Night Stroll (1)
One million dollars. In Korean won, more than 1.4 billion.
On top of that, every last day of her remaining military service disappeared as well.
Yeah, I can see why she’d be confident.
That meant this job was important enough to her to be worth that much.
If I took this assignment, then, in practical terms, my contract with her would end here too.
After all, this contract had originally been meant to replace my life as a public health doctor.
“...”
Silence settled between us for a moment.
Sizzle-sizzle.
Something was frying beyond the counter. A spatula clattered against the iron griddle.
On the television, a baseball game was playing at full volume.
I took a sip of the lukewarm beer and watched it all for a moment, then finally opened my mouth and gave her my answer.
“I’ll do it.”
For 1.4 billion won, there was a ridiculous amount I could do right away.
I could buy proper elixirs to boost my internal energy. I could get a house in Seoul, or even open a Korean medicine clinic if I wanted.
No, honestly, I could probably spend a long while doing nothing but living comfortably.
“No reason not to, I guess.”
Elena’s face brightened the instant she heard me.
“But.”
This was a job that meant going into a place guarded by a Yakuza organization and bringing someone out.
No matter how carefully the plan was laid or how perfect the preparation, in the end I’d have to clash with the enemy.
Then I should prepare properly too. If I could get all the support I needed, there was no reason to walk in empty-handed.
“I’m going to need some gear this time.”
She answered with unmistakable confidence.
“Of course. Tell me whatever you need. I’ll get it however I can.”
Elena set down her beer glass and added, “If you want, I can arrange firearms too. Though using guns in Japan carries a lot of risk, so it’s best to avoid them if possible. Just tell me what kind you need.”
Her serious explanation made me snort a laugh.
“Unfortunately, the only gun I know how to shoot is a K2. Using that here would be a little awkward, so...”
I thought it over for a moment, then listed the things that came to mind one by one.
As she listened to my requests, Elena’s expression grew stranger and stranger.
At first her eyebrows rose slightly; by the end, even her lips had parted a little.
“...Um, you’re sure about this?”
Honestly, I could understand her reaction perfectly.
The things I’d asked for were basically the same kinds of tools I’d used in my past life.
So, if I had to make an excuse, I’d say:
“I’m a bit old-fashioned.”
That should be enough.
I might as well just lean into it shamelessly.
***
When I got back to the lodging, there was a note taped to the front door.
A phone number. And underneath it, one line.
Please contact me when you get back - Haruka
I sent a quick text, and the reply came almost immediately.
She wanted to meet thirty minutes later by the vending machines near the lodging.
I went out at the appointed time.
Inside an alley about half a block from the lodging. The spot where a single vending machine stood.
Haruka was there before me again.
“Mr. Lee.”
When she spotted me, she bowed her head slightly.
Then, as naturally as breathing, she handed me a can of coffee.
Chik—
I popped it open, then stood beside her by the vending machine.
We drank in silence for a while.
“...”
The damp air of the rainy season evening clung to the skin.
The rain had stopped, but the asphalt still held the moisture.
Over it, the bluish light from the vending machine stretched long across the ground.
I could tell Haruka wanted to ask me something.
She kept starting to speak, hesitating, then closing her mouth again.
In the end, I spoke first.
“I found him. The Canadian photographer.”
Haruka turned to look at me.
“Oh, really?”
“He was safe.”
Her eyes widened a little.
Then relief followed.
“That’s a relief.”
“I owe that to you, Haruka. For asking around at the convenience store and all that back then, too.”
She waved a hand as if it were nothing.
We exchanged a few more small comments like that, and then Haruka suddenly said, “By the way, about what happened today.”
As if remembering something, she let the words drop into the air.
“I’d never seen a person... well, have their arm joints bent like that before.”
She was clearly trying her best to soften it.
Her gaze was oddly careful, hovering somewhere between curiosity and caution.
“For what it’s worth, I really am working a part-time job.”
At that, she narrowed her eyes.
“Well, I guess there could be part-time work where you beat up Yakuza.”
Haruka let out a small snort of laughter. A slightly incredulous laugh.
The atmosphere lightened a little.
Conversation paused for a moment.
The vending machine’s light flickered faintly.
“...You’re still working with them, right?”
Haruka asked cautiously. I answered with a silent nod.
Her eyes drifted over my face for a second. A little worried.
“For the record, I’ve already been paid for this job. And I’m done with it.”
Haruka took a sip of coffee, then went on.
“They told me it’d be best to stay out of Osaka for a while, so I’m heading to Tokyo tonight. A friend of mine lives there, actually.”
She closed her mouth for a moment, then spoke to me in her usual tone.
“So I came to say goodbye. And to make sure you’re all right, of course.”
Her voice was calm.
Haruka held out her hand to me.
“Anyway, I guess this is the end of it. Of seeing each other here, I mean. Take care.”
A brief handshake.
Then she said, “If you ever come to Japan again, contact me. If that’s okay.”
I smiled back.
“Then I’ll hope it’s for a real trip next time.”
Haruka gave a little laugh, a soft kik.
“See you again.”
She turned and walked off toward the far end of the alley.
I watched her back disappear little by little into the dark beneath the streetlamps.
A simple goodbye.
That was enough.
***
Southern outskirts of Osaka.
By a deserted road near Sennan.
The roadside was incredibly dark, with even streetlamps spaced sparsely apart.
It was a kind of darkness completely different from the city’s. Only the occasional insect chirp drifted through the air.
I started strapping gear onto myself one item at a time from the back of the car.
First, the steel needles.
Five steel needles, each about seven or eight centimeters long, with sharp points.
They were the one thing I’d specifically asked Elena to get for me no matter what.
Fortunately, it seemed Japan had something close to the steel needles the Tang Clan used.
I remembered Elena saying it had been a hell of a hassle finding them on short notice.
Whoosh—
I picked one up and pinched it between my fingers.
Weight, thickness, balance. It wasn’t exactly the same as the one I’d used in my previous life, but it didn’t take long for my hand to adjust. This was enough.
Good.
I fixed three of them into the band wrapped around my left forearm and placed the remaining two at the back of my waist.
I checked each one with my fingers to make sure nothing shifted. No issues.
Next, the dagger.
A tactical knife of ordinary size.
The overall length was about 25 centimeters, fairly large, with a thick blade coated in black.
The weight distribution wasn’t ideal for throwing, but it was fine for close combat.
More importantly, the edge was razor-sharp.
I secured the sheath to my right thigh.
I adjusted the angle slightly so the draw would be as short as possible.
And finally...
I pulled out the folded collapsible baton and snapped it open in my hand.
Clack!
The baton extended in an instant, more than fifty centimeters long.
I checked the weight and balance, then folded it back up.
Clack.
If possible, I planned to use this one in close combat.
Simply subduing someone and killing them were on completely different levels.
I couldn’t ignore the aftermath. Especially if the people involved were Yakuza.
“Hmm.”
After getting tangled up with the CIA in this life, I’d been through plenty of ugly things.
Even so, I was still avoiding killing anyone whenever I could.
That wasn’t because I was trying to dress myself up as some noble soul. And it wasn’t because murder itself scared or disgusted me, either.
Either way, Tang Chun-yeong’s memories were layered over mine.
The memories of that previous life, where I’d spent my entire existence learning, honing, and practicing nothing but killing people.
For now, I was simply trying not to cross the line yet.
The line between Tang Chun-yeong’s life in the past and Lee Dohyun’s life now.
The line I had to preserve if I ever wanted to return to an ordinary life, even after this contract ended.
Of course, if I kept doing this work, there would definitely come a time when I had to cross it.
If that happened, I wanted the moment to be my own decision.
Everything’s in place.
I didn’t feel especially tense at all.
On the contrary, I felt strangely calm. Just a faint, pleasantly exciting thump in my chest.
My condition was perfect tonight.
“Hey.”
Ryan came over and gave my shoulder a light tap.
His voice was light, as usual.
“If anything comes up, say the word. I’ll be waiting at the position.”
He tapped the earpiece in his ear as he spoke.
Even without saying more, the meaning was clear.
I only nodded.
Ryan left first.
His steps were a little slower because of the wound on his back, but his posture hardly wavered at all.
His figure vanished into the darkness before long.
And when Elena and I were left alone.
She began the final briefing in a low voice.
“Estimated personnel inside: fifteen to eighteen. It’s late, so not everyone will be awake, but once the jammer goes off and anything seems wrong, they’ll wake up.”
I pictured the building’s layout in my head.
I’d already checked it carefully using the materials they’d provided beforehand.
A stone wall surrounded the grounds, and once you passed through the gate, there was a garden.
Inside the garden stood a single-story main house built of wood. The rooms were connected by shoji and sliding doors, with a veranda running along the outside of the building.
They said Bowman’s room is at the very back of the main house.
There were two or three Yakuza stationed near the front gate at any given time, and others patrolled or watched the area around the main house, inside it, and through the garden as well.
Elena explained it all calmly.
“Ryan’s job is to secure an escape route from outside the rear entrance and, if necessary, draw the enemy’s attention and lead them away somewhere else. I’ll stay by the front gate, and if something goes wrong, I’ll provide backup immediately.”
I nodded without saying anything.
Elena looked at me for a moment, then asked, “Are you really sure this is okay?”
And then she added, “If you want, I can go in with you right now. I did complete the full CST, after all.”
Instead of answering, I looked up at the sky.
It was packed with clouds that looked ready to dump rain at any second.
A dark pre-dawn sky with not even a sliver of moonlight. Perfect.
“It’s dark tonight,” I said.
Then I looked back at Elena.
“This time, moving alone seems easier.”
Elena met my eyes.
After a moment, she gave a short nod and headed off to her own position.
At last, I was alone.
I stood in the dark and steadied my breathing.
“Hoo...”
Internal energy began to circulate slowly beneath my dantian.
It spread through my body like a thin thread being unraveled.
And with it came the familiar sensation of my senses opening.
The density of the humid air.
The insects chirping in the distance.
The smell of grass riding on the wind.
Even the damp rising from the dirt beneath my feet.
My vision became much brighter too.
Even in the darkness, every detail around me stood out clearly.
Well then. Shall we go take a look at that million-dollar face?
With that thought, I slowly started walking.
It was time to begin the hunt.
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