Chapter 647: They’ll Probably Think I’m Crazy

Hong Seok-geun groaned as he moved his heavy eyelids.

When he finally opened his eyes, a strange ceiling greeted him.

"Where am I…?"

He had no memory of where he was or how long he'd been here.

Even the slightest movement felt like his head was about to split open.

Ugh…

He kept his head in his hands while scanning his surroundings. The spacious room was empty.

He had barely taken in the room when a burning thirst surged through him.

Struggling to get off the bed, Hong Seok-geun staggered toward the fridge.

He downed two bottles of cold water, but his thirst remained unquenched.

He opened the fridge again, only to find it completely empty.

Feeling disappointed, Hong Seok-geun clicked his tongue and dragged his heavy body back to the bed, slumping down.

…"Why is this happening to me?"

No matter how much he drank, something felt off about his condition.

He felt drained, every little thing was a hassle.

He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep again.

After struggling with the urge to pass out for a while, he peeked through the curtains.

It was dark outside. If he had just woken up, it should be morning or at least daytime, but it was unusually pitch black.

An instinctive unease made Hong Seok-geun reach for his phone.

But it was nowhere in sight.

While he desperately searched for it, Hong Seok-geun stumbled upon something hidden beneath the bed.

"What's this?"

He reached down and pulled out a black duffel bag.

Was it originally here? Curiosity piqued, as he had never seen this bag before.

Hong Seok-geun cautiously began to open the bag.

Inside were bundles wrapped in plastic, resembling white bricks.

As he perplexingly picked up the plastic, he quickly realized what it was.

"Gah!"

He accidentally screamed and dropped the item he was holding at that moment.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, and armed men rushed in.

"Don't move! Put your hands up!"

"W-What?"

As a black gun barrel pointed at him, all he could manage was a bewildered sound.

When they aimed their guns again, his tensed body reacted instinctively.

With confusion, Hong Seok-geun raised his hands as the men shouted once more.

"Get down! I said get down!"

Hong Seok-geun complied with the man's order, his mind racing.

'What's going on? What situation is this?'

He couldn't make sense of what was happening at all.

A man who had crept up to him began to speak.

"You're under urgent arrest for illegal drug possession and distribution. You have the right to remain silent…"

What? Drug possession? Hong Seok-geun's mouth dropped open in shock.

"What do you mean? I-I haven't done anything like that!"

"Shut up!"

As Hong Seok-geun turned his head to object involuntarily, the man roughly pressed down on his head.

As he found himself unable to move, fear overwhelmed him when the cuffs clicked shut.

Just then, a clear female voice interrupted his panic.

"Secure the suspect and gather evidence. We need to conduct a blood test immediately."

"Understood."

"Don't take him to the drug enforcement agency. We'll take him to our facility. Prepare to take him away."

When the man hesitated to reply, the woman took off her sunglasses and said firmly,

"This is a matter of national security. We've already spoken to the drug enforcement agency. Expect to hear from us later; be prepared."

"Ah… Okay."

The woman, Jessica, who tucked her sunglasses into her suit pocket, let out a deep sigh.

"Geez."

She shook her head while looking around.

It reminded her of the absurd request Kim Mu-hyeok had made when he suddenly contacted her.

— Jessica, I need a favor. Please detain the man I'm talking about. Do it however you want, but let him go when I say so.

It was an unreasonable request that she couldn't even entertain.

In a rule of law country and a liberal democracy like the U.S., telling someone to just detain a person was absurd.

And to just release him upon request? If this got out, it could lead to a significant scandal.

— I know my request is risky. But if you fulfill it, I can give you information that helps national security. For example… Al-Qaeda's next target.

The bait Kim Mu-hyeok dangled was too tempting to refuse outright.

The recent terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain.

It had left over 200 dead and nearly 2,000 injured, causing immense casualties.

This shook not only Spain but all of Europe, and raised alarms about the risk of a second attack in the U.S.

— Haven't you found the perpetrator behind the Madrid attack yet? It was carried out by Al-Qaeda.

They were already aware of this. However, it was classified information not known to the public.

The media and the Spanish government still claimed it could be the work of ETA, but Kim Mu-hyeok knew everything.

Multiple Islamic terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda, had all claimed responsibility, but the Spanish government refused to budge.

Were they trying to worsen public opinion against ETA? They kept pushing the narrative in the media.

But the U.S. wasn't buying that, and after an investigation, they realized it was indeed Al-Qaeda's doing.

The entire process had taken place only recently, and Kim Mu-hyeok's sources left Jessica puzzled about how he knew all this.

— The main culprit is a Moroccan named Jamal Zhougan. He's probably still in Madrid. This could be valuable as an advance payment.

Without giving her time to think, Kim Mu-hyeok kept shaking the enticing carrot.

Eventually, Jessica sighed deeply.

— Just tell me who it is.

— It's a person named Hong Seok-geun, studying at Princeton. Personally, I hope we can get him involved in the drug issue, but if you have a better way, feel free to use that.

— Who is that? Why do you care so much, Charlie? Who is this person?

— It seems trouble is brewing in Korea. We need to have a joker to shake things up. Oh, and he's the son of Congressman Hong Jin-woo of the Democratic Party.

What? Are you asking to detain the son of a congressman in South Korea?

Jessica barely managed to suppress the urge to scream.

— Are you telling me to get the son of a congressman involved in illegal activities? Is that even a reasonable request…?

— You can refuse. If you do, our relationship ends here, and you won't receive any further information from me. I could also find another way to handle this.

Kim Mu-hyeok spoke lightly as if it didn't concern him at all.

His demeanor only intensified Jessica's worries.

If this information got out, her position could become precarious.

But cutting off ties with Kim Mu-hyeok posed an even greater risk.

After a moment of deliberation, Jessica finally spoke.

— I… will report this to the higher-ups and get back to you.

Ultimately, Kim Mu-hyeok's request was approved.

The consensus was that Kim Mu-hyeok was deemed more valuable than a single member of the National Assembly in Korea, resulting in his information leading to the capture of the Madrid attack's main perpetrator.

If they could ascertain the next target of the attack as he promised, they could prevent further terror and arrest them in advance.

That's why Jessica was here in the first place.

"…I can't believe I'm doing this myself."

The evidence was already fabricated.

A bag containing illegal drugs was discovered in this room where Hong Seok-geun was staying alone.

And they'd even secured fake witnesses willing to testify that he had distributed drugs.

Hong Seok-geun was firmly ensnared in an inescapable trap.

* * *

"You should accept it. Otherwise, you'll regret it later."

As a deep smile spread across Kim Mu-hyeok's face, Hong Jin-woo asked absently.

"What does that mean?"

"I said to take it. Isn't that a call from the U.S.?"

"How… did you…?"

"Pick it up. Let's talk after you answer it."

Instead of answering his question, Kim Mu-hyeok gestured again.

Hong Jin-woo looked back and forth between his phone and Kim Mu-hyeok, ultimately pressing the call button.

"…Hello?"

— Congressman, this is Park Hyung-soo.

"Park? What's going on?"

— I've been informed that your son has been arrested by the drug enforcement agency.

"What?"

Hong Jin-woo's voice rose in shock.

"What do you mean? What happened to Seok-geun?"

— I'm also on my way there after receiving this news. I haven't met your son yet. He seemed so confused that he was rambling and couldn't be understood.

Park Hyung-soo's voice came through the receiver, but Hong Jin-woo felt as if his head was going blank.

Just then, a small laugh was heard in front of him. It was only then that Hong Jin-woo noticed Kim Mu-hyeok standing before him.

He glared at Kim Mu-hyeok as if he were going to kill him and spoke again.

"…Find out what's going on and contact me immediately. Do you have any connections in the drug enforcement agency? Can you get him out somehow?"

— Congressman… The drug enforcement agency in the U.S. doesn't respond to lobbying. They are solely focused on preventing drug trafficking and won't hesitate to take military actions in foreign territories. They do not negotiate.

"I see. Call me back later."

— Yes, I'll find out exactly what's happening and contact you soon.

After finishing the call with his lawyer, Hong Jin-woo looked at Kim Mu-hyeok in silence.

Kim Mu-hyeok, with his arms crossed and a dispassionate expression, met Hong Jin-woo's gaze as a prolonged silence filled the room.

"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok."

"Yes, Congressman. It seems something has happened to your son. I apologize. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"This…"

He opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of what to say.

Seeing Hong Jin-woo hesitate, Kim Mu-hyeok chuckled and asked.

"Ah, I think I know what you're about to say. Are you asking if I had a hand in this? Do you want to know what's going on?"

The smile curling at Kim Mu-hyeok's lips made Hong Jin-woo's forehead vein throb.

Hong Jin-woo slammed the table angrily.

"What the hell have you done! How dare you! To my son…!"

Kim Mu-hyeok remained unflustered, speaking nonchalantly.

"Haven't you already heard? Your son has been arrested for illegal drug possession and distribution. In the U.S., drug crimes carry mandatory prison sentences. Isn't that quite terrifying?"

"Seok-geun isn't the type of kid who'd get involved with drugs! What the hell did he do, you bastard!"

Hong Jin-woo threw away his mask of composure, shouting and seething with rage.

His face was flushed, his anger evident, with veins popping in his eyes.

"Well, if he wasn't involved in drugs, he wouldn't have been arrested, right? The drug enforcement agency isn't like local police who arrest people without any basis. That's not possible. The agency is filled with people willing to sell their souls to eradicate drugs in the U.S."

In response to Kim Mu-hyeok's calm words, Hong Jin-woo retorted.

"You…! You've pulled some trick here, haven't you?"

"It's not good to jump to conclusions without evidence. Do you have proof that I did anything? Are you saying I manipulated the drug enforcement agency to fabricate this case? Go ahead and tell the U.S. government that. They'll probably think you're crazy."

"I have connections with congressional members in the U.S.! Both the Republican and Democratic Parties! This could cause a diplomatic incident. Do you know what you've done?"

Hong Jin-woo yelled again, but Kim Mu-hyeok merely scoffed.

His scorn for Hong Jin-woo, who still couldn't grasp reality, was palpable.

Just then, someone knocked at the door where the two were.

"Come in."

The person who knocked was Manager Ma. After receiving permission, he entered and silently placed a laptop on the table.

"Make sure no one outside can come in."

"Yes. The restaurant has already been cleared out."

"There wasn't a loud commotion, right?"

"No, there's no problem."

"You can leave now."

Manager Ma kept his gaze away from Hong Jin-woo and only bowed to Kim Mu-hyeok as he left the room.

Once the door closed, Kim Mu-hyeok powered up the laptop and connected to the internet.

He accessed the mailbox, displaying several photos on the laptop screen, then turned it towards Hong Jin-woo.

The photos captured Hong Seok-geun, arrested and in tears.

"It's strange how America, a country that prides itself on human rights, dismisses the rights of criminals. In our country, a political party prioritizes the rights of criminals over victims, making it impossible to publicly share a criminal's face without permission."

Kim Mu-hyeok scoffed mockingly, but nothing registered in Hong Jin-woo's ears.

He merely pulled the laptop closer to confirm his son's condition.

"There should be more photos. Keep looking."

Kim Mu-hyeok gestured to Hong Jin-woo while crossing his arms.

A little later, after checking all the photos, Hong Jin-woo's face turned pale.

Hearing something and seeing it for oneself are entirely different experiences—no wonder he felt as if his soul was leaving his body.

"Are you starting to understand now? The moment a crime is proven, prison is a certainty. Don't naively think that American prisons are like the ones in Korea; they are genuinely hellish places. I wonder how well your precious son will hold up there."