Chapter 25
Hyungoh wrinkled his nose at the stinging smell. A cotton ball soaked with antiseptic dabbed at his cheek. Hyungoh glanced tentatively at Herick. His face was rigid.
The sweat that had soaked his back grew cold in the breeze. I really almost died, didn’t I? Perhaps because it happened so suddenly, it was hard to believe. Throwing a knife like that. Hyungoh fidgeted with the back of his head.
It’s a knife Michael gave me as a gift.
Jake had definitely said that. Why would Michael? Hyungoh unconsciously grabbed the back of his head tightly. Seeing this, Herick sighed briefly, as if he could clearly see what Hyungoh was thinking.
“That knife wasn’t given to Jake with good intentions.”
Hyungoh’s eyebrows twitched. Herick tossed the blood-stained cotton ball into the trash and brought over a medicine box from the corner of the table, continuing his explanation.
“Actually, it wasn’t even given to him. I’m a bit surprised he was keeping it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That…”
Herick stopped himself mid-sentence, then firmly closed his mouth. Ah, damn it. I shouldn’t have brought it up.
Herick recalled that time. Back when they were attacked by the Cenaline Family due to Jake’s carelessness, Michael had called Jake separately. In fact, Jake had made minor mistakes before, but the reason he’d been able to maintain his position as leader for so long was undoubtedly thanks to Federico.
Jake followed Federico second only to Michael. He’d even call him “Father” when Federico wasn’t around. A loyal dog. That’s what he is. Herick scoffed at him.
But Michael was cold. Unlike Federico, who’d merely imposed a ten-day fasting punishment, Michael not only stripped Jake of his leader position but also pressured him mentally. Federico had no choice but to let Michael do as he pleased. As Michael’s power grew stronger, Federico was withering away. He seemed to have chosen Michael as his successor, so there was no reason to interfere with how he managed his subordinates.
Herick didn’t like Jake. Although everyone praised him as a hacker whose skills rivaled Hunter’s, to Herick, Jake was just a childish brat. What good is being smart if you can’t control your emotions and make stupid mistakes?
Simple punishments weren’t effective for Jake. Whether it was fasting, confinement, or even torture, Jake wouldn’t change.
Herick recalled Jake’s screams that had come from beyond Michael’s room at that time. The sound contained the pain of having one’s heart squeezed, or even worse, making Herick feel so anxious that he had no choice but to open the door on his own.
There, Michael was slowly cutting his own wrist with a sharp knife.
With a face that seemed devoid of any emotion. Like someone who felt neither pain nor anger. It was a stark contrast to Jake, who was on his knees in front of Michael, trembling and sobbing uncontrollably. Despite having been by Michael’s side for decades, for Herick, that moment gave him much to think about.
“What is it?”
Hyungoh asked with a suspicious face. Why do you start talking and then stop, making me anxious? Herick shrugged as he took ointment and a bandage out of the medicine box.
It’s nothing. In any case, it wasn’t given with good intentions. Herick held back his words. There was no benefit in revealing such facts. It would probably just frighten him more.
“You saw for yourself, Jake is just one of many Michael worshippers in our organization. Don’t tire yourself by reading too much into every little thing.”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that—I’m not included in that group. It’s disgusting.”
“But Herick, you used to…”
Herick crushed the lid of the medicine box with a crack. Ah, no, never mind. Hyungoh quickly changed the subject after seeing the shattered lid.
But you were like that too. When we first met, you made it quite clear you didn’t like me, calling me a punching bag or a substitute. Hyungoh glanced at Herick, who was applying a bandage with a serious expression.
Michael can save me.
Herick had been so infatuated with Michael that he’d said those exact words. Those eyes, gleaming with madness, still remained in Hyungoh’s memory.
Hyungoh suddenly became curious. Recently, Herick wasn’t as threatening as back then; he was actually rather friendly. Why? Had there been some change of heart during these past eleven years?
“Herick, do you believe Michael when he says he’s a god?”
Herick flinched while cleaning excess ointment with a cotton swab.
“…Now that’s a welcome line.”
Herick smirked. Haha. Yes, a truly welcome line. Despite his mocking tone, Hyungoh continued to stare at Herick, persistently waiting for an answer. He was curious for some reason. What kind of answer would he give this time?
“I can’t deny that Michael has something different from others, Choi.”
Herick said.
“So what exactly is that something?”
“You know too.”
Stop pretending you don’t know. Herick frowned as he dabbed the wound with a cotton swab. Hyungoh was about to argue that he didn’t know, but then stopped himself.
Something different from others. That unique presence. This was something he couldn’t easily deny.
“I can’t define it in a single word, but what’s certain is…”
Neither Herick nor Hyungoh could easily come to a conclusion. How many times had they found themselves unable to understand him? Hyungoh felt, at least in this moment, that he and Herick were thinking the same thing.
“He can see through other people’s weaknesses very easily.”
That’s it, exactly. Hyungoh nodded. This was precisely the point he strongly agreed with. Wasn’t it intense from their first meeting? Michael had immediately understood Hyungoh’s weakness without knowing him at all.
Mother.
At that time, memories of his mother were nothing but trauma that Hyungoh didn’t want to recall, not even a single strand of her hair. Of course, aspects of that remained even now, but he was relatively more stable than before. Thanks to the curious Taylor. He’d become somewhat desensitized, you could say.
Taylor had been very curious about Hyungoh’s personal family situation. Perhaps it was because Hyungoh tried so hard to hide it. What was the point in knowing about someone else’s family affairs? Taylor was desperate to find out, as if it were some kind of crucial clue to a major case.
Sometimes he’d ask directly. What was his relationship with his parents like, did he resent them?
Or if he’d ever wanted to kill them.
At first, Taylor insisted that since he’d shared his story first, now it was Hyungoh’s turn to tell his. But when he noticed Hyungoh’s aversion and signs that he might distance himself, Taylor quickly backed down.
In truth, Hyungoh had his own grievances. How could he share memories of his parents that he himself didn’t know—or more precisely, had sealed away? Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have had any intention of sharing them anyway.
After almost a year of this back-and-forth, Taylor seemed to give up, seeing that Hyungoh was never going to tell him.
But then one day, on the anniversary of his mother’s death, Hyungoh opened up for the first time in his life. He didn’t remember exactly what he’d said, being heavily intoxicated, but apparently he’d recited many personal details. Thanks to this, Taylor understood why Hyungoh hadn’t shared stories about his parents before, and he no longer insisted on being told.
Wasn’t it called dissociative amnesia? Hyungoh had never tried to recover those memories, nor did he particularly want to. He was curious about what could’ve happened to make his head feel like it was splitting with pain and agony whenever he tried to recall his mother. But that curiosity was very slight, and above all, the unconscious anxiety and fear prevented him from trying to retrieve those memories.
It’s fine not knowing. I’m living well enough as it is.
Ah… or not. Hyungoh suddenly realized his current situation, entangled with a massive mafia organization. No, that’s not right. Even if I had recovered those memories, it might have been even harder than now, but certainly not easier.
“So what will happen to Jake now?”
Hyungoh asked. What kind of punishment would that arrogant ball of pride receive? Jennifer had once said that Jake was one of the few people who’d earned considerable trust from the boss. Surely I won’t be punished instead due to Jake’s meddling? Jake was definitely the type of person who’d do something like that. The thought made him start to feel afraid again.
“He’ll be punished.”
Herick said, briefly checking his wristwatch. What kind of punishment? Fasting like before? Herick laughed mockingly at Hyungoh’s question. Fasting? As if.
“Choi. Guys like him don’t fear fasting or violence.”
“Then what?”
“You need to target this.”
Herick pointed to his head. His index finger was as threatening as a gun barrel. Hyungoh frowned slightly, feeling uneasy.
“Take a few days to rest comfortably.”
Herick said in a gentle voice as he opened the door.
“Ah. You might not see me for about three days, so don’t feel disappointed.”
“What? Wait a moment…”
Herick closed the door, leaving with just a light wave goodbye. Hyungoh stared emptily at the space Herick had left before he could ask why.
What the hell. In the end, he didn’t really answer any of my questions. Feeling deflated, Hyungoh flopped down on the bed. Lately, it felt like people were constantly draining his energy. He tired easily even from minor movements. A feeling of accumulated fatigue, perhaps? Well, I guess that’s to be expected in this kind of environment.
“It’s nothing.”
Hyungoh laughed weakly. I guess I’m pretty tenacious when it comes to staying alive. He patted his chest as if to comfort himself. You’re doing well, Choi Hyungoh.
Even though he’d nearly died just moments ago.
***
After staring blankly at the ceiling for several hours, Hyungoh suddenly pulled out the laptop he’d hidden between the bed and the wall. I wonder what Taylor is doing right now. Hyungoh, sitting up, gently stroked the laptop before turning it on.
- Hello, Hyungoh.
Before long, Taylor sent a message. He must really spend all day on his computer. Hyungoh finally relaxed, smoothing out his furrowed brow.
- Is something bothering you?
Sensing something off because Hyungoh didn’t reply right away, Taylor sent another message. Hesitating, unsure how to respond, Hyungoh fidgeted with the bandage on his face. The ointment seeping into his wound made it throb.
- I almost died today.
- You? Why?
- Because of simple jealousy.
Taylor didn’t respond. How unusual for him to be late. Hyungoh tapped his knee with his fingers as he waited for Taylor’s reply.
- Who did it?
A message arrived with a tick. Is Taylor worried about me? Hyungoh typed quickly. Would you know if I told you who? Taylor slyly replied: I might know.
- It was another hacker. I guess he had a lot built up against me.
- Was it Jake Gostin by any chance?
“Huh?”
- How did you know?
- I thought it might be.
- Wait, have you known Jake all along?
How could he guess it right away? Even for a capable black hat hacker, team hackers are usually overshadowed by their team’s reputation and largely unknown. Hyungoh stared intently at the laptop screen with suspicious eyes.
- Yeah, well, from before.
- Really? How did you get to know him?
- Just happened to. Anyway, how did he treat you? Did he point a gun at your head or something?
Does he just have a wide network? Hyungoh wondered as he typed. If he knows the former lead hacker of the Gostin Family, how good is his information gathering?
His ability and methods of collecting information were certainly impressive, even enviable as a fellow hacker. It seemed like his brain worked two or three times better than others’.
- It wasn’t much. I almost got a knife in the back of my head.
- Wow. What guts.
- More like reckless guts.
- I don’t think Michael will let this slide.
- I heard he’ll be punished, but honestly, I don’t know much.
- I doubt it’ll be so easy to get past this time.
- This time?
Hyungoh tilted his head. Does Taylor know that Jake had gotten off easily before?
- What do you mean by “this time”?
Taylor’s reply was slow. Slowly removing his hands from the keyboard, Hyungoh held his breath in anxiety.
It was just a slow response. There could be reasons for that. But why do I feel so uneasy? Am I being too sensitive? Hyungoh exhaled calmly.
- What’s wrong, Hyungoh? You told me about it before, didn’t you? Haha.
Hyungoh’s eyes narrowed. The air around him suddenly grew heavy.
- I’ve never told you anything about Jake, Taylor.
- Oh, don’t get so scary. Think about it? We’ve had so many conversations about the Gostin Family over the past few days.
- I never mention personal stories about other hackers.
Because I don’t want to cause unnecessary conflict.
The network among hackers seemed vast but was surprisingly small. In a profession where hiding oneself was key, people were naturally sensitive about protecting their personal information. That’s why Hyungoh never messed with other hackers unless it was an extremely special case.
- Stop lying and tell me the truth. How did you know?
Hyungoh crossed his arms and waited for Taylor’s reply. His fingers twitched impatiently. Why is his answer so slow again? Just as Hyungoh lowered his arms to type on the keyboard again, Taylor’s reply finally arrived.
- I just…
Snap—
With the sound of something breaking, the screen turned black. Startled by his own reflection in the darkened screen, Hyungoh’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
What’s going on? Confused, Hyungoh picked up the laptop. It had turned off. That’s impossible. It was fully charged. Did I press something wrong? He kept pressing the keyboard and power button, but there was no response.
“Wait, this…”
It doesn’t seem like it just turned off; it looks completely dead. It had never shut down on its own in all these years. It doesn’t seem like a dormant virus suddenly causing problems either. Why is this happening now?
Could something new have infiltrated through a virus?
Since the server had already been breached by Taylor once, security would’ve been compromised. Initially, it was used to communicate with Taylor, and since everything would be erased when powered off, he hadn’t been particularly concerned about security.
Who is it? Who interfered?
Although it was well past midnight, Hyungoh had no intention of sleeping. Who tampered with my laptop? His attention was entirely focused on that.
At that moment, the heavy sound of dress shoes could be faintly heard from beyond the door. Hyungoh froze and perked up his ears. The footsteps gradually approached.
Hyungoh hurriedly covered himself with the blanket and lay down on the bed. The footsteps stopped exactly in front of Hyungoh’s door. Who is it? Herick? Hyungoh quickly pushed the laptop between the bed and the wall.
There was a jingling of keys colliding, and then the door opened. What’s happening? What should I do? Should I pretend to be asleep? Hyungoh turned toward the wall and tightly closed his eyes.
“Choi. Sleeping?”
Hyungoh’s eyes flew open. The light from outside cast a familiar shadow on the wall. It was Michael.
The room darkened again as Michael closed the door. He approached with heavy steps and knelt in front of the bed. Hyungoh tried to calm his startled heart. He hadn’t expected Michael to visit in person. Why are you doing something you’ve never done before? Hyungoh squeezed his eyes shut again. Michael’s breath touched Hyungoh’s nape.
It was warm. With just one breath from him, his confused feelings seemed to calm. But the single sentence he uttered was so chilling that Hyungoh couldn’t help but open his eyes wide once more.
“Don’t pretend to be asleep, Choi. I know you’re awake.”
