Everything appeared calm at the road that led to Director Ri's home. Pyo Chi Soo showed his credentials at the gate and made his way inside.
As he entered the foyer that led him to the living room, he noticed it was unusually calm for a house that ought to be chaotic. He unbuttoned the holder and placed a ready head over his gun when he heard a command that there was no danger and that he hurry inside.
Stepping into the room, he now recognized the voice to be that of General Ri Myung Su and straightened to greet him with a salute. He sighted the disarray of the room, the empty table free of files and the lack of pictures on the wall, which all hinted that the packing had begun long before.
"Ri Jyeong Hyuk knew one of you will show up here." General Ri got up from his seat to open up a safe next to what was Director Ri's table by the window.
"Director Ri Dongmu," Pyo Chi Soo began, but the General cut him off.
"You don't have to worry about my brother. I have taken care of that." He took out a bunch of papers and handed it to him. "If everything plays out per Jyeong Hyuk's arrangements then let's hope that they will be safe soon. For your own safety, its best you don't know anything more."
Pyo Chi Soo's form slackened. "Are you saying Ri Jyeing Hyuk Dongmu knew he was going to be arrested?" His eyes wavered showing the confusion.
"Well," General Ri sighed. "Let's just say that he knew something of this sort would happen the day he crossed the DMZ. No fool would sit back and not use such incriminating evidence against my brother." He took off his cap and placed it on the table. "All of you being saved by Director Ri in Sariwon forest was what not part of the plan. Executing the military general merely added severity. Ri Jyeong Hyuk began preparing for this day ever since."
Pyo Chi Soo shook his head in understanding.
The General cleared his voice to draw Pyo Chi Soo's attention. "The party hasn't been brought in yet. It's being dealt with by the state department, which implies that they don't want the matter to escalate. You should start there."
General Ri pointed to the file in Pyo Chi Soo's possession. "Jyeong Hyuk reserved some apartments for your families in one of the upcoming constructions in the Sunchon area. I have got it approved."
Pyo Chi Soo shook with disbelief, at the untimeliness of the information. "What are you -" he started and the General intervened again.
"This is his way of showing his gratitude for all that you have done so far." General Ri's voice weakened with emotion. "He said that he wanted all of you to be closer to your families."
The General was silent. Pyo Chi Soo stood in attention ready to leave, his chest heavy with the unsaid words that the General left to his interpretation.
To Pyo Chi Soon, it was clear that this was the end that Ri Jyeong Hyuk had foreseen when it reckoned that the apartments he'd reserved were his farewell gift to them.
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Arriving at the apartment, Pyo Chi Soo, briefed them of his exchange with the General. "He wants us to start with the State Department - " Pyo Chi Soo continued when they heard Eun Dong break into a wail, reviewing the housing papers.
"Does this mean we won't ever see Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu again?" He stumbled and fell back onto his bed. "If Director Ri Dongmu had to disappear," he was sobbing now, "then is there no hope for Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu?"
Kwang beum ran to him. "Eun Dong, Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu needs your help more than your concern."
"Ya," Pyo chi woo yelled. "There are many steps between getting arrested and being sentenced to death. Don't jump the gun yet."
Ju Mok's face scrunched, the unanswered questions nestled in the creases of his forehead. "Many steps -" he mumbled as the thoughts settled in his mind. Making a mad dash to the table, he rolled out a large sheet of paper. He began writing on post-its and pasted them on the sheet as a timeline to trace the events leading up to the arrest. The team assembled around the table in curiosity.
"Right," Kwang Beum pointed to the start of the timeline. "Let's check everything from the day before he got on the flight."
Eun dong wiped the tears off his face using the back of his hand. "But does the timeline really end with the arrest?" The others looked at him confused. "Didn't Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu tell us to anticipate what's coming next?"
Ju Mok, patted Eun Dong's head, glad that their maknae was back to form.
It was another hour before they mapped out everyone involved in the summit from the state department.
When the beeps on Ju Mok's systems were incessant, he couldn't ignore them. Anxiety seeped into his face as he read through the chatter pouring in, drawing Kwang Beum and Pyo Chi Soo to the monitor.
The messages confirmed what they believed was an organic progression of the state of affairs. The State Department wanted Major Ri Jyeong Hyuk to be extradited back to Pyongyang to continue with the investigation. They asserted that Ri Jyeong Hyuk was acting out of misplaced interests that aimed to sabotage the two-country relations. In addition, they maintained that the detractor, Ri Jyeong Hyuk, will be dealt with severely and swiftly for wanting to violate the peace between the countries.
Pyo Chi Soo, fisted his hand, while Kwang Beum dug his nails into Ju Mok's chair, their desperation solidified in the disquiet that enveloped them.
"So the three men who'll be leading discussions along with General Ri Myung Su have remained on the committee for two years now," Eun Dong persisted with the map of the State and the CMC officials they'd arranged. "This year Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu and Director Jon Pyong Ho's aide Kim Su Gil are the only new additions as staff." He shuffled to reach for a set of papers by the printer. "Kim Su Gil happens to be - "
Eun Dong looked puzzled. "He's a nobody," he declared. "Both his mother and father passed away when he was four." He waved to the others to join him. "How can someone without connections get into the CMC to be Director Jon Pyong Ho's aide."
Sliding to his system, Ju Mok searched for Kim Su Gil in the RGB database. "That doesn't look right," he said sighting a picture of Kim Su Gil and the dead military director posing in front of the CMC headquarters.
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The Chinese intelligence officials waited by the front desk to meet Ri Jyeong Hyuk for the umpteenth time.
Lighting a cigarette, one of the officials tilted his head to the side before drawing smoke. "Do you think he'll fall now? It's been 18 hours already."
"Does it matter?" The other official flipped open his ID to show it to the guard and signed the register. "Even if he doesn't confess, what gets written in the file must ensure the cordial relations between the two countries."
The official on the bench exhaled a puff of smoke. "He'll be thrown under the bus then?"
Pocketing his ID the other official turned around. "His extradition request should be coming in any minute now. When he is back in Pyongyang, no one will care to ask what his motivations were."
The other official tapped off the ash build-up over a planter. "So we are doing a dog and pony show?" he scoffed.
The official by the door laughed. "The virus they found in his briefcase is not even as deadly as COVID-19." He showed amusement in his eyes. "Too bad our higher-ups wanted something out of all this for the upcoming negotiations."
"I'm still curious." The official by the bench coughed. "Do you think he's gone rogue wanting to make it hostile between the countries, or is he being framed?"
The Chinese officials had long ascertained that the state wasn't behind the brazen, yet foolish act. It was trivial but substantial enough to incite tensions, which meant, NK needed someone to establish culpability. Even if the man in custody was only being framed, there was an urgency to unmask the public enemy behind the crime and Ri Jyeong Hyuk fit the part for now.
A loud alert went off as the door opened to let the officials in. The official close to the door threw up his shoulders in nonchalance. "Like I said before, does it matter?"
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"Look," Kwang Beum pointed to the reflection of the x-ray image of Ri Jyeong Hyunk's briefcase on the TV monitor. "Can you enlarge and enhance this image?"
Following suit, Ju Mok clacked away at the keyboard. They were backtracking Ri Jyeong Hyuk's steps from the time he boarded the flight. The airport was crowded and the CCTV camera footage ran for hours, putting pressure on Ju Mok and Eun dong than the others. When it seemed they were paying attention to anything and everything in the bustling crowd, Kwang Beum ordered that they narrow down the search to a definitive window that would confirm or deny their theories about the timeline when the vial was likely slipped into his briefcase.
They collectively established that the briefcase needed a four-digit code to be opened, which left selective scanning checkpoints that needed reviewing. Ju Mok started with the first security scanning area that Ri Jyeong Hyuk had to pass before boarding the flight to Macau.
"What is that thing?" Ju Mok peered at the reflection that didn't match with the image on the TV that faced the security official.
The reflection held the vial, while the x-ray image on the TV didn't. Eun Dong, gasped, placing a hand over his forehead. Without a doubt, it was clear that the image sent to the Chinese intelligence and the airport CCTV images were sloppily doctored in a rush, leaving the reflection intact.
It was another half hour before their arguments led to the conclusion that the state department wasn't involved in framing Ri Jyeong Hyuk, but merely averting a crisis. Possibly only aimed at covering up for the negligent official who let Ri Jyeong Hyuk through the airport, despite the vial being in blatant display and went unchecked.
Though the discovery gave away that the vial had been in the briefcase long before he left Pyongyang, there was still no proof that would put Ri Hyeong Hyuk in the clear. After all, it further ratified that the vial was in his briefcase, at the time of departure.
Giving up hope wasn't an option and the hint had them pouring over the CCTV footage of the CMC headquarters. After perusing for a while, their sinking hearts found relief to spot the vial in Ri Jyeong Hyuk's briefcase again, in the exit screening images from the day before his Macau travel. When the same day's arrival scanning showed no vial, it was obvious that the vial was snuck into the briefcase during his regular office hours.
With the headquarters security personnel having turned a blind eye, Eun Dong suggested that they could be have been involved.
"We can't wait anymore to find when or who implicated Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu." Kwang Beum hastened to get his cap. "If I have to beat a confession out of Kim Su Gil, then I will."
"You won't be able to get past the security at Kim Su Gil's gate without help." Pyo Chi Soo decided to accompany Kwang Beum, to which the latter nodded in assent. "Call us, in case you find something else," Pyo Chi Soo directed at the juniors before exiting the room.
As the jeep rumbled, Kwang Beum hesitated for a moment, before shifting the gear to drive. They were chasing the truth while following the breadcrumbs of the falsehood that was placed for them to pursue. He wanted to believe that there would indeed be light at the end of the long night that was ahead of them.
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A day before the hand-off to NK officials...
The Chinese officials glared at the monitor, their mouths rounded in surprise.
An HD video played in slow motion showing a security official checking the contents of a briefcase, while Ri Jyeong Hyuk passed through the scanning threshold. A yellow arrow appeared to indicate the part of the screen which revealed the official grabbing something from the drawer with his left hand to swiftly place it inside the briefcase. The arrow disappeared, and they observed that the security official closed and passed the briefcase through the x-ray scanner. As the belt moved, the monitor showed the image of the briefcase with the vial in it.
When the video ended, the Chinese officials replayed it again, grasping at the apparent message that someone from the inside wanted to help clear the charges on Ri Jyeong Hyuk. It was emailed to the bureau earlier that morning, along with one more video and a picture from an anonymous source.
The second video began with the sound of a gun going off in the background. A masked man held a gun to a child, the little one's face blurred beyond recognition. Another man with a bloodied face sat in profile to the handheld camera, his arms tied behind his back.
A woman next to the child wailed. "Don't shoot him! Please I beg of you!" She fell at the man's feet when he pulled the child by the collar to position him closer to the gun's barrel.
"Don't you dare lay your hands on him," the bounded man screamed, his voice ripe with scorching anger.
The woman was the first to resign to their situation. "My husband wanted revenge for his father's death and nothing more." Her cries were unbearable, as she pulled on the masked man's free hand. Another shot was fired and the man tied to the chair screeched from the bullet grazing his left arm.
The officials could tell, this time the man holding the camera fired his gun.
"No! No! no..." She crawled towards the wounded man, as his head fell forward from losing consciousness.
"Tell us more about Kim Su Gil's father and how it relates to Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu." The masked man facing the camera commanded, his voice garbled to conceal his identity.
The woman stuttered in shock at first but eventually managed to speak with coherence. "My husband was adopted by the Military director when he was just a boy. When the Director-General, I mean Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu's father executed the military director, without a trial, my husband couldn't let it go. He wanted to destroy Director Ri's family without a trace."
With that, the video ended abruptly, without disclosing the fates of the individuals being held captive. The short video had cleverly gotten to the crux of the matter, without drawn-out torture, thought one of the officials.
Though the soldiers were not identifiable, the identities of Kim Su Gil, his family and the relationship to the high ranking official was confirmed by the Chinese intelligence, proving that the people in the video were real.
Lastly, the picture caused much stir on the floor when it exposed the NK state department's short-sighted cover-up - the blown-up image showcased a side by side comparison of the reflection that didn't match the manipulated TV monitor image at the airport security. The picture along with the other videos made the Chinese officials conclude that everything around Ri Jyeong Hyuk was a reckless feat of an avenging son that was playing out over international borders. If they wondered about the NK state department's artless handling of the circumstances, they didn't give words to the same.
The officer to the left went through his cigarette, a ringlet of smoke forming in the air as he exhaled. "So Ri Jyeong Hyuk was framed," he mused with satisfaction. "But Kim Su Gil clearly didn't have knowledge of these band of loyal men looking out for their comrade," he said as if the happenings were only parts of a novel he was reading.
"Well, I'm not sure your admiration for these band of loyal men is deserving." The investigating Chinese intelligence official to the right held his head in frustration. "These half-wits don't seem to know how an extradition request works."
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Few hours after emailing the proofs to Chinese intelligence...
With his arm in a makeshift sling, Park Geum sighed. "We might have painted the state department into the corner with the picture, but the videos only reinforce that its an internal matter to be dealt with."
Pyo Chi Soo saw Eun Dong's eyebrow draw together not comprehending the statement. "He means that the extradition request will not be canceled."
Eun dong panicked. "Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu cannot come back," he mumbled imagining the unfair ways he would be handled upon his return.
Ju Mok acknowledged with a nod. "I haven't seen any changes to the itinerary of the NK officials to whom Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu will be handed off."
"Then is the Chinese intelligence, really our ally if they can't stop the extradition?" Eun Dong cried, his voice strained with anxiety.
Ju Mok contemplated the mention of an ally. Their previous discussions had already ruled out messaging Se Ri, when Ri Jyeong Hyuk had asked that they not involve her at any cost. Moreover, they weren't clear if she had any sway over political matters. Leaking the news to international news outlets had been an option until they realized it still meant bringing Se Ri into the fold.
Eun Dong slid down to the floor, hopeless. "Why can't it be someone like the SK intelligence official on the other side?" he sounded wistful. "He would have helped Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu."
Ju Mok turned sharply in his chair. "Wait!" he spread his hands to steady himself in the chair as his eyes held a growing excitement. "He might still be able to help us."
Ju Mok was surrounded by the others the next second, while he worked on his keyboard to find a way to contact the SK official and send him the same contents that were shared with the Chinese intelligence.
Hours passed as they waited for a response, however, when the day turned into night without a message, their hearts slowly descended into despair.
They wanted to believe they had done everything for their Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu, as they began the countdown to the time when he'll be handed over to the NK officials.
The next day they stayed glued to the intelligence chatter to be informed of how Ri Jyeong Hyuk will be moved once in the capital.
However, the turn of events in Macau came as a pleasant surprise, when they heard that the Chinese government had declined to honor the extradition request. The Chinese government's response to the state department baffled the four men further, as it asserted its right to complete their investigation first before the hand-off.
"Are you sure that you sent the videos to the right Chinese intelligence department?" Pyo Chi Soo asked in disbelief, secretly praying that whatever forces were at play, continue to hold.
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The little light that petered into the room only established that he was living through an endless night. In reality, it had been 137 days since he was brought into solitary. All sense of time and space was lost, when he couldn't tell where in the world he was being held.
He was trained to endure emotional and physical torment, but this was beyond him when the cluelessness of what awaited him left him bereft of sanity. Besides the guards who brought him meals, or cleaned his cell, there were no visitors. The Chinese intelligence officers who had originally handled the investigation had never come back since his move to the solitary.
He couldn't tell why he wasn't extradited yet or charged at court.
In brief, his days were spent living with a crippling unknown which was nothing short of a road that went nowhere.
Yoon Se Ri, he took her name in the infinite silence that rang shrill in his ears, while his fingers played a familiar tune that was meant for her alone.
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Ju Mok circled the date on his desk calendar. He counted that it had been 9 months since Ri Jyeong Hyuk left for Macau.
The summit had ended without any mention of the hubbub that taken place only months before. The proudly smiling officials who posed to affirm a successful summit didn't speak to whether their Ri Jyeong Hyuk Dongmu was dead or alive.
All things considered, the man was now a ghost, untraceable and not spoken of even across borders.
Eun Dong watched Ju Mok get back to work with a quiet prayer that was not for words. His chest felt constricted upon uttering the same prayer that asked for their Dongmu's safety.
Unseeing he stared at his gaming window. For a while, he was lost considering how their lives had gone separate without notice. Even as an invite to duel flashed on the screen, he was unable to break free from the restlessness that froze him at times.
Slowly, awareness reached into him as the blinking request persevered to pull him out of his stupor. It wasn't until he paid attention to the profile ID, his interest peaked.
"Mr.Incognito, has invited you for a duel," he read, gaping at the prompt, just as his hand involuntarily clicked on the mouse to accept the request.
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Author's note: I have to thank all those who endured through the twists and turns :) Thank you for waiting a week, as I figured how to bring closure to this long update. If you liked how it turned out, then vote up and let me know with a comment.