The C Toxin's
Hidden
Seoul Police
Detective Division Room Team A
April 23, 2016
10.30 KST
Half an hour ago, the meeting was over. Of the many new facts that came to the surface, none of the meeting participants expressed their opinions, including both detectives Mark and Dean. It feels like their minds are filled with puzzles even though since last night they have harbored their own assumptions related to the relationship between Eric Sohn and NISA.
Mark was in his room exactly half an hour ago. He appears to be writing something in his brown notebook. Unlike the usual workaholic man was in the workspace in a coffee break session like this. He always gave his brain pause to think by drinking coffee. Yes, Mark is very proud to know that drinking unsweetened coffee on a regular basis can be
increase problem solving ability. It has a lot to do with his job, right?
Not long after, Dean arrived with a warm cup of coffee in his hand. Sure enough, Dean was indeed very sensitive and attentive to his senior.
“You better breathe for a while.” Dean said as he put a coffee cup in front of Mark. He caught the look on Mark's face quite uraciously.
“Thanks.”
“Should we make an alternative conclusion now? I think the facts revealed in the meeting are quite significant.”, Dean said.
“Yes. You know, I feel happy, dizzy, and confused all at once. It’s too way overwhelming for me. Botulinum toxin? Again? This is insane!” mark said at length with a frustrated face and a high tone. Dean was a little surprised, not usually Mark like that, then understood the situation. “Dean, be careful, do not make a mistake if you want to survive.”—batin Dean.
“Pacify yourself, drink that coffee.” replied Dean soothingly. Mark said, He grabbed the cup, and sipped coffee in it.
Feeling quite comfortable with his coffee, Mark immediately stood up and pulled the glass whiteboard that he and Dean used to draw sketches, diagrams, or flow charts. He then grabbed a black marker and began to scratch the lines and letters on the still-clean glass. Dean again put on his frameless glasses, folded his hands in front of his chest, watching Mark seriously.
“I will make timeline first.” said Mark.
His right hand holding the agile moving marker drew a 40-centimeter-long line on the glass board.
“On April 16, 2016, mass deaths occurred at DIS. The incident was reported at around 15:00 local time. On the day of the incident, we draw the hypothesis that this death was caused by a toxin that attacked the CNS, judging from the condition of the corpse.” Mark made a huge dot that dotted the 40 cm line that He
pull it earlier using blue marker. Then Mark wrote down the key points of what He said below.
“On April 20, 2016, the physical characteristics of the suspected toxin substance were found in serum, erythrocytes, and the liver of the corpse. Second, the toxin was also found in food samples. The toxin smelled or contained benzyl alcohol, the main chemical constituent of the synthetic flavor of cherries after analysis using GC-MS. Third—” Mark held back his words, but his hand did not stop writing. Dean who had been watching the board
write now turned to pay attention to his senior's expression. Mark is thinking.
“Professor Eric Sohn is willing to help with the investigation. He ‘still uses’ his identity as a researcher at KAIST.” Mark continued. He recalled Dean's assumptions he made when they were on the teashop.
“Furthermore, on the same day, Professor Eric confirmed that the substance suspected of the toxin has a 78% similarity to five types of toxin. The substance was modified. Then we look for suppliers of DIS food because the compounds similar to the substance are toxins from GMO.” foods
“On the same day, Kelvin Seo secured, and interrogated. He admitted indirectly ‘with ease’ that his company is a suspect in this case.”
“The next day, April 21, we find a mysterious conversation from Reina Hwang in Slovak, she is talking to a man with the same language. " Mark suddenly recalled that Taehyung had not reported on the development of the woman's location.
“Kelvin
Seo is interrogated again, and Wendy makes sure that Kelvin covers up something in the previous interrogation.”
“The third finding on the same day, Eric Sohn was found dead in his apartment, and the fourth, NISA was the party who knew the condition and the condition of Professor Eric. However they have left TKP when we came.”
“To here, we got some hints.”
Mark finished writing, and his current position was already in the middle of the blackboard. Mark then changed the color of his marker to red, then circled the words ‘death’, ‘toxin’, ‘ceri’, ‘Reina’, ‘GMO, ‘Kelvin Seo’,‘Eric Sohn’, and ‘NISA’.
“The relationship of death, toxins, GMOs, Kelvin Seo, Eric Sohn, and NISA is very interesting. Do you think they're in one system?” ask Mark
“How do you mean?” Dean asked back, ascertaining the direction of Mark's next conversation.
“Eric Sohn, he identified the toxin. The toxin is the key to the case. If this toxin is known to be of further characteristics, the mastermind of the case is certainly threatened. Our government could have involved Interpol, the CIA, or whatever it was to trace the presence of foreign and specific substances.” Mark replied confidently.
“Then Kelvin Seo? The psychiatrist said he was lying. I think that Kelvin Seo is the repressed party. You remember when I asked about investors?”
“Yes, it could be that investor Claire Food and Agro is the mastermind of this case, then scapegoat himself.”
“Ya, right.”
“If so, Eric Sohn was really killed by the mastermind of this case.”. This time he wasn't just assuming, his eyes were showing a look of confidence. Dean seemed to think.
“To remove someone who can unscreens.”
“Noted.” Mark poked his finger.
“Then Reina Hwang, that woman. He spoke Slovak with someone, coded as if he was a paid executor.” Dean opened another subtopic. “Didn't Slovakia show its existence? Or the existence of the mastermind of this case?” continued.
“Can be right, can be wrong.” replied Mark while confirming his glasses. “It could be, it's just a trick, leading the investigation there, but actually they're not there, even if not.”
“How's Taehyung? Wasn't he assigned to look for her whereabouts?”
“Entahlah. I doubt it.”
“Why? Because he speaks Slovak in front of the elevator?”
“Not only that, he changed his report. At first he said she was in Puerto Rico, then a few hours later, he said she was in Slovakia. Even though he said he still confirmed it.” explained Mark.
“For me it makes little sense. From the beginning, we all did not dispute the slightest instruction to begin the search for the woman based on the time and flight schedule. Puerto Rico and Slovakia are very far away, even different continents.” Dean said. He changed his sitting position to be more upright.
Mark nodded in agreement with Dean's opinion. “Note. We need to be careful. In cases like this, we can not trust others more than 40%.”
“Then what about Eric Sohn's conversation with the woman with the contact name ‘wife’ it? They also use Slovak.” asked Dean again. “Isn't it an exaggeration to call this a coincidence? What happened to Slovakia?” continued.
Mark seemed to think, He himself was not convinced by his thoughts.
“I will dig this information with my trust informant.”
“Good. Then if it's linked to NISA, we know they're state intelligence. What are they handling? Especially the JB division is.” Dean continued.
“Based on my informant, JB has still been handling the same case for the past six years, and it relates to the Busan case, even after I was transferred to Seoul.”
“Who's your informant? Is he trustworthy?”
“Shin Yugie's. You remember him? That genius man is getting more and more expert now.” Mark then grabbed his phone and typed something in there.
“Yes, I remember. Alright, continue.”
“Botulinum toxin, the name appears again after five years in the Busan case. Isn't it unnatural that this is a coincidence? Obviously the case five years ago relates to this case.”
“Then the difference is, the first toxin was easily detected. While in this case, it took a long time to confirm that it was Botulinum toxin.” Dean added.
“Also don't forget, Dr. Emily and Prof. Lee just managed to identify ‘ constituent components’, not 100% of that toxin. The toxin was likely modified to obtain extraordinary physicochemical characteristics.”, Mark said. “We cannot be sure how many components are combined or engineered. Not to mention the membrane and the size of the nanoparticles.” he continued.
Dean got up from his chair, and he put his hands on the table. “The red thread is, this case is related to the case five years ago, and the toxin is more advance.”
“Noted that.” Mark pulled out a finger a second time.
“Then, I just assumed that there was a possibility that this case was an international or national sabotage agenda. But NISA involvement, I don't think it's just an assumption.” Dean said later.
“Five years ago, the case flow is similar. You remember the main witness of the mass food poisoning case in Busan was killed suddenly when he was about to give testimony that would be the key to solving the case.”
“Ah! Yes, you're right, Brother.”
“Do you know what happened until the case was stopped? A vial containing the liquid Botulinum toxin allegedly also disappeared on the day of the death of the eyewitness.”
“What does this have to do with the case?”
“Square glimmer at table.”
“What do you mean it's toxic food proof goods, curry in a can removed?”
“NISA hide it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Mark sighed long enough, then leaned his back on a pole in the room.
“Lim Jae Beom, the man's working style is still the same as it was five years ago. You don't know Doy, he's the one who removed the vial containing the toxin.”
“But why?”
“Let me tell you the biggest power to control the law, business and politics.” replied Mark with his trademark smirk. It felt like he needed to add new insights to that junior.
“If so, Eric Sohn has control over a business, or politics.”
“Ya, could have been.”
“Who is Feodora Laubov? Have you been looking for information about him?”
“He is a former deputy minister of defense of Russia. I can confirm it!”
“I think we can conclude that Eric Sohn was an intelligence target for six years, and JB was the agent who handled it.”
“If we pull from the facts yesterday, Eric Sohn signed a letter submission of research data. Is that for Feodora Laubov?”
“Because the emails sent to him were those research files?”
“Bingo! The year of Russian language research is 2010-2015! And that, about Botulinum toxin!”
“Eric Sohn, affiliated with someone who is important in Russia in terms of research themed Botulinum toxin. This is what makes NISA intervene.” stressed Mark.
“Notes. All revealed logically.”
“That poisonous canned food, should we get it?”
“Of course. I'm going to see JB right now. The sneaky guy must have put it somewhere, there's no way he just threw it away.”
“Control your emotions. He's ruined your reputation and stopped an important case you've been working on.”
“Need you know, I don't want to dirty my hands to just melt his face.”
