President Vicente Fox’s story was not something that could be easily believed.

“So, to summarize... you’re saying that the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which was the ruling party at the time, ordered the killing of an American citizen?”

“I only found out after I became president.”

“You’ve got to be insane, but there’s a limit. The government itself ordered the killing of a U.S. agent? Are they out of their minds, or just fearless?”

A curse slipped out in Korean before I could stop myself.

“What did you say?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Fox couldn’t understand what I had said, but he seemed to grasp the tone well enough.

The reason Rafael Caro Quintero had never been extradited to the United States lay with the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

When Enrique Camarena, a DEA agent, dug into the drug cartels, he uncovered their own dirty dealings as well. So they used Rafa to have him killed.

‘If this ever becomes public...’

Relations between the United States and Mexico would inevitably freeze over.

At the moment, Mexico’s economy was practically dependent on the United States. If relations soured, Mexico’s economy would collapse.

Even if President Fox knew what the Institutional Revolutionary Party had done, he had no choice but to keep it buried.

“Rafa used that as leverage to negotiate with the Mexican government and block his extradition. He’s living in a private space inside the prison, like a king.”

“So you already knew.”

“Yes. I was elected president, but without the support of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, I couldn’t run the government smoothly. So I accepted their demands.”

I let out a sigh and nodded.

“Does Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo not know about this?”

“Gallardo is someone you can reason with.”

“...Then why did Gallardo take all the blame and go quietly?”

“I don’t know that much. But after he went to the U.S., he never said a word.”

“I know that too.”

“He might have made some kind of deal with the party. But I don’t know the details.”

“Still, if you wanted to, you could make it happen, right?”

“It’s possible. In the end, I’m the one who signs the final extradition documents. But I won’t stamp it.”

“Hmm.”

Fox was resolute.

“No matter how you try to pressure me, it won’t work. This isn’t a personal issue—it concerns the survival of the country. I have about a year left in my term. I don’t want to go down as the worst president.”

It was frustrating, but I could understand his position.

“So the conclusion is that Rafa’s mouth has to be kept shut.”

“That’s right.”

“You could just kill him, couldn’t you?”

If he was in prison, there were countless ways to do it.

“We can’t act recklessly. If he dies and some unknown evidence surfaces afterward, it could become a bigger problem.”

“Hmm.”

Rafa’s extradition was as good as dead.

“You should have told me about something like this earlier. Now I have to redo all my plans.”

Perhaps my irritation showed, because Fox’s voice turned sharp.

“Charlie, watch your tone. I am the President of Mexico.”

Normally, I might have let it slide. But not now.

“Mr. President, variables like this are dangerous. Even a small hole can bring down a dam. If something like this existed, you should have told me in advance.”

“He’s already locked up in prison. I didn’t think it was necessary to mention.”

“No. That was the most important part. A deal is a deal, so I won’t reveal this to the United States. But it does make me more certain that I need to wrap things up quickly and leave Mexico.”

I sighed and continued.

“I’ll be reviewing all investment plans as well.”

“Charlie.”

“How can I trust a government like this with investments? Everything needs to be re-evaluated. You should understand that.”

“...Wait—”

“And I’ll handle Rafa myself. Inform the prison authorities in advance.”

“...Will that be alright?”

“If you do that, I’ll make sure the First Lady’s story never reaches the American press.”

“You must not kill him. Not until we know what kind of trick Rafa has prepared...”

“Yes. I’ll make sure it doesn’t cause problems for the Mexican government. Just arrange for me to meet him.”

Fox nodded.

“I’ll pass that along.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“The investment issue—”

I cut him off.

“I’m not withdrawing. I’m reviewing it, taking into account the Mexican government’s credibility. It’s not something I can decide alone. Just wait.”

Han Kyungyeong had reacted quite positively to investing in Mexico.

The North American Free Trade Agreement—NAFTA—between the United States, Canada, and Mexico was a double-edged sword for Mexico.

After NAFTA was signed, Mexico suffered a major economic crisis.

Signed without preparation, it worked overwhelmingly in favor of the United States.

But as time passed, and the U.S. raised trade barriers, it would ultimately benefit Mexico greatly. Companies targeting the U.S. market would start building factories in Mexico one after another.

Originally, this was exactly the time to begin investing.

But now that I knew something existed that could damage relations with the U.S., a full reassessment was necessary.

“I’ll bring you better news next time.”

With that, I left the president’s office.

On the way back, I told Manager Ma everything.

“Now I understand.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Why the U.S. kept making demands and was ignored... and how that man lives like an emperor in prison. It all makes sense now.”

“This does nothing for us.”

“Then will you revise the plan?”

I shook my head.

“No. We’ll still use Juan José Esparragoza Moreno. There’s no faster way to finish this operation.”

Even though I said we needed to rethink things, it was too late to change the plan now.

“Then what will you do?”

“I’ll think about it. If it comes to it, we abandon El Azul.”

“Amado will resist.”

“If there’s no other way, we’ll do it anyway. At this rate, we’ll be spending New Year’s in Mexico.”

The schedule I had thought would be simple was dragging on.

The situation seen from the outside and the reality on the ground were completely different.

“I want to spend New Year’s in Busan.”

That was my honest feeling.

* * *

“The Institutional Revolutionary Party was behind Kiki’s death?”

Ramos blinked in disbelief after hearing my explanation.

“Yes. That’s what President Fox said, so it’s likely true.”

“So that’s why they were so desperate to block Rafa’s extradition. Those crazy bastards.”

“You understand why they did it, right?”

“Yes. While digging into the cartels, he must have uncovered the connections between them and the party. So they buried it by killing him.”

Ramos’ thoughts matched mine.

But there was one more thing.

“When the U.S. took a hardline stance, they had no choice but to arrest Rafa and extradite Gallardo. They sent the one they could reason with and blocked the one they couldn’t.”

“That sounds like Rafa. I’ve never met him in person, but even from the files, you can feel how vile he is. He resented Gallardo deeply. He was jealous of him.”

“Yeah. I’ve read something like that too.”

“So he sold out Gallardo while creating an escape route for himself. Since the party granted his demands, there must be concrete evidence. The DEA isn’t the kind of organization that would settle for just testimony.”

Unless we secured the evidence Rafa held, the Mexican government would never send him to the U.S.

“How is the DEA reacting?”

“Rafa is on a completely different level from El Azul. If he’s extradited, they’re willing to lift any wanted notice—not just El Azul’s.”

“Really? That much?”

“The higher-ups might not like it, but if the field agents all push for it, they’ll have no choice.”

“And most of them agree?”

Ramos nodded firmly.

“Yes. I’ve spoken to many of them. There are veterans who stay in the field even when they could move to headquarters. If they lead the sentiment, the DEA will accept the deal.”

“The problem is, if we don’t secure Rafa’s evidence, none of this matters.”

“Would killing him be difficult?”

“If he dies and that evidence surfaces afterward, it’ll turn into a bigger scandal. Not against Rafa—but against the Mexican government.”

Even after discussing countermeasures for a long time, no clear solution emerged.

“...We have no choice. Let’s push forward.”

“If the deal isn’t honored, dealing with the DEA afterward will become difficult. Their cooperation is essential. If that breaks, everything falls apart.”

“Then we kill El Azul.”

“What about Amado? The Juárez Cartel will react. And once that precedent exists, no one will trust the committee’s decisions.”

“We stage it as an accident during combat.”

“Will that work?”

“If it doesn’t, we make it work. That’s our worst-case scenario. I’ll keep digging into Rafa. You keep working the DEA.”

“Understood.”

After sending Ramos away, Amado Carrillo ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Fuentes arrived shortly after.

“What happened? Did the DEA promise to lift El Azul’s wanted status?”

He asked about El Azul the moment he sat down.

“What does El Azul say?”

“He’s set to meet Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael Zambada García. We don’t have much time—just one week. We need an answer before then.”

“Don’t worry about the DEA.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. If things go well, El Azul’s wanted notice will be lifted.”

“Good. Jose’s been worried. He’s betraying El Chapo, after all.”

“If this works out, make sure El Azul is rewarded generously.”

Amado laughed loudly.

“Of course. Once the Sinaloa Cartel collapses, we can unify all the cartels in Mexico.”

“Coordinate with Black Bear. Scout the meeting location in advance. We cannot afford to miss anything.”

“Understood.”

“Once this is over, I’m leaving Mexico. After that, deal with Carlos Slim instead of me.”

Amado nodded slowly.

“I’ll arrange one final meeting with Carlos Slim. He’ll be easier to deal with than me. But don’t let him control you. His greed has no limits.”

“We know that better than anyone.”

“As long as I exist, Carlos Slim won’t try to take over the committee. Nor will he get too deeply involved.”

Carlos Slim was not someone who could step into the spotlight. If he got too entangled with the cartels, he could lose everything.

“Outwardly, act like you’re serving him. The Mexican government’s cooperation comes through him.”

“Yes.”

“Then once El Chapo is eliminated, I’ll set up the meeting.”

After finishing with Amado, I watched his car leave through the window and spoke to Manager Ma.

“One week. Within that time, we secure Rafa’s evidence. Otherwise... we kill El Azul.”

“How do we proceed?”

“Use every resource we have—people, money, everything. Watch Rafa’s surroundings. He must have entrusted the evidence to someone reliable. I’ll meet Rafa myself. Maybe I’ll get a clue from talking to him.”

The next day.

I headed to the prison where Rafa was serving his sentence.