By Zephyria 
I let out a sigh as I watched the pouring rain. About ten minutes after leaving my family home, I had heard news that heavy rainfall had caused rockslides and parts of the road were being controlled. That was why I was currently traveling along an old road that was rarely used anymore, rather than the highway. Driving along a pitch-black mountain path in such foul weather meant the speed was slow and it was generally uncomfortable.
“Aren’t you tired? Should I drive?”
Throughout the drive, Im Gyeong stared obsessively at Kang Hee-shin’s face instead of the road ahead. To the point where I wondered if his neck was going to snap. I didn’t bother asking why. It was obvious he would just say something strange to get under my skin.
“I’m fine.”
“There was a hotel nearby; do you want to stay the night?”
When I pretended not to hear, he kept nudging me from the side.
“Mr. Kang Hee-shin?”
“…….”
“Kang Hee-shin.”
I held out without answering, when suddenly a glittering object appeared in front of me. The moment I stepped on the brake to slow down, there was a loud pop from the tires. Startled, I jerked the steering wheel, and the car screeched, sliding across the rainy road.
After spinning a few times, I slammed straight into the guardrail, and the impact sent my body jolting violently. While I was struggling to regain consciousness, I heard Im Gyeong’s voice.
“Are you okay?”
“…What was that just now?”
“It looks like the tires blew out.”
The two of us hurried out of the car to check the tires. Three of them were ruined, and the front tire was completely shredded. On top of that, the hood was dented, and smoke was rising, likely because the coolant had burst. Hee-shin hurriedly took out a flashlight and walked toward the rear. Looking closely, sharp pieces of metal were scattered all over the road. So that’s what was glittering.
“I’ll report the accident first.”
I called the insurance company, but the line was constantly busy. After a long while, I finally got through and even sent my location, but the response was bleak. Because it was late and some roads were currently controlled, they said it would take some time. A hollow laugh escaped me at the consultant’s suggestion to find somewhere to wait. Looking around, there was nothing but a pitch-black forest….
“Please send someone as quickly as possible. I’m begging you.”
After finishing the call and getting back into the car, I thought of Min-hye. How scared must she have been, all alone in that dark place? Why didn’t I embrace the child before scolding her? While blaming myself, I concluded that it was a relief that I seemed to have apologized properly in the end. Of course, this human next to me had helped.
“Thanks for earlier. If it weren’t for you, I would have regretted it after getting home.”
“If you’re thankful, you should show some gratitude.”
When I looked at him, he opened his mouth and curled his hand into a circle, moving it back and forth. At first, I wondered what that meant. I thought he was asking to go eat something together, but then I understood and was left speechless in disbelief. This crazy bastard, seriously. As I muttered a curse, Im Gyeong laughed softly. Then, he began to ask questions about my family one by one.
“Does your sister live alone?”
“Originally, I had an older brother too, but as you know, things happened that way….”
The words ‘my brother died’ didn’t come out easily. Even now, I couldn’t believe it. In fact, when I went home earlier, I briefly thought about whether I should leave a greeting for my brother before I snapped back to reality.
“And your mother?”
I thought he was asking all sorts of random things. He had already grasped the general situation of my family at the funeral hall. Then again, thinking about it differently, wouldn’t he be curious about the circumstances of his sister’s boyfriend? I, too, would run a criminal record check first if Min-hye brought home a guy she intended to marry.
“My father is sick, so she’s with him.”
“What kind of person was your father?”
“I will exercise my right to remain silent on that.”
“He wasn’t a good person, then? It must be hard for your sister to stay in that house alone.”
I agreed. It was better when my brother was around, but now she was entirely alone. That’s why I had considered bringing her to Seoul. But it wasn’t a problem as simple as it sounded. Could I take care of a child when I worked overtime as if it were a daily meal? Whenever I took on a rough case, there were many guys who threatened retaliation. Moreover, my lease was about to expire, so I had to vacate the house.
While I was lost in vague thoughts, the rain began to thicken again. As time passed, the heater’s air grew weaker, and a chill seeped into my body. Eventually, my teeth began to chatter, and Im Gyeong, also feeling the cold, crossed his arms and huddled up. I judged that if we stayed like this, we might both freeze to death from hypothermia before the tow truck arrived.
I got out of the car and rummaged through the trunk, pulling out an old blanket.
An old blanket I couldn’t even remember when I had put in there.
“Cover yourself with this, at least.”
Im Gyeong’s face contorted upon seeing the state of the blanket.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Just cover yourself quickly.”
“How about we just strip naked and hug in the backseat instead?”
“Do you even hear yourself?”
“Why? I’m telling you the most rational method. It’s not like we haven’t already shown each other our dicks.”
“Fuck, you’re the only one who showed your dick.”
“Ah, that’s true. I haven’t seen Kang Hee-shin’s dick. Why don’t you show me today?”
Unable to endure it any longer, I threw the blanket over the bastard’s face. As dust flew everywhere, Im Gyeong reacted with disgust. Because the old, stale blanket smelled strange in addition to the dust.
“I think I’ll die of mold before hypothermia.”
“If you want to live, shut up and cover yourself.”
Im Gyeong covered half of himself with the blanket, leaned toward the driver’s seat, and covered the other half over Kang Hee-shin. I should have shaken him off, but since I was cold too, I stayed quiet. Sitting side by side, sharing a blanket, felt strange. Looking beside me, Im Gyeong seemed exhausted; he remained motionless with his eyes closed.
“Don’t fall asleep.”
There was no answer. Just in case, I brought my face closer. Hey. Immediately, he opened his eyes and gave a sly smile. He was so annoying that I covered his face with the blanket. Im Gyeong frowned and pulled it down.
“How can a blanket smell like this?”
“Just be glad we have this at all.”
“If we hug—”
“Shut up.”
“You’re cold, Kang Hee-shin.”
Just then, headlights poured in from the opposite direction. Both of us squinted, our faces twisting under the strong light. The car slowed down and stopped in front of us. They came faster than I thought. Just as I was about to get out of the car in relief, I froze.
The moment the lights clicked off, the exterior of the vehicle came into view. It wasn’t a regular car, but a black Bongo van. Moreover, the license plate was cleverly obscured. No matter who looked at it, it wasn’t something professional tow drivers would be driving.
Silence fell within the vehicle.
Im Gyeong pushed the blanket aside and reached into the glove box.
“What are you looking for?”
“A gun.”
“There’s no way there’s one in here.”
I locked the car doors and searched for my phone to press the 112 button, but it showed ‘Out of Service.’ It was the same for Im Gyeong’s phone. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the heavy rain or if those guys were using a signal jammer. If they were using devices, it meant they weren’t just small-fry.
Just in case, I tried to start the engine, but it didn’t budge. I began to panic.
“There’s a wooden club in the back of the car. There’s a hammer too, so pick whichever you prefer.”
“Why do you carry things like that?”
“To prepare for fucked-up situations like this?”
I thought about fleeing into the mountains if necessary, but the slope was too steep. The left side was practically a cliff. It was an area where it wouldn’t be strange for someone to die and disappear.
Im Gyeong tried to get out, and Kang Hee-shin grabbed his arm.
“Wait for a moment. They might demand a conversation.”
Right on cue, the van door slid open, and a crowd of people dressed in various clothes, wearing masks, swarmed out. As soon as they stepped out, they pulled out sharp kitchen knives from their coats. Far from a conversation, it looked like it would be hard just to make it out alive. Im Gyeong seemed to feel it too, as he furrowed his brow.
“They don’t look like they have any intention of talking.”
“I know. I’m looking at them too.”
I looked back. If we followed the road we came from, there was a gentle mountain. If we could just run that far.
“Mr. Im Gyeong, are you a good runner?”
“Huh?”
“When I say one, two, three, let’s get out and run.”
Before Im Gyeong could even answer, Hee-shin shouted “one, two, three.” He kicked the car door open and began sprinting straight back the way they came. Heavy raindrops beat fiercely against his face. He ran with all his might and then stopped, but Im Gyeong was nowhere to be seen. Looking back, he was in the middle of a brawl, tangled up with the guys.
He let out a curse, breathing heavily. Ha, you son of a bitch. Who told you to run that way? The guy had no intention of escaping from the start. A few of them began chasing toward this spot. If he kept running, he might survive. But what about Im Gyeong? What if he died because he left him behind?
…Ha, this bastard, seriously.
Hee-shin squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and began heading back in the direction he had come.