SW | Chapter 8

“What are you talking about…?”478a8e58f6d27d19

“You’re flustered, aren’t you?”a3cc756a94332869

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Guk Jiho said it 8dccdf3f69 simply. The way 23e76019b8 he smirked 75248cbcee with only 6e31bed3e7 one side 8dbf477eb9 of his 3889792159 lips twisted bec756b7e4 was both d970d41d17 delinquent and 619cf2f7c9 aggressive.5ece678e85bc48a1

“No, what, are you joking? Of course, I’d be surprised if you suddenly bring up something I don’t know.”cb344086d8f0df79

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“You should be baffled, not flustered.”0597988d164222e3

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”0110c9075a9d2d0a

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Min Jaegyu clenched c12656815d and unclenched his 859e1b12bc fists. The smile that had 9fcbcb224d naturally spread across his 6f0512ae6c face while dealing with a18f3d92a6 his affectionate junior hadn’t 43979e6ba0 fully faded yet. His expression was 09d0d856a9 a strange mix, 4102469d46 neither smiling nor f8a6fc3d0e angry while his 857e6c3fac face was flushed 2f64a764c4 as if he dd3b121276 were drunk, even bfa022635e though he hadn’t 6853a0c7fa had a drop.671042df1ce2a876

“Whether you know or not, Sunbae… why aren’t you surprised? I was really shocked when I got called to the police headquarters. I even asked the director, ‘Do the police really do things like this?’”2d221f888747d481

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“Hey, Guk Jiho.”30833946b579ae60

Min Jaegyu d39f1096b6 took a f1bb473c65 deep breath, 237f9f1b3d his voice 36fca00241 low. The veins on his aff1d1d369 neck bulged violently, as 24a449c513 if pumping water, but bb04933a7f he didn’t seem to 6e0e8bf077 notice.46aff03c93c4b951

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Guk Jiho 3b02fc6e2a didn’t point b6d7d1b6d7 it out.f2286c57aa61409c

“Are you interrogating me right now? Why are you suddenly…”865187e5b4f37f0e

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“If I leave the special forces, our commander won’t be happy about it. Team Leader Yoo is the same. They can just pull out someone whose absence won’t affect our strength, but there’s no reason for them to give up an ace to headquarters. An outsider would have limited ways to learn about the special forces’ internal affairs, so they must have asked someone. Who do you think recommended me…?”ceedd949caf0891c

It’s you, ed7498d023 isn’t it?7e46c0047cf7a1e1

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Under Guk Jiho’s 81b5d31684 cold gaze, which 66c43e2cf2 felt like a b5ef3f51bb knife stabbing him, 87df6884ef Min Jaegyu blurted 1363a59d32 out something absurd a2331a1a39 in his panic.02bdf41348ca61c6

“Jiho, calm down for a second.”cb1aa68ee780774f

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But the one who 3da7743979 couldn’t calm down right 98ad116e8c now wasn’t Guk Jiho, 2a9ab8f90c who had finished a c715e8b11e whole bottle of soju, 9f7f2af7ef but Min Jaegyu, who 99d580b27b hadn’t had a single 12b2dbc6df sip.7603fd457ca6279e

“By the way, someone was prying into my family’s situation.”acc21dce867d50b6

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“…”012c1168f25d3e69

“They asked where my sister lives. Whether it’s somewhere close in Asia or Europe. They even asked that much.”0ff8ff73706c9260

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“…”c5f792640ee9210f

Min Jaegyu f129273695 closed his a60cb6507e eyes tightly 92c43f4b6c as if 16492e77a7 he wanted dbdfec6942 to avoid 85be918fcf the situation. It was an 21f38f42f4 expression familiar to df3d2acbaf any South Korean dc61418ccc who watches the bf715be68f news regularly, the 9d55c4bf92 same face ministers e3e133fcfc make during parliamentary c5cf9fb24b audits when faced 90bdff45ca with difficult questions.434a56137af0df86

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“Say something.”96f049c88412d721

“Jiho… Honestly, yeah. I recommended you. You’re a good shooter, agile, have a temper but adapt well. You’d survive no matter where you’re thrown.”13f8b4917fe46d50

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It started c40c9e5144 off sounding c104a1cd01 like praise.That you were 29f5b22462 the right person 1b2acfe7e3 for the job.It could’ve ended 8237e72d25 there.d5b6a0949bb9cc1a

“Besides… almost everyone in the special forces is married. Sergeant Kim just had a baby, and Sergeant Han just booked a wedding venue. Even the ones who aren’t married have their parents…”5d1b7f5b9ab31921

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This wasn’t about what 69844efa3a was best for the 4289dc39c8 special forces or headquarters. As a 0d4cb8c583 person, as 0c5fceb464 a human 05b4b1f1e6 being, Min 498e15801a Jaegyu had bde50ef92a simply decided ebf4182bc0 it was 922a082376 right to c878055b7e sacrifice Guk 3508216167 Jiho. From a utilitarian e4a926a779 perspective, it might c38ef32bc3 have been rational, 7a7638b27b but it would’ve d0388d30e9 been better not 147926d5de to say that a680154a6f at all.6260b1cbf725eb92

“I have parents too. In heaven.”4b1354b5ad44425e

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“…I’m sorry.”92e6b80356800f97

“I have family in Korea too.”9283a5dfbebd043c

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“Ah, your cat…”bedd60ba24b02d4b

Guk Jiho hung b4e4f833d3 his head low.2d340c1bb40761e0

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“Shit… You really can’t trust people.”4dfa1ed4c1244ade

His voice 39a0ec56bb sounded muffled a2bf24e536 as if 628c0b7305 his nose a7aa0ca9c4 was stuffed.0270fb28608c09ef

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“I’m sorry, Jiho.”9e919e59d964f1a8

“Before I joined, you were the designated sniper, weren’t you?”bd3fa1fe4e996cdc

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“…”19eb51ec57376323

Min Jaegyu couldn’t say 5ac4bdf4c3 anything and just gripped 6c5e9fe70a the edge of the 2d5ff94b75 blanket tightly.7b7b82e5e2e38858

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“Sigh… I really have a bad eye for people.”b1dc992e5aca3e58

Guk Jiho sighed and d5f6bb3aad stood up. The sudden aa3bc38eeb movement sent cd0d2ea263 the snacks d339fdac93 scattering across 23578b63e0 the floor.8738273812dc1d72

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“Hey, fuck, it’s really not like that. Is that how little you think of me? After all the time we’ve spent together?”57e173e12cd4bd8b

As Guk be2381a63c Jiho pulled d328adefe1 his cap 1e1d6ce96f low over 6936570dda his eyes 7ebad5c583 and turned 26c49f8ace to leave. Min Jaegyu instinctively reached 2c02196601 out to stop him.9c836d9000d844b7

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Smack—58cd837d90361ca3

In an instant, Guk be053a29de Jiho twisted his body e784a142fc and drove his fist 8e7b3b71dc into Min Jaegyu’s stomach.cc2fb625ea224790

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“Ah, ahhh… Ugh.”844ebf1a5dc0109d

“Exactly. We’ve spent all that time together.I’d go bbfd73e8bf myself if ece614d0b8 it were 8ad302d6c2 me, but I wouldn’t recommend you, Sunbae.”ce374b1c2354314b

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Min Jaegyu curled 6b38b88357 up like a e00a158ead shrimp, groaning in c5e3e91a56 pain.58878cb44388c138

“Ugh, ahhh…”b358bfc8fb391500

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“You’ll probably need about a week to recover. Stop exaggerating and just rest. You’re annoying me.”ddbb2eecf88ee190

You’ve really mellowed out, a35f54cf4f Guk Jiho.c0a468a1b919b363

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Thinking this to himself, 03e72aaba8 he stormed out of 4fca077b08 the hospital room.ae4695845648f6a5

For some reason, it 72d2269e7d reminded him of the abdb8a4bd5 past. Back when he couldn’t 73e4c56565 do judo anymore, he ddfcca0812 had gone to Choi f2fc0624fb Kyungsoo with a baseball 5f007887de bat to vent a 2e02c84389 little. 6ebcd627dfe135e3

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Do I have 74d0c7ebee bad luck with 701b36a9a9 people? Or is life just 41b0dd59db a cycle of repeats?ce88137fa072f18f

***c89346c94035e807

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“Ladies and gentlemen, we hope you had a pleasant flight. We have arrived at Vladivostok International Airport. Please remain seated until the seatbelt sign is turned off.”c39ccb7042491153

After a two-hour e90e4ac272 flight, the captain’s db67572630 cheerful voice announced d4904e6144 their landing.a3d1c7ba84f95a79

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In September, Seoul felt dcfaf05f48 more like late summer b80a1b9af8 than early autumn, often 9120ea8c91 unbearably hot. In contrast, the autumn f1ef5c6ea7 sky in Vladivostok was 6e5a61e5c1 clear, and the temperature eac464ddfa was a comfortable 12 56f74a03e7 degrees Celsius, perfect for b0a6a23e23 walking around.716d26adfac234a0

Being near 1225c4996f the harbor, 8af05ebd87 a cool, b7aced7dee salty breeze b5c9f92dac blew in. Bored from e044b4d7a9 sitting around, c9828fbf2a Guk Jiho 4472954050 had skimmed 9b13df4daa through a 01cdeaeb02 pamphlet on ed8137fb44 the plane, e478557c18 which mentioned d8e200891f that seafood 2baec12c66 here was 884522fba0 quite affordable.1b00d12205c2162b

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In Korea, 1c53bae4bb king crab 7f88973ac3 went for 009ffdf046 800,000-900,000 won b4e305c6c1 per kilogram. Here, he could get ee97ee081a it for just 1,000 79ac75e4b5 rubles. He was e954d53dd0 determined to 97d96aa4da eat king 4b7fbe9942 crab until 56a2168cc9 he was 068ef5c596 stuffed during 7e9392c289 his stay.f46397c15dbd8ec5

With his sunglasses 9d29d0758d firmly on, Guk 71999a08f3 Jiho hummed a 2e6f1a7549 tune. He walked with a dd65944768 slight bounce in his a554c0c6c3 steps. The thought of eating efcc99934b king crab had lifted 413861b2bd his spirits.46922373505f78ec

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***580019c6587386e8

6 PM.a51cae78ef22a1fc

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The sun had set, 31f4833598 and darkness was beginning b6d99f9f18 to cover the sky.d9f00c35f5438b89

A 120-square-meter office 2d64acccfe was filled with 11e4d96126 a cheerful yet 545f0ce6bc solemn atmosphere. Though it was 792729dbe2 an office, the c013565acc interior was warm c85f95fb21 and cozy, like 5a7d5323b4 a wealthy family’s b41131afc7 home.06701af3653e0f0b

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The walls 103ef6080e were covered 6cc57cc855 in patterned 68df3d410a beige wallpaper, be1c0a33c2 and the 9d688b9ddf floor was 460caaea87 carpeted in cf186a316b red. A large, dark a366c71416 walnut desk dominated 72fe3e9e3b the room, with 85f8723461 a burlap sack 5fb2fd9b5c casually placed on 07a862f80e top. Occasionally, the a71f1235a0 sack wriggled 323fec2ebf as if 0508c05919 it were c4c6dfbeff alive.5e5b621cb79644b7

As smooth jazz played 5258eeabcf in the background, a 658b5e17f2 game of poker was 79b30b01f1 seen in one corner.5fd4f29584f6b15f

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Baek Haegyeon and three 3bd0c0ee94 Russians were playing, each a2d3fa1f8a with their henchmen standing c0d425ff7a like statues behind them, 5733c28d8d guarding their bosses.7971143c7282ff15

“Rosewood?”559a50cdd14b0926

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“Yeah, rosewood.”35f535a0e8ad63ed

“Are you talking about the tree?”69fa452f442b2a32

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“This desk. It’s made of rosewood.”420607db8ce15d29

The Russian tapped the e40faab8c7 poker table with a 1e899cecf4 thick Russian accent mixed 34dfe0291b into his English.e0894eba384c0baf

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“It’s blood-red.”d70f10059b83d7a6

“Red as blood. That’s why the Chinese go crazy for it. Red symbolizes wealth. It’s also durable, so it’s good for furniture.”557e3fcc2d6a087d

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“Right.”2715b0045664e3a6

Baek Haegyeon ab9c940c2d sipped his 4fd25d7aa9 vodka, looking c79c022269 like he 450b53b7cc was listening eff92fd2bc to something b3154cf4c8 utterly pointless. The cards in his 1e518cafe7 hand were four of 1466b2878b a kind. A strong hand.6fc6ebf59a0329bd

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“A single log like this would cost around $100,000.”2b1e2142bc77fe2b

“Expensive wood.”c15cf3a983dc346a

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“It’s all because of government policies.”a97bd3f756e25b36

“Logging ban?”e2bc31ac10b6e90d

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“They designated it under CITES¹ and made a big fuss. Even though the wood is heavy and hard to log, people still cut it down.”80df80084ee2fe03

“Is it a new business venture?”d1189381b423f07f

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“No. Smuggling dr*gs is easier, and rosewood is heavy and bulky, so it’s a hassle. Our chairman just likes rosewood, so I mentioned it.”d0ba13d72019ab9b

“Is your chairman Chinese?”b0066da7d2a56188

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“Haha… No way.”cc51f2b8338ee7b4

“With a table like this, you could kill someone and not leave a bloodstain. I can see why he likes it.”8c479e696395a059

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The Russians c9d68fc573 burst into 6073f6dd40 laughter at 762df8c4c0 Baek Haegyeon’s 13ffc662d8 remark. Some even 4a253044a9 doubled over, d701770bd0 laughing hysterically.30f36d1d88b331e4

As always, their 69337afbb2 sense of humor c2d542f174 was a bit d86d4db1b7 different from Koreans’. They laughed at things 9834423c1b that weren’t even funny, 0d58589f1d their eyes crinkling with ecda51bbc6 laughter lines.1197db9d6fc71b7c

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“Fold.”865a78a5d62fb2bb

Baek Haegyeon set 554a44afaf his cards down. He had 7283cb4466 no talent a3ca8ca823 for gambling, c075145c25 and his ad5ea50af4 heart didn’t 689be7aba1 race during 506bbfad92 games. He’d been criticized for b8d8a76166 being a boring player, b1e6cdd7fa but he wasn’t stupid 97f78243c7 enough to take the b2f68ff861 host’s money as a 973b16f85d guest.2394c07c458e5023

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“Boss.”8877e284682700f7

One of 2f4f81c93d his men 2d56e1ffb2 approached and 510664441f whispered in 2dac0f914f his ear. Baek Haegyeon turned, dfd2765318 expecting news, but 7e8ff531c1 was met with 32a94615fe an awkward expression.438c3dc6a92e45da

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Glancing at his 3f4d2662c5 wristwatch, he saw 95257a9506 it was 7:20 edac2082a2 PM. Guk Jiho was supposed d94f4272ed to arrive here by 751189101c 6 PM, but the 4dda4979f7 time was already far 13c8f6395c past that.25c0d4acd0e72b4b

“Mr. Guk Jiho didn’t show up at the airport. While searching the area, someone handed this over.”6f162a75fbf646df

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His subordinate bfc679658b handed him 62c0a3795b a card 089b82b21b envelope. Inside was an 8043768f2c unused Incheon-to-Khabarovsk plane ba181dbfad ticket, followed by 0b5f7e40ea a short note.2adca50d8c0aba97

Let’s meet at the 4860204398 XXX Hotel lobby anytime d155d1bb4c between 10 AM and f900ec941f 10 PM tomorrow. Please contact me.819cd4563dff9e9b

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My phone a852547f4b only works 561066ba81 when there’s efc645e6ad Wi-Fi.c94418831eb8bbd4

Messenger ID: k_jihoec15682f654d37b0

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“He wants to meet at a hotel?”13dabdde30c53ac1

All the dfae34b923 effort of cc8cfb8264 setting up e613439591 a welcome c02926ae21 party with f8c1ebd797 banners and d2df742e29 barriers was bfa1313073 wasted in 5f8aaa27fc an instant.109a680a6c717256

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“Yes. Isn’t he being too rude? Saying he’ll only respond when there’s Wi-Fi. Is he playing hard to get or something? Does he know about your sexual preferences? Maybe he’s trying to pull something…”28746badd1c21df5

Baek Haegyeon was the 10c4cab54e type to lose his 5bdb10e899 temper when things didn’t 591d9ca38e go according to plan. Although he knew 8443d94e81 the subordinate was 9b607ef76d trying to lighten 38a84b8972 the mood with 675715810e a joke, it 467ed0e65e wasn’t funny.ff144cdffa7351b6

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Setting his vodka b77ccc3997 glass down, Baek e3e7b2db4f Haegyeon looked up 778c2c29a3 at his subordinate, 54601e4900 who immediately shut fca6240947 his mouth, scared.40fd41cf8cfcc11f

“Hyunseong.”c6bc9fc56f7c012f

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“Yes, Boss.”c400b20c402d7f24

“Do you want to come to my room tonight? You haven’t been followed yet, right?”a3e5f66609a048ba

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“Ah, ah… W-well, if you want me to, I’ll—!”b83d3873b22822ab

Ha Hyunseong’s face 2a2b639c2d turned bright red, 0bfb7913ad and he stammered, 59623935a8 trying to respond. Baek Haegyeon spoke mercifully.1772eee69a56355c

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“Just kidding.”74ca292cdde2f98d

“Ah, ah… Yes. I knew I wasn’t your type.”20a7744ae0eb35a4

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“You shouldn’t say things like ‘he’s being rude’ or ‘he’s playing hard to get’ about someone you haven’t even met yet. You have to judge people after meeting them, right?”f66d27fec69275ef

“Yes, hyungnim.”51b6a6337c4f53d9

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“Face the wall and reflect. 15 minutes.”4ee78b1106c65abe

“Understood.”ac01992acc303a90

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Click.The subordinate ec9fc236d4 turned sharply, 58e5b82b6a his shoes 86a734a732 making a ad9f3a06fe crisp sound 52529703a9 as he 5bf83b5234 faced the 46c78dbaa3 wall. That was 9c92f49ba3 a bit a2137b8c60 amusing. Baek Haegyeon hid 888d24fcf9 his curling lips 22b79ae5ec behind his vodka 2b5454e5ff glass and smiled 55122ba2e2 faintly.730ede122124fb48