Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Warehouse
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Shin Eun-ha said.
"Yu-chan oppa really has a face that's such a waste."
Lee Bora thought the same.
"Right. He's just handsome."
Kim Yu-chan, sitting in the passenger seat, protested.
"Am I the only normal one here right now? And hey, I've met the kidnapper for Bora's sake, and I'm riding along like this right now... No, Gang-in! Slow down a bit!"
Na Gang-in hit the brakes, reducing the car's speed. It dropped from over 200 km/h to 100 km/h in an instant.
Kim Yu-chan grinned widely.
"Whoa. Gang-in's the only one in this car who listens to me."
Na Gang-in said.
"Found it."
"Huh? Found what...?"
Na Gang-in pointed ahead with his right hand.
"The car that kidnapped Bora."
Shin Eun-ha leaned forward.
"Huh? That's not it, is it? That other car had plates ending in 4884, right? It's too far to read clearly, but the shape looks a bit different."
"They swapped plates midway. I saw it while tailing on a bike."
Kim Yu-chan asked.
"You really followed that car on a bicycle?"
"It's doable on unpaved roads."
The distance to the car ahead gradually widened.
Shin Eun-ha shouted.
"Hey! They're running! Chase them quick!"
It wasn't that the other car sped up. Na Gang-in had slowed down even more.
"If we tail too close, they'll notice. They've seen our plates too."
"Ah!"
Shin Eun-ha leaned back against her seat and asked.
"Gang-in oppa's good at driving, biking, tailing... What can't you do?"
Kim Yu-chan countered.
"Dating?"
Shin Eun-ha glared at Kim Yu-chan.
"Did you have to say that, Yu-chan oppa?"
The kidnappers' car pulled up to an old warehouse.
The warehouse looked rundown on the outside, but inside it was equipped enough for group living.
There were plenty of weapons too.
Bladed weapons like longswords were stored in cabinets. Steel pipes of a good swinging size were simply piled up in plain sight.
The boss sat on the sofa and asked.
"You got it?"
The squad leader gestured. One of his underlings dragged over a travel trunk.
The squad leader flung open the trunk and said.
"We brought it in perfect condition."
Inside was the Dragon Plate, crafted directly by the Iron Man Tech development team.
The boss stood up.
"This the one?"
"Yes. A bulletproof vest that stops bullets."
Another underling asked.
"Isn't stopping bullets what bulletproof vests do by default?"
The boss chuckled slyly.
"Dong-su, this ain't just any vest. It's thin, light, and the defense is insane."
The boss lifted his shirt slightly. A pistol tucked under his armpit came into view.
"Why else would the client pay upfront for something this good?"
The boss drew his pistol and aimed at the Dragon Plate.
"So even if I shoot it with this, that vest bounces it right off."
The squad leader edged away sideways and said.
"Boss, we gotta deliver this to the client. What if it gets scratched...?"
"Hahaha. You worried the bullet'll ricochet onto you? How you gonna be a thug if you're that scared? I ain't shooting. Waste of ammo, punk."
In Korea, it's not just that you can't buy pistols. Korean marts and gun shops don't sell pistol ammo either.
Another underling asked.
"Boss, shouldn't we verify it's real?"
"You think we can tell?"
"Uh... No, but we got the photo..."
The boss pulled a photo from his pocket. It was the one Shin Eun-ha had taken at Cheongpyeong Lake, showing a bit of the Dragon Plate.
He tossed it over and said.
"You compare."
The underling compared the photo and the real thing. Only a small part was visible in the photo, but the surface patterns matched.
"Looks like it."
"Of course it is."
The boss asked the squad leader.
"You came without being tailed?"
The squad leader boasted loudly.
"Took only CCTV-free roads, hopped on the highway at the end. Ghosts wouldn't know."
"Good enough."
The boss stood from the sofa.
"Hey, clean that thing up. Gotta polish it to get top dollar, right?"
Na Gang-in's group settled in the grass atop a hill a short distance from the warehouse. They hid the car behind the hill, out of sight from the warehouse.
Na Gang-in peered at the warehouse through binoculars and said.
"Those guys went into that warehouse. Probably more inside."
Shin Eun-ha held out her hand beside him.
"Lemme see."
Na Gang-in handed her the binoculars. Shin Eun-ha gasped the moment she looked at the warehouse.
"Whoa! Why's it so close up? I used binoculars on a film set once, but it wasn't like this!"
AI Jeon Ji-in reported.
"You made it."
"Showing off, huh?"
Na Gang-in asked Shin Eun-ha.
"Like it?"
"Awesome! Where can I buy one?"
"Made it myself."
"No waaay! You made this too? Can it see through walls or something?"
"You think?"
That creates a see-through effect.
But that's not a binocular function. It's AI Jeon Ji-in displaying via AR Lens.
"You're bragging a lot today."
Kim Yu-chan lay flat on the ground, even covering his head with grass. He said.
"How many are inside?"
Na Gang-in said.
"Around ten?"
"How do you know?"
"Three cars parked out front. Confirmed one had three guys, so minimum five if one per other car, eleven if four per."
"Why around ten, not five?"
Na Gang-in took back the binoculars from Shin Eun-ha and passed them to Kim Yu-chan.
"Lots of fresh footprints when they got out. Wouldn't be that many if one per car."
"Whoa, I see 'em! Footprints everywhere!"
Lee Bora grabbed a nearby stone and said.
"Just ten? We can charge in and nab 'em all, right? We got Gang-in oppa. 4 vs 10, we'd win."
Na Gang-in said.
"Put the stone down. It'll hurt your hand if you're a newbie swinging it."
"Okay!"
"You answer well, but why pocket it?"
The boss stepped out of the warehouse, lit a cigarette in his mouth, and made a call. Moments later, English blared from the phone.
The boss grimaced and grumbled.
"What the hell's this guy saying? Hey. Korean okay?"
Soon someone else took the phone. Korean this time.
The other side asked.
"Of course we did."
"Piece of cake for me. Use me more often."
"Impatient, huh? Let's settle the balance first."
Irritation seeped into the other voice.
"That was for easy jobs. We had a hard time getting it."
The boss snickered.
"Nah, we're pros. Wrapped it clean, but it took effort. So bump it up a bit."
The boss smacked his lips.
"Five semis for balance. Hundred rounds."
A light laugh came from the phone.
The boss hurriedly added.
"Silencer too. The kind that goes pew-pew instead of bang."
The boss beamed.
"Deal. I'll send the meet spot separate. See you there."
"We checked it. So suspicious. I'll snap pics and send. Cool?"
The call ended.
The boss puffed his cigarette and said.
"This guy's laughing even after upping the balance? Pistols easy where he's from, thinks same here? One of those opens so many doors."
The boss headed back inside, cigarette in mouth.
"Shoulda asked for two hundred rounds."
Shin Eun-ha spotted the boss from the bushes atop the hill and said.
"Who'd he call?"
Lee Bora answered.
"Calling more goons?"
Na Gang-in explained.
"Their goal was the Dragon Plate from the start. He didn't attack a celeb just to wear it."
Lee Bora asked.
"Then?"
"Someone else wants it. He got the goods, so he called that guy."
"Why'd he step out?"
"So the underlings wouldn't hear. Coulda sent 'em away to talk alone, but he came out 'cause he gave 'em tasks inside."
Lee Bora marveled.
"Wow! How do you know all that?"
"Just a guess. But if things are like this..."
Na Gang-in wanted to nab the boss's contact too. He'd have to tail them to the meet and see who shows.
But risky with this group.
'This far's enough for now.'
He told Lee Bora.
"Call the cops."
"Oh! Now?"
"Boss and goons are in the warehouse. Nab 'em all. Call the police."
"Got it!"
Lee Bora held out her hand to Shin Eun-ha.
"Lend me your phone."
"Use yours."
"They took mine!"
"Oh... right. Here."
Lee Bora dialed 112.
Na Gang-in advised.
"Not that. Call Detective Park Ki-jeong."
"Our local Detective Park?"
"He'll handle it quietly. Press knows, you're in trouble."
"Okay!"
Park Ki-jeong's number was saved in Shin Eun-ha's phone. Lee Bora called.
Park Ki-jeong's voice came through.
"It's Bora. Lee Bora."
"I got kidnapped again?"
A chair toppled with a crash.
"No. Gang-in oppa rescued me. I'm fine now."
"We found their hideout. Can police come sweep 'em up?"
"Here..."
Na Gang-in gave the address. Lee Bora repeated it.
Park Ki-jeong said.
"Yes. But if my name hits the news..."
"Thanks. Good call phoning Detective Park."
Lee Bora explained more, then hung up. She bragged.
"Eun-ha? See? Totally different reaction thinking it was you vs me?"
Shin Eun-ha grumbled.
"Hey. Detective Park's in my fan club."
"Mine ranks higher, don't it?"
Na Gang-in said.
"Eun-seo said they've been rivals since middle school. This it?"
Actor Kim Yu-chan had been prone on the hill the whole time. He was the only one.
"Ugh. Ground chill's getting to me. Can't take it anymore."
Kim Yu-chan relaxed a bit seeing Lee Bora report to police. Plus, no one was outside the warehouse now.
He stood, brushing off his clothes.
"Can't meet detectives covered in dirt..."
Trouble hit. It was a hill. Kim Yu-chan's body stiffened from lying on cold ground too long. Standing like that, his foot slipped.
"Uh-oh?"
Na Gang-in had no time to grab him. He slid straight down the hill.
Kim Yu-chan tried balancing. But his center of gravity pitched downhill. Problem.
To avoid falling, he stepped forward. Didn't fix it. Center still low.
He kept stepping forward to stay upright. Downhill. Speed built to a sprint. Too fast.
Their sprint path led straight to the kidnappers' rundown warehouse hideout.