11. This time, I'll be the one to make the first move.
“Ugh…….”
As consciousness faintly returned, O Suyeon raised her heavy eyelids at the sound of a car horn coming from outside.
The moment she realized she was in an unfamiliar place rather than a familiar room, her body reacted instantly before she could even think.
“Ugh!”
O Suyeon shot upright, groaning at the sharp pain she felt in her side.
She lowered her head and pulled up the T-shirt she was wearing to see sterilized gauze and medical tape wrapped around the wound. When she peeled back the gauze slightly, the stab wound was cleanly sutured as well.
But just because the wound had been stitched up didn’t mean the pain had disappeared. Every time she moved even a little, the pain rising from the wound made her fingertips twitch involuntarily.
‘So that man treated me.’
O Suyeon recalled the face of the man whose name she still didn’t know.
Now that she had the composure to look around, she furrowed her brow. Although it was clean, the room—with nothing but two chairs, a side table, and the folding bed she had been lying on—was impossible to imagine as a place where someone lived.
‘Rather than a home…… it’s more like an empty officetel.’
It reeked of a space where someone had placed only the bare necessities and was using it temporarily.
Then, suddenly realizing that the clothes she was wearing had been changed, O Suyeon hurriedly lifted the blanket. Fortunately, her underwear was still the same.
“Well, it couldn’t be helped if he needed to treat me.”
If she were still wearing clothes completely soaked in blood, she would have felt more uncomfortable instead.
Groaning, O Suyeon perched on the edge of the folding bed, trying to recall what on earth had happened.
Just then, sensing someone’s presence outside the door, she shot out like lightning, grabbed the medical scissors on the side table, and hid them.
She had no idea where this was, or whether that man had actually treated her, so it was an instinctive reaction before she could even think. O Suyeon lay down on the folding bed and closed her eyes, as if she were still unconscious.
Step. Step.
Footsteps rang out on the concrete floor. Judging by the stride and gait, it was clearly a man.
The moment the unidentified man placed his hand on her forehead, O Suyeon shot upright, grabbed his hand, and yanked him toward her. Then she pressed the medical scissors she was holding in her other hand against his throat and threatened him.
“Attacking people the moment you wake up—is that your hobby?”
Minseong asked with an expression that remained nonchalant even with a blade pressed against his neck. He had already noticed she was pretending to sleep just from the sound of her breathing. He had deliberately let himself be caught even though he could have responded easily enough.
“Ah.”
Realizing it was Minseong, O Suyeon immediately removed the scissors from his neck and released her grip on his hand.
“Good reaction speed.”
Minseong said in a deliberately light tone, rolling his neck this way and that.
“Where is this?”
But despite Minseong’s efforts, O Suyeon remained visibly wary. With her body slightly crouched, ready to bolt at any moment, and leaning back, she looked like a cat with its fur standing on end.
“It’s a safe place, so you don’t need to be on guard.”
“Is this your hideout?”
“Something like that.”
Minseong replied nonchalantly, dusting off his wrinkled clothes.
O Suyeon, on the other hand, still looked at him as if he were a suspicious person. Well, it was a natural reaction—ordinary people didn’t keep hideouts here and there. She was probably racking her brain, wondering who on earth this guy was. Minseong smiled inwardly as he watched her eyes darting around, still trying to take in her surroundings.
“Besides, your wound hasn’t fully healed yet. If you move that violently, all the treatment I did will come undone.”
Minseong said, pointing at her side.
“And about changing your clothes…….”
“It was me. I couldn’t just leave you soaked in blood.”
O Suyeon nodded as if she understood. He had touched a woman’s body; even if it was an emergency, he had expected her to complain a little, but there was no particular reaction.
“More importantly, we need to disinfect it again.”
“……I can’t keep owing you. I’ll do it myself.”
It was an admirable thing to say, but the truth was she probably just didn’t want to entrust her body to someone else’s hands. Especially since she was weakened from her injury, she would be even more guarded.
“Do as you’re comfortable.”
Minseong opened the side table drawer and took out antiseptic, gauze, and the necessary medical supplies. Then, as if telling her to handle it herself, he stepped back and sat down on a chair.
Since the suturing was already finished, she figured she could easily manage a simple disinfection and reapply the gauze by herself. Thinking so, O Suyeon confidently pulled up her T-shirt, but when she actually tried to do it, it didn’t go well. Because the wound was on her side, she couldn’t see it properly, and the more clumsily she touched it, the worse the pain became.
“I knew it.”
Unable to watch her struggle alone, Minseong ended up doing the disinfection for her. Each time the cotton ball soaked in antiseptic tapped the wound, O Suyeon’s eyes twitched. Having neatly applied new gauze with quick, efficient handiwork, Minseong looked at O Suyeon, who wore a slightly embarrassed expression.
“……Thank you.”
Having received help up to this point, she seemed unable to remain openly hostile, and her demeanor had softened considerably.
“Don’t mention it. But there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“How did you end up locked in the club warehouse?”
He had thrown the question while her guard was down, but unexpectedly, she remained tight-lipped and silent.
“Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
Just as he told her to rest for now and turned to leave, O Suyeon whispered.
“A friend……”
Her calloused hands—unlike a woman’s—clutched the blanket tightly.
“The bastards killed my best friend.”
Minseong listened quietly to the story O Suyeon was struggling to tell.
“I had a long-time friend. But then suddenly died of a drug overdose.”
As if reliving the emotions of that time, O Suyeon’s voice trembled faintly.
“The police said it was a drug addiction, but that friend was absolutely not the type to do such things. So I said there must be some other reason, but no one would listen to me.”
“You can’t know everything about a friend just because they’re a friend.”
When O Suyeon glared at him with fierce eyes, he shrugged.
“Well, just saying.”
“Anyway, the police said the evidence was conclusive and they couldn’t remain tied up to a single case for long, so they closed the case just like that.”
“Most of them do.”
“I couldn’t rely on the police, so I decided to move on my own. I retraced every detail of what happened that day, and what I found was that nightclub.”
It had been her friend’s birthday that day. She had gone to the nightclub they ran to throw a party, and while drunk, her friend had been forcibly shoved into a room where Sun Chunlan was and injected with drugs against her will. That day, her friend ended up losing her life after being given a lethal dose.
“Even though something like that happened in their room, the bastards covered it up. And on top of that, they framed my friend as an addict to shut everyone up. ‘There’s no way an ordinary person would be involved with drugs,’ ‘a loose woman got what she deserved’…… ‘She overdosed while using in secret, so it’s her own doing.’ I heard all sorts of things.”
O Suyeon ground her teeth in fury.
“Did you report it to the police?”
At that, O Suyeon sneered coldly.
“I found out that nightclub is quite the big shot. The police, of course, and even government officials—all of them were in cahoots, taking money from those Black Society scum. When they’re all on the same side, who would listen to me?”
“So you went out to take revenge yourself.”
“Yes.”
O Suyeon murmured with a somewhat clouded expression.
“Looking back now, it was an incredibly reckless thing to do…… but I just couldn’t stand it.”
She had rushed in headfirst, but it was obvious she would end up caught and overwhelmed by their numbers. Minseong nodded, now understanding how O Suyeon had ended up rolling around alone in the nightclub warehouse.
“Thank you for saving me and treating my wounds.”
After expressing her gratitude, O Suyeon faced Minseong squarely.
“You killed Sun Chunlan, so my friend’s revenge is more or less complete. I suppose it’s time we part ways here.”
“Can you move by yourself?”
“More or less.”
He had brought her here because she was injured, but Minseong had no intention of keeping her here any longer either.
“All right. There are new clothes over there, so change and go.”
To O Suyeon, who had been wearing only a T-shirt and thin sweatpants, this was welcome. Minseong stepped aside so O Suyeon could change comfortably.
A short while later, O Suyeon—wearing sneakers, jeans, and a light windbreaker—carefully emerged from the inner room.
“I thought so when I first woke up, but this room really has nothing in it.”
“No reason to decorate it.”
The outside was similar to the room O Suyeon had been lying in. Aside from a sofa, a table, and a few essentials, the empty space felt desolate.
“Take this.”
Looking at the black backpack sitting alone on the table, O Suyeon spoke up.
“What is this?”
“Check for yourself.”
“…….”
O Suyeon approached and unzipped the backpack. Inside the wide-open backpack were bundles of 50,000-won bills.
“……!”
As a startled O Suyeon looked up with wide eyes, Minseong spoke with a composed face.
“You know I came out of the manager’s office carrying a bag, right?”
Recalling the previous day’s memory, O Suyeon nodded slightly.
“There were gold ingots in there. I don’t need to tell you how they were earned.”
Leaning back against the sofa, Minseong continued.
“It was worth roughly 500 million won. I cut it exactly in half and converted 250 million won into cash for easy use.”
“……You’re telling me to take that?”
“Yes.”
O Suyeon looked at him with a face full of question marks.
“You could have just kept it all for yourself. Why are you sharing it with me?”
Minseong was the one who had dealt with Sun Chunlan, and O Suyeon had forgotten the bag even existed, so there would have been no problem if he had kept it all.
“Well. Things happened that way, but anyway, we fought those bastards together. So half the gold we took out is your share.”
Minseong shrugged lightly.
“I’m not in such dire straits that I’d have to swallow all the spoils we won together by myself.”
To O Suyeon, Minseong was a man she simply could not understand. He seemed cold yet gentle, drawing lines sharply like a blade yet looking out for her like a comrade.
When O Suyeon remained silent, Minseong spoke in a playful tone.
“If it bothers you to take it, I’ll take it all instead.”
“I didn’t say that.”
O Suyeon quickly lifted the backpack and slung it over her shoulder.
“Then let’s meet again if fate allows.”
A faint smile graced her face as she waved her hand lightly.
Indeed, the power of cash was tremendous.
“All right.”
Minseong snickered and watched O Suyeon’s retreating figure until she walked out the door.
“Interesting woman.”
Left alone, Minseong murmured with a smile hanging at his lips.
***
A few days later.
Four men who stood out conspicuously among the tourists walked toward the customs inspection counter. They were Deng Xunwang—a trusted subordinate of Wu Wulin, the boss of the Dalian Black Society—and his men.
The long line shrunk little by little, and soon it was Deng Xunwang’s turn. The customs officer took the passport Deng Xunwang held out, checked the photo attached to it, and tapped on the keyboard. After checking what appeared on the monitor, the customs officer glanced at the men standing behind Deng Xunwang and asked in English,
“Are you Deng Xunwang?”
Deng Xunwang answered in awkward English.
“That’s right.”
“What brings you to Korea?”
“I’ve come for business.”
“What kind of business, specifically?”
“I’m thinking of trying import and export.”
“How long do you plan to stay in Korea?”
“I intend to stay for a few months.”
The questions continued for a while longer, but Deng Xunwang answered without hesitation. Only then did the customs officer stamp his passport for entry and return it. After passing through customs and exiting the arrivals hall, men in black suits came to greet them and bowed in unison.
“Welcome!”
The people around them flinched and stepped back at the sight, but no one paid them any mind.
“Pathetic.”
Deng Xunwang—who had an angular face and sharp eyes—spat out upon seeing Hua Ziyuan wrapped in bandages.
“I apologize.”
Hua Ziyuan lowered his head, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Deng Xunwang stared at Hua Ziyuan with displeased eyes, then soon turned his head and brushed past him.
Having exited the building, Deng Xunwang got into the large Benz sedan Hua Ziyuan had prepared and left the airport grounds. While the convoy of vehicles carrying the group headed for Seoul, Deng Xunwang looked out the window at the vast West Sea, then straightened his head and spoke.
“The Chief is greatly disappointed by this matter.”
Hua Ziyuan, who had been sitting and watching for cues, replied immediately.
“I am truly ashamed. However, we were unable to send the tribute on time due to unavoidable circumstances; it was absolutely not intentional.”
Though he desperately scraped together excuses, Deng Xunwang’s frigid expression showed no signs of softening.
“No matter what happened, you should have met the deadline. That is no excuse.”
“I apologize.”
Looking at Hua Ziyuan, who was fidgeting anxiously, Deng Xunwang said.
“Since Sun Chunlan, who was in charge of the business in Korea, is already dead, I will not press the matter further.”
“Ah…….”
A look of relief washed over Hua Ziyuan’s face.
“But a second mistake will absolutely not be tolerated. Keep that in mind.”
Knowing full well what punishment would be handed down if he made another mistake, Hua Ziyuan swallowed dryly with a stiff face.
Regardless, Deng Xunwang, who had been staring ahead expressionlessly, threw a question.
“Sun Chunlan was taken down by just two people?”
“That’s correct.”
“Did another organization move against him?”
“No.”
Deng Xunwang, who had been considering the possibility of hitmen sent by another organization, finally turned his gaze to the side.
“Then you’re saying he was done in by nobodies?”
“Y-yes.”
Hua Ziyuan’s face flushed bright red as he answered. Because no matter how true it was, saying the organization had been smashed by just two people was no different from confessing his own incompetence. Had this been someone else’s affair, Hua Ziyuan would have been clutching his stomach in laughter.
“Just how were you running the organization to be beaten by trash like that? Truly pathetic.”
The sound of tongue-clicking echoed in the quiet car.
Hua Ziyuan recalled the terrifying sight Minseong had shown that day and thought that if Deng Xunwang had faced him directly, he wouldn’t be saying such things, but he didn’t voice it aloud.
“They dared touch us without fear. We must make them pay the price.”
“……”
Hua Ziyuan’s face stiffened like a wooden plank, worried that they might be poking a hornet’s nest for no reason.
“I’ll finish bringing in the goods this time and then deal with them.”
“……Yes.”
“The ship arrives in two days, correct?”
“Yes. It’s scheduled to dock in Incheon.”
“Make sure there are no mistakes this time. Handle things cleanly.”
“Understood.”
Having received the answer, Deng Xunwang leaned back against the plush seat and turned his gaze back out the window.
Meanwhile, there was someone listening to the conversation the two were having inside the car in its entirety. Minseong, sitting alone in his hideout, took off the headphones he had been wearing and spat out coldly.
“I knew this would happen.”
He had killed Sun Chunlan and turned the Montana Nightclub upside down, but Minseong had predicted the Black Society wouldn’t simply back down. So he had secretly installed wiretapping devices on Hua Ziyuan’s car and a few other places to monitor their movements.
And sure enough.
He learned that Deng Xunwang, newly arrived from Dalian, was planning to touch him again.
“In that case, this time I’ll be the one to make the first move.”
Minseong’s eyes flashed fiercely.