Chapter 833: Unexpected Guest

To prevent any unforeseen incidents the hospital’s surroundings were sealed off by armed police.

I arrived at the hospital after passing through the checkpoint. As I got out of the car the commander of the armed police greeted me.

“This way please.”

I nodded and followed him into the hospital.

Inside armed police officers stood guard at various points.

“The security is quite tight.”

The commander replied as we entered an elevator that was waiting on the first floor.

“Three criminals went into the operating room but only one came out alive. The secretary ordered us to control the hospital, in case someone tries to silence the only witness.”

Makes sense. If they could kill Wei Zhengxing to shut him up, silencing a witness would be even easier.

The elevator didn’t stop once, it went straight to the floor with the inpatient rooms.

“Here we are.”

The commander opened the door to the hospital room. The smell of disinfectant wafted out.

Inside the dimly lit room, the only sound was the beeping of various electronic devices.

Manager Ma and I entered the room. Before closing the door the commander left a final reminder.

“He’s an important witness. Just ask a few questions and make sure he doesn’t die.”

Instead of answering I nodded and slowly walked toward the bed.

I saw a man lying on the bed as if he were dead.

“I know you’re awake so stop pretending.”

At my words the man slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.

His eyes wavered when he confirmed my face.

“You recognize me, as expected. I’ll ask a few questions. Cooperate and I’ll make sure you get out of this alive. Blink twice if you understand. Then I’ll remove the oxygen mask so you can talk.”

The man blinked twice. I made a slight gesture and Manager Ma removed his oxygen mask.

“Huff… Huff.”

The man was clearly struggling to breathe, I began my questioning as he gasped for air.

“Was it Wei Zhengxing who ordered you to kill me?”

The man slowly opened his mouth.

But his voice was so small and mixed with his ragged breathing, it was hard to make out what he was saying.

Manager Ma leaned in and the man spoke again.

“He says he doesn’t know who the client is, Boss.”

I wasn’t expecting much from this. It was rare for the hitmen to know who the client was.

“Who gave the direct order?”

Manager Ma placed his ear near the man’s mouth again.

His voice was quieter than the beeping machines but Manager Ma managed to catch it and relayed his words.

“He says the organization’s boss gave the order directly.”

“Organization? What organization?”

I kept throwing questions. The man looked like he was in pain but I couldn’t stop.

“He says it’s a group of retired soldiers from the Chinese army.”

“So they’re like mercenaries.”

I asked several more questions after that but didn’t get any meaningful testimony.

This man was just a chess piece after all.

He didn’t even know who I was, he said he was just guarding the stairs to protect his sniper companion.

After a few more exchanges the man’s breathing became increasingly labored, to the point where he couldn’t answer.

The electronic devices in the room started beeping loudly.

The door opened and doctors, nurses and the commander who guided me earlier came in.

The medical staff put the oxygen mask back on the man’s face and started emergency treatment.

The commander asked me with a stoic face.

“Let’s go, it seems he can’t handle any more.”

“Sure, I’ve asked everything I needed to.”

I had no regrets. I’d already gotten all the information I needed.

The commander saw us off with the same respectful attitude as when we arrived.

After leaving the hospital I headed to meet Bo Xilai.

“Welcome, Boss Kim.”

I shook hands with Bo Xilai and took a seat. He pointed to a stack of documents on the table.

“This is all the information and evidence we’ve gathered so far.”

I slowly read through the materials Bo Xilai had prepared.

Then a certain passage caught my eye and I lowered the documents slightly.

“It wasn’t suicide?”

Bo Xilai had told me Wei Zhengxing’s death would be ruled a suicide.

But the documents said otherwise.

Homicide. Those two words caught my attention.

“Yes. If it became known that a big shot like Wei Zhengxing was murdered it could cause internal chaos. So the Princelings and the Communist Youth League agreed to conclude it as a suicide.”

It’s an individual’s death but it’s being treated as a political matter.

I nodded and continued reading the documents. Then I stopped at a photo of a man.

“Who is this man?”

Bo Xilai immediately answered my question.

“He’s the head of the organization that tried to assassinate you, Boss Kim Mu-hyeok. We’re already tracking him.”

“What does he do?”

“He was in the People’s Army’s intelligence bureau. He was discharged after several incidents and has since recruited special forces veterans for various jobs. It seems even Beijing didn’t know his true identity.”

As Bo Xilai explained I looked closely at the man’s photo.

I didn’t recognize his face at all.

“You found him pretty quickly.”

“A lot of evidence poured out of Wei Zhengxing’s house.”

Bo Xilai’s answer made me laugh as I put down the documents.

Bo Xilai looked at me with a puzzled expression, he was trying to read my mood.

“Am I the only one who feels strange about this?”

“Is there a problem?”

His cautious question made me smirk even more.

I’m not in the mood to play along with someone else’s script. This was very unpleasant.

“An organization no one has ever heard of suddenly pops up. But in just a few days, you’ve found the leader’s photo and a detailed account of his activities, almost like it was planned. Don’t you think it’s a bit too convenient to be a coincidence?”

“……”

“I find it very strange.”

“Are you saying someone deliberately set this up? But who would do such a thing……”

“I don’t know. Think about it carefully. I already have someone in mind.”

Ye Xiaotong. They call her China’s top lobbyist, she must be an expert at setting up these kinds of schemes.

I smirked again as I thought of her face.

“Who is it?”

“I’ll let you know when I’m sure.”

Bo Xilai was curious but I simply evaded the question with a smile.

It wasn’t a name I could mention lightly in this place.

“Anyway, thanks to you, Bo Xilai, I managed to get out of a tricky situation. I’ll definitely repay this favor later.”

“Haha. No, it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me, Boss. It’s fine.”

“That’s that and this is this. Once things are settled here I’ll create a source of income for you, so you won’t have to take bribes from anyone anymore.”

Bo Xilai’s face brightened. In China’s political scene money was everything.

The reason Bo Xilai couldn’t give up on Wei Zhengxing was because of the political funds he provided.

“But you must not take money from anywhere else. You need to lay low until the next leadership is established. And absolutely do not go against the Central Government.”

“Of course. Why would I ever go against the Central Government?”

I knew how Bo Xilai had risen to power.

So I warned him once again.

“I’ll say it again. Do not oppose the Central Government’s policies. No matter what they are.”

At my firm tone Bo Xilai swallowed hard and nodded.

Seeing his reaction I stood up.

“Once my schedule is finished I’ll return to Korea. Let’s meet again next time.”

As soon as I left Bo Xilai’s office I took out the business card Ye Xiaotong had given me.

Then I called her.

— Hello.

“It’s Kim Mu-hyeok.”

— Oh! Boss Kim Mu-hyeok! What a surprise!

A bright voice came from the receiver.

“I’d like to meet you now, where are you?”

— For you to ask to meet first, what an honor. But what should I do? I’m afraid that might be difficult. I just came to catch a flight to Korea.

“Is that so? Have you decided to meet your father?”

— Yes. I’m going to meet him and talk. It’s all thanks to you, Boss Kim. Thank you.

Her melodious voice, emphasizing the word ‘thank you’ seemed to stick in my ear.

“Then I’ll head to Korea too. Let’s meet in Korea. I’ll introduce you to a nice restaurant.”

— I’ll look forward to it. The plane is about to take off. The flight attendant is asking me to turn off my phone. See you in Korea, Boss Kim Mu-hyeok.

With those words the call ended. I stared at my disconnected phone and let out a hollow laugh.

“I knew it had to be Ye Xiaotong.”

That call and her actions confirmed who the author of this ridiculous play was.

I put away my phone and said to Manager Ma.

“Let’s head to the airport. The person I need to meet just boarded a flight to Korea.”

* * *

Ye Xiaotong arrived in Korea and checked into a hotel.

She sat on the bed, fiddling with her phone, deep in thought.

In Ye Xiaotong’s left hand was a piece of paper with Woo Young-shik’s phone number.

“Tao. What should I say?”

“Tell him who you are and ask to meet, Boss.”

“……Will he welcome me?”

Ye Xiaotong had come to Korea to meet her father.

But now that she had arrived and unpacked all sorts of thoughts filled her head.

“……”

Tao didn’t offer a hasty answer. He knew how she felt, making it even harder to respond.

Ye Xiaotong chuckled at his reaction and took a deep breath.

“Alright, let’s call first.”

Ye Xiaotong dialed the number on the note. Music played from the phone.

It was her mother’s favorite chanson.

Before the song ended a man’s voice came through.

— This is Woo Young-shik.

“……”

— Hello. This is Woo Young-shik.

Her father’s voice for the first time was deep, low and trustworthy.

— I’ll hang up if you don’t say anything.

She was learning Korean but wasn’t fluent yet.

But Ye Xiaotong understood that his words just now weren’t kind. She finally spoke.

“It’s Ye Xiaotong. Is this Woo Young-shik’s number?”

Ye Xiaotong spoke in English.

— ……Ye Xiaotong?

The reply came a beat later. Ye Xiaotong continued urgently.

“Yes. It’s Ye Xiaotong. Is this Woo Young-shik’s phone?”

Fluent Chinese came from the receiver.

— Yes, it is. I’m Woo Young-shik.

“Do you know who I am?”

— I do. You’re Ye Xianping’s granddaughter.

“Not that. You know who I am. Let’s meet. Let’s meet and talk.”

— ……

There was no reply to her request. Ye Xiaotong grew anxious and spoke again.

“I’m in Korea now. I really need to see you.”

— ……Where are you? I’ll come to you.

Ye Xiaotong gave him the name and room number of her hotel.

— I’ll be right there.

With those words Woo Young-shik hung up first.

“……I’m more nervous than I expected.”

Her hand trembled after the call ended. Tao quietly handed her a glass of warm water.

“Thank you.”

After calming herself with the water Tao gave her, she rummaged through her bag.

It was a photo of Woo Young-shik she’d found in an internet article.

“Why didn’t I realize? We look so alike.”

Her eyes and nose were strikingly similar to Woo Young-shik’s.

She fiddled with the photo as she waited for him.

About an hour passed. There was a knock on the door.

Ye Xiaotong clutched her chest. Her heart felt like it was about to burst.

“Boss, I’ll open it.”

Seeing Ye Xiaotong’s nervousness Tao moved to open the door for her.

“No. I’ll do it.”

Ye Xiaotong stopped him and checked her expression in the mirror.

She finally calmed her racing heart, walked over and opened the door.

Woo Young-shik stood outside.

“Come in. Please come in.”

Ye Xiaotong spoke with a composed face, stepping aside.

Woo Young-shik entered without a word.

The two sat facing each other. Ye Xiaotong looked into Woo Young-shik’s eyes, so similar to her own and asked.

“You’re my father, right?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Is that important now?”

“……”

“I’m asking if I’m your daughter.”

“……”

Woo Young-shik didn’t answer.

“Say something. If it’s true, say so. If not, say so.”

Woo Young-shik remained silent.

“Say something. I heard you did what Grandfather asked, for me and were forced to resign in disgrace! Did I ever ask you to do anything for me? Did you think some unknown daughter would be grateful?”

Ye Xiaotong raised her voice but Woo Young-shik simply stared at her face in silence.

After pouring out her words for a long time Ye Xiaotong’s tears finally started to fall.

“Do you know how much I wanted to call you Dad? Do you know how I felt growing up without a father?”

At her words about being her dad Woo Young-shik’s stoic expression finally broke.