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Being carried on a stretcher into the operating room, Wang Lun looked like a corpse. His body was pale from blood loss, and he showed no movement. If Wang Han, who found him first, hadn't administered emergency treatment to the stab wound, he might have died right there.
How did they find out? Only the three of them and Kang Il-hyun knew the operation schedule. To avoid attracting attention, they moved as just the three of them without Kang Il-hyun's subordinates that day. Yet somehow they knew and were waiting there in advance. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.
People in surgical gowns hurried inside carrying several blood bags. Ja-kyung, standing with an anxious face, briefly caught a glimpse of Wang Lun through the open door. Seeing his limp arm, she couldn't bear it and turned away.
Wang Han sat on the chair in front of the operating room, half out of his mind. She took a seat beside him and waited for the surgery to end safely. Every time the door opened, her heart sank. Wang Han raised his hand and stroked Ja-kyung's head.
"It's okay. He's a stubborn bastard, so he'll definitely live."
Ja-kyung clenched her teeth. When they were young, whenever Ja-kyung was anxious, Wang Han would always ask if she was okay and reassure her that things would be fine. Then miraculously, things would actually become okay. She could only hope it would work this time too.
On the other hand, she felt a sense of self-reproach. If she had properly brought night vision goggles, Wang Lun wouldn't have been distracted, and even if they were ambushed, they wouldn't have been unilaterally defeated. As if sensing her thoughts, Wang Han kept patting her back.
Time passed incredibly slowly. After one hour, then two hours passed, Wang Han went outside to make a call. Left alone, Ja-kyung paced in front of the operating room again and took out her cellphone. She found Kang Il-hyun's contact and hesitated for a while. Would he be sleeping by now? She should report this, though.
Just then, Wang Han, who had gone to make a call, returned. He said he contacted Wang Lun's girlfriend to let her know the truth, but her phone was turned off. He had definitely seen her talking to Wang Lun right before the operation.
Time passed and the operating room door they were waiting for finally opened. Wang Lun's face being wheeled out on a moving bed was as white as paper. Several IV lines hung above him, swaying.
Wang Han urgently grabbed the doctor.
"How did it turn out?"
The doctor lowered the mask he was wearing.
"He lost a lot of blood, but fortunately there's no danger to his life. You did the emergency treatment quickly and well. He just needs to rest and be monitored for a while."
Thank you, sir. Wang Han held the doctor's hand and bowed as if to perform a full bow. Ja-kyung also expressed her gratitude, and then the two exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief.
"We worried for nothing."
Ja-kyung laughed.
"Who was it that said he'd live because he's a stubborn bastard?"
"Who said I was worried about him? I was worried because the two of us have to work and there'd be no one to get weapons."
The two laughed, exchanging silly jokes as their tension released. As they headed to the hospital room following a nurse's guidance, Ja-kyung's cellphone rang. A message arrived from an unknown number. Ja-kyung, who opened it to check, stopped walking.
In the photo, Park Tae-su was meeting with Wang Lun's girlfriend, Yoon Mi-ra.
"...."
The next photo showed Park Tae-su handing a black bag to Yoon Mi-ra. It was a completely incomprehensible situation. What is this? Why are the two meeting?
Wang Han, who was walking ahead, turned around.
"What's wrong?"
Ja-kyung quickly stuffed her cellphone in her pocket and approached Wang Han.
"Do you have Lun hyung's phone?"
Wang Han took out a cellphone from his pocket and handed it to Ja-kyung. The three always used two cellphones, separating the ones used for operations and daily life. Usually they used high-performance latest models, and for operations, they mainly used old flip phones that were difficult to hack.
Even when the three exchanged contacts or made schedules, they only shared through operation phones.
However, Wang Lun frequently contacted his girlfriend even through his operation phone, and Wang Han had scolded him for this more than once or twice. Ja-kyung entered the password to unlock it and immediately called Yoon Mi-ra.
As Wang Han said, a message appeared saying it was turned off before the signal even went through. Ja-kyung's eyes changed subtly. She tried again and it was the same. Checking the messages recently exchanged with her, most were just short expressions of affection.
Ja-kyung tore off the back of the phone, separated the battery, and not satisfied with that, smashed the phone against the wall. Thud, as the phone shattered and cracks opened up, she forcibly pulled it apart to check the inside. Ja-kyung's eyes, examining the inside, turned sharp.
Wang Han, who was in front, came right up close and discovered a chip smaller than a thumbnail and let out a groan. He immediately recognized that it was a listening device. When on earth had it been there? Even now, their conversation would be transmitted intact to the other side.
Ja-kyung, glaring at the chip, put it in her mouth and chewed it thoroughly with her molars. She crushed it until her tongue was scratched and blood came out, then spat it into the trash can with a "ptui." After wiping the blood from her lips, the two couldn't bring themselves to go to Wang Lun and instead slumped back onto the chairs.
Il-hyun Ja-kyung
Il-hyun stood in front of the hotel terrace railing early in the morning with a cigarette in his mouth. In front, demonstrators were shouting slogans fiercely. They claimed to be a civilian environmental group, but their appearance and physiques were clearly thugs and punks gathered in a hurry.
Seeing them suddenly appear and obstruct the work, someone must have definitely instigated them. And of all times, right when Lee Ja-kyung was feeling jealous. Thanks to that, he couldn't even get his cock sucked a few times before getting on the plane, so he wanted to tear them to death.
Il-hyun chewed the cigarette with his teeth and smiled viciously.
"Fuck. I want to pour oil and fry them all up."
A dispute had broken out and lawyers also came down to the police station, but since the construction company side had assaulted first, their position was currently disadvantageous. According to the team leader, a man claiming to be the group's leader had picked a fight, even brought up his dead parents to provoke him. In short, he deliberately provoked them, and they took the bait.
Il-hyun put the cigarette in his mouth and put both hands in his pants pockets. There are things he doesn't like everywhere.
Tsk, he clicked his tongue and was glaring below when Tae-su opened the terrace door and came in.
"Chairman, you need to take a call."
His voice was no different from usual, but his words were slightly faster. Since it was a very rare case, Il-hyun brought the phone to his ear as soon as he received it. It was contact from an employee in Seoul. One who had been assigned the mission to protect Lee Ja-kyung while he was away.
As he listened to the story, Il-hyun's expression hardened frighteningly.
"Where?"
The voice on the other end explained the hospital location. After instructing them to move from the hospital first, he ended the call. Below, slogans and shouts opposing environmental destruction could still be heard. Il-hyun fixed his gaze there and called Tae-su.
"I think I need to go up."
"Yes."
Il-hyun rubbed out the cigarette and gritted his teeth. He could tell who was behind this without even looking. How did they know in advance? He tried to contact Lee Ja-kyung, but she wasn't answering. They said her life wasn't in danger and a bullet just grazed her arm, but he felt he needed to go and check himself to be at ease.
My cat, how startled she must have been.
I need to go quickly and soothe her.
***
Ja-kyung, who had been smoking in the smoking booth near the hospital, came outside. In the early dawn, rain had poured as if the sky had been pierced, but now the sunlight was stinging enough to peel one's head. Having not been able to dry her wet clothes all night and wearing them as they were, it was quite uncomfortable.
She kept calling Yoon Mi-ra, but in the morning it showed as a non-existent number. As what she feared gradually became reality, Ja-kyung and Wang Han despaired and worried about how to tell Wang Lun about this fact.
Wang Lun opened his eyes once in the middle, but due to the medication's effect, he wasn't fully conscious.
She was sighing and walking when a black car stopped in front of her. Just as she was about to step aside and go around, the passenger side door opened and a tall man got out and blocked her way.
"Lee Ja-kyung?"
Ja-kyung, who had been looking at the ground, raised her head and stared at the man. His face seemed quite familiar, and belatedly she recalled that he was Chairman Kang's secretary. As she stepped back and glared at the man, the rear window of the sedan went down with a whir. Ja-kyung's expression hardened.
It was Chairman Kang. Seeing him for the first time in a year, he still revealed a beast-like quality in his eyes.
"Get in. I have something to say."
Ja-kyung glared at Chairman Kang.
"Shouldn't we go to the funeral of the dead Kim Dong-myung rather than here?"
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"Keep playing innocent. That's your specialty, Chairman."
"You think I did that?"
"Then who? Did Kang Il-hyun do it?"
The chairman didn't answer, and Ja-kyung scoffed. Sending one photo from somewhere and trying to frame Kang Il-hyun. She didn't completely trust him, but she didn't think he was crazy enough to throw ash on the meal he had prepared himself. There was no reason for that.
So the person who instigated it was most likely Chairman Kang. If she had a gun right now, she would blow a hole in the old man's head. Fuck. Ja-kyung ground her teeth while glaring at Chairman Kang and smiled crookedly.
"Please take care of yourself. I will definitely come to repay yesterday's debt."
"You speak carelessly."
"Because I'm no longer your client."
After sharply retorting, she tried to pass by, but Chairman Kang called her again.
"You and Representative Kang, you're in that kind of relationship, right?"
Ja-kyung frowned. Why, is he going to ask if they're openly having sex?
"Do you know what happened to the people who previously met with Representative Kang?"
Ja-kyung turned around with a dumbfounded face.
"Do I need to know about Kang Il-hyun's dating history?"
Chairman Kang laughed as if he had heard something amusing.
"Aren't you curious? What happened to those people."
"...."
"Whether they lived. Or died."
The nuance was subtle. Ja-kyung didn't respond, and Chairman Kang smiled with an unexpectedly gentle face.
"It would be really good if you were my person."
"Wake up from your dream."
"I won't. Instead, don't trust him too much. When a moment of crisis comes, Representative Kang will let go of your hand first."
She was about to say "you take care of yourself instead," but the window went up with a whir and the car departed. Ja-kyung glared at the car receding into the distance and ground her teeth. At this point, she was starting to feel sorry for Kang Il-hyun. He has one son and can't bear to leave him alone, he's so desperate.
Fuck. No wonder the kid turned out weird.