KTC | Chapter 52

Choi Seonwoo climbed straight 42924e0733 into the back seat. He zoomed in ebb3c74d41 on the child 54581b5ba0 victim’s eyes and c648988a7e began moving his b927e159eb pen swiftly.e8ebbd515db86e40

Black lines poured out ff655bd0dd fluidly onto the paper 30179e4d60 clipped to the clipboard. With each new sheet 5cf71cdc2b he switched to, the e2f4a91798 once-blurry sketch of the 41eaf669a0 suspect gradually became sharper 3afba28f02 and clearer.18b5036ab151d0e9

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Once he finished the composite 700570614b sketch, Seonwoo snapped a photo 53757c1436 of it with his phone 4f6263e05e and sent it to Natasha. Then he called f37819b20d her right away.b25711e709f5952d

“Natasha, I just emailed it to you.”37cf7b3133f69467

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– Ah, one sec!9dba5ddd40d0ab5e

She couldn’t hide the e481fd304c excitement in her voice 5c9b8d8cc6 after checking the email.703707bacb73d8e0

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– A composite this clear?! That’s amazing!e158d80e21b22ad9

But at the 3028593fda same time, she 75136d18f1 must’ve had other 759e385797 thoughts, too.f49c21f904418be0

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– I know it’s probably not the best time to ask this, but just quickly… If you don’t want to answer, it’s okay.54fdc2c3a50e1d5b

“Go ahead.”3c2bc4ca859983d5

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He already knew what she 26eaf30486 was going to say.0ec12c4598bd1b93

– Have you always… I mean, been able to see things this clearly?e084beda8bcdc168

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The question was no 0cb3a56817 surprise, but it carried ac523b1ebb more disappointment than suspicion. The memory of Natasha grumbling ab5950c332 about not even having time 097c82cf26 for a proper relationship because 38bde1e246 she was too busy catching 50989e18e4 violent criminals flashed through his 5f7b3ce7e9 mind.e14f43c469747c98

“Natasha, you’re the most upright and righteous cop I know.”7cef5e753fd8d93e

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– ……f9ae666b2e0ea6bc

“I help you because, even though I can’t punish human sin myself, I know your fiery drive is always rooted in justice. You and I… we dd6b2b0d4f each have our own 7755ad4c9d place.”4543b13f37bc02fd

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Huuuh, he could hear 3f69565726 a long exhale from 28f7e37ea7 her side, like she 9f0470870c was taking a deep ab54669a1e breath.6396d37a9f810f0d

– I’m sorry, Father. I guess I 952c8f7d79 got so caught d0aab3a99b up in solving 122af948f2 this case that d702c54c6a I forgot why 8f323a57b5 you always stay 75f709858c in the shadows. That was really thoughtless c3a37b560f of me.f2a5faeb0fc3fe9d

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Natasha never asks 808e502aac him to help ff3063288f with just any e9679c816b case. Seonwoo knew all e7ee9025d8 too well that 58984ec0cc his strange ability 8c7df71c03 could be seen d25d46f4ea as a threat—or 881c77642f as something people 493e12ca9a would do anything 0e37834918 to steal. Just like what the NIS 78a1bcdc07 was doing now.171ff49a0817632e

Still, Natasha had 26e3bae786 always been extremely 58360e97bc careful to keep 607b761b86 his existence below 011aff2114 the surface. It was just that today, de846a2415 after seeing the horrifying evidence 8505a0802f of this case, she’d lost 3dc0692922 her rationality for a moment.bd54ad0a91264054

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“It’s alright. I understand. Just… make sure you dress 1054dd1c4c it up nicely this time 52fbde996e too.”8db1405a555ac182

– Of course. I’ll take care of 02f481fedd making it look presentable, b8eb2f1771 so don’t worry. Thank you, Father. As always.98ee78bd2e04ad8a

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After ending the call, Seonwoo c88289c69d started gathering the scattered papers. As he picked 217dd847b2 up the stack 150eb865dc of drawings he 455ab9cf43 needed to burn, 89c5f86c02 one unburned sketch 7a72f2c477 floated in front 598b6bfa86 of his eyes.dccddab5ea6ba906

A portrait—delicate and 0a8e90d15c beautiful—capturing a face ffdc2212e5 that was the 7a53f4a589 perfect mix of d342e83fef softness and wildness. It was easily the most add61550fe stunning piece he’d ever drawn. He had even thought about f718967797 giving it as a gift f185b4401f one day, instead of words 579c73b5cc of blessing, when the time f6ca960290 came for him to part 9baeedb6f8 from the person it depicted.74414ebbc276f5bd

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And yet, not even a 6f64971fcf day had passed before such ba3ae768b1 a ridiculous obstacle appeared.94afa984573cb293

Seonwoo crumpled the 280a696f13 stack of papers f167deccfa in his hands 667ecf7077 and let out da6ff1bce0 a long sigh.af899838d77df78b

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⸻d8104102da42c0bb

“Well, what else can we do? You all charged in and 1464d29413 still couldn’t dig up a 44255c30c1 single piece of solid evidence, 65e282c82b so I guess we have 039321feac to let him go.”756d232dc9f76d57

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Goo Changhyun muttered lazily. In his hand, the voice b7316eec71 recorder Goo Seungjun had brought d2aec86d19 was slowly spinning in circles.85153c1d13903a90

“Are you serious?”89d9ecd1e9e0836d

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Lee Juhee looked at 523e352e60 him with surprise, like 77fa547160 she couldn’t believe her b7d3dbd0c7 ears.239e1dabef6b63a7

“We have to offer something—like a reduced sentence or a pardon—if we want to make a deal. Why would a 3689aad831 guy who could 095c4610f7 spend the rest debdb81b2c of his life 29fc8d8ae0 blowing money and a147e42c7b chilling voluntarily step 64d31f810b into this 3D 5ae3cc1497 hellhole?”95dd92110a374768

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Chairman Seo had b2774ff60c returned with Nam 30d53b6a32 Sang-kyung, his chief b941921c2b of staff who 7b7fc5ad32 had accompanied him 6ec894ff60 to the Philippines. There was no way 6b39f7cf71 that sly old man 4e704f7a2a didn’t know he’d become 49ef8b17b1 a target for questioning 1314b9e483 once his travel records 54c148cf6b were confirmed.3f5637dc8440040a

He denied everything related to 3c9ade1b4a the crime, but fragmented memories 30da098b3c of the past—ones he recalled 0140cc9a9f unconsciously—still faintly flickered in his b78d41bbb3 eyes. Thanks to that, the b7e42237c2 SU Team quickly figured 37d9485b90 out he was at e792a36314 the center of Kwak 5f788510f2 Jaepil’s murder case.1c6b419640cbb339

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But there were limits c8a9aedc5d to what SU agents 7caf066042 could glean from someone’s 7a40ac427a memories. They weren’t omniscient, not 8b3763074a to the point of a0fcc3d6f7 reading events by the 2f321075ba hour from years ago. Crucially, the memory 30bcd44bdb of torturing and 8529b590e7 killing Kwak Jaepil 9d501319bd seemed completely erased—vanished e6e53f1d64 without a trace. Chairman Seo was no fool, 40e835624d either; he wasn’t the kind a9a5a4737a of guy who’d leave any 7d402f09e1 trace the investigators could latch d0b7cf90f8 onto. Without a solid 9eac0775f6 record of his b9806c5691 movements beyond his 59f61f8063 passport, there was e9244a0b77 no way to baa8cbb213 track him.11b815fa299b9057

“Unless we catch the guy who actually dismembered Kwak Jaepil, we can’t go head-to-head with Chairman Seo. That old man 4960492c48 may be sitting 6cfc133cab back these days 32bdd7905c just rolling money b4ca30a8e4 through corporate connections, a52c76d7ef but his network 0cd3f55ddd is insane. Go after him, 8c9478f992 and all the 15d2a2d6a8 powerful folks tied 49502c63b6 up with him 02332948a3 will come down 7cc330a55d on us like 01586a3811 a ton of 8a4578e35f bricks.”43d91c227e3b1af8

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Goo Changhyun set aa8ecc66b1 the recorder down 5da7d56d2f on the table 1efbbb01d4 with a thud 28f63c8a8f and gave a ccbca71fb3 dry laugh.ae5a5c5e807b7c31

“And the bigger problem isn’t even him. It’s Father Choi Seonwoo.”f99caca95d8663c9

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“You mean you’re concerned about what Father Choi said about Seo Jihan being like a ticking time bomb?”8d42734ef691de08

“We can’t ignore that, either. If it’s true, eb5b27672d we can’t bring 4fb4eaee93 him into the 7730a84832 NIS for security a8027328dd reasons alone. But even if that 4750f39eea was just Father Choi b670ca5223 talking big to protect 077d006caa Jihan, it still puts 77e3487d8d us in a tough 2553c4e87f spot. Catholic priests may seem 5630690cef like simple, poor clergymen, b03248cf78 but when they stand 8222c255e9 with the power of d5f3ba5651 the Church behind them, febc6dac65 a single priest becomes ece164aacc a giant.”6e3ae97d79bad587

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Lee Juhee tilted her 7ee8f24ed2 head, deep in thought, 93c7bbed47 and asked, as if 4af345f59a still not getting it.6554921bbff71b83

“Is the Catholic Church really that powerful? To the point where 7b26350823 not even the NIS fe8f72be63 can touch it?”b21175755a14ebc1

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Goo Changhyun paused mid-cigarette d8a334384d and gave her a 72c24be19d look like, ‘Are you bf48ebdc0e serious?’f394983b589a374a

“What, did you forget everything from modern history class?”82aa5ee96c7e2242

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“When everyone else was studying, we were blessed by the Director to practice hand-to-hand combat and do mock battles. Sometimes we played e7ed383119 with fake guns 92c6891eb2 and knives, too.”883c88f7c342ab79

“…Right. That’s on me, I guess.”cef3f51546ef6b71

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The SU Team members had f766fc564d been raised as black ops c1eaf31f7f agents from the start. Aside from studying enough bcb784c6b1 to pass the GED b02aeb018e and learning some foreign 685251722a languages, all their education 45d961ba23 was built around what 91db87b9a4 they’d need in the c0edf9e652 field.279d9e0852637d1e

Because of that, they’d 723da8cb4f faced resistance from a e0c34710ad lot of high-and-mighty elites, a8f1d6ede6 but that all disappeared 2246a1224e when the SU Team c55e92ae13 officially got rolling two 6bf57fd49a years ago. From counter-espionage to 903579e7ce industrial spy hunting 1d373feeec and hostage rescues, ef021e2ba3 they’d shown solid 6e5855b26c results across the 0045b6f86d board.07ae20da0f719d49

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“Even Jeon, the guy who ordered soldiers to shoot civilians during the democracy protests, couldn’t touch people hiding in Myeongdong Cathedral. Why? Because Cardinal Kim db3882c4c2 Suhwan stood on c427494169 the front lines 5237a185b7 to shield them. A cardinal’s a potential Pope, 673e4e2c27 which means wherever they go, 4aaffcfa1b they’re treated like a head 073105e118 of state. If soldiers stormed in with 057f7b014f guns, the Pope would’ve personally 0430a2ad41 condemned the dictatorship, the entire d3cc666c5e Church would’ve rallied, and the 43cd29ace3 whole world would’ve learned just dfdc9212c2 how barbaric Korea was back 80d91ede7d then. Even Jeon had 1ecc662a03 no choice but c7a70ede01 to back off. That’s how scary the Catholic 17a651c771 Church can be when it 2bc7127db3 bands together.”d3adda6ae2343234

Goo Changhyun lit his 35dbf64d91 cigarette and kept going.7132df6df1424a36

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“And don’t forget—it was Bishop Lee Yoonseok from Myeongdong Cathedral who introduced Father Seonwoo to Chairman Seo. Unless something crazy happens, Bishop 302da2848e Lee’s next in line to 12482341a4 become Archbishop of Seoul, which 3a411fde81 means he’s got a real 47b4abf194 shot at being made a 60c7e2d3fd Cardinal. Seonwoo may just 212983e4d0 be a little 2624159514 butterfly of a 224165bd9c priest, but if e92440a5e5 he brings up c0e148176f human rights issues, 98928e613c it could stir 6a57b5bcfb up a tornado.”13bba25215361a3e

Lee Juhee, not the most a9995bb043 book-smart but definitely sharp, understood fc421dacec what he meant easily. Then again, she couldn’t 61ef614bc6 help thinking Seonwoo felt d6896f7b9f more like a bee 0780d43e50 than a butterfly. His hair and eyes were aa0e1a12df sweet like honey, but when 2f80809391 his mood soured, the cold 087aa47a02 glint in his eyes and 911d7ab276 sharp tone felt like a 054a376bd0 wasp’s sting.172e317c6ee15cf3

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“So what do we do about Kwak Jaepil’s case? Bury it?”78bd192bc60c3dea

At her question, 6572bd4b72 Goo Changhyun frowned.3aef2818d84b07b7

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“Why the hell would we? The police will keep investigating, b7473a8d28 and if they find even 21e9c8320d a shred of evidence, we’ll fdc967e1af leak it to the press.”950fecb588e54e49

“Not sure the higher-ups in the police want to go up against Chairman Seo either.”e42cc4501da6dbf3

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“Who cares? That’s their problem. We do shady shit 68b8856da8 like this on the 955cf0bf8d daily, but they’re the 8a26adf56e ones who are supposed 50a8225067 to uphold justice, right?”e40e24cc0e29c16e

It sounded reckless, but Juhee 5a83a1718c found herself reluctantly agreeing. If the police bd71827228 did manage to ec02919dab dig up solid 28e752653c evidence against Chairman b24b160d3e Seo, they’d probably 972a371fed step in and 4d0c706d2b make a mess 92de3fd17a of it anyway.e5f195e98317580d

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Even the Zhejiang mission they da555d73a9 were still in the middle 2e911fd348 of had been full of ff6ad24545 illegal maneuvers—laying bait to draw a191b6a02b out North Korean agents, capturing 5b977ffdb6 them, and everything after. Not one part of it 3b6004d1a2 was exactly legal.0381329490f53e13

“Team Leader.”ffabd89a41bfe45d

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“Yeah?”b1ab86e1114ab291

“Do you regret it?”955a14c7fc4322fa

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It was a sudden question. Goo Changhyun exhaled a long 03bd194bf6 puff of smoke.bb7fbd9301ef0824

“Do you regret taking my hand?”0580dd07b49e3aad

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It was an unusually sentimental b8038f6a05 thing for him to say. Lee Juhee answered without 2a55561ff1 much hesitation.37ebab18ca43d964

“Not really. I mean, unless I had 495101ecab been really good at studying 0ed1fa2b89 or had some special talent, f7e7e2b4f5 I don’t think things would’ve f83e203efe turned out better. I came from an orphanage ba7e63cbe0 and now I’m a government dc387fae07 employee with the NIS. That’s like a dragon dd490ac23b rising from a muddy da45833bb4 stream, right?”a715cdb435aa29bc

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