PAHO 27

Beep beep. A sound came from the pager clipped to his waist. Yeo Eunjae, who habitually checked the received message, looked troubled.

“They said several trauma patients have come in, so I have to go now. I’ll see you during rounds later.”

Without even waiting for a response to her farewell, Yeo Eunjae hurriedly ran toward the opposite end of the hallway. Nam Gyeonhwa stared blankly at the receding back of the white coat and smacked his bitter-tasting lips.

It feels like there’s something going on. Her attitude of asking first and then brushing it off by saying it was nothing, and even just looking at Yeo Eunjae’s expression a moment ago, it was obvious she was hesitant. Could it be that she was curious because of the incident where he hit him that day? To dismiss it as such, the Yeo Eunjae that Nam Gyeonhwa knew was not the type of person to suddenly ask about something that had happened several days ago. Or if not that, could she have heard some grumbling from Na Taebeom? Since he was paying for most of the operating costs of the medical center, which was close to a private institution, he could have used that as an excuse to engage in so-called power-tripping, but it didn’t quite feel like that either.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Na Taebeom at all lately. It wasn’t just Na Taebeom; neither Gil Useong nor the special police unit who used to constantly hover around and watch the hospital were anywhere to be seen.

The medical center was located only a few kilometers from Wiyeonggwan. So, unless they had all disappeared as a group, it must mean they were deliberately avoiding this place. It was impossible to fathom whether their intention was that they would come barging in whenever they pleased, but now that they had seen all there was to see, they wouldn’t bother him anymore, or what.

“Well, it’s true we have no more business with each other now.”

Muttering to himself like a sigh, Nam Gyeonhwa finished filling the tumbler with water. This amount would be more than enough for him to drink until the evening lights-out. When he returned to the hospital room, he saw Haejin peeking out from the doorway.

“Hyung-ah!”

As soon as their eyes met, Haejin, who had been running toward him as if he had been waiting, suddenly stopped. At the sound of his short, cough-laced breaths, Nam Gyeonhwa dropped the tumbler in his hand and scooped Haejin up in his arms.

“Are you okay? Huh? Should we go to the doctor if you’re having a hard time?”

Haejin, who had barely calmed down, buried his head in Nam Gyeonhwa’s shoulder and shook his head back and forth. He didn’t even say he was okay, and he was being excessively quiet, then soon came a sniffling sound. It must have been frustrating and upsetting to be in a state where he would choke just from running a few steps, not even a few hundred meters.

What did Na Taebeom or anyone else matter? Right now, the one thing he desperately needed to worry and fret about was Haejin, and that was more than enough. Nam Gyeonhwa slowly paced the hallway, patting Haejin’s back until he fell asleep.

“No way, no way.”

The travel agency owner pushed the marked map away with his hand without even looking at it.

“No matter how much I do this to make a living, I’m a person who knows when to lay low. Do you even know how strict the crackdown on surface-level passage is right now?”

“I am aware.”

“No, you’re aware, and yet you’re trying to get a forged ID and a southbound train ticket at a time like this? I can’t get it. No, not just me, but any of the guys doing business in this area would say the same thing.”

“Is it difficult, even if I offer three times the price?”

“It’s not just difficult. If you get caught at a time like this, not only me but my wife and kids will be ruined too. I’d rather just earn what I can than act recklessly to earn a little more of that damn money and end up in a situation where I’m swimming in the Yalu River for the rest of my life. Anyway, I can’t do it, so look somewhere else.”

Watching the owner who was adamantly waving his hands, Nam Gyeonhwa eventually retreated as if he had no choice. As soon as he left the shop, the shutter came down, and eventually, even the neon sign lights on the signboard were turned off.

While grabbing a simple lunch at a nearby convenience store, Nam Gyeonhwa looked over the map of the underground special district he had printed out beforehand. He had visited almost the entire Hwanhuidong underground shopping area, known as Broker Street, but he couldn’t find a single agency that would accept his request among the many travel agencies. Nine out of ten had rejected him flatly, just like the travel agency owner just now, and the remaining one reeked of a scammer from the first glance and then quoted an absurd amount while even making some petty advances.

He had heard that brokers based in the Seoul area, unlike other brokers, had strict conditions for taking on jobs, but he hadn’t expected them to be this cautious.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand at all. The reason the brokers were refusing, saying they couldn’t do it, was because of the strengthened enforcement guidelines implemented by the city of Seoul a week ago. Unannounced inspections in the name of citizen protection had always been frequent, but there were often lenient periods depending on the supervisor, and during those times, brokers would bribe the staff in advance to open up back routes.

But starting last week, stricter identity checks began to take place. In response to the flood of complaints, the mayor announced that it was a preparatory process ahead of the summit to be held a year later, but it was a hasty process that seemed rather premature for an event that was still a long way off.

The strengthened enforcement was not limited to just Seoul. Suddenly, a sharp siren could be heard from outside the window, and two black sedans sped past. The convenience store employee, recognizing them as special police unit vehicles, restlessly hovered by the door and then made eye contact with Nam Gyeonhwa.

“Haha, it’s gotten a bit noisy these days.”

The employee said with an awkward smile. Nam Gyeonhwa, glancing out the window, asked back.

“Did the special police unit always patrol this often?”

“Not at all. They’d only intervene for something like a gang fight at the very least, and even then, they rarely got involved. They’re not even real police in the first place, right? Well, thanks to them buzzing around, the neighborhood thugs have quieted down, which is nice, but I’m worried about tourists not being able to come. I heard the casino across the street is temporarily closing until the blockade is lifted.”

The employee, who had been rambling on with his complaints, shook his head as if he had said something unnecessary and returned to his spot. Even after the employee went into the stockroom, Nam Gyeonhwa was still watching the road beyond the window.

Less than a day after the strengthened enforcement directive came out from the city of Seoul, an emergency blockade was also issued for Nakdo, controlling access. No matter how much of a lawless zone Nakdo was, it was perhaps a natural decision since it was directly adjacent to Seoul, but it was quite suspicious that someone with Na Taebeom’s personality would meekly comply with the city’s proposal. The fact that the access control was imposed right when he was trying to go back felt as if it were done on purpose.

No, that can’t be right. He tapped his temples with the hand that was resting on his forehead and swallowed a sigh. In any case, if the brokers couldn’t touch it, a train was out of the question, and with the special police unit patrolling frequently, getting out through the underground tunnel was not easy. Even if he were to go to Na Taebeom, on what grounds could he ask for help? Strictly speaking, it was closer to wanting to avoid a situation where he had to cling to Na Taebeom.

However, he couldn’t just sit on his hands. An inspector from the Residents’ Office could show up as early as tomorrow. He had to return to Mangmae before he missed the visit period and the screening fell through due to failing to meet the application qualifications. It didn’t matter where he himself earned a living, but Haejin couldn’t do that.

Therefore, the only method left for now was to entrust it to a broker belonging to the Wild Dogs Union. Come to think of it, this option wasn’t particularly appealing either, but it would at least be better than that damn Na Taebeom. Nam Gyeonhwa shoved the remaining piece of castella into his mouth in one bite, then got up from his seat.

Finding the Wild Dogs’ den wasn’t very difficult. Their main source of income was blocking off streets with little foot traffic to collect tolls or extorting money for absurd reasons, and they were often gathered in parking lots.

As he headed toward the largest underground parking lot in Nakdo, the distinct musty, burnt smell of marijuana wafted from the entrance. As expected, people who appeared to be members of the Wild Dogs Union were sitting together in twos and threes in the middle of the parking lot.

“What? Where are you from?”

The moment he tried to head in their direction, someone suddenly grabbed his arm. It was a beefy man whose face and neck were gaudily tattooed, making him look as if he were wearing a mask. Nam Gyeonhwa, twisting his captured hand free, said with a calm face.

“I’m looking for a broker who specializes in forgery.”

“A broker? Why?”

“Something came up that requires it.”

The man, leaning a hand against the wall, looked Nam Gyeonhwa up and down, and his eyes suddenly fixed on his face. Blinking as if he found something interesting, he then lowered his voice and spoke secretly.

“Hey, what if, say. You and I work on a job together?”

“What are you talking about.”

“Because I think this would be a fucking great offer for you right now. Your height, and your face, they’re a perfect match for the conditions.”

“Sorry, but I didn’t come here to sell my organs. You just need to take me to a broker.”

“No, no, it’s not organ trafficking, um, a noona I know is looking for your type, you see? She said she’d pay a grand for a day’s wage, I tell you, just for stopping by somewhere.”

“And.”

“So, in exchange for me helping you earn easy money, you just give me a five percent cut as a finder’s fee. How about it?”

Hearing the general gist, he could see the intention at a glance. It was a scheme to shove him into some brothel and receive a finder’s fee. He had heard rumors about them committing employment fraud against men who looked like drifters, but experiencing it himself was absurd.

“I have no intention of becoming a male prostitute, so if you’re not going to take me, get out of the way.”

“Hey, don’t be like that. I’m telling you, she’s really going crazy looking for a guy just like you, you know? The beauty mark here on your nose, it’s a perfect match.”

“Move.”

“Hey now, let’s solve this with words, with words.”

Even as he said “let’s solve this with words,” his demeanor showed no sign of being solvable through conversation, and Nam Gyeonhwa’s brow furrowed. As if things weren’t going wrong enough, even receiving a solicitation to be a male prostitute seemed to evaporate what little patience he had left. It was just when he was contemplating whether to risk a fight and throw a punch.

“Hey, stop!”

One of the group walking from a distance suddenly started running toward them, out of breath. He soon stopped in front of the two men, looked at Nam Gyeonhwa, and swallowed dryly.

“Hyu, hyung-nim?”