21st Century Goguryeo

November 24th, 2023, 20:30

Namjoo, Seoul Metropolitan Gangbuk-gu, Secret Service Building

Kim Dong-jin was seen reporting in a video call in the first room of the Secret Service Security Service, where an emergency meeting was convened after a phone call from Bangkok was received.

Fifty minutes ago, Professor Woo Jin-gil, who had entered his room to take a phone call from his daughter, was found lying unconscious on the bed after the locked door to the room was broken by his bodyguards when he did not come out after more than 20 minutes and no response could be heard from him.

The two guards rushed him to a nearby general hospital, but the doctor said he had already died before arriving at the hospital.

Currently, Professor Woo Jin-gil's body was under the care of the Bureau of Investigation in Thailand where matters about the procedure for transportation to his home country were being discussed. The body was scheduled to be escorted home as soon as the investigation was completed. In addition, the original letter - the suicide note - which would be an important clue to the tragedy, was to be brought home by the two bodyguards themselves, and the contents of the letter had been converted into digital information and sent to the Secret Service.

The security officials who had received a brief report on Woo Jin-gil's suicide were shocked to see the contents of the suicide note.

The contents of the suicide note that Professor Woo Jin-gil left after taking his life were as such:

"First of all, I will atone for the sin of betraying my country by death for the sake of the safety of my family.

On June 22nd, 2021, I got a call from my daughter in Hong Kong. Unidentified men had broken into her apartment and kidnapped her and her children, imprisoned them in an unknown place for a day, and afterward, only she was released.

I was surprised and told her to report to the Hong Kong police, but the kidnappers threatened to kill the two children immediately if she did. Also, my daughter told me something shocking about the kidnappers that prohibited me from reporting the kidnapping.

They were not ordinary kidnappers looking for ransom. The kidnappers knew exactly who I was.

The kidnappers asked me through her to provide the key plasma technology information, failing which they would kill my grandson and granddaughter and scatter their bodies in the waters of Hong Kong.

I had to choose to live in unforgettable pain every day. After days of agonizing over whether to choose my country or my family, I ended up choosing my family.

I was able to store all of the plasma core technologies from my class that I could access in a smartphone USIM chip and trick the laboratory's security system and bring them out.

I have provided the kidnappers with a total of four times key plasma-related technical information until last month. And one of the plasma's core technology information, which was not accessible at an out-of-authority level, was able to be captured three weeks ago by the promotion of the lead researcher, and today I delivered that last piece of information of the core technology to the kidnappers.

After I had provided the last key plasma technology information, the kidnappers returned my grandchildren to my daughter as a fulfillment of the promise they had made, having taken them hostage for two years.

I, who had betrayed my country for the sake of my family's safety, will repay my sin by dying like this. I would appreciate it if you could protect my daughter and her family, who are going back to Corea.

And the list of information provided to the kidnapper is on my computer D drive in the lab, and all the information provided to them is a password that can be traced after connecting to the Internet. Please capture the kidnappers who have caused my daughter, her family, and me to suffer for more than two years.

Lastly, I'm sorry to the two bodyguards who had guarded me day and night. I'm so sorry.

24 November 2023, Woo Jin-gil

The executives in security office 1 who had read Professor Woo Jin-gil's suicide note choked up.

As the heavy air weighed heavily in the meeting room of security room 1, Oh Hyun-hoon, the first chief of the department, opened his mouth.

"Professor Woo must have been very distressed. Has Professor Woo's daughter's family been identified?

"Yes, they will be arriving in Corea at 21:00 Corean time," security room 1 Intelligence Division Manager Heo Seung-tae answered.

"We will take personal protection measures from their arrival at Incheon Airport. Which department can volunteer for this?"

"Yes, Team Four and Team Three."

"All right! Professor Woo's daughter's family will be entrusted to Divisions Three and Four. If you're short of people, section 4 will tell you right away! I'll get you other personnel somehow."

"Yes, chief."

"By the way, sir! Shouldn't we let the NIS know about this right now? SSS classified confidentiality, which is not class-S classified and is the highest classified class of state has been handed over to an unidentified group."

"Of course I'll have to let them know. I need to meet the Director first."

Oh Hyun-hoon, the first chief of the department, was about to lose his head thinking about what was going to happen. He grabbed the back of his neck and rotated his head.

"This is going to cause a big storm for the country. Damn it!"

Officials in the first security office also looked at Chief of staff Oh Hyun-hoon with worried expressions.

"What are you doing? The meeting is over! Team Four, immediately send Team Three to Incheon Airport, and the rest of the managers, tell each team leader to strengthen the security for the persons you're currently guarding."

"Yes, sir."

Simultaneously, all the officials in the first security office hurriedly got up from their seats and left the conference room or got called somewhere urgently.

It was the highest emergency since the establishment of the Secret Service.

* * *

November 24th, 2023, 22:30

Namjoo, Seoul Metropolitan, Gangnam-gu, National Intelligence Service (Conference room of Foreign Intelligence)

The Foreign Intelligence Service immediately launched a case of confidentiality leaks after the National Intelligence Service informed them of the confidentiality leaks of plasma technology. The Foreign Intelligence Service naturally took charge of the case because it happened overseas and confidentiality was required.

"The confidential information leaked is said to be a key plasma-related technology. I'll stop here because you won't know the details. For your information, the most urgent situation is to track down the kidnappers who kidnapped Woo Eun-seo, the daughter of the late Professor Woo Jin-gil, and her two children. The information confirmed so far is that the kidnappers are familiar with Hong Kong, fluent in English, and one of the kidnappers spoke Mandarin," with the given situation, Director Kang Ki-won himself briefly explained how the incident happened.

"In the next two hours, Woo Eun-seo's family will arrive at Incheon Airport. The Secret Service has been placed under security as a personal protection measure. Corea's Foreign Intelligence Agency should recruit one team to secure as much information as possible from Woo Eun-seo. With the current information, it is like finding a needle in a haystack."

While Director Kang Ki-won explained the situation, the conference room screen showed various personal information as well as the faces of Woo Eun-seo and her family.

"The first division will immediately fly to Hong Kong to launch an on-site investigation. One team from Division 2 will be transferred to Incheon Airport and the rest of the team will investigate all criminal organizations in Hong Kong without missing any. Division 3 should investigate overall criminal organizations outside of Hong Kong, including Southeast Asia and Macau. Divisions 4 and 5 are required to take over the duties currently being undertaken by Divisions 1 through 3. Do you have any questions?" Director Kang Ki-won, who gave directions continuously, looked around at the senior executives.

"Yes, I do." It was Section 1 Manager Lee Ja-sung.

"What is it?"

"As mentioned in the suicide note, the information provided to the kidnappers is said to have a traceable code inserted. Is that part taken by another department?"

"Yes, the Cyber Security Bureau has decided to investigate it."

"Director, shouldn't we maximize efficiency as it's a serious matter? Wouldn't it be better to have the Cyber Security Bureau agents transfer to our department for a joint investigation?"

Director Kang Ki-won took a moment to think about Manager Lee Ja-sung's suggestion.

"That's not a bad idea, I'll discuss it with Director Chuck and let you know. Let's start with our own agency. Again, the leaked information is state-classified SSS. Currently, the Blue House is said to have turned upside down. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right, as I always say, take care of yourself."

Manager Lee Ja-sung returned to his office in Division 1 and gathered the team leaders at the conference room. Four team leaders sat down, except for Kim Ki-ho, the chief of the fifth team who was currently overseas.

"I'm sure you have all heard about it roughly. SSS class information, the highest class of state secrets, has been leaked. It is said to be a key technology related to plasma. I will give you detailed information and an explanation on Skybus. To get to the point, all four teams will move to Hong Kong in the next two hours except for team five."

"Do you mean everybody?" Chief Park Gi-oong raised his hand and asked a question.

"What did you hear? Didn't I say everyone?"

"Woah, Hong Kong all of a sudden! It's my first vacation in a year starting next Monday…," Chief Park Gi-oong, who had a teary face, spoke sadly and trailed off.

"Hey, Chief Park! That's great! Why don't you think of Hong Kong as a vacation spot?"

"Damn it."

When Yoon Tae-jin, a colleague from the National Intelligence Service, and Park Gi-oong joked with each other, Lee Ja-sung, manager of the division, narrowed his eyes and said, "I don't care whose vacation is disrupted because of this case. It's such a serious case. Don't treat it lightly and listen seriously. I am sorry about Chief Park's vacation, but it is postponed indefinitely. The same is true for other agents. Until this case is settled, there will be no vacation for us."

While Chief Yoon Tae-jin was smiling with a mischievous face, Chief Park Gi-oong's face had turned into the face of the Grim Reaper who have had to cancel his vacation after a year.

Shin Eun-ha, the team leader of the third team, who found his expression funny, added oil to the burning fire. "Chief Park, didn't you say you wanted to go to Hong Kong before? It's a special sale period right now in Hong Kong, so go shopping at the shopping center. Won't the manager let you take that much time out?"

"Ha! Team leader Shin is really…!"

"Ho ho ho!"

At this time, Park Gi-oong, the first team chief, focused on Sung Sang-yoon, the fourth team chief. At the chief level, Sung Sang-yoon, the youngest of the team, said with a puzzled look at Park Gi-oong's sudden stare, both his hands open wide in a gesture, "Chief Park! Why are you looking at me like that when I didn't even say anything?"

"You were gonna say something, too, weren't you?"

"Eh? How can I joke around with a senior like you?"

"Don't be ridiculous! It's written on your face. Son of a b*tch!"

"Whoa!"

Sung Sang-yoon, the 4th team chief who was cursed at like a bolt out of the blue, looked at Yoon Tae-jin, the 2nd team chief, with an exasperated look on his face.

Then Chief Yoon Tae-jin smiled and said, "Hey! I think it's written on your face. Your lips are twitching like you want to tease Chief Park."

"Wow! Having these people as my seniors, I don't even have work luck!"

"Come on! We don't have time. Stop talking nonsense. Tell your team members to get ready for their business trip to Hong Kong right away! Then gather at the rooftop landing site of the main building at exactly 24:00. Move."

"Yes, sir."