After gripping the steering wheel, Teolbo glanced at the back seat several times.
Text messages saying that a few thousand won, a few tens of thousands of won had been charged kept arriving one after another on the cell phone Boss had entrusted to him. It was fortunate that he reported it to Boss as soon as he discovered it, otherwise they would have almost lost someone on sister-in-law’s first death anniversary. It was lucky that he didn’t carelessly dismiss the texts thinking it was just Yi Cheong-nim’s whim.
When he checked the recorded security camera footage, he saw Yi Cheong passionately arguing with the guards about something, Choi Seoldong standing like a shadow, and Seongyeom between them with an anxious face.
The guards who were unsure eventually let the three people go, and Teolbo delivered the message to Boss as soon as he confirmed the three disappearing off screen.
If it had been simply Yi Cheong’s eccentric behavior, he would have ignored it since Seoldong was accompanying him, but as soon as he heard the report that Seongyeom had also gone out, Siwon’s face immediately contorted. Teolbo had no choice but to bow his head.
“Is it that difficult to protect one outsider who doesn’t know the organization’s situation?”
“I’m sorry.”
It was a mistake stemming from the bad habit of organization members who indulged Yi Cheong’s stubbornness. For this incident, he had nothing to say even with ten mouths.
He had clearly been instructed not to let Seongyeom go out alone, but to make matters worse, they let him go out hand in hand with the troublemakers.
Because of that, they had no choice but to hurry home. After offering ancestral rites to sister-in-law and returning to the main house, they had no choice but to politely greet Mother who was being unusually affectionate, telling him to hold his newborn daughter for a bit, before turning away.
Even on the way up, Boss’s brow didn’t smooth out as trivial payment records requiring identity verification continued.
“Life three shots, five thousand won…? What is this again?”
The payment records he’d never seen or heard of were clearly Yi Cheong’s doing, but there was no one who could answer that question. At the end of the continuing silence, one organization member in the passenger seat opened his mouth, trying to lighten the mood.
“Five thousand won to divide life into three parts… Isn’t that something like that?”
“…What?”
Not noticing that Boss’s expression had become even colder, they exchanged conversation as usual.
“Wow, these days’ generation really fights with good cost-effectiveness. Haha!”
“Right, how do you divide life into three parts with five thousand won? Wait, but does Seongyeom-nim also throw some punches?”
One guy threw out a clueless question. Boss completely shattered the barely reviving atmosphere with coldly dead eyes.
“No, not at all. Everyone shut your mouths and track Choi Seoldong’s cell phone location right now.”
“Yep.”
After that, it was fortunate they found the three people, but until then it was completely like walking on thin ice. He didn’t know what part of that conversation made Boss uncomfortable, but anyway, since they encountered him when Boss was in that condition, that Gold Tooth bastard really had bad luck.
Moreover, a male lover for Boss? Do those Dogang Faction bastards even have brains? A person approaching forty who was widowed and even has a young daughter, taking a man twelve years younger than himself as a lover?
…That’s ridiculous. Boss isn’t that kind of person.
Boss was particularly weak in the face of people’s deaths.
While he didn’t bat an eye at taking someone else’s life, he was someone who couldn’t sleep for days with a perfectly fine face if even one of his people fell. A person who, once he thought he owed someone, would drag it to the end, and would protect what needed protecting no matter what. …That’s why it makes even less sense. Such groundless rumors were definitely spread by someone on purpose.
“……”
When he glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror, Boss was still chewing on the cigarette he’d been holding since getting in the car. The hair he’d carefully styled for once was all disheveled, and the slowly blinking eyes clearly conveyed what complicated thoughts he was having even without asking. It was enough to upset anyone watching him.
“Boss…”
When Teolbo, unable to bear it any longer, called Siwon, he swept his bangs back long and removed the dried cigarette stuck to his lips, throwing it out the window.
“Let me ask just one thing.”
“…Please speak.”
“When I say I’m not doing gangster work anymore, do I look ridiculous?”
“Not at all. I respect you.”
“Then… who the hell spread such rumors?”
As they approached the rotary, the green light changed to a stop signal and the car stopped. At Siwon’s question, Teolbo mulled over the names that came to mind. No matter how much he thought about it, among the remaining organization members, if they gave loyalty to Siwon they gave loyalty, but there was no figure who would harbor resentment.
“…I’m not sure.”
“Lee Seongyeom is an outsider who doesn’t know the organization’s situation well. So I told you to avoid situations where he’d be exposed to the outside as much as possible.”
“Of all things, he ended up firmly in Dogang Faction’s eyes…”
And with the ridiculous rumor of being Boss’s lover, no less.
“Haa…”
Siwon, who had buried his back in the seat, let out a deep sigh when his inner pocket vibrated. It was Lee Cheon, one half of the only twin brothers in the organization.
“Yeah.”
-We found him, Dogang Faction’s action captain.
“Turn the car around.”
Teolbo was utterly hopeless at reading someone’s mind, but he could instantly tell what Boss’s changed voice meant. He immediately turned the wheel and entered the road heading to the outskirts of the city center.
***
“He still hasn’t returned?”
At the subordinate’s words, Daerim stroked his neck with a troubled face. Boss and Teolbo were the first to depart. And they still haven’t come home. Something must have happened to the two of them.
“First, move Seongyeom-nim to my room. It’s urgent, so hurry!”
“Yes!”
The subordinate who tried to support Seongyeom from the back seat seemed momentarily flustered by his wretched appearance, then skillfully carried him on his back and went up the stairs.
The inside of the house, where no one had arrived yet, was quiet. While going upstairs, another subordinate tried calling once more but predictably got no answer.
“Neither of them are answering.”
“Never mind. You follow and help me.”
The first room next to the upstairs staircase was Daerim’s office. Opening the wooden door with white paint applied over it and entering inside, a space completely different from an ordinary room unfolded.
There was no bright-feeling interior decorated with soft wood like Daerim’s warm impression. As if entering an operating room in a hospital, only a completely cold silver world existed.
Whoosh—
A soundproof door solid enough to completely block even the flow of air connected to the outside served in place of the inner door.
“What are you doing? It’s this way.”
Daerim snapped his fingers at the subordinate who was spacing out. He approached next to the tray where metal instruments were neatly lined up and laid Seongyeom, who was covered in dust and shivering violently, on the cold-looking surgical bed.
“Cold…”
Seongyeom curled up this time too, hugging his whole body with both arms against the cold that penetrated to the bone. He was already drenched in sweat enough to soak all the clothes he was wearing. His ankle and waist, and various other places all ached, but most difficult of all was the chills that made his teeth chatter.
When Seongyeom was laid in the hard place smelling of disinfectant and one of the hyungs cut his clothes with scissors, he waved his hands in surprise.
“Wh-why are you doing this…!?”
“Stay still. I have to wipe off the dirty parts and treat you.”
Daerim, who had brought hot water in a washbasin from somewhere, said. He removed Seongyeom’s top and wiped his body with a wet towel.
Marks that had turned red with heat could be seen all over his white skin. They would definitely turn into bruises soon. He lowered his gaze and checked his ankle too. Seeing it move slightly, fortunately the bone didn’t seem to be injured.
“Seems like you have better endurance than expected.”
Daerim, relieved about Seongyeom’s condition, took out an antibiotic injection.
***
Knock knock—
When he raised his head, the twin brother Lee Cheon bowed in greeting. He rolled down the window and pointed at a boat floating on the sea.
“I’ve prepared it.”
The rain that had been falling lightly in a drop or two began to pour down quite heavily. Teolbo, who got out of the car first, opened an umbrella over Siwon. When Siwon boarded the boat following Lee Cheon, a drum barrel could be seen in front of the bow. Inside, a man beaten to a pulp with only his head sticking out slightly was contained, utterly exhausted.
“A face I’ve never seen before.”
“The senior bastard was already replaced, and this is a new guy who just came in.”
Siwon’s eyebrows twitched.
Already the second action captain?
Entering the wheelhouse, the twin brother Oh Cheon, who had been waiting the whole time, greeted Siwon.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yeah, let’s depart.”
Siwon said while putting on latex gloves. When Lee Cheon, who followed in, signaled with his eyes, Oh Cheon started the engine at the dock and entered the middle of the sea where darkness was all around.
After arriving at a good place to work, he turned off the engine and prepared work lamps that would only illuminate around the boat. The lighting shone on the face of the man in the drum barrel. Siwon put on an ill-fitting yellow raincoat and stood in front of the man.
“If you answer the questions well, I’ll at least let you decide whether you’ll become fish food or be buried in the ground.”
The twins Lee Cheon and Oh Cheon, wearing the same yellow raincoats, were skillfully displaying tools next to the drum barrel containing the man. From afar, they might even look like fishermen organizing squid work.
The man, already exhausted to the limit, swayed as if drunk and laughed, showing his blood-covered teeth.
“Fuck off, stop your bullshit! I don’t know anything. If you’re going to kill me, try it. You son of a bitch!”
“Right, that’s the spirit.”
Siwon nodded as if he fully understood the man’s reaction. He stood up from his seat and looked over the tools the twins had laid out.
“Still, it’s good news. I have a couple more questions to ask.”
“Huh…?”
“Doesn’t look like you’ll die easily.”
Siwon, who picked up a monkey wrench, swung it in the air several times as if checking the grip of the handle. At the sound of whoosh— cutting through the air, the smile gradually faded from the man’s face.
As if satisfied with the heavy grip, Siwon tapped the man’s cheek with the wrench and showed a languid smile.
“Now, here’s the first question.”
