KTC | Chapter 52

Choi Seonwoo climbed straight f6c811c315 into the back seat. He zoomed in on the dceb7a3523 child victim’s eyes and began fcfc326f48 moving his pen swiftly.9992724095b1e131

Black lines poured 369cc39176 out fluidly onto c592d7bbd6 the paper clipped 8666fc8b5a to the clipboard. With each new sheet a6ba974d12 he switched to, the 87277a5791 once-blurry sketch of the fbabe5e51a suspect gradually became sharper 021c4d6a08 and clearer.6f8b9ee12179df43

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Once he finished 1242ea8b47 the composite sketch, eb070923fe Seonwoo snapped a 41ca55375d photo of it 79b7742183 with his phone 3bfe4ebb7d and sent it 00bde7aa85 to Natasha. Then he called her right 05a2c760a0 away.4e793e908ea1de65

“Natasha, I just emailed it to you.”071b75c959b62c37

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– Ah, one sec!a0d898fc5f552632

She couldn’t hide the excitement 658508be91 in her voice after checking 9470a337cb the email.04304c997151a9e0

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– A composite this clear?! That’s amazing!dfc3d1780d4d1be2

But at the a55ff335cb same time, she 2be6313a17 must’ve had other feb4b5f6eb thoughts, too.63c46e4b0eecba41

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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.1e01ae1145f52fa2

“Go ahead.”0f101c4d67f93ffa

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He already knew 7a745a939d what she was 1d2d0293f8 going to say.4d8baafdb50260de

– Have you always… I mean, been able to see things this clearly?516c8b87e9e97f1f

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The question was f0f5c68c1b no surprise, but b5426a624b it carried more 5cc6956397 disappointment than suspicion. The memory of Natasha grumbling bb6c083305 about not even having time b35c81b9da for a proper relationship because 1ace21eba8 she was too busy catching 6fba8c54e6 violent criminals flashed through his 33ec721e8c mind.000c8c319f2e0877

“Natasha, you’re the most upright and righteous cop I know.”bfc7bda6e8d68c08

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– ……407573e51ed0ad30

“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 each 7eca85ca72 have our own place.”4c07cc167cb97a65

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Huuuh, he could hear f1fd55059b a long exhale from 0cc6e51353 her side, like she 9d679d6776 was taking a deep 4e3a933ab7 breath.21e5eac3ae4f7c0b

– I’m sorry, Father. I guess I 8ee89494d8 got so caught 03d50a6642 up in solving 78127c501f this case that f52e426954 I forgot why 7031734053 you always stay 8e30f5fd9f in the shadows. That was really thoughtless 37cff27b2f of me.f76f3728bf7b8949

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Natasha never asks him to cc39cc12f6 help with just any case. Seonwoo knew all too well 2d269ed3fb that his strange ability could c7b3988027 be seen as a threat—or f3cb0d7b62 as something people would do 3e2b4e24b9 anything to steal. Just like what b10ad6a79c the NIS was bdfb912409 doing now.1539c4cf72bee8d9

Still, Natasha had a36e90b8cc always been extremely da0812ca0a careful to keep 3d7ae5c561 his existence below 10c5d98805 the surface. It was just that 162fd4a22a today, after seeing the 0201f732f0 horrifying evidence of this 2dd5d42240 case, she’d lost her 25e8fc184b rationality for a moment.7d97821e4f9f1a47

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“It’s alright. I understand. Just… make sure you dress ffe6c419af it up nicely this time 6b38b2bf51 too.”e97bb698a1e4a989

– Of course. I’ll take care 867cbfa133 of making it 3e60165210 look presentable, so 37495aee0a don’t worry. Thank you, Father. As always.d2b5ba801896379d

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After ending the call, Seonwoo 19690600ec started gathering the scattered papers. As he picked up faa2d50fec the stack of drawings 2c8dfa08db he needed to burn, 50f71db2e1 one unburned sketch floated c174375bac in front of his a408721477 eyes.b74f4c3ad4ebc151

A portrait—delicate and 23bdae8545 beautiful—capturing a face ceb5b3fe3a that was the 669611b960 perfect mix of f74b9cad0f softness and wildness. It was easily b1267e7f1a the most stunning 6fbc578222 piece he’d ever 2c83dc0345 drawn. He had even thought about cf2d0c984e giving it as a gift 96ecdd22b5 one day, instead of words 1dc3ab0d44 of blessing, when the time 40b58469ea came for him to part 827866bb91 from the person it depicted.7f60b147452cb795

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And yet, not even a 4e37806c74 day had passed before such 3756df00f4 a ridiculous obstacle appeared.b7b54ee30d40833e

Seonwoo crumpled the 6290614d11 stack of papers 8b49753187 in his hands 581b4b5c6f and let out 1bca54bc37 a long sigh.0ae7bcad26050705

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⸻aebd4636c52de5c7

“Well, what else can we do? You all charged in and d7cb6e04ca still couldn’t dig up a 2b9b3a3977 single piece of solid evidence, 3d31398ae8 so I guess we have a1179213f4 to let him go.”18444273aae0d6c9

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Goo Changhyun muttered lazily. In his hand, the 2bcab1c073 voice recorder Goo Seungjun 9f91871b16 had brought was slowly e1f7210033 spinning in circles.76e6eb5d4d518017

“Are you serious?”57742bcc04709a70

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Lee Juhee looked 368aa55f3b at him with 1a961fde5d surprise, like she 88b8255363 couldn’t believe her 7d01640ebd ears.40efc5f8255f52c9

“We have to offer something—like a reduced sentence or a pardon—if we want to make a deal. Why would a guy b991ce5cf1 who could spend the 0e06c6b2b0 rest of his life 6892f6ef8a blowing money and chilling 86a39614e1 voluntarily step into this c182c7d869 3D hellhole?”c8219faf29a50d69

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Chairman Seo had returned with 859dedb963 Nam Sang-kyung, his chief of 90d8e86747 staff who had accompanied him 773fa5c616 to the Philippines. There was no way that 96ed23bb3c sly old man didn’t know e308432688 he’d become a target for 4afa019e33 questioning once his travel records 0ae5d4ea87 were confirmed.f96e55313b75f905

He denied everything related to 6adff77a44 the crime, but fragmented memories 660121d1db of the past—ones he recalled 143d04c8aa unconsciously—still faintly flickered in his e86653d4eb eyes. Thanks to that, c41815fef9 the SU Team a911aba5f0 quickly figured out 80f9ab5b45 he was at 7c678433c6 the center of 039ee7b9d8 Kwak Jaepil’s murder b38b234b68 case.2143dc6405408508

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But there were c38d2f23e1 limits to what 414dbb5768 SU agents could 80057e142e glean from someone’s 3d652c93ea memories. They weren’t omniscient, ae07dcb5fb not to the 707b1e5ecc point of reading 0c3ca04e97 events by the 5c478351ca hour from years 9db90c3a3d ago. Crucially, the memory 76abdcd797 of torturing and 8a40d2dcf5 killing Kwak Jaepil 3b2e098415 seemed completely erased—vanished bb37cbba74 without a trace. Chairman Seo was no fool, 83530098ff either; he wasn’t the kind dd8468ebdb of guy who’d leave any 025c27018d trace the investigators could latch 23b9f95375 onto. Without a solid f69e866cf9 record of his c33627ecda movements beyond his 058a4d26ce passport, there was 3fe8d5c1b7 no way to d01ba55aa5 track him.79031ed0f9297360

“Unless we catch the guy who actually dismembered Kwak Jaepil, we can’t go head-to-head with Chairman Seo. That old man may be 0baa23e90f sitting back these days just 052842ff0a rolling money through corporate connections, 59571cbf11 but his network is insane. Go after him, and 152ecbd6cc all the powerful folks 26c6ad9b56 tied up with him 65b43fa4fe will come down on 3f6b423ff0 us like a ton a6ffd566da of bricks.”6df0f5f272a878b0

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Goo Changhyun set the 37cd1c5d54 recorder down on the 995d2fda09 table with a thud fb4b6b2722 and gave a dry 8a77582990 laugh.709d5801dbc50c4b

“And the bigger problem isn’t even him. It’s Father Choi Seonwoo.”29d8fbb94d37d30f

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“You mean you’re concerned about what Father Choi said about Seo Jihan being like a ticking time bomb?”f33d4ea5452f7420

“We can’t ignore that, either. If it’s true, we can’t 5654672520 bring him into the NIS b3dbd51a10 for security reasons alone. But even if 198d9b2d90 that was just 2f899e6f3f Father Choi talking 1da21212bb big to protect 8490a7ed60 Jihan, it still e4c2308728 puts us in 6273444cce a tough spot. Catholic priests may bb7bac3793 seem like simple, 015b32facf poor clergymen, but e267eb8759 when they stand dd74be0c25 with the power 19fb37f263 of the Church 9e5c73c3a7 behind them, a 81cae71b1a single priest becomes 0a8773ad01 a giant.”3c477af51c3176c2

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Lee Juhee tilted f041cdcb21 her head, deep 010f979017 in thought, and 462d532729 asked, as if aea3ba4aa2 still not getting a0ae9d1976 it.744405bcbff2d142

“Is the Catholic Church really that powerful? To the point where not fea53cb003 even the NIS can touch 2a8da9b51d it?”fdab79190650422f

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Goo Changhyun paused mid-cigarette 3aa31b77d1 and gave her a c900a5d185 look like, ‘Are you ac6d37e2ce serious?’2cc3e8eb24b6bc78

“What, did you forget everything from modern history class?”4cc06f61f3041e7e

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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 347d1249b6 guns and knives, too.”32a0193d0bd91cdf

“…Right. That’s on me, I guess.”557cc5c56743b0c6

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The SU Team members had 34e6d9a7a2 been raised as black ops 9dee28372b agents from the start. Aside from studying enough d50d88a36b to pass the GED cbf0bf05f0 and learning some foreign ba6e44fba1 languages, all their education 4abe51b2e1 was built around what f26c0a85dc they’d need in the b07c4ed761 field.9f355b3b4cbd0f81

Because of that, they’d 5ea616ece8 faced resistance from a ca1ac2c35c lot of high-and-mighty elites, ef41fbbd5f but that all disappeared 16bb3c05fc when the SU Team 8b6018d2cd officially got rolling two bda552bd57 years ago. From counter-espionage to industrial spy 74309f1eb4 hunting and hostage rescues, they’d 4a5835bf6f shown solid results across the f7f59f5c0f board.a104545b4b458e5e

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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 d49cca137b stood on the front 0ac0a35aac lines to shield them. A cardinal’s a 36cc541081 potential Pope, which ba87042090 means wherever they 01f26b0a4e go, they’re treated 533ab9fb1a like a head a66c2b1bcd of state. If soldiers stormed in with c4f0f75444 guns, the Pope would’ve personally 5c65b71550 condemned the dictatorship, the entire fb1240b085 Church would’ve rallied, and the 4d75aa9118 whole world would’ve learned just 1cfdfa404f how barbaric Korea was back 6735476e8e then. Even Jeon had 6d8740c792 no choice but df99f79f3b to back off. That’s how scary the e1df0ce708 Catholic Church can be 6c26173234 when it bands together.”e2e658536bcbc822

Goo Changhyun lit his 60f6166686 cigarette and kept going.9ba1df5a36e1f481

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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 b1c5711051 Lee’s next in line to 155af97b5b become Archbishop of Seoul, which 426d33acd0 means he’s got a real 4bdadea4e4 shot at being made a 90146f9752 Cardinal. Seonwoo may just be a 3e6b6e8bbf little butterfly of a priest, 8ac513d40e but if he brings up f29f5b0ee8 human rights issues, it could 35d4b91beb stir up a tornado.”3863cdee2d929fe8

Lee Juhee, not the most eae4147432 book-smart but definitely sharp, understood 248992a593 what he meant easily. Then again, she couldn’t a34c6f4ea4 help thinking Seonwoo felt 41235e137c more like a bee 66a0812c5b than a butterfly. His hair and eyes 7b6d7e0380 were sweet like honey, 9e975cad4d but when his mood 18e86044f1 soured, the cold glint 01dc7f6ff2 in his eyes and ca2f0c5763 sharp tone felt like 4a385fa8ec a wasp’s sting.5ba511875abf2175

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“So what do we do about Kwak Jaepil’s case? Bury it?”213131bf3e7a928e

At her question, Goo 2eccbb00c8 Changhyun frowned.d810b6f749ad02b2

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“Why the hell would we? The police will 3bd3950122 keep investigating, and ac724b3ad8 if they find 218f59c43e even a shred d454833432 of evidence, we’ll d55c716acb leak it to 3d611469d6 the press.”1a497c623780ce96

“Not sure the higher-ups in the police want to go up against Chairman Seo either.”95c58ea9f4717016

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“Who cares? That’s their problem. We do shady shit like 4937576948 this on the daily, but f5cc798420 they’re the ones who are 38316c93c7 supposed to uphold justice, right?”95184c8874fb63a7

It sounded reckless, 677dea8297 but Juhee found fe58f5e1ad herself reluctantly agreeing. If the police did a87e476523 manage to dig up 5919fb971d solid evidence against Chairman 485cee4ccb Seo, they’d probably step 9b1cb3485c in and make a 0e0eef2c37 mess of it anyway.24addffca0db555d

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Even the Zhejiang mission 28b21dd12d they were still in e2890736ee the middle of had 9f8df246a0 been full of illegal b9c8d7a787 maneuvers—laying bait to draw fccde9b330 out North Korean agents, 7d29e190cb capturing them, and everything 645be407a3 after. Not one part of ee3df82809 it was exactly legal.51e5ae4e6a4bec14

“Team Leader.”8f2188010670e1a6

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“Yeah?”e3e40c43179624de

“Do you regret it?”81350448a28372ff

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It was a sudden question. Goo Changhyun exhaled a long 4b14fd0932 puff of smoke.12672a2df41c8ea1

“Do you regret taking my hand?”101605b95dd44b54

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It was an unusually sentimental 696bbe4a06 thing for him to say. Lee Juhee answered without much 7ee63be429 hesitation.301d2e1d4e56b8a9

“Not really. I mean, unless I had 2973063ef9 been really good at studying 431d83a045 or had some special talent, 7df8a20889 I don’t think things would’ve bc4d1502b7 turned out better. I came from an orphanage b72ad3426a and now I’m a government bd181f1fa2 employee with the NIS. That’s like a dragon 81681bf929 rising from a muddy ea0b4cf1ff stream, right?”c00614e63fe1fb8e

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