Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Could It Be You? I Hope So
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Kanghyeok threw on his overcoat and headed out into the street.
The sun had set.
Night had fallen, and a cool breeze began to blow. The moon watched Kanghyeok from behind the clouds.
It was as if everything was urging him to hurry.
Why?
He could tell himself that the bottle breaking was nothing.
That a sudden gust of wind had knocked it over, and that was all. That was the logical explanation.
But unlike his mind, his heart was pounding like crazy.
Even as he rushed out into the street and wandered without a destination, his heart showed no signs of calming down.
Kanghyeok quickened his pace, his anxiety urging him on.
Dammit, dammit, dammit.
It had been a long time since he’d felt like this.
And whenever he did, something terrible always happened.
Kanghyeok broke into a run.
People on the street startled and moved out of his way, but he didn't spare them a glance, simply letting his instincts guide his feet as he sprinted forward.
And so, Kanghyeok arrived.
At the supermarket where he worked.
“Hoo, hoo.”
Shit, so it was here.
The lights in the supermarket were off.
Yet, he knew instantly that something had happened here.
The chain and padlock were missing from the door.
Knowing the owner, she would never have forgotten.
Kanghyeok clenched his jaw and approached the door, pulling a pistol from his pocket and gripping it tightly.
Without even a moment to take a deep breath, he threw the door open.
Any sign of life?
None.
But a familiar smell assaulted his nostrils.
The smell of blood.
The smell of torn flesh.
The smell of death.
Feeling a twitch beneath his eye, Kanghyeok moved forward slowly. He focused all his senses on his hearing and the finger resting on the trigger.
He was ready to blow the head off any son of a bitch who so much as breathed.
Click.
He flipped the switch on the wall, and the lights flickered on.
“Ssss.”
Kanghyeok lowered the hand holding the gun, exhaling sharply through his teeth.
His face was contorted with rage, a deep furrow forming on the bridge of his nose.
The display case was the first thing he saw when the lights came on.
Something that should not have been there was placed right at eye level.
It was the owner’s head.
The head, twisted in agony and covered in blood, seemed to ask why he had taken so long.
*Grind!*
Kanghyeok ground his teeth so hard his face trembled, then lowered his gaze.
A message was written in dark, dried blood.
[Could it be you who killed Johannes? I hope so.]
It was clearly a message for Kanghyeok from the perpetrator.
William stood in an incredibly white, spacious room. His hands were clasped respectfully, but his back and neck were held perfectly straight.
Before him, ten middle-aged and elderly men were seated at a table.
It was an executive boardroom.
Whenever an important matter arose, the executives gathered here.
As such, the room was filled with only items befitting their status.
From the wallpaper to the table.
The water glasses and the potted plant in the corner.
Even the modern art on the wall was of astronomical value, creating an atmosphere that seemed to declare the people in this room were the masters of the world.
Flip, flip.
A man in a suit with a full head of white hair, who had been flipping through papers, looked at William over his glasses.
“A contractor? Not reinstatement?”
“Yes, we redrafted the contract to accommodate his wishes.”
The executive removed his glasses with a displeased expression, and a platinum-blonde woman sitting across from him narrowed her eyes.
“You are aware that this is unprecedented, I assume?”
“I am, Director.”
“Then you’ll have to explain to us why you’re willing to break convention to bring this man on as a contractor.”
All eyes turned to William.
Their gazes were suffocating.
It was the stare of immensely experienced people, an oppressive pressure that would make an ordinary person’s knees buckle, preventing them from even speaking.
But William’s expression remained unchanged.
He was not only used to it but also not the type of person to be intimidated by such pressure.
“I know this is tantamount to a special exception. However, I judged him to be an individual worth holding onto, no matter the cost.”
“He’s just a Deputy Team Leader.”
The executive sitting closest to William spoke, and William turned his gaze to him and nodded.
“The company has many Deputy Team Leaders. But are you aware of their average length of service?”
“I know it’s short.”
The executive frowned and leaned back slightly.
“One year.”
William looked at each of the executives and continued in a calm yet firm voice.
“At shortest, a week. At longest, less than two years. Seventy-eight percent die on missions or resign. As a result, only twelve percent are promoted to Team Leader. And even then, most of those are promoted by simply meeting the service requirement. The number of those promoted based on skill is a mere 0.4 percent of the total personnel.”
“So you’re trying to recruit him to fill our ranks? But if that’s the reason, reinstatement would be better.”
Another executive nodded in agreement.
“I agree. What you just said doesn’t answer the question, HR Manager.”
“Are you trying to change the subject?”
The pressure mounted again.
But William dispelled the pressure with a single sentence.
“Kanghyeok is in that 0.4 percent.”
Before the stunned executives, William continued.
“And among them, he’s the best. His title was Deputy Team Leader, but his promotion was already decided. That’s why I wanted to keep him. He will undoubtedly be an asset to the company.”
A short silence followed.
If what William said was true, Kanghyeok was indeed an asset they had to secure.
Even if it was as a contractor and not through reinstatement.
“Hmm.”
The executive who had taken off his glasses put them back on and began to meticulously review the contract. The other executives also shifted their gazes from William to the documents.
The serious atmosphere of contract review completely took over the room.
“But this is written far too favorably for Kanghyeok.”
“Indeed. The compensation section is also unclear.”
“The contractor arrangement bothers me. If this man causes trouble, the issue of liability becomes a problem.”
William, as if expecting such questions, answered immediately.
“If any problems arise, I will take full responsibility.”
So please accept this.
This contract.
And Kanghyeok.
That was the message conveyed in William’s firm voice and determined eyes.
“Hmm.”
Ashton Cohen, the oldest and the Vice President, put down the contract he was holding.
“HR Manager William.”
“Yes.”
“I have one question for you. Please answer it honestly.”
Cohen’s words always carried weight.
He wasn't the highest-ranking, but as the longest-serving employee, few in the company could ignore what he had to say.
Faced with a question from him, William had no choice but to nod gravely.
“Please, ask.”
“I see a concerning condition in this contract.”
William looked at him, inviting him to continue, and Cohen began to speak while looking at the contract.
“The contractor status. If this contract is signed, Kanghyeok will also have the right to refuse our requests. What will you do if he continuously rejects missions?”
This time, even William couldn’t answer immediately.
It was his biggest concern as well.
What if Kanghyeok used the contract to extract company information or data that benefited him, without contributing to the company at all?
Cohen was pointing this out, and the only thing William could say was to trust him.
But would that be enough?
Anyone can plead for trust without basis.
That’s why, this time, he couldn’t bring himself to say, “Trust me.”
“Silence is also an answer. Usually, it means yes.”
Cohen’s gaze sharpened.
His eyes, sharp for his age, were so intense they seemed capable of dissecting William down to the cellular level, of piercing through to his very soul.
“According to the attached documents, you’ve tasked him with eliminating the gangs as a preliminary step to setting up a safe house.”
“That’s correct.”
“Do you trust him?”
“I trust my eyes.”
Cohen stared into William’s eyes for a long moment.
Then, a faint smile touched his lips. He put down the contract and spoke.
“I will give you ten minutes.”
William’s brows furrowed.
“If you don’t receive a call from him accepting the mission within ten minutes, this contract will be void. A contractor who doesn’t show initiative on his first mission is unlikely to be of much use to us.”
After speaking, Cohen took out his phone.
And he started a ten-minute timer.
The digital timer, displaying down to the hundredths of a second, began to count down with frightening speed.
Ten minutes.
Just ten minutes.
It was too short a time, and everyone in the room knew the chances of Kanghyeok calling within that window were incredibly slim.
The executives who disapproved of the contract looked pleased, while one gave William a pitying look.
They had already concluded that it was too late at night for Kanghyeok to call.
Just then.
“Understood.”
William, who had been silent, spoke.
He looked directly at Cohen, who sat at the end of the table, and continued.
“In return, if Kanghyeok calls within ten minutes, I ask that you approve this contract.”
“That is not a decision I can make alone. It requires the consent of everyone here.”
Cohen then turned his gaze to the other executives.
As they were all looking at him, each one met his eyes.
“I will vote in favor.”
So you all should vote in favor too.
This was the pressure hidden in Cohen’s words, and the other executives gave small nods, averting their eyes.
It’s not going to happen anyway.
That was their belief, but William did not take his eyes off Cohen’s phone.
One minute passed, then two.
Three minutes turned to four, and soon they passed the halfway mark of five minutes.
It was enough to make one give up.
But William watched the phone silently, his expression unwavering.
Moved by his steadfastness, the executives also turned their attention to the phone without a word, and Cohen lifted it for everyone to see.
Now, there were three minutes left.
The probability of Kanghyeok calling seemed to drop sharply with each passing second.
When the remaining time dropped to under a minute, with only a few dozen seconds left, Cohen exhaled through his nose and put the phone down.
“It’s a shame…”
Just then.
*Bzzzzzt!*
As urgent and intense as hailing a departing taxi, William’s phone began to vibrate.
But there was no guarantee it was Kanghyeok.
“Excuse me.”
William, keeping his eyes fixed on the executives, took the phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID.
Unregistered number.
A number that looked like it could be from a pay phone.
For the first time, William frowned that it wasn't Kanghyeok's number, and one executive twisted his lips into a sneer.
“It’s not over yet.”
William completely ignored his gaze and pressed the call button.
In the brief moment it took to bring the phone to his ear, he prayed and prayed that the caller would be Kanghyeok.
(William.)
The moment he heard the subdued voice, William felt a jolt run down his spine.
*Tap.*
Seeing his expression, Cohen stopped the timer.
(It’s me.)
“I’m listening, Kanghyeok.”
William switched to speakerphone and placed the phone on the table.
“Go on.”
(That job you mentioned.)
“You’ve decided to take it?”
(I’ll do it right away. I’ll take it.)
William observed the expressions on the executives’ faces.
He paid special attention to those who had been against the contract.
A faint smile touched William’s eyes as he turned his gaze back to the phone.
“Understood. I’ll contact you again later.”
He had so many questions.
Why did his voice sound so heavy?
Why did he call so soon?
And why did he have to use a pay phone?
Did something bad happen?
Still, I hope he isn't too sad.
Because it seems something good is about to happen here.
“Congratulations, William.”
Cohen lifted his phone to show the timer.
Remaining time: 3.56 seconds.
It was close, but the call had come in time.
“All those in favor of this contract, please raise your hand.”
Cohen looked at the executives and raised one hand.
One by one, the executives raised their hands, even those who had been reluctant about the contract did so begrudgingly.
After counting all the raised hands, William put his phone back in his pocket.
“Thank you for the unanimous approval.”
Not a single executive opposed the contract.
Without hesitation, William turned his back on the executives and walked out of the boardroom.
His steps seemed lighter than usual.