December 2, 2030

  “Ugh… seriously, I canceled my flight ticket, and now what am I doing here?” Jung Min-ju sat in the interrogation room of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. Across from her was Suzumura Hideki, head of the Korean Peninsula Division. They faced each other. Suzumura leaned in close. “…Did you know your phone had a wiretapping program installed?” He held out her phone. Jung Min-ju protested, indignant. “…How many times do I have to say it? I had no idea there was a wiretapping program. Who would’ve thought it was hacked?”

  Suzumura sighed. “…Agent Jung, this is problematic. You’re an intelligence agent—how could you not know your phone was bugged? And how do you explain that the information from this phone is going straight to Gamamusa?” Jung Min-ju felt like she was losing her mind. “…Like I said, there was no wiretapping program on my phone before I came to your office. I had it officially scanned for viruses at headquarters before leaving Korea.” Suzumura looked at her incredulously. “…So, you’re saying someone hacked your phone at the exact moment you were heading to our office? Does that make sense?”

  …

  “…I see.” Jung Min-ju calmly absorbed the news that Gamamusa was a mass-murdering psychopath. The two men were the ones surprised. “…Did the NIS know?” Kang Min-chul, the North Korean former guard, asked. Jung Min-ju shook her head calmly. “…No, but I personally know how much of a crazy bastard he is. The NIS doesn’t believe me, though.” Suzumura and Kang Min-chul tilted their heads. Jung Min-ju sighed at their reaction. “…Have you heard of the ‘Dongguk Middle School Mass Hysteria Incident’?”

  Suzumura’s eyes narrowed meaningfully. “…I know it. In 2006, students and teachers at Dongguk Middle School in South Korea claimed sleeping gas was released in classrooms. No gas was seen on CCTV, but the incident became infamous because students and teachers went berserk in the hallways. The school earned the stigma of being a ‘madhouse.’ Afterward, students and teachers reportedly suffered depression, claiming stress built up in their brains when they acted violently or swore.”

  Jung Min-ju nodded. “…I was a victim of that incident. I was a diligent middle school student back then. I passed out foaming at the mouth and woke up two hours later. But even when teachers reported it to the police, no one believed us. No one explained what happened in those two hours. But eleven students left school early that day.” She swallowed hard. “…Ten of them were notorious delinquents, and one was a model student. His name… was Gamamusa.” The men tilted their heads. “…What are you saying? That Gamamusa was behind the gas attack?” Suzumura shook his head, unconvinced. “Even for a lunatic, there are limits. How could someone not even at the school knock out people with sleeping gas?”

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  Suzumura dismissed her claim as dubious, but Kang Min-chul reacted differently. “…No, wait. Thinking about it, that sounds exactly like that lunatic’s method.” Suzumura turned to him. “…What do you mean?” Despite Suzumura’s question, Kang Min-chul stammered, biting his nails. “Back then… when everyone in our prison was massacred… Gamamusa used gas… released simultaneously through all the ventilation systems…” He looked at Jung Min-ju meaningfully. “…The gas probably came through the classroom vents. It was a hot summer, so windows were closed, and the AC was on. That’s why it hit so fast. And that gas… it’s odorless, leaving no trace…”

  Suzumura, frustrated, looked at them. “…What are you talking about? Even if that’s true, if no chemical traces were found, a visible white gas should’ve shown up on CCTV.” Kang Min-chul shook his head. “In North Korean prisons, with only one CCTV, there was no need to hide the gas. But… if Gamamusa wanted, he could’ve tampered with the footage too. He’s a monster beyond reason…” Kang Min-chul bowed his head, trembling with PTSD.

  Suzumura sighed and turned to Jung Min-ju. “…Anyway, we’re after Gamamusa not because he’s a spy, but because he’s a murderer. North Korea is cooperating with us, even providing a witness. Though this witness is pretty useless with his mental state…” He glanced at Kang Min-chul with disdain. Jung Min-ju tilted her head. “…Why are you telling me this? Are you asking for my cooperation?” Suzumura nodded. “…You know something about him. Share your intel with our team.” He opened the reception room door. As Jung Min-ju stood to leave, Suzumura suddenly blocked her. “…One thing before you go. You don’t have any wiretapping devices on your phone, do you?”

  …

  Bang! Suzumura slammed his fist on the desk. “Jung Min-ju! Are you really not going to cooperate? If there’s an NIS insider working with that murderer, we’ll formally protest to your agency!” Jung Min-ju stood, exasperated. “Look, Hideki! You’re treating an intelligence agent from another country like a criminal! What do you gain by cornering me?” Suzumura smirked. “If it gets out that you’re friends with Gamamusa, the NIS will fire you. Your only hope is that the wiretapping program on your phone magically vanishes without a trace, leaving us no evidence to arrest you.” Jung Min-ju’s heart sank. She stumbled back into the chair, feeling a panic attack coming on.

  “…This can’t be. My career… no, this is all Gamamusa’s doing. That bastard’s ruining my life again…” Suzumura looked at her with pity. “That again? Your friend Kang Min-chul said something similar. That this is all Gamamusa’s conspiracy, that we should let you go.” He placed his hands on the desk, leaning in to glare at her. “…Jung Min-ju, I know you’re not mentally unstable. Want a psych evaluation to prove it?”

  Jung Min-ju clamped her mouth shut, holding back tears. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks. “…Take her away.” Korean Peninsula Division agents entered, grabbed her arms, and dragged her out. Just then, a digital forensics agent rushed in, whispering to Suzumura. “…What… what nonsense? The wiretapping program on Jung Min-ju’s phone… it’s gone? All of it?”