130. Seven All Thirty Three
Yangju intercity bus stop.
As soon as the driver stopped the jeep in front of the stop, I opened the door and got out. Sgt. Philip Kim of the passenger seat also got out of the car and bowed his head at me.
“I’m really sorry earlier. I had no choice but to be a soldier who had to obey orders.”
I looked at him and said.
“There is no need for such an apology.”
At my words, Sgt. Philip Kim got into the jeep with a shy expression on his face.
As the US jeep disappeared from view, the mask of So-Jeong So-Jeong was removed, and as the strength in her legs was relaxed, she crouched down on the bench at the bus stop.
under-! It is true that he escaped alive from the tiger’s den… What did I do there?
Aren’t you really crazy? How the hell did you get a million dollars?
read at noblemtl.com
Not only this.
After calling for a million dollars, I added this to the bewildered Director Jackson.
‘No bargaining at all. (Never haggle.)’
And that’s when you shake the index finger of your right hand from side to side.
At the current exchange rate, 1 million dollars is more than 11 billion dollars. Director Jackson said he’d talk to the superiors, but he’s obviously looking at the madman… He was making an awkward expression.
That’s a million dollars. Even so, why did you gently wave your index finger there!
OMG–!
For the time being, whenever this thought comes to mind, I’m sure I’ll get a quilt kick.
I got up from the bench, went to the ticket office, checked the next bus time, and told the ticket office staff.
“One adult bound for Gwanghwamun, Seoul.”
“It’s 2300 won.”
The moment you open your wallet to pay and see an empty wallet… I wanted to
global party.
In our unit tradition, if there are veterans, a small party is held on the evening before the discharge.
Usually, food is prepared in the cooking class, but if the soldier you like is discharged, the platoon leader or deputy platoon leader will buy you outside food such as chicken or pizza. They add drinks to the price.
But yesterday, when I heard that the deputy platoon leader was going to buy beef bulgogi for 40 people, I put all the money in my wallet. Except for the 3,400 won car fare to Seoul.
So now in my pocket… One five hundred won coin and six 100 won coins were combined, for a total of 1,100 won.
The voice of the ticket office staff was heard again through the partition.
“It costs 2300 won to Gwanghwamun.”
I unfolded a folded bus ticket from my pocket and showed it to the staff.
“this… It’s an 8:50 bus ticket today, so how can I… Can’t you?”
The firm voice of the staff was heard.
“This is a ticket for each seat, so no refunds are possible after time passes.”
“ah… yes… .”
That was then. Behind me, I could hear the whispers of two girls waiting to buy a ticket.
“I don’t think the soldier in front doesn’t have a car fee.”
“Oh! what should we do… . So you can’t go home? poor.”
It’s a situation in which young students say they feel sorry for them… .
Without realizing it, my shoulders shrugged, and I got out of the ticket office line with my head slightly bowed, returned to the bench, and sat down.
I need to find a way to get home with the 1,100 won I have now… No matter how much I thought about it, no sharp numbers came out.
After all, is this the only way… ?
I let out a long sigh and looked around. Around the corner there is a payphone dedicated to calling cards.
He is trying to call his mother and ask her to come over here. I’m sorry mother, but… No matter how much I thought about it, this was the only way.
I got up from the bench, took a few steps towards the payphone, let out another sigh, returned to the bench and sat down.
For reference, now in 2002, the only people in South Korea who use calling cards are the military. In other words, if you go out and go to society and get a cell phone, you will no longer have to use a calling card. So, after talking with Yeong-mi last night, I gave the remaining phone card to the successor next to me.
October 17, 2002. It’s the day I’ve been waiting so desperately for for the past two years and two months… Why the hell are you doing this today?!
After being imprisoned and threatened by the US military, I escaped the US base after a lot of hard work… Now I can’t go home because I don’t have 2300 won. Besides, I tried to ask my mother, but the way I could contact her was gone.
It seems to be getting progressively more difficult.
As they took a deep breath, the two middle school girls sat on the bench next to them and started chatting. It was the girls who were waiting behind me at the ticket office a while ago.
Each time the two said a word to each other, they burst out laughing about what was so good. but… Aren’t you at the age where you can laugh just by looking at the falling leaves… . Thanks to the brightly smiling children, I also feel a little more relaxed.
ok, it’ll be alright Why can’t I go home today?
At that moment, a bus in the direction of Hyochon-ri approached the stop from afar, and the two female students got up from their seats, glancing at me.
As the bus stopped at the stop, one of the girls ran up to me and handed me something.
“This is a bus ticket to Gwanghwamun in Seoul!”
“Yes?”
The girl put the bus ticket on my lap and saluted with an awkward hand gesture.
“Loyalty!”
Then he grinned again, turned around and ran towards the bus.
I stared blankly at the bus, and the two middle school girls waved at me and got on the bus. It was only after the bus had left that I realized that I hadn’t even said thank you to the children.
A week later.
In the outside world, time passes very quickly. I haven’t done much since I was discharged, but it’s already been a week… .
Uncle Sang-soo and my mother made a room for me to stay in, but it was not uncomfortable because I felt like I was intervening in the space where they were staying.
In the end, I decided to go out on my own, and I was looking for an officetel near Mok-dong for the past few days. And today, as I was leaving the house to see a vacant officetel with a real estate agent, the phone rang.
When I opened the phone and pressed the call button, I heard a familiar voice in English.
-(This is Director Jackson, Defense Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defense. Is it possible to call?)
The moment I heard his voice, the mask of reporter Sojung was automatically put on.
I cleared my voice and opened my mouth.
“(What’s going on?)”
– (Can we meet and talk for a moment?)
I said with a smirk.
“(Meet the person who threatened to kill me again? You don’t really want to?)”
-(that….)
I cut off his horse and said.
“(That’s where you’ll have to formally apologize to me.)”
-(I’m really sorry about that day. The fact that I met the first suspect four months after the hacking incident… I did something I shouldn’t have done. As the person in charge of that day, I sincerely apologize.)
what? Why are you coming out like this?
I apologized so politely, but it was hard to say no.
“(Okay! I accept the apology, but why are you asking to see it in person?)”
At my question, Director Jackson spoke in a low voice.
– (I want to make a suggestion to you.)
“(Proposal? You would have said no bargaining, obviously.)”
-($1 million is ready. I opened an account in the name of CHAE JH at UBS Bank in Switzerland, and I deposited US$1 million as of yesterday. I know the bank contacted you…?)
ah… ! Yesterday I got a strange message… That was it!
It was an international outgoing message from a foreign bank I had never heard of. He said that an additional fee would be charged to view the message, so of course he thought it was a spam message and deleted it.
By the way… this… You really mean a million dollars! If I had known this would be like this, it wouldn’t be a million dollars… Did you mean to raise it to 1.5 million dollars?
t-! I said, gazing again.
“(I thought it was a spam message and deleted it. Ask me to resend it.)”
-(Okay. If you send me the specific weakness of PAI-13, I will check it and give you the password for your account immediately.)
“(Okay! But what’s your suggestion?)”
There was silence for a while at my question, and at the end of the silence, Director Jackson’s voice was heard.
-(I think we should meet and talk about this in person.)
If you can’t talk on the phone… I figured it wouldn’t work in a bright place.
If it were a normal country, I would definitely have refused… Adrenaline was spurting in my head at the thought of a million dollars coming into my hands, and even wearing a reporter’s mask, there was nothing harsh in the world.
I felt like I wanted to dance, but I opened my mouth in a voice that was as restrained as possible.
“(Okay! Let’s meet. Can I listen to the offer instead and turn it down?)”
-(Of course. It will be a good opportunity for you, but if you don’t like it, it’s unavoidable.)
So we made an appointment two days later, and just before finishing the call, I called Director Jackson.
There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about for the past week.
“(Wait! I have a question for you.)”
– (Say it.)
“(By the way, how did you find out that the person who hacked on June 12 was me?)”
-(I found out by looking at the records of regular workers in Unit 523.)
“(Full-time employee records?)”
-(On June 12th, it was stated that you were on a full-time job.)
“(Hahaha—! I did.)”
So I laughed and ended the phone call with Director Jackson.
By the way… The day-to-day worker was definitely In-cheol, not me… . What the hell happened?
* * *
four months ago.
Unit 523 Administrative Group.
Sergeant Choi In-cheol said to Private Park, an administrative staff member.
“under-! boy! Even with a bottle… The concept hasn’t been upgraded yet. Who is number one in our unit?”
“You’re Sgt. In-cheol Choi!”
“whale! Then don’t talk any more. Do your best.”
When Sgt. Choi In-cheol left the administrative group, Private Park sat down and pondered for a moment.
In principle, if you want to change your full-time service, you must get permission from Sergeant Chae Jung-ho. However, the problem was due to the personality of Sgt. Chae Jung-ho, and it was clear that he would not put off his full-time job on the eve of the guerrilla to someone else.
Besides, Sgt. Chae Jeong-ho and Sgt. In-cheol Choi are inseparable best friends. Sergeant Choi In-cheol was higher in the ranks, but when I listened to the two of them talking, Sgt. Chae Jung-ho was much more mature, and on the contrary, Sgt. Choi In-cheol was often pushed.
If I had to talk to Sgt. Chae Jung-ho for nothing, it was obvious that he wouldn’t change it.
Private Park took out the work schedule document for June 12 with the name of Sgt. Chae Jeong-ho from the file folder. Then, he drew the company commander’s signature in the signature field of the company commander himself, and put the signed documents in the completed file file.