TIN 115

Gicheol watched the man before him with bated breath. Sitting on a leather sofa with legs crossed, the man was staring at Gicheol with distinctly golden eyes. In one hand he held a black card while his upper body lounged against the backrest. Unlike his casual posture, his piercing gaze was sharp enough to cut even steel.

“So?”

When the man asked, Gicheol hesitated before coming up with an answer. He was so nervous his palms were completely soaked. After wiping his sweaty hands on his thighs and swallowing hard, a low voice flowed from the man’s mouth.

“Don’t know where he went, don’t know where he is, just saw him with your own eyes…”

“…”

“Then how am I supposed to believe you?”

Though the tone was leisurely, it was enough to choke Gicheol’s breath. Damn it, I shouldn’t have come here. Thinking this internally, Gicheol clenched his fists tightly. The man tilted his head slightly with a beaming smile.

“How many people do you think came here today?”

The words from the man, Joo Do-hwa, were certainly not a question expecting an answer. It was more like a warning—are you daring to waste my time?

Gicheol came here because of a flyer distributed on the street one day. It was a wanted notice looking for someone, and the source was none other than the 4HAE Group. Until there, well, it wasn’t his business, but the problem was the face attached to the flyer.

‘…Bada?’

Even while dizzy from fainting and waking up, his eyes opened as wide as saucers. The clearly printed photo showed a face he knew well, a man with a beauty so stunning it could make one’s head spin sometimes, someone you wouldn’t believe lived in the gutters.

The bounty on him was enough to change a life in an instant. If he could get even half, no, a quarter, even a tenth, he could live a much better life than now. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry for the rest of his life.

“Even a four legged dog gets found in the next neighborhood when it gets lost, so what’s so special about a week old sighting?”

And this was the result. Standing before the table, Gicheol was extremely tense under Joo Do-hwa’s gaze. There was an unreasonable condition not to touch a single hair, and he thought they only wanted eyewitness accounts, but as soon as he mentioned it was a week ago, he was met with mockery.

“You should have lied and said you saw him yesterday.”

Joo Do-hwa smirked and turned the card in his hand. The smooth black card was probably what the upper class used instead of cash. For people like them who didn’t even have bank accounts, let alone identity papers, it was something they’d rarely see in their entire lifetime.

“If that’s all your business…”

“H-He was injured in the leg.”

As he tried to wrap up the conversation, Gicheol hastily spoke up. Having come this far, he couldn’t leave without any results. He needed at least one bill to make it worth it.

“He was limping like he’d twisted his ankle. The other side was bleeding heavily too…He collapsed right away when I hit him once.”

As Gicheol continued, Joo Do-hwa’s expression subtly changed. Gicheol interpreted this as a positive sign and raised his voice a bit more.

“So he couldn’t have gone far…”

“How exactly did you hit him?”

“…Pardon?”

The question came suddenly. As Gicheol blinked, Joo Do-hwa smiled generously.

“I’m asking how you hit him.”

“Just like this…”

Is this really what he wants to know? Though thinking about this, Gicheol awkwardly lifted his leg to demonstrate a kicking motion. Since he could see the blood-covered knee below the raised pant leg, he had deliberately kicked the injured area.

“Ah, like that.”

Joo Do-hwa casually responded and smoothly stood up. Then he walked toward him, avoiding the table. Though he knew the man was tall, he felt increasingly intimidating the closer he got to him. He didn’t seem particularly large, but was emitting a strangely threatening aura.

“Left or right?”

“I’m not sure…no, left, it was the left.”

Gicheol tried to brush it off vaguely but quickly changed his answer when he saw the man’s eyes turn cold. At this, Joo Do-hwa’s lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

Before he could wonder about the ominous atmosphere for long, he immediately kicked Gicheol’s left knee with his shoe.

“Argh!”

A scream burst out involuntarily. Though it was just a casual kick, his leg gave out as if hit in a vital spot. The force was so strong he wondered if something had broken.

“Like this?”

“…Ugh.”

Collapsed in place, Gicheol could only look up at Joo Do-hwa without answering. Though his downcast eyes seemed elegant at a glance, his actions were no different from a thug’s.

“You’re not even injured in the leg, so why did you fall?”

He lightly nudged the collapsed Gicheol with his toe and tilted his head to one side as if genuinely confused. Despite smiling innocently just moments ago, his eyes had instantly turned cold, now devoid of even a speck of interest.

“Henry.”

At Joo Do-hwa’s call, a man who had been standing like a shadow stepped forward. He was the one who had brought Gicheol here and watched everything while blocking the doorway. Joo Do-hwa walked back to the sofa without even looking at him.

“Get rid of it.”

“…?”

There wasn’t even time to understand those words. ‘Henry’ strode over and forcibly lifted him by the arm. As he started dragging him away, Gicheol desperately twisted his body around.

“W-Wait! Just wait!”

However, Henry easily subdued the struggling Gicheol. He fixed both arms behind his back and grabbed his nape while walking.

“Fuck, you scamming bastards…!”

Gicheol shouted angrily, held like an animal. Henry stopped in his tracks. If he had kept quiet then it might have been better, but Gicheol was already seeing red.

“If you heard the story, you should pay! You know what, I’ll make sure you never find that bastard, huh? I’ll find him first and kill him. I almost died because of that crazy bastard anyway…”

Henry clicked his tongue at his crazed ranting. But Gicheol was too worked up to even notice. Not receiving a single penny of the money he’d expected and even getting hit—it would have been stranger not to be angry.

“When I get out of here…!”

Unfortunately, Gicheol couldn’t finish his threatening warning. Henry struck the back of his neck with the side of his hand. Henry lifted the instantly limp body with one arm like a sack.

“I apologize.”

“…”

Joo Do-hwa, who had half-risen, quietly stared at Henry. Seeing his gaze heavily downcast, Henry secretly swallowed hard. Though he wasn’t the target of that anger, the cold face without a trace of a smile on it was chilling.

“I’ll take care…”

Of it, he meant to say. But before Henry could finish, Joo Do-hwa briefly ordered, “Don’t kill him.”

Henry straightened his posture. For him, who had been planning to dispose of him immediately, it was quite an unexpected order. Just as he wondered if this was an unusual show of mercy, Joo Do-hwa spoke while twisting his lips.

“We need to hear why he almost died.”

Adding that they must really know each other, his voice seemed subtly excited. Only then did Henry recall Gicheol’s words and responded with astonishment, “…I’ll keep him detained.”

Why don’t these street rats understand the value of their lives? No, in this case, perhaps dying right away would have been better.

While Henry hesitated briefly, Joo Do-hwa sat back down on the sofa and slowly blinked. Though it seemed quite languid, Henry knew he was more on edge than ever. Not from lack of sleep for days, not from dealing with idiots constantly, but because of failing to find just one person—Bada.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“…Ah.”

An exclamation escaped from Henry’s lips. He had much to say but couldn’t with outsiders visiting all day. The fact that it wasn’t particularly welcome news also played a part in not finding the right timing. But now he had to say it.

“As ordered, we’re monitoring all related individuals…but there haven’t been any notable results. Lingling is on the run from Oceans and mostly stays hidden, and Theo seems to only contact customers. After closing his business, Director Kim Jaewon only meets up with women.”

Joo Do-hwa’s gaze turned to Henry, as if asking why he was stating the obvious. He must have already guessed this much, and this wasn’t Henry’s real business either.

“And…it seems we should resume train operations soon.”