#179

“A man, you know, should have some manners. What’s with choking someone the moment you see them? Huh? I’m lucky I heard the warning beforehand, or I would’ve gone to the afterlife without seeing my wife’s face. My wife, you see, she raised three kids without ever once straying while I went back to school three times. She’s a bit feisty and not much to look at, but she’s got a hell of a knack for making a living. She turned down all the guys who liked her, just wanting to see me get my act together, single-heartedly, huh? Single-heartedly, she only looked at me. If a woman like that found out I died without a peep, how heartbroken would she be? She gave up her youthful days and is only now barely making a living, and the husband she has only made her suffer her whole life before kicking the bucket? Anyone would think that’s absurd. And I, huh? I haven’t even signed up for life insurance yet. I was planning to sign up next month, already decided on the monthly payment with the insurance company, but you gotta die with insurance. Don’t you think?”

It was noisy.

Tae-heun barely regained consciousness but couldn’t get up at all. So he kept his eyes closed, and the driver rambled on for over five minutes.

“Hey, if you’ve come to your senses, get up. Is this a motel? You gonna keep lying there?”

“Ugh…”

He frowned deeply and tried to touch his throbbing forehead. But he couldn’t.

“How am I supposed to get up when you’ve done this to me?”

Tae-heun was lying down as if being punished, both hands stretched straight up to the sky, wrists tightly attached to the car’s ceiling handle. Of course, his wrists and the handle were bound with rope. The position was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t get strength in his legs due to the earlier attack, making it difficult to adjust his posture.

“Why? Can’t you?”

“Why don’t you try it if you’re curious?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re so big. I could do it just fine.”

The the man turned his head to assess Tae-heun’s condition.

“Come on up with your gut. Is that all muscle?”

He clicked his tongue, regretting Tae-heun’s size.

The Man, with his gaunt face and dark complexion, resembled a weasel. His eyes were small and his lips thin, making him look like a con artist or a petty thief at first glance, but in reality, he was a terrifying human being. If you underestimated him, you’d end up with a bloody nose like Tae-heun.

Unlike his unfortunate-looking face, the man had large ears with a distinct inner rim and even plump earlobes. If what the man said was true, he must at least have luck with his wife.

To be looking at someone else’s physiognomy while his head was throbbing, he really was a strange guy.

“Where exactly did you hit me?”

“A vital spot.”

“Which vital spot?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’s my trade secret.”

With that, the driver started the car again.

As the car moved, Tae-heun felt nauseous.

“Where are we going?”

“Where else but to Prosecutor Jeong.”

Tae-heun raised his eyebrows.

“I heard he went to Cheongyang?”

“As if that guy would actually go. He’s hiding well thanks to me.”

“Huh.” Tae-heun chuckled in disbelief.

“We can’t just keep hiding, so let’s quickly go see his face, say what we need to say, and go our separate ways. If those bastards in Incheon catch us, we’re screwed. Il-gwang is nothing compared to them. Oh, and I’m Kim Delivery. It’s not my real name, just the nickname they call me in this business. Kim Delivery.”

“Lee Seon-jae.”

“I know. I know your name. But you need to fix that personality of yours. How can you pull out a knife without even introducing yourself? Pull out, I say. Are you a killer? I’ve met plenty of guys who know how to use a knife, but I’ve never seen anyone as impatient as you.”

This Kim Delivery was quite affable. Even though Tae-heun had almost choked him to death, he quickly brushed it off and acted friendly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh my, you’re quick to apologize too. Well, if your character was trash, Old the man Jeong wouldn’t have taken you in.”

At Kim Delivery’s words, Tae-heun chuckled. Even with his hands tied, he couldn’t help but laugh.

He had believed that the man and Jeong Jae-jin were walking into a death trap. But they were hiding somewhere safe. He felt so relieved he could cry. The anger towards Jeong Jae-jin, the bastard who caused this whole mess, was still there, but he was also grateful that the man was safe.

“How much leeway do we have?”

“Leeway? There’s no such thing. We’re all about to drown in a dish of water. That’s how urgent it is. Tsk.”

This Kim Delivery was also a man with a sense of humor.

Tae-heun chuckled and leaned his head against the seat handle as a pillow. There was no way he could sit up in this position anyway.

As Kim Delivery said, with enemies all around, there was no way they could have any leeway. The meeting with Jeong Jae-jin would have to be short. Naturally, his plan to meet the man and reveal his entire past was also disrupted.

Even though Il-gwang was late to the game, the difference was minimal. Complacency was absolutely forbidden, and they could be caught at any moment. Honestly, getting caught was only a matter of time. Jeong Jae-jin probably knew that he couldn’t avoid it either.

Tae-heun just hoped to buy some time to evacuate Man. Since Il-gwang wanted Lee Seon-jae anyway, he could divert their attention by stepping forward. In the meantime, Jeong Jae-jin and the man could escape. After that, whether he lived or died was up to fate.

After driving for about fifteen minutes, the Starex stopped in front of a secluded greenhouse. The surrounding fields were covered with the remains of crops that had been uprooted. As a result, there was a foul smell.

Kim Delivery jumped out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door.

“I’m doing this because I’m not at ease, so please understand.”

At the same time, he handcuffed Tae-heun’s wrists.

“You’ve got a nice touch of balsam flower dye. Who did it for you? Your lover?”

Kim Delivery asked. His bare hand was revealed, as he had taken off the gloves at some point.

“My lover’s daughter.”

“Is she pretty?”

Kim Delivery asked as he cut the rope with a knife.

“Of course.”

It was unclear whether “pretty” referred to the lover or the daughter, but both were pretty, so it didn’t matter.

“Lucky you.”

Kim Delivery quickly rolled up the rope.

Even though he was handcuffed, his body movements were much freer.

“Get out. You don’t need help, do you?”

“No.”

Tae-heun groaned and sat up straight. Only after regaining his senses for a moment did he get out of the car. His head was still spinning. He touched his forehead, but there were no wounds or swelling. He couldn’t figure out where he had been hit. He was a master.

“Lead the way.”

Kim Delivery led Tae-heun forward.

It was 4:30 AM, and the surroundings were dimly lit. All that could be seen were rice paddies, fields, and mountains. There were no houses or people nearby. That’s why they chose this place as a hideout, but that also meant that the moment they were discovered by the enemy, they would be easily caught without being able to do anything.

“But are you hurt in the leg?”

“Excuse me?”

Not understanding what he meant, Tae-heun turned around, and Kim Delivery said, “Your leg. You’re limping.”

“Ah.”

At Kim Delivery’s words, Tae-heun realized that he was limping. It felt new. He had been walking like this ever since he switched shoes with Man, but he hadn’t felt any discomfort, as if he had always been a cripple. Except that the shoes were a bit small.

“Did you sprain it?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk tsk. You should be more careful.”

Kim Delivery seemed to be a naturally kind man. He worried about Tae-heun’s injury, whom he had just met, and didn’t hesitate to give advice, saying, “If you leave a sprained ankle for too long, it’ll be useless. Get it treated quickly.”

“Pull it, don’t push it.”

As Tae-heun instinctively tried to push the door when he arrived in front of the greenhouse, Kim Delivery said.

Tae-heun pulled the door, which was made of a wooden frame covered with plastic, and entered. The moment he stepped inside the greenhouse, a strong smell of soil wafted through the air.

The fairly large interior was half dirt floor and the other half was a house. A platform was placed like a floor, but it was quite a proper house.

A house inside a greenhouse.

Thinking of a Matryoshka doll, he walked step by step towards the floor.

Before Tae-heun had gone halfway, the door swung open and Jeong Jae-jin stepped down onto the platform. The moment he saw Jeong Jae-jin, he should have rushed at him and strangled him, but Tae-heun asked, “How’s Ki-beom?” first, inquiring about Man’s well-being.

Instead of answering, Jeong Jae-jin frowned when he saw the handcuffs on Tae-heun’s hands.

“Kim Delivery, take those off.”

“Oh, come on, look at my neck first before you say that.”

“Why?”

“Why else? Can’t you see this? I told you earlier, I almost died.”

“Don’t exaggerate. Take them off quickly.”

To think that he was on familiar terms with Jeong Jae-jin, it was unexpected.

It was well-known that Jeong Jae-jin always spoke informally to suspects regardless of age, but he had never heard of him being friends with someone who was once his suspect. That meant that he had a deep trust in Kim Delivery, and there must be a special reason for that.

Kim Delivery reluctantly unlocked Tae-heun’s handcuffs. Tae-heun rubbed his wrist, which had already been bruised by the rope.

“How’s Ki-beom?”

“That punk, he’s about to die. He’s fine.”

Tae-heun quickly scanned Jeong Jae-jin. He checked if he was injured enough to go to the emergency room. He was fine. He didn’t even have a scratch. Other than looking very tired, probably from not sleeping, he didn’t seem to be in any pain.

Could it be that the man was hurt?

Tae-heun narrowed his brows, and Jeong Jae-jin shrugged his shoulders.

“I slipped on the wet road.”

man said.

“Really?”

“Yes. I should have been careful, but I was in a hurry when I got off the bus.”

man said this and scratched his head with his good hand. It seemed genuine.

“Are you in pain?”

“Yes. I took a painkiller.”

“That’s a relief.”

Tae-heun’s heart was pounding because he was so happy to be standing face to face with the man at this moment. He was happy to see his kind eyes again.

“Lee Seon, no, Kim Tae-heun. We don’t have much time.”

At Jeong Jae-jin’s words, the man said, “He, he says we have to go.”

“Just a moment, I’d like to talk to Ki-beom for a moment.”

“Five minutes.”

“Shit.” Tae-heun immediately turned to Jeong Jae-jin and glared at him.

He mouthed “ten minutes” silently, but Jeong Jae-jin shook his head. The answer was five minutes, and he pointed to his wristwatch as if to indicate the urgency of the situation. Kim Delivery, who was standing next to Jeong Jae-jin, was also restless.

Five minutes.

It would be enough time to say a simple farewell.

Tae-heun entered the room with the man and closed the door behind him.

180 – Chapter Title Without Number