Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: After Party
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Na Gang-in slammed the pirate Nakgwi onto the deck. The pirate, notorious across the seas of Southeast Asia, went limp like a frog that had been beaten senseless, his limbs splayed out as he passed out.
After dealing with Nakgwi, Na Gang-in brushed off his hands lightly and turned to Shin Eun-ha.
"You okay?"
Shin Eun-ha shot him a glare.
"You bastard."
"Yeah, that pirate bastard was a real piece of work."
"I thought you were gonna get shot dead!"
"Guess you didn't have enough faith in me. I shoved an empty magazine into that guy's left-side pistol on purpose, making him aim it at me instead of you. That way, he'd point the empty gun at you and the loaded one at me. He's right-handed, after all."
It was a bit of a long explanation, but Shin Eun-ha got it.
"You calculated all that and pulled it off?"
"Of course."
"Still... you could've given me some kind of signal first. I really thought you were done for. My heart's still pounding."
"If I signaled you and that bastard caught on, you'd be in danger. Suck it up."
Shin Eun-ha's expression softened. She bent at a perfect ninety degrees in a polite bow, her glossy hair sliding smoothly downward.
"Oppa Gang-in. Thanks for saving me again. Really, truly, thank you. This is sincere."
"Good, as long as you know."
She straightened up, flipped her hair back, and said,
"So, can I keep cussing you out now?"
"Uh... later?"
"I'll do it somewhere without people around. I've got that much conscience."
"Didn't know you had any."
Pirate Nakgwi's plan had been to seize the wheelhouse and deck first, then take the engine room. The galley was lowest priority.
But things went sideways on the deck, and his underlings got wiped out. He didn't have enough men to send below.
That said, he hadn't completely ignored the engine room. He'd sent one pirate ahead.
That guy ran into Na Gang-in on his way from the galley to the deck and got knocked out early.
The catering company's chefs in the galley couldn't even peek at the pirate until the fight was over.
They hadn't witnessed the gunfire firsthand or been threatened. They'd only heard some shots, muffled from inside the galley, not hitting too close to home. One chef even wondered if it was just fireworks.
So when they heard it was all over, they had the leisure to carry Na Gang-in's prepared desserts up to the deck. Along with the desserts came hot tea, drinks, and coffee.
The chefs even brought up booze: beer, wine, champagne, all set out on deck.
People drank and ate to shake off the terror they'd felt that day.
The pirates who'd been stabbed were all on the second deck, out of sight from the party on the main deck. Even the unconscious Nakgwi had been moved there.
Lee Tae-ho took a bite of the tiramisu-style mishmash cake and said,
"This cake tastes especially good after the crisis is over. I remember eating this before too..."
He'd eaten this same cake after the Yi Min-ji kidnapping at the Gangwon set, only to get fleeced by Jang Mi-jeong afterward.
Lee Tae-ho glanced slyly at Jang Mi-jeong.
She was sipping wine elegantly. Under the lights on the open sea, she looked like a scene from a commercial.
'My wife, but damn, an actress is an actress.'
Jang Mi-jeong noticed where he was looking and smirked.
"Like what you see?"
"Heh. Yeah."
"Stare all you want later. All night long."
Lee Tae-ho averted his eyes in a fluster.
"Uh? Oh... Won't we have a ton to discuss with the cops tonight? Speaking of, why haven't they shown up yet?"
Jang Mi-jeong recalled how Na Gang-in had signaled her and Lee Tae-ho with just a look and a gesture to stay put.
'They said he could convey intent with just his eyes, and it's true.'
Gestures could be mimicked with practice, but that kind of gaze or expression required real acting talent.
'How does a non-actor pull off eyes like that?'
It was possible because Jeon Ji-in, the AI, had used her infiltration op's silent communication skill to tweak Na Gang-in's expressions.
'Born actor, maybe?'
Lee Tae-ho had always insisted Na Gang-in was a natural at acting. Jang Mi-jeong hadn't believed her husband until now.
As a veteran actress with a stacked film and drama resume, she thought while watching him,
'What a waste to let talent like that go unused.'
The guests at the yacht party chattered away, soothing their rattled nerves with booze, food, and desserts.
"When those bullets were flying onto the deck, I really thought I was done."
"Feels like I just had the adventure of my life."
"We didn't do jack, though?"
A guest sneaked a peek at Na Gang-in.
Elementary schooler Yi Min-ji was by his side, munching on juice and cake. Shin Eun-ha and Scarlett Kelly stuck close too.
"Why are those ladies and the kid always hanging with that guy?"
"His spot's the safest. I wanna head over there too."
A guest recalling the fight said while looking at Na Gang-in,
"That guy... I swear I saw him take a few bullets, but he's fine? Robot or what?"
"Bulletproof vest, probably."
"Wouldn't that show under clothes? Didn't see a thing."
"They make 'em thin these days."
Among the invited guests were a few with some pull. They huddled and whispered.
"Where do they sell vests like that guy's wearing? Should I get one?"
"Why buy a bulletproof vest in Korea?"
"Thought I didn't need one till today. Now I do."
This very day, armed pirates with pistols had hit a yacht in the West Sea.
Another guest chuckled.
"Pfft. Like it'll happen again."
"Fine, more for me."
The chuckler sobered up.
"Nah, I should get one just in case. Tell my Kim assistant to grab it."
"Yeah? Grab mine too while you're at it. I'll put it to good use."
"Rich guys are greedier. Kim boss, you're richer than me."
Not everyone eyed the vest—plenty stared at Na Gang-in's face.
Two young women whispered while stealing glances at him.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
"His fighting skills are insane."
"Bet it'd feel super secure hanging with him."
One licked her lips.
"Wanna hit on him?"
"Can't you see Shin Eun-ha? She's national team goalie level. No way in."
"Pfft. You think they're dating?"
"Nah?"
"Obviously just friends."
"But if they were really together..."
"Jealous."
"Right? So jealous."
A young guy wedged in between them.
"I'm jealous too."
The woman asked,
"You jealous of Shin Eun-ha?"
"Nah, that guy. Beauties east and west flanking him. Flowers in both hands."
The young guy was standing between the two women right then.
The woman who'd been plotting to flirt with Na Gang-in said coldly,
"Mind getting out from between us?"
"Huh?"
"Scram."
"Okay."
Jessica approached Scarlett.
"The bodyguard's radio's totally busted."
"Be glad it worked even briefly. We've retaken the ship, so use the ship's radio."
Jessica shook her head.
"Pirates smashed that already. First thing when they boarded."
"So Korean cops know we're in danger but not that we're safe now?"
"Ship's heading back to Incheon—won't radar show it?"
Scarlett looked up. A Korean Air Force fighter streaked nearby.
"They won't mistake us for pirates and shoot, right?"
The Air Force jets kept their distance, just watching without approaching.
The Coast Guard chopper arrived first on scene.
It closed in tight on the yacht.
A rescue team member aboard scanned with binoculars and reported via radio.
"Ship's heading toward Incheon Port."
They already knew that from radar.
- What's the situation on deck?
"People are..."
The rescuer hesitated.
- Casualties that bad?
The rescuer checked again through high-powered binoculars from close range. He could even make out what they were eating.
"They're partying on deck with champagne."
- Huh...? What? You looking at the right ship?
"Yes, sir. Second deck auxiliary has several downed. Lots stabbed with knives."
- So deck's partying with champagne, but second deck has bodies? Which side's the pirates?
"Uh... not sure?"
People on the yacht spotted the chopper and waved.
"Helicopter!"
"Our Coast Guard! Here to save us!"
"Bit late. It's all over. Haha!"
The rescuer reported from the chopper.
"Some are waving at us."
- Pirates waving?
"No. Checked the stabbed bodies on second deck again. Dressed like armed pirates, not civilians."
- This is nuts. What the hell happened? Pirates stormed with guns, but why...? Stand by around the ship for now. Don't get too close. That ship's... really off.
The Coast Guard's large patrol vessel approached the party yacht. Navy ships provided escort from afar.
High-speed boats from the Coast Guard latched onto the yacht. Special forces climbed aboard via ladders.
The Coast Guard easily ID'd civilians on deck—celebrities among them.
A spec ops guy on second deck radioed in.
"All pirates neutralized. Not a single one's unscathed."
The superior on the patrol ship asked,
- All stabbed?
"Some stabbed, some chopsticked."
- What? Chopsticks? You messing with me?
"For real. More than a couple got chopsticked. Taking pics—send once phone gets signal."
The yacht reached Incheon Port.
Crowds awaited it.
This was the ship hijacked in the West Sea, nearly dragged to China. Intel agencies and military were there.
Ambulances waited for the injured. But only two carried party guests; the rest hauled unconscious pirates to hospitals.
Investigators eyed the scene and said,
"How many criticals we talking?"
"Saw pirates with chopsticks stuck in 'em? Knives aside, chopsticks?"
"Not just one. More."
"What went down on that boat?"
The U.S. Embassy sent reps too.
One approached Scarlett with a sigh.
"Phew. Miss Kelly, second time now. Should've gone with more bodyguards."
"I did."
"Those two were ours. Omega Tech security's top-notch, right? Oh, but no guns in Korea, so maybe?"
"Not them. They helped, sure."
Scarlett glanced at Na Gang-in, who got into a detective's sedan, not a squad car.
"My bodyguard's right there."
The embassy staff didn't know the full story. He assumed she had a private hire.
"Can you keep him on? That'd be great."
"I'd love to, but he's busy."
The staff sighed again.
"Hire someone else then. We'll swing armed permits."
Scarlett wasn't worried.
"It's fine. Bumped lab secure server to two levels higher. Access code alone won't cut it now. Grab me, they still can't touch the server remotely."
The staff blinked.
"Then why target you?"
"You didn't know our company's setup. Neither did they. Spread the word: touch me now, you end up like the jackal or these pirates—total ruin, zero gain."
"Got it. Still, could've upped security from the start..."
Scarlett grumbled.
"That'd make access a pain for our own research. What can you do? We'll tough it out for a bit."