Clear and Present Danger

Tangled Web

'Dude, I know you're on hiatus, but you need to know this,' Lee called me up early one morning.

I got up with a pounding headache, one of those mornings where I get a terrible one which normally lasts the whole day. 'What is it?'

'Giseong. There was an explosion. And the thing is, it was just released today. It happened last month,' he said.

I opened my eyes. Giseong. That place, that dreaded place I never wanted to step onto no matter what happens.

'And?'

'Jo Dong Min's car,' he continued. 'Weren't you looking for him, too?'

It occurred to me that I had to find him. He was the only man who could bring to light everything that happened that day, and clear me from everything that was pinned on to me likewise. I was wrongfully accused of killing the men who caused the uprising against the government. During that time, a military junta was in effect so it was legal to eliminate people who are spreading word against it. One particular protester, a man who was in his mid to late 50s, was the standout among the many. He was the one who led the protest, and for that reason, he was captured, along with the others who were noted to have helped him in doing so.

'Was it the target?' I asked, standing up from bed and looking for a paracetamol from the deck drawer.

'Apparently yes, and some other vehicles. I suspect it was the main, and the others were just to divert the issue that would eventually be made following the identity of Mr. Jo,' Lee replied.

I sighed. Now there will be another casualty in finding out the real person behind all of these things.

'Lee, keep me posted dude,' I said as I put an end to the call. I took the medicine and downed it with water. I reclined on my seat, and I tried to figure who might have done this again.

'Why do they always pull me back in?' I thought as I stood up after a few moments. I went into an anteroom just before my bedroom door and pressed a small, undetected hinge. A click was heard through the silence of the whole house, as I am the only one living here. I got in and I was thrust into a whole new perspective of my house I never thought I would use again this time.

When I entered, I saw my Marine uniform, hung for good. I retired from the service five years ago and decided to be a normal civilian. Knowing that there were a few people who are after me, I changed my identity, only to have myself resurface the moment when everything was addressed. Five years is such a long time, and I thought the end must come now. The cat and mouse chase must stop now.

On the further right of the room was a web of pictures, connecting the people I had looked for and found eventually, including Jang Jin Young, the man who was taken down by my most trustworthy men not long ago. He was one of the people who had a connection to the one behind. Giving him a nickname of Number One, I was determined to find out more of him and eventually bring him to light from the shady grasslands he might probably be lying in now.

The digital age may have been of a great use but then to minimize digital footprint, I opted to go old school. Using a web of colorful strings, one may think this is an interesting myriad of colors out of an artist's mind. But no, it was a web of conspiracies and the people involved in it.

Beside Number One's picture, was the photo of the protester who made a mark in this game. I looked at him, and somehow I felt sorry and angry at the same time. But I can never blame him for what happened. He only wanted to expose what happened in the insides of the office that he worked on.

'I'm sorry, sir. I lost another, and probably the last, hope for finding justice for you. It seems I can't even clear my name too,' I sighed.

I looked once more at the web and marked an X on Mr. Jo. I sat on a chair and looked at all the things in the board once more, trying to find at least one small glimmer of hope in this case. This is my one chance to reclaim what was lost from me.