Chapter 70
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Let's Start with Introductions.
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[Scene.70 Let's Start with Introductions.]
Scene.70
Let's Start with Introductions.
Jaden thought.
"Tampering with a car isn't feasible, given the time and place..."
Besides, the target rarely left the farm. And even when he did, he always took a different car, making it difficult to pinpoint which vehicle to target.
If the wrong person died in an accident or some other problem arose, it would only make access more difficult.
"That can't happen. It would be a stain on my record."
Jaden had never once harmed or delivered death to anyone other than his target.
He considered himself a perfect architect, a guide to the afterlife, and such mistakes were unacceptable.
Jaden's preferred method was a tragic death by car accident, but if that wasn't possible, there was another, slightly more troublesome option: using the surrounding environment.
"Damn it. Nothing but vineyards around here, so that's out too."
If he couldn't use the external environment, the only option left was to infiltrate the target's house.
"There's no death as common and unlucky as an electric shock."
Based on several days of observation, there were four points of entry into the target's residence.
The front door, the back door, the windows, and the ground-floor dining room.
Jaden chose the dining room, which connected to the backyard. Unlike the front and back doors, which had to be opened from the inside, the entrance to the main building's dining room was an open terrace.
Climbing through a window was also an option, but with a drama being filmed, people could appear at any time from anywhere. Being spotted clinging to an exterior wall would lead to a world of trouble.
"Why invite risk when there's an entrance left wide open for me?"
As Jaden took out a compressed sponge shaped like an insole and attached it to the bottom of his shoe, he felt a sudden sense of unease and quickly scanned his surroundings.
"What was that? Am I imagining things?"
Tilting his head, Jaden finished attaching the sponge.
He cautiously took a step, checking the noise level, then smiled in satisfaction and slipped into the dining room like smoke.
"A glass of water before his morning workout."
Jaden had meticulously noted the target's daily routine.
He had memorized exactly what time the target came downstairs, where he stood to pick up a glass, and even the posture he assumed while drinking water.
Like any kitchen, this one was full of metal objects.
All he had to do was place a metal object across an electrical outlet and pour a trail of water from there to where the target would be standing. Preparations complete.
The target would come downstairs as usual, without a second thought, and arrive in the dining room. He would walk right over to this spot to grab a glass, just like always.
"And then, adios with a jolt!"
He pictured his target convulsing as if tap-dancing to his death and smiled with satisfaction.
"First, the electricity."
Jaden started looking for an outlet.
"What the. Why can't I see any?"
He searched the walls and every corner of the kitchen, but strangely, there were no outlets to be found.
Of all places, a kitchen was one space that couldn't possibly be without electricity.
"What the hell. Why aren't there any?"
Jaden was more than a little flustered.
"This isn't good."
He searched again, meticulously, but couldn't find an outlet anywhere.
"What is this..."
Jaden scratched his head, completely bewildered, and approached the refrigerator.
The moment he opened the refrigerator door slightly, a chill brushed against the tip of his nose.
"Good, the fridge is working."
Jaden decided he had no choice but to tap into the refrigerator's power source.
"This might actually be for the best."
No matter how well he staged the scene, having kitchen utensils or metal scraps tangled up in an outlet could arouse suspicion.
"The back of the fridge, on the other hand, is the perfect place to stage an accident caused by a short circuit."
Jaden pulled the refrigerator, trying to make as little noise as possible.
*Srrr.*
"Huh? Does it have wheels?"
He had braced himself for the weight, but the refrigerator slid out much more easily than he'd expected.
"Well, that's good for me. Less chance of making noise."
Jaden took out a finger-sized flashlight and checked the wall behind the refrigerator.
"........What the?"
Jaden was momentarily baffled. The electrical outlet that should have been there was also missing.
He blinked stupidly, then gently opened the refrigerator door again.
The interior light came on, and another wave of cold air washed out.
Baffled, Jaden tilted his head and shone the flashlight on the back of the refrigerator.
But the outlet wasn't the only problem. The power cord, a standard feature for any electronic appliance, was nowhere to be seen.
"This makes no sense."
Jaden lay flat on the floor and checked the underside of the refrigerator.
He thought perhaps the plug and outlet were connected through the floor, like in some offices.
Shining the flashlight underneath and craning his neck, Jaden's expression turned to one of utter confusion.
He couldn't find a plug or an outlet on the floor or anywhere else around the refrigerator.
Just in case, Jaden gently opened the refrigerator door one more time.
Once again, the interior light flickered on and cold air spilled out.
"Damn it... What is this? A haunted refrigerator? Why is there nothing here?!"
Faced with this inexplicable phenomenon, Jaden briefly tore at his hair.
"Ha, this is a problem."
With a flustered expression, Jaden looked around before shaking his head.
"Electrocution is off the table for now."
Jaden got up and carefully pushed the refrigerator back to its original position.
Car accident, environmental manipulation, electrocution. All of his favorite methods were useless. That left only one option.
"I don't like it, but I'll have to use a drug."
Jaden took a small case from his belt.
When he opened it, vaporizing dry ice released a white mist.
Jaden took out a small ampule and a syringe from inside.
"R-SDR-453T."
It was a drug under research for treating shocks from arrhythmias like Long QT syndrome, which cause problems with the heart's electrical system.
Still in the experimental phase and used only for research, its identity was unknown to the general public, and even to doctors not involved in its study.
Although created for treatment, when a person with a healthy heart was exposed to it, the drug would conversely disrupt their electrical system, causing a fatal arrhythmic shock.
In as little as fifteen minutes, or an hour at most, it would send its victim to the next world without so much as a peep.
"After all, a heart attack can strike even a healthy person at any time."
After drawing the drug into the syringe, Jaden secured the case on his belt and moved toward the living room.
Just then, the living room light switched on, and footsteps echoed.
"Damn it! Who's up at this hour?!"
Jaden quickly backpedaled into the kitchen. But the person who had turned on the light was now heading his way.
Jaden was torn.
If the person entering the kitchen was his target...
"Euthanasia in bed or euthanasia in the kitchen. As long as he's dead, it doesn't matter."
As he debated whether to proceed with the assassination, the memory of the target performing insane stunts on a motorcycle flashed through his mind.
If he failed to inject the syringe in one go, he could be on the receiving end of that same ruthless stunt action.
"No. That's too risky."
Jaden was skilled at planned assassinations, but he lacked any talent for physical combat. One wrong move and he could be forced into an early retirement.
"It's not like he has to die today. There's tomorrow... and if not tomorrow, the day after."
Thankful that this job had no deadline, Jaden began to quietly slip out into the backyard when, at that very moment, the kitchen lights came on.
"Damn it!"
Jaden instantly dropped flat on the ground.
"Agh!"
A sharp pain shot through his body, as if he'd landed on a pointed rock.
"Huh? Why is the door open?"
The person who had forced his 'strategic' retreat walked out of the dining room and glanced around.
"That's strange. Did someone stop by?"
As the man tilted his head with a puzzled expression, someone else crossed the yard toward the dining room.
"Damn it. Why are so many people wandering around at four in the morning?!"
Jaden wriggled like an earthworm, barely managing to hide himself in a blind spot. Just then, the person who had crossed the yard spoke.
"President-nim."
"Ms. Mi-ra."
"I'm sorry. So early in the morning."
"Not at all. The filming schedule is what it is, so of course I should cooperate. But where are the others?"
"I arrived a little early."
"You could have slept a little longer."
Jaden pricked up his ears, listening to the conversation between the man and woman.
He figured a conversation at four in the morning must contain something secretive.
However, Jaden couldn't understand a single word they were saying.
Jaden was trilingual—fluent in English, French, and Russian—but unfortunately, he had never learned Korean.
"Damn it. What are they saying?"
His carefully laid infiltration plan had failed, and now he couldn't even understand the conversation of the person who'd ruined it. His frustration mounted.
The man and woman laughed heartily, finding something amusing.
A moment later, the rich aroma of coffee drifted outside. His stomach gave a slight pang and then rumbled.
He'd been hiding in a dugout for days, eating and drinking poorly. The smell of coffee had triggered a reaction from his stomach.
"Hm? Did you hear something just now?"
the man asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
Though Jaden didn't know the language, the questioning tone was unmistakable.
Jaden's face paled.
"Did I? I didn't hear anything."
"Just a moment."
The man sounded like he was moving, determined to investigate the noise he'd heard.
Cold sweat trickled down Jaden's back.
"Should I just get up and run? Damn it. But where would I go?"
It would be one thing if this were a city, but it was wide-open space. Even if he managed to escape the farm, he'd be in trouble. There were no houses nearby, just an empty road.
He'd barely managed to crawl in here like a slug because of the guys loitering around the farm.
The moment he was detected, they would swarm him.
Watching the man wander the yard, Jaden muttered desperately, as if trying to hypnotize him.
"It's too dark to see over here. Even if you look, you won't know what you're seeing. Just glance around and go back inside. Don't come this way..."
Despite Jaden's desperate plea, the man began to close the distance.
"Damn it. This isn't how it's supposed to go. My career..."
Jaden decided it was better to run than to lie here and be caught.
As he cautiously began to rise, another figure appeared on his intended escape route.
"President-nim. I'm here."
Jaden, who had just started to lift himself up, quickly dropped back down.
"Oh, Writer Kim."
The man waved at the newcomer and walked past Jaden's hiding spot.
"Agh. Fuck... When I get out of here, I'm hiring a personal trainer and bulking up for sure."
He'd always sneered at the hyenas who knew nothing but brute force, but in a situation like this, he regretted neglecting his physical training.
He sighed in relief and went to wipe the cold sweat from his brow, but felt that something was missing.
"What is it? This feeling that something that should be there is gone?"
Jaden stopped wiping his forehead and his eyes widened. The syringe that should have been in his hand was gone.
"The... the syringe. Where did I put the syringe?"
He was sure he'd been holding it when he left the dining room and dropped to the ground.
He must have let go of it unconsciously while tensing up as the man came looking for him after hearing the rumbling sound.
"Damn it. Where is it... Found it!"
Fumbling around, Jaden's fingertips brushed against the syringe, and he sighed in relief once more.
As he carefully picked it up, it felt slightly different, lighter.
He brought the syringe close to his eyes to inspect it and saw that its contents were completely gone. He must have accidentally pressed the plunger while moving around.
"Damn it. This drug was expensive."
Lamenting the lost money, he turned his head, and a bug flew in front of his face. He quickly waved it away.
As Jaden tried to move cautiously, a chilling feeling washed over him.
"Huh? I can see a bug in this darkness?"
With a look of disbelief, Jaden blinked. A whitish shape moved before his eyes. Not only that, but flashes of light erupted in his vision, as if a lamp had been turned on.
He thought the stinging sensation he'd felt when he dropped down was from a sharp rock!
Jaden's hand went limp, and the empty syringe fell from his grasp.
"Ah... No!"
Terrified, Jaden frantically opened his backpack.
"The... the neutralizer. The neutralizer! Quick!"
Jaden pulled out a 30-centimeter metal rod shaped like a relay baton and pressed it against his heart.
Then, *hup!* he took a sharp breath and slammed the back end of it down hard.
"Kugh!"
A long needle pierced the flesh of his chest, passed between his ribs, and plunged into his heart. The 'R-SDR-453T' neutralizing agent inside immediately mixed with his bloodstream.
A few seconds later, his vision blurred and a ringing filled his ears. The neutralizer was taking effect.
As he breathed a sigh of relief, someone strode over and squatted down in front of him.
"You're lucky."
...Who?
Jaden looked up at the figure with blurry eyes.
"You cut off all contact with your client until the mission is complete, right?"
What...?
"So let's just say you'll be unreachable until the drama production is finished."
Wha... What are you talking about? Who are you?!
"That way, they'll get antsy and cough something up."
Ah. Explain so I can understand... you!
"From now on, any trouble that happens here will be attributed to you. You're good with that, right?"
Jaden couldn't comprehend what the man was saying.
Grabbed by the ankle, Jaden was dragged and thrown against the wall of an empty cottage next to the main house.
Then, the man made a phone call.
"Yes, it's me. Of course. You've been a great help. People may treat others' lives like flies, but they cherish their own families, don't they?"
As the effects of the neutralizer slowly wore off, Jaden's vision and control over his body began to return.
"Ah, and about that guy who's unreachable. Yes. The one who goes dark until the mission is done."
Jaden turned his head and looked up at the person who had dragged him there.
"Yes. It looks like he's going to keep causing trouble. Oh, no need to go as far as cutting off fingers."
Hearing the words "cutting off fingers," Jaden quietly hid his hands behind his back.
"I don't mean real accidents. I mean that's what the rumors will say. Yes. Him? He's right here. At my feet, looking like 'What is he talking about?' Hahaha."
When the man looked down at him, Jaden furtively averted his gaze. In the man's hand was not only a phone, but also a pistol with a large silencer attached.
"In any case, they were the ones who made the request. They should take some responsibility for this, shouldn't they? It's not our way to pretend we don't know anything when the damage continues."
The man with the phone let out a short laugh and continued.
"Use this to apply some pressure, get what you can out of them. Make a little pocket money. Haha. Of course. Yes. I'll call you again."
Yu-hyeon ended the call and pressed the silencer to Jaden's forehead.
Jaden flinched and stared at Yu-hyeon.
"Digging a hideout and crawling all the way here... your skills aren't bad."
What! No way... You were watching from the beginning?
"At first, I was just going to get rid of you, but I had a change of heart."
A change of... how?
"I think we'll need to work together for a while."
Work? He's offering a job to the man who came to kill him?
Just when he thought he was a dead man, a lifeline descended from above.
"So, what will it be? If you're not interested, you can just die here."
Aigoo, how can you say such things? I'll grab that lifeline. Of course!
"What kind of... work?"
"Something interesting. Ah, but before that. How about a physical introduction? You came here to kill me. I can't exactly extend a hand with a smile on my face, now can I?"
[Scene.70 Let's Start with Introductions.] End