Mr. Bloodbath and Kang Min-chan (1)

Face Maker had another specialty besides crime. She was a former special effects makeup artist and could create and attach an entirely different person's face. When she put that skill to criminal use, the results were extraordinary. There was no need to hide behind a mask. She simply wore someone else's face while committing the crime, and the police would sketch a composite of that face, name a prime suspect, and issue a wanted notice. That was how she had succeeded in her previous two kidnapping-murders without ever being caught. She had assumed this time would be no different. Every preparation had been flawless. She had handed Lee Do-hwang a résumé detailing the background of the person whose face she now wore. She had deliberately shown that fake face repeatedly at the scene. Once the ransom was secured, the owner of that face would become the suspect, and Face Maker could simply enjoy the money, just as she had after the last two jobs.

Yet the slick-haired man claiming to be a teacher had appeared out of nowhere and ruined everything. Even when she first saw the man in the supercar outside Yeonmok Elementary, she never imagined things would spiral this far. She had only thought one more witness who had seen the fake face at the scene would further confuse the police investigation.

When she watched Kwon Ho-gyun exchange hand signals and glances with Kim Chul-joong, Face Maker finally let out a bitter laugh. From the very ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beginning of the operation until this moment, she had been trapped inside the snare Kwon Ho-gyun had laid, with no way out. Her left lip still glistened red with the prosthetic, but the pale, peeling skin of her real right lip had turned blue and trembled violently.

My arrival had boxed the kidnappers' van between Kim Chul-joong's Carnival and my Porsche. In a final act of desperation, the man in the driver's seat climbed out and tried to overpower us with brute force, but it was hopeless from the start. Kim Chul-joong, the combat-trained security officer the team had sent, waved me off as if to say he needed no help. Then he drove his fists into the man's face and solar plexus in rapid succession. Less than a minute after stepping out of the van, the kidnapper was face-down on the pavement, arms twisted behind his back under Kim Chul-joong's control.

While that happened, I climbed into the open van and checked on Han A-young. She was unconscious, but fortunately still strapped into her seat; the impact had not caused any visible injuries. I could not tell whether Kim Chul-joong had planned it, but Han A-young had been sitting in the rearmost seat, and he had rammed the front bumper. At least she appeared to be out of immediate danger. Since I was neither a doctor nor her guardian, I quickly called to report her condition.

“Chief Han, are you on your way?”

- Yes. I can see you now. Is that the tangle of three cars up ahead? One of them looks like the team leader's car.

“Yes. I'm inside the yellow van with your daughter.”

At the mention of Han A-young, Han Seung-woo's voice rose a full octave.

- Is A-young all right?

“She looks like she's just sleeping. If you're close, you'd better come see for yourself.”

Before I could finish, a deafening roar and the screech of tires erupted outside the phone.

Vrooooom—! Screeeech—!

Then came the sound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a sliding door and hurried footsteps. Han Seung-woo burst into the van, phone still clutched in his hand.

“Chief Han, over here.”

“A-young!”

He forgot even to greet me. He swept his daughter into his arms and pressed fingers to her wrist, neck, and beneath her nose, checking pulse and breathing. Only after confirming she was alive did he bow his head to me.

“Team Leader, thank you. Truly. If it weren't for you, I might never have seen my daughter again. From now on, I will do everything in my power to assist you, no matter what.”

I finally heard the words I had been waiting for. Still, Han A-young's condition was not entirely normal, so I opened the van door again and guided him outside.

“Let's get her to the hospital first.”

Han Seung-woo pressed his palms hard against his eyes, as if trying to hide tears, then answered.

“Thank you, Team Leader.”

Outside, the police had already arrived. The kidnappers were being loaded into a patrol car, handcuffed side by side. For such a violent crime caught in the act, arrest and detention warrants would be issued without delay. One more relief: Han Seung-woo would no longer have to kill the kidnappers himself.

At that moment, the van driver who had been resisting being put in the police car locked eyes with Han Seung-woo. Despite the urgency of their respective situations, the two men held each other's gaze for a long second, as if confirming identities.

Han Seung-woo looked away and started toward his own car with his daughter when an oblivious officer stepped in front of him.

“Just a moment. This is a crime scene. Could you please identify yourself?”

I saw the sparks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ignite in Han Seung-woo's eyes and realized that if I left him alone he might transform into Mr. Bloodbath right there in front of the police. I quickly intervened.

“This child is the kidnapping victim, and this gentleman is her father. I am Kwon Ho-gyun, attorney at Law Firm Seungbaek, and their legal representative. I will vouch for their identities. The child is unconscious, so please let them go for now. If you need anything, you can speak with me.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies. Please go ahead.”

Han Seung-woo gave me a grateful look and drove away with Han A-young.

Several days had passed since the Han A-young kidnapping was resolved. Both kidnappers were, of course, in custody; detention warrants had been issued immediately. They would likely spend at least half their remaining lives without breathing free air. Fortunately, Han A-young had merely been deeply asleep from an overdose of sleeping pills. She had already recovered, been discharged, and was back at school. She had also quit Beatrice Music Academy. I did not know the full details, but after seeing that prim instructor's attitude, I could understand why. How many times had she told the child she must master a certain piece before she could enter a competition? A nine-year-old should play the piano for fun; if she got good enough, she could enter competitions later. There was no need to force it.

One lingering headache was Kim Chul-joong's case. The same clueless officer who had blocked Han Seung-woo's path to the hospital had witnessed Kim Chul-joong's Carnival ram the kidnappers' van and arrested him on the spot as well. I had sat in on the first interrogation as his legal representative and arranged for him to be released without detention. After that, the situation took a ridiculous turn.

The van driver, Lee Do-hwang, had made an outrageous proposal: if Han Seung-woo agreed to settle the kidnapping case, he would agree to settle the traffic accident Kim Chul-joong had caused. Naturally, I refused both settlements. I already knew Kim Chul-joong would not be punished. Why would I arrange a deal that would only make Han Seung-woo dislike me?

The verdict I had seen in advance for Kim Chul-joong read as follows:

A suspended sentence meant the judge would not impose any punishment at all. No prison, no fine, and no criminal record. It was typically handed down when the elements of the crime were technically met, yet punishing the defendant would be unreasonable under the circumstances. Kim Chul-joong's case fit the criteria perfectly. Deliberately causing a traffic accident was a serious offense, but his purpose had been to rescue a kidnapped child. In the end, he had succeeded in saving the girl and capturing the kidnappers. Kim Chul-joong had trusted that I was a lawyer when he carried out the act; I was glad I could bring him good news in return. Still, once the suspended sentence came down, I would have to remind him that ramming a vehicle carrying Han A-young could have been dangerous. Everything had worked out, and Kim Chul-joong had clearly thought it through, but Han Seung-woo seemed unsure whether to be grateful or angry.

Of course, I had already agreed to compensate in full for all property damage caused by Kim Chul-joong while apprehending the kidnappers. The assessed damages for the vehicle and road came to roughly fifty million won. That amount was nothing to me. The stock I had bought in anticipation of a rise had hit a new high, instantly increasing my assets by eight hundred million won. Fifty million was no loss at all.

And now I was at the meeting that mattered most to me from the entire kidnapping incident. I had arranged to see Han Seung-woo outside the company. He had even contacted me first, cautiously, while I was still deciding when to summon him. I had reserved a table at the bar and was admiring the color of my whiskey when Han Seung-woo entered and bowed deeply at the waist.

“I'm late.”

“Not at all. It isn't even time yet. I arrived early because I wanted to enjoy the bar atmosphere for the first time in a while. Please, sit.”

After that, we exchanged drinks and talked about the aftermath of the kidnapping and a few company matters. The atmosphere gradually warmed. From the context of the conversation, it was clear he intended to align himself with my faction in the coming succession struggle. There was no need to extract an explicit promise the way I had with President Shin Ho-jung.

When the whiskey bottle was half empty, I finally asked the question I had wanted to pose to Han Seung-woo ever since the kidnapping.

“Chief Han, do you happen to know a man named Kang Min-chan?”

I had decided to ask him after seeing Face Maker's face split in two. When our eyes met and I realized the face was fake, I felt an absurd sense of kinship. Of course, I could never condone kidnapping and murdering a child for a mere billion won, but the act of living behind someone else's face was far too similar to my own situation. Though I kept it hidden, the face of Kwon Ho-gyun that everyone saw was false; Kang Min-chan was my real face. So, aside from the two people who made up my inner and outer selves—Kang Min-chan and Kwon Ho-gyun—I wanted to speak of my true face to the one person who would know it best: Han Seung-woo.

Upon hearing my question, Han Seung-woo took a tablet PC from his bag.

“I'll search the company database.”

The company database, which included resident registration records from the district office, contained no trace of Kang Min-chan. I had already confirmed that multiple times.

“No. Not the database. Could you search your own memory instead?”

Han Seung-woo put the tablet away and furrowed his brow in thought. Then he gave an answer I could never have imagined.

“Are you referring to the person Chairman Kwon Byung-do mentioned to me a very long time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago?”