By Zephyria 
【Yesterday morning, a prison transport vehicle heading to the Seoul Western Detention Center overturned in the rain. It was confirmed that a van changing lanes had slipped, causing the transport vehicle to overturn while trying to avoid it. As a result, Park, a suspect in a murder case who was on board, has escaped. Park is the main culprit in the recent murder case of his live-in girlfriend, and the police have released Park’s photo to the media and issued a nationwide wanted notice. In response, Kim Hak-moon, the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, stated in a briefing that he would apprehend the suspect as quickly and swiftly as possible for the safety of the citizens.】
Nam-soo turned off the radio and rubbed his face roughly. “I’m going crazy. Seriously. What a mess.” Although not reported in detail by the media, it was reported that when the transport vehicle overturned, a pistol fell out of the Team leader of Team 1’s clothes and rolled on the floor, and Park Eon-soo picked it up, threatened them, and escaped.
Fortunately, the pistol was found not far away. However, the reporters seemed to know that the gun had been taken away and started calling to probe, and as rumors spread that it would soon be reported in the media, Team 1 was in a funeral home atmosphere.
So everyone put everything aside and was busy tracking down Park Eon-soo. A travel ban was issued, the ports were blocked, and checkpoints were set up on every road.
The police were spread around the escape site, and they were thoroughly searching from Park Eon-soo’s neighborhood to his hometown, but after a day and a half, there were no significant witnesses or evidence, which was frustrating.
“How’s Lee Jeong-hye’s acquaintance’s snack bar doing?”
“I asked the nearby police station to keep an eye on it. It seems there’s no unusual activity yet. Surely he wouldn’t go there to harm them. He’ll be trying to hide first.”
Right, even if he did try to harm someone, the target wouldn’t be the snack bar owner. Lee-eum rather hoped he would come to him. In the meantime, Nam-soo said he needed to go to the bathroom urgently, and Lee-eum parked the car briefly in the parking lot in front of the shopping center.
After Nam-soo disappeared, Lee-eum rubbed his face repeatedly, feeling tired. He hadn’t slept since yesterday and had been working, so his eyes were sore. He poured water and drank it to clear his head when an international call came in. As soon as he answered, Choi Won-joon’s voice was heard.
【What are you doing?】
Did Choi Won-joon know the news? There was no way he, who checked the news every day, wouldn’t know about this incident.
“I’m running around trying to catch the escaped criminal.”
【Ah, that son of a bitch?】
See, he knew. Choi Won-joon didn’t ask any further questions and told him that he would be coming to Korea in three days. According to him, Director Lee had a big fight with his girlfriend during the trip, and as a result, his girlfriend broke up with him and went back to Korea, which shocked him.
So he turned off his phone and holed up in the hotel alone. It was hard to imagine, considering Director Lee’s usual behavior. Was he that much of a romantic? Lee-eum was suspicious and wanted to check the immigration records, but the procedure was complicated, so he gave up. Seeing him calling from overseas, it probably wasn’t a lie.
【Why do you sound so down?】
“I’ve been up all night since yesterday. It looks like it’ll be the same today.”
【Ah, that’s upsetting. That bastard, I should have killed him that day.】
Lee-eum had a question stuck in his throat. Did President do it? But is it possible to plan things like making a car skid on a rainy road, dropping Team leader of Team 1’s pistol on the floor, and unlocking handcuffs? It was closer to a case of bad luck overlapping with coincidences than a planned event.
【Or should I have someone look into it?】
“It’s okay. There are so many police officers mobilized. He’ll be caught soon.”
【I hope so. So my Darling can rest comfortably.】
He was probably used to hearing that Darling sound so often. He wasn’t even angry.
【Don’t you miss me?】
Lee-eum bit his lip. He felt empty without Choi Won-joon at home, but he wasn’t sure if it was longing. It was similar when they were dating before he was diagnosed as an Omega. Others were lovey-dovey and affectionate, but Lee-eum was indifferent, which led to misunderstandings and breakups.
【I miss you. A lot.】
“Come carefully…”
He heard a small laugh over the phone. What was it about that laugh that made his heart flutter? His ears were hot, and he rubbed them with his hand when he saw Nam-soo outside. “Let’s talk later. I’ll hang up.” As soon as he hung up, Nam-soo got into the car and looked puzzled.
“Oh, Sunbae’s ears are…”
“What?”
“They look like they’ve ripened like a chili pepper. They’re red.”
“…….”
❖ ❖ ❖
Choi Won-joon looked at the disconnected phone and scratched his front teeth with his tongue. Then he smiled at Director Lee, who was next to him.
“How was my acting?”
“Perfect.”
He looked around and saw that he was in the middle of a forest. In front of him was an old, dilapidated warehouse, and nearby were piles of old trash. And in the truck next to the warehouse, there was a conspicuous object: a caller ID spoofing relay used by voice phishing criminals to change overseas calls to domestic mobile phone numbers.
With a few manipulations, it could also change domestic calls to overseas calls, which allowed Choi Won-joon to call Kim Yi-eum from England just now, not from some mountain village in Gangwon Province.
“Let’s go. He’ll be waiting.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the men opened the iron door, and Choi Won-joon walked into the warehouse. As the light poured in, a man with a haggard face, tied to a chair, raised his head. The man was Park Eon-soo, and his expression twisted as he realized that the other person was Choi Won-joon while he was dazed from being beaten.
“You, you son of a bitch!”
“Long time no see. Nice to see you.”
Park Eon-soo gritted his teeth and burst into laughter with a look of disbelief.
“Haha, I knew it. It was planned from the beginning! You even made me drop the gun on purpose, didn’t you? No wonder it all went so smoothly! You’ve been waiting until now!”
He screamed and shook his body, and the chair, unable to withstand the weight, fell backward with a thud. Still not relieved, he spewed out all sorts of harsh curses and hateful words. Choi Won-joon silently looked down at him with a cigarette in his mouth.
Time passed, and Park Eon-soo became quiet, as if he had run out of energy. The men next to him lifted him up and sat him down. Park Eon-soo glared with wild eyes, and Choi Won-joon looked around the interior.
“How do you like it here? I changed it up a bit, I wonder if you remember.”
Park Eon-soo finally recognized it, and his expression changed. Choi Won-joon pointed at Park Eon-soo with the hand holding the cigarette.
“I was sitting in that exact spot.”
“You crazy bastard…”
“Yeah, I’m crazy. When I was young, I was a very kind and gentle child. After that day, something awakened inside me. I don’t know if it was there from the beginning or if you guys created it, but I’m sometimes grateful. Thanks to you, my life has become much more colorful.”
“That’s fucked up. So? Are you going to take revenge on me? You killed my brother! Isn’t that enough? Why are you acting up now!”
Choi Won-joon, who was listening, snapped his fingers, and a man appeared from behind with a hacksaw. Park Eon-soo’s face turned white when he saw it. Choi Won-joon walked up to Park Eon-soo and looked at his fingers.
“I tried it last time, and it does quite a bit of damage to the other person. That guy ended with ten fingers, but not you. I’ll cut off your fingers, wrists, and elbows, little by little, in order. I’ll treat you so you don’t die, and when you heal, I’ll cut off the next joint. Watch with your own eyes as your body disappears piece by piece. I don’t know how long you’ll live.”
“…….”
Choi Won-joon stomped out the cigarette he was smoking and gestured. As he stepped back, two men grabbed Park Eon-soo from both sides, and the person with the hacksaw positioned himself to cut off a finger.
Park Eon-soo, who belatedly came to his senses, screamed and struggled. “I’ll do whatever you tell me! Don’t do this! Please! Please don’t do this! Save me! I’ll do anything you tell me!” Choi Won-joon ordered him to stop and stared at Park Eon-soo.
“Anything?”
“Yes, anything!”
“Specifically, what?”
Park Eon-soo confessed his crimes without hesitation.
“I killed three more people besides Lee Jeong-hye! The detective will be happy to know. You like that detective, don’t you? I’ll tell you where I buried them, so let’s make a deal. If you let me go, I’ll confess everything! I’ll pay for my sins!”
Choi Won-joon chuckled.
“That’s it?”
“What?”
“You tried to change my mind with just that?”
“Just that! Do you know how much blood and sweat the detectives shed to find this out! Don’t you want to make that detective happy? He’ll be happy if you tell him?”
Choi Won-joon pondered for a while, looking at Park Eon-soo, who was coaxing him, and nodded. Park Eon-soo’s face was filled with relief, thinking that his method had worked. Won-joon signaled to continue, and Park Eon-soo screamed, not expecting it.
“I’m telling you! I’m telling you! You son of a bitch!”
Choi Won-joon shook his head.
“It’s okay. She likes me now even without that. So, you’ll have to pay for your sins directly to the people you killed in the afterlife. That’s how it’ll be even.”
As the sawing began and blood splattered everywhere, Park Eon-soo struggled and screamed. The blood vessels in his neck stood out, and tears welled up in his eyes. It was not tears of repentance but tears of pain. Conversely, a smile spread across Choi Won-joon’s face as he watched.