April 8, 2006

  At Dongguk Middle School, when people mentioned the delinquent gang, they meant Song Jae-seob’s crew. Song Jae-seob extorted money from boys and girls alike. Known for leeching off others’ allowances, his nickname was “Caterpillar.” Spitting on the street with a sour expression, he led his gang to a bar. The owner scanned the place, confirmed it was empty, and served the delinquents alcohol. Song Jae-seob, as if it were routine, tilted his glass to the others and raised it.

  “Hey, drink up! Let’s forget today’s bad memories and wash them away clean! We’ll crush that guy next time!” His crew raised their glasses in unison. “Cheers!” As they drank, they grew woozy. Jingle. The bar’s door opened, ringing a small bell. The ten delinquents turned their heads. A figure with a blurred face entered, holding a sprayer. He sprayed it over the group, releasing a mist of white particles into the air.

  Song Jae-seob glared at the figure, incredulous, and stood. “…Yo, who the hell are you? Come here, you bastard…” He collapsed. The others followed, and the bar owner, busy cooking, didn’t notice. The figure inserted a thin, sharp wire into the back of Song Jae-seob’s neck; Jae-seob didn’t even twitch. The procedure, finished in under 50 seconds, was repeated on the other students. In less than ten minutes, the surgeries and neck sutures were complete. The figure vanished calmly. The owner brought out a steaming kimchi jjigae. “…These kids passed out without touching the snacks.”

  …

  Gamamusa quietly released sleeping gas through the ventilation system. Park Sung-jae watched him nervously. “…Isn’t this dangerous? I heard benzodiazepines cause withdrawal symptoms.” Gamamusa nodded. “…That’s why I diluted it with saline. Plus, vaporizing it reduces the risk even more. I sprayed it on those delinquents before, and they passed out in seconds. Well, they were drunk, so it hit harder.” As the gas spread through the vents to the house above, Hinata Nobuin and Ko Ye-eun collapsed, asleep. Hinata slumped face-down on the dining table, and Ko Ye-eun passed out at her desk in her room.

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  “…Sure, releasing a ton of sleeping gas to knock people out isn’t great, but small doses over time are fine. Those two will be okay,” Gamamusa said dismissively, grabbing his bag and pressing a button to remotely move a cabinet blocking the basement door. He turned to Park Sung-jae. “…Wait here. Japan’s intelligence will spot me leaving the basement and start tracking. When they do, head to another port and catch a ship to Russia.” Park Sung-jae nodded, placing a hand on Gamamusa’s shoulder. “…Don’t die. Without you, changing the world is impossible.”

  …

  Suzumura Hideki and the Korean Peninsula Division agents gathered in the office, watching CCTV footage on a large TV. The only camera near the rural house showed a door opening, with Gamamusa walking out. Two hours later, police cars arrived, and Park Sung-jae, disguised as Gamagogi, emerged, explaining himself. Suzumura turned off the TV. “…As you know, Gamamusa was spotted heading to that house days ago. That’s why we were monitoring it. We tracked everyone coming and going, and we even confirmed a wiretapping program on someone’s phone transmitting to that address.”

  Suzumura and the agents turned to Jung Min-ju. She scowled. “…What’s with those looks? You still suspect me?” Suzumura shrugged. “…The fact that Gamamusa remotely deleted the wiretapping program from your phone means he could’ve installed it too. We got it wrong.” At his sincere apology, Jung Min-ju’s mood softened slightly. She stood before the agents. “You all heard that? Gamamusa is a monster beyond reason. If we don’t work together, no one can stop him. Understood?”

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