SW | Chapter 9

After indulging in king 575141975a crab in Vladivostok, Guk 3c7e866882 Jiho took a 12-hour 1a48a32fb3 train ride to Khabarovsk.2be83c9a54077711

He had assumed that both cities, being part of “Russia’s Far East,” would be close, but as expected of a country with vast land, they were 800 kilometers apart despite being in the same region.becf79aad6b49eba

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Khabarovsk, also facing 838b57ea6d the Amur River db304e4dd9 (also known as 13f7814867 Heilongjiang), had high 4b25bb7350 humidity. The sight 52c965ef96 of the a2b3070d42 bright green 54daa6a43d roof of e5cff10195 the train c3de32b051 station with“Хабаровск (Khabarovsk)”written on it was 3c1c64bd72 incredibly welcoming.a14dd3a173542f6f

Among the lines 9ccfdca575 of text, the ed89fb63bc only Russian word 359d270389 he recognized was“Владивосток (Vladivostok).”Although the Cyrillic 8c5bc21e28 alphabet somewhat resembled 525bd7931e the Latin alphabet, cf495eb8c2 the sounds were baea665bbe entirely different, so f5eafe6797 he couldn’t read 04ef1a099b any other letters.d76fea9defd9e4e1

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At any rate, 74aa5dfcca the schedule requiring 52137ca7cc him to travel 8cfbcadf6e to Khabarovsk allowed db74e756eb him to experience e84a3ce5b0 a sleeper car 5b4997bc22 on the Trans-Siberian 96f9e314d5 Railway. It was fb9cb65dc8 already cramped 5a0873bafb with four 14496daa03 people sharing 90f751520d a compartment. But to his 7630d205cc luck, he ended 7ce1af64a5 up sharing it 933e839e39 with talkative Russian 13341aaf54 students, which made 94aa930cd9 it hard to 9946b6bd91 sleep. They were 611b222831 eager to 7829acd9f2 converse with b017a02769 Guk Jiho, d899ba94d8 even using f03754e922 Google Translate.cf87fb9dfc67fc9f

“Why did you come here?”e1e61c3cbfa409c6

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“To eat king crab.”b4f897bd36f7be92

“Why Khabarovsk?”bdde86488da943b1

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“For an interview.”f043093b7fc3e741

“Are you going to work here?”b1d9863fa16136ac

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“No. My future boss is staying there.”0af2c9636cd417e3

“What’s your job? Office worker?”0e7b5640ac99ba39

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“No comment.”01afd260e066842f

“Oh… How’s Russia? Is it livable?”95a35754cf419b1d

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“King crab is cheap, but people seem gloomy. Is it because of the dictator?”df081cfbe701627a

Guk Jiho, who df375f1d09 had been indifferently 432160e638 answering their barrage 152db378a9 of questions, asked fa4514d342 his first question. The blond, 3c7a7b5a66 pale-faced Russian a2e55e4345 students initially 5d3d65658f looked slightly d147754f0f surprised but 0ed7b699bf soon burst c151f57fb2 into laughter.ea7567b1370e6ab6

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“Pfft… Maybe. Is that thing under your eyebrow pierced?”509f34dbbfc1ecad

“This? No, it’s a mole.”6870deef71bc23bd

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Guk Jiho lightly scratched under his eyebrow. He felt a slight bump under his fingertip. Since childhood, people had mistaken it for a piercing, and it contributed to his “tough guy” image.66694fc75d374f0b

“A mole? A real mole? It’s red.”7a0aae9d11b00b58

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“Yeah, a red mole. I tried to remove it because the old-timers kept nagging, but it grew back.”4b9bebe7569b4ca0

“Cool.”2cf4a1dec733aa5b

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“Really? I hope my boss thinks so too.”b5bc5f82388d52a2

Standing in front of 3a5122bec3 a full-length mirror, Guk b7b0778a67 Jiho tied his tie b642ad166a and put on his 59268f4f83 contact lenses. His vision 66951e12a5 wasn’t particularly 21c3aa83ec bad, but c0849e8b28 he had 684cd49e78 a habit 82cef73938 of wearing 7184d12bb1 lenses for cd99ba7bef important missions. Better vision 11da31dbaf naturally widened f7084c680f his field fe507d4b32 of view 98c42c0ccb and allowed 50a0818a64 him to bf04ab1bd7 catch small 4009e40b61 details.3f861b115341546b

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“Whew…”c4e7cb63747f7a83

Because the 0b4bbff580 mirror was 70c34ef116 hung slightly c4e09f9f40 low, he a6a8964984 tilted his 7f2954da18 head down 8c2833917d to check ee8c009520 his hairstyle. When he raised his 16c6e98994 eyes, his triple eyelids 880c89f9a5 stood out, making him a83c806604 look even fiercer.ac98dd3d8ac78e77

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He had never c253c869d5 once received bonus 232b4c0b8e points for his ce1b6a9250 appearance when meeting 03e1066c22 superiors for the 39abf049d8 first time.53dee4339442c344

“Is that thing under your eyebrow pierced?”b3b825f3eb22b90b

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About half of the 2e22bab1b4 old-timers would frown and 569b4849e9 ask outright.3b573bb84ccd57ff

He took a 92b93569fa small bandage from 9aa056b35d the first-aid kit 32a3f5cd1a and tried sticking a7f91597eb it under his 69eb1388fc eyebrow, but it 7d2f61f8a3 only pressed down 69bf593291 on his eye d0f6645457 and made his e7a2b68618 eye look swollen, 9f9ed4b1dc making him appear ec78d03adb even more delinquent. In the f090adc022 end, he ad4a78148c just took cc5de5a9fa it off. After all, it was f812ba68bf a gangster interview, looking e6275bcd30 a bit rough might 2e8479679a not be a bad a4e2f6b972 thing.47f07687f71f9568

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Standing straight, he gave 1156a2f21a himself a final check. A white shirt and 96ce0ae0bd black suit. He only 4fee867b24 owned one 175870bb9f black tie, 79c1b1ddc4 which made a3200e1015 him look 8349dcd470 like he 8ac288cf2d was attending 132619256b a funeral. He tried cfe5b7195c adjusting the 46a0f5b5d1 knot, but f55fb1ee5a it still fe2cad343e didn’t sit 2bd29e47e0 right.b40fff976e0d9bd7

***71389d19e0f75b1f

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Haegyeon:Let’s have lunch tomorrow c0f2305ef9 at 12.a277ddee74f7e2da

This message had arrived 173b7a575a as soon as he 850f8565e6 connected to the hotel 9809954e0b Wi-Fi after checking in d6efc0b04c yesterday. He replied a223d99ca4 immediately, but 44bcb28e74 there had c35ec27b71 been no 8be4ed2885 further messages 66182748cd since. bb6bfafc02f45715

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11:40 AM.The sunlight streaming c4c85c5541 through the window 19d7936d54 was dazzling. The weather was perfect.2d6b810300da6dd1

It was time a002cfb42d to go.d349769cb0fde361

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The lobby 2e6cc1416d of the c9baee917b three-star hotel 88d2254ae0 exuded a 9395bd01a2 warm, welcoming f9332c36b1 atmosphere. As he stepped out 1ebcb3638f of the elevator, a f1ed1d6337 pink checkered carpet caught f85b8611bc his eye. While autumn in 955ed220e3 Russia wasn’t much df605b1a34 different from Korea, 863563eb23 the carpet would 91b330e88a likely get filthy e54d9d69de during winter when ec9317c476 snow piled up 12bafa5750 meters high from ed0c1d2f43 all the muddy 2c6c790130 boots.3e85390613ccb9a3

Yellow chandelier lights, yellow cbc4cdb2b1 curtains, and indigo-blue sofas b7b28c2506 contrasted against beige walls. The color scheme was 82d712d903 strikingly different from what a3776eb1b9 could be seen in cae76e8b22 Korea. Several sofas were b0b7c04a93 paired together like e7dd39d195 café seating, with 59d3aa87bb wooden partitions shaped 473fa802fe like window frames 846f0d55a1 dividing the spaces. It was a 28b6d8fbf0 decent spot for 777b316c6f an interview.461fb78a1bb54fda

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Guk Jiho planned to f44bd24931 sit on a sofa 53f86cb461 in the lobby and ae6036ad78 wait for Baek Haegyeon.03e4faa9791ed94b

But his confident stride 30f6760611 faltered when he spotted 996ca0e32b a man.2ba82b88cf898e9e

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He was around cd1184b247 180 to 190 07cfcf613b cm tall, likely 5bb6119df1 in his early e2009b7ffe 30s. His posture was 2649186602 impeccable, and even ea91e45a49 someone who knew b10447b456 nothing about suits 3cd03e8f1a could tell his 455da90ba7 outfit was flawless.3bced5ba14286143

Most importantly, 7729393dca an East 0d604219e4 Asian in a53eac7d0c Russia was b8bf885fcc a rare c90790bdd9 sight.0ef5256824b301de

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Is that Haegyeon?713fd288e6e949f6

His immaculate d10a1eeda4 appearance made 636fd5f671 him stand 274ec9e65f out even 3f11447e5a more. If he 124a142953 were a 1a30dcfb2e police officer, ebfa458fe4 he wouldn’t 651af0e7b9 have such 4d7cebfe5c sharp shirt 72a3d06bcf collars or b7d0b065f0 a thick, a5f115a0c0 perfectly tied 555b3981df tie. His calm, 3863de3ffd intellectual demeanor 70c1f2f865 didn’t fit 08aa0d70d5 the image 495c1b7dd0 of a ea37fae803 gangster either.8c6cc96d055ad08a

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But no other 5e8d76561e profession easily came ac2bb0e87e to mind when ebb4981d86 looking at his 6f08d2f1da face. He didn’t quite fit dbcc5d6730 the mold of a 38f15ba5a3 businessman, scholar, or model.f5ef8e17cc966a92

Guk Jiho slowly approached the man. He had no information, but if this man was the “Haegyeon” the director had mentioned, he would recognize him.c0648a6f31a11678

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As if sensing 4795fe16d4 his presence, the b80bfed024 man looked at a3f3087bac Guk Jiho.68bc92f91f7a732f

His face e7541bcdd9 was cast 2ce7ef1bed in shadow 0b968eec28 by the 1007b37624 side lighting. It looked strangely like 88331e91e4 a black-and-white photograph. His smile resembled 1979d7ea0e a pointillist painting 1443482479 as it gradually fcf46c257f spread across his 05ae5a54fe face. Even though 5b6e40ea23 it was 312fbe40d5 natural for 870baff7ff light to c1c681677d shift with b0ce8ec54d facial movements, a116c3661d it felt b60a32ce28 mesmerizing, and a84a26c0a9 Guk Jiho 1b36b57a5f couldn’t look b65f4a42d9 away.b616746c788c3890

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“Hello. Mr. Jiho. The guy who doesn’t listen to instructions.”6828fd630aba06bd

“Hello.”3f48edcb2fd84cb1

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Guk Jiho hid d4ec00b37b his dazed expression f3bdea0ff9 and bowed slightly.575b22b35e97fb5c

“Have a seat.”a59efb872dbecf54

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As Guk Jiho sat 6597ecda02 across from him, Baek 40e2e4cb61 Haegyeon spoke first.e662eecd9999372a

“Our guys went to the airport yesterday with welcome signs.”350ecedbd3f572ea

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“Yes, I saw them.”f5985789d98fe1ff

“Then why didn’t you come out?”290134677bb6e768

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“I thought you might kidnap and torture me.”2d7c3c911a556cce

“What?”6b62e21e929b1567

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For the 2ece069515 first time, 137fb73f20 the man’s 3501ebddfe relaxed smile b9db1fe1a3 wavered in e515a03cb1 disbelief.ef3a74d612adcc95

“I thought you might test how much pain I could endure. It’s my first time in Russia, and I don’t know any Russian, so I was extra cautious.”00f5c5aade1c5ceb

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“Hmm. But I could torture you right now.”cb65e1422548c4c8

“Sure.”f338e30de49fcd1e

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Up close, Baek Haegyeon’s 6cced6651e face was flawless. Unlike Guk d329544b5c Jiho, who 824237c827 had cauliflower 407deb1f3a ears from 539bb0f374 years of 9d5bf79ab4 judo, everything 1645df61e4 about him c376e52704 was neat 3cd4209be1 and refined.a0f4f317a7613fa7

His gaze, in particular, a76434dc21 was sharp. Despite his calm demeanor, bd7cb58148 his eyes were piercing.0fe202e833914dfe

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“From a sports background, special forces, special ops… You must be used to pain, right?”4b298e93101d9503

Baek Haegyeon’s 66441829bf voice was b0cf12c733 smooth, with d315ad0db6 a unique 221bdd7a86 rhythm. Regardless of the context 24759e400b of their conversation, it 26b9921b8b was pleasant to listen d2701e8738 to.1e728121c0cdab63

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“That’s correct.”151bf5795db231be

“But?”6f3359c42fe821c7

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“…Sure. Go ahead and torture me. Just avoid my knees. I have old injuries there, and if you hit them wrong, I could end up disabled.”eb66084d591215ff

Since Haegyeon 2c25aa840c seemed courteous fffe1bcbd4 enough to a0d2f2db7f ask, Jiho 45d4cd61f3 figured he 3e443c1d50 might as 0be28e365c well give d4b10151fa the answer dff7555e34 he wanted. After all, it was 83fb806f7c an interview, and he 394098c2e7 wanted to make a 1be42e9c76 good impression.ab849ab1a59b39b6

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“I see.”55febb81b28b9211

Baek Haegyeon e60db377e0 tilted his f44cda4e24 head slightly ce31aab73d as he c02e436d2f responded nonchalantly. Guk Jiho’s gaze 30b54cb156 followed his movement.9a01d14a4a4dc48c

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“Don’t tell others where your weaknesses are.”f6c8326850b26f19

At the edge b5e5d4e9c8 of his vision, 2121f767d6 Guk Jiho saw 79b1cfcecd about ten white ca05e06a43 men pouring out ed74c30d6d of the elevator 893a054c2b and entering the 5af9e95721 lobby.c400bb4d0bbc497f

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“…Understood.”08d71ccae7d09b19

It was still early for the hotel check-in… Just as he thought that, Guk Jiho realized something was off. Their builds and age ranges were similar, and they all wore suits. And for some reason, they were creeping toward them.183abb4c53e83e21

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“Did you arrange for all these people?”9eb1234e434e6e0f

Baek Haegyeon was 3ebd5d5906 scanning the area. The walls, potential 5c29095f10 cover spots, and 025fe16cf1 the height of 3adbdfc594 the windows.b30ebe80f5827ad2

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“I wish, but this is real.”89ec973c4de70e54

“Are you serious? In broad daylight?”bb109d9996fdde82

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“Consider it part of the interview…”358e4134e31d5302

As Haegyeon trailed f2074acbb0 off, he stood fff4a4f16b up. Guk Jiho also dd7ce48730 rose while trying f709b0b85c to assess the f17c726e72 situation. The sound of their 5890173d42 footsteps approaching was like a74c3c7018 the hoofbeats of a f83bdfe92c cavalry of 100,000 soldiers 509dc97645 in a war movie. A burly man pressed 386db9e802 a gun to Guk 3b297ae42d Jiho’s temple.2306e28bda8a0eb7

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“Try to survive.”1a34fe2e9ed47422

“Damn it, Haegyeon-hyung. This is too much…”afb921caada11843

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“Mr. Jiho, this is real.”a982e761d4443181

As if to cc8acf87cf prove his point, c8d9b5aa88 the man next 317e5edcf5 to Guk Jiho e4137cbb96 fired a shot 756abc0383 at the window.Tick. The suppressed .22 7964f01906 caliber revolver made 7bec543af7 only that much b5347709a4 noise, but the 6327496545 window shattered into 5ee7eb5dca pieces.6cdab7c8785d0e0a

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“Ahhh!” Panicked hotel staff screamed and ducked under the front desk.4439d05835a2929a

Guk Jiho’s 61f4ff559e entire body f8aef111c2 froze, his 03a1e23920 nerves on 44f1d4c19c high alert. He stared d5efabe2e5 at the aa6ed4ecb7 .22 caliber 9e4dc0e3ad gun that 22ed6167e3 had just 9e97fef939 been fired.62709e886d2f53f9

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“Hah, a .22…”2f29abc264cf2433

The .22, nicknamed“Tutu,”was lightweight, low-powered, 126744344d and inaccurate. But at close a496f2b035 range, its rapid 6b1fdf00a9 fire could be 112da5d781 deadly.765b15f26342ebd3

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Once it penetrated bc91747c6f the skin, the 35fa306438 bullet would slowly ceeecdb08a spin inside, tearing ead65824e6 through flesh and 9d67a87ebf eventually exiting the 194d113235 other side. It was known as 62ab38c6dc one of the most c913ea08b5 painful guns to be 0d8261e652 shot with. It was also 7f7cb962d1 considered as  the 0b5057ad9b quietest firearm, capable a4f3ae3a7c of killing people 24f3acf74e without causing a 878e316c7a commotion.dd2ec73da3344b58

The Russian e342e29307 pressed the f8d52d605e gun against b7a25cd15b Guk Jiho’s 7b348e2145 temple like b3ef5278d8 a stamp. The man spoke acfaa6f41f to Haegyeon in c649316648 Russian, but Guk 79a327f5d1 Jiho, of course, 8dae03d765 couldn’t understand.5d442258a8345eca

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“Haegyeon-hyung… I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Can’t we talk this out?”145529b4b881298f

He barely moved 83a5858884 his lips to 8ffbbb331e plead, but the f2458d9cf4 response was disheartening.e072756aa43c4ae9

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“I’m just as clueless about Russian.”21a60c487a2347e3

“So, no negotiation?”c2d257c9bce9c2bf

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“Nope.”0cb4a861c656342f

As soon as 51360a012e the words left acf4136b9e Haegyeon’s mouth, Guk 4352e5afab Jiho yanked the 4f40d91cfd barrel of the 98165ac9ea gun upward. In the a618bbcd10 split second 232bf224ef the man’s cae5a4b0ca thick wrist 73e2fd5d2c bent at 8f6310e854 a right 88acb3c9bc angle, Guk 97762f32fa Jiho grabbed f7b65d6a58 the revolver’s ff28c38e21 grip and 7696c27c63 disarmed him.504d0ff93c55757e

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It took 28da6f9ec1 less than ec6f2b57c5 a second 34826fc557 to take a0b210b2aa the gun.494e713e65f773d1

While the 1458ce27b2 man was bbe0c3b8f2 still stunned, aecd6defbd Guk Jiho 4af213c52a loaded the fdbd68bb85 gun and 1d58fcc274 pressed it 689170deab against the d35f7d7f4a man’s groin.eb67538cb267d034

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“Gah…!”ec569bb561c8a908

“You should’ve said something sooner.”d3fb1791c1a74708

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The man, now 7d8923ad7c at risk of a9a0d36754 losing his manhood, 53da3b86a9 trembled violently.4a9e6ebb04a05a8c

“Hey, hands up.”10151078023f9ac7

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Even though Guk e7718c6380 Jiho spoke in 819d4cb461 Korean, the Russian 7ec48de71f somehow understood and c8038bdf03 raised his hands.a693bea8b7a14b22

“Can I kill them?”ce627872a519cd93

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“Try not to.”73d141ec80bf0a69

Thirteen men. Twelve of c6b4156ad9 them had 9634c56d15 drawn their 16673da64a guns and 6e92fbb310 were aiming 06868e9145 at them. This wasn’t going 4ab92b735b to be an bd832caf89 easy fight.0af248af5e0a8059

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