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Tap, tap, tap. The tip of the knife rhythmically struck the edge of the table. In front sat a man with permed hair that had been let loose, his hands bound with rope, his face bloodied, and his mouth sealed with tape.
Il-hyeon wiped the blade with his fingertips once, then pressed it firmly against the man's throat. Veins bulged in the man's neck, and muffled groans escaped from his taped mouth. Tae-su peeled the tape from the man's lips.
The knife tip slid downward and suddenly plunged into the man's thigh. Aaaak! A scream that seemed to tear through the air echoed in the office. When the knife was pulled out, blood spurted forth. Il-hyeon inserted his thumb into the gaping wound and dug around with a smile.
Aaaaaak, fuck! The man screamed at the top of his lungs and thrashed about. Il-hyeon wiped his bloody hand with a towel while meeting the man's gaze.
"If you'd just been honest from the start, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. Right, President Kim?"
The man's jaw trembled uncontrollably from pain. The man called President Kim made money by facilitating illegal immigration and forging passports—there was no one in this underworld who didn't know him. Il-hyeon knew that this man had been involved in helping Lee Ja-gyeong and Wang-ryun smuggle themselves out last year.
"I really d-don't know. I don't know anything…."
Tsk. Il-hyeon clicked his tongue and extended his hand toward Tae-su. He handed over metal tongs, and two men pinned the man's shoulders down. The man's eyes widened, his pupils dilating. Il-hyeon grabbed his jaw as if to crush it and pressed down. With the strong grip, his jaw opened involuntarily and a scream burst out.
Il-hyeon inserted the tongs inside, grabbed his tongue, and smiled coldly.
"Since you don't seem to want to talk, I should make it so you never can again."
As he brought the bloodied knife to cut the tongue, the man shook his head. Immediately, the subordinates behind him grabbed his face and held it fixed. Il-hyeon pushed the blade right before the man's eyes and smiled coldly.
"Shh. If you do that, it won't end with just your tongue. Instead, I'll cut only half so you can still taste your food."
As soon as he smiled and positioned the blade against the tongue, the man moved his tongue. Though unintelligible, he was trying to say something. Il-hyeon released his jaw and stared directly into the fear-stricken man's eyes.
"Now do you feel like talking?"
The whites of the man's eyes turned red. He hesitated briefly, then seemingly gave up, dropped his head, sighed, and muttered as if to himself.
"I don't know the details…."
As soon as Il-hyeon gave the order to grab him again, the man shook his head and shouted.
"Jeonnam! They just asked me to find one boat in Jeonnam! That's all! Please believe me! Why would I lie!"
"Jeonnam?"
An unexpected location. What could be there that they needed a boat… Rolling his eyes in thought, he looked at Tae-su. He had mentioned that during his active service, he trained on an uninhabited island nearby for a while. It was the region with the most islands in the country, so even if they moved from place to place, they wouldn't be found for some time.
Tae-su seemed to have the same thought and nodded slightly.
"Tae-su."
"Yes."
"Mobilize everything—boats, helicopters, whatever can be launched."
"Understood."
Il-hyeon threw the knife he was holding onto the floor and laughed. Haha, fuck. So they escaped to an island of all places? He was dumbfounded.
Fine, my dear. Enjoy your freedom there to your heart's content.
Because I'll be coming to fetch you soon.
***
"Good heavens. Food everywhere."
Wang-ryun exclaimed with admiration as he butchered the goat he had caught. He had gone up to the upper part of the island since morning and hunted a black goat. Among the three, Wang-ryun would survive best wherever they were thrown, but he had adapted perfectly in just two days.
Ja-gyeong, who had been lighting the fire, went beside him and threaded the chopped goat meat onto wooden skewers, then made a stand and placed them to the side. The fire didn't touch them directly, but after a while, the sizzling smell of cooking meat wafted up.
Having eaten only instant food all along, her mouth watered at the sight of meat. Ja-gyeong swallowed her saliva and diligently made skewers to set up.
"Not just ten days, looks like we could live here for a month?"
Wang-ryun said, and Ja-gyeong agreed to some extent. Except for the mosquitoes that had bitten her plenty, it wasn't as bad as she had thought. She stood up and watched the waves rolling in and receding. A little ways away, in the crevices of rocks, Wang-han was sharpening a stick to catch fish.
It would take time for the goat meat to fully cook. Ja-gyeong dipped herself in the water. She had only walked in a little, but suddenly she was submerged up to her waist. She dove underwater and went down to the bottom to see if there was anything edible.
For some reason, she couldn't see a single clam. She popped her face out of the water with a splash, her body swaying with the waves. Floating on her back, she thought of Gang Il-hyeon. A few days ago, he had been lying like this in the pool.
Was he really sad?
Ah, but why did I come all the way here only to think about that man again? She repeatedly dove into the water and came back up to clear her mind. She saw some fish and reached out to catch them, but it was futile. In the end, she gave up and walked out of the water.
Wang-ryun, who had been sitting by the fire, shook a bottle of vodka.
"Hey. Come quickly. The meat is starting to cook."
Wang-han, who had gone fishing, returned. She hadn't expected much, but there were two octopuses in the bucket. She looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged his shoulders. Ja-gyeong poured water into an empty container, put the octopuses in, and placed it over the fire.
The octopuses that had been struggling to crawl out of the container soon grew quiet. A delicious smell permeated the air, and her mood improved as well.
"I've come to like this place. Should we set up our newlywed home right here?"
At Wang-ryun's words, Wang-han teased him, saying his sister-in-law would certainly appreciate that. The three laughed and each picked up a skewer with cooked meat. Wang-ryun poured the vodka he had bought from the mainland into a glass, took a bite of the meat, and frowned. Ja-gyeong also tasted the meat and made a subtle expression.
"Feels like chewing on a tire…."
"Why? The more you chew, the nuttier it gets."
"Then do you want mine too?"
"No. I'm already full."
"I should have hunted birds instead."
"Good idea. There's a hunting rifle in the cabin. It's old and rusty, but I think it'll work if we oil it up a bit."
"By the way, sitting here like this reminds me of the old days. When we were young."
Wang-ryun brought up stories from his childhood, and Wang-han and Ja-gyeong also lost themselves in old memories for a while. With alcohol and meat in their stomachs, and later sharing the octopus as well, they were full and their bodies grew languid. Beyond the horizon, the sun was setting, turning the entire sky crimson.
Wang-ryun stood up, stretched, and admired the sunset.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's a fucking beautiful view."
Ja-gyeong and Wang-han thought the same. Just then, a helicopter flew by in the distance. Wang-ryun put a cigarette in his mouth and waved both arms toward the helicopter.
"Please save us! There are people here!"
At the ridiculous sight, Ja-gyeong, tipsy from the alcohol, fell backward laughing. Wang-ryun turned around.
"This is what people stranded on islands do."
He jumped up and down with his large frame, waving his arms. Wang-han told him to stop, but he wouldn't listen. But for some reason, the helicopter that had been flying away changed direction and headed toward them.
Wang-han's expression hardened.
"Stop it. It's really coming."
Wang-ryun giggled and gestured for it to go back.
"No, no. Don't come. We're just here to play. Go away."
But the helicopter paid no heed and approached closer and closer. Ja-gyeong, who had been chewing on an octopus leg, also stiffened. Watching the approaching helicopter, the three gradually fell silent. At a glance, it was clearly neither a military nor police helicopter.
The helicopter that had come close lowered its altitude. Sensing something was wrong, Ja-gyeong and Wang-han stood up. Just then, the helicopter turned to the side. Was it turning back? The moment they felt relieved, the helicopter's door opened.
Thud. Ja-gyeong dropped the octopus leg she had been chewing on to the ground.
"Fuck… what is that."
Wang-ryun, who was at the front, stepped back as if he had seen a ghost. From the open helicopter door, someone was aiming a sniper rifle at them. As the helicopter descended, waves surged and the wind blew fiercely. Without a moment to think, bullets rained down on the sandy beach, and Wang-ryun turned around and screamed.
"We're fucked! Run!"
The three simultaneously ran frantically toward the forest.
Bang bang bang bang-,
At the gunshots shaking the island, Ja-gyeong's mind went blank. If she wasn't seeing things wrong, that was definitely Gang Il-hyeon. Why was he here? They had only escaped three days ago—how did he find them so quickly? She ran into the cabin, gasping for breath, and heard the helicopter sound above her head.
She hurriedly rummaged inside and pulled out a hunting rifle. It looked old and hopeless. She pulled the lever to check, and it moved without issue, contrary to her worries. As she was looking for bullets to load, something fell onto the cabin roof with a thud.
The three people's eyes moved to the ceiling. Thud, thud again, sounding like large acorns falling and rolling down the roof. Realizing simultaneously what those were, the three bolted out the door.
They hadn't taken more than a few steps when a tremendous explosion sounded from behind and the house was blown away. Though they made it outside safely, the shock from the explosion sent all three tumbling onto the ground in disarray. Barely regaining consciousness, Ja-gyeong tried to push herself up from the ground.
She checked on Wang-ryun and Wang-han's condition—they too were rolling around, unable to regain their senses. Her vision was spinning, and a ringing sound filled her ears. She shook her head. She had to come to her senses somehow and escape. Through her fading vision, someone was walking toward them holding a rifle.
Coming all the way to an island like this yet perfectly styled in a suit from head to toe—that was Gang Il-hyeon alright. The moment she clenched her fist to fight back, he swung the rifle. With a thud, a shock struck her head, and Ja-gyeong lost consciousness completely.