NTH 69

Suhyun, with his lips firmly pressed together, gave a slight nod and gestured for him to go quickly. After looking at Suhyun for a moment with moist eyes, Comrade Kim put the bag of steamed buns inside his coat, turned his back, and quickly moved away.

After confirming that Comrade Kim had safely exited the alley, Suhyun grabbed the spy’s skinny shoulders and spun him around to face him. Suhyun furrowed his brow upon seeing the face of the person who was avoiding his gaze, his large, dark eyes cast downward.

“Tsubame…?”

The spy was Jebi, Tsubame, the shoe errand boy from Matsuyama. He spoke bluntly with a resentful expression.

“If you’re going to kill me, make it quick.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You, you were secretly meeting with the independence army while pretending to be a pro-Japanese collaborator. There’s no way you’d let me live after finding that out, so I’m asking you to show me mercy and kill me with a single stroke.”

“Answer my question first. From where did you start following me?”

“From when you left your mansion in Jongno.”

“How did you know my house was there?”

“…”

“If you don’t tell me the truth right now, I’ll let you experience firsthand the fancy techniques the Japanese police use when they interrogate independence activists.”

Still receiving no answer, Suhyun grabbed Tsubame’s chin and pressed him fiercely.

“Which one would you like to try first, having bamboo splinters driven under your fingernails, having your skin seared with a branding iron, being hung upside down and having water poured into your mouth, or having fire-heated pebbles placed between your toes? If none of those appeal to you, I can tell you about other methods.”

Tsubame, whose shoulders were trembling at his threat, sniffled and then spoke in a tearful voice.

“On the day you came to Matsuyama, he ordered me to follow you and find out where you live.”

“Who.”

“…”

“Was it Hayashi Ryomu?”

“How do you know that person?”

“So, Hayashi told you to watch me? That’s rather strange. He would have thought I was a die-hard pro-Japanese collaborator.”

“I think he became suspicious when you replied in Joseon language after Ryomu spoke in Japanese.”

“What? Over something as trivial as that?”

“Ryomu has very good instincts and catches independence activists like a ghost. He said that subversive elements have a different look in their eyes.”

“A truly admirable talent. I heard that you assisted Hayashi and made a habit of informing on the independence army, is that true?”

“…Yes. So please kill me quickly.”

“It seems you don’t value your life very much.”

“There are already many people who are determined to kill me. The families of the people who were imprisoned or died because I informed and Ryomu reported them curse me every day and throw stones, saying that tearing me to shreds wouldn’t be enough.”

“…”

“So whether I die by their hands, die by your hands now, or refuse to do this kind of thing and die by Ryomu’s hands, in the end, isn’t dying all the same?”

When Suhyun didn’t reply to those words, Tsubame continued in a calm voice.

“Since I was born, there hasn’t been a single good thing that has happened to me. If you feel sorry for me, please kill me cleanly in one go. It’s the wish of a person who is about to die, you can grant that much, can’t you?”

The misfortune that Tsubame had shouldered and lived with was not his fault, but simply a curse cast by the times.

Suhyun silently took off his fedora, pressed it firmly onto Tsubame’s small head, draped his own coat over his shoulders, and buttoned it up in the front. Tsubame, trapped inside Suhyun’s coat with his wrists tied behind his back, spoke in a flustered voice.

“What is this…, what are you doing right now?”

“If I kill you here now, it would be troublesome for your body to be rolling around in the street. And blood could splatter on me.”

“So?”

“Walk. If you try any funny business on the way, you won’t die a clean death.”

Suhyun put his arm around Tsubame’s shoulder as if to a close friend and they left the alley. It was already a time when darkness had fallen thickly, but Myeongdong, the most bustling place in Gyeongseong, was flashing with the lights of the shopping district.

When they went out to the main street, a large black car was parked there. As Suhyun approached with Tsubame, the driver got out of the car and opened the rear door.

“Get in.”

Suhyun shoved Tsubame into the car as if stuffing him in and sat down beside him. Tsubame, who was looking around the interior of the car with a sense of wonder, gazed blankly out the window as the car started to move and the lights flashed by.

“Is this your first time in a car?”

When Suhyun asked in a dry tone, Tsubame nodded.

“I’ve never been in a rickshaw or an oxcart, let alone a car.”

“You’d better engrave the scenery outside into your eyes. It might be the last sight you see alive.”

Tsubame, who had not replied, said after a moment in a calm voice.

“That’s quite lucky.”

“What is?”

“That the last person I see alive is you, and not President Matsuuchi or Ryomu.”

“Why is that lucky?”

“You’re incredibly handsome. President Matsuuchi is a bald dwarf who looks like a toad and Ryomu is as fierce as a gang boss, but you’re so shockingly handsome that when I look at you, it feels like you’re from a different world.”

“Ha. For someone who’s about to die, you’ve got a loose tongue.”

“Since we’re on the topic of dying, let me ask. Are you really going to stab me with a knife?”

“I’m thinking about it, why do you ask.”

“Dying by a knife is a bit gruesome. Don’t you have a gun?”

“No.”

“Then how about buying one? Living in such a big mansion, driving a nice car like this, and even providing funds for the independence army, you must be an incredibly rich person.”

“Money aside, why should I buy a gun?”

“It might be good to have one for various reasons.”

“What would I use it for?”

“First, you can kill me cleanly in one shot, and if you’re lucky, you might be able to kill President Matsuuchi too. That president thinks of Joseon people as less than bugs and also gives a ton of bribes to Japanese officials, so the sooner you kill him, the better.”

He had expected it to some extent, but as expected, there was not even a speck of principle or loyalty to be found. Suhyun, holding back the urge to laugh at Tsubame’s words, spoke coldly.

“Matsuuchi seems to go only between his house and the Matsuyama store by car every time without ever walking, where and how would I shoot him with a gun?”

“That president, he goes to a traditional restaurant to see a gisaeng every Thursday night behind his wife’s back, so if you hide there and shoot, it’ll work.”

At Tsubame’s nonchalant words, Suhyun’s expression turned serious and he turned to look at him.

“Is that true?”

“Of course. I know the name of that restaurant and I know where the shop is. The president told me to secretly deliver an expensive kimono to the gisaeng, so I went to deliver it.”

“Where is the shop? What’s the name of the restaurant!”

As Suhyun pressed him, Tsubame lowered his eyes completely, gave a meaningful smile, and then put on an annoying expression.

“I just forgot.”

“Do you want to die? Are you trying to play games with me right now?”

“I think I might remember if you untie my hands that are tied behind my back. I’ve been like this for a long time, so my arms ache like they’re going to fall off, and my brain has gone bad too.”

As Suhyun scowled at him with a displeased expression, Tsubame blinked his large eyes and said slyly.

“It’s true.”

Suhyun, thinking that this was by no means an easy fellow, unbuttoned his coat and untied the cord that had bound Tsubame’s wrists.

“There? Now tell me. Don’t think you can get away with lies.”

Perhaps being tied up had been quite difficult, as Tsubame rubbed his thin wrists with his hands and patted the area around his shoulders with his arms.

“I really do know. But is that person trustworthy?”

Suhyun replied with a blank expression to the question asked while pointing a finger at the driver who was driving quietly like a shadow in the front seat.

“Yes. At least a hundred times more trustworthy than you.”

“They say you get bit on the foot by the axe you trust. In a world like this, it’s best not to trust anyone.”

“That’s probably not your own thought, did Hayashi Ryomu say that?”

“Well, yes. In the first place, Ryomu is the only one who talks to me about this and that.”

“Never mind that, now tell me. What’s the name of the restaurant, and where is it located.”

“Uh, that is…”

Before Tsubame could finish his sentence, a gurgle sound rumbled loudly like thunder from his stomach. He put on the most pitiful expression he could muster and stared intently at Suhyun.

“Hey, if you’re going to kill me anyway, couldn’t you feed me a full meal first?”

Thinking that this was getting more and more ridiculous, Suhyun replied coldly.

“You’re going to die anyway, what’s the point of eating.”

“I’m so miserable because I’m hungry. Ryomu told me to watch your house from yesterday morning, so after eating one rice ball the evening before last, I haven’t been able to eat anything until now.”

“What? Then where did you sleep?”

“I didn’t sleep. In case you went out at dawn. When you’re too cold and hungry, you can’t sleep well anyway. Right now, I feel like I could even tear off and eat this Western overcoat of yours. It’s so soft, I thought maybe I could chew and eat it.”

Suhyun, looking at Tsubame who was fidgeting with the sleeve of the coat still draped over his shoulders as he spoke, pressed his temples and let out a sigh.

He had no intention of killing him right away anyway. First, he had to extract as much information as possible from him related to President Matsuuchi or Hayashi Ryomu, and he also had to consider if it would be possible to use him as a double agent if need be.

For that to happen, it would be better for Tsubame himself to realize that it was far more advantageous to have Suhyun as his master than Hayashi, who didn’t feed him or let him sleep.

“Eating outside is dangerous in many ways, so let’s go to my house for now.”

“Really? Thank you. After I eat, I’ll tell you everything you’re curious about. If it’s something I know, that is.”

Tsubame, chattering away like that, looked at the scenery outside the window for a moment and then quickly fell fast asleep. After dozing off, nodding his head, he leaned his body completely against Suhyun, rested his head on his shoulder, and fell into a sweet sleep, breathing softly.

How had things ended up like this? Suhyun felt as if he had been possessed by something.

A short while later, the car arrived at Suhyun’s mansion, passed through the main gate, and went inside. After confirming that the gate was completely closed, Suhyun shook Tsubame awake.

“We’ve arrived, so get out.”

“Uungh…”

Tsubame, with a face still half-asleep, rubbed his eyes blankly for a moment, and then got out of the car clumsily at Suhyun’s urging. Suhyun looked back at him as he stood in front of the main building of the luxurious Japanese-style house, his mouth agape, only able to let out sounds of admiration.

“What are you doing, not following me quickly.”

“I didn’t know the house was this nice. I couldn’t see it well from the outside because of the high wall and the gate.”

Tsubame followed Suhyun into the house with quick, short steps. Abeom, who was standing in the entrance hall to greet Suhyun, looked at Tsubame and wore a puzzled expression.

“Young master, this person is…?”