A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Closing my eyes, the rain begins to fall from the sky.

The drizzling rain soon pours down like a deluge, making it hard to see even an inch ahead.

As I pull down the bandana piled with sand and wipe my cold skin with my gloves in the desert’s night air, a quietly whispering deputy appears from somewhere.

“Manager. It’s a direct call from the Executive Director. He’s asking about the Caracas project.”

I snatch the radio thrust in front of me and start my report.

“Yes, the Chinese electronic warfare researcher you mentioned has been put on the ship. I’ve checked the documents as well. But, it seems we had a slight problem with the Chinese… I think the Congo government has caught on…”

Buzzing sounds fill my ears, like flies or mosquitoes buzzing around. Getting malaria in Africa would be a hardship. Damn those mosquito brats.

Sitting nervously in my office chair, I wave my hand irritably.

The Executive Director says.

“Manager, I heard you went on a business trip to Japan with the company passport?”

The figure of the Executive Director standing by the window begins to move. Is it the backlight? I couldn’t see his face.

“This morning, we received a notice from Japanese public security. A foreign company’s employee confirmed a corpse they’re in charge of without permission.”

‘……’

“Was it your Information Agent?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hey, you. Have you only been with the company for a day or two? Where do you think you are, just going to snoop around without a report? If the North Koreans snap a picture of you on that day, you and your kids will all…!”

‘……’

“…What the hell, this company life has been like crap for more than a day or two.”

A file is slammed onto the desk. The shocked white paper protrudes out beside the brown folder. A torn folder sits on the monochrome metal table, overlapping with the image of my shot Jewish friend.

“I’ll take care of this, so you finish the investigation on the Middle Eastern arms smuggling.”

Thud, the iron door slams shut. Soaked to the skin in the heavy rain, I sit in the car and light a cigarette.

“…Manager, are you alright?”

The deputy asks.

“Well, about the North Korean scientist and his wife, what about the kid? If the Vietnamese public security confirms the corpse, there will surely be a lot of gossip…”

“Move aside. Hey, are you okay?”

A shining light in the darkness. The voice of my colleague fades away beyond my murky vision.

“Hey, hey. Pull yourself together. Don’t be disheartened, you idiot. It’s not your fault.”

Even now, years later, I cannot respond.

“Hey. Hey. Pull yourself together.”

Hey.

Wake up!

Extra Episode – Same day, same place, different act.

My breath released and my eyes popped wide open.

Perhaps because I had swallowed my own breath, my throat hurt a lot. My back felt stiff, my shoulders heavy. A pain in my chest felt as if an elephant had climbed on it.

“Are you alright?”

Deputy Cha asked with a startled face. His shabby suit and tired face briefly showed a worried expression.

I breathed roughly, scanning my surroundings. It was a familiar office structure.

The window leading to the hallway was blinds-covered, and a landscape like a study unfolded beyond the desk. On the desks packed closely together were documents in Arabic and English awaiting translation from the language experts.

The scenery I was used to seeing and now wished to see less. The Information Officers in suits instead of military uniforms, with long hair, filtering out of the Information Command office like graduate students.

As I surveyed the familiar office, I wiped my hand across my face.

“…Hah.”

Damn it. I must have dozed off again. No wonder my back hurt.

The habit of sleeping with my arms crossed like a pillow had been a terrible habit since my days at the information school. This damned habit still tormented me even after changing ranks three times.

“I dozed off. Deputy Moon, um, did you finish translating the daily report I asked about earlier?”

“Ah, well….”

Deputy Moon started to trail off with an ambiguous expression, much like a student caught smoking by the head of a department.

“Is it still not done? The Executive Director asked for that report before he goes home.”

“Manager.”

“Yes?”

“Uh, em….”

Deputy Moon pouted his lips and gestured frantically somewhere. He pointed at the air and his eyes darted left and right continuously.

It was a gesture as if to look at something. But for me, waking up from sleep, it was a gesture that was too hard to decipher.

So, as I turned my head towards the hallway—

“…Oh.”

Our eyes met through the blinds hanging in the window.

It was the Executive Director.

He silently tried to make eye contact from behind the blinds before bursting through the door of the office. The way he rapped his thick binder on the desk spoke for his temper.

He dropped the binder onto the desk and shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

“Sleeping well, I see. Didn’t think I’d catch you.”

“Um, Executive Director. It’s just that….”

“Come out.”

“…Yes.”

At the command of the Executive Director, who beckoned with his finger, I hurriedly tossed my Crocs under the desk and scrambled to change into my shoes.

“So you were caught asleep in the office, huh?”

“Yeah….”

“Haha!”

The loud laughter reverberated in the break room.

The superior, with his hands stuffed into his shabby suit pants, couldn’t hold back a roaring laugh, even letting out a wheeze.

“Oh my. I never saw the Executive Director like that! You, look, we’re all human, sometimes you can take a nap in the office. What… The Captain really took a hit today.”

“It wasn’t a nap; I just dozed off for a moment.”

“Same difference!”

Beneath the laughter of the superior, I recognized him as one of the executives who had worked in the Information Command for a decade.

With a cheerful smile, he offered me coffee. It was from the vending machine in the break room installed for staff welfare (for a fee).

“Have a cup and lighten up. There are days like this in life.”

“Thank you.”

I tilted the paper cup and took a sip. The sweet mixed coffee was no different from the coffee taken at the end of a sundae soup restaurant.

Yet, this couple of hundred won cheap vending machine coffee must be the only joy that keeps the gloomy office going.

My portion of coffee, granted by the superior, prompted him to hum a tune as he put in coins. Then he began to ponder as if it were a life or death dilemma whether to have coffee or barley tea.

“Let’s see~ Will this damn machine eat my coins today or not….”

The first lesson in surviving in the information department: Coffee and cigarettes are always right.

In proof of that principle, the superior took out barley tea from the vending machine and pulled out a cigarette.

Of course, it came with some office gossip too. Talking bad about the company was the second principle practiced by those living in the dull information division.

Lighting a Russian cigarette, the superior sipped the barley tea and exclaimed.

“Wow. This company has been operating this vending machine for over ten years.”

“That’s for employee welfare.”

“Seriously, they call this employee welfare. Some company in my area has a franchise bakery on the first floor; why are we stuck with a vending machine?”

I shrugged my shoulders, thinking the vending machine eats coins every other day; if that’s the case, I’d rather be let go on time.

I lit a lighter and added, “The National Intelligence Service probably has a hard time getting home on time too.”

The caffeine and nicotine rushing into my bloodstream dissolved rapidly into my veins. The blood, packed with stimulants, raced throughout my body.

It seemed he enjoyed it so much that the superior smiled brightly.

“I’m sure the Executive Director didn’t reprimand you with any ill intentions. I’ve seen him over the years, and he’s not the petty type.”

That’s probably true. Even in a rigid office, getting mad over a nap is foolish.

If one gets scolded for a nap, it’s one of two things: either the superior is a real jerk, or the person is somewhat disliked.

In my view, I seemed to fall into the latter category.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. You know how much he snoozed during his staff days. Now that he’s a lieutenant colonel, he has fewer field duties and can look sprightly, but back as a major, he hardly could go home, often dozing off in the restroom while squeezing his watch.”

“It’s truly impressive how they manage things. Not able to go home and dozing off in the restroom or having the officer hang up clothes in the office.”

I exhaled deeply, blowing out the smoke.

“Ah, right. You can’t mention this anywhere. If it reaches the Executive Director’s ears, it’ll be a big deal. Despite his age, he kicks up a fuss about old stories.”

“I’ll be careful. I enjoyed the coffee, Officer.”

“Oh man, look at me. What time is it already? I should head in first.”

“Take care.”

“Stay safe~.”

The superior hurriedly left the break room after spraying air freshener everywhere. Watching him leave, I tossed the paper cup into the trash and lit a cigarette.

“…Damn it.”

I’m really itching to retire.

Late at night, instead of working overtime in the company office, I stepped out onto the street.

“Did you just get off? You just got off, huh?”

“Yeah.”

In a back alley near the university. A place where young people, about to take exams, bottle the present and make pancakes under the utility pole.

In a corner of my frequently visited izakaya sat a familiar face of a colleague.

“You’ve had a hard day. Did you get wiped down again?”

“Yeah.”

“How come this time?”

“I dozed off at my desk and got chewed out by my superior. After finishing work, I came here. How about you?”

“Is there anything special at the company? It’s always the same.”

That was a euphemistic way of saying it was a shitty day.

With a laptop and a bag filled with documents hastily stuffed into my coat, I splashed my hands with a wet towel and smirked.

“You’ve had your share of troubles too.”

“Nothing much. It’s much better than the Ministry of Defense. Waitress! One beer and soju here! The red one!”

In a moment, a voice from the kitchen asked, ‘Where’s the glass?’ Two glasses soon landed on the table.

Though I had only been to the seaside for school trips and naval training, seafood fully matched my taste. I picked up a piece of sashimi with chopsticks and dipped it into the sauce.

My colleague, who had spent half his life near the beach, paused pouring the alcohol to complain.

“Ah. Dipping it in that sauce, how could you? You’re ruining the sashimi taste.”

“I don’t even have it in me to deal with wasabi. I just want to eat today.”

“Well, well. This is why people from the mainland can’t do it.”

My colleague laughed lightly, tossing the soaking wet tissue into the trash can.

As the glass clinked and the alcohol flowed down my throat, the guy who had emptied his glass popped a piece of sashimi dipped in soy sauce into his mouth.

“Look at this! The bouncy texture. This meat, made while swimming in the sea, wow, I can’t even express it.”

“I think you chose the wrong career. You should have made your living through food.”

“You’re kidding me. How about you? Eating every tiny morsel stuck to the chicken legs, you’ve got the wrong profession too. You should be a butcher. Got it?”

“Unbelievable…”

It was a rare gathering of colleagues, so the conversation naturally drifted towards reminiscing about the past. The colleague who had moved to another company began to inquire about others.

“How’s Hwan doing?”

“Yeah, ever since he came back from Russia, he’s been on a smooth path. He should be in Khabarovsk.”

“Hmm, Russia. The folks there are tall and they have a good build; someone like Hwan is basically fine. He must be mistaken for a Korean warrior with how tall he is there. How’s Hyun-soo?”

“Hyun-soo is said to be in Bangkok. There was a big delivery incident in the Golden Triangle. They say he’s digging into that.”

“That place is known for drug trafficking. I’ve heard that drug cultivation is booming in Southeast Asia. Could it be those guys again?”

“Yeah, the reds.”

“You all are ridiculous.”

The beer bottle tipped over. The clear sound of pouring followed briefly, and my colleague offered me a filled glass.

“What about Young-ho these days?”

“Young-ho? Isn’t he in the navy? Must be on a ship.”

The Information Command recruits resources from the navy, army, and air force under the Intelligence Headquarters.

Young-ho was an information officer in the navy, having graduated from the naval academy.

“He was singing about not wanting to be on a ship, but he got sent out. He’s tough!”

“Anyway, Young-ho is currently on a ship. Yuseong is over in Gangwon Province. Min-seok is….”

“Oh right. Our otaku. Where is he working? He wanted to go to Japan. Did he go?”

“Japan, my foot. The competition there is fierce. Min-seok got sent to Eastern Europe last year.”

“Puhaha!”

The colleague banged on the table, clutching his belly with laughter.

“That dude is indeed incredibly unlucky! Of all places to go, he ends up in Eastern Europe. Did they catch him while he was translating some game made over there? What was the name again? Dark World? Dark Fantasy? Something like that.”

What was so funny? I tidied up the spills from the clinking cups with a tissue and scolded him.

“Yeah, yeah. He must be thrilled while his colleague is struggling overseas.”

Kwak-kak, the one with the Kwak surname, was known for his rather pathetic nickname.

After finishing his service, he had started at the Information Command as a captain. Typically, captains in the information department are appointed as managers, hence he was always referred to as Manager Kwak.

The same Kwak-kak had left the Information Command.

To put it accurately.

“The National Intelligence Service.”

He had joined the NIS through a lateral transfer.

Kwak-kak nodded as if he himself knew.

“Is there anything to see here? All civil servants are the same. Besides the commute to Seoul, nothing has changed for the better. Nothing worse either.”

“Why did you leave and cut off contact? The others have been wondering about you.”

“Cutting off contact at the office is not something that just started recently.”

He had gone on a business trip and couldn’t contact anyone.

I pondered while chewing on seafood pancake.

“A year-long project seems pretty long, huh? Where did you go?”

“Beijing.”

“China? What’s a year-long business trip there?”

“Oh, come on, you know how aggressive those Chinese are these days. I’ve been hopping from country to country without a vacation.”

“What kind of incident occurred?”

Kwak-kak grinned, revealing his fine teeth. That smarmy (roundabout way of saying annoying) smile made me slam my glass on the table.

“Ah, damn it!”

“Not happening.”

“What? Just a minute. Hey!”

Kwak-kak held me back as I stood up, ready to leave.

“What’s up, man? Are you sprouting again about some issue?”

“Whenever you grin like that, troublesome matters always seem to ensue. Move aside. I have work tomorrow.”

“Wait, wait! Just listen! Sit down first, then decide.”

“…….”

“Oh, I’ll buy drinks today, so please!”

“…Lay it on me.”

As I crossed my arms and sat back down, my colleague leaned in closer and lowered his voice.

“You know Glocom, right?”

Glocom. A North Korean trading company that exports computer parts and electronics.

However, what Glocom actually exports are military supplies.

“I know. It’s a front company of the Reconnaissance Bureau.”

“The director of a company named Fan Systems, which is a cover for Glocom, recently went to Sudan. You heard that RSF and government are in a civil war, right?”

“The third civil war. RSF staged a coup. So what?”

“But a few days later, guys from the Ministry of State Security, who were in the embassy of the neighboring country, left for Sudan, didn’t they? We intercepted their communications, but we won’t know the details until results come out… It seems that director got into some trouble and skedaddled out.”

Dipping the sashimi into the soy sauce mixed with wasabi, the succulent bite tickled my mouth. As I savored the tender meat, I spoke bluntly.

“Cut to the chase.”

“Let’s go catch that bastard.”

“…To Sudan?”

“Yeah.”

“…….”

“Hey, how can one just eat and run away like that! If someone tells you something, you should listen until the end! The region’s already understaffed, and they need some help! Why are you acting like this among civil servants!”

“Ah, I’m not doing it.”

When I was packing my bag containing my laptop, a call came in.

It was the work phone provided by the company, and on the screen, the three letters read “Director.”

I wondered why the director was calling me all of a sudden.

“Yes, I’ve answered the phone.”

-‘Ah, Manager. Were you resting?’

“No, Director. Please go ahead.”

-‘I’m calling because a sudden business trip has been scheduled for you.’

“A trip?”

-‘Yes. The destination is Khartoum (الخرطوم).’

“Isn’t that in Sudan?”

-‘Hehe. You know it well.’

“…….”

-‘Be careful. You’ve been there a few times before, so you know the place well. I’ll hang up now. Have a nice day. Hehe.’

Really.

What a damn lovable company.