PAHO 23

According to the original plan, Nam Gyeonhwa was supposed to take a train alone to meet Min Chanyoung, but there was a major obstacle. First, all the surface stations within Seoul could only be used by those with city access permits, and Nam Gyeonhwa was currently an unwelcome guest who was not even registered, let alone permitted, to enter Seoul Special City. This was a significant problem.

There were ways, such as booking online through a professional broker or buying a ticket from a scalper loitering near Seoul Station, but with the peak tourist season, it was difficult to get on a train without spending a considerable amount of money. Moreover, if caught, he would be immediately dragged to a detention center. If he was lucky, he would end up with a ten-year deportation sentence, but in the worst-case scenario, he would have to serve a minimum of five years in prison. It was a terrifying situation just to imagine.

Therefore, the only way to get to Daejong City without causing identity issues was to go through the underground passages to a surface national highway.

“Did you take a nice piss?”

Na Taebeom asked, waving his hand lightly. It was so mischievous that it was like treating him as a newborn who couldn’t even control his own bladder and bowels. Just as he was debating whether to punch him, regardless of the fact that he was the one receiving help, Na Taebeom abruptly held out a paper bag he was holding.

“They were freshly baked, so they’re pretty good.”

Inside the bag were several walnuts cakes, steaming hot. Nam Gyeonhwa opened his mouth without even glancing at the paper bag.

“I have something to ask.”

“What?”

“Why did you insist on coming with me? It would have been more convenient to just send someone with me.”

Most of the underground tunnels had been permanently closed long ago due to flood damage from a monsoon over a decade ago, but a few of the remaining ones were managed for logistics under the control of the underground special district. The price Na Taebeom had demanded in exchange for temporarily opening passage through the underground tunnel was, surprisingly, ‘accompaniment.’

“Because I’m more comfortable seeing and hearing things for myself.”

“Are you not considering the possibility that it might be a trap?”

“Why? It’s thrilling, I like it.”

Na Taebeom replied as if it were no big deal and mumbled on a walnut cake. He likes it because it’s thrilling. Should one call him gutsy? Or should one call him careless? Right now, there were security vehicles lined up in front and behind them, but as long as he wasn’t the only mercenary, there was a sufficient possibility of an ambush on Na Taebeom at any time.

Na Taebeom, who had been silently looking up at his solemn face, tilted his head.

“Don’t tell me, you’re worried about me?”

Nam Gyeonhwa, momentarily speechless at the ridiculous question, soon answered bluntly.

“Sorry, but I’m not worried about you. I just don’t want things to get any more complicated. I’m tired of constantly getting caught up in troublesome situations.”

“How harsh. You could have at least said you were worried, even if you didn’t mean it.”

Honk, honk. A car horn blared. At some point, the car had pulled up right in front of the stairs to meet them. He licked the red bean paste from the corner of his mouth and got up. The driver, who had hurriedly gotten out of the car, opened the back door to greet him.

“Come to think of it, I have a question too.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who had gotten into the opposite seat, stopped buckling his seatbelt and looked at him.

“Is he really your biological brother?”

“What are you trying to say.”

At that, Na Taebeom held out the phone in his hand. The picture Nam Gyeonhwa had seen a moment ago was still on the screen.

“Looking at this, I’d believe you if you said he was your son, not your brother.”

He had expected to be constantly monitored from the moment his phone was forcibly taken, but seeing it with his own two eyes felt even worse than he had imagined.

“I’m pretty sure I told you, not to touch the kid.”

“That’s why I’m asking you, not the kid. Right now.”

At the rather chilly tone of Haejin’s voice, he could feel Gwon Jongdae, who was holding the steering wheel, sneak a glance at them. Nam Gyeonhwa suppressed a deep sigh.

“He’s my brother.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So don’t cross the line. It’s fucking annoying.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who had answered begrudgingly to convey that he shouldn’t ask any more, pressed his lips firmly together and leaned against the car window. Fortunately, Na Taebeom didn’t press any further.

As midnight approached, the area around the station parking lot was quiet except for the occasional sound of a truck horn. Unlike the other parking lots, which were constantly bustling with cargo trucks carrying various goods, the 4th parking lot was located in a fairly remote part of Daejong Station.

Nam Gyeonhwa, sitting on a bench, fiddled with his smartwatch while slowly scanning his surroundings. Since the last text he received, Min Chanyoung had not specified a clear location. The phone he had used to contact Min Chanyoung was with Na Taebeom, and due to that damned restricted number, he couldn’t even send a message first. Thus, he had no choice but to wait at the exit where people coming and going were clearly visible.

At the vibration from the smartwatch on his wrist, Nam Gyeonhwa immediately checked the screen. The sender was Na Taebeom.

fucking bored

An emoticon of a yawning face arrived right after. Is he whining or what is he doing? Nam Gyeonhwa swallowed a sudden burst of laughter and deleted the message notification.

As soon as he arrived in Daejong City, Nam Gyeonhwa had headed to the parking lot alone. He had come together with Na Taebeom, who had insisted on seeing the man’s face for himself, but since Nam Gyeonhwa was the one scheduled to make contact, he judged it necessary to refrain from any rash movements.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. As if intending to send messages until he responded, the vibrations tightened around his wrist. Unable to bear it any longer, Nam Gyeonhwa took off the smartwatch and shoved it into his pocket.

He thought he felt moisture on his cheek, and before long, it began to pour. The raindrops were fine, but he couldn’t just stand there and get wet, so Nam Gyeonhwa quickly stepped into a nearby public phone booth.

The rain, which he thought would stop after a short while, showed no signs of letting up for several dozen minutes. Rain aside, even though it was the time they had promised to meet, there wasn’t even a single figure in sight in the parking lot. It was unlikely he had mistaken the date or time. Was he just not here yet? Just as he was debating whether to wait longer or find another way, he saw a dim figure in the distance. Someone was walking this way.

Unlike the area around the fountain, which was bright with streetlights here and there, the opposite side was dark with the shade of trees, so he couldn’t see the face properly. However, it seemed unlikely that anyone else would bother to come into a remote park at such a late hour, and in the rain no less. Finally, seeing the face clearly revealed under a streetlight, Nam Gyeonhwa blinked his eyes with a puzzled expression.

“Mr. Gong Myeongho?”

It wasn’t Min Chanyoung, but Gong Myeongho from the security team, who used to be his partner. It was definitely Min Chanyoung who had contacted him to meet, so did he send him in his place because of some other business?

“It’s been a while. Did Team Leader Min not come with you?”

There was no particular reaction to his casual greeting. The last time he saw him, he didn’t seem like a particularly blunt person. Just as he was wondering, Gong Myeongho, limping, rushed forward and suddenly grabbed Nam Gyeonhwa by the collar. Nam Gyeonhwa, abruptly pushed back, hit his head squarely on the public phone.

“You, you son of a bitch! You think you can get away with, this kind of bullshit?”

“Bullshit?”

His head was killing him from the impact, and now being sworn at without any warning was utterly baffling. It was a complete change from his demeanor just a couple of months ago, when he had spoken politely and even used honorifics.

Nam Gyeonhwa, who naturally scanned him, let out a gasp when he belatedly noticed his disheveled state. Setting aside the fact that he had appeared without an umbrella, his clothes were a mess. His white dress shirt, what it must have originally been, was stained in places as if it had been rolled in muddy water, and none of the buttons were properly fastened. It even seemed he had been walking around barefoot, as one of his feet was bleeding profusely.

“What, happened?”

“What happened? Ha, you motherfucker, are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Gong Myeongho’s bloodshot eyes widened, and he violently shook the collar he was clutching.

“Because of the data you brought, I’m in a, fuck, a shitload of trouble right now! Huh?”

“The data? Are you talking about the item from that request before?”

“Yeah, fuck, that fucking data chip you brought in exchange for tens of millions of won. I don’t know what kind of trick you pulled, but a DDoS attack in reverse destroyed our security system and corrupted all the important documents! Thanks to that, I’m on the blacklist, and for three weeks I haven’t been able to go home, I’ve been living in hiding like a fucking, homeless person! Do you get it, you son of a bitch!”

Gong Myeongho, who had been spewing curses at the top of his lungs with veins popping on his neck, tried to throw a punch in a fit of anger but lost his balance and staggered. Nam Gyeonhwa blocked the wildly swinging arm with both hands.

“First of all, please calm down.”

“Calm down? Fuck, you’re telling me to calm down. Do you know what the higher-ups are saying about this? They’ve even raised suspicions that you deliberately planned this with us to get the money. Huh?”

Suddenly, the smartwatch on his wrist vibrated. It was a message from Na Taebeom. Worried about causing a misunderstanding, Nam Gyeonhwa covered his wrist with his other hand instead of checking the notification.

“I don’t know what misunderstanding there is, but I only received the item as requested by Team Leader Min and delivered it. I didn’t even know what was inside. The team leader will be able to confirm this.”

“You said it. Even the team leader himself is being investigated internally right now, so what is there to confirm, fuck.”

“He’s under internal investigation?”

At the unexpected news, Nam Gyeonhwa frowned slightly. He didn’t know for sure what the internal investigation procedure was like, but it was clear that Min Chanyoung wasn’t in a position to be arranging a meeting.

Furthermore, the phone Nam Gyeonhwa had received from Min Chanyoung at the time was a disposable phone used as a supply item within the military, which could only be contacted by knowing the serial number or by a pre-designated party. If that was the case, it meant that the text message he thought was from Min Chanyoung had been sent by someone else.

“Don’t tell me you deliberately contacted me pretending to be Team Leader Min.”

“Fuck, so am I supposed to just sit still? I have to clean up this mess somehow. Ha, really, this is why I said we shouldn’t use these illegal immigrant bastards who aren’t even registered with the Residents’ Office. If we paid you ten million won, you should have done the job you were told to do properly.”