Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Price of a Promise
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Gabriel and Amos climbed the ladder dropped from the helicopter, leaving the lifeboat behind. It felt like they had been thrown into another world.
“Welcome, Mr. Kang. Where can I take you?”
“To the coast.”
“Would the United States be all right?”
“No, somewhere closer.”
Whir, whir, whir!
The roar of the propeller battered their ears and bodies.
And the sight of Kanghyeok conversing with the pilot through a headset was unfamiliar.
“And those two?”
“They're locals. No need to be on guard.”
“Understood. We'll ensure a comfortable flight.”
It was the first time Gabriel and Amos had ever been in a helicopter. The conversation between Kanghyeok and the pilot, filtered through their headsets, felt utterly alien, and Kanghyeok himself seemed like a stranger.
Was this really the same man who had been in the lifeboat just moments ago?
Was this truly the man who had fought alongside them, gun in hand?
Strangely, in that moment, he felt distant.
“Rest. For now.”
Kanghyeok spoke in a comforting voice before leaning his back against the helicopter wall.
Seeing him take a cigarette offered by the co-pilot, Amos and Gabriel leaned back as well.
*Well, no need to feel so distant.*
Following Kanghyeok's lead, Amos and Gabriel closed their eyes. When they opened them again, they were back at the abandoned port they had left.
Whir, whir, whir.
In an open lot where the propeller wash kicked up dust from the ground, Gabriel and Amos stood facing Kanghyeok.
The pilots remained in the helicopter, and with no one else around, the atmosphere was relaxed enough for a private conversation.
“Thank you. I mean that sincerely.”
Amos, standing beside Gabriel, spoke to Kanghyeok, who replied with a faint smile.
“I'm the one who should be thankful.”
“It wasn't your fight. It was ours.”
At Gabriel's words, Kanghyeok's smile faded slightly.
*I wonder about that...*
These two, members of the Errant Priests, had risked their lives to protect many people.
They had encountered Kanghyeok in the process and ended up working toward the same goal.
To put it bluntly, Kanghyeok was the one who had received their help.
But Gabriel and Amos saw it differently.
Kanghyeok, an outsider with no reason to risk his life or get involved, had stayed with them until the very end.
Without him, they would not have succeeded in their mission, and they would have lost their lives.
“Why did you do so much for us?”
Kanghyeok, his smile now completely gone, met Gabriel's gaze.
“Because it had to be done.”
Gabriel's eyes widened slightly, and then he laughed.
His mask hid his face.
But his aura and the look in his eyes made it clear he was smiling.
Just then, Amos extended a hand to Kanghyeok.
Kanghyeok shook it, and Amos spoke with genuine sincerity.
“It was an honor to fight alongside you. And I have one request.”
Though Kanghyeok hadn't agreed to anything, Amos continued.
“We owe you a debt. Give us a chance to repay it.”
Kanghyeok couldn't answer lightly.
*These guys...*
He could see Amos's sincerity in his eyes.
It was the look of a man who would come without hesitation if Kanghyeok ever called.
The promise to risk his life was reflected in his gaze.
Kanghyeok's lips parted.
He hadn't joined them with intentions as pure as they believed.
That bothered him, but their actions, a clear sign that the future had changed, moved him deeply.
Originally, the relationship between the Errant Priests and the Company was not good.
They had no contact, no interaction.
That was the original future.
But now, Gabriel and Amos, members of the Errant Priests, considered him a comrade.
*Can the future truly be changed?*
No one could possibly understand how deeply this unspeakable truth touched him.
Kanghyeok bit his lower lip and gave a short nod.
“When the time comes, I'll ask.”
“Heh, even if it's not then, come find us anytime. You're our friend.”
Kanghyeok smiled, the corners of his lips turning up, and gave Amos's hand one firm shake before letting go.
Gabriel then met Amos's eyes.
They exchanged a silent proposal and agreement with just a look before turning their attention back to Kanghyeok.
“Our residence is in Brennero, Italy. There's a small cathedral a little ways to the west. Stop by anytime.”
“I will.”
“Alright, then.”
Amos and Gabriel turned to leave.
They walked away from Kanghyeok without looking back or saying another word.
It didn't matter.
They were no longer strangers.
The bond of camaraderie, one that could only be forged by those who had risked their lives in the same battle, now held the three of them together.
Knowing they would somehow, somewhere meet again, Kanghyeok also turned and walked toward the helicopter.
*Click. Click.*
The sun had not yet reached its zenith.
In a place some distance from the city.
At the same spot where Kanghyeok had taught him to shoot, Yohan aimed an empty gun at a target.
*Click.*
The pistol, its magazine empty, could not spit out a bullet.
Still, Yohan racked the slide to chamber a round each time, practicing magazine changes as he moved to the next target.
*Click.*
Kanghyeok had only been gone for a few days.
A short period.
But Yohan's movements had changed dramatically.
Though there were still flaws, his actions were clean and smooth.
It was the result of his effort—the sweat he had shed and the trigger he had pulled until his fingers blistered.
*Click.*
Yohan moved without even a moment to wipe his sweat, only taking a brief rest after firing a dry round at the final target.
“Hooo.”
Yohan sat on a pile of old tires and stroked the pistol.
*He said he'd be back today, right?*
A mix of anticipation and worry washed over him.
He couldn't judge for himself whether he was practicing correctly or if he had developed any bad habits.
Would Kanghyeok praise him?
Or would he scold him?
With a gaze filled with tension and expectation, Yohan stared at the pistol for a long while before getting up from the tires.
*Vrrrrrrm!*
The sound of a car engine caught Yohan's attention.
“Kang...”
Yohan trailed off the moment he saw the car.
The old, beat-up car, a common sight here, was not Kanghyeok's.
*There it is again.*
It was a car that always passed by around this time.
The place was so remote that it was hard not to remember. Yohan tried to ignore the car but found himself looking at it again.
Something was different.
Its headlights were pointed straight at him, as if taking aim, and it was driving directly toward him.
Yohan was startled by the car's unexpected approach.
*Why...*
Then, Yohan started to run as if fleeing.
He had a feeling they were targeting him, and he had a rough idea why.
He was out of bullets.
Having been born and raised here, Yohan knew how things worked.
Bullets cost money, and he had been firing them for days on end, only stopping to sleep.
To the locals, it must have looked like he had so much money he was just throwing it on the ground.
And now, a guy like that had finally run out of ammo.
He was ripe for the picking, a perfect target to be robbed or even kidnapped for his organs.
*Vrooom!*
The car sped up, cut him off, and screeched to a halt.
And two men got out, and they were exactly the type of scum he had expected.
*Click!*
Yohan aimed the pistol at them.
It had no bullets, but if he could just bluff his way through this...
“Little shit! What's with the tough act when you're out of bullets?”
*Damn it.*
Yohan flipped off the safety and placed his index finger on the trigger.
His convincing stance made the men flinch.
But when time passed and Yohan didn't fire, only backing away, the men sneered.
“That pistol's expensive, right?”
“It doesn't look ordinary. We could get some good money for it.”
“Kid, just hand it over quietly. You should listen to your elders.”
Realizing they were after the pistol, Yohan felt a chill run down his spine.
This was the gun Kanghyeok had entrusted to him.
That gun...?
*Wham!*
One of the men lunged forward and grabbed the pistol.
*Click!*
Yohan reflexively aimed the muzzle between the man's eyebrows and pulled the trigger, but the empty magazine had no bullet to offer.
“You son of a bitch!”
The startled man spat as he kicked Yohan in the shin.
*Thwack!*
“Aargh!”
“Motherfucker! Fucking bastard! Pointing a gun at me!”
*Thump! Thud!*
He then mercilessly stomped on the fallen Yohan's back and neck. Even so, Yohan refused to let go of the pistol, his arm bent at an awkward angle.
“Ptui!”
The man tried to at least pry the gun from Yohan's grasp.
“What? Not letting go?”
“Let go, you bastard.”
Covered in dust, Yohan looked up at the man and growled.
“Hah, this little shit.”
*Crack!*
“Don't kick his face, you idiot!”
Yohan's vision swam. He let out a groan and tightened his grip on the pistol.
If it had been his own, he wouldn't have gone this far.
But this pistol was Kanghyeok's.
He could lose his life, but he could not lose this gun.
“Hah, this kid's a tough one.”
“Just kill him!”
As if waiting for those words, the other man pulled a pistol from his waistband.
Just as he pressed it against Yohan's forehead and was about to pull the trigger,
*Thwack!*
Yohan kicked him between the legs.
“Guuuhk!”
The man doubled over, clutching his groin. His partner stared in shock, and the hand holding the pistol went slack.
Yohan immediately hugged the pistol to his chest and scrambled away from them.
“Get that bastard!”
The man whose face was swelling up as if his eyes would pop out screamed from his crumpled position on the ground.
It was then.
*Bang!*
Blood spurted from the man's shoulder.
“Aaaargh!”
Blood gushed from between the fingers of the hand clutching his shoulder.
“Damn it, fuck! Who the hell was that!”
“C-Crazy.”
The other man wondered if Yohan had somehow fired the gun. But Yohan looked just as surprised, so the man looked behind him, past his writhing partner.
And there, he saw a car parked at a distance and a man of East Asian descent holding an ammo box in one hand and a pistol in the other. He had no idea when he'd arrived.
It was the man who was spoken of like a ghost story in this city.
“You mother...”
The man's lips trembled as he pulled a pistol from his jacket,
*Bang!*
and immediately, his finger was shot off, causing him to drop the gun.
“Aaaaaargh!”
*Thud, thud.*
As Kanghyeok approached, only Yohan relaxed.
The other men feared him, hesitating and backing away, not daring to even pick up the dropped gun.
“Uh, ugh. Th-that is.”
*Smack!*
Kanghyeok slammed the ammo box into the man's pierced shoulder.
“Agh!”
The pain was so intense it overwhelmed his brain, preventing a proper scream from escaping.
The man's mouth hung open as tears streamed down his face unknowingly. Kanghyeok grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back.
The man's eyes, filled with terror and pain, met Kanghyeok's.
Kanghyeok studied the man's face as if tearing it apart before speaking.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Ugh, sob. S-Spare me, please spare me.”
*Bang, bang! Bang!*
Kanghyeok shot him in the other shoulder, the thigh, and then the sole of his foot.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Everyone froze at the sight of Kanghyeok firing his pistol with a calm, expressionless face.
The man's partner, in particular, felt his pants grow damp.
“Listen carefully. The only reason I'm letting you live is because I can't be bothered to dispose of the body.”
“Sob, sob.”
“This is the only time I'll let you go. If I see you again, I'll kill you on sight.”
“Y-Yes, yes.”
“Get lost.”
His voice was so clear that even a child would know it wasn't a threat or a warning, but a statement of fact.
The man nodded frantically. Kanghyeok watched as he was helped back to the car by his partner.
Then, he aimed his pistol at the man's back.
*Bang!*
“Hyaak!”
*Splat.*
Startled by the warning shot, the uninjured man ducked, covering his head. This caused his bullet-ridden companion to fall face-first onto the ground. After confirming he hadn't been hit, he hastily pulled his partner up and scrambled into the car.
*Vrrrrrrm!*
Once they were gone, Kanghyeok turned his gaze to Yohan.