TIN 116

“…”

The card in his hand snapped in half. The credit card with its luxurious pattern was an item left behind in the place Bada had departed from. Presumably, it was one of the gifts Joo Do-hwa had given to his ‘hyung.’

“…Why, think we won’t find him anyway?”

Henry couldn’t find an appropriate reaction to his calm question. Saying sorry would seem like agreement, but denying it would get him into bigger trouble. So he just silently bowed his head and heard Joo Do-hwa give a short laugh.

“I let him go too far for a walk.”

The quietly uttered words pierced his ears. Henry belatedly raised his gaze to look at him. The face that usually smiled loosely as if drug-addled was now expressionless like a doll’s. The dead glint under his shadowed eyes seemed far more insane than his usual grinning self.

‘Go find him.’

A week after that, the ‘hyung’ who left this house still hadn’t shown himself. Even after thoroughly investigating his few relationships and tracing all his movements, the result was the same.

Actually, at first, they thought they’d find him quickly. With all of South Korea in 4HAE Group’s palm, where could he run to? He had even secretly clicked his tongue, thinking the man had done something stupid despite appearances.

But one day, two days, three days, and finally until today, that man wasn’t caught. Far from being caught, there wasn’t even news of him, to the point where Henry, who reported daily, felt that his life was being threatened.

Yes, that was the case even now as the silence continued.

“Resume operations.”

Finally, permission fell from Joo Do-hwa’s lips. Though his tone wasn’t particularly angry, Henry knew this wasn’t a situation he wanted.

But there was no choice. The express train to the sea was one of 4HAE Group’s major businesses, and Chairman Joo’s influence couldn’t be ignored for stopping it arbitrarily.

“I’ll do as instructed.”

Why don’t they all know how precious their lives are?

Henry bowed respectfully while thinking the same thought he had about Gicheol. If you can’t handle it, you should just escape perfectly. He found himself wishing this out of pathetic sympathy.

***

“Let’s see, let’s see…One, two, three, four…”

The man counted the money one bill at a time while humming in an excited voice. The stack of crumpled bills was clearly not a small amount at first glance.

After counting the last bill with practiced hands, the man slapped his palm with the neatly gathered bills.

“Hmm, perfect.”

His grinning face showed clear excitement. The man put the money in a worn envelope, folded it carefully, and stuffed it in his pants pocket. Though one side of his pants bulged out amusingly, no one paid attention to that.

“I thought you couldn’t do it, but you managed to get this money somehow?”

Before the constantly grinning man stood his counterpart who provided this money and would soon be called a mark—his precious customer. It was a woman who wore a hat pulled low and covered her face with black cloth, with long flowing hair. At first, he thought she was an unpleasant customer, but now she seemed like a goose that laid golden eggs.

‘…Huh? What is it? Need something?’

The woman had come to find him not long after the train to the sea resumed operations. It was also when those who had lost their livelihood due to the sudden strike were withdrawing from the scalping market, citing increased risks.

The man was a scalper who had newly entered during that time. Originally he just sold glue at most, but deciding he needed bigger earnings, he decided to pioneer a new market. Though demand wasn’t high due to the expensive prices, he spread word-of-mouth everywhere, thinking he just needed to catch one person.

Should we say he was lucky? A customer came quickly. He had just managed to get his hands on a forged ticket for a slightly lower-class train. The person with their face covered by a hat and cloth wordlessly thrust out a paper.

‘What’s this…? Oh, want to buy a scalped ticket?’

On the back of the flyer distributed by 4HAE Group was an unknown wave pattern and a drawn train. It seemed hand-drawn, with messy, crooked lines. Must be annoyingly mute, he thought privately while quickly scanning his counterpart.

‘You got money? This is going to be quite expensive.’

His first impression upon inspection was truly ambiguous. Setting aside the messily flowing hair, though tall, their hunched posture gave off a not-so-good impression. With their neck stretched out and waist bent, they even looked somewhat small at a glance.

Is it really a woman? While thinking this and examining their upper body, the man nodded after confirming the outline barely visible through loose clothes. Though hard to see with hunched shoulders, there were breasts there anyway.

‘If you’re just here to test the waters…’

Well, gender wasn’t his business. Before the man could finish his words dismissively at their clearly poor appearance, the woman pulled out a bill from her pocket and held it out. It was the largest denomination bill in existence, something most lower-class people wouldn’t even be able to see their entire lives.

‘…Three days, come back in three days.’

The man immediately snatched the bill and informed the woman. Though the ticket was already complete, there were small things to prepare. Stupidly, the woman left the alley without receiving any documentation.

“Here’s the ID. And here’s the boarding pass.”

Three days passed, and they met again at the same place. Though he wanted badly to just take the money and run, sometimes one needed to suppress greed for a greater reward.

“Check the ticket. There are lots of counterfeits these days, so look carefully for any issues.”

Though it was indeed a forged ticket, the man spoke brazenly. The chances of getting caught were slim anyway, so real or fake made no difference. Of course, his precious customer wouldn’t have the ability to tell the difference.

“And there’s one problem…”

As the man slowly began, the woman raised her head. Though the hat didn’t look that big, either her head was small or her face was barely visible.

“The ticket is one-way.”

“…”

The woman froze. Even without checking, he could tell her cloth-covered face must have stiffened.

“Ticket prices have gone up lately…If you need a round-trip ticket, you’ll need to pay extra.”

Usually, tickets to the sea came as a round-trip set. Separate ticketing was possible, but that was only through official routes, and without a return ticket, you’d be investigated from the moment you board the train.

And naturally, the man had the return ticket prepared in his pocket. He was just the kind of merchant who wouldn’t let go of an easy mark who had wandered in.

There were various ways to fleece someone, but the man thought this was quite gentlemanly. How many people just take the deposit and run? Wasn’t it divine fortune to meet a merchant like him?

“If you don’t have money, well, you can pay with something else.”

The man smiled sleazily and glanced down at the woman’s wrist. Her wrist was thin enough to grasp in one hand, pale enough to seem almost white. Who knows, maybe her flesh would be just as white.

“What will you do?”

If only her face was pretty, he could have more fun. The way she covered up completely, she was obviously unsightly. The chances of a pretty face behind that cloth were, well, about as likely as finding the man from the flyer.

‘Not that I expect that much…’

The man recalled the flyers he’d collected from the streets over the past few days. It was a wanted notice from 4HAE Group, and the photo in it was surprisingly beautiful. So much so that he wondered if it was edited.

That level of beauty made it understandable why they specified not to touch a single hair. It was a face that shouldn’t look out of place even after rolling around anywhere, front or back becoming like a rag. Maybe it was already a gaping hole.

“You’d better decide quickly. I’m a busy person.”

“…”

The woman remained silent for a long time. She probably wouldn’t have extra money after paying this much, and there was only one choice anyway.

“It’s not like I’m asking for anything special…”

“…”

As he slowly opened his mouth, the woman stepped back. At this reaction, the man asked with a giggle.

“Don’t need it?”

“…”

“…You don’t need it?”

The woman nodded slightly. Though a minimal movement, it was clearly affirmative. Feeling momentarily confused, the man let out an empty breath.

“Well…”

Picked the wrong one.

“Look, you might not know, but without a return ticket…”

Unfortunately, the man couldn’t finish his advice. The woman, firmly gripping the ID and ticket, strode forward and roughly bumped his shoulder as she passed. Despite her thin build, the force was strong, causing the man to stumble backward.

“Ah, shit…!”

The momentarily angered man spat on the ground. But the woman had already quickly crossed the alley and left. He considered chasing her but didn’t want to bother in the heat.

“Tsk, stupid bitch.”

Right, you’re the one at a loss, not me.

The man quickly composed himself and happily checked his pocket. He’d received the money anyway, so it didn’t matter to him. The one in trouble would be that woman who wouldn’t even be able to board the train.

“…Might become rich soon at this rate?”

Holding the thick wad of paper in one hand, the man smiled foolishly, getting lost in his dreams. Should have started this business earlier. After doing this a few more times, life would become much more prosperous. Even now, with this money…

“…”

The man’s eyes grew wide in shock. From his trembling hand, what he’d just taken from his pocket fell to the ground, not the bills neatly tucked in the envelope, but the flyers from 4HAE Group looking for a man named ‘Bada.’

“That, that fucking…!”

It wasn’t hard to grasp the situation. The man rushed out after the woman with sharp curses. Though he ran like crazy through the alley, tripping over his feet the entire way, he couldn’t find a single hair of hers anywhere he looked.

“Aagh, my money!”

A shrill scream spread through the quiet alley. No matter how much he searched his pockets, he couldn’t find the money he’d received from the woman or even the return ticket. All he had left was an empty pocket and flyers no better than trash.