SW | Chapter 11

“Haah, haah…”

Both of them leaned against the wall, catching their breath. Neither one ahead of the other.

“Ugh, if the door had been locked, we would’ve been dead, huh?”

They weren’t paying attention, so they hadn’t noticed. Their hair was now soaked and it clung to their foreheads, and their shirts clung tightly to their bodies. The taste of blood lingered in their throats, and their vision occasionally blurred.

After swallowing a few times, the cool sensation of the cement wall against their backs felt welcoming.

He always wore full tactical gear when the special forces were dispatched. This was the first time they had fought in such uncomfortable suits. Guk Jiho hooked his finger into his tie knot and loosened it, relieving the suffocating tightness around his neck.

“Your shoulder… are you okay?”

“My shoulder?”

Baek Haegyeon looked at Guk Jiho as if he didn’t understand the question.

“You were shot.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, it does hurt.”

Baek Haegyeon lifted his jacket to check his shoulder. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn’t severe. Beneath the blood-soaked shirt clinging to his skin, a black tattoo was faintly visible.

Even though only part of it was visible due to the dampness, it was clear the tattoo was quite large. Baek Haegyeon covered his shoulder and rolled his tongue in his mouth. Guk Jiho watched intently as the muscles in his jaw twitched. It wasn’t the time to be admiring someone’s face, but the small movement stood out.

He was a strange first impression. Someone who didn’t quite fit the mold of a model, a police officer, a gangster, or a businessman, yet carried a bit of all those impressions.

“The bullet didn’t lodge in, so it’s fine.”

Guk Jiho stared at him for a moment, then tugged at the loosely tied tie around his own neck.

“I’ll tie it as a temporary bandage.”

He wrapped the fabric around Baek Haegyeon’s broad shoulders, tying it tightly like a shoelace. 

A low groan escaped.

As if to confirm their fears, the noise from inside the wall was gradually getting closer.

“Ugh… Guk Jiho, are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then, shall we run a bit more?”

Soon, the situation over there would be resolved, and they’d come this way.

After a brief rest, the two began running through the foreign streets. Guk Jiho once again simply followed Baek Haegyeon’s lead. He had no idea where their destination was.

***

The hotel where Baek Haegyeon was staying had the appearance of a European palace. A dome stood in the center, with straight white walls spreading out on either side. Each room had large and small terraces attached to the windows.

The property was elevated, and a long set of stairs led up to the entrance. The scenery reminded him of the staircase scene from the old movie Roman Holiday. It was definitely an odd place for a group of gangsters to stay.

The hotel was quiet. There weren’t many tourists in sight. Men in suits who appeared to be part of Baek Haegyeon’s group were stationed here and there, bowing deeply.

As they entered the hallway, a few young gangsters standing in two lines greeted them loudly, bowing.

“Good afternoon!”

“Yeah, not a good one for me.”

It was the first time Baek Haegyeon actually responded to their greetings instead of ignoring them.

One of them, who seemed to be of higher rank, stepped forward and spoke.

“Hyungnim, your shoulder… Did something happen?”

“Jiho.”

At Baek Haegyeon’s call, Guk Jiho, who had been quietly following behind, took a few steps closer to him. The gangster, who had been ignored and pushed aside, glared at Guk Jiho with a fierce expression.

Baek Haegyeon gestured for Guk Jiho to move even closer to his right side. When Guk Jiho stood so close that their cheeks almost touched, Baek Haegyeon covered his mouth and whispered into his ear.

“Just listen. Nod as if you’re hearing an important mission. Then pretend to look for a contact on your phone and follow me.”

It looked as if he was conveying something crucial. Guk Jiho followed the instructions and entered the room with Baek Haegyeon. The card key was inserted, and light filled the previously dark interior. It was a large room. Too big for one person.

The protruding windowsill was large enough for one or two people to sit on. It doubled as a table, and the large desk was covered with various documents, giving the room the feel of a study. The room was uniformly decorated with dark wood. It had a solemn yet warm atmosphere.

The neatness was devoid of any sense of daily life. But despite that, it was comforting, especially for someone who had just returned from the brink of death, with nerves still on edge. Sometimes, the mere presence of others could be a threat.

Guk Jiho had kept his guard up even as they entered the hotel lobby. Baek Haegyeon seemed to feel the same way and let out a low sigh.

“What was that about?”

Guk Jiho asked.

“Visible hierarchy is important among men. You’d know that from sports.”

“…Right.”

“The seat to my right is the second highest.”

It was a reminder to maintain his position even while walking. If someone coveted that position, he was to reclaim it. If he couldn’t do it himself, he would be called upon to reinforce his standing. 

Baek Haegyeon untied his tie and placed it on the desk. He then started to take off his jacket but stopped when he noticed the tie tightly wrapped around his shoulder.

Instead, he took off his watch and placed it on the table.

One peculiar feature of the room’s interior was the abundance of mirrors. A dark-coated mirror was attached to the wall by the entrance, and after a short hallway, there was a full-length mirror next to the bedroom.

And those mirrors reflected Baek Haegyeon everywhere. His front, side, and back were all visible on the smooth, transparent surfaces… yet Guk Jiho still couldn’t get a sense of what kind of person he was.

What kind of police officer was he? Someone obsessed with promotion, someone consumed by the “justice” taught at the Central Police Academy, willingly becoming a cog in the machine, or someone like Director Jang, who used people for personal gain. Or perhaps…

While Guk Jiho was lost in thought, Baek Haegyeon swung open the door leading to the terrace.

The cold evening air rushed in. The view overlooked the Amur River. The sunset over the port city ranged from bright yellow to deep red, resembling an impressionist painting.

Guk Jiho, who had followed him out to the terrace, spoke sarcastically.

“I guess I passed the interview.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Baek Haegyeon’s hand shot toward his throat, gripping it like a noose.

“Ugh…!”

Guk Jiho reflexively reached for his right hip, where he usually kept his personal firearm in a holster. But now, it was empty.

“Acting like a cop. You need to break that habit.”

“…Understood.”

After suddenly attacking, Baek Haegyeon now calmly corrected his attitude. Guk Jiho was stunned by the audacity and could only answer awkwardly.  Then, the man shrugged.

“You passed.”

Passing was obvious, given the chaos they’d just survived together. But what Guk Jiho really wanted to know wasn’t that.

The purpose and goal of the undercover mission that Director Jang had been so secretive about. Why three police officers had died. What the current danger was. Why the Russian mafia had attacked. Whether they knew each other. If there was some grudge, he wanted to hear the information he needed to survive.

But Baek Haegyeon remained tight-lipped, picking up what looked like a liquid cigarette stick from the table.

The sunset light streamed across the man’s cheek. The intensity of the light on his nose, eyebrows, and Adam’s apple shifted as the clouds moved. His brown eyes stared steadily at the river.

“How about we stop here?”

Baek Haegyeon’s words, spoken during the sunset, were somewhat abrupt.