The Bullet (1)
Bishop contacted him again two days later.
It was faster than Jang Cheon had expected.
Jang Cheon looked at the photo Bishop had sent. It captured a burly man standing on the street, smoking a cigarette, from a high angle.
Jang Cheon's eyes sharpened.
"They clean other things too, I bet."
With the intel in hand, Jang Cheon went straight to Chairman Park In-hwan.
"What brings you here?"
Hong Tae-sik was with Park In-hwan again this time.
"If you need help, just say the word."
"That's not why I came. I have results from the investigation and wanted to report them."
The word "results" surprised both Park In-hwan and Hong Tae-sik.
"Results already?"
"I've found out where this assassination contract came from."
Hong Tae-sik, and even the usually reserved Park In-hwan, couldn't hide their shock.
"What did you say?"
The police had only just begun their investigation. They'd expected it to take Jang Cheon days—or even a month—to find any leads.
Hong Tae-sik eyed him skeptically.
"How exactly did you find out?"
"I can't tell you that."
Park In-hwan asked, his expression somewhat tense.
"Where?"
"Have you heard of Clean Company?"
Park In-hwan shook his head. It was a new name to Hong Tae-sik as well.
Jang Cheon explained it was a cleaning service company.
"Why would a company like that try to kill you, Chairman?"
"They do legitimate business on the surface, but they're actually an assassination brokerage. In Murim, we call them a killer organization."
The term "killer organization" brought a heavy silence. They'd suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed stirred complex emotions in Park In-hwan.
"So someone really is dead set on killing me."
Hong Tae-sik pulled out his phone and said to Park In-hwan,
"I'll call the police right now and have the special forces raid them."
Jang Cheon stopped him.
"You can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Clean Company will be registered as a perfectly legitimate business. Even if you find evidence, the ringleaders will slip away by then."
"Then we'll use another method. I'll handle it."
"If that means using another organization to hit them, that's extremely dangerous."
"You think I'm a joke? I have connections that can wipe out a killer outfit like that."
"That's not the issue. Formal killer organizations like Clean Company form cartels with others. They're rivals but also bound by fate. Attack one, and they all retaliate. They never know when they'll be next. Why do you think killer organizations can't be eradicated? No one wants to start a full-scale war with every assassin group in the world."
"Those damn killers—"
But Hong Tae-sik trailed off. He knew they weren't "those damn" anything.
"I'm telling you this not to hinder my work, but because you, my client, need to know."
Park In-hwan, who had been listening, stepped in.
"I understand. Don't worry—I won't interfere with you."
"Entrust it to me until the end. That's what you paid 30 billion for."
"Very well."
"The key isn't who took the contract. Clean Company is just one of many killer outfits out there. What matters is who placed it, and why."
Park In-hwan and Hong Tae-sik nodded in unison. Punishing Clean Company was secondary.
"What now?"
Park In-hwan couldn't hide his unease, but he wasn't scared or agitated.
"If they haven't canceled the contract, they'll come after you again. Once a hit is placed, killer organizations keep sending assassins until it succeeds—that's their rule. Chief Hong, tighten security around the chairman to the max. I'll find out who placed the contract as fast as possible."
Hong Tae-sik, who always clashed with Jang Cheon, spoke earnestly this time.
"Please find them quickly."
Lee Yeon was waiting in the car.
"How'd it go?"
Jang Cheon hadn't brought her when he went to see the chairman. He'd told her to wait, saying it was best not to get too involved.
It might have felt like a snub if he hadn't shared the situation, but he'd told her everything about Clean Company.
"Be extra careful with killer organizations. They're butchers who kill for money. No tomorrow for them, so you never know what they'll do. Stay sharp."
"Got it."
Killers were black path types on a broad level, but they felt worlds apart to Lee Yeon. Killer organizations scared her far more.
"What's our next move?"
"Figure out who contracted Clean Company."
"I heard once that killer groups never reveal clients."
"Half right, but yes. Only a tiny few in the organization know, and they never talk. Know why?"
She was curious why "half," but answered his question first.
"Their reputation would tank, and they couldn't survive."
"Right. But there's a deeper reason."
"What?"
"If a killer group leaks a client, they become enemies of every killer organization. They're traitors betraying the brotherhood."
"Ah, I see."
Lee Yeon gripped the wheel tighter. Uncovering the mastermind would be no easy task.
"What now?"
The moment she glanced at Jang Cheon in the rearview mirror—
"Watch out!"
At Jang Cheon's shout, she snapped alert—and saw a massive truck barreling toward them, crossing the center line.
"Ahh!"
No time to swerve.
In that instant, Lee Yeon felt it.
Oh! So this is how I die!
Mom, Dad, her little brother flashed in her mind. If she'd known, she'd have been better to them. Ah, if only she could die after her brother graduated college.
As those thoughts surfaced, a deafening explosion tore through her ears.
Boom!
She'd never known a car crash sounded this loud. Movies didn't do it justice—the real thing was magnitudes worse.
The world spun as they flew into the sky. Fatal injuries for sure; hitting the ground would end consciousness.
At least the massive trauma meant no pain.
What if she ended up paralyzed?
Oh God, please no!
She truly wished for death. If she burdened the family with hospital bills on top of what she already carried, her siblings would bear an even heavier yoke. Not what she wanted.
Ah! Jang Cheon! I was driving. Sorry. You have to live! If we die together, I won't rest in peace—please!
Kaboom! Boom! Kraaang!
The truck must have been loaded with explosives. Nothing else explained blasts this huge.
Scorching heat and thunderous roars followed, like a war zone.
Whoooosh!
Flames crackled nearby.
Still alive?
Then a familiar voice by her ear.
"You okay?"
Jang Cheon's voice.
Startled, Lee Yeon snapped her eyes open. Jang Cheon gazed down at her.
"Huh?"
Blue sky beyond him.
"D-did I... survive?"
"Yes."
Unscathed, even.
Realizing she was in his arms, she quickly said,
"P-put me down."
Jang Cheon gently set her on her feet. She was fine. Not a scratch.
How the hell did he save me?
Rip through the roof? With seatbelts on? How in that split second? Not just the car—her common sense was wrecked too.
Whoooosh!
Flames roared from the truck and sedan nearby. The driver hadn't escaped either.
Lee Yeon spoke, voice trembling.
"Sorry. I looked away."
To her self-reproach, Jang Cheon replied,
"A glance doesn't make a truck cross the line and ram you. They moved faster than I thought."
"What? You mean it wasn't an accident—they were trying to kill us?"
"Ever had a truck jump the median before meeting me?"
"No."
Jang Cheon said calmly,
"I have. Plenty. Always attempts on my life. Remember this, Lee Yeon: the moment you buckle on a sword, accidents cease to be accidents."
It should've terrified her, but oddly, her heart was steady.
"Jang Cheon."
"Yes."
"What now?"
She'd asked that in the car right before the crash.
Jang Cheon answered evenly.
"Different from what I was about to say before."
He gave neither the old answer nor the new one.
His eyes reflected the undying car flames.
"Any movies or dramas where the heroine dies?"
To Lee Yeon's sigh-tinged question, Kwon Hyeok-su, sorting papers across from her, nodded.
"Plenty."
"If I die, just scatter me on a mountain."
"That'd be a problem."
"Because I'm not the heroine?"
"Nah. Fines, you know."
"River then?"
"Same deal."
"Not even death is easy."
"Tough, huh?"
"'Life is suffering'—I get it now. For real."
She knew Lee Yeon had nearly died in a car crash with Jang Cheon. He hadn't pried, but he could guess her state.
"Suffering? Just talk. Being alive and healthy is blessing enough."
"Serving an inconsistent boss is tough too."
Truth be told, it wasn't "tough"—she was stunned.
Not from nearly dying, but from not fearing it after back-to-back brushes with death. Shouldn't she be saying something like,
"Sorry, but I think I can only help this far"?
Then Jang Cheon would pull her out unscathed, as he'd said. End of Cinderella spy life!
But no shock—just more admiration for Murim folk. She had to pass the BST.
"I'm crazy. Yeah, this is nuts."
Her phone buzzed. Startled, she checked—it was Jang Cheon.
Jang Cheon waited in the lobby.
"You okay?"
To his question, Lee Yeon answered briskly.
"Yes."
She'd replied stoutly, but soon hung her head.
"Actually, no. Ah, my New Year's fortune said big life changes this year."
"Change isn't always bad. Come on."
"Where to?"
Jang Cheon strode ahead.
"Something women love."
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