Chapter 737: This Was the Best Way

Ban Jang-woo’s story was a long one.

“This happened when I was working as an ambassador in China. Just like any other day…”

I listened to him without a word.

“I had no choice. I…”

After hearing the whole story, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Was that the best you could do?”

“I… I…”

“It doesn’t matter now. What good is it to talk about it now?”

Ban Jang-woo’s long, winding tale went like this.

Just like any other day, he was being entertained at a dinner with high-ranking Chinese officials.

But when he woke up in his hotel room, there was a woman’s corpse next to him.

Ban Jang-woo had absolutely no idea what had happened or what methods had been used.

There were clear handprints on her neck, and he had no memory of what had happened the night before.

He quickly asked a close high-ranking contact for help, and with his help, the incident was buried.

But from then on, his leash was held by China.

“Don’t you have diplomatic immunity? You could have used that to get out of China.”

“That’s…”

“Of course, diplomatic immunity isn’t a magic wand. And especially not when it’s only been a few years since establishing relations with China. Even if you left China, you’d still have to pay for your crimes in Korea. Is that why? Did you become a dog for China just to ensure your own safety?”

“I had to live too. I… I…”

Diplomats are granted diplomatic immunity, but it wasn’t absolute.

Ban Jang-woo had been a central figure of power since the military regime. After taking off his military uniform, he had strangely chosen the path of a diplomat.

That’s probably why it was so hard for him to give up what he had.

“Have you been working as a spy for China ever since?”

Ban Jang-woo shook his head.

“No. Nothing much happened after that. But as soon as I became the National Security Advisor, they threatened me. If I didn’t do as they said…”

Ban Jang-woo trailed off.

China didn’t use Ban Jang-woo immediately after they got him in their grasp.

Indeed, if he had been a spy passing information from the beginning, there would have been some trace left behind.

And it would have taken much longer for him to become the National Security Advisor.

‘They played their cards right.’

They waited until he was in a position where he could hand over key information and then used his weakness to get it.

“Please don’t tell the President. I’ll just… resign.”

I frowned at Ban Jang-woo, who was only thinking about his own safety until the end.

“National Security Advisor Ban. Stop talking nonsense and answer my question.”

“I’ll tell you everything. So…”

Manager Ma kicked Ban Jang-woo in the chest.

It wasn’t a heavy blow but Ban Jang-woo’s aged body couldn’t withstand Manager Ma’s strength.

Manager Ma stomped on Ban Jang-woo’s chest as he spoke.

“Just answer the question.”

Ban Jang-woo said with a rough breath.

“Y-yes I understand.”

Manager Ma took his foot off Ban Jang-woo and went back to stand behind me.

Ban Jang-woo staggered as he stood up.

“How did you pass on the information? You met with the Chinese Ambassador often, so did you pass it through him?”

Ban Jang-woo shook his head.

“No. The Chinese Ambassador doesn’t know anything. The reason I met him often was to ease the tense atmosphere between China and us.”

I nodded.

“Then?”

“There’s a restaurant called Dongmyeongju in Yeouido.”

“Dongmyeongju? Are you talking about the Chinese restaurant in Yeouido?”

“Yes. That place is a subsidiary of China’s State Security Department.”

I checked Ban Jang-woo’s documents again.

He met at Dongmyeongju regularly. But the people he met were either members of the National Assembly or public officials.

“Are all the people you met there accomplices?”

“No. I met with the staff there separately to pass on information. No one who I made appointments with there knew about it. I just used the appointments to obscure my true actions.”

I had also been to Dongmyeongju a few times myself.

But I had no idea that it was a subsidiary of the Chinese State Security Department.

“Unbelievable.”

Dongmyeongju was a famous high-end restaurant in Yeouido, frequented by politicians as well as those in the political and financial circles.

I instructed Manager Ma.

“Look into Dongmyeongju right away. Get the list of all the employees there and their movements.”

“Yes. I’ll contact them right away.”

Manager Ma left with his phone.

“When did it start?”

“It started when I became the National Security Advisor. I’ve been passing information to them ever since.”

“…So the Chinese government knew the Korean government’s every move. Because of you.”

He had been passing information for over a year.

It is common for intelligence agencies of different countries to send spies to other countries to collect information.

Even our country sends black agents from the National Intelligence Service to various places around the world to gather information.

“You won’t get away with this easily. You’re going to lose your reputation your position everything.”

“Boss Kim. Please bury this quietly. I’ll extract information from China in return.”

“What makes you think you can do that? You’ve already been caught by the Chinese what could you possibly do?”

“No. That’s why they trust me even more. It’s true.”

I looked down coldly at Ban Jang-woo who was begging in a disgraceful manner.

“Who is the person that has a hold on you?”

“It’s Shiyongwei. He’s the one who is currently in charge of the State Security Department.”

I knew who Shiyongwei was. He was Luo Gan’s right-hand man.

Is Luo Gan involved in this as well?

“No. Even if you pass them false information, Shiyongwei won’t trust you. It’s better to use this incident to put pressure on China.”

“Boss Kim, I…”

“Didn’t you know this day would come when you betrayed us? What will change if the man who acted like China’s dog for his own safety now plays the double agent? The President will decide what to do with this.”

“……”

I continued to question Ban Jang-woo, and he told me everything he knew to stay alive.

Ban Jang-woo also didn’t know why China had escalated this situation.

I glared at Ban Jang-woo who had nothing more to offer and pulled out my phone to make a call.

A voice was heard almost immediately after the ringing tone.

— Boss Kim. What’s going on at this hour?

“Mr. President. I have the Public Relations Advisor the National Security Advisor, and the Senior Civil Affairs Advisor in custody right now.”

— What? What are you talking about?

Yoon Chang-ho raised his voice in surprise.

— You have three advisors in custody. Boss Kim, you’ve made too big of a mess. Were those three Chinese spies?

“They were three people who were highly likely to be spies. I haven’t found any solid evidence though. I had no choice but to resort to this method because of the time crunch.”

— You…

“China is already attacking Jungwoo Group and the Chinese companies I invested in.”

— I got a report on that. It seems all the business Jungwoo Group is involved in has come to a halt.

“Yes. I don’t intend to wait any longer either. Of course, I’m sorry that I had to resort to this drastic method.”

— Hmm… Did it have to be this way?

“This was the best way given the urgent situation. All three of them won’t be able to come to work tomorrow. That’s why I contacted you.”

Yoon Chang-ho was silent for several seconds, as if in shock.

— … Are you saying all three were spies? Even Woo Young-shik?

“It’s not certain yet. Still they are suspicious. I’ve confirmed that National Security Advisor Ban Jang-woo is a spy.”

— The National Security Advisor is a spy? Is that really true?

“Yes. They confessed everything already. He has been continuously passing information to China since he was appointed as National Security Advisor.”

— … I have no eye for people.

With a sigh, Yoon Chang-ho’s voice lost its strength.

— Are they next to you by any chance?

“Yes, they are.”

— Let me talk to him.

“Are you sure about that?”

— It’s fine.

His voice was heavy. I held out the phone to Ban Jang-woo.

His eyes, which were already filled with anxiety, shook even more as he watched me.

“It’s the President. Take it.”

“Th…”

“Take it.”

Ban Jang-woo couldn’t refuse my cold voice and took the phone.

“…Mr. President.”

— Hearing your voice makes it even more absurd.

Even though it wasn’t on speakerphone, Yoon Chang-ho’s cold voice was loud enough for me to hear even though he was not speaking loudly.

“I, I am sorry. I was out of my mind…”

— Yes, you must be out of your mind. You must be crazy to do such a thing. Don’t say obvious things. No. It’s better if you shut your mouth, since I don’t want to hear you.

“…”

— You did a good job so far. Make sure you stay alive and watch how everything you’ve built collapses.

I took the phone back from Ban Jang-woo, who was covered in cold sweat.

“It’s me, Mr. President.”

— Thank you, Boss Kim.

“There’s no need to thank me. This is revenge against those who attacked me. I plan to take action in full force now.”

— Of course you would. You’re one to return what you received. What do you plan to do with Ban Jang-woo?

“I’ll leave it to you, Mr. President. I’ve already gotten all the information I need.”

— Can you tell me about it?

“I’ll tell you the details when we meet separately. I think I’ll have a general grasp of everything in a day or two.”

— I’ll take care of the advisors separately. Woo Young-shik, that guy…

Yoon Chang-ho paused, his voice heavy.

“I know you’re close with him.”

— … Okay. Thank you.

“You’re welcome. Then, I’ll hang up now.”

I glanced at the dumbfounded Ban Jang-woo and said to Manager Ma.

“Lock him up in another room and verify the truthfulness of what he said. Will a day be enough?”

“Yes. That’s plenty.”

“Take him away.”

Subordinates who had received Manager Ma’s call came and dragged Ban Jang-woo away.

His eyes were already filled with resignation.

I got up from my seat.

“Let’s go to Senior Civil Affairs Advisor Woo Young-shik.”

Woo Young-shik was locked up on the second floor.

As soon as the door opened, I saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the wall.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No. I’m just getting sober now.”

“Is that so?”

I brought a chair and sat in front of him.

“National Security Advisor Ban Jang-woo is indeed a Chinese spy.”

“I see. I didn’t expect that from him.”

“That doesn’t mean that the suspicion against you is all gone. We don’t know if there is one spy or two.”

“…I understand what you mean, but it’s not me.”

“Then please explain.”

Woo Young-shik sighed deeply.

“Does the President know about all of this?”

“I just contacted him. I told him that the three of you have been brought here and that it would be hard for you to come to work tomorrow. I also told him that National Security Advisor Ban Jang-woo was revealed to be a Chinese spy.”

Woo Young-shik nodded with a dark expression.

“The President must have been shocked that I’m here.”

“That’s right. He was more shaken by the fact that the Senior Civil Affairs Advisor has been acting suspiciously than the fact that National Security Advisor Ban Jang-woo is a Chinese spy.”

“I see. Yoon Chang-ho trusts me a lot.”

Woo Young-shik was mumbling to himself while calling the President by his name.

“Please tell me your story. About you, Advisor Woo.”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“If it’s the truth. But if you lie, I will never forgive you.”

Woo Young-shik thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“My daughter is in China.”

“Your daughter? I thought you only had two sons.”

“She’s my illegitimate child. And the Chinese government knows about it.”

“…Does that mean you were working as a dog for the Chinese government for your daughter’s safety?”

“No. I did receive their offer. But I refused it.”

“Then isn’t it possible that your daughter could be in danger? You refused it knowing that?”

Woo Young-shik shook his head.

The next words that followed were quite shocking.

“My daughter’s mother is at the highest level of the Chinese Communist Party. So she won’t be in any danger.”