Salt Fields (8)
A night like a war had passed.
"I'm sorry we let you down. We searched the entire island, but we still couldn't secure Village Head Choi."
The leader of the police special forces, sporting three mugunghwa emblems and the insignia of a senior superintendent, spoke to me with an awkward expression.
"We'll station additional forces on the island for now, so, ahem, put in a good word with Commissioner Kim."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
"And that guy Cheon who fell into the sea—his whereabouts are still unknown. If he was injured and fell from that height, we have to assume he's nine times out of ten dead."
The island's morning was peaceful, as if last night's war had been a lie. I gazed down at the cliffs where white foam crashed against the rocks.
That bastard Cheon couldn't have died so easily. He was without a doubt a Tier 1 special forces operative, someone who'd at least completed maritime reconnaissance training. If he's alive, we'll cross paths eventually.
I nodded and stood up.
"Your team already left on the patrol boat. What do you say? Ride with us?"
"No, thanks. I drove here. I'll take the ferry back."
* * *
As I turned the key in the Jeep, a shadow approached.
"Heading out now?"
"Yeah. You worked hard too, Teacher Seon."
"...You won't tell me what you're planning to do with him, will you?"
"The moment I tell you, you'd be an accomplice. You really want to hear it?"
Seon Mi-ra's eyebrows curved softly.
"No. I don't want to be shocked anymore. I'm just an ordinary middle school substitute teacher."
"Hmm. For an ordinary teacher, you were awfully aggressive last night."
Her face flushed red for a moment. She'd delivered a precise uppercut to Village Head Choi's jaw right before he passed out.
"Oh, right! Uncle Hwang was transferred to a sanatorium in Namhae. He's starting rehab training. They say his social avoidance is severe."
"Good to hear. Well, I'll be off then. Oh, almost forgot—I should mention that soon, the people connected to Village Head Choi on the mainland will be under investigation. Once their corruption comes to light, the ones who pressured you using your substitute status will face legal consequences too. You went through a lot. You'll make a great teacher, Teacher Seon."
A unique bond between those who shared secrets lingered between us. I got the vehicle loading permit and climbed into the Jeep. Just as I turned toward the ferry's car storage area, a patrol officer dispatched from the mainland waved his baton to stop me.
"Quick inspection—"
Smack!
Before he could finish, someone who looked like his superior smacked the back of his head.
"Sir! You're Lieutenant Kang Cheol-gu, right? Park over here!"
"Yes. Thanks for your work."
From behind, the superior's scolding went on for a while.
"You idiot! You don't inspect just anyone—you pick your targets! That's Lieutenant Kang Cheol-gu, the cop who took on thirty guys single-handedly!"
It was the special forces who handled the thirty... My neck prickled.
At that moment, the fertilizer sack in the trunk shifted ever so slightly.
* * *
[Breaking news. A bizarre incident has unfolded on the small southern island of Sinseon Island. Village Head Choi allegedly employed a man in his fifties with intellectual disabilities, Hwang, at his own salt fields for eight years. But Hwang's pay was a measly 100,000 won a month. Choi formed a tight cartel reaching the mainland, and even resorted to armed resistance against police who uncovered it. Public shock is growing over this unprecedented case involving some thirty villagers. Meanwhile, the ringleader, Village Head Choi, remains at large.]
The Sinseon Island incident was making the news. I had to wrap things up before the search for Choi turned into a public investigation. I pulled my cap low and masked my face with a black mask.
* * *
A small labor office in Seongju, Namhae. Four middle-aged men crowded around the Jeep Wrangler's trunk, eyeing it like appraisers at an auction—sharp gazes all around.
"This guy's not gonna wake up, is he? If we get stuck delivering a corpse, we're the ones in trouble."
"They used heavy sedatives, but he's A-grade condition."
"A-grade my ass! This old fart could croak any minute!"
"He's spent his life doing sea work. Quit nitpicking and cut to the chase. Deal or no deal? Labor's scarce these days."
One of them grabbed me urgently as I stood.
"Haha, easy there, kid. Who's saying no? So, what's your number?"
"Three hundred."
He shrugged, flashing yellow teeth.
"Come on, you know the market—"
"I know you flip 'em for five. Three's a steal."
"Ha! Sharp kid. Deal."
"One condition."
I leaned in and whispered in his ear. His eyebrow twitched, then he burst out laughing.
"Not in it for the money, eh? Fine, we'll do it that way. No skin off our backs."
"Handle it clean. No stepping foot on land ever again."
"Of course. Solid route. But hey..."
He nodded toward the fertilizer sack.
"That old guy's gonna last? They all kick it in a day or two once they get there."
"Don't worry. He's a tough bastard. He'll claw his way through while killing everyone else—he's that desperate to save his own skin."
* * *
The Namhae sanatorium's first impression was shabby. Funded by city public money, the facilities and staff were under-resourced.
"...So, what's the name of the patient you're looking for?"
I was stumped for a second. All I knew was his surname, Hwang. No age, no given name.
"I heard he was transferred from Sinseon Island recently."
"...Ah, that patient!"
The nurse flipping through charts froze.
"Sorry, he's a crime victim right now. No general visits allowed."
"Is that Detective Kang Cheol-gu?"
A doctor in a white coat stepped between us.
"This way, please. I'll guide you."
"But doctor, that patient—"
"This is the man who got him here."
"Oh... The famous one lately! You're way younger than I thought."
The nurse's eyebrows curved softly, her demeanor warming.
* * *
"As you can see, he's suffering from extreme anxiety disorder and severe social phobia. How long must he have been abused for an adult to react like that...? The unfamiliar environment is stressing him more."
A low sigh escaped the doctor as we watched Hwang through the glass. Every time a nurse approached, he'd leap from the bed, kneel, and rub his hands together frantically, mumbling incoherently in a low voice.
"The paramedics who brought him told me. You're Detective Kang Cheol-gu, the one who exposed the village head's crimes. You did a huge thing."
"No, not really. What's his name?"
"...Well."
Shadow of distress crossed the doctor's eyes.
"He doesn't know his own name. We tried fingerprints, but years of labor wore them off—no computer match. He's... lost his name and his past."
"...Mind if I go in for a bit?"
"No issue, but don't expect much."
The creaky door to the old ward swung open. Hwang's face snapped toward it.
"Easy now, patient. No one's here to hurt you."
The doctor soothed him calmly. Hwang's eyes, fixed on the doctor, shifted to me and began to waver.
From his mumbling of meaningless words came halting human speech.
"...G-good person. Teacher Seon Mi-ra. T-told me. Th-thank... you."
The doctor's breath quickened.
"This reaction is highly encouraging. The patient's initiating communication proactively!"
I took Hwang's hand. As the doctor said, his fingerprints were worn to nothing. I whispered softly in his ear.
"You went through hell. No words can comfort that, but there'll be no more injustice. Believe me."
The fishy stench of tidal flats still clung to him.
"Oh! Use this for his treatment."
I handed the doctor three million won from my pocket.
"No, can't. We're publicly funded. Private donations violate policy."
"It's not mine. It's pathetically short, but it's his back pay."
Ignoring the doctor's puzzled look, I left the room. Being a coastal hospital, the sea stretched out before me. Far in the north, the open ocean beckoned.
* * *
The moment he thought he heard a seagull's cry, a burning thirst hit him.
"Wh-what?!"
Salt-laced air filled his lungs, triggering violent nausea. But with nothing in his stomach, only yellow bile dribbled out.
Where am I?
Village Head Choi looked around frantically. His limbs wouldn't obey, as if bound for ages.
Then, unfamiliar sounds from behind—truly alien noises.
Ch-Chinese?!
Two darkly tanned men pointed at him, chuckling. Unknown words spewed from their mouths.
"Wh-who are you? Wh-where is this?!"
"You're finally awake? Nice to meet you."
A new voice from behind. Choi's head whipped around.
His jaw dropped. A man with even the whites of his eyes tattooed black licked his lips, staring. Shark-tooth tattoos ringed his mouth; a blue eye adorned his forehead.
"Let's get along. Don't go killing yourself. Cost me 500,000 Korean won to bring you here."
Not understanding amplified the terror. Choi trembled violently.
"Th-there must be some mistake. I'm Korean. T-take me back to Sinseon Island—no, to Korea."
"What're you babbling? Know where you are? China's vast sea. You won't escape till you die. No returning to the mainland. Got it?"
He didn't need to understand the words. Those black eyes didn't see him as human. It was just like...!
The eyes he used on Hwang. They treated him like a slave!
Kang Cheol-gu's mocking face flashed before him.
Our Village Head Choi has to live long and healthy. Lots of work ahead.
That son of a bitch Kang Cheol-gu...!
Despite the scorching sun overhead, a bone-chilling cold washed over him, like icy water dumped on his head.