PAHO 9

The special security team was a self-defense force established in Nakdo, which was isolated from Seoul, and it controlled security within the underground. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been staring blankly at Gil Useong, opened his mouth.

“A ticket? As far as I know, today’s matches ended an hour ago. Do you need to check tickets?”

“As I just mentioned, we are requesting your cooperation as a matter of procedure.”

In no time, security team members surrounded the area. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been lightly tapping his fingers behind his back, stopped and deliberately stepped forward.

“I’m sorry, but cooperation will be difficult. My flight is soon.”

“A flight? Are you from a foreign country?”

“Yes, so if you really want to verify my identity, it would be best to contact the immigration office and the airport.”

The lies he had prepared in advance for a spot check came out smoothly, but if the security team came on strong, he would be in a difficult position. He did have the ID card he received from Min Chanyoung, but since it was a forged identity created solely for entry, getting dragged around here and there would only lead to the false information being exposed.

Gil Useong, who had been observing Nam Gyeonhwa carefully, finally took a step back. Nam Gyeonhwa responded to the gesture to go with a nod of his head, then asked a question as if he had just remembered something.

“The main gate is blocked, so which exit should I use to get out?”

“Hmm, for an exit, the west gate should still be open.”

Gil Useong answered kindly. Having naturally confirmed the exit, Nam Gyeonhwa passed the security team members and turned toward the west gate.

Crackle, crackle, a squad leader in the back connected the speaker attached to his hip as a transmission signal repeated from the radio.

─ This is Gavial, this is Gavial. Received information that a suspicious individual has moved toward the main gate. Requesting confirmation of a young male wearing a black hat. I repeat. This is Gavial, received information that a suspicious individual has moved toward the main gate. Black hat…

The voice, which had been coming in intermittently as if the transmission was poor, cut off abruptly. At the same time, the security team members, including Gil Useong, all turned to look in one direction.

“Black hat.”

Gil Useong pointedly called out the characteristic, but Nam Gyeonhwa pretended not to hear. Two team members standing at the end of the corridor strode forward and blocked his path.

“Could you please come with us for a moment?”

At the words compelling his apprehension, Nam Gyeonhwa swiftly pushed the team member on his right hard to the side. The man staggered from the sudden attack, and the security team member next to him was also thrown off balance. Taking advantage of the confusion, Nam Gyeonhwa dodged past the two team members and started running like an arrow toward the connecting passageway.

“Get him!”

At Gil Useong’s shout, the security team members, who immediately grasped the situation, all chased after Nam Gyeonhwa. Nam Gyeonhwa ran and ran until he was out of breath. Pushing one person to create an opportunity to escape was a good move, but shaking them off was not easy at all. The absence of obstacles in the path made it easy to flee, but it was just as easy for the security team to pursue.

As Nam Gyeonhwa was frantically running toward the west gate, a fire alarm on the wall suddenly caught his eye. The alarm systems might differ slightly from building to building, but he thought that the basic alarm sound might at least interfere with the pursuit, even if only a little. Without hesitation, Nam Gyeonhwa punched the alarm device hard.

Ring, ring, ring, along with the alarm signaling a fire, the inside of the building instantly flashed red with the light of the warning lamps, and firewalls came down with a clatter, blocking the passageways. Whenever the security team members, shouting like caged beasts, pounded on the firewalls, the doorknobs rattled weakly.

Quickly jumping over one more firewall, Nam Gyeonhwa paused at the end of the passage leading to the west gate. The west gate was also already sealed with a shutter. It was impossible to force it open with the tools he had, and even if he had a hacksaw, it would take a long time.

As he looked around, a green indicator light pointing to an emergency staircase caught his eye. An emergency staircase would likely be connected to the underground exit leading to the parking lot, wouldn’t it?

The blaring fire alarm stopped. It seemed the security office had disarmed the alarm system. Soon all the lights would turn on, making it much easier to be captured by the surveillance cameras, so he had to make a decision before then. After a quick glance to his left and right, Nam Gyeonhwa lowered his body and moved nimbly toward the emergency door.

“Special Security!” A subordinate, confirming the rank insignia of a squad leader walking from the opposite direction, gave a vigorous salute. The squad leader, who had stopped swaggering in front of the subordinate, gestured with his chin toward the side passage.

“Did you find him?”

“Not yet, sir!”

It was a disappointing answer that didn’t match the booming reply. The squad leader clicked his tongue.

“Damn it, I thought I could get off work on time for once.”

At 11:08 p.m., a suspicious individual, deemed a security risk at the underground fighting ring, had activated a fire alarm while fleeing, causing a power outage that was barely restored ten minutes later.

They had tried to track the suspect’s movements using the internal security cameras, but a variable had occurred. He had suddenly disappeared while heading to the parking lot after exiting through the emergency staircase. Thus, they had been repeating the search for two hours.

“At this rate, it’d be faster to just assume he jumped out a window.”

“As a matter of fact, the Gavial squad has reportedly widened the search perimeter to the outside.”

“Is that so? Those damn crocodile bastards, showing off like hell just because the general commander is here.”

The security squad leader, smacking his lips, patted the shoulder of the team member standing next to him.

“Send a radio report to the general commander. Tell him nothing has been found up to the third mid-level floor and that we’re heading down. We need to get the jump on them before Gavial finds him…”

The sound of trudging combat boots gradually faded away. As only the fluorescent lights illuminated the corridor, a rustling sound came from the quiet ceiling.

Placing both arms on the floor to push himself up, Nam Gyeonhwa let out a sigh. His whole body ached from having held his breath and stayed tightly curled up until the security team member had completely disappeared. Fortunately, judging from their conversation, it seemed they hadn’t even suspected that he might be hiding in the ventilation shaft.

It was a stroke of luck to have found the half-open ventilation grate while climbing the emergency stairs. Hiding in the vent with a do-or-die mentality seemed to have caught the security team off guard more than he expected, as they had been searching for hours.

Since it was a ventilation shaft, there was no doubt that it connected to the outside. However, borrowing the words of the security team member from a moment ago, it seemed they had already expanded the search area to the outside. He had parked the rented motorcycle inconspicuously at a bicycle rack, and they likely wouldn’t have the presence of mind to be suspicious of every single motorcycle.

Now that even the special security team was involved, he wanted to be as safe as possible. His plan was to hide somewhere for an hour or two, avoiding crossing paths with the security team, and then assess the situation before making a move. Lying with his forehead on the floor, he thought deeply and tapped the data chip tucked inside his clothes with his finger.

They couldn’t have been dispatched for the simple matter of him having infiltrated Seoul under a disguise. When he first encountered the security team, they had gone straight to the restroom, not to him, which suggested that the reason for all this commotion was also this data chip.

If it was important content on a data chip, was it an industrial secret? That was the most plausible conclusion, and a conjecture that yielded no benefit for Nam Gyeonhwa. One way or another, he had brought this hardship upon himself just for retrieving this one data chip.

First, I need to find a place to hide, anywhere will do. Lowering his body, Nam Gyeonhwa moved in a sliding motion, trying his best not to let his knees and elbows hit the floor.

The ventilation shaft had the advantage of allowing him to hide, but it also had the major disadvantage of making it impossible to gauge his direction or location unless he reached a vent opening. Instead of trying to find an ambiguous direction, Nam Gyeonhwa chose to go up.

According to the fighting ring’s guide map, the top floor was divided into premium seats, like a kind of private suite, and it seemed some rooms were available for lodging even after the matches were over.

Judging by the security team’s attitude when he had lied about his train schedule, it seemed they had a code of conduct not to use significant force against tourists. Therefore, he planned to go up to the upper floor where the guests were staying and hide in an empty room or a storage closet.

After climbing and climbing for over ten minutes, Nam Gyeonhwa bumped his head on a wall and recoiled. Reaching out to feel in front of him, he touched a hard obstacle like a steel plate.

Is the path already blocked? That means there’s no way to go further up. As he hesitated, a faint light suddenly caught his eye. Cautiously moving his body toward the light, Nam Gyeonhwa found a whitish gap and carefully pushed aside the plank covering it.

The place that was revealed was neither a storage closet nor a restroom.

It was a long, single structure without walls or partitions, making it too open to be called a house, and it felt too spacious to be considered a single room. The room, with its dim and languid atmosphere created by the mood lighting, looked like a scene from an old foreign film due to its antique furniture.

Could this be the premium seat mentioned in the guide map? If so, he had found his way well, but something was strange. No matter how important ventilation was in an underground structure, connecting the ventilation shaft to the ceiling of a room would be a significant security flaw, wouldn’t it?

Above all, the fact that the mood lighting was on clearly indicated that someone was using the room. Fortunately, the owner of the room seemed to be absent, but he had to get out quickly before he ran into them and got into trouble. He was looking for the door, staring into the dim surroundings, when it happened.

He spotted a faint shadow on the opposite wall, and at the same time, felt a distinct human presence. He didn’t even know how long the person had been in the room. He could only perceive that they were at a distance neither too far nor too close from where he was standing now.

“I was wondering if room service I didn’t order had arrived.”

His body froze in alarm at the sudden voice. The moment he glanced over, their eyes met. It was a gaze as familiar as the strong impression it left.

The face he had seen on television.

“Who… are you?”