The Running Game

Chapter 3

"What does it have to do with the ANSP then?"

"Apparently a hospital janitor witness a murder, and now she is being chased by the killers. Lucky her to run into the police car or else the killers would have fired their guns at her. Funny thing is that the police immediately called to ask for our cooperation because they thought her case should be handled by ANSP instead of the police department."

"Why?"

"Because there is a possibility that the killers might be North Korean spies."

The mention of the ANSP and North Korea immediately got his attention. His mind is already occupied by the thoughts of Eun Young Ro, then add North Koreans and a janitor. Gosh, give him a break. He wants to have his day off.

After his bottle was finally filled, he went back to his office and his boss, Ahn Gyeong Hui, was already there chatting and laughing with Lee Gang Mu. He walked in and left the door slightly open. When they finally acknowledged his presence, his boss told him to get close to him.

Soo Ho was confused with his boss' unusual behaviour. When his boss leaned forward to him, and showed the notes he wrote on a piece of paper. His boss put his index finger in front of his lips. A hint for him to stay silent.

Close the door and lock it 

Soo Ho then stepped forward and walked to the door and locked it. And he saw his boss nodding at Gang Mu, as if he understood the order that was mentally thrown by his boss.

Soo Ho's eyes widened when he saw what Gang Mu was doing. He saw him circling around the room with a bug detector device. When there was no sign that a bug had been planted there, his boss let out his breath in relief.

"What's wrong?"

"Lim Soo Ho, I need you and Gang Mu to go to the police station now."

Soo Ho raised an eyebrow.

Ahn Gyeong Hui told him while massaging his furrowed eyebrows because of his dizziness. "I believe you probably heard some rumours circling around outside about the police department who asked our cooperation to take over the janitor's case?"

Soo Ho then nodded.

"That janitor turns out to be Eun Young Ro. Putting on a disguise so she won't be chased by the killers who killed her fiance."

His knees went limp as he sat on his chair. Feeling despair yet his mind can't stop wondering.

Eun Young Ro, what kind of trouble do you get yourself into?

"Sir is there any possibility that the killers might be spies from North Korea?"

His boss then sighed heavily.

"Yes. Now the more I think about it, the more headache that I get." His boss then massaged his head thoroughly then looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry for ruining your holiday Soo Ho-ya. But the director told me precisely to assign you and Gang Mu for this case. And Director Eun also specifically requested to keep Eun Young Ro's identity confidential even from the other workers here. No agents here aside from you all and some that I might assign for later can know about the director's daughter case.  If there's a new addition regarding new personnel for this case, I will inform you immediately. And for this case, I have also assigned Jang Han Na, Lee Eung Cheol, Joo Gyeok Chan, and Choi Kyung Hoon to observe the crime scene."

"Will she go on WITSEC then?" Asked Gang Mu.

"We haven't decided if she will go on a witness security program, but judging from the director's demeanour it seems like he would want to assign some agents to watch over her."

"Why doesn't she live with her father instead? Sure there will be enough protection for her." Soo Ho can't help but ask.

"Let's say the director doesn't really have the best relationship with his daughter."  Answered Ahn Gyeong Hui.

At this point Soo Ho lost himself in a daydream. Thinking about Eun Young Ro and what her reaction would be if she saw him. Will she resent him? He actually wouldn't mind if his holiday's ruined by this assignment if it means protecting her at all cost.

So he immediately grabbed his jacket and pat Gang Mu's shoulder. "Come on, let's go Hyeong. Don't wanna keep her waiting, do you?"

Being trained as a special agent along with Lim Soo Ho, it makes Gang Mu take a little bit more notice to his surroundings, a slight change of demeanour from  facial expressions, gesture and body language. And he noticed all the changes mentioned before on Lim Soo Ho ever since the morning he stepped into the office.

***

Sitting in the cold uncomfortable chair of the police station's interrogation room, Eun Young Ro still shaken and trying to recover the shock after seeing the murder of her fiance and hospital guard. To top that, being chased by the killers and nearly hit by the police car and ending up in here. The bored nonchalant look of the police officer in front of her still typing her report on his computer, slightly convinced her that it was only a common burglary.

"Listen Ma'am, you should probably calm down. We are trying our best here. All I can analyze for now, that this is somehow a mere burglary."

She wanted to wring her hair out of frustration. How can it be a mere burglary when it was perfectly schemed? This totally has something to do with the shooting bullet at her engagement party. She totally can pull her card here, but if she tells them that she's the ANSP director's daughter while wearing a janitor uniform, would they buy it?

Then again, she remembers very well that her relationship with his father has gone downhill ever since her mom died, and he only contacted her recently when he found out that she's marrying the son of future president elect, Park Jun Pyo.

Then out of the blue, another police officer barged into the room looking all panicked.

"Sir! We traced the crime scene at the hospital and looked at the path where the killers chased the woman, and we found this." The police then handed a tiny little thing that was saved in a ziploc.

A brooch that has the faces of North Korea leaders.

Gone are all the boring nonchalant expressions from the officer in front of her as he stood up telling her to stay put and led his way to make a phone call.

She knew he must make a call to ANSP. The last thing she expects is her father to walk into this police station and take her with full protection.

Instead, 20 minutes later, she saw two ANSP officers from her peripheral vision, they made their way to the room she was in as they talked to the police officers in charge. She gasped as she noticed one peculiar ANSP officer there. She squinted her eyes and blinked a few times to make sure she was not mistaken.

Is that... Lim Soo Ho?!

What is he doing here?!

And the sight of him brought a flashback to the good old times in her youth thirteen years ago.