The cross-reference came back on a Wednesday afternoon.
It contained one name.
The name was not Director Yoon's.
This mattered. Not because I had suspected her specifically — the investigation had not yet reached the point where the three possibilities had narrowed to one — but because the name that came back was someone else entirely: a former deputy director in the Central Regional Office, twelve years of institutional service, resigned eighteen months ago, three weeks before Director Yoon's appointment. Resigned cleanly. With commendations. Into the private sector, specifically into a consulting firm that advised cultural sector clients on procurement.
The consulting firm had advised three of the six shell companies.
