Hunter walked amidst more than thirty men. At first, there were only two, but as they walked, more and more men followed behind. Such a commotion. He wasn’t in the best mood.
Soon, Michael’s mansion came into view. The last time Hunter had seen it, it was half collapsed due to a fire, but now even those remains couldn’t hold up and had become debris scattered on the ground.
Around the mansion, Gostin’s and Cenaline’s people stood neatly arranged, clearly distinguishable from each other. Judging by the lack of familiar faces, it seemed they had largely employed members from other gangs who were eager to impress their respective organizations as cannon fodder.
They passed Michael’s mansion and entered the forest. Hunter was beginning to anticipate where Federico might be waiting.
After walking for a not-too-long period, a shimmering lake appeared through the dense trees. Federico was sitting in a wheelchair with his back to the emerald-colored lake that sparkled under the soft moonlight.
“You look healthy.”
Hunter feigned nonchalance. Federico, who had been closing his eyes, slowly lifted his eyelids at Hunter’s voice.
“All thanks to you.”
Federico snapped his fingers. One of the men waiting in the bushes emerged with Marsha.
The man had a gun pressed tightly against the back of Marsha’s head. Regardless, Marsha greeted Hunter with her usual expressionless face. What an impossible person. Hunter chuckled and nodded to Marsha in greeting.
“What’s this hostage situation for?”
“Just preparing a small game to keep an old friend entertained.”
“How thoughtful of you.”
“Did you fare well with Cenaline?”
“I was quite busy with piled-up work, so it was rather tough.”
Still, it was satisfying in its own way. My previous workplace was unfortunate enough to have a terrible boss that caused me a lot of mental stress, but I’m glad I finally found a decent boss. Hunter moved closer to Federico as he continued.
“I hate to say this at our reunion after six years, but seeing you again, I have some regrets.”
Hunter slightly lifted Federico’s chin with his finger. Federico’s sharp gaze collided with Hunter’s hate-filled eyes.
“I should have stabbed deeper. I didn’t realize your life would be this tenacious.”
“I see you still harbor resentment toward me about that incident.”
“It won’t easily disappear.”
Hunter smiled.
‘That incident’ was the catalyst that made Hunter act impulsively for the first time. Though he had always been someone who meticulously followed plans, that incident was an exception.
It happened six years ago. But Hunter still remembered it vividly.
On that day, which wasn’t particularly special, Hunter went to Federico’s room as usual to deliver documents. The fact that Federico wasn’t there wasn’t surprising either. It was one of his strange hobbies to wander around various parts of the mansion, claiming to take a walk while making people nervous.
Hunter was about to sit on the sofa and wait for him when he noticed a cremation urn on Federico’s desk.
Wondering what it was, he examined it and found that it was none other than Maria’s cremation urn.
It had been a perfectly ordinary, uneventful day until then. But suddenly, a feeling of anxiety gripped Hunter.
To make matters worse, Federico was out of his mind, like someone heavily intoxicated. In fact, he might really have been high on drugs.
As soon as Federico staggered into the room, Hunter asked about the urn. He tried his best to maintain his rationality. There was a high probability that it wasn’t Maria’s. Why would he bring an ordinary cremation urn all the way from Korea and display it on his desk?
But Federico deliberately knocked the urn to the floor. White powder scattered everywhere from the shattered urn.
It was clearly an action meant to provoke Hunter. Hunter understood this immediately. Perhaps because it happened so suddenly, at first he was more stunned than angry.
Wish her a happy birthday for me.
Only after hearing Federico’s words, which seemed to relish his reaction, did his heart start to pound violently. That day was the day before Maria’s birthday.
Hunter knelt down and swept the floor with his hands. When he grabbed a handful, the fine powder slipped gently through his fingers. Was it really Maria’s ashes?
I brought it directly from Korea. Federico promptly answered as if he had read Hunter’s doubt. Hunter’s mind went blank as Federico specified exactly which region and which spot it came from.
Federico didn’t tell meaningless lies. Especially not when he was trying to crush someone.
Why did you do it? Hunter gripped Federico’s collar. Despite Federico’s bloodshot, tired-looking eyes, his pupils remained distinctly bright.
After staring intently at Hunter, whose eyes were moist with anger and sorrow, Federico smiled broadly.
I suddenly wanted to see this expression.
It had been a long time since Hunter’s body reacted before his mind could think. After that, he couldn’t define what emotion drove his movements. All he knew for certain was that he had taken out the jackknife from his pocket and stabbed Federico near his heart.
“So, have you come today to take revenge for the past?”
Hunter asked, scanning the dozens of people visible between the bushes.
“Revenge? I came for a more grand reason than that.”
Federico shrugged and said,
“Before coming here, Michael told me. That only one person would be sacrificed today.”
“…Sacrificed.”
“But he didn’t tell me who that person would be.”
Federico raised his right hand and slightly wiggled his finger, and the waiting men simultaneously disappeared with the sound of footsteps, as if they had been waiting for this signal. Hunter suspiciously eyed the path they ran down and quickly realized. That path led to Michael’s mansion, to the neighborhood they had just been in.
“So I thought I’d choose that sacrificial lamb.”
“Who?”
When Hunter asked sharply, Federico pretended to consider for a moment before widening his eyes and answering.
“Your nephew, Hyungoh Choi.”
