Last year, Seo Seung-hyun purchased ten military reconnaissance drones from Seoran Defense. It wasn’t because he had a hobby of persistently monitoring or tracking someone, but rather the interests of SH needing year-end expense processing and Seoran wanting to record 4th quarter sales figures aligned. SH saved taxes worth 250 billion won of expenses, and Seoran Defense raised their stock value by adding 250 billion won worth of sales. Since no actual money changed hands, Seo Seung-hyun got the military drones for free, and Kwon Shin-woo benefited as much as the stock price rose.
The drones, with a wingspan of about 5.5 meters and a length of 2 meters, made of ultra-light carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, weighed only 37.2 kilograms. Equipped with vertical takeoff and landing and infrared detection blocking features, these drones with a maximum operating altitude of 18,000 meters, a top speed of 779 kilometers per hour, a range of 7,500 kilometers, and an operational radius of 700 kilometers, were being used by Seo Seung-hyun as decorations in the SH building lobby.
Until now.
Just one of these reconnaissance drones, capable of covering the entire Korean peninsula, broke through the 200 kilometers from Seoul to Jeonju in just fifteen minutes after taking off from the SH building rooftop.
A brief message popped up on Seo Seung-hyun’s smartphone from Jang Young-hee. [Sent the drones.]
Jang Young-hee’s efforts and those of his secretarial staff in hastily removing the lobby-decorated drones weren’t in vain; the drones proved their worth. In less than an hour, the drone’s laser eye found a compact sedan speeding at about 87 kilometers per hour on Cheongnam-ro, connecting Daejeon to Cheongju via the Sincheon-ro. It was a rental car reserved with a stolen driver’s license. The reason for not taking the Gyeongbu Expressway was likely to avoid leaving traces at the toll gates.
But Lee Young-jin’s cautious choice turned out to be advantageous for Seo Seung-hyun.
Seo Seung-hyun caught up with the compact sedan in the same way he had caught the gray wagon on the Saemangeum North Road a few hours earlier.
Twelve four-wheel drive vehicles of different colors, displacements, and types filled a deserted two-lane road. Trained professionals skillfully formed a line and pushed the matte-painted black compact sedan to the outermost lane. The sedan slowed down and then sharply turned into the parking lane, pushing its front bumper inside. The chasing vehicles swiftly turned in unison.
Screech! Twelve vehicles instantly surrounded the sedan from front and back. The right side of the sedan’s bumper barely touched the safety barrier. The high-roofed compact car jerked up and down violently, but the door did not open.
Seo Seung-hyun was neither excited nor exhilarated. His limousine smoothly came to a stop. He looked at the black sedan through the tinted car window for a moment, then stretched out his arm to open the door and stepped out. Despite the chilly March weather, his premium shoes confidently stepped onto the heated asphalt surface. Seo Seung-hyun stared straight at the black sedan parked diagonally inside the parking lane. The cold and dry northwest wind shook the navy blue muffler and coat flaps draped over his shoulders and neck. The cool breeze seeped into his leather gloves, so he clenched and unclenched his fists.
He did not hurry.
His heavy steps moved towards the sedan.
His neatly refined face reflected on the tinted car window.
“Ha.”
Seo Seung-hyun slowly breathed in and moved his hand towards the door handle.
In the 4-degree temperature, his breath faintly blurred. The next moment, veins and tendons on the hand covered in sleek leather tensed, and the metal handle twisted. The black glove brutally ripped off the handle. Snap! The locking mechanism was torn off, and the car body jerked violently. A flash of anger and pain crossed the face reflected on the black car window and then disappeared.
Rough breaths escaped between lips of perfect form and volume.
“Ha!”
Thud! The reinforced glass shattered under his fist.
The face of a middle-aged woman, who gasped and opened her mouth wide in shock through the round fragments of broken glass, appeared and then disappeared as Seo Seung-hyun turned away.
The secretary ran towards Seo Seung-hyun with a desperate look on her face.
“CEO!”
His gaze, shimmering like the crumpled metal handle he had crushed moments before, fixed on the secretary. The secretary, gasping for breath, squeezed beside Seo Seung-hyun and tiptoed up to whisper near his shoulder.
“We’ve found him. This time it’s for real.”
“It’s best not to jump to conclusions, Manager Lee Jin-hee.”
Seo Seung-hyun’s smooth voice made the secretary’s shoulders tremble.
“I-Iksan Station. He was confirmed on CCTV about thirty minutes ago. It’s certain.”
Seo Seung-hyun strode past the lined-up vehicles, with the secretary scrambling after him.
“He purchased train tickets at Iksan Station, in cash. To Seoul, Yeosu, and Mokpo.”
“And?”
“We immediately sent someone, but by then, the train had already left…”
“What about the CCTV?”
“There are many blind spots… We’ll have people on standby at all three stations.”
The driver, sensing the tense atmosphere, hurriedly opened the car door for him. Seo Seung-hyun slid into the car without stopping. The secretary rushed in through the opposite door.
“He must have taken the Yeosu train. There’s a flight from Yeosu Airport to Jeju that fits the timing. He’s clearly planning to fly from Jeju to China or Japan. Considering his previous contact with Park Eun-young in Jeju, he might be seeking her help or…”
“Send someone right away.”
Seo Seung-hyun cut her off.
He was more than half convinced that Lee Young-jin had not headed to Yeosu, specifically, that he would not leave Korea, but he did not jump to conclusions prematurely. He lightly tapped the center armrest of the limousine seat with the tip of his finger a couple of times.
Lee Young-jin had made contact with Park Eun-young in Jeju. He wouldn’t leave Korea until he found Ji Jung-hoon. Korea was his field of operation, the most stable place for him to conduct his search activities, wasn’t it?
Tap, tap, tap… The finger tapping on the armrest stopped.
Seo Seung-hyun gave a light order.
“Start with the Seoul-bound train. Contact the railway company to buy all the empty seats and move all passengers to first class.”
Leave a Reply