#182

It wasn’t a mistake for Tae-heun to contact Chairman Shin. Nor was it a hasty decision made out of impatience.

From the moment he realized Jeong Jae-jin and the man had disappeared, Tae-heun had been constantly thinking, ‘What would Lee Seon-jae do?’ And he didn’t need to ponder for long.

In a situation like this, it was impossible for Lee Seon-jae to protect the man alone. Even if he threw himself to save Man, it would only be a temporary fix. Jeong Jae-jin was also in a dangerous situation. If he was in danger, Helper wouldn’t last long either. That meant there would be no one left to look after the man and the child.

Lee Seok-doo was a man who thoroughly punished traitors. Not even a king of the Joseon Dynasty, he was a man who committed bloody purges, talking about exterminating three generations. He harmed not only the traitor’s wife and children but also anyone who was close to him, like friends and relatives. He enjoyed showing off his power in that way. He believed it was a privilege he possessed.

So, what more needed to be said about Man, who was Lee Seon-jae’s lover?

Tae-heun was willing to meet Lee Seok-doo at any time. He could beg for forgiveness if he had to, and he was prepared to give up his life if required. If he demanded a part of his body, he could cut it off himself rather than let someone else do it.

But he couldn’t bear to see the man get hurt, no matter what.

At least the man had the right to live a peaceful life. He was a man who deserved it.

The problem was that no matter how much Lee Seon-jae pleaded and begged, Lee Seok-doo would never allow it. He was the kind of man who would shudder every day at the fact that Lee Seon-jae had betrayed him even after he had him in his grasp, and he would torment those around Lee Seon-jae for the rest of his life to make an example of him.

That’s why he thought of Shin Jeong-ho, Chairman Shin.

There were dozens of people who had offered Lee Seon-jae a scout, but what they wanted was the same as what Lee Seok-doo wanted.

To kneel at their feet. To work like a slave under them for the rest of their lives and be loyal.

The words were fancy, but the hidden meaning was always the same. Yet, if you asked, ‘Are you telling me to become a traitor?’ they would quickly deny ever saying such a thing, those cowardly bastards.

But Chairman Shin was different. He offered Lee Seon-jae a partnership. When asked about becoming a traitor, he acted as if it was nothing. He was confident that he could handle Lee Seok-doo. He was indeed someone who could stand up to Lee Seok-doo.

So, he chose Chairman Shin. Of course, the outcome was unpredictable.

If Chairman Shin’s offer to Lee Seon-jae at that time was just a boastful whim, then Lee Seon-jae, who believed it and called, would be cursed with bad luck. But if it was genuine, it was worth hoping for.

The phone rang five minutes after he left a missed call. He didn’t expect him to call back so quickly. Or maybe, as Jeong Jae-jin said, he had expected it. If there was no possibility given his personality, he wouldn’t have contacted him in the first place.

Chairman Shin of Dongbang Construction seemed to have been waiting for Lee Seon-jae’s call. He was a man with deep roots in this industry, so he wasn’t someone who would be surprised by trivial matters, but he was still amazed by Lee Seon-jae’s call. It was a surprise similar to Uncle’s, close to excitement. The reasons were different, but they were definitely in the same category.

“Yes, Chairman.”

Where are you?

“I’m on my way to Shindae Reservoir.”

Shindae Reservoir? Let me see. Secretary Kim, check where Shindaeji is. Quickly. Cheongyang, damn it.

Chairman Shin hurried.

It was probably because he wanted to receive the product in the best possible condition. Of course, the product was Lee Seon-jae.

I’ll send our guys nearby, so don’t move rashly.

Chairman Shin stepped in and advised. He seemed anxious. No matter how talented Lee Seon-jae was, wasn’t he a man who had betrayed an organization? And that too, with the police and prosecution, whom the gangsters feared the most, backing him up.

“Aren’t you worried?”

Seon-jae asked.

About what?

“The traitor.”

Oh, that’s what you meant.

Chairman Shin seemed relieved, as if he had been thinking something else.

Chief Lee, didn’t I tell you? Lee Seok-doo and I would have already had our arms and legs cut off and be walking around as torsos. You know what I mean, right?

He laughed heartily.

He had given the same answer when he offered the scout. He indirectly stated that both Lee Seok-doo and Shin Jeong-ho had committed numerous betrayals to get to where they were. Unlike those in high positions who usually, like Lee Seok-doo, never tried to admit their past mistakes, Shin Jeong-ho was honest.

Seon-jae wanted to survive, even if it meant being pathetic, so that he could see the man again. But he also knew that he should never do that.

If begging for his life resulted in imprisonment, it would be better not to do it. It would make both the man and himself unhappy. If he tried to live but the ending was unhappiness, it would be better to die. Either way, Lee Seon-jae would be deprived of his freedom the moment he was caught by Lee Seok-doo. Knowing that fact better than anyone, Lee Seon-jae was prepared to slit his own throat in front of Lee Seok-doo.

“Chairman, as I said before, I have no desire to become your subordinate.”

Seon-jae said firmly.

Even though he had contacted him out of desperation, that was the first thing he demanded from Chairman Shin. He asked if he remembered what he had proposed to him back then, emphasizing that he had no desire to become his subordinate. It was truly arrogant of him to say that when he was calling to ask for help.

I heard you.

“You didn’t give me a definite answer. What I want is a complete partnership. Are you still okay with that? Are you still going to save me?”

You impudent bastard.

Tsk tsk. He clicked his tongue.

“I know.”

That’s why I like you. At this point, I thought you would beg me to save you, saying you would do anything I told you to if I just saved you. Well, I would have lost interest if you had.

“…….”

But Lee Seon-jae is different as expected. He calls out of the blue and says, ‘Help me, but I won’t become your subordinate.’ Does that even make sense? If you had said that to Lee Seok-doo, he wouldn’t have even snorted. He would have cursed you out, saying, ‘This little punk is spouting nonsense with his mouth.’

Chairman Shin was talkative as usual.

That’s the difference between Lee Seok-doo and me. I hate missing opportunities because of pride the most. What’s so great about pride? There’s no need to make a fuss over something trivial. You can bend when you need to, right?

Chairman Shin said up to this point and then chuckled as if something was funny. “Aigo, my stomach,” he said, getting excited by himself.

Let’s be partners, so be it. But it’s a lifetime partnership. Of course, if I get tired of you or if your skills aren’t what they used to be, the contract will be terminated without hesitation. Then, I won’t care what Lee Seok-doo or anyone else does to you.

“I accept.”

Can I send our guys now?

“Yes. But it won’t be easy. Choi Dong-jik and Kang Dae-seong’s men are all gathering in Cheongyang. Uncle too.”

Is that so? Dong-jik and Dae-seong, huh…. Hmm. Let me think for a moment.

Chairman Shin fell into thought. Whispering could be heard from the other side of the receiver. Several familiar organization names were heard, but they were either far away or attached to Il-gwang.

“Is it difficult to utilize the Incheon guys?”

Seon-jae brought up what he had been thinking about since earlier.

He wondered if it would be possible to use the Incheon guys, who had followed him all the way to Gimje to catch Lee Seon-jae but changed their target to Jeong Jae-jin, in reverse. They were guys even Il-gwang avoided. Some said they were Chinese, and some said they were Joseonjok, but they did anything for money. And they didn’t get caught. Since they had no identity, there was no way to catch them.

Oh. That’s a good idea! How much did you say you owed them?

“300 million won. They might have bet more.”

I see. I’ll contact them right away.

The call ended.

The Incheon guys, the Incheon men. They didn’t have a separate organization name. Some called them jellyfish, and some called them leeches. One of the most notorious guys was bald, so there were many nicknames related to baldness, and another notorious guy was said to never let go once he latched on, so he was called a leech, tick, or sucker.

There was no information on whether those two were working together as a pair this time or moving separately. Everyone just lumped them together and called them the Incheon guys, the Incheon men, as there was a lack of information about them.

If he could just get in touch with them, it wouldn’t be difficult to persuade them. It just depended on how much more Chairman Shin offered.

Before leaving Gimje, Seon-jae stopped by a small supermarket. It looked just like the Dongjam-ri supermarket, and it was already open at this early hour, with someone sweeping the front yard. The diligence of the elderly. the man was also a person who was as sleepless and diligent as them.

As he parked the car in front of the supermarket, the old man sweeping the yard took notice of the unfamiliar first customer. But that was it, he didn’t come inside the store to interfere.

Seon-jae bought a razor blade and gum. And a bottle of water too. He also grabbed a Let’s Be coffee, which the man liked. Then, he found a bottle of pesticide called ‘Methomyl’ in the corner of the display shelf. Colorless and odorless. Compared to Gramoxone, it didn’t have a high fatality rate, but if you drank the undiluted solution without mixing it with anything, you would die painfully before long.

Mr. Lee, who died from drinking pesticide, came to mind. Perhaps there were one or two more people in Dongjam-ri who had followed him and drank pesticide.

Seon-jae put down the pesticide bottle and looked for stationery. As was the case with such supermarkets, there was nothing they didn’t have.

Tae-heun placed the stationery on a makeshift table in the corner of the palm-sized supermarket and wrote a letter.

He needed someone to take care of the orphanage records and the money in the apple box.

Even though Chairman Shin had taken Lee Seon-jae’s side, it was still dangerous. Chairman Shin could change his mind at the last minute, or Lee Seok-doo could resist fiercely, although there was no chance of that happening.

It was perhaps a natural result that Helper came to mind.

The reason he didn’t tell Jeong Jae-jin was because he was a prosecutor. His own life was in danger right now, but he was a man who believed in punishing within the bounds of the law as a matter of principle. He had used all sorts of tricks to protect Lee Seon-jae, but even all those tricks were just a means to bring Il-gwang to justice. The same would be true for the orphanage. He would bring up the statute of limitations for Seon-jae’s murder, as well as all the past misdeeds committed by those monsters.

That’s why he chose Helper. Her heart was the same as Jeong Jae-jin’s in wanting what was best for Lee Seon-jae, but unlike him, she didn’t hesitate to do illegal things.

The letter was simple. He wrote the motel name and phone number where the car was parked, and three names.

Orphanage Vice Director Kim Sung-hwan, Dr. Choi Choi In-ho, and Lee Young-guk, the professor husband of Director Kim Young-ja, who died in prison. It was a list that Lee Seon-jae hadn’t been able to start. If it was Helper, she would immediately realize what Lee Seon-jae was talking about as soon as she saw the data.

Tae-heun felt sorry for giving Helper homework until the very end.

“Excuse me, sir, could you mail this letter three days from now? I’ll pay you.”

The old man nodded without much thought at the stranger’s request. Then, he went to the old desk he used as a counter and opened a notebook that was placed on it.

As Tae-heun handed over the letter, he wrote down the address and name written on the envelope, and next to it, he wrote ‘three days later.’ The notebook contained the addresses and memos of people who had requested letters or registered mail, including those who were on credit. The old man closed the notebook and opened a drawer, carelessly throwing Tae-heun’s letter into it. Looking down, there were three or four letters that seemed to have been received over the weekend, stored without stamps.

“I’m the unofficial postman in our neighborhood.”

The old man joked gruffly.

Tae-heun thanked him and paid for the items and postage.

“I’m sorry to keep asking for favors, but is there anywhere I can get a dress shirt at this hour? I have to go to a funeral urgently, but my clothes are a bit dirty.”

He gestured to the clothes he was wearing.

His body still reeked of burning, and the bottom of his pants was a mess with splattered mud. The Man’s shoes were just as dirty.

He didn’t think he should look like this when meeting the enemy, so he asked.

The old man clucked his tongue as if it were his own business and told him about a nearby laundromat. He said he could borrow clothes there. He told him he would call ahead, so he should go. The strange, giant young man in all black could have been scary, but he didn’t seem to mind at all.

Thanks to the kind old man, Tae-heun was wearing a suit, albeit someone else’s, and although it was a little short, exposing his wrists and ankles. He removed all the mud from his shoes, applied shoe polish, and buffed them until they shone. The laundromat owner, like the super old man, helped Seon-jae in every way, as if he were his own child.

He wondered if the neighborhood’s generosity was worth it. He clicked his tongue inwardly but felt good inside.

Of course, he still hadn’t washed his face or hair, so he was still wearing a ball cap.

Anyway, Seon-jae, who had been completely reborn in just 10 minutes, finally got into the car and finally left Gimje.

There’s nothing left now, right?

No. There’s really nothing left.

He had taken care of the orphanage data and money, which had been the biggest headache. That alone was enough. And he had done enough for the Helper. He had given her a troublesome task at the end, but he had returned the person most precious to her, at least for now, in one piece. Lee Seon-jae believed he had done his part. It would be the most perfect farewell, more than an apology or a thank you.

He felt it was funny that he was getting unnecessarily serious.

Anyone would think he was going to die.

He chuckled.

He had a razor blade hidden in his sleeve, ready to slit his throat if necessary, but he pretended not to.

But Lee Seon-jae wanted to live more than anyone.

He was determined to die because he wanted to live.

183 – Chapter 183