Chapter 660: Let’s Talk Face to Face

"I can go back as I am. There's no need for me to push myself to save them."

I don't know how much Jessica has told you, but if she mentioned that I got involved at Grandma's request…

That lie won't hold up.

And if it does, my relationship with Jessica will be completely over.

"Hmm… This isn't something that can be promised with any official document."

"That's not what I want either."

If it becomes official, it could turn out bad for both the U.S. and me.

But just in case, I needed an escape route.

"But you must give me your word on it."

—Hmm.

John, lost in thought, emitted a slight hum.

Luckily, it seemed that Jessica hadn't mentioned anything about Grandma.

If she had, there'd have been no reason for John to be concerned.

—Just give me one more day, Charlie.

"In hostage situations, time is critical—it's directly related to their lives. We've already lost too much time. What's worse, the kidnappers have made their demands public through Al Jazeera. The longer we delay, the more danger the hostages are in."

—But this isn't just my decision to make. I'm not officially in a position to dictate this yet; I still have to consult President Bush.

I cut him off at the mention of briefing Bush.

"This isn't something that needs the President's direct involvement. If that were the case, I'd have approached him myself."

—Are you saying you want me to take the blame?

John coughed lightly, clearly displeased.

But if it went all the way to President Bush, the situation would become too serious.

He was on the brink of a presidential election and didn't want any issues threatening that.

As it stood, his victory was nearly assured.

There was no way Bush and his aides would take any risks that could shake up the election.

"Someone will have to be held accountable. Just not the President when the election is at stake. The moment he hears about it, everyone will be against it."

—I'm not the one in charge. No matter how much I promise…

"John, I'm not asking you to promise anything. I'm saying to get an agreement from someone who has the power to make promises. For example… the Director of the CIA or the Secretary of Homeland Security would suffice."

The heads of intelligence agencies could act without presidential approval to take action first and report back later.

—Getting the CIA director on board seems like a tall order. We don't exactly have a good relationship. Would the National Security Advisor Rice be a better option? I think I can persuade her.

As soon as I heard that name, the image of Rice as a person popped into my mind.

The National Security Advisor was at the heart of the current power structure.

So while she had the necessary weight, she also had a tendency to avoid actions that would make her responsible.

"That'll do. But will Rice really make any promises?"

—If the condition is that she won't be held accountable for failure while we get all the credit if it succeeds, then I'm pretty sure she can be persuaded.

"Alright then. You're more cooperative than I expected. What's got you so agreeable?"

In the U.S., they don't take hostage lives too seriously.

Back in our country, when a citizen died, the majority would scorn a government that let that slip by amid a wave of mourning.

But things didn't change much for the U.S.

We were a single person, but they took multiple lives without a second thought.

Yet surprisingly, John seemed quite proactive about rescuing the hostages.

His attitude was a stark contrast to the one he'd held earlier, avoiding responsibility under the guise of principle.

—Things are different now. If we could control the information to some degree, it might be manageable, but we have this new variable called the internet. The footage the kidnappers released is already circulating online. It's hard to justify abandoning our citizens for the sake of national interest with such flimsy excuses now.

"That still doesn't explain everything."

—So just consider it my nature.

How much should I trust this man? I was torn between my doubts, but I sensed that he would be my wildcard at this moment.

"How long do you think it would take to persuade Rice?"

—Time equals the hostage's life. I will contact you before 24 hours are up.

"I'll be waiting. Please switch me back to Jessica. I still have things to say."

I heard agreement on the line, followed by Jessica's voice.

—Charlie.

"Jessica, get on a flight to Baghdad right now."

—Huh? Right now?

"Yes. Let's talk face to face. If we succeed in rescuing the hostages, we need at least one person in Baghdad to take all the credit."

—Do I have to be the one?

She asked in a soft voice, clearly reluctant.

What's this? Has she become less invested?

"If you don't want to, you don't have to come. But you're still losing points. The moment expectations for you fade, you're no longer my partner. There are plenty of replacements for you, don't you think? If you're fine with that, then don't come."

—Understood. I'll report and depart immediately.

"Then let's meet and talk."

I ended the call without waiting for Jessica's reply.

After a moment of thought, I picked up the satellite phone again and contacted the Blue House.

The person who picked up was the Chief Secretary.

Perhaps tied up with work, he asked me to wait momentarily before cutting the call.

I set the phone down and organized my thoughts while I waited.

'"They likely plan to shift all the blame to Korea if things go south."'

I couldn't trust the words that they wouldn't hold me responsible; the U.S. was far too cunning.

In the end, the only option was to pass the responsibility to Korea.

So, I thought about asking Yoon Chang-ho for prior approval or permission.

If Yoon Chang-ho felt uncomfortable about it, I would need to scrap this plan and pull out quickly.

Just as my thoughts started to clarify, the satellite phone rang again.

"This is Kim Mu-hyeok."

—Mr. Kim.

It was President Yoon Chang-ho calling personally.

"Yes, Mr. President."

—Have you arrived in Baghdad? How's things going? Are you able to rescue the hostages?

His barrage of questions felt like cannon fire, his anxiety palpable.

But it hadn't even been a day since I arrived.

"I've just arrived. I haven't even made contact with them yet."

—Mr. Kim. You must make sure to bring back Kim Mu-gil. I believe in you.

"There's something I need to tell you first. The kidnappers holding Kim Mu-gil have to be captured and interrogated first…"

I went on to explain the current situation to Yoon Chang-ho.

I mentioned that the Americans had made this proposal to me and that if this negotiation failed, they could very well shift the blame to the Korean government.

—…So the Americans said that?

"That's not the official stance of the U.S. government."

—They always leave themselves an out.

Yoon Chang-ho's voice grew quieter at the mention that Korea might assume responsibility if things went awry.

This was a matter that could significantly affect President Yoon Chang-ho's approval ratings.

No matter how high the ratings were, one misstep could lead to a steep drop.

"What should we do? Should we pull out, or wait for the U.S. response before acting? I will follow your lead, Mr. President."

Yoon Chang-ho's deliberation stretched on. He needed time to think.

"Please take your time and get back to me. The U.S. said they would give a response by tomorrow."

—I understand. Thank you, Mr. Kim. I'll think this through.

After wrapping up my call with Yoon Chang-ho, I got up from my seat.

As I opened the door, Yuri was standing there.

"Boss, are you done with the call?"

"Yes, thanks to you, I was able to talk in peace."

"Then I'll show you the way."

Yuri led me to where the kidnappers were being held.

As soon as I opened the door, the smell of blood washed over me. It seemed they were barely clinging to life.

"Manager Ma, did you gather all the necessary information?"

In response to my question, Manager Ma wiped his hands on a handkerchief.

"Yes, Boss. I believe I have shared everything I know."

Everything he knew… given the state of the kidnappers, it seemed nothing further could be wrung out of them.

"One of them is in a terrible state, but the other is somewhat better. That one seems to have been more cooperative."

"I apologize."

Manager Ma bowed his head slightly as he apologized. I patted him lightly on the shoulder.

"It's fine. You followed the orders not to kill them. Still, handing them over to the U.S. like this isn't an option…"

Perhaps sensing my dilemma, Yuri quickly chimed in.

"Boss, we have a skilled doctor on standby at the branch."

"Oh, really? That's great to hear. Then keep that one alive, and make sure the other one receives proper attention."

The one who was half-dead would have to settle for just staying alive.

But the one who would be handed over to the U.S. at least needed to be sent with some dignity.

"Understood, I will arrange that."

"Good. Is there a place I can rest at the branch?"

"We have prepared a place upstairs."

"Then let's head there."

We left the basement and took the elevator up.

The room Yuri showed me was surprisingly well-furnished, almost too nice for a country at war.

"You can stay here. Safety is guaranteed. Unless missiles come flying in, we can defend against any attack."

"That's reassuring. I'll call you later, so finish what you need to do."

With a booming voice and a salute, Yuri closed the door behind him.

At that, I collapsed onto the sofa.

As I loosened my tie and tossed it to the floor, Manager Ma bent to pick it up.

I waved him off, gesturing for him to take a seat.

"Manager, right now, other matters are more important. Sit down and let me know what you've found out."

Nodding, Manager Ma took his seat and recounted everything he'd learned at length.

I didn't interrupt, simply listening to Manager Ma's report.

"In the end, the Monotheistic Group and Holy War doesn't know the exact location of the hostages, huh?"

"Yes. They don't know the exact location, but they did point out several areas where the likelihood is high. I've instructed the mercenary who's handling the translations to narrow down the most credible locations."

Iraq was far from small.

Plus, these terrorists were experts at digging tunnels and hiding well, so searching without any leads would have its limits.

Even the U.S. with its various advanced scouting equipment and personnel had been unable to find Osama bin Laden despite their earnest search.

"Then we should wait for now. And regarding the contact from the U.S.,…"

I shared everything I had discussed with the Americans with Manager Ma.

As I finished speaking, Manager Ma asked, worriedly.

"Will everything be alright?"

"What do you mean? Me? The U.S.? Or Korea? I don't care about any of it. If they don't want to take responsibility, I'll just withdraw cleanly and go home."

"While I agree, your grandmother might find it troubling."

At that, I couldn't help but sigh.

If I just went home and Kim Mu-gil died, Grandma would be devastated.

"If I push myself and something goes wrong, that would be a bigger issue. Grandma doesn't want me to get hurt. Besides, I'm not inclined to solve this problem at the risk of my own safety. If one of my own was kidnapped, I'd do everything to bring them back, but…"

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have been able to stop you. Actually, I wouldn't have even tried."

Trying to lighten the somber atmosphere, Manager Ma cracked a joke.

However, knowing that he understood me better than anyone made his jest feel a little too serious.

"That said, John seems surprisingly cooperative. I think there's potential there. What President Yoon Chang-ho decides remains to be seen."

If nothing was done and they were executed, there'd be no reason for the U.S. to take the blame.

Of course, due to the principle of not negotiating with terrorists, we would lose lives, but ironically, sticking to that principle would lessen the blame.

My head was a tangled mess.

"I should wash up and rest for now."

As I rose from my seat and removed my suit jacket, I noticed blood stains had seeped into Manager Ma's nails, but I pretended not to see as I turned my head away.

"You should take it easy too, Manager."

"Yes, I will. Thank you."

Hearing Manager Ma's steady response, I walked to the restroom.

It's been over a day since I arrived in Iraq. There had been no contact from either the U.S. or Korea yet.

And the first to arrive was Jessica. Immediately upon reaching Iraq, she rushed to the Black Bear Iraq branch.

"Jessica. Welcome."

I greeted her with a smile. Jessica's lips twitched upon seeing my smile.

"Charlie…"

I raised my hand, halting her words before she could go further.

"First, hand over all communication devices to Manager Ma. The satellite phone, the recorder, whatever it is, hand it all over."

"Charlie!"

Jessica raised her voice. Seeing her overly dramatic reaction suggested she had something to hide.

"Don't raise your voice. You were the first to break my trust. Just do what I ask, Jessica. I don't want to resort to violence. I still want to trust you."