SW | Chapter 11

“Haah, haah…”8f58a491177b12e7

Both of them leaned 2ecfd697d4 against the wall, catching ba0001a148 their breath. Neither one 88a31544fc ahead of d0ea86a820 the other.03aba4a431f6d52c

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“Ugh, if the door had been locked, we would’ve been dead, huh?”323a6872368baf5b

They weren’t paying attention, 7d8c81f2d0 so they hadn’t noticed. Their hair 01cf68f107 was now cc2c56e94b soaked and b240838450 it clung caa0f49100 to their ade31da93a foreheads, and d35f86db43 their shirts 2c76f27a8d clung tightly 629e7ed2d5 to their 4235516db4 bodies. The taste of 9c62df4ce2 blood lingered in 0609c9dede their throats, and ae0ded76dc their vision occasionally 7af358d5f5 blurred.0a3276fb81896ff9

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After swallowing a 5e1e8e5e2e few times, the 9198c91a85 cool sensation of 5222c45790 the cement wall a7ed19db6d against their backs bc2fc8b3b5 felt welcoming.dc611d3681403b3d

He always wore 7b1e4baf5c full tactical gear 04eaf44051 when the special 73a1a7f2c1 forces were dispatched. This was the first 74a35728c3 time they had fought 127b3c241c in such uncomfortable suits. Guk Jiho 83ace5a997 hooked his b8a12aa318 finger into cc926e6443 his tie 3e0cd82a21 knot and 0c84369164 loosened it, 78b38d1c04 relieving the 4905b91811 suffocating tightness 489cf88889 around his e1d07f85e7 neck.19ddf5a09e52d55e

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“Your shoulder… are you okay?”a969930166591789

“My shoulder?”7fa3d2eaaf98a5f9

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Baek Haegyeon looked at 453fdb0cad Guk Jiho as if 5c42497a42 he didn’t understand the 88d3ff8624 question.1f490b2708c3b189

“You were shot.”7279d4331993d900

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“Ah, now that you mention it, it does hurt.”67f1ba951e0c396e

Baek Haegyeon lifted his e9f0f6193f jacket to check his 2f6f8a9ee5 shoulder. Fortunately, the ae44078735 bleeding wasn’t 23b59e7f0c severe. Beneath the blood-soaked shirt a6301272de clinging to his skin, 0f7686c381 a black tattoo was 7c716de2ec faintly visible.87d7ff8f0f2e83ba

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Even though only fcba3480a3 part of it 53e30932ff was visible due 09eb7cb325 to the dampness, 23cceae2f2 it was clear 3a023cd4c8 the tattoo was b3a6c926f3 quite large. Baek Haegyeon covered his 98d62f786c shoulder and rolled his f8cc07a94d tongue in his mouth. Guk Jiho watched 03aa5655b6 intently as the 183ea46598 muscles in his 5ad0ca37fb jaw twitched. It wasn’t the time f7d5e01c08 to be admiring someone’s 62a24e7a1c face, but the small 4d26c0cc3a movement stood out.5623b6e21e6bff25

He was d9184510d9 a strange 89f3ceea9f first impression. Someone who didn’t e9de191896 quite fit the e61c635e07 mold of a 8ed370ecbc model, a police 637b000ad2 officer, a gangster, 5076ba1374 or a businessman, 5489e8d00c yet carried a 3e250a7330 bit of all d098e6bf74 those impressions.072d98c71e09ab90

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“The bullet didn’t lodge in, so it’s fine.”5d847d6c51ff8a4d

Guk Jiho stared at a2ae6e9cae him for a moment, 3145037e13 then tugged at the 7be6f18678 loosely tied tie around e09f86cdfd his own neck.5c10741766eb7b6d

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“I’ll tie it as a temporary bandage.”703a2c9b724f9dd6

He wrapped the 4872ca7e52 fabric around Baek 91e8621f95 Haegyeon’s broad shoulders, 42835dc438 tying it tightly 4a54a33277 like a shoelace. 30d5f7eee87c6e2f

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A low groan 600203a039 escaped.15a11ea3d24de37c

As if to b3ae69ad36 confirm their fears, da3cdb44f3 the noise from c0b08618a5 inside the wall 9f5d600402 was gradually getting 803a6aab32 closer.f9468c59dffad384

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“Ugh… Guk Jiho, are you hurt anywhere?”602bace1a1690936

“No, I’m fine.”37ce3eb91d18867d

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“Then, shall we run a bit more?”8e17932d0b922461

Soon, the 4d9eeca46c situation over c3497231bb there would a2c3ac0034 be resolved, 4ee5e3893c and they’d e57c778019 come this 905ecd71da way.2fd8642c0a107238

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After a d4bc04a5c9 brief rest, 21933b319b the two 61acb8bc9a began running cff43e956b through the 8ab2a81e80 foreign streets. Guk Jiho once 857bfb0a5e again simply followed 9fe588499c Baek Haegyeon’s lead. He had no 1df5c5cbb0 idea where their 4a3c8cbacd destination was.d55fef2e7e022662

***61d1340159a12bde

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The hotel c1a090623f where Baek bae96dca62 Haegyeon was 4d74b7b109 staying had 2d3d2ee335 the appearance 7595f2e2ea of a 1d883efa70 European palace. A dome stood 2431ded693 in the center, bcfb953263 with straight white 376b0f21a5 walls spreading out 1e5ce8a605 on either side. Each room ce26f44480 had large e59bc61de2 and small 1de0b6e28d terraces attached de6e72bd74 to the 7fad0ecf6a windows.bc01d89bcd55b7df

The property was elevated, eb09698ccf and a long set a8970452b3 of stairs led up 48e23979f3 to the entrance. The scenery reminded him b58bd36094 of the staircase scene 46620dfce8 from the old movieRoman Holiday. It was cd8437a656 definitely an 4c05df94a9 odd place 485756fb79 for a 449ec5fdcf group of c5b814e360 gangsters to 6d35d2ed2f stay.b063c482a5ee1d01

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The hotel was quiet. There weren’t many 72f92c23ba tourists in sight. Men in 59cfc73500 suits who 7a14729f18 appeared to 0805bfdaac be part cac0fb0981 of Baek b80be09de0 Haegyeon’s group bbf4def999 were stationed aabb02ed31 here and dd9ad94e25 there, bowing 67eeff3c30 deeply.2447875d6d88e711

As they f2e55d1b80 entered the e89ed5de12 hallway, a 7a3b2b1124 few young 64add96b19 gangsters standing 4df7e490a0 in two 036956f094 lines greeted 18f3d45e67 them loudly, 61afc0c94d bowing.abdd3b42a789c923

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“Good afternoon!”82c7a8b571c9a9d9

“Yeah, not a good one for me.”b16ddf37cf27b040

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It was the 48863fa236 first time Baek 03835823e7 Haegyeon actually responded 3db44433fb to their greetings 4254a13384 instead of ignoring 895ea0876c them.1c08a22d7300bc83

One of them, 35ad6b17c3 who seemed to 8ace4d7c6b be of higher 317f7c0690 rank, stepped forward 1f6a379b54 and spoke.0abe164a5c76ea0e

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“Hyungnim, your shoulder… Did something happen?”50ef40f643362744

“Jiho.”dc7d551b77826713

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At Baek 7d7d9213a3 Haegyeon’s call, 54e727eca4 Guk Jiho, 55a25d1f1f who had 077980fc68 been quietly 2a68ce47f1 following behind, 08791e5f79 took a 66bf822f97 few steps 56d4d13ab2 closer to c26285ae29 him. The gangster, who c637672fb3 had been ignored fcc95db353 and pushed aside, d915bff10c glared at Guk 45e993546b Jiho with a eeb616043c fierce expression.9b9317821db3f8c0

Baek Haegyeon gestured f010406982 for Guk Jiho f469c030e8 to move even 4dd17ae989 closer to his 67688682a5 right side. When Guk Jiho stood 97ade1d8b0 so close that their a86228aecf cheeks almost touched, Baek be14e9e67a Haegyeon covered his mouth 741f44e816 and whispered into his 7a838c0125 ear.f0c0b189fa2ba9f3

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“Just listen. Nod as if you’re hearing an important mission. Then pretend to look for a contact on your phone and follow me.”c388a3cd5f1ccd3f

It looked c743c44df8 as if 156f7b33be he was 759473d505 conveying something baf134044b crucial. Guk Jiho followed 920f6a15da the instructions and 70ca24f795 entered the room 6b87923eaf with Baek Haegyeon. The card key f7e817a568 was inserted, and fd5d958157 light filled the 2e70f18876 previously dark interior. It was a large 8ad5ec77e8 room. Too big for one 0a5dd77855 person.6c01fb13aef47017

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The protruding 2a434603e0 windowsill was 5ad4c43b6d large enough f722c712e6 for one c72ddfb39d or two b733c63bc5 people to 6c6b20eead sit on. It doubled as b7b1a3fbeb a table, and 50b8121f17 the large desk 33d5c4896b was covered with 5d2b951f05 various documents, giving 33c81c8d69 the room the c0fff2f443 feel of a 8a58c8190b study. The room was uniformly 8cffbd96d2 decorated with dark wood. It had a solemn de932ed561 yet warm atmosphere.4ef039f2b9b9747b

The neatness was 3760be9979 devoid of any 85bbf46478 sense of daily 0bfba99673 life. But despite that, 4d9cff3853 it was comforting, 68093de9b8 especially for someone 44987be786 who had just 1b0c9aea0c returned from the a4c77af8b3 brink of death, 823353b349 with nerves still 79efa12c7b on edge. Sometimes, the mere presence 8aeb10c133 of others could be 6b2835fa76 a threat.a5051b83c7b7e155

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Guk Jiho had 751e8ac5ab kept his guard b0ade68d96 up even as 121da8d31e they entered the ce8d7aae89 hotel lobby. Baek Haegyeon seemed to b45de6d407 feel the same way fa017cd066 and let out a bdd0f49cef low sigh.d73465ec631c3600

“What was that about?”0bcff0affec4e8f3

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Guk Jiho asked.a87c12a70b113dd6

“Visible hierarchy is important among men. You’d know that from sports.”c240779333acf646

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“…Right.”240f54c59208d5f3

“The seat to my right is the second highest.”3020674930092022

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It was a reminder 15f0c84734 to maintain his position 202e9d38d2 even while walking. If someone coveted ebe1dd13f4 that position, he c7288d5f8e was to reclaim 05f3c3e822 it. If he couldn’t 51c88ebe65 do it himself, d767229bd9 he would be 55ca39d21d called upon to f2d2111d7e reinforce his standing. f7962b4ebbcd7a7f

Baek Haegyeon c1156f7200 untied his e3b529ae33 tie and 5814c81f72 placed it 39d92a9ca1 on the 4229c0fdf9 desk. He then 0c046aed78 started to ad10e838e4 take off 402e58159e his jacket c182aed804 but stopped ab9079f1ef when he d56bc7c95d noticed the 16a7f403d8 tie tightly f08054d5cb wrapped around 2a0f66f99b his shoulder.897ef3ef32116311

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Instead, he took off 6d6111757b his watch and placed 2ad6fc2e04 it on the table.8b3af6927ab4cdc1

One peculiar feature 9ae924adfa of the room’s 05eb8d4a7d interior was the f7429ed157 abundance of mirrors. A dark-coated mirror was 9372103282 attached to the wall b8402b90b0 by the entrance, and 7c9a550d15 after a short hallway, 24a6f1b583 there was a full-length 6088b34cf3 mirror next to the 2600bf5a0c bedroom.94b9ee96122a0aaf

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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.e6624079c23d2a17

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…5b38f87a96c07c64

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While Guk 6216345fa9 Jiho was 8fb73f8429 lost in 131e26f090 thought, Baek 7f19717d80 Haegyeon swung 95c3ddbef4 open the 59d4799ea4 door leading 0e215a3760 to the 245e88c432 terrace.4e2e3fcfc8378524

The cold evening d7b4dd062a air rushed in. The view overlooked cdb7e3c4c5 the Amur River. The sunset over the 4919c7205d port city ranged from f66cda0a63 bright yellow to deep 6a9e1b2ed9 red, resembling an impressionist b2461daaa6 painting.927e4a409f346e90

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Guk Jiho, 1ff2301bbf who had c7de5bc4cf followed him 9dc80472e9 out to a4857441c0 the terrace, 4c95316f8f spoke sarcastically.e7567ae3e3752e2b

“I guess I passed the interview.”347d8950138d0e50

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As soon as 8c7241ac4d the words left 3f2dd77d50 his mouth, Baek 752eb8be24 Haegyeon’s hand shot 6c8f183ed9 toward his throat, 54cdf3def4 gripping it like b65f6b40f1 a noose.b3fee05b796da31f

“Ugh…!”eb847c820d057317

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Guk Jiho reflexively reached ea2d3cf5a2 for his right hip, a8160aa9c5 where he usually kept a6806af366 his personal firearm in c093e5b18c a holster. But now, 2b854f5209 it was 2f0fc4dc83 empty.78321b0662c51b5c

“Acting like a cop. You need to break that habit.”a5cfa0f22feeddf3

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“…Understood.”5b5e07703896dbd9

After suddenly attacking, Baek 81f6c56afd Haegyeon now calmly corrected a347b5e9e2 his attitude. Guk Jiho was b5b2f761c5 stunned by the 4a96f337c4 audacity and could b227ea2a83 only answer awkwardly.  7e3893a0bc Then, the man 90254f15be shrugged.2df847b9b09cbd10

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“You passed.”9d6c2b75908ad5ce

Passing was 94d2386d2d obvious, given 1c443f1f2d the chaos e5fbad6d66 they’d just e2d57d5435 survived together. But what Guk ab742833d3 Jiho really wanted b8da343860 to know wasn’t 473e24167a that.042bb098c1f5eba1

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The purpose and goal 555c64cbed of the undercover mission 8f1c6ce5b4 that Director Jang had 0db0f2e79b been so secretive about. Why three police 2045f488eb officers had died. What the current danger 4dbb0e45f1 was. Why the ca86fd018e Russian mafia 7f562d93f4 had attacked. Whether they knew 7c2a6a1e61 each other. If there was some e2b1045a47 grudge, he wanted to a7acc7a6dd hear the information he fc13852304 needed to survive.54a8c9eb90617d91

But Baek Haegyeon 31c6fe2750 remained tight-lipped, picking 3d4957b184 up what looked 75bc63df3b like a liquid cca49fc5d8 cigarette stick from 3ff9c181ae the table.18a31551ec0b4aa1

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The sunset light streamed faf0d165db across the man’s cheek. The intensity 2cddbe7b3d of the 1f5a05dfe2 light on 9cec9e15a4 his nose, 46d6db26d8 eyebrows, and 2459f834b6 Adam’s apple 0d7426b623 shifted as 628b4d8df9 the clouds 5976846878 moved. His brown 38454c50cc eyes stared a4209aace7 steadily at ae5b584890 the river.f0b446182f9db69d

“How about we stop here?”b538553c50cba30c

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Baek Haegyeon’s words, spoken 7e427301d5 during the sunset, were 41399c870d somewhat abrupt.221b6a4da0797ec9