“Huff… huff…”
Cheol-woo’s hands moved quickly as he rushed to break open the safe.
He had seen Manager Jung and the team leaders coming and going, taking money in and out.
It was basically no different from a cabinet with just a padlock on it, so it wasn’t too difficult.
He hurriedly stuffed bundles of cash into his bag, wiped the blood stains off his body as he stepped over the corpses, and swiftly changed his clothes.
He didn’t forget to shove a bulletproof vest under his clothes, either.
His mind was still in chaos, but his actions showed no hesitation.
Everything was improvised, yet it felt as if it had been meticulously planned long ago.
With his cap pulled down tight, he scanned Team Leader Kang’s employee badge at the gate and slipped out, exhaling deeply.
“Am I going insane?”
Why did I even pull the gun back there?
It wasn’t like my life was being directly threatened.
But the moment I was sure that my teammates were intentionally keeping me in the office and something was going to happen to my sister tonight—any hesitation vanished.
Still, was that really enough reason to kill my team?
They were just following orders from Unit Chief Yoo and Manager Jung. Weren’t they innocent?
Those people are probably husbands and fathers too.
“Screw it, whatever.”
That was Cheol-woo’s conclusion after all his doubts—fuck it.
My sister and I are in danger.
Why should anything else matter?
If it was for the sake of my only remaining family, I could kill teammates I’d barely known for a month—no problem.
Once I pulled the trigger, there was no turning back.
There was no way to undo it, and no room for negotiation.
Now, the only choice was to see this through to the end.
“Shall I load your luggage in the trunk?”
“No. I’ll hold it in the back seat. Please take me to Geummyeong University Hospital.”
Just as Cheol-woo got into the taxi, his phone started vibrating—bzzzz.
It was a call from Yu-ri.
He immediately declined it and opened his messenger app.
—You’ve got like a million missed calls, you know? I’m about to head into a meeting with the studio staff after wrapping up the shoot. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.
—Possible wiretap or tailing. Make sure no one sees this message.
—Break your appointment naturally and come to the location I tell you.
—Emergency.
No reply for a long while.
The tension in Cheol-woo’s clenched jaw made a grinding noise, and the taxi driver stiffened awkwardly.
—What’s going on? This meeting’s super important, I can’t just skip it.
—Do it anyway. No meeting’s more important than your life.
—If possible, change your clothes. There might be a tracker on them.
—Stay in crowded places only, and never get into someone else’s car.
—Use your own vehicle or public transportation. Head toward Yeouido Station. Honestly, it doesn’t matter where you go—just don’t go home. Stay as far away from home as possible.
—If you think you’re being followed, say so immediately.
Still no response for a while.
Why is she typing so slow?
Each time Cheol-woo clenched his teeth with a loud crunching sound, the driver’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.
—Hey, are you lurking on some gossip board or what?
“Goddamn it,” Cheol-woo muttered and yanked up his outerwear in frustration, taking a photo and sending it.
As soon as he sent the photo, the messages flooded in.
—Yo, what the hell??
—Seriously, what’s going on, Min Cheol-woo?
—Was that you just now? Was that your stomach?
—What happened? Don’t tell me you got shot?
—Are you at the hospital? On the way?
—Dude, reply, for fuck’s sake.
—First aid’s done. I’m on the way to the hospital.
—Did you understand everything I said earlier?
This time, the reply came much faster.
—Said I started my period and ran out.
Cheol-woo finally let out a breath and slumped in relief.
If I were Manager Jung… when, where, and how would I kidnap my sister?
He’d want to capture her quietly, without risk, and without any witnesses.
The optimal route would be to break into her one-room apartment in the middle of the night and subdue her.
As long as she didn’t go home, that plan would fall apart.
Considering his sister’s schedule, there was a high chance Manager Jung already knew it in advance.
If she disrupted her schedule and moved in an unexpected way, even their Plan B would be wrecked.
Of course, Manager Jung wouldn’t rely on a slow and quiet kidnapping plan forever.
Pretty soon, the cleaning lady would find the office in chaos and report it to him.
Once he found out Cheol-woo had escaped, he might attempt a bold kidnapping in broad daylight, right on the street.
He had to reach his sister before that happened.
—Requesting gear support…
Cheol-woo picked up Deputy Kang’s phone and began tapping away.
All the while, his stomach kept rumbling uncomfortably.
“Ah. Please stop in front of that used car dealership.”
“Here? Alright.”
As soon as Cheol-woo got out of the taxi, he headed straight into the dealership.
A tattooed dealer quickly followed him, but before the guy could say anything, Cheol-woo pulled out a wad of cash.
“With this money, give me the best one-ton box truck you’ve got. Prioritize engine condition.”
“Uh, sir? You’re not going to check it yourself?”
“I’ll be back.”
Finishing his quick order, Cheol-woo crossed the street and entered the hospital.
He passed the crowded reception and the bustling emergency room, eventually reaching a quiet corridor.
He scanned his employee badge and opened a door—an entrance known only to Geummyeong Security staff.
“Where does it hurt? Right now… Oh. Head nurse! We’ve got a gunshot wound! We’ll get X-rays first!”
Nurses inside looked up like startled meerkats, and the moment Cheol-woo lifted his shirt, the place went into emergency mode.
As the nurses rushed to bring a stretcher, Cheol-woo had already walked into the X-ray room on his own and casually headed toward the operating room.
Just as he entered, a disheveled doctor who looked like he’d just woken up rushed in, throwing on his cap while checking the X-ray images.
“Gunshot wounds? Not just one. There’s one in the right abdomen, and one in the shoulder?”
“Ah. No wonder my shoulder was feeling sore.”
“How much painkiller did you get that you didn’t notice?”
“I dumped a whole bottle of morphine onto the wound.”
“…Well, then we can go ahead with the surgery as-is.”
“Yeah. Just do it as-is. I can’t really feel anything anyway.”
“….”
He had said it as a joke.
But since the patient insisted, the doctor didn’t bother trying to talk him out of it.
General anesthesia would be easier, but this wasn’t a particularly complex surgery—local anesthesia would suffice.
“Shoulder’s… already clotted. How about just living with the soreness? It didn’t hit any nerves or major blood vessels.”
“Would removing the bullet be a big surgery?”
“We’d have to cut through the muscle. Recovery would take at least eight weeks.”
“Then just skip it.”
“Alright, let’s take off the bandage on your stomach. Wow. You really stuffed that gauze in there tight. Look at all this bleeding. A little later and you’d be dead cold by now.”
The doctor let out a dry chuckle as gauze kept coming out of the wound like a magic trick.
What kind of internal damage caused a hole this deep?
It was a miracle he stayed conscious after getting hit.
A bit higher, and it would’ve hit the liver and killed him instantly.
It was sheer luck that it hit lower.
“Yeah, this one needs to come out. The bullet’s still moving deeper inside. And we’ve got to reconnect the blood vessels… How about general anesthesia?”
“Can’t. I have to return right away.”
“You’re the new guy in Team 1, right? What the hell do you guys even do lately? At war with Oriental or something?”
“…”
“Yeah, I figured. Manager Jung probably told you to keep quiet.”
Oriental.
That was the place where someone had stormed in with a gun recently, killing Team Leader Woo and several staff.
It did feel like a war, but since he didn’t know the details, he had nothing to say.
“Nurse, hold him down. You, listen up. If you flinch even once, I’ll wreck your veins, and this’ll turn into a real surgery. Then I’ll knock you out and sedate you whether you like it or not, got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Crack.
Crunch.
Grind.
Rip.
Squish.
Snap.
The noises came nonstop.
As he listened to them, all Cheol-woo could think was, I’m so screwed.
Even the pain after his wisdom teeth removal had been hell—what would this feel like once the anesthesia wore off?
He had to lose the pursuers and get out of Korea before that happened.
“Wow. You’re lucky. How’d you manage to dodge every major organ?”
“…”
Because I used a pig to shield them.
Cheol-woo swallowed the answer.
It had to be a stray bullet from across the partition that hit him.
But judging from the angle, if he’d had even a Level 2 bulletproof vest on, it wouldn’t have penetrated.
The difference between wearing armor and not wearing it was night and day.
“Seriously though, they’re sending rookies like you straight into missions where you get shot? That’s hardcore. I heard rumors Oriental’s been unleashing druggies—are they that short on manpower?”
“You mean the ones with crazy eyes, jaws stretched wide, and inhuman speed?”
“…They didn’t even explain that to you? What is wrong with your team? Getting you shot is bad enough, but no briefing?
Well, I guess that’s Manager Jung’s job. Still, be careful, rookie.
Those things? They’re not human.”
Not human?
Yeah, that much was obvious just by looking at them.
Anyway, the fact that they were called “junkies” suggested that some kind of drug was behind their transformation.
Piecing together the info just gathered, it seemed “Oriental” had a drug that could turn ordinary people into monsters.
“Oh. The anesthesia’s wearing off. I can feel things again.”
“What? What are you talking about? That’s impossible.”
“No, seriously, I can feel it. Aren’t you poking me with a needle right now?”
“What the hell. Inject more anesthetic. Just shove it in.”
“It keeps wearing off. Ow. That hurts.”
“This is bad! The anesthesia isn’t working!”
“Is there a lot left to do?”
“Just a few more stitches back and forth and it’s done…”
“Then go ahead. Finish it before all the sensation comes back.”
“Tough bastard. Nurse, give this punk a mouthpiece.”
The emergency lights flicked on in the operating room.
Click-click— Min Yuri’s footsteps grew quicker.
She had changed her clothes completely at a nearby store when told to switch outfits and had avoided making phone calls.
Wiretapping?
Surveillance?
Tracking?
It all sounded like the ravings of a paranoid lunatic.
But getting shot had made it all weirdly convincing.
‘What the hell is actually going on.’
She was too scared to even make a call after hearing about wiretaps.
And since no one had explained the situation, it felt too long and complicated to even ask.
Now that she was told someone might be following her… she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone really was.
Yep, definitely being followed.
The moment she slowed down and saw the black, heavily tinted van matching her pace, she was sure of it.
What the hell is that?
Gangsters?
Because of Cheol-Woo’s debt?
Yuri’s mind was now overflowing with question marks.
Her steps quickened.
The van sped up too.
But when she ducked into a narrow alley, the chase stopped.
Just as she was calming her racing heart, she glanced in a convex mirror and nearly cried out—
Men were following her.
She hurriedly pulled out her phone with trembling hands and texted:
— heyheyhey tailing me tailing
— some random van kept following me and now some huge dudes are chasing me
— what do I do
— where r u
— send your location
— sent you a map
Damn it.
Answer.
Answer me, asshole.
Her clenched lips had wiped off all her lip tint.
— get to the main road and turn right
— OF
Getting a reply from Cheol-Woo weirdly made her feel more secure.
But why was this guy so calm?
His attitude seemed seriously off.
Still, she followed his instructions and quickly made her way to the main road.
The crowd was overwhelming.
How did he know there’d be so many people here at this time?
For someone who was always holed up playing games, his directions were too precise— like he was watching her in real time.
— shit. they’re still chasing
— what do I do
She thought she had shaken them off, but the massive guys were speeding up.
Even the van had turned a corner and was coming straight at her—fast.
Shit! They’re…
Is that van driving at her with the door open?
Is this what she thinks it is?
Yuri’s heart was pounding like crazy.
— don’t run, just keep walking
— what?? the van’s coming at me
— I know
What the hell do you know, you crazy bastard?
Her hands were shaking violently.
Keep walking?
If she kept going like this, they’d catch her, grab her limbs, and toss her in the van.
They were already pushing people aside, totally ignoring the public’s stares.
— don’t look back
CRACK!
Just then, Yuri heard a snapping sound, followed by tires screeching—
And then a loud CRASH!
Amid rapid footsteps running her way, she heard heavy thuds as if bodies were collapsing.
Still shaking, Yuri turned her head despite herself.
— told you not to look back
The van’s windshield had a hole in it and had slammed into a utility pole.
The huge men were sprawled all over the street like passed-out drunks.
Dark red blood was pooling on the ground beneath them.
Yuri gasped. “Hiiik—”
“M-m-m-m-m-madness—” she muttered, picking up her pace again.
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