The takeoff was smooth, a stark contrast to the chaotic two hours from Ningbo to Gimpo.
In any case, the journey was barely remembered, given the flurry of activities from the yacht to the limousine, the airport, the private jet, and the intense moments in between, which included mind-boggling sex.
The current environment was quieter and more spacious, but there were no beds. Instead, eight seats with capsule-like partitions were prepared. Blankets and pajamas were provided as well, but neither Lee Young-jin nor Jang Young-hee bothered changing into them.
As the plane reached cruising altitude, the seatbelt sign was turned off.
Jang Young-hee unbuckled his seatbelt and approached Lee Young-jin. The hulking alpha took the seat opposite Lee Young-jin’s, and as he sat down, the generous space around them seemed to shrink, and even the wide seats appeared cramped to this buffalo of a man.
“First, there are some things that Sir Young-jin should know beforehand,” Jang Young-hee said as he handed a thick vinyl folder to Lee Young-jin.
Inside the folder were three A4 sheets with Lee Young-jin’s new identity information written on them. 23 years old, Japanese-American, JASON OGAWA. Different age, different nationality, different name. The only similarity was the 2-O gender indication, marking him as an omega.
Jang Young-hee asked, as Lee Young-jin silently studied the documents.
“Do you speak English?”
Lee Young-jin stared at Jang Young-hee with a blank expression, his mouth and eyes wide open.
Lee Young-jin was proficient in a total of ten programming languages, including NASM, C, C++, C#, Java, MATLAB, Objective-C, Swift, Python, and ADA, which he knew to some extent, but English was not among them.
“Japanese… No, not really.”
Anticipating his response from his dazed expression, Jang Young-hee quickly changed the subject, saying, “It’s alright. You won’t need to use English much in Bogota, and they won’t even be able to distinguish between Korean and Japanese, so don’t worry about it.”
He calmly added, “Just be cautious with your words in Toronto, just in case.”
Lee Young-jin simply nodded. Jang Young-hee glanced at his rather sullen face for a moment before continuing.
“I don’t know how much the CEO explained to you, but do you know what you’ll be doing?”
“Um… No.”
Despite his dejected response, Jang Young-hee continued calmly, “Basically, it won’t be much different from what you did in Shanghai. For now, the most urgent task is to verify the accuracy of the information we have. We have a list that compiles individuals or organizations that are likely to participate in the auction. We believe it’s quite reliable, but it’s still just a speculative list. We hope you can check it for us.”
Lee Young-jin nodded.
Information gathering was one of the things he frequently, extensively, and proficiently did.
“To minimize time wastage, would it be possible to start working as soon as we arrive in Toronto?”
“If you have the equipment.”
This time, Lee Young-jin replied with a clear tone.
“What do you need?”
“A computer.”
“What model?”
“Doesn’t matter… It would be good to have three monitors.”
After hesitating for a moment, Lee Young-jin added, “It would also be great if there’s a smartphone…”
Unlike his worries that he might firmly refuse, Jang Young-hee readily agreed to arrange it.
“Alright. In Bogota, you’ll be taking on more on-site support tasks. Instructions may vary, and there won’t be fixed working hours. Is that okay?”
What if it’s not okay? What would he do?
Lee Young-jin couldn’t quite grasp the intent behind the question, but he nodded anyway.
“Depending on the situation, there may be risk allowances or additional work allowances. Excuse me, I’ve seen your employment contract. It’s based on 40 hours per week for monthly payment. This assignment won’t be as long… I don’t know how your work will progress in the future, so the monthly payment might not apply right away. This part needs to be reconsidered based on your preference. Moreover, there’s no provision for other allowances in the contract, so it might be a good idea to add it as a special provision later.”
The terms “risk allowance” and “additional work allowance” were unfamiliar and ambiguously defined to Lee Young-jin. Risk allowance? Did it mean they would pay him more if the work was risky? How risky did it have to be? What criteria were they using? And what did “additional work allowance” mean? He couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of it all. The idea of modifying the contract was also unclear to him, but based on his previous experiences, someone suggesting changes to a contract was not a good sign, and it made him uneasy.
However, he had no choice in the matter, and since he didn’t know what to do or say at the moment, he just continued nodding along.
The former prosecutor, now a secretary, with a bear-like build and a gruff appearance, spoke in a polite yet pointed tone as he continued, “Now, let me tell you about the upcoming schedule.”
With a serious tone, Lee Young-jin replied almost automatically, “Yes.”
“We are scheduled to arrive in Toronto at twelve thirty local time. To avoid drawing attention, there will be no escort service. It might be slightly inconvenient, but please bear with it.”
Lee Young-jin wasn’t sure about the exact scope of the escort service, but he was confident that even without it, he wouldn’t feel any discomfort. However, he didn’t express his confidence to Jang Young-hee.
“After completing the necessary procedures, we’ll proceed to the hotel. The hotel is directly connected to Terminal 3 of the airport, so walking there shouldn’t be too difficult. Our CEO is scheduled to arrive in Toronto two days later at one fifteen local time on a passenger plane from Honolulu. After picking up the CEO, we’ll board the Bogota-bound passenger plane at four twenty-five on the same day.”
The dry explanation continued, detailing what they would do upon arriving in Bogota, where they would go, and who they would meet during that time. Lee Young-jin was told that he didn’t need to worry much about those matters.
“The incidental matters will be handled by me, and most of the external affairs in Bogota will be directly attended to by the CEO. Sir Young-jin, please focus on the tasks assigned to you.”
With those words, the conversation came to an end.
Jang Young-hee returned to his seat, and the bulky figure that had filled the compartment left, instantly making the seat feel much more spacious. Lee Young-jin took a deep breath.
He pressed a few buttons on the wall panel, adjusting the reclining angle of the seat until it felt comfortable for him to lean back. He pulled a blanket over himself and gazed out the window. The vast, cerulean sky stretched endlessly without any visible vanishing point, and the four windows in a row appeared as if they had been painted with a blue hue. A thin layer of stratocumulus clouds lay beneath the Boeing Triple Seven, gradually fading away into the upper atmosphere.
Lee Young-jin dozed off for a while.
When he woke up, he had the opportunity to eat the Royal Doulton meal served on the flight.
He was given one main meal and two snacks. Lee Young-jin fell asleep and woke up five times in succession. While awake, he spent his time looking at the real-time map on the screen, which showed the aircraft’s current position and flight path.
The seat belt sign turned on.
The co-pilot’s voice echoed through the cabin with the in-flight announcement, sharing the local time and temperature.
After thirteen hours of flying, the two-night and three-day stay in Toronto was a series of non-events with no chance to even look outside.
The list provided by Jang Young-hee consisted of thirteen names. They were all individuals of different genders, nationalities, ages, and races, and they were all potential suspects. Lee Young-jin carefully scanned through the names. Among them were those who ranked high on the global code of conduct, others with completely unfamiliar names and no distinguishing characteristics, and some who were dictators of a country or leaders of military regimes.
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