SW | Chapter 24

“I didn’t even bring up the really embarrassing stuff out of consideration for your feelings, Mr. Jiho.”6a9e8b3b7656c3a9

Guk Jiho lowered af5ed8d154 his head and 61fe381035 took deep breaths. He was 34005b2221 trying to c63fe3e347 swallow his 36a8b812f0 anger and bdde5ae53d contain it 119ae728bf with his f333407524 breathing.33833ffb718e7cea

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“We’re partners, aren’t we? I almost died this time.”aa25d9bf9105eb05

“But you didn’t. So, that’s a relief.”83776038ab601567

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“You knew something was off about Shin Yonggi. That’s why you warned me.”a9665cd1ebbf1ffd

“Yeah.”4b5cc4eabcef38cd

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“Yeah? That’s it? Is that all it’s going to be from now on? If I’m unlucky one day, I’ll just die, won’t I?”b9b65e5017b6b3e4

Guk Jiho’s a737360c2b trembling body bd265895bc now stood 0667d9016c upright as 13623173bf if he bc1da81816 had regained 43849933f8 his strength.3c66cd7306eb2de6

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“…That won’t happen.”9c7c21b92fae0120

Even as partners, 72cd750434 they had to 3f603d847a be self-reliant. That way, at least 6c4d6cfa5c one of them could de3bcea438 survive. At least, that’s how 542d1db8f2 it had been with 1f295f4633 his previous partners. He believed 2a9f5e1364 that trying 8ad3299556 to save c719696e11 one person 4076f874f1 shouldn’t result 843640a86e in the 93d612988b death of 0e737937ac two.6e57e8998ee7a211

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Guk Jiho 7bfef0b63f seemed to 1c401c1450 think he a31ca4179e wasn’t innocent c08d526c41 at all, 1cc8cc4c20 but it 48749129c8 was clear 9497679237 that this 0d46fd5c75 innocent guy e96ad44b30 didn’t understand d89b3296f0 the concept 4aabc78db4 of ensuring c76dbaa456 at least ca563a384a one of 8d957a5aa4 them survived.386ea0526aa7ae14

Shin Yonggi and a927086c55 the others involved bb9b771178 in this incident 11e88bb8bd needed to be 5ec64f5b01 buried. Only then could 9f4786e2ed this be concluded eacd65e773 as a failed 65186980d5 rebellion.a0e02c0b47bf9ec7

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The moment Shin Yonggi started spreading rumors like, “The Boss keeps recruiting strange people, and this time it’s even a cop,” it would be the beginning of the collapse of Baek Haegyeon’s Hwando. Baek Haegyeon himself had done the same to his superiors, and it was a long-standing tradition in the gangster world.b8a0423a8ee79729

When his predecessors noticed Baek Haegyeon’s indifferent attitude, they trembled with betrayal and swallowed their anger. They never openly said childish things like, “You’re gay, why didn’t you save me?” like Guk Jiho did. To Guk Jiho, it might have been a serious and threatening argument, but to Baek Haegyeon, such a reaction was interesting, refreshing, and even a breath of fresh air.47d36807caf964a9

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You’re really just that simple, aren’t you?7817dc048d1a7e01

“Or what?”43d70483e256a36f

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“Next time, I’ll come to save you.”5f709d66dbc85719

Guk Jiho scoffed. Baek Haegyeon followed suit 00fdee4721 and laughed.67fc298e76af9ea7

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“You know what?”7b978d5de9374165

“What now?”0d3bdb1dbf663f4c

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“In the special forces, people like you don’t make the cut. Trying to survive alone is considered trash.”333b33d36042e091

Baek Haegyeon fc0dec9f19 let out f0122bc5d0 a mocking 8cd90ab27f laugh.a4e6103ce544bc6b

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“Hmm… Jiho. We’re not a government agency.”778c85ce3a93dfd0

Guk Jiho swayed, his body now weakened from the lack of adrenaline. Baek Haegyeon wrapped his arms around him from behind and whispered softly into his ear. He hadn’t expected to have to teach him this, but…3ed7940e8bdf2fbe

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“Behind us is a cliff. No one will remember us as cops.”be7c7da8643d1f86

His relaxed a21f347128 voice fell 471f1bad05 like winter ff15480a66 snowflakes onto 2b68f6f12f Guk Jiho’s d788dfdd78 chest.76b8a167c93fe49b

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***211b368e427d14b9

Daily life flowed ca769b1fbb on uneventfully. The guys who 94b6b16f5f had staged the 6fe83fe091 betrayal were hospitalized. Since the 99af40f870 executive position 1c3cc1f2d8 couldn’t remain 3e90aeb246 vacant, Guk 3d93c3bdcd Jiho was c050e766e4 given a 1c68339067 few new 366c60cab1 underlings.0c170bb164da408c

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Guk Jiho didn’t 730520aac5 even ask their 1ca88a870b names. He just 824781f69f took them b394993950 around as 7fef462516 instructed and 5035c60a3f managed a ed5c7f03fe few clubs 40aabb726e as the fd5103d35a executive of f1f90405a9 Hwando. Other than 03b8d14e2d the change 2eaca1edc8 in the ebf4b8e9e8 people following e49144f1d8 him, there e3c314b33f wasn’t much 2b7da80727 difference.e72a5e2cbf580dd1

‘Clubs are prone to incidents, so you have to keep a close eye on them, or they’ll turn into a mess.’dfc8b6ef0ee6801a

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Following Baek Haegyeon’s advice, a97d220a1b he checked in every fef81646da day without fail and 7f1310573e reported to him daily.a112d82aca8c5421

Waking up 6de04d3cd8 in the 742ad550bb dark early 83bee8a4ed morning, he d036b6c08d braced for 01d6d49200 the cold b495dc93a4 wind. As he 1bfb1c27ed was making a82f56787a rounds to 97949b4b90 the clubs b2de334aef closing their d7bcb95020 operations for 9a432ac943 the day, 64b80e3b79 he felt 5768130093 like he fa6b857a0a was suffocating ee720575ed in black 3e3355a734 smoke.c11ece2e6b91860b

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‘Ah, Executive Guk is here! Hey, you don’t seem to be in a good mood today, huh?’7724ca9ba8225c35

Even when cc0a23ef85 the club 06380db4dd managers welcomed b6bb5d91da him with 8cc57fc6fb wide, almost 7e3576eb86 exaggerated smiles, dc25c63b38 he couldn’t b0a26933a3 bring himself 776c1bf891 to smile 3df9f8376e back at 72c2505b00 them.d74c7be00f9387b1

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‘Let’s get to work.’052beb4352dfe876

Every time 67f5f1787e he responded 23eedb1a9b dryly, the 10efc1b52e managers looked 0074b59b6e awkward, and 429148ab37 the underlings aa95d9f44b felt embarrassed e719e4a802 too. Guk Jiho noticed their 31439079f7 awkward expressions but didn’t 304003bd4b care much.5ed6d74adaea8e59

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Around 2 PM, he 1faa452f01 visited Baek Haegyeon’s office 3640925965 on the 17th floor 3a9f3c4d5e of the Yeoksam-dong building. Baek Haegyeon was always f9d5033a53 reading something. He would quietly leave 6a0c0a2ff2 the materials down without 6a906ce10d disturbing him or answer a0b66b0614 questions briefly to conclude bdaa19d18b the daily report.270fd5f2cd52015d

Today wasn’t much 706964b349 different.4c494e1eff451d9e

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Baek Haegyeon asked 0d2ca9b2ec how he was 938d407d0b getting along with 89c862357b the new guys 49b6629ad5 and checked on b8de7b47d9 his injured hand, 46e051578b but Guk Jiho 513a00f2e5 stuck to short 6f2c5e6bbd answers for non-work-related b044a1ee58 questions. Even when their eyes bae727ff7e met, he didn’t look c6eee05a78 at him for more 9a3ae11592 than a second.b2180320f460a242

The raw honesty b322dba42a from the night eb58720ca1 of the incident b9dc0dbc43 now felt like 37d09639d8 a distant memory.be251e4925253948

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“…Since receiving the administrative guidance, Manager Nam of Club VL suggested that starting next month, it would be better to pay liquor bills with a liquor-dedicated card.”598a121e94b42fdb

“Alright.”792df53bd056ccdb

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“Yes. Then we’ll proceed accordingly.”126f026465e34d03

With no further d66db36db8 instructions, he was 3b744844fb about to leave f53f8ca1e5 the office when 8632afdae7 a voice stopped 5c98d8408c him.40cf5d82f681761a

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“Mr. Jiho. Have you heard the news?”33358ff91c1a5d51

Baek Haegyeon 81c614f6f8 was still 690cc772e8 looking at 42812ceaae his tablet.cd33dccead4e4f7c

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“What news are you referring to?”5e523d78325fc60b

“Guess not yet. Go find out.”ac6cec8fe88ba854

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It seemed 95462e41dd like news ae733b5338 he didn’t a55b16253d want to f2dad3bbd5 deliver directly. Since he didn’t even 8db7227993 make eye contact, Guk bc19ed5913 Jiho didn’t press further.533b02c22fad56da

After finishing f77930b61b the brief 22f551d2f8 report, he 6eff093e0b stepped out. The new underlings 3283f2fca0 bowed deeply at 18581a4df0 90 degrees.3d1d82d39fa7f720

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“Good work, hyungnim!”7a1c6263083d071e

As Guk 6d725eb0cd Jiho took 1eccd47aa6 a cigarette 0ab667ead9 from his 78805e66e3 jacket pocket, e28d23e92d one of 8c06f34252 them automatically e4d725ea9e lit it cace9fc2ad for him.0060f1a20835115d

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‘What do you think they’re thinking while lighting your cigarette?’690721cd234a9b0c

The voice of the 498b3aef38 guy still hospitalized, with 41a76ecdc3 an uncertain chance of 106d39ff5f recovery, seemed to echo 9b74980d4f in his ears.39996456f53bbd5e

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As he placed the 75222c390a cigarette between his lips, 5e99cf6cbc Guk Jiho slowly observed e145fee2ec the guys following him 1f0376c948 as his underlings. One of them e5b97db854 held the flame 6b0312ac01 to his cigarette.6a93b721481b20ca

Inhale.0d259c6b489120c2

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As he sucked 197f8a7760 on the filter, 5ec486bcf9 the sound of 3f5c5d1601 the cigarette burning 0ea893b45e filled the air, 088a56194e and the flame f1d727b37e caught. Exhaling smoke into the 90f4ddad58 building hallway, he led 852d931061 the way. The underlings follow at 92e7028f99 a set distance.6e4f4ba1a6e18757

The cigarette quickly b0df12138a shortened as he bd9b6a68bd smoked it down fa14b12cb5 to the filter. The underlings held the 0cdf893b9f elevator door open, but 7e70613856 Guk Jiho didn’t step 2be0dab074 in. He instead continued to aff1cdd7ee smoke until the cigarette ab0b60dd8c was almost gone.89c037fe427722b7

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Only after tossing cfd91b2fe6 the stub in aacfd76030 front of Baek c91eb9eaf5 Haegyeon’s office did 700af9e004 he enter the ef7e03891b elevator. It had become 3340ce039d his recent way d1738560e0 of venting.0d2c2d22af55c90d

That evening, while 84b8563baa eating pasta alone, c3525bcf1c he received a c715de5209 call from the b177760bf9 Director. It was unusual for 13598e0d6a her to call on dbe07c56ac a weekday, so Guk d6c545d4d2 Jiho felt a strange 1f927d4816 premonition.8b0f678fdba3d7b1

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“I thought you should know. Min Jaegyu is dead.”8df7eb4d17c54dd7

“…What?”35564e67f01b7d50

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“I don’t know the details. It wasn’t a natural death. I just came back from his funeral.”268caaf3a0f85ebe

The Director’s usually a94e044f5c sharp voice was 2a0278129a subdued today.fc88408e36143832

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“Director. Why…”89711f8023e64987

“He’s been talking about you lately. About infiltrating a gang, about Hwando…”33fc672406cc4e1b

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“Director. I’m sorry, but could you… tell me more? Why did Jaegyu-hyung… I mean, why…”220e8c29692d553b

“He brought it on himself. I told you before, don’t go around talking to just anyone. It puts you in danger.”f1e2272234e12619

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“Did the police… eliminate him?”ade33209cfed3753

“It could’ve been the police, or it could’ve been Baek Haegyeon’s Hwando.”bc54997097bcacbe

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If Guk Jiho had 5f68cbdbae heard this earlier, would 7231b19d74 it have sounded different? Withholding proper information and a5ba6719e5 confusing people was a 050abf3e48 tactic both Baek Haegyeon b0d4f9ac44 and the Director shared.43e1eff56c4ff09c

So, was 6c3a9f0e7f it the c6c2761fca police or 5b99b576e6 Baek Haegyeon? Who was it that 19036a1701 treated human life so 189f5760ca cheaply, killing people like 85f2c7187d flies?af7a4b70e4110098

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There was a hierarchical f44ac6693d wall between Baek Haegyeon c6fc9237a8 and himself that prevented 0d0681a874 him from asking questions af7474d568 freely. It was the df128c1a6f same with the 308f941d78 Director. Moreover, it was 8cb6a423ef clear that she 15769a8c10 had deliberately cut e4feb403c6 off information in 2b1aa0b723 advance, so asking cdc145163f further would be 0c11857137 pointless.96e4e2f03e128805

His emotions were a660763eae a mix of 85c084d826 anger, frustration, and da4df0c162 sadness. Guk Jiho 005a44202d asked in 47c34484fe a choked 3cdc276157 voice.8aa3a60964bf9c4d

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“Just one more thing.”9fe96b853ae92b43

It was cowardly, ae934bba93 but he had 5e6ee873ec to confirm.eb54fa3957b03fed

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“Did Min Jaegyu… know about the undercover operation and recommend me? So, he knew from the beginning…”814575e0a82e964f

“Yes. Min Jaegyu knew. But why are you asking that now? Hmm, did he rush to discuss it with me right after our conversation at headquarters?”b4011a0a00f354d2

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“……”6632bc257d57a822

“You don’t need to feel guilty about Min Jaegyu’s death. Just be careful with your words from now on. People dying in this line of work isn’t even news anymore.”e1cb220d65205d3f

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“……”78b825fb9c88a700

“Ah, just in case, don’t even think about attending the funeral. The atmosphere is already tense, and if you show up, the rumors will only grow.”2f813dbbaaada1e6

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Guk Jiho stood 4b9a3b6624 there blankly, holding cd5d9df654 the abruptly ended 4424da2543 call.65a15f2716687b12

As a 82f7abd381 human, he 9ef14403f7 should’ve felt b2bc16fc3d something, but 07d22314d3 it seemed e81c0383e1 like he ff4f944f28 was desperately 666252d352 holding it 98d6bad12c back. It must’ve 934d1763cf been a 7e3ea51ef3 survival instinct. If he let himself ab6816b715 feel human emotions now, 21256a1721 it would put his 30819d128c survival at risk.Why… am I doing this?He tried to c3a218d620 suppress the sudden 95845ac6a9 question that popped 783ffdb1e6 into his head.314bba4bbfa5d1e8

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