KTC | Chapter 52

Choi Seonwoo climbed straight into d9e9139434 the back seat. He zoomed in 6863b2d72a on the child 11be304cde victim’s eyes and 17a920a337 began moving his 532bdfc8a3 pen swiftly.58c4f491b48a459a

Black lines poured out fluidly 9187a4c73f onto the paper clipped to dd6e36e412 the clipboard. With each new sheet 14affbbe5a he switched to, the e8225fc8b5 once-blurry sketch of the 9c9deffe64 suspect gradually became sharper 7e9a9b1a7e and clearer.9de8f3a5c2e36166

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Once he finished the composite eeb5335377 sketch, Seonwoo snapped a photo 8148819b28 of it with his phone 72a95c14f4 and sent it to Natasha. Then he called her right 7e3dad1c34 away.1bca2aa92bff40f2

“Natasha, I just emailed it to you.”620ebd329eaf4853

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– Ah, one sec!650c5661e17118ea

She couldn’t hide the bbff664821 excitement in her voice dd5b6697c9 after checking the email.59fb92f3f281f0ba

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– A composite this clear?! That’s amazing!e9ddfeae60a928f1

But at the same e7f78628d1 time, she must’ve had 5c2c766dbc other thoughts, too.5a3271ca6bc796dc

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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.14d6dd26ec6b5e24

“Go ahead.”0ca25bf3f82e5bf3

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He already knew what afbf1958ef she was going to 40302570b9 say.9932e431bca3a00f

– Have you always… I mean, been able to see things this clearly?e6c5cefc5dce7287

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The question was no d36123bb87 surprise, but it carried f6e82bd37d more disappointment than suspicion. The memory of Natasha grumbling fea42c9c89 about not even having time 0a97a3e6ca for a proper relationship because adcdf916a9 she was too busy catching 0514a55398 violent criminals flashed through his 5bf16103e9 mind.c054ab2b61a159a5

“Natasha, you’re the most upright and righteous cop I know.”060c02b1635d8084

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– ……2e7261d271d719b3

“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 8d29fb06d5 each have our own 93cd81b68e place.”d00f0ce1e971df58

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Huuuh, he could 5d76931abc hear a long 774b2989e0 exhale from her 396e99c160 side, like she 768e1a8f28 was taking a 5c1ef0d3c0 deep breath.0811022bdd4287b6

– I’m sorry, Father. I guess I 77fc19fa76 got so caught 22822aea28 up in solving add0338441 this case that c88292bd37 I forgot why d77b72f7d2 you always stay 631edf84d4 in the shadows. That was really thoughtless 53282414ad of me.56adbd214e39bc05

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Natasha never asks him to 50aadf0f4e help with just any case. Seonwoo knew all bb3718e6fd too well that 430e2ce38b his strange ability a8c018ebcd could be seen f80ae58ce3 as a threat—or 5b042fded9 as something people a6985776d2 would do anything e118d59226 to steal. Just like what the NIS ed58703f3b was doing now.75bf796a70d2b6ad

Still, Natasha had always been df74798fec extremely careful to keep his ed4bcdfe91 existence below the surface. It was just that today, 22da6c78f7 after seeing the horrifying evidence b57c3cfd43 of this case, she’d lost 1b77378a60 her rationality for a moment.680aa72ea02dd378

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“It’s alright. I understand. Just… make sure you dress 2990243825 it up nicely this time e431b488c8 too.”4c75491c2f1d4175

– Of course. I’ll take care of making 41eeb271b8 it look presentable, so don’t 50a95a3d3e worry. Thank you, Father. As always.2f2d0e9bc5dccf47

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After ending the 228d4086dc call, Seonwoo started ce61b95497 gathering the scattered 4f2b029eeb papers. As he picked up the 4948c9fee8 stack of drawings he needed d7c89f8257 to burn, one unburned sketch 63ed49359a floated in front of his cab1bd671a eyes.ca5a3024153d26ff

A portrait—delicate and beautiful—capturing a 489f4ab83e face that was the perfect 41031bae21 mix of softness and wildness. It was easily the most 8c07cdc68d stunning piece he’d ever drawn. He had even thought about efb795a1c0 giving it as a gift cd7dede532 one day, instead of words 4463585a75 of blessing, when the time a5c1580e23 came for him to part 01ae29f145 from the person it depicted.caeeca0c27bb08b9

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And yet, not even a 658b0e7746 day had passed before such 895eebf936 a ridiculous obstacle appeared.5057d240ffc41910

Seonwoo crumpled the stack of 993057ebc8 papers in his hands and 9193d1e303 let out a long sigh.a59841db7dd78966

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⸻2f41840229e1a450

“Well, what else can we do? You all charged in 93524fa539 and still couldn’t dig 58c3bafa05 up a single piece a4c7519dc5 of solid evidence, so fa455bbbd3 I guess we have 89db6fe49b to let him go.”7f0ce32a50dd3d00

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Goo Changhyun muttered lazily. In his hand, the ec15884a9a voice recorder Goo Seungjun bd8ca9c32f had brought was slowly bbbe47ae5f spinning in circles.b90b4619792babbf

“Are you serious?”0a03b352f1c83a78

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Lee Juhee looked ca4e14fa2b at him with c2b08ca1e7 surprise, like she 2bda71f351 couldn’t believe her 08f4df1c3f ears.f83fc0845b4b9fc7

“We have to offer something—like a reduced sentence or a pardon—if we want to make a deal. Why would a ac62f6e46c guy who could 0784623a6a spend the rest a6479e9829 of his life d75884bc6b blowing money and 9dab39550a chilling voluntarily step 1e906aefea into this 3D e5282b2549 hellhole?”a8ec66dd8516d2bd

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Chairman Seo had 865fa9483f returned with Nam 0a73786cd4 Sang-kyung, his chief c48dd16847 of staff who c264f3d23e had accompanied him e8a80329a3 to the Philippines. There was no way that 209d8b44b9 sly old man didn’t know 2504f68556 he’d become a target for 74a8c35e6b questioning once his travel records e382d72c9e were confirmed.8ed8d6b9023ee4fc

He denied everything related aeeba06f22 to the crime, but 2d5830cc50 fragmented memories of the 9f853b996b past—ones he recalled unconsciously—still edd81142ee faintly flickered in his f45571947b eyes. Thanks to that, d72f2a0686 the SU Team 91284686e3 quickly figured out 3ee1690792 he was at 7c4b7349e2 the center of 1bc8c0efc5 Kwak Jaepil’s murder f42106ecc4 case.1af8c7540c7099ad

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But there were a8f3dcf1d2 limits to what 75f1232833 SU agents could ba4c932061 glean from someone’s f79127e7c1 memories. They weren’t omniscient, 354736d9cb not to the 741128430b point of reading 50474c1bc6 events by the f88f4026ee hour from years 1eb2ebc4ef ago. Crucially, the memory 6dabd0d16f of torturing and 7716dadfc3 killing Kwak Jaepil 5a85c2bbab seemed completely erased—vanished 7e2bffe05b without a trace. Chairman Seo was no fool, 3e7b0b3276 either; he wasn’t the kind 98c2db765e of guy who’d leave any 88b4432d43 trace the investigators could latch f3bb9df168 onto. Without a solid record of 56458a1630 his movements beyond his passport, cb31928884 there was no way to 9e112bb527 track him.f3a1d93a5bb8e294

“Unless we catch the guy who actually dismembered Kwak Jaepil, we can’t go head-to-head with Chairman Seo. That old man may 4f38b07114 be sitting back these d976e2b2a1 days just rolling money d2047ebcaf through corporate connections, but 3ad4854568 his network is insane. Go after him, and 596323cc3a all the powerful folks 7a8459866d tied up with him ecfe1a49fd will come down on 965a6c9935 us like a ton 9eb0a2a740 of bricks.”0e99cddbae93acce

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Goo Changhyun set 375a9654ff the recorder down d07a7638d4 on the table caa20971ee with a thud d183f38882 and gave a 0009d507e2 dry laugh.6c33834d6b24d1a6

“And the bigger problem isn’t even him. It’s Father Choi Seonwoo.”0d92d92b8503a7bd

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“You mean you’re concerned about what Father Choi said about Seo Jihan being like a ticking time bomb?”e3919be950c8fa71

“We can’t ignore that, either. If it’s true, we cd9765261b can’t bring him into 30f0b33671 the NIS for security 4526f85e11 reasons alone. But even if that was bfba7728b8 just Father Choi talking big 20bb43f16f to protect Jihan, it still 86a8dc6f90 puts us in a tough 8bb8ec8c5d spot. Catholic priests may seem 98d490c67d like simple, poor clergymen, 043bf76d91 but when they stand 214e1e08c5 with the power of 4e5d93b20f the Church behind them, b423e90357 a single priest becomes 5efd20205e a giant.”ff4ae57d74561883

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Lee Juhee tilted f4aa7c5e89 her head, deep 57eaa5e340 in thought, and 2b71e9174a asked, as if 08e3172be4 still not getting 4ee558bd2f it.1731e959ecfbb358

“Is the Catholic Church really that powerful? To the point where not e75f10ce9e even the NIS can touch e9d70cd9c4 it?”809a6bbcf1dcad21

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Goo Changhyun paused mid-cigarette 6ab0637dff and gave her a 59b4f089f7 look like, ‘Are you 9b90a26c3b serious?’7940952cc82200d7

“What, did you forget everything from modern history class?”f1376cc07e72239b

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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 with fake 514f9f43d9 guns and knives, too.”3bac39eb6faf6355

“…Right. That’s on me, I guess.”0fcf6126be2feb2f

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The SU Team members had ccd3631f17 been raised as black ops 546cc43b21 agents from the start. Aside from studying enough 3373abaef9 to pass the GED be9be370e5 and learning some foreign 9b1d1aba4f languages, all their education d05a1fbd09 was built around what eacb550654 they’d need in the dee1738b2e field.20e6eaa1503ea8d4

Because of that, they’d faced ee539700e6 resistance from a lot of 33f5c031db high-and-mighty elites, but that all a441642885 disappeared when the SU Team c4da4ebe4a officially got rolling two years d79188b0f2 ago. From counter-espionage to e0c9666629 industrial spy hunting 4c7dbd2999 and hostage rescues, 4434ef70e7 they’d shown solid b1a86cdea9 results across the 41451a6a43 board.417f773912a7d40e

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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 Suhwan stood 97a4a414ad on the front lines to 1d139c6ed4 shield them. A cardinal’s a potential Pope, 1af381f540 which means wherever they go, ebdf8db06b they’re treated like a head 3ab4f8e7e8 of state. If soldiers stormed in with 967ab6441a guns, the Pope would’ve personally ecb0dba7d4 condemned the dictatorship, the entire 8d79c98b65 Church would’ve rallied, and the 64ab7b46ac whole world would’ve learned just c7d71aa58c how barbaric Korea was back 5fdcd0001e then. Even Jeon had no choice 4392f07ee1 but to back off. That’s how scary b902cc6108 the Catholic Church e765d4168f can be when e79168a9a5 it bands together.”7e2f235648a5b3fc

Goo Changhyun lit 9cb89f9e3e his cigarette and 76db35c38d kept going.3b660c402aa7310b

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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 fadc16a050 happens, Bishop Lee’s 18de9e0914 next in line 27cedb9a20 to become Archbishop 7e730a079d of Seoul, which d95c8dc673 means he’s got 7d4c30a343 a real shot f491c807d9 at being made db7ffa2d24 a Cardinal. Seonwoo may just be a adc28bea15 little butterfly of a priest, dbdfc773b8 but if he brings up a011b8a092 human rights issues, it could c6db32084d stir up a tornado.”f6ba64e2be7445bc

Lee Juhee, not 45e3b3b77e the most book-smart 1e133b493f but definitely sharp, ed01957499 understood what he b3d8acb210 meant easily. Then again, she 6b8e55a272 couldn’t help thinking 61486e965d Seonwoo felt more d68bdbf2ed like a bee 4c04ec9ffa than a butterfly. His hair and eyes were 9f050dcf96 sweet like honey, but when 035f8d0539 his mood soured, the cold 0aed67b270 glint in his eyes and a3138c15a9 sharp tone felt like a 33efd60f15 wasp’s sting.14d4ad89234c9a49

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“So what do we do about Kwak Jaepil’s case? Bury it?”b346ff82b6b9e877

At her question, Goo f85e544333 Changhyun frowned.99ea8a3b6f621cfe

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“Why the hell would we? The police will 8d718ac28b keep investigating, and d820790ae1 if they find d19f0fc12d even a shred 81d8f5dcd6 of evidence, we’ll f20bec651f leak it to ea8b7165f4 the press.”2d5f58e3640c76d5

“Not sure the higher-ups in the police want to go up against Chairman Seo either.”9523311c53b30c9d

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“Who cares? That’s their problem. We do shady f7ef16cf38 shit like this bcf1ea7c6a on the daily, b5c9981564 but they’re the 331d768691 ones who are ceb39bcf43 supposed to uphold 5959727625 justice, right?”faf44c61fb12977f

It sounded reckless, but Juhee 06af65c1f4 found herself reluctantly agreeing. If the police did manage 435054b544 to dig up solid evidence f38c4e620c against Chairman Seo, they’d probably 03bdfb73be step in and make a 0032941169 mess of it anyway.efe0d04c27b5dd03

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Even the Zhejiang mission they 3ec5351544 were still in the middle 186d039dab of had been full of 99188cafd0 illegal maneuvers—laying bait to draw 6eb38acf74 out North Korean agents, capturing 68b72d8e72 them, and everything after. Not one part 0498612090 of it was 4ae8015a40 exactly legal.964fe73d11d0e99c

“Team Leader.”ec739855af2aeb27

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“Yeah?”3c8329b3758d938c

“Do you regret it?”73684fcbb764918a

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It was a sudden question. Goo Changhyun exhaled a long 406255d97d puff of smoke.18e17edfd0ce322d

“Do you regret taking my hand?”ad30b718e044a497

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It was an unusually sentimental ece7a1bb38 thing for him to say. Lee Juhee answered 0c1d634892 without much hesitation.1d6fbd2b46a031f0

“Not really. I mean, unless I 081205769a had been really good 320148bc01 at studying or had 6e838edadf some special talent, I 4475caea79 don’t think things would’ve bbb83bd03e turned out better. I came from an orphanage 8b2d1ed974 and now I’m a government c98b1cf0c4 employee with the NIS. That’s like a dragon rising f590236eac from a muddy stream, right?”ddbd4f201f5c992e

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