Could it be that these guys are really here for a drink? Isn't this a bit too high-end? Jack instinctively glanced towards the bar. Behind the attractive female bartenders, on the liquor cabinet, hundreds of Suntory whiskey bottles were neatly arranged.
Suntory of Japan isn't just about oolong tea; it's also the world's third-largest spirits producer. Its Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki, and Miyagikyo whiskey brands are all very popular.
Currently, this bar operates somewhat like a wine tasting club, with a primarily Suntory-branded whiskey menu, supplemented by a small selection of cocktails.
Seemingly finding a booth, Jack paid over $1,000 for a bottle of Yamazaki 18-year-old. Waving off the manager who presented him with a VIP card, he picked up the bottle and filled each of the two glasses on the table a third of the way full.
After taking his seat, Park Min-young kept looking around, winking at Jack repeatedly. Only when he gave her a slight nod did she breathe a sigh of relief and whispered, leaning into his embrace.
"Have you found the person?"
Jack pulled out his phone, opened the Trojan program, and found the one with Zhou Xingzhe's number in a list. He pressed OK, and a 180-second countdown appeared.
"Be natural, it'll be done soon." Handing Park Min-young a glass to calm her, Jack tilted his head slightly and nodded behind him. "The target is two tables behind us."
The girl was smart enough to resist the urge to turn back, resting her head on Jack's shoulder, whispering to him like a couple.
Even if she turned around, she wouldn't have seen anything. The low wooden partition behind the sofa perfectly blocked the view of the other patrons. Jack hadn't chosen this position casually.
As the two entered the bar, many people cast curious glances at them, including Zhou Xingzhe and his two followers.
The combination of a foreigner and a local beauty was a common sight in this kind of place. After they took their seats, the glances naturally faded, and no one paid any attention to them.
Three minutes passed in a flash, and no dramatic incident occurred. The Trojan horse program on the phone prompted that the virus had been successfully implanted. From now on, not only would all of Zhou Xingzhe's calls be automatically recorded, but the phone itself had become a bug.
Koreans are known for their boisterous drinking habits, often taking off their shoes and pretending to get on the kang. It's unlikely that Zhou Xingzhe would bring his younger brother to such a high-end place for a drink. Judging from their previous behavior, they seemed to be waiting for someone.
Jack inserted a Bluetooth headset into his ear, hoping to hear what the other party was talking about, but when he looked down, he found that Park Min-young's glass was empty.
"Drink slowly. If you like drinking, this bottle is yours. Take it home and enjoy it slowly later."
Seeing a faint blush on her cheeks, Jack quickly advised. Whiskey is a strong liquor after all, and it has an alcohol content of 43% without ice. How could it be drunk so fast?
"Wouldn't it be weird to come to a place like this and not even touch the glass? You're so unprofessional." Park Min-young's breath was fragrant against Jack's cheek, the faint scent of alcohol mixed with perfume quite alluring.
"You can't drink like that, though. I don't want to have to carry a drunk back home later." Jack poured her a little more, barely covering the bottom of the glass, and then listened attentively to the conversation on the other side.
Zhou Xingzhe and his two subordinates were indeed waiting for someone. From their few conversations, it was clear that the person they were going to meet was a Chinese man called Chairman Bai.
Jack was a little puzzled. Although he had not obtained much intelligence before, he speculated that the production and sales of "HYPER" were the responsibility of the Yakuza, and Zhou Xingzhe and his people were only responsible for providing them with a protective umbrella.
What was up with this sudden appearance of Chairman Bai? Judging from the demeanor of these Korean policemen, it seemed they still had something to ask of him, otherwise they wouldn't have been waiting here so long.
"I want to tell you a secret, hehe." Jack turned his head in surprise at the whispers in his ear, only to see that the 700ml bottle of Yamazaki 18 on the table was already half empty.
Park Min-young's cheeks flushed, and she hugged his arm, half-drowsy, trying to find a comfortable position to lean on, not caring that her low-cut dress was now revealing her nude body.
"Are all you Korean girls so hard drinkers?" She could drink so much by herself, and in such a short time, even the dried fruits and fruit plate to go with the wine hadn't been served yet.
"Hey, don't interrupt me, I want to tell you a secret, hehe." Park Min-young slapped Jack's hand away, trying to take her glass.
"I'm Park Min-young, a warm-hearted man with an annual salary of 100 million who usually doesn't even look straight at anyone, but I fell in love with a detective uncle who is almost 40 years old."
"Huh?" Jack's heart moved, and he suddenly became curious. He immediately activated his indecision, no, it was his multitasking skill. He picked up his wine glass and took a sip, and said calmly, "Go on."
"But that bastard obviously likes me too, but he still ran back to the north." When Park Min-young raised his head again, tears were already flashing in his eyes.
"North?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "You mean the country north of you? You're saying you've fallen in love with a North Korean detective?"
"Exactly." Park Min-young slapped his thigh. "He said we couldn't be together unless I could unify the two Koreas.
Unify them? How could I possibly do that? It's all just excuses."
Jack found it baffling. While relations had indeed eased somewhat in recent years, especially with the reelection of the red-tie-loving American president, the two Korean foes hadn't escalated to the point of abolishing their "common ethnicity" relationship as they had in his original timeline.
But it was clear that Park Min-young couldn't have been north. The only possibility was that a detective from the north had come before and had some contact with her.
Jack inexplicably thought of an old movie he'd seen as a child, Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Red Cop," from the 1980s. He had a vague idea: it was probably a Korean drama remake of that movie, directly adapting the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
"Maybe you can try harder. Generally speaking, a woman who can cause a war between two countries will definitely go down in history." Jack rubbed the girl's head with a wicked smile.
"Ashiba, none of you men are good." Park Min-young angrily picked up the wine glass and drank it all, and poured himself another half glass, as if he was going to drown his sorrows in alcohol. "
If you dare to vomit, I will get a room, strip you naked, rinse you in the bathtub, and then send you home." After Jack warned, he confiscated the bottle and put it on the other side of the table.
At this time, a large group of people walked into the bar. A bald, thin man walked in front with his head hunched. In the middle was an Asian woman in her 30s with ABC makeup, followed by four younger brothers in black suits and white shirts.
(End of this chapter)