<110> Side Story. 2
Ja-kyeong took a bottle of water from the small refrigerator in the room and quenched his thirst. Having been out until late last night, he was beyond tired. Holding the water, he went over and looked down at the man in the corner of the bed. The man wore nothing but a pair of briefs, his limbs tied behind his back, his entire body covered in elaborate Japanese-style tattoos.
Ja-kyeong peeled away the tape covering the man's mouth and poured a little water. The man, barely conscious, frantically tried to drink before attempting to scream. Ja-kyeong immediately sealed his mouth again with tape. Mmph, mmph—the sounds that couldn't escape swirled inside the tape.
When he opened the door and stepped out, Wang Ryun was dividing bundles of money into a briefcase. Finishing his water, Ja-kyeong went over, picked up one of the money bundles, and tossed it into the bag.
"Why are you up already? Get some more sleep."
"Representative Kang called."
Wang Ryun, who had been closing the bag, looked up.
"You didn't say anything, right?"
Before he could answer, the door on the opposite side opened and Wang Han came out. Fresh from washing, only a towel hung loosely around his lower body.
"Wei. You're up already?"
"Representative Kang called."
"Did you tell him?"
Ja-kyeong answered with an expression of disbelief.
"Do you think I did?"
"No. If you had, he'd already be banging down that door with a gun in hand."
Wang Han shuddered as he recalled the time he'd tried to escape and was caught on the island. That scene still appeared in his dreams sometimes, and on those days he was especially careful. Wang Ryun went into the room and dragged out the man who'd been rolling on the floor. As soon as the tape was removed, the man screamed.
"What do you people want? I'll give you whatever you want! Just tell me! I have money! I'll give you anything, mmph!"
Ja-kyeong taped his mouth shut again. Noisy. Headache. He threw the empty water bottle into the trash can, then unfolded a travel bag to put the man in. The man was Japanese, the right-hand man of a major organization. But he'd ended up on the wanted list after stealing his own organization's secrets and passing them to Hong Kong.
"Say your prayers. You don't have much time left to breathe anyway."
Wang Ryun and Ja-kyeong loaded the man into the travel bag. The man poured out tears and screamed into his gag. Pleading eyes. A desperate voice that sounded like it would break. A desperate expression that didn't match the elaborate tattoos covering his body.
Watching the man steadily, Ja-kyeong closed the bag lid and zipped it shut. The man's groans and sobs gradually quieted. Even if he left last words, there was no one to hear them.
From the rooftop of a tall building, Ja-kyeong crouched low and surveyed the hotel across the street through binoculars. A short while later, Wang Han and Wang Ryun entered a hotel room on the 22nd floor. Hand over the kidnapped man and leave—that was it. Just in case, Ja-kyeong waited on the opposite side with a sniper rifle aimed.
After living comfortably for months under Kang Il-hyun, loved like a pet dog, the hand holding the gun felt strange. And yet, just half a year ago, he'd gone around killing people without a second thought. Is this why they say humans are creatures of environment?
He took a piece of gum from his pocket. Through the earpiece, amidst static, Wang Han's voice came through.
[Wei. Can you hear me?]
Ja-kyeong put the gum in his mouth.
"Loud and clear."
[I said we just arrived. Get ready.]
"Okay."
Chewing the gum slowly, he looked down. Several black cars stopped in front of the hotel. Burly men who looked far from ordinary got out and entered the building together. Ja-kyeong gripped the sniper rifle and pressed his eye to the scope.
He could see Wang Han and Wang Ryun's faces clearly as they sat, looking somewhat tense, in the building across.
Vrr, vrr—as if waiting for this moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated. Ah, of all times. He tried to ignore it, but the vibration wouldn't stop. He took it out to check—'Our Darling' was displayed on the screen. Seeing the hotel room door open, Ja-kyeong tossed the phone aside and focused on the situation before him.
They exchanged brief greetings, and soon the money bag was handed to Wang Han and Wang Ryun.
Wang Han opened the bag to check the amount. Ja-kyeong focused all his nerves on every movement from the other side. A short conversation followed, and Wang Han and Wang Ryun safely exited the room. Seeing the door close, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Han's voice came through the earpiece again.
[Wei. Come out now. Come down.]
He detached the silencer from the gun. He was packing the scope and stand into the bag when—Bang!—a loud crack sounded. Ja-kyeong stood up. The man who had been in the bag moments ago lay on top of a car parked in front of the hotel. Red blood flowed onto the ground, and passersby were in an uproar.
Immediately, Boom! An explosion rang out and the building shook. Screams were heard, and flames shot up from the hotel room where the man had been staying. Their method of punishing traitors showed no mercy.
Tomorrow morning, the newspapers would report that a key figure in a Japanese organization had jumped to his death in the middle of Hong Kong. Though disguised as suicide, it was also a warning. By executing the traitor in plain sight, they instilled fear in the remaining members. That was how they tightened their bonds.
He grabbed his bag, came down through the emergency stairs, and quickly got into the black car waiting on the road. He could see people gathered around the body. He faced the face of the dead man, eyes still open. What words had he wanted to leave behind?
The car soon departed. In the distance, fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances were rushing over. Turning his head, Ja-kyeong noticed the money bag beside him. The bag containing the balance payment seemed to smell of blood.
Watching the passing police cars, Wang Han whistled softly.
"They're swarming like bees."
"We made money, so how about we have a hot night with some ladies tonight?"
At Wang Ryun's words, Wang Han laughed and pointed behind him.
"You want Wei to kill you?"
Ja-kyeong frowned. He had no desire to play with women either.
"Don't talk like I'm some kept man."
Wang Han and Wang Ryun snickered.
"It's true, though. I didn't know you had such a henpecked streak."
With a sulky expression, Ja-kyeong kicked Wang Ryun's chair. Shut up, Ryun-hyung. He said he was keeping faith because he liked Kang Il-hyun, not because he was afraid of him, but the teasing wouldn't stop. Ja-kyeong gave up and patted his pockets. Then his eyes went wide.
Ah. His phone.
Damn it. He'd left the phone lying on the floor.
Too many eyes to go back now. He'd have to wait until dawn tomorrow. Reluctantly, he borrowed Wang Han's phone to contact Kang Il-hyun. But he didn't pick up.
Several attempts yielded the same result. Watching this, Wang Han asked worriedly.
"He's not answering?"
"No..."
Seeing Ja-kyeong anxious, Wang Ryun giggled.
"See? He is a kept man."
"Whose fault is all this!"
Ja-kyeong kicked Wang Ryun's chair again as he shrugged nonchalantly. At first he'd thought this was really a trip and followed along, only to discover there was another purpose. Thanks to that, he'd ended up lying to Kang Il-hyun unexpectedly. Grumbling, he kept calling, but only the signal rang—the call went unanswered.
When they reached their lodgings and were packing to return to Macau, Wang Ryun's phone rang. He checked the number and called Ja-kyeong. Representative Kang. Taking the phone, Ja-kyeong walked a little away from the Wang brothers.
[What's going on?]
"I lost my phone while... shopping."
Ja-kyeong lied as he looked out the window. In the distance, smoke was still billowing from the hotel. The lights of fire trucks and police cars still flashed. While his gaze wandered elsewhere, the other end of the line grew noisy. Something like an announcement played.
"Are you outside?"
"Yeah. Airport."
"Why?"
"I'm heading to Hong Kong. Something came up.]
Ja-kyeong paused and looked back at Wang Han and Wang Ryun. Drinking, they were giggling up a storm, delighted about something. Ja-kyeong bit his lower lip.
"Why Hong Kong..."
[A client I was dealing with died.]
"......"
[Fell from a hotel, they say.]
Ah, surely not.
"What was his name?"
[Furukawa Daichi.]
Ugh, Ja-kyeong almost groaned through his teeth without realizing it. Seeing his expression sour, the snickering Wang brothers noticed something was off and watched him. He scowled at them and shook his head. Wang Ryun mouthed 'why?' but he couldn't answer.
[I'll go there and cross over to Macau. Come back to Korea with me.]
"......"
When he didn't answer right away, he called Ja-kyeong's name.
[Lee Ja-kyeong.]
"Okay..."
After exchanging a few more words, he ended the call. Ja-kyeong held the disconnected phone, covered his face, and cursed. Wang Ryun asked what was wrong. Ja-kyeong grabbed his hair with a look of despair.
"We're fucked..."
"Why?"
"The guy who died earlier... I think he was Kang Il-hyun's client."
Both men straightened at once. What!?
"Damn it. Are you sure?"
"Maybe not..."
Ja-kyeong looked back and forth between them with a hollow expression.
"The name is exactly the same too."
"......"
Everyone fell silent. They considered the possibility that it might not be true, but the chance of another Japanese man with the same name falling to his death from a hotel today was extremely slim. Tick, tick—the second hand on the wristwatch felt like a signal announcing death. Wang Ryun, the ringleader, suggested they just run, and Wang Han told him to go ahead if he wanted to die.
Finally, Ja-kyeong made up his mind and packed his bag.
"Pack your things first. Let's leave right away."