NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41.1
Between Extermination and Annihilation (1)
My teammate’s faces stiffened, exposing their shock at this revelation. However instead of saying anything, we carefully drew in our chairs to form a close huddle. We also started whispering, just in case somebody might be eavesdropping.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You brat. This is family you’re talking about. Are you sure?”
“Phew. Hold on a moment. Let me prepare my heart.”
With bewildered expressions on their faces, they all focussed their eyes on me. I took a surreptitious look around the office before quietly saying his name.
“It’s Detective Wang from the Narcotics Unit. At first it was the fact that he found the clue leading to the abandoned hospital, but, on top of that, the children at Aeryuwon have seen him before.”
Since I couldn’t tell them that I’d had Ho-Un privately investigate Wang Ong-Gu, I had no choice but to lie to them. Claiming that I had heard this from the children held the least risk of causing me trouble in the future. By saying that I had heard it from the kids, I avoided any need to provide material evidence.
Team Leader closed his eyes for a moment before responding in a sceptical tone.
“That’s very iffy. It could all just be a coincidence. Even though the abandoned hospital turned out to be a diversion, we can’t be certain that Detective Wang intentionally led us into it. And that goes for Aeryuwon as well.”
“But for some reason, I have a gut feeling that Newbie is right. I’ve said it before, that something about Detective Wang smells fishy.”
“It does seem a bit too involved to call it all a coincidence, but at the same time, the evidence is still too weak.”
As people who weren’t aware of the full story, these were their natural reactions. Team Leader disagreed, while Black agreed, and Mong-Doo stayed neutral.
Since this was such a sensitive matter, they couldn’t make a hasty decision. So instead, I offered them a suggestion.
“…how about we set a trap?”
***
It was dawn the next day. Today was the day that So-Yeon would be leaving for her adoption. The black van that would take her to the airport had already pulled up at the entrance to the orphanage.
Dressed in her finest clothes, So-Yeon waved goodbye to all her friends. All of the children seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears.
“Good bye everyone. Take good care of yourselves.”
“So-Yeon-ah. Uwaaah!”
“America is so far away. Will we ever see each other again?”
Aeryuwon’s front yard was soon flooded with tears. Her many friends, who had spent so many happy days together with So-Yeon, clung to her as they poured out their regrets.
“Oh my. Children, why are you acting like this on such a nice day.”
“That’s right. From now on, So-Yeon will have many happy days in store for her.”
The staff of the orphanage, who had been watching from the side, tried to cheer up the children, but the depressed atmosphere refused to lighten.
Jin Hwa-An grabbed So-Yeon by the shoulder and pulled her away from her friends.
“That’s enough. It’s time to leave. We can’t be late for the plane.”
With heavy steps, So-Yeon climbed into the van, the windows of which had been darkly tinted. Once the car door had shut behind her, the children’s cries grew even louder.
“So-Yeon-aaaah!”
“Uwaaaah-!”
“Goodbye!”
However So-Yeon didn’t get to hear these shouts. The driver had impatiently stepped on the accelerator as soon as the door was shut and he roared out of the orphanage’s gates.
In her small children’s backpack, she still carried the sweets that had been given to her by Ji-Hun.
“I should have given these to the others before I left… They don’t often get to eat things like this.”
As she felt this pang of regret in her heart, the tears she had been holding back finally burst out. So-Yeon leaned her head against the window as thick trails of teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
“So-Yeon-ah,” the director coldly called out to her.
As soon as So-Yeon turned her head to respond, Jin Hwa-An covered her mouth with a thick cloth. A strong chemical scent overwhelmed So-Yeon’s nose.
“Mmph!”
Alarmed, So-Yeon tried to struggle, but she couldn’t overcome an adult’s strength. Soon, as her strength slowly faded away, the young girl fell into a deep slumber. Jin Hwa-An immediately gave the driver new orders in that same cold tone of voice.
“The child’s asleep. Turn the car around.”
“Got it.”
The van, which had been heading to the airport, switched lanes and took another exit. One that led to a quiet rural area in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. They eventually arrived at an abandoned factory that had once been used to process food, but whose machinery had long since fell into disuse.
The driver picked up the limp girl and carried her into the factory.
“Oooh. You’re here.”
On one side, men with fierce expressions were gathered around a small board as they gambled with each other. On the other side, there were two foreigners sitting on a sofa. One of them, a woman, walked over to So-Yeon with a pleased expression on her face. The other, a man, interpreted for her.
“I've been waiting a long time. My son is already waiting."1
The interpreter checked So-Yeon’s face briefly before nodding.
“My client’s child has just gone under anesthesia. Please head on in.”
Footnote:
1 The bolded sentence was originally in English.
Note: Hi everyone! Unfortunately, we have to come to the difficult decision to put this novel on indefinite hiatus after chapter 47. We will be releasing Patreon chapters weekly after this month. Thank you for your support thus far! *bow*