Chapter 392: Reveal the True Reason

Afghanistan.

Igor traced his fingers over the mountain range near the Pashtun collective housing area, bordering Pakistan.

His eyes sparkled with intensity.

“So that bastard is right there, huh?”

“Yes, that’s correct. They’ve set up camp there and are training terrorists,” came the reply.

“That son of a bitch… I will take revenge for my comrades, and I will do it myself. Let’s kick off the operation at midnight; tell everyone to be ready. I won’t contact the U.S. military.”

Igor muttered fiercely after dispatching his underlings.

“Today is your memorial day.”

As the sun went down, Igor gathered all the mercenaries under his command.

Standing confidently before them, Igor declared,

“Today! This is finally the day we take revenge for our fallen comrades. Is anyone scared?”

“No!”

Igor’s lips curled up at the thunderous response from the mercenaries.

“Then let’s get moving.”

Igor hopped into a jeep and took off first, with dozens of vehicles carrying mercenaries and armored cars following close behind.

After traveling a long while along rough paths with no proper roads, Igor and his mercenaries finally reached the vicinity of Gulbuddin’s camp.

It was still before dawn, and Igor glanced down at the quiet camp shrouded in darkness, opening his mouth.

“Everyone, to your tactical positions.”

The mercenaries spread out in unison.

Igor too lifted his sniper rifle, aiming towards the camp.

A moment later,

communication from the various units came through the radio.

Through the scope of his rifle, Igor watched the sentry surveying the area from the camp’s watchtower.

Flashes erupted from the muzzle of his sniper rifle, simultaneous with the guard in the tower collapsing.

Taking that as a signal, Igor’s mercenaries charged into the camp.

As rounds from the armored vehicles crashed into the watchtower, alarms began ringing throughout the camp.

Beeeee!

Igor’s mercenaries were merciless. They unleashed an array of heavy weapons in all directions.

Dozens of rockets fired, and the terrorists who emerged from the camp, arms in hand, turned into corpses.

But the chaos was brief; Gulbuddin’s mujahideen were seasoned fighters.

Perhaps due to their extended training, they quickly regrouped and began launching a counterattack.

However, they were outmatched against Igor’s encircling mercenaries.

Igor kept his gaze fixed through the sniper scope. Each shot he fired hit its target without pause.

The one-sided battle raged throughout the night.

When the morning sun finally crested the horizon, Igor got to his feet.

“Shall we go catch that bastard now?”

A cool breeze brushed past Igor, cooling the sweat on his brow.

* * *

Thanks to Hong Jun-seong’s curiosity, small smiles appeared on everyone’s faces except his.

“Ha…”

Hong Jun-seong frowned. Being left out alone didn’t feel great.

Having downed two glasses of liquor in quick succession, he finally spoke.

“How will you tell me?”

“Well…”

“Should I exchange some high-level intel for it?”

“High-level intel? There’s no way you know something I don’t.”

Hong Jun-seong snorted confidently.

“Come on~. Don’t be like that. I just got some fresh intel. This concerns President Yoon Chang-ho, so Kim Mu-hyeok should…”

“Are you possibly talking about Representative Jeong Seok-jin’s candidacy challenge?”

“…”

Hong Jun-seong faltered at my interruption, his mouth hanging open.

See? I told you I wouldn’t miss that.

“Inside the Moderate Party, there had been a push to support President Yoon Chang-ho, but suddenly, congressmen from the Conservative Party united to back Representative Jeong Seok-jin.”

“…You knew that.”

“Do you know who’s behind that?”

“Who’s behind Representative Jeong Seok-jin? Who’s orchestrating something like that?”

Of course, it’s natural he wouldn’t know. I just smiled and took a sip from my glass.

“Ah, you’re being so difficult. Just spill it already.”

“If I tell you, what will you give me?”

“Wow! I’m going crazy here.”

Frustrated, Hong Jun-seong slammed his chest with his fist and downed his drink in one go.

Taking a deep breath, he slammed the glass down with a loud thud.

“What is it that you want from me?”

Oh Hyeon-woo quietly chuckled at his antics, while Jeong Tae-hoon merely eyed me cautiously.

Through this short conversation, I could glean a bit of Hong Jun-seong’s character. It seemed he had an insatiable curiosity.

“Tell me the real reason you followed me here.”

“…I came in because Kim Mu-hyeok entered here, alrigt?”

Hong Jun-seong hesitated for a moment before giving a brazen reply.

“Fine. It’s true you recognized me when I came in, but did you really just learn about me through President Yoon Chang-ho?”

“…”

“Let’s be honest. If it isn’t Hwaseung, then isn’t the Sehsin Daily preparing an articl about me?”

At the mention of an article, Hong Jun-seong widened his eyes and let out a breath. The alcohol clearly made him react quickly.

Most newspapers in Korea would never consider running a piece about me.

The moment even a single line appears in such an article, it would mean all the companies connected to me would cut their advertisements.

Most major corporations in the top rankings had business dealings with me, big or small.

No mainstream outlet would risk publishing an article about me that would scare them off.

But Sehsin Daily was different. It ws solely operated with the backing of Heaven Church.

With outrageous prizes offered and newspapers distributed, they created a favorable atmosphere for Heaven Church.

In order for Choi Seon-man to attack me, my information needed to be publicly known.

To gather that info, Sehsin Daily must be desperatelydigging into my background.

“Quit the word games already, and let’s talk about the mood and movements within Sehsin Daily. You don’t seem toofond of Heaven Church, do you? Am I wrong?”

“…”

“Whether you want to or not is up to you.”

When I casually mentioned it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t answer, Hong Jun-seong quickly replied.

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s pure coincidence that I followed Kim Mu-hyeok today. But it is ineed true that Sehsin Daily is preparing an artcle about him.”

In place of an answer, I merely offered a faint smile.

“I have no clue about the specifics. It’s the kind of thing only someone at the department head level could know. I have no idea what kind of article they’re planning to publish either.”

I watched Hong Jun-seong silently while pouring him another drink.

He waved his hands, continuing.

“It’s the truth. The boss directly ordered the department heads to gather all the data on Kim Mu-hyeok and to roll out a secial feature article when the order comes down.”

“Is that so? But how do you know that? You said only those at the department level would know that. Your statements don’t line up.”

When I pressed him, Hong Jun-seong spoke in an indignant tone.

“I overheard the department head giving some instructions to another reporter. It’s the truth.”

“So all of this is just coincidence?”

Hong Jun-seong nodded vigorously.

“Since when did the inquiries about me start?”

“It’s been quite a while. It’s been at least two months since I first heard about it. I think they’re doing investigations based on some documents they received from somewhere.”

It was clear Choi Seon-man had passed his info through the Defense Security Command.

If Sehsin Daily conducted the invesigation alone, the information it could obtain would be limited.

But if they received info compiled by Defense Security Command, it was a different story.

It wouldn’t be difficult to shape that into a properly published article.

Pulling spicy headlines and adding inferences would be easy. I slightly nodded as I inquired further.

“Hong Jun-seong, would you mind leaving Sehsin Daily?”

“What does that mean…?”

“I’m asking if you’d consider moving to Goryeo Daily. To any section you desire.”

“Huh?”

“As you can see, I have some good connections. I could arrange for you to be placed in Goryeo Daily, just say what department you want.”

Hong Jun-seong looked taken aback by my sudden offer, his lips trembling.

“Goryeo Daily… If I could move there, that would be great, but what would become of someone like me from a minor university? What would happen in Goryeo Daily where only graduates from Korea University get any respect?”

Just like other major media outlets, Goryeo Daily was predominantly made up of Korea University graduates.

His reaction brought to mind a phrase from a certain presidential candidate I once heard.

“Can you really become a journalist after graduating from that university?”

Excluding Korea University, places that ranked within the top three were treated similarly in the mainstream media.

It meant their bias towards educational backgrounds was far worse than at other places.

“If you’ve been working as a reporter for Sehsin Daily, then you already hve experience, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hah… You really don’t know anything about this industry. Besides the top ten daily papers, they won’t recognize your experience at all.”

“Then I’ll get you under Editor Jeon Seok-won.”

Hong Jun-seong repeated my words in confusion.

“…Editor Jeon Seok-won?”

“Yes. I have a deep connection with him. He won’t turn down my request, I assure you. You know the influence that Editor Jeon has in Goryeo Daily, and nobody dismisses someone he personally brings in.”

“…”

Editor Jeon Seok-won, an essential figure in Goryeo Daily.

Although someone else owned Goryeo Daily, he was the one who effectively ran the operation.

His pen held the attention of all media outlets.

If he set his mind to it, Goryeo Daily’s editorial direction could flip completely.

“What is it that you want from me?”

Hong Jun-seong adjusted his posture as he asked. What did I want?

I smiled, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s simple. Go to Goryeo Daily and write an article about Heaven Church. The content and editorial direction will be dictated by Editor Jeon Seok-won.”

“…”

“A reporter from Sehsin Daily, which was under Heven Church, can’t tolerate their wrongdoing and goes to Goryeo Daily to expose them. How does that sound?”

For an impromptu plan, I found it quite compelling.

Initially, I’d just been intrigued by the mention of a Sehsin Daily reporter.

But after talking, it seemed the person held little faith in Heaven Church and plenty of ambition.

If harnessed, it could create an interesting narrative.

“It’s a perfect scenario for you to showcase your abilities as a journalist. I’d say it’s a great opportunity for you too, wouldn’t you?”

Hong Jun-seong had no reason to refuse.

“…Are you really sending me to Goryeo Daily?”

“Of course. Resign from Sehsin Daily within this week. Yu’ll start at Goryeo Daily next week. Editor Jeon Seok-won will contact you.”

“I’ll do it. I’m definitely in.”

Being a reporter for Sehsin Daily or Goryeo Daily, th difference was clear.

If an opportunity knocked and you didn’t seize it, you’d be a fool.

“Now let’s discuss what you need to do next.”

“Are you sure about this?”

Riding in a car that had been picked up from a posh bar operated by Heavenly Group, Hong Jun-seong and Jeong Tae-hoon set off.

Once the two were gone, Oh Hyeon-woo casually asked,

“What about?”

“I mean Hong, the reporter. Jeong Tae-hoon, the prosecutor, won’t betray us due to his ambition, but Hong is different. He’s not built like a proper reporter.”

“Sounds interesting?”

“Interesting? Perhaps, but won’t that bring uncertainties?”

There were already enough uncertainties. Even adding one more card wouldn’t change much.

“That guy really doesn’t have many choices left. If he decides not to kill us after seeing us meet, then we have to sway him to our side anyway. If he’s too slow-witted to grasp what going under the former editor at Goryeo Daily means, then it can’t be helped. After all, I told him to quit Sehsin Daily, so we don’t need t worry about his future.”

Oh Hyeon-woo nodded slightly.

“If that’s the case, it’s settled. Should we grab another drink?”

I let out a small laugh but shook my head. We truly needed to organize a gathering soon.

“No, thanks. I don’t want to hear what Min-kyeong has to say. Once this matter is settled, let’s all gather for a drink together.”

I raised my hand to summon Manager Ma.

“Yes, Boss?”

“Call someone to drive. Hand over your car keys too.”

Oh Hyeon-woo smoothly handed over his car keys.

A moment later, the car Oh Hyeon-woo was in arrived.

“Get in quickly. I’ll contact you later.”

“Sure. See you next time.”

Once the car with Oh Hyeon-woo took off, I climbed into mine.

I gazed out the window softly murmuring,

“I think I’ll be fine with how Heaven Church is going, and Japan seems to be getting a bit interested…”

I’ll meet that person next week. Before then, it seemed I could set up all the groundwork.

“Manager, tell Chairman Yoo to step outside his Myeong-dong office tomorrow. I’ll need to check how the dealings with Japan are progressing.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Whether it knew my heart or not, the dazzling night city kept shining brightly.