Episode 19
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19. Colombia (1)
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However, it was a full month later that Jae-hak actually landed at El Dorado International Airport in Colombia. First, the intelligence-gathering team dispatched in advance for the operation required a bit more time, and second, Team Leader Park Hyo-seok still considered Jae-hak’s ability to contribute to the mission an unknown variable.
During that time, Jae-hak underwent Level 7 basic training alongside the newly recruited National Intelligence Service agents. It consisted of specific, skill-oriented classes that hadn't been covered in detail at the Internal Front Command, such as marksmanship, security studies, and counter-espionage doctrine. It was unexpected that they even opened separate courses on conversation skills and general knowledge, claiming one needed a wide range of topics to draw from in conversation, but it was necessary nonetheless.
"Wow..."
The South American sky he looked up at after waiting a month was a strangely vivid shade of blue. As the automatic doors opened in front of him, humid air rushed into his lungs. From the cars racing down the street to the roadside trees, everything was completely different from Korea.
"Wow, it really feels like South America."
Behind him, Ji-seul said, pulling her suitcase with a cheerful expression. Sunglasses and a black tank top. To anyone, she looked like an excited tourist.
*Honk!*
An old car on the road blared its horn. Looking back, Han Sang-jun, sitting in the driver's seat, rolled down the window.
"Alright, alright... hop in."
As Jae-hak and Ji-seul lifted their bags to put them in the trunk, someone emerged from the passenger seat to help.
"Oh? Mr. Rin, you came too?"
"Yes. It has been a long time."
*Clunk.* Startled, Jae-hak almost dropped his suitcase.
"What... is that?"
"Ignore him. He’s been monitoring North Korean radio frequencies for a whole month, and he’s picked up the accent."
"...And what happened to your face, Mr. Sang-jun?"
*Ahem.* Sang-jun, who had a bruise on his nose, lowered his voice intentionally.
"It is etiquette not to ask about wounds sustained during an operation."
"Hahaha, what are you talking about? You got hit by a husband after messing with a married woman."
"I didn't know! It was mutual fault!"
*Vroom.* The car carrying the four of them smoothly exited the airport and entered downtown Bogotá.
"Wow..."
Watching the exotic metropolis pass by outside the window, Jae-hak couldn't help but let out an exclamation. For someone who had never even been on an airplane, let alone traveled to South America, this overseas trip was something entirely foreign from head to toe.
"Ah, try this. It was delicious."
Sang-jun took something out of the glove box and handed it to the back seat.
"What is this? It looks like lotus leaf rice."
"Is it a banana leaf..."
Peeling back the warm leaf, he found something inside that looked like a banana made of mashed potatoes.
"It's peculiar."
Ji-seul took a bite and said, "It's bread. Is it... bread? It tastes a bit like corn and potatoes, too..."
"It's delicious."
"They were selling it on the street. I think it was called 'bollo'..."
After driving for a long time, the car turned slightly and stopped in front of a hotel in an alleyway.
"Unpack what you need to unpack, grab what you need, and come over to our room. We’re leaving shortly."
Once inside their room, Ji-seul and Jae-hak scattered their clothes, toiletries, and simple water bottles around. These were things they had intentionally brought to pose as ordinary tourists.
Their real gear was kept separately in a black sports bag.
*Knock, knock.* Han Sang-jun, who opened the door to the next room, gestured for Ji-seul and Jae-hak to enter.
"Let's confirm everything one last time before we move. You listen too, Jae-hak."
*Snap.* Ji-seul spread a map out on the table. It was covered in Post-it notes and pen marks. It seemed to be a plan that had been meticulously crafted while Jae-hak was away.
"The formation is three. Sang-jun and I are the operation team. Sang-jun is the decoy. And Rin is rear support. Rin, you need to establish the communication network first."
"How long will it take?"
"I can do it in thirty minutes."
"Can you please stop with that accent? Why is a Taiwanese-American speaking like a North Korean?"
"You will get used to it."
Sang-jun shook his head. Ji-seul continued.
"...Anyway. The final destination is here. It’s the warehouse and research facility of El Comercio Bolivar, Sergio Bae’s company. It’s also where Sergio Bae’s office is located."
"Wait... there’s a Gate next to it? What is this?"
"No monsters have come out of it for five years. You can practically consider it a dormant Gate."
That made sense; if it were still an active Gate, they wouldn't have built a warehouse right next to it.
"Regardless, this Sergio Bae—or Bae Jeong-seop—is different. He’s worth much more than the low-level pawns we’ve caught so far. Perhaps... this is our chance to find out who is behind all of this."
*Gulp.* Jae-hak swallowed hard, his nerves tightening. Ji-seul said one last thing.
"So, we absolutely cannot let him slip away."
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*Thump, thump, thump, thump...*
Despite what they had said, Sergio Bae’s company was far away. While Sang-jun and Rin drove the minivan loaded with equipment by land, Ji-seul and Jae-hak decided to travel down the Atrato River to the estuary. They had joined a tourist cruise, posing as a Chinese couple, to sightsee along the riverbank.
It wasn't exactly luxurious, but it was a clean enough boat. On the deck, a small string ensemble played upbeat songs, and men and women in light clothing danced with happy expressions.
"What are you thinking about?"
"...Ah."
Jae-hak, who had been leaning against the railing and staring blankly at the water, turned around. Ji-seul, who had changed into a thin summer dress, held out a cocktail with a small paper umbrella in it.
"Drink."
"Am I... allowed to drink?"
"We're supposed to be on vacation. We shouldn't look suspicious."
Jae-hak took the cocktail and sipped it a few times. A sharp, sweet taste. Was this what an expensive taste felt like?
"I'm having a hard time adjusting."
"To what?"
"Just... until a month ago, I was in a place where bullets were flying..."
"Because it’s suddenly too quiet?"
"...Yes. I feel... a bit nauseous, I suppose."
Ji-seul blinked. It was a common symptom of PTSD for soldiers returning from war or deployment to struggle with peace and safety.
"Many people feel that way. It’s not just you, Jae-hak."
"Really?"
"Of course. You lived in constant tension, and now that you're suddenly told to relax, your mind can't keep up. It’s only natural."
"Have you... ever felt that way, Agent?"
"I..."
Ji-seul gave an ambiguous smile.
"I enlisted right after graduating high school. I suppose I’ve gotten used to it? That’s also why I always try to live as brightly as possible, even if it’s a bit exaggerated."
I see, Jae-hak thought.
"So, come on, give me your hand."
Ji-seul took Jae-hak’s hand and pulled him toward the edge of the dance floor.
"Do you know how to dance?"
"I'm not very good at this kind of Western dance..."
"That’s perfect, neither do I."
And so, following Ji-seul’s lead, Jae-hak began to dance clumsily. No, in truth, it was much closer to just spinning around aimlessly. There was no rhythm or discipline to it.
"Hahaha... Jae-hak, you're terrible. You said you did gymnastics, so why are you like this? Are you uncoordinated?"
"Gymnastics isn't like this..."
A white boat cutting through a South American river. The cheerful sound of a violin. Trying not to step on each other’s feet in the midst of it all was a strange, new pleasure. In the end, Jae-hak couldn't help but laugh.
The music didn't stop until nightfall. The South American night sky, revealed once the sunlight vanished, was high and filled with a miraculously large number of stars. It was a primal beauty that made the heart of anyone looking up swell for no apparent reason. Jae-hak thought blankly that he finally understood a little why people in the past wrote so many poems about the stars and the moon.
And Ji-seul, who had been drinking cocktails like water all this time, began to sing softly in a slightly muffled voice. *Blue sky, Milky Way, in a white boat...*
"...Is that a lullaby all of a sudden?"
"Just because. I really like this song."
Ji-seul said that and smiled with a flushed face.
"Singing this song calms my heart..."
*A cassia tree... one rabbit, sailing without a mast or a pole... it goes well, to the country in the west.*
The singing continued, as if it were a boat carrying a single rabbit. Jae-hak looked up at the sparkling night sky and listened to her song in silence.
Why did she need a song that calmed her heart, and why did she need it so much? She had said she was used to it because she enlisted young. The word "used to it" was subtle. It left room for interpretation as to whether she was actually struggling or not.
Was the rabbit that went to the country in the west happy in the end? Jae-hak thought as he watched the pouring night sky.
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Two days later, the cruise docked at the estuary of the Atrato River. Jae-hak and Ji-seul transferred to a vehicle they had arranged in advance. It was a limousine driven by a chauffeur in a tuxedo.
"Review one last time. Who am I?"
"Chinese businesswoman Nancy Wang."
"And you, Jae-hak?"
"Her bodyguard, Mark Chen."
"Good, very good," Ji-seul said, buttoning her suit jacket.
"What do you do if I speak to you in Chinese?"
"I don't panic, I pretend I understand, and I nod with a serious face."
"That’s exactly it."
*Screech.* Before long, the limousine stopped in front of a massive iron gate. It read *El Comercio Bolivar*. After a short wait, a guard carrying a rifle approached with a sluggish gait.
"What is your business here?"
"We have an appointment with the Vice President. We are from Tenjung Trading."
The conversation was held in English. Once the formal inspection was over, the iron gate opened with a heavy sound. It was a freight yard filled with containers, cranes, and cargo trucks. The limousine passed through and climbed a small hill.
"...So that’s the Gate."
At Ji-seul’s words, Jae-hak turned his head to look out the window.
"...Where?"
"Ah, have you never seen a Gate before, Jae-hak? There. It’s distorting over there."
Jae-hak squinted. There, in the mountains behind the research building, something that must have been several kilometers high was rising. He called it "something" because there was truly no other word to describe it.
It was a long, vertical oval. It was basically transparent, but the space around its curved edges shimmered strangely, as if it were sucking in space itself.
The moment he saw it, Jae-hak felt an intense, inexplicable sense of dread. *Thump, thump.* His heart began to race.
What is this? What is it? This ominous sensation. It feels as if something terrible inside is calling out to me.
"We have arrived."
The limousine stopped in front of a modern-designed marble building. Perhaps it had been built that way on purpose.
"……Mugando. Confirm communication status."
-Reporting as clear.
"Good. Let's do this."
Jae-hak stepped out of the limousine and opened the door for Ji-seul. Dressed in a black suit, Ji-seul accepted the escort and stepped out with a natural grace. Her demeanor was haughty, as if she had become an entirely different person from the one she was just moments ago.
"Welcome."
A man waiting in front of the building extended his hand. He spoke in English, heavily accented with a Korean lilt.
"I am Sergio Bae."
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