The Greatest Reward (1)
Jang Cheon looked up at the sky.
Naturally, Phone and the four-man team's gazes followed his toward the heavens.
But nothing was visible. Their gas masks further obscured their vision.
"What's in the sky?"
"A surveillance drone."
"How did you spot a drone that's barely visible to the naked eye? Did you sense it with your ki?"
"No way. Bishop texted me."
Suspected surveillance.
A late satellite setup. The moment he checked the message, he knew he couldn't remove his gas mask.
"If it can surveil from this distance, it must be one hell of a high-performance drone."
One of the four-man team spoke up. He was the computer hacking specialist.
"Among the latest tactical drones coming out these days, there are some with exceptional performance.
Surveillance drones equipped with super batteries can fly for over four hours and transmit ultra-high-definition footage in real time."
Jang Cheon turned to Phone.
"Sniper rifle in the car, right?"
"Yes."
"Get it."
"On it."
One of the four retrieved the sniper rifle secretly stashed in the trunk. Weapons were hidden in every nook and cranny, impossible to detect even during inspections.
Jang Cheon aimed northeast into the sky. The drone appeared in the scope's crosshairs.
Bang!
The bullet struck true. The drone wobbled once before plummeting.
"Hold up."
Jang Cheon launched himself forward. In an instant, he crossed the street into an alley, weaving between parallel lanes with perfect foot placement before vanishing into a dot on the horizon.
His movements accounted for onlookers, attention, and even CCTV.
The four-man team took turns commenting. Silent around Jang Cheon, they bantered freely among themselves.
"Cool."
"Boss's lightness skill is beautiful no matter how many times I see it. Wonderful!"
"How does a person fly like that?"
"I wanna fly like that too."
"Me too!"
Silence fell briefly. Then one spoke again.
"Flying around must be exhausting, right?"
"Obviously it'd be tiring."
"Yeah. And there are way too many power lines these days."
"If you're in a hurry, just drive. We've got Phone Express, don't we?"
The four New Grape members turned to Phone in unison, as if on cue.
Phone shook his head pitifully. A sigh escaped his gas mask, sounding just like Darth Vader's breathing.
By then, Jang Cheon returned just as swiftly as he'd left.
Something dangled from his hand.
He'd recovered the crashed drone. Smaller than expected, its camera was shattered by the bullet, and the fall had broken it in several places.
The team member who'd explained drones earlier identified it instantly.
"That's the latest surveillance model I mentioned. Very expensive."
"Perfect. The pricier and rarer, the easier to trace. Send the serial number to Bishop. Track where it was bought."
"Got it. But as I said, the footage was probably already transmitted live."
"Doesn't matter."
All the video would show was six masked men anyway.
But one thing needed handling.
"Change the car's exterior and plates. Swap the company name too."
"Understood."
"Let's go."
Jang Cheon, Phone, and the four piled into the car.
As they drove off, Jang Cheon immediately contacted the Alliance Leader. He relayed that he was bringing the antidote and to have an expert waiting at the hospital.
Exiting the city, Phone spoke up.
"Good thing we found the antidote."
Phone rarely commented on missions. This antidote hunt must have meant something personal to him.
"It's for a kid. Floor it."
"Yes, sir. I'll push it today."
"As hard as you want."
Jang Cheon leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. For once, Phone skipped the music and focused solely on driving.
Vroom.
The antidote underwent final verification.
The Murim Alliance poison lab director personally confirmed it before administering it to Cheon Ha-young.
About an hour after ingestion, Cheon Ha-young regained consciousness.
Cheon Myeong-jin peered into his granddaughter's eyes.
The red dot had reappeared in her pupil, just like before—the grotesque little speck.
It burst with a pop. Then it spun like a vortex inside the pupil, mixing all the tiny dots together.
Once fully blended, it turned black.
The rapid whirl slowed, and when it stopped completely, no trace of the red dot remained in the child's eye.
The poison was fully neutralized.
"Grandpa?"
Cheon Ha-young's voice sounded completely normal.
"Why are you staring like that, Grandpa?"
"No... nothing."
Cheon Myeong-jin's eyes reddened with relief as he exhaled deeply. His granddaughter was saved. How many years had he longed for this moment since learning of her poisoning?
"Ha-young!"
Jeong In-sook sobbed uncontrollably, embracing her daughter.
"Mom? What's wrong?"
Cheon Ha-young had no memory of her illness or even saying she couldn't become a star like her dad.
Jeong In-sook still didn't know the full story of the poisoning. She'd been told long ago it was from some unknown cause, per the doctor's words.
Of course, that was at Cheon Myeong-jin's request.
"Thank you, Father. Truly, thank you."
She was sincerely grateful to her father-in-law. Without him, her child would be dead.
Cheon Myeong-jin didn't explain the circumstances to her. Telling the truth might mean never seeing Cheon Ha-young again.
It pained him, but he resolved to keep silent going forward.
On the office monitor, footage showed six masked men emerging from the building.
Five were in full hazmat gear, as if preparing for a bio-warfare outbreak. The sixth wore a suit with only a gas mask.
Two men watched: Actor and his bowler-hatted superior.
Having met at Actor's theater before, they now gathered in the superior's office.
They stared intently, but the men's faces remained hidden. The burly one started to remove his mask, only for the suited one to stop him. They talked briefly, then someone fetched a sniper rifle. The suited masked man took aim.
The screen cut to static.
Actor rewound to the aiming moment and paused.
"This is the guy."
While surveilling the Murim Alliance Leader, Actor had used Doctor Woo as bait. Ignoring orders to delay, he'd probed who might intervene.
He'd expected skilled operators if they found Doctor Woo. These six showed up—the suited one likely the leader.
The bowler-hatted superior asked,
"Murim Alliance?"
"No."
Actor knew their roster well; this wasn't them.
"Black Heaven then?"
"Not them either. Never heard of any Black Heaven assassins like this."
"Could be newbies who haven't debuted."
"Doesn't match their style. Look here."
Actor fast-forwarded. A woman exited the building.
"Black Heaven leaves no survivors."
"Then who?"
Actor studied the frozen frame. Even masked, he felt an eerie vibe.
"Finding and killing Doctor Woo was impressive, but how did they detect our surveillance drone? And down it with one shot.
They could've ignored it, but they made a show of it."
"Why?"
After a moment, Actor said calmly,
"A warning."
Actor was an actor first. Years of mimicking lives on stage honed instincts that had saved him repeatedly in the organization—and now too.
"A warning to us. 'Come at me if you dare. I'll wipe you all out.'"
The superior chewed aspirin like candy, head throbbing.
"This stress'll kill me first."
Actor's eyes stayed glued to the screen. The man gazing skyward, masked, looked chilling.
"Scary even on video. Meeting him onstage might make me piss myself."
"Just an action star. We've got actors too."
But Actor disagreed. As one himself, he read roles from posture alone. Not mere brute force.
Maybe someone who directed the script too—like him, but also owning the theater.
"Can't delay Korea forever. Inspectors from above will come soon. Damn inspectors! No different from Black Heaven or us."
After pondering, Actor said,
"I'll go to Korea myself and pull in the two great sects."
"The two great sects?"
The superior was shocked.
"That's after securing the Alliance, right?"
Actor stated firmly,
"Full script rewrite."
Actor was cautious, never reckless. Instinct screamed: Act now or end up like Doctor Woo, a plummeting drone.
But prudent, he insured himself.
"Send Death as backup."
"Death?"
The bowler-hatted man was stunned.
"Permission won't come easy."
"Have the branch chief pull strings upstairs."
Actor's gaze returned to the screen, to the masked Jang Cheon.
"If not, this stage might be my last."
Cheon Myeong-jin entered the nurses' lounge.
Bi Ryong Dae warriors had cleared the area with prior permission.
Jang Cheon waited there.
"Thank you. I'll never forget your grace until I die."
Thanks to Jang Cheon, he'd reclaimed the Alliance and saved his granddaughter. He could give his life if asked.
"Glad your granddaughter's safe. As you planned, send your daughter-in-law and her away to safety upon discharge."
"Understood. Now, tell me what you want. Anything in my power, it's yours."
Jang Cheon asked directly, without hesitation.
"What can you offer?"
"I prayed nightly to the heavens. If Ha-young could be saved, I'd give my life."
"I don't need the Leader's life."
"Fair enough. Haha."
After a hearty laugh, Cheon Myeong-jin grew serious.
"So instead of my life, I'll give you what I value as much as it."
Cheon Myeong-jin said something utterly unexpected.
"Do you know the martial art of Geum Sa-cheon published on the World Murim Alliance homepage?"
"Yes. Sohyeon Ilgi-gong."
He knew it intimately—not just aware, but constantly listening to its oral formula on MP3.