#074
“Why did you have to provoke the Russian’s temper when you could have just stayed still?”
It was Ha Byeonghun’s voice.
“Shut up, you bastard.”
The voice that scraped out of his throat was heavily hoarse.
“You always have to rush headlong into trouble when you could just endure for a moment. Seems like becoming a guide hasn’t changed that nasty temper of yours.”
Ha Byeonghun grumbled quietly as he put the mouth of a plastic water bottle to Eunseok’s lips and let it trickle in slowly. Eunseok painfully swallowed the water that entered his mouth. Even swallowing just a sip of water made every muscle in his body scream. It seemed they had thoroughly worked him over.
After moistening his throat with a few sips of water, his mind cleared considerably. His vision had also somewhat improved by then. Eunseok was still on the bed mattress. The only difference was that the mattress he was lying on was now soaked with blood.
“Where’s the Russian?”
“He stepped out for a moment. Probably to cool his head, afraid he might beat you to death.”
Ha Byeonghun answered readily.
Eunseok clenched his teeth against the pain that washed over him with every breath as he assessed his body’s condition. It felt like half his ribs were gone, but it didn’t seem like any internal organs were ruptured or any body parts severed. Well, being a precious S-class guide, they wouldn’t dare harm him fatally no matter how angry they got.
“East Sea or Sokcho?”
Eunseok asked in a hoarse voice.
The fact that they were no longer moving meant they had already reached their destination. At least, they must have arrived at their final destination within Korea. Of course, it wouldn’t be the West Sea. Going through China would risk the S-class guide being snatched away en route. They would likely aim to go straight to Vladivostok, so they’d probably plan to board a ship from the East Sea coast.
Ha Byeonghun merely raised an eyebrow without answering. It was a natural choice.
“How much?”
“……”
“As far as I know, you joined a pretty well-known mercenary company. They wouldn’t take on a job like this. So you must have been hired privately. How much did they pay you?”
“Three million dollars.”
Ha Byeonghun answered without much hesitation.
“Contact Choi Hanseo. He’ll pay you double or triple whatever amount you agreed to.”
Eunseok suggested, but Ha Byeonghun’s expression didn’t change much.
“What do they have on you?”
Eunseok immediately asked.
“My son.”
Ha Byeonghun answered briefly.
Eunseok completely gave up on negotiating with Ha Byeonghun. Most parents whose family, especially children, are taken hostage have no choice but to comply even if told to walk into hell. Even if they know they might die along with their child by following orders, they do so just to die together. Therefore, negotiating with Ha Byeonghun was impossible.
“Just go. Go and live well. You’re an S-class guide, right? Whether it’s money or safety, they’ll give you whatever you want. Does it matter if it’s Korea or Russia? You’re not a soldier anymore, and it’s not like they’re asking you to betray your country.”
Ha Byeonghun rambled on, unclear whether he was trying to comfort Eunseok or reassure himself.
“Anyway, stop resisting. You’ll only cause yourself more pain. They won’t damage your precious body, but wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if you went quietly?”
“Do I look like someone who would fear mere pain?”
Eunseok asked sharply, to which Ha Byeonghun gave a bitter smile.
Knock knock.
There was a knock at the door. Then the door opened.
It was the fake employee, Lim Gyucheol, who entered. When their eyes met, Lim Gyucheol looked surprised.
“You woke up faster than expected? Ah, right, given your background… You’ve been trained to withstand torture and interrogation, haven’t you?”
Lim Gyucheol muttered, nodding his head. Then he approached Eunseok and frowned as he examined his face from various angles.
“Ah… considering they tried to handle you gently, we’ll need to stitch you up here and there… These hunters are always so rough. Why did you have to provoke Ivan’s temper? If you had just stayed still, he would have treated you so well.”
“Are the departure preparations ready?”
Ha Byeonghun cut in, as if tired of listening.
“We just made contact with the boat a moment ago. They’ll be coming to pick up our princess soon.”
Lim Gyucheol answered with a smile, playfully winking at Eunseok. Annoyed by his smarmy face, Eunseok frowned.
Lim Gyucheol went outside. Ha Byeonghun grabbed Eunseok’s shoulder and lifted him up from where he was lying tightly bound on the bed. It wasn’t particularly gentle, but it wasn’t rough either. However, it was enough movement to send waves of intense pain through Eunseok’s entire body.
Cold sweat trickled down Eunseok’s forehead as he was sat up on the edge of the bed. His back was also damp with cold sweat. Honestly, Eunseok was a bit disappointed. He had calculated that after beating him severely, they would loosen or remove his bindings, if only to make breathing easier. Eunseok had planned to try and exploit that opportunity.
But the bindings were still tight and perfect. If Ha Byeonghun, who knew Eunseok well, hadn’t been there, they probably wouldn’t have been so cautious with someone who had lost consciousness covered in blood. In that respect, recruiting Ha Byeonghun was a good choice for Russia.
The sound of two sets of footsteps began to approach from outside the door Lim Gyucheol had left open. Soon, two people appeared. One was Ivan, and the other was a Slavic man with dark hair. From his energy level, similar to Ivan’s, it was clear that he too was an S-class hunter.
“Ivan!”
The dark-haired man called out to Ivan in a scolding tone upon seeing Eunseok’s condition.
“I couldn’t help it, Yuri. He’s like an untamed wild wolf.”
Ivan said with a stiff face, showing his hand with a chunk of flesh torn out.
“He’s an asset more important than your hand. And you’re the stupid one for getting bitten like that by a guide.”
The man called Yuri sneered at Ivan. Ivan glared at Yuri in annoyance. Their relationship didn’t seem particularly cordial.
“Anyway, let’s go for now. Getting out of Korea quickly is the priority.”
Yuri said in a stern tone as he approached Eunseok.
“Be careful. He’ll be looking for any chance to bite.”
Ivan reminded Yuri. Indeed, Eunseok had been calculating to use his only free weapon, his teeth, to bite Yuri’s throat as he was being carried.
“Right, we should gag him. He doesn’t seem the type to yell for help, but still.”
Yuri hesitated, then took off one of his leather gloves. He crumpled it and forcibly stuffed it into Eunseok’s mouth.
As always, it was absolutely impossible to resist an S-class hunter by force. Eunseok ended up being thrown over Yuri’s shoulder like a sack of goods, gagged.
It was pitch black outside. The smell of the sea wafted to his nostrils.
Looking around, it seemed to be a small coastal village with few people. In the distance, he could see the lights of a few scattered houses.
The dark blue night sea came into view. About a kilometer away, he could see the lights of a boat floating on the nighttime sea. Perhaps to reach that boat secretly, a black military rubber boat was waiting on the narrow beach they were heading towards.
Yuri crossed the sandy beach first and set Eunseok down in the military rubber boat. Despite his rather careful handling, Eunseok’s whole body ached due to his cracked ribs. His breathing naturally became labored and ragged.
“Let’s go quickly.”
Yuri said as he boarded the rubber boat. Soon after, Ha Byeonghun and Ivan were about to board the rubber boat.
Suddenly, Yuri and Ivan’s bodies froze. Their gazes simultaneously turned towards the dark sky in the distance.
“Ivan?”
Ha Byeonghun called out to Ivan with a puzzled look. But there was no answer. And no answer was needed.
Soon, the faint sound of a helicopter could be heard. A bright light, seemingly from the helicopter, swept across the shoreline before fixing on the rubber boat.
“Damn it. We’ve been spotted.”
Ivan said in irritation. But there was no particular sense of crisis in his voice.
“Take him to the boat first. We’ll finish this and follow.”
Yuri ordered Ha Byeonghun. Ha Byeonghun nodded and started pushing the rubber boat towards the sea.
The helicopter’s speed was very fast. With its white light fixed on the rubber boat, it had already reached directly overhead. Due to the light, it was impossible to see who was in the helicopter. But Eunseok instinctively knew. It was Choi Hanseo.
A dark figure leapt straight out of the helicopter. At the same time, Ivan, who had been watching above, kicked off the ground and jumped into the air.
Boom-!
The two figures collided midair, creating a tremendous sound and shockwave. The air rippled violently as if a bomb had exploded. Eunseok kept his eyes open despite the oncoming wind, clearly observing the situation.
Ivan landed on the ground with a thud. The next moment, Ha Byeonghun, who had been pushing the rubber boat into the sea, flew about ten meters with a thud and crashed onto the beach. Just from the sound, it was clear. Skull fracture. Probably instant death.
Eunseok looked at the back of the man who had landed gracefully in front of him. The broad back in a suit undoubtedly belonged to Choi Hanseo. He could see Choi Hanseo’s hair wildly fluttering in the center of the white light shining down from the helicopter.
