Chapter 120: Pineapple Pizza

TL: LittlePeach

The party was over.

At first, everything had felt hectic yet strangely liberating, but now that it was finally time to go home, I found myself a little reluctant to leave.

“You worked hard today. Get home safely, Agent-nim.”

“Ah, y-yes. Y-you too, Agent-nim. G-get home safely....”

Halla No. 1, on the other hand, had looked utterly horrified the entire time, wearing an expression that said he wanted to go home that very instant.

His eyes half out of focus, he squeezed out a reply, then hit the gas and drove off as though something were chasing him.

‘Now I get why people make movies.’

Afterward, I switched taxis several times to shake off any possible tail.

After taking the long way around, I eventually returned to downtown Bern.

It was a picturesque spot overlooking the Aare River.

With the scenic view spread out before me, I leaned against the stone parapet of the bridge and took out my satellite phone.

Riiing, riiing, riiing.

Click.

Perhaps he had been waiting for my verbal report, because the call connected almost immediately.

-Uh-huh, hahahahaha! Unbelievable. You really exceeded my expectations! To think you pulled off the operation this perfectly!

Bureau Director Yun Tae-seong's booming laughter rang through the phone as he praised my results.

He must have already heard the broad strokes from the agents of the Diplomatic Mission Intelligence Bureau.

“It was nothing.”

-Hahaha! Come on, aren't you being a little too modest? And you call that nothing!

His hearty laughter rang out again, making my eardrums tingle.

-Even after sending you there, to be completely frank, I still wasn't sure whether you'd pull it off. I lost sleep worrying about it, you know? But as if you were laughing at my petty concerns, you went and pulled off something truly incredible.

“Thank you. Did all the money arrive safely?”

-Of course. Watching one hundred million dollars after another pour into the shell company accounts we'd prepared.... I got chills. Best moment of my entire fifty years of life.

“Congratulations.”

-Heh. You're awfully unflappable.

When I casually tossed out the pleasantry, he sounded almost dumbfounded.

-Bugak No. 1 and Halla No. 1 both reported to me with their voices trembling. Seems you haven't lost the touch that let you take down a dozen members of that North Korean assassination squad.

That story about the North Korean assassination squad felt like ancient history by now.

I let out a small laugh at his fussing.

“I'm starting to worry I'm unfairly driving up the NIS average.”

-Forget the average. You raised my standards too high long before that.

For a black agent, ninety percent of the job was maintaining cover and lying low, with the remaining ten percent spent on escaping.

By the standards of this line of work, I really was the strange one.

-Anyway, now that the operation's over, are you heading straight back to Korea?

“If you'll allow it, since I've already come all this way, I'd like to stay a little longer and get some fresh air. The natural scenery here in the Alps is beautiful.”

-You've got the nerve to stick around the scene for a few days after pulling something like that.... I don't know why you keep saying exactly what I want to hear. I like you more and more.

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”

-Sure. I'll cover for you if anything comes up, so relax for a few days before you come back.

A little praise could make anyone dance.

Bureau Director Yun Tae-seong was obviously quite fond of me, and I was getting rather fond of him too.

-And if you have any reason to come by headquarters once you're back, make sure you come see me first.

“Thank you.”

And with that, I ended my call with Bureau Director Yun on a pleasant note.

My decision to spend a few extra days in Switzerland had been completely spontaneous.

“Sssup, haaah.”

More than anything, the air was good.

A freshness I'd never experienced in Korea, Southeast Asia, China, or Russia.

‘Nice. I'll stay a few days.’

There was no need to go anywhere far, either.

I'd already taken quite a liking to the view from the hotel Branch Chief Mario had personally booked for me.

So I returned to the same hotel and rented one of the suites on the top floor.

Apparently the hotel had taken care of the bodies on its own, because there wasn't a single police car or ambulance anywhere near the place.

“Come to think of it, I haven't even washed properly in days.”

Now that I thought about it, I hadn't even been able to wash my face properly because of the special-effects makeup.

Scratching vigorously at my cheek, I headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower.

WEE-OOO, WEE-OOO, WEE-OOO!

WAAAH-WAAAH-WAAAH!

“Oh.”

In the middle of peaceful downtown Bern, the sirens of dozens of police cars suddenly wailed in the distance.

For a moment, I wondered if they were heading toward the hotel, but they weren't.

“What is it?”

When I looked out the window, I saw police cars surrounding the USB Bern branch across the way.

Curious about what was happening, I picked up the remote on the table and turned on the wall-mounted TV.

Sure enough, a breaking news bulletin had cut into the regular broadcast.

[Breaking news. At this hour, an armed robbery has occurred at USB in central Bern. In this horrific incident, the branch chief of the bank was tragically caught in the gunfire and has been confirmed dead at the scene....]

The news anchor on the screen rapidly read through the script.

[Even more shockingly, the suspects apprehended at the scene have been identified as North Korean diplomats stationed in Switzerland. Rejecting the North Korean side's brazen demand for diplomatic immunity despite the crime, the Swiss federal government has issued a statement warning of severe legal punishment and unprecedented diplomatic sanctions....]

Apparently, armed men had stormed a Swiss bank in broad daylight, shot and killed several security guards, and robbed the place.

And now it was even coming to light that the attackers were North Korean diplomats.

The screen showed the armed men on their knees as Swiss police placed them under arrest.

‘More precisely, they were probably members of the inspection team.’

I didn't know exactly what had happened at the scene, but I could more or less picture how events had ended up going this way.

In the end, Branch Chief Mario had been shot dead by the North Korean assassination squad that had followed Pak Mun-ju there.

“Tsk, tsk.”

That was what happened when you got greedy over someone else's money.

---

Only a day had passed since I started staying in Switzerland, but it already struck me as an incredibly peaceful place.

Sipping coffee on the balcony of my suite with the snow-capped Alps visible in the distance, I was already starting to get used to the picture-perfect scenery.

Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz.

“Hm?”

My personal phone, which I'd left on the table, started vibrating.

The caller was Kite No. 3, Lee U-jin.

Click.

“Yes, sunbae.”

-Hey, sorry. I figured you'd be working. Is now a good time?

“Of course. I was just taking a short break.”

He had finished his brief leave a few days ago and apparently begun working in earnest at one of the NIS's domestic departments.

He hadn't told me exactly which department he'd been assigned to, but since it was rare for someone from the Defense Intelligence Command's Special Task Force to join them, the higher-ups apparently had enormous expectations for him.

-Sorry for calling out of the blue when it's been a while. But didn't you say you had a connection who knew the Russian defection route?

“Yeah, I know one. Is something wrong?”

There was no need for drawn-out explanations between us.

Lee U-jin began calmly laying out what he needed.

-It's nothing major. A-ra ssi's parents are planning to defect soon.

“Oh. That's great.”

-It is. But both of them are getting up there in years, and I don't think they have the stamina for the usual route. So I'm thinking of getting them out through the Primorsky Krai route across the Tumen River. I could use your help. Would that be possible?

The so-called usual defection route involved crossing China, passing through Vietnam, and eventually taking a flight out of Thailand.

It sounded simple enough, but in reality it was a grueling journey that took more than two weeks. Elderly North Korean defectors sometimes gave up on defecting altogether because they were afraid they might die somewhere along the way.

The route through Russia, on the other hand, was short and simple, but officially considered impossible.

That was because Russia's standing policy toward North Korean defectors was to subject them to forced repatriation the moment they were discovered.

“Of course I'll help. It's for you and hyeongsu-nim. Just text me their names, dates of birth, and a few distinguishing physical features.”

But as with everything else in the world, there was always some back channel that operated quietly under the table.

Hadn't I myself once used Ocean Sigma to board a container ship bound for Korea together with agents from the NIS Russia Team?

When I answered with complete confidence, Lee U-jin let out a deep sigh of relief.

-Seriously, thank you. How much will it cost? I'll pay whatever it takes, so don't hesitate to tell me.

“Forget the money. Let's just call it an advance on the wedding gift I'll give you when you and hyeongsu-nim get married.”

-Give me a break. You say that now, but you'll still give me wedding gift money separately when the time comes.

“Whoa. How'd you know?”

I hadn't been joking, but Lee U-jin gave a short snort from the other end of the phone.

-Anyway, text me the amount and account number. I'm not letting you pay out of pocket for this.

“Fine, then. In exchange, I'll tell my Russian friend to give them first-class VIP treatment and get them here safely.”

-Thanks, Hae-chan. I'll call you again.

“Yeeep. Take care.”

After ending the heartwarming call, I quickly gulped down the rest of my cooling coffee.

There was no reason to delay. The time difference between Switzerland and Russia was only an hour at most.

‘Yelena's probably too busy if I call her, and for something like this, Nikolai's the safer bet.’

Riiing, riiing, riiing.

Riiing, riiing, riiing.

The ringing continued for quite a while.

“Is he not answering?”

It should have been around midday in Vladivostok, but considering Nikolai's usual habits, this was also exactly the sort of hour when he'd be dead drunk on vodka and passed out.

Riiing, riiing, riiing.

Click.

“Oh.”

-Who's this?

“Wow. You actually picked up fast for once.”

Apparently not.

Nikolai answered in a surprisingly clear voice.

-Who.... Sunny Kick?

“Yeah. It's me. Nikolai, have you been well?”

He let out a dry laugh.

-Well, my ass. Suka blyat.... I'm so fucking busy I'm about to lose my mind. Ever since Yelena became the boss of Slavia Security, my workload has gone through the fucking roof.

“Ah.”

-Goddamn it. The days I spent chopping heads off pollock at Ocean Sigma were a hundred, a thousand times better.

Now that I listened closely, Nikolai's voice sounded as lifeless as a dry, withered leaf.

I could practically picture him being worked like a dog under Yelena, unable to so much as touch a drop of vodka.

-That elephant-sized bitch hounds me like her tail's on fire....

“Sounds rough.”

-The guys at Slavia Security keep asking me when the legendary Sunny Kick they've heard so much about is finally coming. I hear it so damn often my ears are about to grow calluses. When the hell are you planning to come to Russia?

“I don't really have any plans to go there.”

-Suka blyat.... So, what do you want?

Like a proper Russian man, Nikolai ended his complaining there.

We got straight to the point.

“I've got some North Korean defector guests I need you to take care of. They're fairly elderly, so I'm a little worried.”

There was no need for any further explanation between us.

After hearing me out, Nikolai readily agreed.

-Got it. I know what you mean. I'll air out the container beforehand so it doesn't smell so much like fish, so send me the details by text later.

“Thanks. I can send the money to the same account as always, right?”

-No, forget the money. Instead, do me one favor.

“A favor?”

I blinked in confusion for a moment when Nikolai refused the fee.

-Find me some people. I need professionals besides me who can work for Slavia Security. A whole fucking lot of them.

“Ah.”

-Seriously. I'm about to die of overwork training these brain-dead rookies. Don't you still remember the contact information for all the old Chernobog Team members?

With desperation in his voice, Nikolai resumed the complaining I'd thought he'd already finished.

Apparently, when he'd said work was killing him, it hadn't been an exaggeration.

“I remember them, but I've never actually contacted any of them since.”

-Just humor me and make a few calls.

“They were all trustworthy people.”

We talked a little longer after that, catching up on this and that.

Somehow, Slavia Security had landed the contract to provide security for the Brunei royal family's overseas tour starting next month. There was also the story of some clueless rookie who had tried to hit on Yelena, only to catch a bullet in the thigh and be forcibly retired early.

“I'll try contacting the team members. But don't get your hopes up too much.”

-Shut up! I'm counting on you, so put some serious pressure on yourself and recruit them for me!

“All right, all right.”

-You should've been here instead of me....

We ended the call with Nikolai's anguished howl ringing through the phone.

Afterward, I turned the phone over in my hand and slowly began digging through my memories for the contact information of my old comrades.

‘Professionals....’

The mercenary industry was so lacking in standards that some guy who had fired a handgun on the street a few times could call himself a professional, but the Cherny Group was different.

Like a black hole, it sucked in professionals and amateurs alike, then ground them down on every kind of job imaginable, profitable or otherwise. In the end, if someone wasn't a true professional, they simply didn't survive.

And even among those people, only the elite who survived to the very end could join the Chernobog Team.

‘Perfect timing.’

One person did come to mind.

Maximilien, an Italian teammate from the country I'd passed through only a few days earlier.

More than anything else, he took immense pride in being from Italy, a country famous for its cuisine.

‘Sunny Kick! You want to put pineapple on my pizza? Have you lost your mind? Even if God himself forgives you, I never will! If you ever pull that shit in my kitchen, I don't care if you're the team leader or what, I'll put a hole between your eyes!’

Anyway.

The plates of pasta he whipped up to lift our spirits always earned rave reviews from the rest of the team.

No matter how brutal the operation we'd just come back from, one bite of that pasta was enough to bring us back to life.

‘Once I retire, I'm going to open my own cozy little restaurant in Italy. I'll sell pizza, pasta, steaks.... I'll cook all kinds of things for the people who come by. Sunny Kick, you better visit too.’

‘Even pineapple pizza?’

‘....’

‘But it's yummy.’

Whenever he talked about his dream over drinks, his eyes would shine like a little boy's.

So the rest of us would always laugh and swear that we'd all visit his restaurant someday and order pineapple pizza.

‘From now on, anyone who talks about pineapple pizza in front of me gets cut into eight pieces!’

Anyway.

Switzerland and Italy were both in Europe and shared the same time zone, so there was no reason to put off contacting him.

Riiing, riiing, riiing.

Riiing, riiing, riiing.

Click.

“Oh.”

The call connected almost immediately.

A smile naturally spread across my face at the thought of hearing my old comrade's familiar voice.

“Maximilien?”

-....

“Maximilien? It's me, Sunny Kick. You've been well, right?”

But something was strange.

The call had definitely connected, yet no answer came from the other side.

Just as I wondered whether the signal had weakened while crossing the Alps.

“Hello? Can you not hear me properly?”

-Sunny Kick.... Yes. I've heard your name before.

“....”

That was when I heard the unexpectedly youthful voice of a woman.

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant.

I found myself asking before I even realized it.

“Who are you?”

-Maximilien is my older brother, and he's been missing for a week.

“....”

-He might have been kidnapped by some bad people. Could you help me?

At her calm question, I let out an incredulous chuckle before I could stop myself.

When I raised my head, the elegant silhouette of the Alps stretched hazily across the distance.

I'd been planning to spend a few more leisurely days in Switzerland.

“Where are you?”

Well, what could I do?

Life never went entirely according to plan.

*****

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