just how extraordinary Cha Jiham’s talents and personal charm truly are. And one more thing—he also maintains a very close friendship with both the CIA Director and the FBI Director.”

At that moment, Director Pan Kai turned toward me.

I understood exactly what his look meant, so I immediately confirmed it.

“Director Om is telling the truth.”

“Team Leader Cha... so you’re actually a big shot?”

“Honestly, hearing something like that makes me feel rather embarrassed,” I replied with feigned modesty.

Noticing that the atmosphere had become rather unusual, Om Giyeon decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“Wei Fei, if you want to win Team Leader Cha’s heart, you’ll have to work very hard.”

“Director Om, what exactly do I have to do?” Wei Fei asked openly, her eyes sparkling.

“You already know why Cha Jiham came to meet Director Pan Kai.”

“I’ll squeeze every last drop out of my uncle, and we’ll find the fugitive former CEO of K&J Bio, Go Yeongjun, as quickly as possible!”

“Haha. I’d be most grateful.”

Leaving Director Om aside, Wei Fei turned back to me.

“Team Leader Cha, once we find where Go is hiding... will you go on a date with me?”

Well, when it comes to business, promises are cheap.

Still, I wasn’t about to indulge Wei Fei that easily.

“If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be flying home tomorrow evening.”

“So that means today is our only chance to go on a date?”

“That’s right. And I’m placing great faith in the Triad’s capabilities.”

“Even if I have to turn all of Macau upside down, I’ll find Go!”

Wei Fei declared confidently, clenching both fists.

***

“Director Om, now explain yourself,” I said after we returned to our suite and I dropped onto the sofa.

“My bluff was unavoidable. Pan Kai had already begun suspecting who I really was.”

“I didn’t notice anything.”

“I’ve met countless people throughout my life, Jiham. My instincts rarely fail me.”

“I understand.”

“And there was another reason. I needed to force the Triad to move faster.”

“I’d already figured that part out.”

“Now let’s change the subject. What’s the best way to hit Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan hard enough to destroy him completely?”

I’d already outlined my plan for dealing with Zhang Jinan during our meeting with Pan Kai.

But Director Om’s question clearly suggested he doubted my approach would be sufficient.

To confirm my suspicion, I cautiously asked,

“In China, not only the official media but even social media is tightly controlled by the Communist Party. Are you saying that seizing the Golden Mariner alone won’t be enough to remove Zhang Jinan from office?”

“Exactly.”

At that instant, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

Quickly organizing my thoughts, I continued.

“Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui used Zhang Jinan’s protection to purchase North Korean weapons and drugs for resale. If we use that connection, couldn’t we destroy Zhang Jinan as well?”

“That’s it! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“He certainly wasn’t helping Chen Zhihui simply because the man happened to be his brother-in-law.”

“Without question.”

“If we can get access to his secret accounts, that would be the perfect ending.”

“I completely agree, Jiham. But how are we supposed to obtain those accounts?”

“One moment.”

I took out my phone and called Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong of the National Police Agency.

After several rings, his interested voice came through.

“[Team Leader Cha, were you able to meet either Supreme Leader Gui Tao or Vice Chairman Wei Chen?]”

“I didn’t meet either of them, but I did meet Wei Chen’s brother-in-law and his niece.”

“[I see. And they’ve agreed to reveal Go Yeongjun’s hideout?]”

“They’ve already mobilized every Triad member they have.”

“[So capturing Go is only a matter of time?]”

“I believe so. Now let me explain why I called you, Commissioner.”

“[Go ahead. I’m listening.]”

His voice noticeably stiffened as he sensed the seriousness of the conversation.

“Do you have any records of money transferred from Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui to Zhang Jinan’s bank accounts?”

“[We’ve examined every one of Chen Zhihui’s transactions, but Zhang Jinan’s name never appeared.]”

“So he’s using proxy accounts?”

“[That’s my conclusion as well. But why are you interested in those secret accounts?]”

“I intend to eliminate both Chen Zhihui and Zhang Jinan in one stroke.”

“[Now I understand. It’s unfortunate that I can’t help.]”

“Don’t worry about it, Commissioner. I’ll contact you again later.”

Click.

The moment I ended the call, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan spoke.

“Team Leader, could Director Qin Hao possibly know about Zhang Jinan’s proxy accounts?”

“Exactly! We completely forgot about him!”

Om Giyeon shouted it even before I could.

When everyone looked at him in surprise, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Haha... Sorry. I just got excited.”

“I completely understand, Director Om.”

“There’s no time to waste. I’d better get going.”

“Very well. I’ll be waiting for good news.”

Om Giyeon hurried out of the suite to interrogate Qin Hao personally.

After seeing him off and returning to the living room, Saho obediently leaped into my lap.

As I gently stroked the mountain cat’s head, I turned toward Kang Inhan.

“Tonight is going to be a long one. Tell everyone to get some proper rest.”

“It’ll be done.”

“As for me, I’m heading upstairs.”

Bzzz... Bzzz...

The moment Saho and I entered the bedroom, the phone in my pocket vibrated.

Looking at the screen, I saw that FBI Director Glenn Nevers was calling.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I answered.

“Director Nevers, I’m listening.”

“[Zhang Jinan and Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui have just left Eastern Shipping headquarters.]”

That meant their emergency meeting regarding the Golden Mariner had finally concluded.

“I see. How did they look?”

“[Zhang Jinan appeared completely composed, but Chen Zhihui looked miserable—like a criminal caught red-handed.]”

With Eastern Shipping on the brink of collapse because of the ship’s seizure, Zhang Jinan’s calm demeanor could only mean one thing.

They had decided to suppress the entire incident at any cost.

I asked Director Nevers whether he had reached the same conclusion.

“[That’s exactly what we believe.]”

“But you won’t let them get away with it, will you?”

“[Certainly not.]”

“Make this scandal as big as possible. Let him fully appreciate the seriousness of the situation.”

“[Haha. Agreed. Now, on another subject. I heard you visited the Macau Palace Hotel. May I ask why?]”

The FBI really hasn’t taken its eyes off us.

Fortunately, there was nothing to hide.

Nevers already knew perfectly well why I’d come to Macau.

“Pan Kai, the General Manager of Macau Palace, is Vice Chairman Wei Chen’s brother-in-law.”

“[Did you meet him to pass along the information you obtained from Qin Hao?]”

“That was one reason, but not the only one.”

“[Then what was the other?]”

“You already know that the fugitive former CEO of K&J Bio, Go Yeongjun, is hiding somewhere in Macau.”

I briefly explained the general outline of my conversation with Pan Kai, naturally leaving out every sensitive and confidential detail.

“...In short, the Triad is now searching the city for Go.”

“[Then I sincerely hope you capture him alive.]”

“Thank you. Director Nevers, where are you headed next?”

“[I’m flying to Japan in two hours.]”

That couldn’t have been better news.

If Nevers and CIA Director Eddie Griffin had returned here, they would have created no end of unnecessary complications.

“Then I suppose our next conversation will be after you’ve arrived in Japan.”

“[Most likely.]”

After saying goodbye to the FBI Director, I ended the call.

“Well... maybe I can squeeze in an hour’s sleep.”

But I never got the chance.

Less than ten minutes after lying down, my phone rang again.

This time, the caller was Om Giyeon.

Already knowing why he was calling, I sat up in bed and answered.

“Director Om, go ahead.”

“[We’ve confirmed that Chen Zhihui regularly transferred enormous sums of money to someone named Zhang Chao.]”

“So Zhang Chao is Zhang Jinan’s alias?”

“[Qin Hao is absolutely certain of it.]”

“Excellent news. Incidentally, I was just speaking with Director Nevers.”

I told Om everything that had been discussed during my conversation with the FBI Director.

“...It seems there are considerably more FBI and CIA agents watching us than we originally thought.”

“[Hmm... I see. Do you have any ideas for shaking them off?]”

At that moment, my eyes fell upon Saho, who was sprawled comfortably across the bed with his stomach pressed against the blanket.

“Director Om... what if we use Saho?”

“[You want Saho to knock out the CIA and FBI agents?]”

“Exactly. But first we need to know precisely how many agents are watching us and where every one of them is positioned.”

“[Don’t worry about that. We’ll take care of it.]”

With Director Om sounding so confident, there was nothing more to discuss.

“Then I’ll leave that part entirely to you and start preparing the operation.”

“[Do it.]”

Click.

Setting the phone aside, I looked over at the cat lounging on the bed.

“So, Saho... have you had a good rest?”

The cat let out an unhappy growl and deliberately turned his face away.

Fortunately, I had one unbeatable argument guaranteed to change his mind, so I wasn’t the least bit worried.

“You don’t want to help? Fine. Then hand back every piece of meat you’ve eaten lately!”