By Zephyria 
A black sedan stopped far from the lake. Ire, who got out of the car, grabbed a pistol and surveyed his surroundings. The ground was cracked in many places, bearing clear traces of that day. People and machines clearing debris could also be seen here and there.
I heard most of the bodies had been recovered. Some were intact, while others returned with only hands, arms, or heads. But Kim Ha-yoon was nowhere to be found. If he were dead, there would be some trace, which was strange.
The closer he got, the more the stench, so strong it made his head throb, filled the air. The smell of death, of rotting flesh and blood. A smell one could never get used to. Even so, the search party looking for Kim Ha-yoon moved busily in and around the lake.
“Hey, who do we have here?”
A familiar voice made him turn. Kim Do-cheol greeted him. His jaw seemed to have gained more weight since he last saw him, and his eyes had changed slightly. He, who always wore his uniform, was now in a white shirt and pants. His belly protruded, making it feel like the belt was straining to hold on.
“Have you been well?”
“I heard the news. You went through a lot.”
The man gave a hearty laugh, unchanged from before, and instructed the soldiers to search that area again. Then, as if feeling the heat, he fanned himself repeatedly with his hand.
“Ah, it’s March, but the weather’s shit. How can bodies remain intact in this heat?”
“……”
“We need to find the bodies quickly. It breaks my heart to see how anxiously my uncle is waiting.”
He concluded that Kim Ha-yoon must be dead.
“I don’t know how many times we’ve searched the same place. Honestly, if he were just an ordinary person, we wouldn’t be doing this. But who is Kim Ha-yoon? He’s the future Chairman. We have to find him no matter what to prevent any lingering doubts. The committee is also worried about that, which is why they’re pushing people harder.”
He didn’t want to know what that meant. He only now clearly understood why the man’s attire had bothered him since earlier. Looking at him now, his hair was even styled similarly to Kim Ha-yoon’s. Of course, that didn’t make him look the part.
“Did you search the cave too?”
“We did. I was tense, thinking it might have hatched a lot of young, but there was nothing.”
“Was Captain Kim Ha-yoon not there either?”
He’d been discharged long ago, what was this about Captain? Kim Do-cheol let the words slip out casually. Then, he put on a sympathetic expression, saying he couldn’t be found no matter how much they searched. He didn’t know why that felt like a pretense. It was the same sometimes when he was in the military. He was clearly a hearty, good person, but there was an occasional chilling feeling. Like that day he handed me the key to access the sewer.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
He said his goodbyes and headed for the car. He didn’t look back, but he could feel the man’s gaze following him. After getting into the car, instead of driving off, he sat there for a long time, staring straight ahead.
Run away.
Kim Ha-yoon’s voice seemed to echo in his ears.
Tormenting people like a madman…
As he closed his eyes tightly, his last face came to mind. For the first time, he witnessed sadness in his usually arrogant eyes. The thought that this sadness might be his own emotion made it unbearable. Denying it, telling himself it was impossible, he still couldn’t easily leave that place.
* * *
“Fuck. I’m getting tired of just hanging around.”
“Do you want to go back?”
“I guess I’m built for the military. My hands shake if I don’t hold a gun for even a day.”
Park Mu-jin mimed shaking hands, and the others gathered around chuckled. He had leave, but he wasn’t entirely happy. They all had lingering trauma from what happened that day, and several couldn’t sleep without alcohol. After fighting a fierce battle that resulted in numerous casualties, hunting down rebels felt like child’s play.
“The dead appear in my dreams every night. They tell me to come with them, and I wake up feeling uneasy.”
“Keep a knife by your head then.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“It’s an old method. It works, I tell you.”
“Shut up. I don’t want to do that idiotic thing.”
“You’re the idiot. Oh, by the way, Seo Young-jun applied for medical discharge.”
When Seo Young-jun’s name came up, Park Mu-jin rolled his tongue in his mouth. “Really?” he asked, and someone who brought it up began to explain. Normally, even people who had lost limbs or were born without them could serve in the military by receiving prosthetic limbs.
“Well, I never liked that bastard anyway. Believing some nobody hybrid and acting so cocky.”
“Exactly. At first, he was groveling, but then his pride just swelled up.”
“He can go work for his father’s business. I heard his brother is a degenerate, so there’s no one to inherit the business, right?”
Park Mu-jin, listening, snorted. Could he even run a business at that level? It would be a miracle if he didn’t ruin it. They all agreed and laughed. The conversation shifted back to that day. Someone among the group who had witnessed Kim Ha-yoon suddenly brought it up.
“Kim Ha-yoon must be dead, right?”
“What kind of question is that? He was dragged away with his stomach ripped open. Even Kim Ha-yoon couldn’t survive that, could he?”
“But is it true? They say he died trying to save a hybrid.”
“That’s right. I saw it.”
“Fuck, that’s disappointing. It means the rumors about them being involved were true from the start.”
“The next Chairman… for that kind of guy. Ugh.”
“But if Kim Ha-yoon is gone, who becomes the successor?”
As if by agreement, everyone’s gaze turned to Park Mu-jin. His father held a vice-chairman position on the committee. Kim Ha-yoon’s father was reportedly ill and on the verge of death. With Kim Ha-yoon gone, the successor position was effectively vacant.
“You crazy bastards. Why are you looking at me?”
“Who else could it be? Brother Mu-jin, you hate that kind of thing.”
Someone poured him a drink and bowed. “Please take care of us. Future leader.” Park Mu-jin cursed but inwardly smiled, not displeased. The drinking continued for a long time, and people began to pass out drunk one by one.
Park Mu-jin grabbed his coat and went outside. He had drunk more than usual, excited by the cheers of “future Chairman,” and his stomach felt unsettled. Stumbling along, he bumped into someone in the hallway. “Ah, fuck.” He was about to curse when the other person walked past without even acknowledging him.
Hey, you bastard! Stop right there! Do you know who I am!
He considered dragging the person back and punching them but decided it was too much trouble and let it go. Opening the door, the waiting driver outside the bar opened the car door for him. “Shall I take you to your family home?” The man’s voice buzzed in his ears.
“Take me home. I’m tired.”
He got into the car and leaned back, closing his eyes. Chairman… It wasn’t an entirely outlandish idea. Hadn’t his father already solidified his power base? Imagining himself sitting in the highest seat, looking down on the old men, the corners of his mouth naturally turned up. He then dozed off, only to wake up in the parking lot. As he got out of the car, stumbling, the driver offered his arm.
“You seem quite drunk. I’ll take you directly home.”
Park Mu-jin brushed off the driver’s hand.
“Don’t be presumptuous and just do as you’re told.”
Leaving the embarrassed man behind, he walked towards the elevator. He fumbled in his inner pocket and realized his card was missing. Damn it. Where did he drop it? He gave up searching and used his fingerprint instead of the card, and the elevator immediately began to ascend.
Standing in front of his apartment, he placed his thumb on the lock. He opened the door, took off his shoes as usual, and changed into slippers. Reaching for the refrigerator to quench his thirst, he pulled out water when, with a click, something hit the back of his head.
Instantly, the alcohol cleared, and his mind snapped awake.
“H-haha… What the fuck… A robber?”
That was impossible. Only… Ah, Park Mu-jin’s face contorted. Could it be? With my card? In a situation he couldn’t comprehend, another blow struck the back of his head. Ugh— Lying on the floor, he glared at the assailant.
“You son of a bitch!”
As he tried to get up, his abdomen was brutally kicked. Gasping for breath, he watched as the assailant pulled down their mask. As expected, it was someone he knew well. The assailant stepped on his chest and aimed a gun.
“It’ll be better for you if you stay quiet.”
“You crazy bastard! You think you’ll get away with this!”
Ire stared at Park Mu-jin without moving. Just then, the intercom inside the apartment rang. Once, twice, three times. A maniacal grin spread across Park Mu-jin’s face.
“When I use my fingerprint instead of my card to enter, it’s transmitted to the security team. It’s unusual, so they always check to make sure everything is alright. Do you know what happens if they can’t reach me? Elite special forces guards come rushing in. To catch and punish guys like you.”
“……”
“So give up and beg now. Then I’ll forgive you.”
Looking down at the confident Park Mu-jin, Ire smiled bitterly.
“As expected, you’re lucky. You always manage to escape by a hair’s breadth.”
“Do you know now? That’s the difference between you and me. We’re different from birth.”
Seeing Park Mu-jin with a look of regret, Ire asked, “Is that so?” and immediately fired the gun. As the bullet lodged next to his face, the smile vanished from Park Mu-jin’s face. Then, he aimed at the front door. The lock was shattered.
“What a shame. I don’t think the card will work anymore?”
“Why are you doing this to me! Do you want money?”
“Just one question. Was it Seo Young-jun?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if it was you.”
Park Mu-jin laughed with an incredulous expression.
“Fuck, you came all this way to do this shit just for that?”
He didn’t deny it but blamed Seo Young-jun. Why was it his fault that that idiotic bastard got into that state by hanging around? At his shameless behavior, Ire lowered the gun he was aiming and stepped back. Park Mu-jin then pushed himself up from the floor and smiled slyly.
“Well. You don’t think I’m wrong, do you? And you’re in no position to say anything to me. You also survived by using Kim Ha-yoon as a shield, didn’t you? What’s the difference between us? Seo Young-jun at least has his life. Kim Ha-yoon died doing something stupid. How does it feel if I say it’s your fault, huh?”
As he rambled on and moved around, he suddenly pulled out a pistol from inside a large potted plant. Aiming the gun at Ire, Park Mu-jin gritted his teeth.
“You son of a bitch. You don’t even know where you are and dare to come here without fear!”
Ire looked at Park Mu-jin with cold eyes. Just then, the doorbell rang. When there was no answer, he knocked on the door next. Just as he said, people had come to save him. Park Mu-jin, not satisfied, placed his finger on the trigger and squeezed.
“Either way, it’s self-defense if I kill you.”
Before the words were finished, his wrist snapped backward with a sickening crack. Aaaargh— His face contorted in pain, and the gun he was holding fell to the floor. Park Mu-jin stared at Ire in terror. What… what did you just do?
This time, his knee bent the opposite way, bone piercing the skin and protruding. In excruciating pain, Park Mu-jin foamed at the mouth and collapsed. Ire knelt beside him, looking down at him as he cried with his mouth open.
“Farewell.”
Pew— Pew— Pew—
Half his face was instantly blown away, rendering him unrecognizable. Soon after, mechanical sounds could be heard from outside as they tried to force the door open. Ire calmly reloaded his gun, then took out a parachute from his bag. After putting it on, he turned towards the window and took a deep breath. Beyond the glass, the city landscape glittered brilliantly.