Youngwoo Cho headed straight to Sosan.
He easily found out Hyunwoo’s location. Russia already dispatched lots of intelligence agents to Korea, and one of their important missions was to monitor Hyunwoo’s every move.
Hyunwoo crisscrossed the country.
On such occasions, many bodyguards followed him. Hyunwoo was accompanied by only four bodyguards, but another then bodyguards always shadowed him unnoticed.
It was for this reason that Youngwoo could target him. And his goal was not Hyunwoo, but what Hyunwoo thought as most precious.
Obviously, it was his family, namely his wife.
Youngwoo met his Russian contact. He was a Russian of Korean blood with good command of Korean.
“Do you have any useful information?”
“I heard that his wife got pregnant.”
Youngwoo smiled. It seemed heaven was helping him achieve his goal.
He began to monitor her house every day.
It was not easy to do any harm to those around Hyunwoo because there were many bodyguards stationed around the house.
He waited for her to come out of her house for two months, but she didn’t. He could not break into the house to take her out.
So, he decided to change his goal. He realized there were two persons as close to Hyunwoo as Yu Zuung, who he thought were his easy targets.
He couched somewhere near their house and followed them after confirming that Hyunwoo’s parents Duyoung and Jisook came out of the house.
After Yu Zuung got pregnant, Hyunwoo tended to spend more time at home. He canceled almost all his daily appointments and didn’t leave the house unless he had to.
Of course, he couldn’t stay inside all the time.
Today he was supposed to attend a meeting related to the Solgae Project that the Defense Ministry was involved in.
The Solgae Project was an important state project for which the government launched seven satellites.
Hyunwoo headed to the Defense Ministry building.
At that moment, he got a call on his phone, which number was Duyoung’s.
Hyunwoo casually answered the phone.
But the voice from the other party’s phone was a stranger’s, not his father’s.
“Sorry, but I’ve kidnapped your parents.”
Hyunwoo’s eyes popped up suddenly.
But he tried to calm down.
How could he dare kidnap his parents? Besides, there were four bodyguards following them all the time. They were first-rate bodyguards.
Hyunwoo didn’t respond. After he hung it up, he immediately called his father’s number.
It was the same voice he heard a moment ago.
“Have you confirmed now that I kidnapped your parents?”
Hyunwoo felt as if his heart sank
But he had to stay calm.
Answering in a loud voice, Hyunwoo gestured to his chief bodyguard with eyes.
Sensing his intention, the bodyguard began to track down the location of Duyoung’s phone.
“What do you want from me?”
“Let me ask you first. How much is the worth of your parents’ lives? Can you accept my request?”
What could be more precious than one’s family in this world?
“Tell me then.”
“Good. Let me tell you what I want. And let me warn you. Don’t do anything thoughtless. I staked my life on my mission. If you try to catch me, you have to stake your parents’ lives on that.”
And then the other party hung off the phone unilaterally.
A little later Hyunwoo’s chief bodyguard detected the location of the suspect’s mobile phone.
“He is now near the base of Dujong station in Chonan City. Can I send my bodyguards there?”
Hyunwoo shook his head. Any reckless act could endanger his parents.
“Let’s wait until the other party sets out his demands first.”
“Got it.”
Hyunwoo earnestly waited for the stranger’s call.
Of course, he didn’t reveal his genuine feelings because any bad news about his parents could shock her enough to cause something bad to her baby.
But he couldn’t hide his uneasiness from her completely.
“What’s wrong with you? You don’t look good today.”
“Really? Nothing particular. I think I’m stressed out because of an important project I’m in.”
“Please take it easy. You’re going to be a daddy soon.”
“Sure, will do.”
“By the way, I didn’t see mother-in-law today. She usually comes to see me every day, but I didn’t see her today. Can I call her?”
Startled, Hyunwoo dissuaded her.
“She went on a trip with Dad. As she is coming back soon, don’t call her.”
She tilted her head to one side. She knew Jisook travelled often as a rule. But Jisook stopped it since she got pregnant.
Anyway, she believed Hyunwoo’s words.
Then suddenly the stranger called Hyunwoo again. It had been three days since he kidnapped Hyunwoo’s parents.
“Let me tell you what I want.”
“Just go ahead.”
“I’m a Russian citizen. Russia is in a bad situation because of you. You have to take responsibility for that.”
At that moment, Hyunwoo felt the back of his neck was still. The stranger obviously wanted to terrorize him for Russia, not out of his personal desire.
Like he said, Russia was on the rocks. As the oil prices plummeted due to the Toughtex engine, Russia was on the verge of crumbling.
Here and there in Russia, many federal provinces began to raise independent voices.
In particular, the Siberian region and the Far East region’s move was serious, trying to break away from the central government.
That’s why the Russian government decided to take revenge on Hyunwoo.
He was so nervous about the stranger’s malicious intention to do any harm to his parents.
By now his parents must have undergone extreme stress and suffering.
“Tell me what you want specifically.”
“Share the technology of Toughtex engine and Jahwa Solar Cell with the Russian car makers and solar battery companies. That’s all I want. Save Russia from the crisis.”
At that moment, Hyunwoo felt as if he was hit in the neck of his head by a hammer.
Obviously, those were the demands of the Russian government, not his own.
As if he already Hyunwoo’s mind, the stranger said, “This has nothing to do with the Russian government. I’m doing this solely for the future of my fatherland, Russia.”
Hyunwoo became doubtful about what he said, though.
Instead of asking back, Hyunwoo tried to negotiate with the stranger.
“There is no guarantee that you will send back my parents safely even if I meet your demands, right?”
“Just reject my request, then. I have no regrets. It’s my intention to take revenge on you on behalf of the Russian people.”
Hyunwoo’s heart sank again.
The stranger pressured on him all the more.
“Let me give you a week. Transfer the technology by then. If you reject it, you will see your father’s dead body, and then your mother’s one week after that. Bear in mind. Just one week.”
Then the stranger hung up the phone.
This time he called from Daejon. It seemed he continued to move his location.
Hyunwoo asked his chief bodyguard to track down the stranger.
“Even if you find him, don’t try to attack him unless you think it’s a perfect chance. My parents could be in danger.”
“Sure, will do.”
Hyunwoo was nervous, not knowing what to do. He couldn’t satisfy the stranger’s demands. There was no guarantee that the stranger would release his parents safely.
After agonizing for a moment, Hyunwoo decided to seek the government’s help.
President Ha was stunned to hear that.
“You should have informed us earlier. Let me mobilize the troops and police immediately.”
“If the suspect gets wind of this, my parents could be in danger.”
“Got it. Let me order them to send a team of the best experts.”
At the direction of President Ha, as many as 20,000 troops and policemen were mobilized to track down on the Russian spy.
Their search for the strange was thoroughgoing, but didn’t bring any good results.
Six days passed quickly. Six days was like six years to Hyunwoo.
There was no guarantee that the Russian spy would release his parents, but Hyunwoo had to meet his demands.
Of course, he wanted to attach a condition that if his parents were hurt in any way, he would not transfer the technology.
Hyunwoo made the contract with a heavy heart.
At that moment, someone called Hyunwoo’s phone.
This time, too, it was from a total stranger.
Hyunwoo hurriedly picked up the phone.
Strange enough, it was not the original blackmailer’s call. It was a totally different voice.
His way of speaking was also strange.
It had a rough North Korean accent, perhaps with the dialect of Hamgyong or Pyongan Province.
What he told Hyunwoo was even more strange.
“I’ve just saved your detained parents safely. I’ve just dropped them off at Daejon Station. So, go and see them.”
Hyunwoo’s jaw dropped. He was really confused about whether to believe this stranger or now.
But Hyunwoo had to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, he directed his chief bodyguard to send someone to Daejon Station.
And then Hyunwoo urgently asked the stranger.
“By the way, who are you?”
Youngwoo Cho headed straight to Sosan.
He easily found out Hyunwoo’s location. Russia already dispatched lots of intelligence agents to Korea, and one of their important missions was to monitor Hyunwoo’s every move.
Hyunwoo crisscrossed the country.
On such occasions, many bodyguards followed him. Hyunwoo was accompanied by only four bodyguards, but another then bodyguards always shadowed him unnoticed.
It was for this reason that Youngwoo could target him. And his goal was not Hyunwoo, but what Hyunwoo thought as most precious.
Obviously, it was his family, namely his wife.
Youngwoo met his Russian contact. He was a Russian of Korean blood with good command of Korean.
“Do you have any useful information?”
“I heard that his wife got pregnant.”
Youngwoo smiled. It seemed heaven was helping him achieve his goal.
He began to monitor her house every day.
It was not easy to do any harm to those around Hyunwoo because there were many bodyguards stationed around the house.
He waited for her to come out of her house for two months, but she didn’t. He could not break into the house to take her out.
So, he decided to change his goal. He realized there were two persons as close to Hyunwoo as Yu Zuung, who he thought were his easy targets.
He couched somewhere near their house and followed them after confirming that Hyunwoo’s parents Duyoung and Jisook came out of the house.
After Yu Zuung got pregnant, Hyunwoo tended to spend more time at home. He canceled almost all his daily appointments and didn’t leave the house unless he had to.
Of course, he couldn’t stay inside all the time.
Today he was supposed to attend a meeting related to the Solgae Project that the Defense Ministry was involved in.
The Solgae Project was an important state project for which the government launched seven satellites.
Hyunwoo headed to the Defense Ministry building.
At that moment, he got a call on his phone, which number was Duyoung’s.
Hyunwoo casually answered the phone.
But the voice from the other party’s phone was a stranger’s, not his father’s.
“Sorry, but I’ve kidnapped your parents.”
Hyunwoo’s eyes popped up suddenly.
But he tried to calm down.
How could he dare kidnap his parents? Besides, there were four bodyguards following them all the time. They were first-rate bodyguards.
Hyunwoo didn’t respond. After he hung it up, he immediately called his father’s number.
It was the same voice he heard a moment ago.
“Have you confirmed now that I kidnapped your parents?”
Hyunwoo felt as if his heart sank
But he had to stay calm.
Answering in a loud voice, Hyunwoo gestured to his chief bodyguard with eyes.
Sensing his intention, the bodyguard began to track down the location of Duyoung’s phone.
“What do you want from me?”
“Let me ask you first. How much is the worth of your parents’ lives? Can you accept my request?”
What could be more precious than one’s family in this world?
“Tell me then.”
“Good. Let me tell you what I want. And let me warn you. Don’t do anything thoughtless. I staked my life on my mission. If you try to catch me, you have to stake your parents’ lives on that.”
And then the other party hung off the phone unilaterally.
A little later Hyunwoo’s chief bodyguard detected the location of the suspect’s mobile phone.
“He is now near the base of Dujong station in Chonan City. Can I send my bodyguards there?”
Hyunwoo shook his head. Any reckless act could endanger his parents.
“Let’s wait until the other party sets out his demands first.”
“Got it.”
Hyunwoo earnestly waited for the stranger’s call.
Of course, he didn’t reveal his genuine feelings because any bad news about his parents could shock her enough to cause something bad to her baby.
But he couldn’t hide his uneasiness from her completely.
“What’s wrong with you? You don’t look good today.”
“Really? Nothing particular. I think I’m stressed out because of an important project I’m in.”
“Please take it easy. You’re going to be a daddy soon.”
“Sure, will do.”
“By the way, I didn’t see mother-in-law today. She usually comes to see me every day, but I didn’t see her today. Can I call her?”
Startled, Hyunwoo dissuaded her.
“She went on a trip with Dad. As she is coming back soon, don’t call her.”
She tilted her head to one side. She knew Jisook travelled often as a rule. But Jisook stopped it since she got pregnant.
Anyway, she believed Hyunwoo’s words.
Then suddenly the stranger called Hyunwoo again. It had been three days since he kidnapped Hyunwoo’s parents.
“Let me tell you what I want.”
“Just go ahead.”
“I’m a Russian citizen. Russia is in a bad situation because of you. You have to take responsibility for that.”
At that moment, Hyunwoo felt the back of his neck was still. The stranger obviously wanted to terrorize him for Russia, not out of his personal desire.
Like he said, Russia was on the rocks. As the oil prices plummeted due to the Toughtex engine, Russia was on the verge of crumbling.
Here and there in Russia, many federal provinces began to raise independent voices.
In particular, the Siberian region and the Far East region’s move was serious, trying to break away from the central government.
That’s why the Russian government decided to take revenge on Hyunwoo.
He was so nervous about the stranger’s malicious intention to do any harm to his parents.
By now his parents must have undergone extreme stress and suffering.
“Tell me what you want specifically.”
“Share the technology of Toughtex engine and Jahwa Solar Cell with the Russian car makers and solar battery companies. That’s all I want. Save Russia from the crisis.”
At that moment, Hyunwoo felt as if he was hit in the neck of his head by a hammer.
Obviously, those were the demands of the Russian government, not his own.
As if he already Hyunwoo’s mind, the stranger said, “This has nothing to do with the Russian government. I’m doing this solely for the future of my fatherland, Russia.”
Hyunwoo became doubtful about what he said, though.
Instead of asking back, Hyunwoo tried to negotiate with the stranger.
“There is no guarantee that you will send back my parents safely even if I meet your demands, right?”
“Just reject my request, then. I have no regrets. It’s my intention to take revenge on you on behalf of the Russian people.”
Hyunwoo’s heart sank again.
The stranger pressured on him all the more.
“Let me give you a week. Transfer the technology by then. If you reject it, you will see your father’s dead body, and then your mother’s one week after that. Bear in mind. Just one week.”
Then the stranger hung up the phone.
This time he called from Daejon. It seemed he continued to move his location.
Hyunwoo asked his chief bodyguard to track down the stranger.
“Even if you find him, don’t try to attack him unless you think it’s a perfect chance. My parents could be in danger.”
“Sure, will do.”
Hyunwoo was nervous, not knowing what to do. He couldn’t satisfy the stranger’s demands. There was no guarantee that the stranger would release his parents safely.
After agonizing for a moment, Hyunwoo decided to seek the government’s help.
President Ha was stunned to hear that.
“You should have informed us earlier. Let me mobilize the troops and police immediately.”
“If the suspect gets wind of this, my parents could be in danger.”
“Got it. Let me order them to send a team of the best experts.”
At the direction of President Ha, as many as 20,000 troops and policemen were mobilized to track down on the Russian spy.
Their search for the strange was thoroughgoing, but didn’t bring any good results.
Six days passed quickly. Six days was like six years to Hyunwoo.
There was no guarantee that the Russian spy would release his parents, but Hyunwoo had to meet his demands.
Of course, he wanted to attach a condition that if his parents were hurt in any way, he would not transfer the technology.
Hyunwoo made the contract with a heavy heart.
At that moment, someone called Hyunwoo’s phone.
This time, too, it was from a total stranger.
Hyunwoo hurriedly picked up the phone.
Strange enough, it was not the original blackmailer’s call. It was a totally different voice.
His way of speaking was also strange.
It had a rough North Korean accent, perhaps with the dialect of Hamgyong or Pyongan Province.
What he told Hyunwoo was even more strange.
“I’ve just saved your detained parents safely. I’ve just dropped them off at Daejon Station. So, go and see them.”
Hyunwoo’s jaw dropped. He was really confused about whether to believe this stranger or now.
But Hyunwoo had to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, he directed his chief bodyguard to send someone to Daejon Station.
And then Hyunwoo urgently asked the stranger.
“By the way, who are you?”
