Betrayal Never Gets Easier
Betrayal never becomes familiar, no matter how many times you're subjected to it.
……………
Catalina's mouth fell slightly open at my proposal. This was the second time she'd looked so shocked. Ah, the first was when I'd rejected her offer to sleep together naked.
Anyway, thinking it over, it was only natural. Catalina had only ever lived in Santa Esperanza—she couldn't even imagine any other kind of life. But just because you were born and raised here didn't mean you had to stay forever. A life of firing guns, hauling drugs, killing people... she had to quit that now. And I could help her do it.
"You... you're serious right now?"
"Dead serious! Think about it. What changes if you keep living here? Whether you're working for El Gordito or freelancing, you'll end up either shot or stabbed. One or the other."
I kept talking as I slammed the truck's hood shut.
"Korea's a hundred times safer than here. No—a thousand? Ten thousand? It's not even comparable. You never hear gunshots on the street there, never see bodies hanging from streetlights."
"But I don't even speak Korean—"
"Then learn. You already speak English. I'll help you at first."
This wasn't just some reckless pity talking. Catalina had helped me out, even saved my life in some ways. ...And we'd slept together, too.
Yeah. To be honest, I liked her. Helping her come to Korea with me was good for both of us. I could pay back the debt I owed her, and she could wash her hands of this cartel-tangled life. Plus, it was a prime chance to pass the goddess's trial.
"What about a visa?"
"I said we could get married, right? That was a joke back then, but not anymore."
At my words, Catalina pounded on the truck hood.
"Don't talk crazy! Why the hell are you doing this all of a sudden?!"
"It's not crazy. Think about it. Is sticking around Santa Esperanza really better than coming to Korea with me? The answer's obvious."
Of course, suddenly leaving her hometown would feel disorienting, maybe even regrettable. But considering our futures, my offer was perfectly rational. At least, that's how I saw it.
Catalina was in too deep with the cartel world. If she stayed in this city, she'd never go out easy. Korea offered a fresh start. Adaptation would be tough, but at least she wouldn't get shot.
This is the best I can do. Saving both myself and Catalina from this hell. That was the optimal choice.
I opened the passenger door for her.
"Hop in!"
But Catalina didn't move. Or rather, she couldn't move—that was more accurate.
I stepped closer and took her hand.
"It's okay. New beginnings are always scary. But you're not alone, right?"
I led her to the passenger seat. She didn't resist, following like her soul had fled her body.
"Buckle up."
I said as I climbed into the driver's seat. She slowly fastened her seatbelt. I turned the key, and the engine purred smoothly to life.
We're finally leaving.
I shifted gears and hit the accelerator. The truck began to roll forward.
……………
The truck pulled away from the safehouse and merged onto the main road. Santa Esperanza's morning streets were as desolate as ever. Shattered glass, bullet-riddled walls, trash strewn along the curbs—it all blurred past the windows.
Goodbye to all that crap.
I thought as I pressed the accelerator with my right foot. Just make it through a day or two unscathed. We'd reach the capital, catch a flight, and then Korea. New lives for both of us.
"Let's... think it over again."
Catalina spoke up from the passenger seat.
"What?"
"Let's think it over. We could leave tomorrow."
There was an inexplicable desperation in her voice.
"What are you talking about? We're all packed and already rolling. Why tomorrow?"
"J-just... one more day to think wouldn't hurt."
Why was she acting like this? I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
"It's fine. It's normal to be scared of a fresh start. I was too, at first."
Unfortunately, my words didn't seem to reassure her. A glance in the side mirror showed her gnawing at her fingers.
"...Flying was scary. A strange country was scary. But once I got there, it was no big deal. Made me wonder why I hadn't gone sooner."
Catalina didn't respond this time either. Far from calming down, she was fidgeting worse than before.
The north highway on-ramp came into view as we neared the city outskirts. The sign read 770 kilometers to the capital. I shifted up and sped up. 50, 60, 70. My heart lightened as the speedometer climbed.
Then.
"What the hell? That."
Something loomed about 200 meters ahead. At first I thought it was a wrecked car, but up close it was a barricade of logs. Clearly built to block vehicles—no way a Toyota Hilux pickup, let alone this truck, could plow through.
"Damn it."
I slammed the brakes. Tires screeched on asphalt as the truck halted twenty meters short.
"What the hell is that doing in the middle of the road...?"
I realized before I even finished. A highway barricade, Santa Esperanza's abysmal security.
No way.
I scanned the surroundings. Thick bushes and trees lined both sides—perfect cover.
"Get your gun ready and get out."
Catalina said. She already had her loaded Glock 19 in hand. I killed the engine and stepped out. The moment my feet hit the ground, rustling came from the bushes.
Crunch. Twigs snapping. Then armed men burst out from all sides. Automatic rifles, shotguns, machetes—they surrounded us in seconds. At least ten of them.
"Don't move, chino!"
The leader up front barked. A bearded brute with a forearm-thick revolver.
He grinned as he approached.
"Hand over everything and keep your life, or lose it all."
"Where'd you hear that bullshit? Do we look loaded to you?"
"Heard you had a fat stack of dollars. Truck's loaded with goods too."
How'd they know? The exchange? Used car dealer? Gas station? Corner store? Where'd the leak come from?
Then the leader's eyes shifted to Catalina. His brow furrowed.
"Hold up... Catalina?"
He tilted his head.
"What're you doing here? We were told a rich chino was passing alone—"
Bang! Before he finished, a hole punched through the center of his forehead. Blood sprayed like a fountain as he toppled backward.
Catalina had fired.
"What!?"
I barely processed it. She kept pulling the trigger.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang! Three more bandits dropped in seconds. Chest, throat, headshots.
"Fuck! Fire! Kill 'em all!"
A shout kicked off the firefight.
"Cover!"
Catalina shoved me behind the truck. Almost simultaneously, the bandits opened up.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Their automatics roared. The truck turned to Swiss cheese instantly. Windows shattered, tires blew. The truck I'd bought with every last cent of escape cash became scrap metal.
"Colt! Shoot!"
Catalina yelled. I yanked the pistol from my waistband. Hands shaking, but no choice. Peeking around the truck, I saw a bandit charging. Bang! Bang! Two shots. One missed, but the other tore through his shoulder. He screamed and fell.
Catalina shifted positions, firing nonstop. Deadly accurate even on the move. But the bandits weren't pushovers.
"Kill that bitch first!"
Concentrated fire poured her way. She ducked behind a tree, but I saw the thick trunk shredding under bullets.
"Grenade!"
A fist-sized grenade arced toward her. But her pistol bullet intercepted it midair. It exploded overhead, shrapnel flying everywhere.
Insane... Like a killer movie protagonist. Stabbing someone with a pencil.
The fight ended in under five minutes. The two or three survivors fled into the woods. The rest lay sprawled on the ground.
"Hah... hah..."
My breath came in gasps. Heart pounding like it would crack my ribs. I'd only fired a few shots, but it drained me.
The truck was totaled. Bodywork honeycomb, smoke billowing from the engine. Lucky it hadn't exploded while we sheltered.
Most of the cargo in back was ruined too. Everything was over. Escape plan, hope—all gone.
But right now, something mattered more. The dying leader's words. The ones Catalina had silenced with a bullet.
They echoed in my head.
"Catalina."
She turned.
"Just now... that first guy you killed. What'd he say before he died?"
"What?"
"Something about someone telling them a rich chino was passing through alone. And that someone was you."
Silence fell.
I waited, but she didn't answer.
"Explain. Why'd he know you? Why say you gave them the info?"
"...Must've been a mistake."
"A mistake? He knew your name. Or did you shoot to shut him up?"
She bit her lip at my words.
"No way you... sold me out? Tipped them off about the rich chino on this road? To those dead bandit fuckers?"