The Lunchbox(?)
The road was littered with shattered debris, overturned and flipped vehicles… The once-quiet tunnel had transformed into a scene of utter chaos in the span of just a few dozen minutes after two cars collided.
In the midst of that disaster, In-hyuk clung to consciousness inside the inverted car.
Doing something like this again, the kind of thing I only did on missions before… it really feels like I’m going to die.
It had been a deliberate mission to flip the opposing vehicle and make it look like an accident. And just now, he had watched with his own eyes as the car ahead used the exact same method on him.
Of course, an ordinary person would never have been able to pull it off.
But In-hyuk possessed both the experience from his UID days and a body that had been fundamentally altered from everyone else’s. Thanks to that, he had been able to adjust his movements during the crash to avoid serious injury.
More importantly… it really does look like those bastards are connected to the UID.
He had suspected it ever since he noticed the tampering with the brake pushrod.
But experiencing the exact same process firsthand left him utterly dumbfounded.
If things go as expected, the others should show up soon.
Right on cue, a tow truck emerged from somewhere and two men stepped out.
In-hyuk watched the scene through the crumpled window of his car. To anyone else they would look like ordinary tow truck drivers, but In-hyuk sensed a cold, professional chill radiating from them.
They’re the ones Charybdis flagged.
Song Hyun-jun and Kwon Kyung-min. The two men who had been identified while surveilling the Dae-myung Detective Agency.
Their next moves were also predictable. They would first confirm whether the target was dead. If not, they would make sure the death looked like an accident.
The two men directed the cars that had been backed up behind the scene to pass by on the side.
Then their voices drifted over.
“I’ll finish this quickly and come back. Keep guiding the traffic properly.”
“Senior! Can’t I handle it this time?”
At Kwon Kyung-min’s question, Song Hyun-jun, who had been about to walk away, frowned.
“You?”
“I was just wondering what the last face of the guy that Pyo Senior couldn’t finish off looked like.”
From that, In-hyuk could tell the man they were referring to was Pyo Jun-woo.
“Isn’t that just personal satisfaction? You got bullied by Pyo Jun-woo back at camp, didn’t you?”
“Come on! Why bring up ancient history? Is that a problem?”
“Then don’t mess around. Make it look natural, exactly as planned. If any strange traces are left behind, it’ll only raise unnecessary questions.”
“I know better than anyone!”
With that shout, Kwon Kyung-min approached In-hyuk’s vehicle with a bright, cheerful grin.
“Whistle~ I hope he’s not too messed up inside.”
In-hyuk, whose body was upside down like the car itself, carefully unfastened his seatbelt first. He needed to be ready to react instantly to any attack.
Not yet?
In the meantime, Kwon Kyung-min had reached the front of the car and was lowering his head to look inside.
At that moment, the sound of sirens echoed from the tunnel entrance.
Weeeeee—
A fire truck—one that wasn’t part of their plan—had entered the tunnel.
Startled, Kwon Kyung-min froze. Song Hyun-jun, who had been directing traffic, quickly grabbed his radio.
“This is Bravo. Bravo. Emergency situation. Emergency situation. Fire truck has been dispatched.”
In-hyuk, who had been holding his position inside the car, overheard the exchange along with the siren. The fire truck was drawing closer.
The radio in Kwon Kyung-min’s hand crackled again.
The sudden appearance of the fire truck had forced them to change their plan.
Kwon Kyung-min made eye contact with Song Hyun-jun, his face twisted with clear disappointment, then headed toward the overturned car of his colleague.
Watching them, In-hyuk let out a small sigh of relief.
They arrived at the perfect, razor-thin moment.
The fire truck had been called by Hong Yu-geon, who had been waiting outside the tunnel. In the current situation, it was the only way to respond while avoiding as much suspicion as possible.
The fire truck that soon arrived at the scene began handling the situation. Naturally, In-hyuk, who had been inside the car, was rescued by them and transported to Andong Seongseo Hospital’s emergency room, roughly ten kilometers away.
Not long after, In-hyuk found himself lying on an ER bed, fully conscious.
“I heard the car was completely wrecked… but with injuries this minor, it’s practically a miracle. Same for those two over there.”
Those were the words of the doctor who had finished treating his light bruises. At the same time, the doctor’s gaze shifted to the two people lying on the other beds.
Kim Jun-hyung and Lee Chang-soo. They were the victims who had flipped along with In-hyuk due to the brake failure on his car.
Of course, In-hyuk already knew they were colleagues of the two tow truck men from earlier.
“…It really is fortunate.”
“There may be internal injuries that aren’t visible yet, so after you finish the IV, how about we run some additional tests?”
“We’ll do that.”
After the doctor left, In-hyuk subtly observed the two men on the other bed. Since they had missed their chance in the tunnel, there was still a possibility they would try something here at the hospital.
Holding the IV bag attached to the back of his hand, In-hyuk walked over to them.
“I’m truly sorry. The brakes didn’t work, so I had no choice but to hit you. I’ve already called the insurance company, so I’ll cover all the costs. The vehicles look difficult to repair… I’ll compensate you with similar models in the same price range.”
The two men, who had been lying there with tense expressions, exchanged glances at In-hyuk’s unexpected behavior.
Then the older one, Kim Jun-hyung, spoke up.
“…No, it’s my fault. I got angry and suddenly cut in front of you.”
It seemed they were trying to frame the incident as road rage caused by anger management issues.
“Still, it was my mistake. Ah, could I get your business card?”
The two men were in a position where their identities could not be revealed. That was why In-hyuk deliberately asked a question they would find uncomfortable.
Kim Jun-hyung’s face stiffened slightly, looking troubled.
“I don’t have a business card on me.”
“Then could you at least give me your number? I’ll contact you again.”
“No, it would be better to handle all communication through the insurance company.”
They were clearly uncomfortable.
At that moment, two men entered the ER, asked the nurses something, and then approached In-hyuk.
“Are you Mr. Kang In-hyuk?”
“Yes, I am.”
“We’re from the Traffic Investigation Division at Andong Police Station. We’re here regarding the accident that occurred in Geomam Tunnel. We need to hear the circumstances… Is now a good time?”
“Of course.”
In-hyuk moved with the police officers.
In the meantime, Lee Chang-soo, who was sitting on the bed, asked Kim Jun-hyung.
“Senior. What should we do about this?”
The fact that their target, In-hyuk, had only sustained minor injuries left the two men stunned. They also hadn’t expected him to approach them first in the ER.
Kim Jun-hyung checked his phone first. A message had arrived on the screen, whose corner was cracked from the accident.
Bravo team—Song Hyun-jun and Kwon Kyung-min—were waiting in the parking lot near the ER.
Sitting inside the tow truck, Song Hyun-jun muttered in annoyance.
“On hold, huh…”
The Charlie team, which had been in charge of directing the operation, had just sent that message.
“Do we really have to just sit here and wait?”
“Looking at the situation, there’s a chance we’ll switch to Plan C… but we’ll have to see.”
The two men had been seen by the firefighters who carried out the rescue in the tunnel. So instead of entering the hospital, they could only watch the situation from outside.
Then Kwon Kyung-min asked with a puzzled look.
“But we tampered with the communication relay too. How could the fire truck have arrived that quickly?”
Song Hyun-jun shook his head.
“It’s impossible. Someone must have interfered.”
“Don’t tell me… our plan was leaked?”
“It’s not impossible. That’s why Charlie isn’t moving right away either.”
Plan C involved Alfa, who had been transported to the ER with Kang In-hyuk, working together with the follow-up Charlie team.
But the question of who had reported the incident to the fire department was holding them back.
“Then there’s a chance the operation will be canceled.”
“Charlie is discussing it with command. We’ll have to wait and see what decision they make.”
More important than the success of the mission was ensuring their own identities remained hidden.
Just then, instead of a radio transmission, a phone call came from Charlie.
“The target’s condition is stable, but today’s mission is canceled. Alfa will handle the situation according to the manual. Bravo, withdraw as quickly as possible and return to headquarters.”
The decision was exactly what they had feared.
“Understood.”
Song Hyun-jun answered immediately without complaint.
Since there were clear signs of a leak, forcing the mission through would be far too risky.
After ending the call, Song Hyun-jun left the hospital parking lot. In the passenger seat, Kwon Kyung-min wore a clearly dissatisfied expression.
As the sun began to set, In-hyuk was transferred from Andong Seongseo Hospital to a private room in a general hospital in Gangnam. Although his injuries were only scrapes, he decided to use the opportunity to undergo a full checkup for any other conditions.
Then a call came from Hong Yu-geon. Charybdis was currently tailing one of the people who had targeted In-hyuk.
I finally figured out why they went after the boss like that!
At the sudden good news, In-hyuk’s eyes widened.
“Did you meet the person who hired them?”
The Dae-myung Detective Agency was extremely tight-lipped about their clients.
Since things aren’t going as planned, they must have gone to meet them directly.
It was easy enough to guess.
Hong Yu-geon continued his explanation.
I was watching the guys who returned to the office when Lee Dae-myung suddenly moved. Just in case, I followed him and saw him meet a woman.
“What was the reason?”
I just sent you the recording file I got through long-distance wiretapping. Check it yourself.
Along with his reply, an attached file arrived.
In-hyuk turned his phone’s volume down as low as possible and brought it to his ear.
“Once you start something, shouldn’t you see it through to the end? Even if it’s just that bastard, you should have taken care of him by any means necessary!”
— Jeon Hae-in
It was the sharp voice of a woman. It belonged to Jeon Hae-in, the matriarch of KQ Group.
After that came the voice of Lee Dae-myung from the Dae-myung Detective Agency.
“We suspect the plan has been leaked. If they know about our relationship with you, Madam… wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
— Lee Dae-myung
“So what do you suggest we do now?”
“The Chairman still doesn’t even know about Kang In-hyuk’s existence. Why are you in such a hurry?”
— Lee Dae-myung
At Lee Dae-myung’s smirking retort, Jeon Hae-in’s voice grew even sharper.
“Because it’s only a matter of time before he finds out! That’s why!”
— Jeon Hae-in
“Has Chairman Kang made any other moves?”
— Lee Dae-myung
At his questioning tone, Jeon Hae-in let out a low groan.
“I heard the lawyer in charge of the will, Attorney Kim, visited the Hanam residence this afternoon.”
— Jeon Hae-in
“Does that mean he found something? But Chairman Kang has no idea about the existence of the illegitimate child, does he?”
— Lee Dae-myung
“He might have found her while searching in a way that we wouldn’t notice.”
— Jeon Hae-in
In-hyuk stopped the recording there.
Only now was the question of why, in his previous life, the original Kang In-hyuk had been forced to die in a staged accident finally answered.
The illegitimate son of Kang Chun-gyu, chairman of KQ Group, a major distribution conglomerate.
Once his wife, Jeon Hae-in, learned of that fact, she could not possibly have left him alone. After all, she had even tried to kill him simply because the official heir, Kang Do-young, had feelings for Tae Ju-ha.
After thinking for a moment, In-hyuk spoke to Hong Yu-geon.
“Pull everyone from the Dae-myung side and stick only to that woman.”
Hong Yu-geon was visibly surprised.
Huh? We finally got important information, and you want to pull out already? Shouldn’t we keep watching a little longer?
As he said, there was still plenty more to uncover.
Of course, In-hyuk knew that too.
“Because we moved first, they’ll start digging into their surroundings. Leave the devices that are hard to retrieve and clean up everything else. Get out by the end of today.”
Got it. By the way, I never imagined the boss was the secret son of a chaebol family. Is this… something we should celebrate?
Hong Yu-geon spoke in a teasing tone, having understood easily.
But to In-hyuk, it was hardly welcome news.
“Not particularly. Ah, someone’s coming. Contact me once everything’s cleaned up.”
Not long after ending the call, the presence that had been lingering outside the hospital room opened the door.
The person who appeared was none other than Go Mi-ah.
At her unexpected visit, In-hyuk’s face showed genuine surprise.
“What are you doing all the way out here?”
“Our employer almost crossed the Jordan River in a car accident, remember?”
“I didn’t expect you to come without even calling.”
For some reason, after the accident, the surveillance presence that Dae-myung had placed on him had disappeared.
It was probably because several of the people assigned to In-hyuk had shown their faces.
“Surprises are supposed to be sudden!”
With those words, Go Mi-ah set down a fruit basket and what looked like a lunchbox(?) bag beside the bed.
“…Why did you bring all this?”
“They said you’d have to stay here for a few days. Hospital food is probably bland, so I made some for you.”
“You didn’t have to go through the trouble…”
Before he could stop her, Go Mi-ah’s hands were already opening the lid of the lunchbox.
“I specially made eggplant rice and stir-fried squid in soy sauce to give it that homemade feel!”
The names sounded quite plausible.
However, the rice was a deep purple like blueberries, and the squid looked pitch black, as if stir-fried with squid ink.
“…Why is the rice this color?”
“Why? Because it’s eggplant rice, obviously.”