"Look at this," Jinsoo said, turning on the monitor and displaying a chart.
"Is it about Jeonjo Port?" As I asked this question, Jinsoo paused and looked at me.
"You already know?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, but I've also tracked and analyzed maritime traffic and data," I replied. "Jeonjo Port was deemed unsafe due to its preceding infrastructure. However, the demolition never took place because the government didn't want to burn its funds. Now, I don't know the reason behind it."
"I'm listening," Jinsoo said as he switched the image to a map and sat on the couch beside me.
"Not much, but the port was recently activated and a ship was docked. The ship's AIS signal was altered to appear as a smaller vessel. However, I read the maritime traffic and noticed its size and tonnage don't match that of a 'small vessel,'" I added.
"You're right. Last night, I got something from my source," Jinsoo said, pointing at the map with a laser pointer.
"A source?" I asked.
"Covert assets," he replied.
"Alright," I said, knowing that's the least I could expect from a former special forces captain.
"The reason the government is seemingly cautious of this area isn't due to any environmental factors or such. But this…" Jinsoo said as a new location popped up. It looked like a jungle with broad river intersections, not far from Jeonjo Port.
"This whole area, within maybe a two hundred-kilometer radius, is a camp for mercenaries," he added.
"Mercenaries? Like the group that works on commissions?" I asked.
"Not just mercenaries... sort of, but they're different. They call themselves 'Baekho Gyeokdae,' and only part of them reside in this area," Jinsoo paused and switched the image to thermal satellite imagery.
"They are a splinter group of former international mercenaries, dismissed soldiers, and blacklisted operatives from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. What you see right here is the heat signature from last night and that..." he pointed at a rectangle on the map which was slightly yellow and blue.
"That is a vessel. Now we're not sure if it's the Snow Titan or not," he concluded.
"Well, at least we know what our next destination is," I added, getting up from the couch.
"You mean Busan? It's too risky; there are at least sixty armed men," he said.
"..." I thought for a moment and looked at him.
"Do you know how much money we have?" I asked.
(Scoffs) "This is fucking crazy," Jinsoo muttered, removing the drive from the monitor.
----[Seoul Central District Court]----
'Being an advisor is so fucking easy…' Ethan thought.
Since every document was just being diverted to Eun-ji and her clerk, Ethan was just a spectator.
'Not to mention, I'm also close to a K-pop star. Oh lord, I love my work.'
(This conversation is in Korean)
"Court is now in session for the case of the Republic of Korea versus Yara Choi. The charges brought against the defendant are as follows: first and second degree murder, manslaughter, evidence tampering, obstruction of justice, assault and battery. Ms. Han, do you understand the charges against your client?" the judge recited the charges and asked Eun-Ji, who was sitting ahead of Ethan. The judge's seat was elevated at the front of the courtroom.
Ethan was in the courtroom for the preliminaries. From here on out, it would be decided if the case was valid or not. Eun-ji's goal was to deem it invalid. However, if strong evidence arose, this case would be well-fought.
"Yes, your honour," Eun-ji replied.
Eun-ji sat at the defense table, positioned to the left when facing the judge. Beside her was Yara. The prosecution team was seated at the prosecution table, directly opposite the defense.
"Very well, let's begin the hearing. Prosecution…"
However, there was one big problem in all of this. Ethan wasn't versed in Korean, so he was not able to understand a single word. Additionally, recording via phone was not allowed due to a gag order.
----[Five Hours Later. Busan]----
Parking the Cadillac SUV on the jungle's rough road, Jinsoo and I picked up a sack each from the car's boot and started walking towards the camp.
"This is my first time going unarmed into an enemy camp," Jinsoo said.
"There's no weapon more dangerous than money," I replied. Not wanting to act flashy, we both wore joggers and brown untucked shirts.
"I don't feel like taking life lessons from you at this point," he added.
"The fact that you're willing to trust me with a plan is more than enough." After a silent walk for about thirty minutes, we spotted the entrance of the camp in the distance.
As we moved forward, showing no hostility, the guards stationed at the entrance shouted among themselves, equipping AR-15s. Since the group was seemingly violent and hostile, they shot a series of mags in the air and told us to stop.
"What language is that?" I asked.
"Korean, but they're not native, so it sounds off," Jinsoo replied as we dropped the bags on the ground, raised our hands, and stood still.
Four guards wearing ragged military clothing approached us. They were too loud, screaming at us from a hand's distance. Two of them got behind us and kicked our legs to bend us down to our knees.
"Would you at least translate it for me?" I asked Jinsoo.
"Let them be; they're not the ones who make calls here," Jinsoo replied.
He was right. Each of them was wearing a wired radio set in their ear, communicating in real-time from within the camp. They checked our bags and looked at all the cash inside.
"Move!" With that, they pointed their guns at our heads, picked up the bags, and led us inside the camp.
Everyone in the camp was on high alert. Leaving their work, they all lined up on either side of our path, some sharpening their blades, while others checked their rifles. They even had a payload of frags.
The four guards led us to a large green tent and tied our hands behind our backs with wire ties. Inside the tent was a desk in the middle and a wooden bed just beside it. There were little to no furnishings, just rough ground.
On the bed, however, lay a naked young woman, bruises all over her body, curled up in one place, and a muscular bald man wearing pants and no shirt. The guards that came with us scattered inside the tent. They weren't even covering the naked body of the woman with a sheet or anything.
(Korean) "You've got some wild guts to walk inside the camp barehanded," the man said in a hoarse voice as he picked up a gun from his desk. It was a Beretta 92, a pretty reliable gun.
(Korean) "We've brought you an offer," Jinsoo said.
(Korean) "An offer?" the man asked as he sat on the bed. The girl on the bed jolted with the sudden movement. She was obviously scared.
"Can he speak English?" I asked Jinsoo.
"Fuck you!" the man growled.
"Maybe... only those two words," Jinsoo replied.
"Fuck you too!" he growled at us again.
"That's three," I added.
His men, in the meantime, started counting the money in the bags. I looked at them and spoke up, "That's 1.5 billion won in one bag."
"What you do? I put bullet…", paused as he raised the gun to my head, "in your head. POINT BLANK. Quick death, we take money."
"Well, of course. If that's what you think is the best course of action for you. However..." I paused as the man raised his brows.
"You won't be able to get the remaining ten bags like this," I added and he halted for a moment. Raising his brows, he scoffed as he nodded and looked at the guards in the room.