Hyungoh was dumbfounded. Hunter, who was casually greeting him at the workplace of an organization that was once his enemy, looked brighter than ever before. Was he playing a joke, or was he genuinely in a good mood? Hyungoh approached Hunter with a dissatisfied expression, not liking his attitude.
“What is this?”
“What else? It’s the historic moment when we finally work as one team.”
“What are we going to do as a team? Don’t tell me you want to attack Gostin?”
“You catch on quick.”
Hunter, who had detached himself from the desk, put his hand on Theo’s shoulder as he stood with his back to the door. Then, as if making sure Theo could hear, he spoke deliberately.
“Think of it positively, Hyungoh. We’re in the same boat with the great Cenaline organization.”
“Don’t try to flatter, it doesn’t suit you.”
Theo frowned.
“What are you thinking? What if this makes things even worse?”
“Why are you so scared?”
“I barely escaped from Gostin and met Theo just the other day. It was only yesterday that I reunited with my uncle after not seeing him for 11 years. And now what, you want to attack Gostin?”
You said it yourself, uncle. That we have plenty of time and should take it slow. But now everything feels so sudden. Hyungoh’s voice grew faster.
“Calm down and listen to me—”
“No, I’m not finished. Why are you always like this, uncle? We’re both fugitives. We’re already marked by Gostin, and heavily at that. What do you think will happen when they find out we’re trying to hack them while siding with Cenaline?”
Hyungoh pressed his forehead firmly as if frustrated and continued.
“This is giving them an opportunity. An opportunity for retaliation. Massive retaliation! Let’s imagine the worst-case scenario. This is just an extreme example, and I hate to even say it out loud, but like six years ago—”
“Yes, war is about to break out.”
“War could break out— Wait, what?”
“Enya said that Gostin has proposed an alliance. It’s the same tactic as before. War is inevitable.”
Hyungoh closed his mouth. Watching him standing there with a shocked expression, Theo could roughly guess what conversation the two had been having.
“Now, Hyungoh. Look here.”
Hunter seems to have explained it roughly, so let me add a bit more. Theo snapped his fingers in front of Hyungoh’s face. Still wearing a dumbfounded expression, Hyungoh obediently turned his head to look at Theo.
“First of all, what you two need to do is hack into their recent weapons trade records and updated preferred organization list.”
“Through these, we want to confirm whether Gostin is really preparing for war. Though it’s pretty obvious already.”
The weapons trade records will show higher input than usual, and the preferred organization list will be filled with new organizations desperately trying to catch Gostin’s eye. Even if they’re disposable cards, they can still be useful as cannon fodder. Hunter said.
“Can you two speak English so I can understand?”
“Ah, right. Since it’s so much more convenient for Koreans to speak in English rather than their native tongue.”
“I need to know the flow of the conversation to understand what additional explanations I should provide.”
Hyungoh, who had been blankly watching Hunter and Theo bicker, sat down heavily in a chair.
“War?”
I can’t believe I’m going to experience a war in my lifetime. Even though it’s a war between mafias, still. Bombs exploding, bullets flying, people dying, betrayal and terrorism turning everything into a living hell. Hyungoh felt dizzy just imagining it.
“Can’t we stop it?”
Hyungoh asked without confidence.
“We could. If we agree to their alliance proposal.”
“Then shouldn’t we agree? It’s better to put out even a small spark first, right?”
“As if we’d agree. Because of the shooting incident in New York six years ago, the boss almost crossed the river to the afterlife. At a meeting where Gostin had gathered all the national mafia bosses under the pretext of forming an alliance.”
Everyone knows Gostin was behind that incident. And you want us to bite on another sinister proposal like that? Theo grumbled, arrogantly sitting in a chair with his feet up on the desk.
“Then why not just reject the proposal outright instead of trying to hack them?”
“They’ve played us before, so we need to get revenge to feel better.”
Theo answered. After finding out the real reason behind this alliance game, it would be more fun to pretend to fall for it and then stab them in the back.
“What happens if that plan doesn’t succeed?”
“Whether it succeeds or not, war will break out anyway, so even if we fail, nothing major will happen. Either way, we’ll suffer the same losses from the war.”
Here’s the important point. Theo tapped his head with a mean smile.
“Who suffers more psychological damage.”
“…So in the end, it’s a battle of pride.”
“What else would it be? In the end, war is just a petty fight. There’s no grand meaning to greedy people killing each other because they can’t stand one another.”
Hyungoh found himself unconsciously agreeing with Theo’s words. Well, that’s true. It is true, but… Hyungoh still felt uneasy. Noticing his feelings, Theo clicked his tongue out of habit.
“If you’re still worried, think of it this way. By helping Cenaline, you’re trying to gain your freedom. Why? Because you’re caught between Gostin and Cenaline, getting crushed in the middle. If Cenaline tramples Gostin, then Gostin won’t be able to hold you back anymore.”
Tempting, isn’t it? Theo clapped his hands as if impressed by his own idea.
What nonsense… Hyungoh was about to react negatively but then reconsidered. Wait, is that actually a good deal? Like Theo says, I’m caught in the crossfire between these whales.
“Your eloquence has improved since before.”
Hunter patted Theo’s head. Theo frowned and swatted his hand away.
“Tell me, Hyungoh. It’s a good idea, right?”
“I’ll… think about it a bit more.”
“If you just keep thinking, you might miss the timing again.”
Theo pressured him. You missed the timing before because you hesitated like this. Don’t you remember? I clearly said timing was important, didn’t I? At his criticism, Hyungoh let out a groan.
“Mr. Cooper, what are you doing in the conference room?”
The woman who had teased Theo earlier in the lobby suddenly opened the door without warning. Startled, Hyungoh smoothed the wrinkle between his brows and stared at her blankly.
“…Timing, that damn timing.”
“Hey! How can you put your feet on the desk?”
“Get out. This place is reserved for these two for now.”
“Who are they?”
“They’re outsiders just like you guys.”
Her puzzled expression turned toward Hunter and Hyungoh. Outsiders like us?
“Oh, just think of them as new hackers.”
Theo made it clear he was too annoyed to explain further and gestured for her to leave. Oh, newcomers? Where are they from? A man who appeared beside her peered in with interest.
Ignoring them, Hunter turned on the computer.
“Let’s just get this over with quickly.”
“Huh… you make it sound so easy.”
“Let’s be more honest. This is an easy job, isn’t it? Why are you being so shy when you already know all their attack and defense routes, Mr. Former Lead Hacker?”
Under Hunter’s urging, Hyungoh reluctantly turned on the computer in front of him. Oh well, whatever. I’ve already turned it on. My hands are on the keyboard. Hyungoh closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again. His gaze gradually became more serious.
The sounds of Theo arguing with the Cenaline hackers who had gathered at the door seemed distant. The feel of the keyboard, which seemed familiar after a long time, actually made his breathing more stable than before.
“A honeypot trap from the beginning? Starting like that would raise suspicion first. If it were me, I would have set a simple dropper as the initial trap.”
“I was against the initial honeypot too. But Jake… ah, there’s a mantrap second. The second address that appears is the real one, just so you know.”
Hyungoh, who had been indignant, quickly spoke as the second trap started.
“Hmm, weaker than I expected.”
“It’s still better than the old traps Uncle used to make. Those were practically advertising ‘Please catch me’.”
“I made them? Well, Jake was the leader before you.”
“Yeah, yeah, so everything is Jake’s fault, right?”
“It’s true that he couldn’t build a good defense system.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Hyungoh felt strange. He and Hunter worked together better than expected. When Hyungoh took the lead to disarm traps, Hunter immediately followed up to neutralize small defensive attacks. Unlike other hackers he had worked with before, there was no need to give advice or issue commands.
Thanks to this, Hyungoh could concentrate even more. Before they knew it, Cenaline’s hackers had gathered behind Hunter and Hyungoh, watching in silence.
“Wow, these two are amazing.”
A man with ginger hair who had slightly lowered his round glasses quietly exclaimed. They’re breaking through the security system so easily? And they haven’t triggered any traps even once. The woman who had been arguing with Theo earlier chimed in.
“Jake definitely wasn’t cut out to be a leader. Calm and cool-headed Jennifer would have been perfect, but Federico insisted.”
“Federico was the one who made Jake the leader?”
“Yes. It was a decision made to keep me in check. The kid doesn’t like me.”
“Why? Is he an Asian-hater?”
Yellow monkey, banana, and whatnot. He could write an encyclopedia of racist comments. Hyungoh said with a deeply furrowed brow.
“Haha, I was the source of his Asian hatred. I killed his father, so, well, he has reason to dislike me.”
“What?”
Hyungoh abruptly stopped his fingers that had been dancing across the keyboard. Hunter responded in a casual tone.
“I didn’t kill him directly, but the result was that he died because of my orders… Ah, which address should I enter here?”
“The third one shown here… No, wait. Uncle, you killed someone? Why?”
“I’m embarrassed that you’re so shocked. If you’ve been assuming my life has been as pure and bright as a fairy tale, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“It would be strange not to be shocked! So after Theo’s father, now Jake’s father too… Why are you going around killing other people’s fathers?”
“Hm? Theo’s father?”
Gary Cooper? Hunter tilted his head. Why would that man…
When the familiar name came out of Hunter’s mouth, Theo, who had been watching them with his arms crossed, became serious. He detached himself from the desk and approached Hunter and Hyungoh.
“Why are you pretending not to know? You killed that man, didn’t you?”
“What? Haha, who said that?”
Hyungoh, feeling uneasy, turned his head to look directly at Hunter. Hunter, who had been keeping his eyes on the monitor, noticed his gaze and smiled lightly.
“I never did that. What reason would I have to kill him?”
As Hunter pressed the enter key, yellow files filled the monitor screen. Those watching from behind clapped their hands with exclamations of admiration. Hyungoh, who had been startled by the sudden presence of people he hadn’t even noticed, swallowed dryly as he faced Theo’s expression full of doubt and wariness.
