Chapter 331 - Herman Song

It was just the beginning of summer in Korea and the weather was warm so Jackson ordered an iced latte. As he took a sip of his drink, he listened intently to Mrs. Song's story. It seemed, she had lived quite a tough life because of Avaleigh's father.

"So, how long have you been divorced?" Jackson asked.

Mrs. Song thought for a moment. It felt almost like a lifetime ago. "About 14 years ago," she replied.

Jackson sighed. 14 years was a long time. By now, she was practically strangers with her ex-husband. Why did Emerson tell him to look for Avaleigh's mother when she had already divorced the man 14 years ago?

"Then, have you seen him since?" Jackson asked. "Do you know where he might be?"

Mrs. Song shook her head, "I don't even know if he's dead or alive."

Jackson furrowed his brows. This was why his brother was a businessman and not a spy like him. It seemed, he had to do things his own way and contact his own sources.

As he finished his drink, he asked the woman one last question, "Did you ever find out his real identity and what he did in Korea?"

Mrs. Song frowned, "Based on what my kidnappers said, it sounded like he was involved with some kind of extortion business. It seemed like he was linked to the gangs in Korea and he helped them kidnap people for ransom. I always thought it was strange that his work was so inconsistent yet he had so much money. After I thought about it, it seemed like Hong Kong was a hideout between jobs for him. I mean, what better way to hide from your enemies than in a foreign country, right?"

Jackson nodded his head. He had come across many people like that in the past. Especially when he was still in the gangs, there were often 'contractors' that they hired for specific jobs. After all, if one wanted to mess with another without them knowing, they couldn't possibly send their own men. They would recognize them and seek revenge at a later date. So, a neutral contractor was the best choice. Especially one from overseas that was difficult to trace. From the sounds of it, Avaleigh's father seemed like he was one of these contractors.

But, why did he disappear for almost 14 years, suddenly reappear in Avaleigh's life, and kill someone close to her? Why now?

"Will Avaleigh be OK?" Mrs. Song asked as they stood up to bid farewell.

"Don't worry, my brother will take good care of her," Jackson replied with deep meaning.

Mrs. Song nodded her head. She knew her daughter was staying in an apartment offered by the acting CEO of her PR agency in Hong Kong, but she had no idea about the ambiguous relationship between the two. In fact, she had no idea Jackson was ex-Interpol. She simply thought Emerson was trying to find her ex-husband because of PR purposes and Jackson was there to help him.

Oh, how innocent this woman was. No wonder she was tricked by her ex-husband...

As soon as Jackson left the cafe, he headed towards a bar in Itaewon, an area known for its nightlife and expat community. Jackson had been to Seoul in the past. Back when he was a part of the gangs in Shanghai, he had often done some dealings with the gangs in Seoul. But, that was over a decade ago and the people he once dealt with were either in prison, left the gangs, or had already been released from prison and had started a new life.

It was here that one of his old friends had opened a bar. As it was still the afternoon, the bar wasn't open yet, but there were people inside preparing for the night. Jackson walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"We're not open yet!" a voice called from inside.

Jackson ignored this voice and knocked again.

A moment later, a young man with blue hair opened the door and looked at him with frustration. He then pointed at the opening times on the door and said in broken English, "No open until 8pm!"

Jackson shook his head and replied, "I'm looking for Kwon."

The young man raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kwon? Kwon was his boss but only his old associates knew him by that name. These days, he was known as Ken. So, he gestured for Jackson to wait and quickly walked back inside.

A moment later, a man in his mid-thirties walked out to see Jackson. As soon as he saw him, he furrowed his brows and threw a punch at him. Jackson quickly blocked it, grabbed the man by the wrist, and restrained him behind his back.

"I see you haven't improved..." Jackson laughed as the man struggled.

"Ah, that hurts!" Kwon whined.

Jackson immediately let him go and the two men gave each other a brotherly hug. "How have you been?" Kwon asked warmly. "I haven't seen you since you left Shanghai for Paris. Have you returned to this side of the world? What are you doing in Korea?"

Jackson nodded his head, "Yes, I'm back in China. I'm actually in Korea to look for someone. I was wondering if you could help me."

Kwon furrowed his brows, "I don't know how I could help. If it's someone from 'that' world, you know I've left that life a long time ago..."

"I'm looking for someone that's been around for a long time," Jackson replied. "A foreign contractor that specializes in kidnapping and extortion. His name is Herman Song. He's someone that's been around for 15 years or more..."

Kwon cleared his throat and looked around. He then leaned forward and replied, "About 5-6 years ago, a contractor from Hong Kong was arrested and thrown into prison. If I remember correctly, I think his name was Herman Song and he should have been released about a year ago... I heard he's back up for hire..."