NOVEL NEXT c8
Hyeseong slightly pulled his body back. It was definitely not a good situation. The smug face of the senior colleague came to mind and regret surged like a wave. He shouldn’t have taken this on. He knew he shouldn’t have accepted such a shady task.
“If you keep your mouth shut, should I make you open it?”
Huh? Hey kid, Ihyeok walked back to the collapsed man, mocking him. The bald man was groaning on the floor, beaten badly. The very person who did this to him was that man.
“We don’t look that far apart in age, so calling me the kid is a bit much.”
Hyeseong calmly spoke as he properly adjusted the backpack he brought. Surprised by the unexpectedly composed voice, Ihyeok blinked.
“Looks like you’re not scared of this.”
Why wouldn’t he be scared? A well-built man was lying on the floor looking agonized, and the one who beat him up was standing in front of him unfazed.
“You guys are gangsters, right?”
Looking at Ihyeok, he honestly didn’t seem like a gang member. Handsome appearance, and neat attire. But the bald man who collapsed on the floor looked every bit a gangster, and Ihyeok who was involved with him must be the same.
Moreover, this suspicious request that he received. If those two were something like gangsters, it made sense.
“Hey, you know what gangsters hate being called the most?”
“I don’t know. Since I’m not a gangster.”
“Gangsters hate being asked if they’re gangsters the most.”
Ihyeok returned to his original spot and sat on the desk. Then he took out a cigarette from his jacket and lit it.
“Bring over what’s in your bag.”
Ihyeok took a deep drag of the cigarette and exhaled the smoke. Through the dissipating hazy smoke, he had an expression that said he already knew everything.
“Hyung, you have quite a sick hobby too. Using a young kid, a complete stranger at that, as an errand boy.”
Ihyeok kicked the head of the groaning man on the floor with his foot, his expression unchanging. It was an act void of any morality.
“What happens to me if I hand this over to you?”
“Hmm, well.”
Ihyeok frowned and stroked his chin. The smoke that now filled the room was starting to sting his throat a little.
“I detest rumors spreading, so I’ll have to deal with it as quietly as possible.”
Saying that Ihyeok kicked the man’s body again. His gesturing at the man while saying those words sounded like he would put Hyesung in a similar state.
As a sense of reality slowly returned, Hyeseong felt it. Fear and terror. He gulped and carefully moved his hand to his back pocket.
“And don’t even think about reporting it. You’ll be in for worse if you do.”
Ihyeok added with a fresh smile as if to say Hyeseong should also give up thoughts of running away. What should he do? If he handed the item over, he would surely get beaten too. But not handing it over was problematic in its own way.
As Hyeseong was racking his brain, a commotion was heard outside the door, followed by multiple footsteps rapidly approaching.
“Ah, these bastards…”
Ihyeok cursed under his breath and tossed the cigarette to the floor. That’s when several men in black suits barged into the office, each wielding a weapon in hand. There were easily four or five of them. Things he had only seen in movies were actually unfolding in front of him.
“Hyung-nim!”
The men had the same tattoo on their hands as the collapsed bald man. They seemed to be his underlings. Then was it over now? Now that backup had arrived to save the bald man, was he also safe?
“Don’t move.”
At that moment, Ihyeok squatted down, grabbed the man’s neck, and lifted him up. The man seemed to have regained consciousness as he let out a pained voice, narrowly opening his eyes. Seeing their boss’s wretched face, the underlings flinched.
“If any of you so much as take a step, I can’t guarantee what will happen to your precious boss.”
“Kwon Ihyeok, you son of a bitch. Do you dare backstab Baekdae? You think you’ll get away with it unscathed?!”
The man at the very front of the group yelled. So that man’s name was Kwon Ihyeok.
“Say that again with a metal plate on your face, Doo-sung. You think I wouldn’t know that Baekdae tried to betray Taesung first?”
Then Ihyeok suddenly glared at Hyeseong who was stuck to the wall, his survival instincts on full alert.
“The confidential documents of the Seohyun group. You tried to drag us into fighting together with those, but then you were going to cut ties and side with Seohyun, you pathetic bastards.”
From the conversation, Hyeseong could roughly deduce what happened between the two organizations. Basically, the bald man’s group and Ihyeok had plotted to eliminate a common enemy, but the bald man’s side tried to betray him and side with the enemy.
“Sharp of you to notice. How did you find out, huh?”
“It’d be stranger if I didn’t know. Who were you trying to fool with that lousy acting? What, were you afraid of Taesung’s growth? The mighty Baekdae stooping to such petty acts.”
The two men exchanged fierce words. This might be the right timing, now that the attention wasn’t on him. If he didn’t run now, he really might die. They were gangsters. Not just back-alley punks, but organized gangsters running a systematic group. He had to get out of there quickly.
“…Doo…sung.”
Just then, the collapsed bald man spoke in a low voice.
“The USB… need to get it… That student… ugh… probably has it.”
He raised a trembling hand and pointed at Hyeseong who had been trying to leave quietly. Ah, he was screwed. He should have moved faster.
“Hey you, you’re the one who came on an errand, right?”
Hyeseong nodded. The man called Doo-sung reached his hand out toward him.
“Then hand it over. The item you brought.”
Hyeseong looked at the man’s hand and gulped. Right. When it came down to it, the task he had been entrusted with was simply to pass the item to that bald man. Wouldn’t it be fine if he just completed his assigned task?
“Doo-sung looks like your boss has forgotten.”
Then Ihyeok’s icy voice rang out.
“If you take that item, this bastard dies. And you.”
This time, Ihyeok’s gaze shifted to Hyeseong.
“Hand it over to me while I’m asking nicely. That thing.”
Doo-sung wanted to rush at Hyeseong right away and snatch the item, but he couldn’t with his boss being held hostage. It was the same for Ihyeok. Having the bald man as a hostage, he couldn’t easily move from his spot.
“Can I ask just one thing?”
Hyeseong sighed deeply and opened his mouth.
“If I hand this item over to anyone here, can I leave this place alive, or at least with my limbs intact? I have a feeling I won’t be safe after hearing this whole conversation.”
At that, neither Ihyeok nor Doo-sung gave any response. In other words, Hyeseong’s thought was correct.
“I’ll give it to whoever can promise to get me out of here safely. Of course, I need to actually return home unharmed.”
Hyeseong carefully took out the USB from his pocket. Both Doo-sung and Ihyeok reacted.
“I promise. You were supposed to hand that item over to us anyway.”
Doo-sung spoke first.
Then Ihyeok immediately opened his mouth as well.
“Hey, kid. Don’t trust that bastard. I’ll take you out of here safe and sound.”
Somehow, it felt like he, the most powerless one here, had the upper hand in this situation. Even Ihyeok, who said he would quietly take care of him earlier, was now saying he would get him out unharmed. In that case, maybe it was okay to take a bigger gamble. He got dragged into this damn situation because of money anyway.
“And one more thing. I’ll take the price for handing this item over on top of the errand fee. It’d be even better if someone could match the price I want.”
At those words, Doo-sung instantly scowled, unable to maintain his composure. Ihyeok stared blankly for a moment before letting out a chuckle. Was this naive kid really not scared? He was proposing a deal to gangsters.
“Hey, you crazy bastard. You think we’re playing around?”
Doo-sung approached Hyeseong menacingly, his face contorted.
“No. I’m not playing around either.”
“I can match it.”
Then Ihyeok raised his hand leisurely.
“I’ll give you the money you want. I’ll generously cover the item price and your errand fee.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Hyeseong looked into the black eyes gazing at him steadily.