It started with one article being shared by a famous celebrity. The fan sites first went abuzz with the news on the illegal immigrants who were brought into the country via a ship owned by the Ambassador of Country R. Initially, the report stated it was illegal immigration but soon, the people in the box began to talk and narrate their horrors.
Soon, the illegal immigration news turned into an expose of illegal slave trade which had been rampant in the underworld. They were brought in from poorer countries. Men, women and children who were kidnapped or blackmailed into confinement by slave traders and sold to wealthy buyers for their use. Some were sold as sex slaves while others were sold as workers without pay. The victims had no say in this and were sent off to different countries, never seeing their families ever again.
The ship which had delivered the new set of slaves was from Country R and the Ambassador was not charged for it due to his protection under diplomatic immunity but the Captain of the ship was arrested by the police. The news would not have caught much attention if Minwoo had not shared it to his followers at the right moment.
The fans who noticed it, began to circulate the news as far as possible, expressing their disgust at the deed. Orea also created many bot accounts which sent the news directly to thousands of inboxes under the guise of paid ads. People who clicked on the link, were directed to the news and read through the contents.Â
By 3 AM, the snowball effect had taken place. The news of Country K's slave trade began to trend number one on all social media sites with millions of hashtags and retweets. The news media was only showing the news of the illegal trade and the reporters had a field day covering the news.
"As you can see behind me, this is the ship which had brought in the people who were sold to wealthy buyers," one reporter said, standing at the portyard. "The police already apprehended the receipt for the ship along with the list of buyers who have purchased these people for a price'¦"
"The trade seems to have originated from Country R but the buyers are all citizens of Country K," another reporter informed the public. "Some are famous business tycoons and influential people of the country. This raises serious doubts on the government's ability to control the country's black market which is allegedly run by the famous Choi family. The Choi family have been long rumored to have dabbled into the life of crime but there has been no concrete proof."
"The police also received a mail from the office of the Ambassador of Country R. The receipts which were sent to the police came from Ambassador Mikhael's email account. Whether it was an accident or a deliberate attempt to share information, is unknown. However, the receipts were approved by the Ambassador himself, which means he had knowledge on the trade-"
Lee Jonghyun turned off the television. He was in the living room of the Prime Minister's mansion, thinking hard. Kirishima had informed him of Mikhael's activities but would the Ambassador be stupid enough to send an email to the police? Unless'¦
"Is he a spy?" Jonghyun wondered. "Then why would he use his own email?"
"An Ambassador's emails are encrypted and protected by their own governments."
Jonghyun turned around to find Sam standing at the doorway. The latter coolly walked towards Jonghyun and bowed.
"Country R's government protects the email accounts of Mikhael," Sam informed him. "We, as the host country, cannot inspeact their accounts at all because of the confidential information shared there. Hence, it's the perfect account for the Ambassador to betray the Company."
"And leak his involvement?" Jonghyun asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would he inform the police about the trade?"
"Maybe one of the policement blabbed," Sam said. "It's hard to believe though."
"Or," Jonghyun said. "Someone knew that Mikhael was going to betray the Company and leaked this information to the media."
He sat on a couch, deep in thought. "PM Lee received disturbing news from Jaejun that Mikhael might be betraying us," he began. "Two days ago, Jaejun reported that two of his guards went missing and that Mikhael was getting too ambitious. After all, he used an information broker to spy on the Finance Minister. Did you manage to dig out any information on this mysterious broker?"
"No sir," Sam gritted. "I've tried all methods but found nothing. All the transaction with the broker was done through Mikhael's protected email account. Moreover, the money deals were made with cash, not cards or cheques. If I'm not wrong, this might be the Sadistic Doctor."
"Sadistic Doctor?" Jonghyun frowned.
"The most notorious information broker in the world," Sam told him. "He goes by the pseudonym SD. No one can reveal his information nor face because when he takes up a job, he makes sure that he has good leverage on the clients. He collects information on anything and he expects a payment in return. But if he's not paid, he'll use that information to destroy the client. That's his biggest strength. If you're working with him, chances are he already knows your deepest secrets. He doesn't work without a collateral in hand. Which is why clients are unwilling to reveal his information."
Sam paused before adding, "The night President Rihan died, there was a woman who was seen around his palace. The woman spent time with the President then vanished. It's assumed that he was killed by that woman. Many people claim that the revolutionaries killed him but in reality, the revolutionaries could not have gone anywhere near that place. In fact, the woman was a frequent lover of the President and even went to diplomatic parties with him."
"Are you saying that SD sent her?" Jonghyun asked.
"Possible but we can't be sure," Sam said. "I only got bits and pieces of information from the guards of Rihan's old palace. There was a rumor in the black market of Country I that a foreigner was captured by the revolutionaries but soon after his alleged capture, the President died and Ermin ascended to power."
Jonghyun was now deep in thought. He turned on the television again.
People had already gathered around the Embassy of Country R, demanding the Ambassador to tell the truth. The public was furious and they carried slogans to express their anger. A large crowd was angrily shouting for the Ambassador to come out and face them.
"We demand answers!" one protester shouted. The police had been called for backup but people had only started to gather.
"Where is he?"
"This is a violation of human rights!"
Jonghyun watched as the protestors got more aggressive. It was still night so there were not too many of them but by morning, more would gather.Â
"This is going to get dirtier," he muttered. "I don't think the Company would remain quiet."
"They won't," Sam agreed.
"Where's the Prime Minister?" Jonghyun asked. "Still at his overseas conference?"
"He will be returning tomorrow on the first flight," Sam replied. Jonghyun stood up.
"Increase the security around the mansion and our system," he ordered. "Make sure that our spies are alert."
He paused before adding, "Myung is going on a trip from tomorrow, right?"
"A class trip as per his schedule," Jaejun said.
"Send a security team with him," Jonghyun ordered. "Make sure that he sticks to the itinerary. Also'¦"
He faced Sam directly. "If that girl, the one who came to the mansion with him the other day, is anywhere around him, inform me immediately. Keep her away from him at all costs."
Sam nodded. He did not forget that girl at all and was slightly suspicious of her. The day she visited the mansion, their security was almost hacked. Could a high school girl possess such advanced level skills?
Let's find out, he thought.
'¦.
Sunye was at the police station with the Commissioner and Judge Jeon. The Commissioner was a stern looking man in his late fifties. His name was Ji Mushin and was one of the highest ranking officials in the police force. With grey hair and a staunch demeanor, he was known for his adherence to law and order.
Captain Youngjae had been taken into custody while the Embassies have been notified about the slave trade. They had sent officials to identify the nationalities of the people who were found inside the boxes and were trying to sort out the mess Mikhael created.
"Where's the Ambassador of Country R?" Jeon asked.
"He's missing," Sunye sighed. "But he can't get out of the country. After all, he has a diplomatic passport and as someone who has been directly involved in this case, his diplomatic immunity won't work against him. We only need the permission from the Prime Minister's office and he can be apprehended."
"Be careful," Mushin cautioned. "This will turn into an international scandal. Country R will get involved and the mess will be pinned on our country."
"We won't arrest him but we can deport him so that he can't return," Sunye said. "Let Country R decide how they'll deal with the scandal. But if this guy confesses'¦"
She turned towards Youngjae who was inside the interrogation room. They were watching him through a glass wall, observing his movements carefully.Â
"If he confesses, then half our work will be done," she stated. "And we'll get enough evidence to convict Mikhael on charges of illegal flesh trade. As for Country R, the vehicle was registered there. They'll have to face the wrath of the international community over this. Especially from the countries where the people on the ship were kidnapped from. This is a direct threat to their sovereignty, after all."
"Go in there and get a confession out," Jeon demanded. "If he confesses, appeal directly to the court for a resolution without trial. Tell his defense lawyer that if he confesses, we'll reduce the sentence and put him under witness protection program. I'll take care of the procedure."
Sunye nodded and stepped forward to enter the interrogation room.
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