The female boss immediately put on a pitiful expression, counting on her fingers as she spoke in a soft voice, "Actually, ever since I was little, my father was an alcoholic and a gambler, and my mother was sick..."
The two seasoned veterans sitting across from her both made faces of disdain at the same time. Especially Ma Seok-do, who shuddered as if his entire body were crawling with ants. "Hey, hey, shut up! Auntie!"
In this day and age, who still uses the cliché of a gambling father, a sick mother, and a younger brother in school? Jack suspiciously glanced at the burly younger brother sitting beside her. To be honest, if Ma Seok-do hadn't interrupted, he really would have liked to hear how she planned to spin the rest of the story.
"Do you know this person? Take a look." Ma Seok-do impatiently pulled out a wanted poster, pointing at the sketch on it.
The female boss, whose act had been exposed, rolled her eyes and took the wanted poster with an annoyed expression. With just one glance, she recognized the person. "Isn't this Hiroshi? The guy with him is Kim Yang-ho. They come here about once a week, but at first, they used to make deliveries in Incheon."
"So, the drugs were brought in through Incheon?" Jack instinctively wanted to reach for a corncob pipe while asking.
"I heard they get processed after landing, all handled by the Japanese Yakuza." When facing Jack, the female boss was like a completely different person, her face full of infatuation, making Ma Seok-do's eyelids twitch.
The Yakuza is a general term for Japanese organized crime groups, originating from the "Meiji Restoration" period's fallen samurai or unemployed ronin. Of course, they don't call themselves Yakuza; they refer to themselves as "Gokudō."
From the earliest "Kuroyōkai" to the notorious "Black Dragon Society" that ran rampant in China during World War II, they can all be considered predecessors of the Yakuza.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, these right-wing-influenced organizations developed into three main factions: the "Yamaguchi-gumi," the "Inagawa-kai," and the "Sumiyoshi-kai," all of which were once infamous. However, in Japan, they are all legally registered associations.
"Be more specific. Which faction?" Upon hearing that the drugs were indeed coming from Japan, Ma Seok-do's facial muscles twitched.
Compared to China, Koreans have a much more complicated relationship with Japan, especially when it comes to organized crime. At the peak of the Yakuza's power, one-third of its members were naturalized Koreans (from both North and South Korea).
The female boss pouted. "They said it was 'Ichijo-gumi,' but I don't know the details."
Since Japanese Yakuza groups are all legally registered and active organizations in Japan, Jack simply pulled out his phone and Googled the gang's information.
"Ichijo-gumi" is a sub-faction under the "Yamaguchi-gumi." The boss, Ichijo Yoshio, is in his sixties. In the aging and declining "Yamaguchi-gumi," he is considered one of the few remaining energetic leaders.
—
After collecting the drugs and drug money from the table, the two left the club. By now, night had fallen, and the city lights flickered, illuminating the bustling scene.
"The money can be split evenly, but these drugs have to be turned in." Ma Seok-do got into the car, handed Jack a bag filled with cash, and motioned for him to take his share.
Jack glanced at the neatly stacked wads of 50,000-won bills with disdain and waved his hand. "Keep it for informant fees. With your salary, you still haven't saved up for a wedding fund, have you?"
Korean police promotions are based on seniority. At Ma Seok-do's age, he would, at most, hold the rank of "Senior Inspector." With his salary and allowances combined, he might make around 50 million won a year—barely $40,000.
With South Korea's soaring cost of living, it's lucky that this guy is still single. Otherwise, he'd be tightening his belt to make ends meet.
The money in the bag amounted to no more than 10 million won—around $7,000. Jack had his own reasons for helping Ma Seok-do, but he certainly wasn't interested in such a small sum.
Having shared drinks, women, and even fights over the past few days, the two had built a certain level of camaraderie. Ma Seok-do knew Jack didn't care about money, so he casually tossed the bag into the glove compartment.
However, he didn't start the car right away. Instead, he grabbed his seatbelt, furrowed his brows, and fell into deep thought.
Jack, of course, knew Ma Seok-do wasn't thinking about his nonexistent wedding fund. He pointed at the phone in his hand. "If you're worried, just make a call."
Before he could finish his sentence, Ma Seok-do's phone rang first. He answered it, and on the other end was Captain Jang Tae-soo, who had taken three officers to capture Hiroshi and Kim Yang-ho. The whistling wind noise from the speaker suggested that he was also in a moving vehicle.
"I contacted an old colleague from the Wide Area Investigation Unit, Kang Jin-tae, who now works in the Cyber Crime Investigation Division. Using some special methods, we unlocked Hiroshi's phone location. We're about to raid his place."
"That guy is from the Yamaguchi-gumi. Does anyone in your team speak Japanese?" Ma Seok-do shared the intel they had just gathered.
On the other end, Jang Tae-soo responded confidently, "No problem, I know a few simple Japanese phrases. We'll improvise if needed."
"Then be careful."
After hanging up, Ma Seok-do still looked worried. "Aish, should I go over there?"
Jack glanced at the GPS on his phone, double-checking their current location. He then looked at Ma Seok-do in confusion. "Incheon is only 60 kilometers from downtown Seoul. We can be there in half an hour. What's there to hesitate about?"
"Half an hour? Driving that fast is dangerous! Besides, the city speed limit is 50 km/h." Ma Seok-do glared at him and immediately unbuckled his seatbelt, offering the driver's seat. "Why don't you drive?"
Jack sighed and shook his head. Turns out this guy wasn't a real veteran driver. He got out of the car, switched seats with Ma Seok-do, and floored the gas pedal. The Hyundai Palisade, known as the modern-day "Range Rover," screeched as its tires spun, launching forward like a rocket.
"Slow down, slow down! I haven't gotten married yet!" Ma Seok-do's elongated wail was left trailing in the wind.
—
As the distance to Incheon shortened and 20 minutes had passed, Ma Seok-do, who had been checking the time constantly, finally lost patience. He pulled out his phone and called his captain back. Fortunately, the call connected quickly.
"How's it going?"
Jang Tae-soo sounded particularly pleased. "We got them. We're on our way back now. With me leading the charge, everything went smoothly."
However, his colleagues in the background immediately exposed him. "Captain, we all took some hits. You almost got your throat slit!"
"Aish! Is everyone okay?" Though rough around the edges, Ma Seok-do genuinely cared about his team. He always charged ahead to protect his colleagues, carrying himself like a true big brother.
Jang Tae-soo, now somewhat embarrassed, snapped, "You idiots, stop talking nonsense! It was only because your skills are weak that you got beaten up. I dodged it easily!"
Then his voice turned excited. "They had a huge stash of drugs at their place. I took a quick look—at least 30 kilograms. We've just made a huge bust! I'm treating you guys when we get back!"
"Good job! We're heading your way. We'll be there in 10 min—"
Before Ma Seok-do could finish his sentence, a loud explosion suddenly came through the phone, followed by a series of violent crashes.
"Hello? Hello?! What happened?!"
But all that answered him was the dead tone of a disconnected call.
Jack and Ma Seok-do looked at each other, seeing the same horror reflected in each other's eyes.
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