The Jeguk-pa, Part 3
Gangnam Secret Club.
Gang Yong-sik liked the women Kim Tae-sik from the Anyang Lion-Group had brought him.
Especially the woman sitting beside him.
She had a bob haircut, a high nose bridge, and deep double eyelids that made her especially appealing.
And more than anything, he liked the way she was dressed.
She wore a short leather skirt, leather boots, and a white tank top that revealed the valley between her breasts. Every time he drank, Gang Yong-sik kept sneaking glances at her smooth legs and cleavage.
“Is this your car, oppa?”
The woman beside him picked up the cigarette on the table, then looked at the car keys lying next to it and asked.
It was a smart key stamped with the Lamborghini logo.
“Just something for driving around.”
That was what Gang Yong-sik said.
When the woman put the cigarette in her mouth, he lit it for her with his lighter.
At the same time, he let his body press naturally against hers.
The scent of cigarette smoke and perfume drifted from the nape of her neck.
Gang Yong-sik felt a boiling desire for her, and as his hand crept up her thigh, he said, “Want to go out and have a drink with me, just the two of us?”
“You’re something else, oppa~.”
She said that, but if he pushed just a little harder, it felt like she’d fold any second now.
So he shoved a rough hand into her waist and brought his mouth close to her ear.
“Let’s go.”
“Aw, oppa, let’s drink a little more first~.”
“Fine. Drink up, drink up~.”
Gang Yong-sik poured more liquor into her glass.
Then, smiling, he thought to himself, You expensive little bitch, at least you know good liquor when you see it.
And then—
Buzzzzz—
Gang Yong-sik’s phone, left on the table, rang.
He looked down at the screen and, the moment he saw the words Philippines Tae-yong Hyungnim, his face twisted.
Damn it, that fucking bastard…
Gang Yong-sik didn’t answer. He simply flipped the phone over.
“What, is it your girlfriend?”
The woman beside him saw that and asked.
“Is there such a thing as a girlfriend you’d want to kill?” Gang Yong-sik replied.
Buzzzzz—
The phone rang again.
“Aren’t you going to answer, Hyungnim? Shouldn’t you take it?” Kim Tae-sik from the Lion-Group said.
“Hey, you fucking bastard, I said I wasn’t answering. Don’t be rude.”
Gang Yong-sik hurled the lighter he’d been holding at Kim Tae-sik.
Smack—
It hit him square in the forehead.
“I’m sorry, Hyungnim—!”
Kim Tae-sik shot to his feet and bowed ninety degrees to Gang Yong-sik.
The cheerful mood died in an instant.
“Oppa, what’s wrong~?”
Trying to smooth things over, the woman beside him hooked her arm through his.
But Gang Yong-sik’s anger didn’t fade.
He filled his glass to the brim and knocked it back in one gulp.
Fucking pieces of shit…
The insult was aimed at Kim Tae-yong and the rest of his crew over in the Philippines.
Kim Tae-yong was Gang Yong-sik’s senior by a long shot. Three years ago, he had killed a business partner and fled to the Philippines.
There, he ran voice phishing scams and illegal sports-betting sites.
His standing in the organization remained intact.
So did Boss Kim Seong-han’s trust in him.
But Gang Yong-sik couldn’t stand him.
To Gang Yong-sik, Kim Tae-yong was nothing more than a leech.
Because he was a senior, Gang Yong-sik had to run all kinds of errands for him.
He had to do favors for Kim Tae-yong’s family, who’d stayed behind in Korea.
And what really made his blood boil was that the bastard kept taking the money Gang Yong-sik worked himself raw to earn.
Not long ago, they’d even taken half the money he’d made from a coin-reading-room scam.
They said it was to make room for the big boss’s release, or something like that.
Yeah, sure. Like hell. If I get the chance, I ought to drag that bastard to the Philippines and dump him in the fucking water.
Gang Yong-sik filled his glass again and drained it.
“Come on.”
He looked at the woman beside him and said it in a rougher voice than before.
“Can’t we drink a little more first~?”
“Hey, you’ve had enough of the expensive stuff. What else do you want to drink?”
“Tch, you thug bastard. There’s the real you.”
“What, you fucking bitch?”
The woman got up first.
The other women who had come with her also left the table.
“Hyungnim, we’ll go find you some other girls.”
“Forget it, damn it…”
Gang Yong-sik stood and walked out of the club.
He got into the car parked outside.
He was planning to head to one of the entertainment bars run by his juniors.
He switched on his phone to punch in the navigation, and that was when he saw twenty missed calls.
Every single one had come from Kim Tae-yong in the Philippines.
Buzzzzz—
And then Kim Tae-yong called again.
Gang Yong-sik wondered if something had happened.
After a brief hesitation, he answered.
“Good to hear from you, Hyungnim.”
[You piece of fucking shit!!! Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone, you bastard!!!]
Gang Yong-sik was already in a foul mood, and the instant he picked up, the stream of curses on the other end made it worse.
“I was busy with something, Hyungnim.”
[You bastard! Busy with what? You were drinking, weren’t you, you fucker!]
“No, Hyungnim.”
[Where the hell are you right now, bastard!]
“Gangnam, Hyungnim.”
[Hide right now!]
“You want me to hide, Hyungnim?”
[Did you get your ears stuffed full of shit? Get the hell out to some provincial dump and lie low!]
“And why would I have to do that, Hyungnim?”
[What, you little bastard! You good-for-nothing son of a bitch! If I tell you to hide, then hide, unless you want your stomach punched full of holes!]
“Last time, you told me to hide over nothing, and it messed up our business, Hyungnim.”
[I’m telling you, this time is different, you asshole!]
“I’ve got business of my own going right now, so dropping everything to hide would be difficult, Hyungnim.”
[Hey, you fucking bastard! $#%^&*@#$%^&*]
Gang Yong-sik’s face hardened.
“I’ll take care of my own affairs from now on, Hyungnim.”
[Hey, Gang Yong-sik!]
“I’ve got another call coming in, Hyungnim. I’ll contact you again, Hyungnim.”
With that, he hung up.
Kim Tae-yong called right back immediately.
Gang Yong-sik didn’t answer.
Instead, he drove toward Yatap Station in Seongnam.
There was a massage business there run by a junior of his.
Then, just as he was about to punch the address into the navigation, a motorcycle from the next lane suddenly cut in front of his car.
Skreeeeech—
Gang Yong-sik slammed on the brakes.
He nearly caused a collision.
“You fucking bastard, you trying to die—?”
He changed lanes at once and pulled alongside the motorcycle.
Lowering his window, he shouted, “Hey, you fucking piece of shit. Have you lost your mind, trying to die like that?”
Na Kang-hae, riding the motorcycle, cut in front of his car again.
“What the hell, that fucking bastard!”
He wanted to shove the motorcycle over right then and there.
But he still had a shred of reason left.
And Gang Yong-sik remembered he’d been drinking just a while ago.
The motorcycle weaved back and forth as if it were deliberately taunting him.
“That crazy bastard—! I’m going to tear his guts out today.”
He had completely forgotten about going to the massage parlor in Yatap.
Gang Yong-sik decided he was going to kill the motorcyclist who was clearly looking for a fight.
The motorcycle Na Kang-hae was riding headed toward Itaewon.
Gang Yong-sik followed behind.
Before long, the motorcycle entered Itaewon and came to a stop beside an old building in an alley off the Hae-mi Hotel.
Na Kang-hae took off his helmet and smiled when his eyes met Gang Yong-sik’s.
Gang Yong-sik got out of the car at once.
“Hey, motorbike! Get over here!”
“You come here, pig bastard.”
Na Kang-hae said that, then climbed the stairs of the building where Smart Picks was located.
First floor.
Second floor.
Third floor.
“Huff, huff, huff, huff….”
Gang Yong-sik, who had climbed all the way to the third floor after him, was panting so hard it felt like his breath might cut out.
“You, you’re d, d, d—dead…”
For a split second, Gang Yong-sik thought it might be a trap.
Then who was it?
Probably a bunch of idiots who’d recently been scammed in a coin-reading-room fraud.
And Gang Yong-sik thought he could take four or five of those idiots on by himself if he had to.
Like most lowlife thugs, he’d fallen into the delusion that no one could beat him in a fight with his fists.
He even believed that if it came down to street fighting instead of a ring, he wouldn’t lose to a fighter like Jeong Chan-seung.
So he threw open the door to the only shop on the third floor.
And the moment he stepped into the office, he found Na Kang-hae and a taxi driver waiting for him.
Only two of them.
Gang Yong-sik burst out laughing in disbelief.
“What is this? Just the two of you?”
“No. It’s just me.”
Na Kang-hae answered.
“Hey, motorbike.”
“Yeah, pig.”
“Ha… are you fucking crazy?”
“Not at all.”
“Whatever. Fine, let’s start by getting hit a little. Let’s get hit first, then begin.”
Whoosh—
Gang Yong-sik swung a fist toward Na Kang-hae’s face.
Na Kang-hae had the strange sensation of watching it in slow motion.
It was absurdly slow.
He only had to tilt his head back a little.
Even after that, it was the same.
Gang Yong-sik, who seemed to think of himself as some legendary boxer named Mark Tyson, threw punch after punch.
But Na Kang-hae could see at a glance that this man was nowhere near even half of Byeon Dong-jin.
“Huff, huff…”
Gang Yong-sik, who had been flailing his fists only moments ago, quickly wore himself out and started panting hard.
“Don’t tell me you’re already tired.”
When Na Kang-hae asked that, Gang Yong-sik realized his punches weren’t doing a damn thing and bent low, rushing at him in an attempt to bring him down.
Na Kang-hae timed it perfectly and drove a knee up.
Thud—
His knee slammed into Gang Yong-sik’s face.
Crack—
Snap.
Gang Yong-sik’s nose broke.
And all his front teeth shattered.
“Aaaagh!”
Gang Yong-sik screamed.
Na Kang-hae advanced on him at a glacial pace.
Finally snapping out of it, Gang Yong-sik spat out a curse.
“You, you, you fucking bastard, do you know who the hell I am?”
Na Kang-hae didn’t answer. Instead, he seized Gang Yong-sik’s toes and ankle with both hands.
Then he twisted the ankle the opposite way.
Crack—
Rrrrip—
Gang Yong-sik’s ankle broke.
And the ligaments around it tore apart.
“Aaaaaaagh.”
It was pain he had never felt before.
Gang Yong-sik shrieked louder than before.
Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.
Na Kang-hae grabbed the other leg.
Terrified, Gang Yong-sik fumbled through his words, crying out, “I-I’m sorry…! P-please, spare me…!”
“For what.”
“I was just… just trying to make some money. I was told to do it, too—someone above me ordered it. I-I’ll pay back the money I took from the victims.”
“The man you sold drugs to two hours ago.”
“……?”
“Did you know he was also a victim of the Jeguk-pa?”
“W-what are you talking about…?”
Gang Yong-sik looked utterly lost.
Na Kang-hae stomped on his ankle.
“Aaaagh! I’m telling the truth! Why would I sell drugs…!” Gang Yong-sik cried, tears and snot pouring down his face.
“You were selling drugs in front of the Secret Club just now.”
“No…?! N-no, that’s not it! I didn’t sell them—I just gave them away.”
“You just gave them away?”
“Who, who sells drugs directly these days? If you get caught on site, you’re arrested on the spot, and even if you hire a lawyer, you’re still looking at at least five years…”
Gang Yong-sik’s story was different from Lee Jun-ho’s.
Something was off.
“Then who was the one who got drugs from you in front of the club?”
“Jun-ho Hyungnim…?”
“……?!”
“He’s the senior I work under!”
The hair on Na Kang-hae’s body stood on end.
“Lee Jun-ho is your senior…?”
“Yes, he’s my senior by five years.”
“Tell me everything.”
“Th-that Hyungnim used to run a few sites in Cambodia, and that’s where he learned computers, or something. Programming, coin development, stuff like that.”
“Since when.”
“I-I don’t know. I heard he’d been doing it since before I started working.”
Na Kang-hae stepped on his ankle again.
“Aaaagh! I-I heard it was six years ago, no, seven years ago! They said that was when he first went to Cambodia!”
Gang Yong-sik sobbed out the words, nose and tears streaming together.
Na Kang-hae clenched his jaw.
“More.”
“Huh?”
“Keep talking.”
“That Hyungnim used to be really successful. But after he got hooked on stuff, he kind of lost it. Normally, when a gangster starts touching drugs, he goes downhill, but that Hyungnim was specially favored by the upper ranks. They told everyone just give him whatever he wants…”
Na Kang-hae clenched his fist.
Lee Jun-ho hadn’t been a victim held captive with his brother—he had been one of the perpetrators.
The shame and fury of being fooled by a man he’d have gladly torn apart and buried alive crashed over Na Kang-hae all at once.
And then—
Buzzzzz—
His pocket vibrated.
It wasn’t Na Kang-hae’s phone. It was Lee Jun-ho’s.
Na Kang-hae took it out.
It was an unknown number.
He answered.
[Hello.]
“Yes.”
[Excuse me, but may I ask who’s holding the phone right now?]
“Who is this?”
[Ah, I’m Detective Kim Hyun-su from the Geumcheon Police Station Cyber Drug Crime Investigation Team.]
“……?!”
* * *
Geumcheon Police Station, Seoul.
Detective Kim Hyun-su, who was on duty, had received a call from a nearby district office.
A man in his thirties had turned himself in, claiming he had used drugs.
The man was immediately transferred to Geumcheon Police Station, and a quick field test confirmed he was positive for methamphetamine.
He had been shouting in the station that he’d die if he didn’t go to prison.
He even asked them to arrest him.
And Kim Hyun-su found it strange that the man didn’t have a phone, so he called his number.
After that call with Na Kang-hae ended, less than thirty minutes passed before Na Kang-hae appeared at the station.
“Are you the person I just spoke with?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What is your relationship with Lee Jun-ho?”
“I’ll explain later.”
After saying that, Na Kang-hae showed his government ID card, the one marked with the Office of National Security.
Like at Dongbu Police Station, it worked again this time too.
Kim Hyun-su’s attitude changed immediately.
“First I need to see Lee Jun-ho. Where is he?”
“He refused to cooperate, so he’s in the holding cell for now.”
“Where’s the holding cell?”
“It’s downstairs.”
Na Kang-hae rushed down to the basement holding cell and found Lee Jun-ho locked behind the bars.
Lee Jun-ho was sitting in the cell, scratching himself.
“Hey, Lee Jun-ho!”
Na Kang-hae called out to him.
Lee Jun-ho looked up at him, then dropped his gaze and started trembling.
Again and again, he kept mumbling to himself.
“If I talk, I die… if I talk, I die… if I talk, I die…”