#045
While Yeon Tae-soo was visiting the military police, Yoo Seong-woo stayed at Eden. To guard against potential dangers, he wasn’t allowed to leave the room, and Yeon Tae-soo’s strongest and most skilled close associates stood guard outside.
Yoo Seong-woo had no intention of going out anyway. He watched a live broadcast on a borrowed tablet inside the room.
The tablet continuously streamed news about Yeon Tae-soo. For the past few days, the “Major General Kim Corruption Case” had been reported almost all day long.
Yeon Tae-soo became a star in just a few days.
While people in Zone 2 obviously knew him as the owner of Eden, now people from other areas also recognized Yeon Tae-soo. As the one who exposed Major General Kim.
This left a question:
‘Who is the whistleblower?’
Who could possibly know about Major General Kim’s corruption?
And then Eden was revealed. The lowest part of Zone 2, where trash and those who live off trash gather. The landmark golden building there.
When it became known that numerous politicians frequented this massive and luxurious gambling house, the citizens of the Republic were once again enraged.
In this state of being the talk of the entire country, the whistleblower Yeon Tae-soo stood in front of cameras for the first time today.
Who is the whistleblower Yeon Tae-soo?
Captions rolled under Yeon Tae-soo’s face as he stood in front of the military police building, staring directly at the camera.
Yoo Seong-woo, who had been looking down at the tablet screen, got up from the bed, stretched, and did some light exercises. All the while, his gaze never left the tablet on the bed.
What was he trying to achieve by making such a big fuss? It wasn’t even against ordinary people, but the national army. It was almost like saying he would turn his back on the country.
Yeon Tae-soo must be smarter than him. He must have a plan. So there’s no reason to worry. Although he knew this rationally, he found himself biting his nails without realizing it.
In a way, he thought he knew why Yeon Tae-soo had escalated things so much. To avoid being killed quietly without anyone knowing.
It seemed absurd that the army protecting the country would quietly kill citizens, but in times like these, it was entirely possible.
Yeon Tae-soo stood before the cameras as a whistleblower. The public now knows his face. If the military police fail to protect him, it would cause great public outrage.
As he massaged his shoulders alternately, he could still feel the muscle pain that hadn’t fully healed. It was from when he had been intimate with Yeon Tae-soo a few days ago.
Since that day when he suddenly lashed out asking to leave, Yeon Tae-soo hadn’t asked anything.
‘You’d think he might ask why I did that at least once.’
Is he trusting me that much? Or is he not asking because he doesn’t trust me?
Yoo Seong-woo sat at the table. A mask that only needed to be colored lay on it.
***
As soon as Yeon Tae-soo left the military police, he got straight into a car. Ignoring the reporters, the car sped off towards the airport.
Just as they were about to reach the airport with minimal escorts, sure enough, there was one vehicle that had persistently followed them.
“As expected, boss.”
“Right?”
Yeon Tae-soo smiled with satisfaction at his employee’s words.
The person Yeon Tae-soo went to greet was an old comrade. Former team members of the Black Star Unit with whom he had fought on missions for the European Union. They still called Yeon Tae-soo “Captain” and were glad to see him.
Even while feeling an unidentifiable gaze in the airport lobby, Yeon Tae-soo didn’t show it. He left the airport laughing and chatting as if meeting old friends.
And from then on was when things got real.
The car they got into after leaving the airport wasn’t the one Yeon Tae-soo had arrived in.
They started moving in another vehicle that had been prepared in advance.
The unknown tracker quickly caught up to the new vehicle. Yeon Tae-soo, his guards, and the Black Star mercenaries continued to exchange casual conversation and jokes even inside the car.
The car, filled with a friendly atmosphere, headed towards a remote road. Moving completely away from the national highway, it even entered the mountains.
Yeon Tae-soo’s group’s car moved suspiciously to anyone watching. They even turned off the headlights as soon as they entered the mountains.
Because of this, the tracker assumed. That witness might be inside that car.
Yeon Tae-soo knew about Major General Kim’s corruption, and he had publicly stated that he would bring the witness from abroad.
Then surely those foreigners who just got off the plane and were moving secretly must be the witnesses.
Yeon Tae-soo, two guards, and one man and one woman presumed to be witnesses. The ones from abroad probably didn’t have weapons since they just entered the country. Yeon Tae-soo too must be unarmed, having just come from questioning at the military police.
If so, the tracker thought it was worth a try. And at that moment, Yeon Tae-soo’s car in front stopped.
‘What’s this?’
Quickly turning on the infrared telescope function, a screen inside the vehicle lit up. From Yeon Tae-soo’s car, those presumed to be guards were getting out and hurriedly going somewhere.
It seemed like now was the time to move. Although somewhat suspicious, this was the best chance with the armed personnel gone.
The tracker quietly lowered the car window. Touching the collar, a mask and infrared glasses rose to cover the face.
They were far enough from Yeon Tae-soo that a telescope was needed to see. Plus, this side also had its headlights off. Moreover, the front was half-covered by trees, so there was no way they could be seen.
The tracker pulled out a sniper rifle in the darkness. This gun could penetrate most glass. It could even penetrate car bodies, so being inside a car wasn’t safe. Unless surrounded by military-grade bulletproof glass, that is.
The figure was confirmed through the infrared glasses. Yeon Tae-soo was in the front passenger seat, and those in the back…
Taking a breath, the trigger was pulled. And the moment the trigger was pulled, the tracker felt something was wrong.
A bullet hole should have immediately appeared in the rear window of the vehicle, with someone inside collapsing from being shot, but the glass was intact.
‘No way.’
How did Yeon Tae-soo get a military-grade armored vehicle? That’s… something only high-ranking officers can use.
While bewildered, someone was already beside the car. It was Yeon Tae-soo.
“Hey.”
Only now did the tracker realize that the one who got out earlier wasn’t a bodyguard, but Yeon Tae-soo himself.
With a loud crash, a gleaming prosthetic hand broke through the window. The black metal prosthetic hand that shattered the glass window in one go somehow glowed coldly even in the pitch-black darkness. That mechanical hand grabbed the tracker’s collar.
And another hand, a gloved one, reached out and gagged the tracker’s mouth. To prevent suicide.
“It’s all over. We’re live streaming right now.”
What?
Yeon Tae-soo kindly turned the tracker’s chin forward. Through the infrared glasses still on, it was clearly visible. A filming drone floating above the car.
‘Why… did I only see that now?’
It seemed to be a model with stealth capabilities added to the drone. A technology not used in the Republic of Korea, but commonly used by overseas mercenaries.
‘It’s all… been recorded then.’
Unable to even commit suicide, the tracker was thus captured by Yeon Tae-soo’s hand.
***
“Is this the Captain’s lover?”
Yoo Seong-woo hesitated at the question coming through the translator.
He was completely flustered right now. Yeon Tae-soo had mentioned that colleagues from his mercenary days were coming, but he never thought he’d introduce them to him. And to call him a lover, no less.
Before he could hesitate on how to answer, Yeon Tae-soo cut in.
“Can’t you tell by looking? He is my lover.”
It was a voice without any hint of playfulness. The mercenaries were shocked by the matter-of-fact answer. They looked like they had heard a serious response to what was meant as a joke.
“The Captain is dating? Not just a sex partner?”
“How rude. What kind of talk is that? Just introduce yourself.”
It was a conversation between a woman and a man, both appearing to be in their 30s. Yeon Tae-soo stood beside Yoo Seong-woo, shaking his head.
The woman, looking nervous, abruptly extended her hand to Yoo Seong-woo.
“I’m Nikita Hakim. This bandit-looking guy is just Xian.”
“…Please call me Mr. Yoo.”
He reflexively shook the woman’s hand. It was a very rough hand with many calluses. The man also nodded slightly in greeting.
“Mr. Yoo, nice to meet you! But are you really lovers?”
“I said we are.”
Yeon Tae-soo answered irritably. Yoo Seong-woo fiddled with his stretched-out t-shirt, thinking he should have dressed up a bit. Suddenly feeling a gaze, he looked up and was surprised. Wasn’t Yeon Tae-soo watching his reaction? The two mercenaries also sent obvious stares, as if waiting for an answer.
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
He quickly answered, sensing that if he said no here, it would surely put Yeon Tae-soo in a difficult position. The mercenaries exchanged shocked glances with each other, while Yeon Tae-soo’s face turned red. Why is he acting like that? Yoo Seong-woo was puzzled but didn’t bother to ask.
And that night, at the heavily drinking welcome party, Yoo Seong-woo realized that no matter how much he drank, he didn’t get drunk. It seemed to be because he was made for entertainment. An entertainer who passes out before the guests would be meaningless.
When the two mercenaries got drunk, they removed their translators altogether and conversed in an unknown language, hitting each other. Though he couldn’t understand, it was clear that half of it was cursing.
Yeon Tae-soo quietly handed a tablet to Yoo Seong-woo. The screen showed news.
Witness Yeon Tae-soo Attacked
Yoo Seong-woo was shocked to see the caption written at the bottom of the screen. As soon as he saw the word “attack,” he examined Yeon Tae-soo’s body.
“I’m not hurt. This was intentionally staged.”
“What on earth happened?”
“I thought Major General Kim would definitely try to approach me. It’s just preparing for what was bound to happen, you know.”
The fact that Major General Kim attacked Yeon Tae-soo was tantamount to admitting that he had something to hide. That alone could be considered as having won half the battle already.
“So that’s why you made such a fuss about bringing a witness.”
“Wouldn’t I look confident if there was no witness? He took the bait because there’s actually someone who could testify against him. The military police will take this as a very important point in their investigation.”
“What happened to the perpetrator?”
“I handed him over to the military police right away. What would I do interrogating him? I’m too busy playing with our Mr. Yoo.”
Yoo Seong-woo felt somehow deflated. No, humans would call this feeling relief.
“…You scared me.”
Yeon Tae-soo laughed loudly at the quietly muttered complaint. He reached out and cupped Yoo Seong-woo’s cheek. His bare hand, without gloves, was a little warmer than Yoo Seong-woo’s.
“I’m surprised every time you say things like that.”
Yoo Seong-woo could see the blue emotion in Yeon Tae-soo’s eyes swirling like a raging current.
“Every time I realize you’re thinking about me, I feel wonder.”
A similar turmoil was occurring inside Yoo Seong-woo’s chest. Yoo Seong-woo believed this too was one of his functions. To enchant and seduce people. Just commands coming from circuits, actions and reactions naturally possessed by an entertainment robot.
Yeon Tae-soo said no more and just smiled at him. Yoo Seong-woo couldn’t take his eyes off him for a long time.
The turmoil that had begun without his knowledge was growing bigger and bigger.
