By Zephyria 
【The assailant who attacked President Choi Won-joon turned himself in to the police station early this morning. The assailant, identified as Lee, confessed to all of his crimes but did not specify the motive. Unusually, politicians have also raised their voices, saying that no illegal acts should be committed against businessmen and that the perpetrator should be severely punished to prevent the same crime from happening again.】
As rain poured down so heavily that visibility was near zero, the wipers moved incessantly from side to side. Nam-soo turned up the radio and looked back at Lee-eum, who was in the driver’s seat.
“Did you hear the news? There’s talk that the culprit was hired. Apparently, the person who hired him is a big shot, so they can’t reveal it easily.”
Lee-eum stared out the window with a stiff expression. Several days had passed since Choi Won-joon visited the police station, but the questions about the incident were not easily resolved. He had considered going to Kim Ji-cheol and asking him directly, but he decided against it because that guy would definitely deny it to the end.
“Is that him?”
Nam-soo pointed ahead, and Lee-eum carefully watched the man walking with an umbrella through the rain. It was too dark to identify him, and as he was about to get out of the car, the man with the umbrella casually passed by and disappeared from sight.
“Ah, I guess not.”
“Are you sure this is where we were supposed to meet?”
“Yes.”
Lee-eum looked around. It was a remote alley, so there were hardly any people passing by, and next to it, an unfinished building stood, exuding an eerie feeling. The two of them had come here to meet an informant.
Last week, there was a brawl between gangsters at a room salon, and a stabbing resulted in one death. While chasing the fugitive suspect, they received a tip this morning. The informant said he was afraid of being harmed and wanted to meet outside the police station.
“Was it a prank call….”
As time passed, the rain stopped, and everything became quiet. Just as he was wondering if they should go back, Lee-eum sensed something strange and checked the rearview mirror. A car had come up behind them and was now parked there. Seeing the car that had appeared silently without its lights on, Lee-eum had an ominous feeling. As he continued to stare at the back, Nam-soo also noticed something strange.
“What is it? How long has that car been there? Is that the informant?”
“I don’t know. It’s too dark to see.”
“Stay here. I’ll go check.”
Lee-eum grabbed Nam-soo’s arm as he was unfastening his seatbelt and started the engine.
“Let’s get the car out of here first.”
It was a narrow alley, and if the front was blocked, they would be stuck. With that in mind, he tried to move the car out of the alley, but a black van pushed in from the front first.
They had been sitting here for three hours, but this was the first time a vehicle had appeared, so their expressions hardened. Lee-eum honked at the car in front, but it only came closer.
“What the hell are these guys? Are they in cahoots?”
No sooner had Nam-soo finished speaking than burly men got out of the cars in front and behind, and Lee-eum muttered in disbelief.
“We’re screwed, Nam-soo….”
Lee-eum counted the number of opponents. Judging by the looks of them, there were at least ten. He didn’t know who had given the orders, but they didn’t seem like they would back down easily. He urgently requested backup over the radio and then grabbed his gun and baton.
“Ah, I should have brought my stab-proof vest. Those bastards even brought sashimi knives. Damn it.”
Lee-eum checked the loaded bullets and glanced at Nam-soo.
“Try not to shoot if you can help it.”
Nam-soo grumbled, wondering why they were issued guns they couldn’t even use. It was a pointless thing to say, but using firearms would cause a huge backlash. Even if they caught them, there would be a lot of talk about excessive force, and lawsuits and disciplinary actions were common, so everyone avoided using them.
Lee-eum got out of the car, took out his ID, and shouted loudly to the front and back.
“Police! Put down your weapons and back off while I’m asking nicely!”
Meanwhile, Nam-soo moved and took his place behind Lee-eum.
“Who are you guys? Are you from the Deok-soo Clan? These bastards don’t know how scary the police are and are acting up. Hey, put away the knives! Who do you think you’re intimidating? I’ve been stabbed in the gut dozens of times, you bastards!”
The men with weapons smirked and narrowed the distance, the sashimi knives glinting blue in the darkness. Lee-eum took out his baton and loosened his body. At that moment, the sound of car engines and bright headlights poured in from both sides.
“What is it? Did more come?”
Suddenly, men with masks covering their faces rushed out. Their agile movements and actions were more like well-trained soldiers than gangsters. They appeared from both sides and began beating the gangsters with clubs in the blink of an eye.
In the chaotic situation, Lee-eum and Nam-soo were bewildered and wondered whose side they should take. As soon as the police car sirens were heard in the distance, the masked men quickly disappeared, leaving only the gangsters lying on the ground covered in blood.
The police who arrived shortly after witnessed the scene and were speechless with surprise.
“Did you two do this?”
Nam-soo blinked in response instead of answering.
“Sunbae, what do you call this? Something similar happened last time…. Ah, that’s right. Déjà vu!”
Lee-eum pursed his lips and thought of Choi Won-joon. Could it be that he still has people following me? In the midst of the unknown situation, he lifted up the fallen gangsters and began handcuffing them one by one, when he discovered a suspicious tattoo on one of the guys’ necks.
Just in case, he checked the others and found the same tattoo.
“This looks familiar, doesn’t it?”
Lee-eum nodded. It was a tattoo symbolizing the Jeil Clan, and the Jeil Clan provided security for Soo-in Construction. The President of Soo-in Construction was friends with Kim Ji-cheol, and if you were to ask them to name someone they all hated, it would probably be Choi Won-joon.
Team Leader Oh, who arrived late, approached, avoiding the puddles.
“What a mess. Are you both okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“How did you get here?”
“Kim Dae-yeong was on his way to catch them but immediately turned around. I was worried my guys would get hurt.”
Team Leader Oh looked at the scattered gangsters with a dumbfounded expression and took out a cigarette. Then he called Lee-eum.
“There’s breaking news that the guy who ordered Choi President to be stabbed has been identified. Want to know who it is?”
“Kim Ji-cheol?”
Team Leader Oh’s eyes widened. He asked how he knew, but Lee-eum couldn’t answer. Team Leader Oh told him that the media was in an uproar and that an arrest warrant had been issued for Kim Ji-cheol.
Lee-eum felt troubled as he looked at the fallen gangsters and the knives on the ground. Was this Kim Ji-cheol’s last struggle…? Did Choi Won-joon really not know…? Or was everything a game he had created…?
❖ ❖ ❖
“An arrest warrant has been issued for Kim Ji-cheol.”
“What about Kim Yi-eum.”
“He’s safe and unharmed.”
Won-joon previewed the article about Kim Ji-cheol that would be published in the morning newspapers on his tablet. ‘Kim Ji-cheol’s Murder, Not the First Time.’ ‘From Congressman’s Son to Murderer.’ ‘Why Did He Try to Kill Choi Won-joon.’ Sensational articles under sensational headlines, and even the photo of Kim Ji-cheol that would be published. Won-joon smiled coldly with satisfaction.
“When he’s transferred to the detention center, take care of him at the right time. Leave a few suicide notes. It would be even better if you torment him before killing him.”
“Understood.”
“Ji-hoon.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t I the king of support? Should I just close the company and stay home and take care of the house?”
Choi Won-joon, who was making pointless jokes to Kim Yi-eum, who didn’t even visit, suddenly felt a sense of reality and threw the tablet aside with a curse. The wound healed quickly, and he was recovering and about to be discharged, but Kim Yi-eum hadn’t even shown his face.
“Isn’t he heartless? The more I think about it, the more angry I get and I can’t stand it. Even if he comes now, I’m going to pretend I don’t know him. Does he think I have no pride?”
As he was speaking, someone knocked on the door. The only people who could visit were family, but they had already left two hours ago. Director Lee went to answer and greeted them, and then Kim Yi-eum’s voice was heard.
Won-joon quickly lay down, covered himself with the blanket up to his neck, and closed his eyes tightly. Soon after, Lee-eum came in and handed a fruit basket to Director Lee.
“I felt bad coming empty-handed….”
“Thank you.” Director Lee, who had received the basket and turned around, paused. Choi Won-joon, who had been sitting up just a moment ago, was now lying down as still as a mouse. Director Lee quickly racked his brains.
“The President hasn’t been able to eat or sleep well lately, so he has no energy. So, since you’re here, would you mind staying by his side until he falls asleep?”
“Me?”
“He needs to rest well to get better, but the doctor is worried because the wound isn’t healing.”
Lee-eum hesitated. He seems to be asleep…. As he got closer, Choi Won-joon barely opened his eyes and stared at Lee-eum. “You came…?” His voice was so small that it was barely audible.
Director Lee said to take care of him and quickly left the hospital room, saying he had urgent business to attend to, and Lee-eum examined Choi Won-joon’s face in an awkward atmosphere. He looks more energetic than the last time I saw him? He looks fine?
Then, Choi Won-joon tossed and turned, wrinkling his face.
“What’s wrong? Should I call a doctor?”
“No. It’s bearable….”
He was about to scold him for going to the police station even while bleeding, but he stopped. He was going to ask about Kim Ji-cheol if he met him, but he had to give up today seeing his condition. Choi Won-joon reached his hand out from under the blanket, but his fingertips trembled as if he had no strength. Seeing that, he felt uneasy.
“Hold my hand.”
“…….”
“Hurry.”
He reluctantly gave him his hand, and he held it tightly and rubbed it against his cheek. When he frowned and tried to shake him off, Choi Won-joon drooped his eyebrows and groaned.
“Lee-eum, I’m sick, can’t you even do this for me?”