Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: It May Not Be Enough as a Token of Trust
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Jeff approached Kanghyeok.
“It's a shame to greet you in a place like this, rather than at the company.”
“Not at all. I should have been the one to visit and greet you first.”
As Jeff smiled at Kanghyeok, faint wrinkles spread across his face.
“I'm glad my last job is related to you.”
“Your last job?”
It was the first time not only the workers but even Kanghyeok had heard this, so he shifted his gaze to William.
William was looking at Jeff.
“It's not your last job, is it?”
“No, it is, for all intents and purposes. This is the only work of value left for me.”
Kanghyeok cast a glance at William, hoping for an explanation.
William, who had been looking at Jeff with a genuinely regretful expression, met his gaze. When Jeff nodded, William spoke with difficulty.
“Mr. Jeff will be retiring soon.”
There was no noise around them, so William's words reached Kanghyeok clearly.
But it took a moment for him to understand.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what you heard.”
With a somewhat lonely expression, Jeff's gaze swept around.
He looked at the workers, Kanghyeok, and William, then at the sky, the earth, and the wind.
“I've grown old, so it's only right that I move on, just as the seasons change. I was advised to resign.”
Kanghyeok was at a loss for words.
Retirement?
And a forced one at that?
Kanghyeok knew Jeff Black, and naturally, he knew the future.
But he had no personal connection with him, so he couldn't have imagined that he would be forced to resign.
Most likely, only a very small number of people knew this fact.
“On behalf of the company, I apologize.”
“No. It was bound to happen someday. I'm personally disappointed, but I understand it can't be helped.”
Is this right?
Looking at William and Jeff, Kanghyeok frowned unconsciously.
Jeff was an indispensable figure to the company, an authority with a special talent for developing bulletproof suits and various new technologies.
He couldn't readily understand why the company would let such a person go with its own hands.
“Thank you for making that face.”
Jeff, unaware of Kanghyeok's inner thoughts, took his hand.
“It's not easy to be purely angry on someone else's behalf. Thank you, Mr. Kang.”
Kanghyeok conveyed his feelings by giving Jeff's hand a firm squeeze before letting go.
Jeff also released Kanghyeok's hand and looked around the construction site.
“Well then, let's get to work. An official notice came down from the company, instructing us to actively incorporate Mr. Kang's opinions. So please, tell us everything you want.”
The gazes of the workers and Jeff all converged on Kanghyeok.
It was a situation where he could have felt a little smug, but hearing that Jeff had been forced to resign left him feeling not so great.
“You don't look too well.”
Three hours and twenty-three minutes passed.
Kanghyeok was in his room with William. Leila had contacted him in the meantime, but he had replied asking her to give them some space.
So, Kanghyeok and William had the time and space to talk comfortably in the room.
*Creeak.*
William, perched on the edge of Kanghyeok's bed, opened the window and took out his cigar case.
“Why was Jeff let go?”
William's hand, which was taking out a cigar, paused for a moment.
But it soon moved again, holding both ends of the cigar.
“It wasn't my decision.”
“Then whose?”
“The executives' decision. Under the pretext of cutting operating costs and restructuring personnel.”
Kanghyeok said, almost growling.
“Since when has the company been worried about money?”
“That's what I'm wondering too.”
William's words, which came out as if he had been waiting to say them, felt like they were embedding themselves deep in Kanghyeok's mind.
“What did you say?”
“It means that something has happened that I, too, cannot understand.”
“…”
“I know better than anyone that Jeff is a necessary talent for the company. When they proposed letting him go, who do you think was the first and most vocal to object?”
It would have been William, of course.
Kanghyeok remained silent as William clipped both ends of the cigar and placed it in his mouth.
Then he took out a lighter and lit the end of the cigar.
*Phew.*
William exhaled the smoke like a man burdened with worries.
“The field agents might not know, but the atmosphere at the company has changed a lot. It's not like the company I used to know.”
Was that so?
Had it been?
Kanghyeok wouldn't know.
In his previous life, he had simply followed the company's orders, silently taking up his gun and deploying on missions.
Equipment was constantly improved, and the bulletproof suits were upgraded.
So he didn't know.
That such conversations and thoughts had been exchanged among the company's upper echelons.
“It's not all bad news. There's good news, too. Focus on that.”
“You mean getting a secretary?”
“Why do you think they assigned you a secretary?”
Kanghyeok, who had been about to take out a cigarette, shifted his eyes to look at William.
“Was there a reason?”
“It means they intend to give you a position to match.”
Having a secretary meant being treated at the level of a team leader.
However, being a contractor, Kanghyeok had interpreted it as only being treated that way, without the actual title.
“What…”
“I'm saying they'll give you the title, too.”
“A team leader in name only is meaningless. I'm a contractor, after all.”
“Save that kind of talk for when you're with me. If anyone dares to look down on you for being a contractor, I won't stand for it.”
William's yellowed eyes stared fearsomely at Kanghyeok as he continued.
“I recommended you as the head of the new safe house.”
The sky was clear.
Yet he felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.
‘Head of the safe house? Me?’
Even most team leaders weren't guaranteed such a position.
It was a situation for which only the old-fashioned expression "meteoric rise" would suffice, and it was definitely not a job that would be given to a contractor.
“For what reason?”
“I pushed for it.”
Kanghyeok's gaze demanded an explanation.
William then looked at Kanghyeok with eyes that were neither smiling nor tense, but calm and intensely bright, and continued.
“Because it had to be done.”
“That's not an answer.”
“On the surface, it's because there's no one as suitable as you.”
This, he understood.
Kanghyeok had lived in this city.
Still, that wasn't enough reason to be made the head.
“Personally, I need someone in a position who can move freely while avoiding the company's interference. The head of a safe house can certainly do that.”
A moment of silence.
Kanghyeok put a cigarette in his mouth and flicked open his Zippo lighter.
*Flick! Fsssh.*
With the lit cigarette between his lips, Kanghyeok held William's gaze for a long time.
“Do you trust me?”
“Do *you* trust *me*?”
Was it due to desperation?
Or was it because of the suspicion he had yet to fully resolve?
“I'm not… certain yet.”
Kanghyeok answered as if talking to himself, and William smiled deeply, as if he had expected it.
His face looked somewhat sad.
*Phew!*
“Suspicion isn't an emotion that can be resolved with words.”
Kanghyeok nodded in agreement.
Suspicion resolved by words?
That wasn't suspicion; it was a misunderstanding.
Even if such a shallow suspicion that could be resolved by words existed somewhere in the world, it was of a completely different nature from the feeling Kanghyeok harbored.
“The way you look at me has changed a bit since before you went to Mexico. What did you see there?”
“A list. But you weren't on it.”
“The one on the USB?”
“…I didn't mention the format.”
As Kanghyeok spoke in a voice filled with rising suspicion, William stood up.
“Wait, you haven't answered…”
William walked past Kanghyeok toward the door.
“It may not be enough as a token of trust, but.”
He stopped in front of the door, reached into his coat, and pulled out something small, holding it up.
Kanghyeok's eyes fixed on it.
A USB.
It was the exact same model as the one he had secured in Mexico.
The only difference was that its casing was worn.
“How did you…”
“I'll tell you this.”
With his eyes still on the door, William put the USB back into his inner jacket pocket.
“You and I are looking at the same thing. Someday, on the same day, at the same time, we will reach the same goal.”
“…”
“Until then, trust me a little longer. If you do.”
William turned back to look at Kanghyeok.
His eyes held more power than ever before.
“I promise I will be a greater strength to you than anyone else in the world.”
*Click.*
Kanghyeok could only watch as William opened the door and left.
*Vroom.*
Leila had been watching the car as it approached, ever since it came into view.
Yohan had the safety on his pistol set to fire, and the area around him was littered with ammo boxes and spent casings.
“Is it someone you know, sis?”
“We'll see.”
Leila spoke calmly and walked toward the car, which stopped in front of her.
It was another vacant lot on the outskirts of the city.
A place with a faint view of the city's nightscape, where the only light came from the full moon.
Beneath the peering, pale moonlight, the driver's side door of the car opened, and a man with a full head of white hair got out.
“Mr. Jeff.”
Surprised by the unexpected visit, Leila greeted Jeff politely.
*Click.*
Behind her, Yohan switched the safety on his gun. Jeff offered Leila a warm greeting and extended his hand.
“I stopped by to say a brief farewell before I leave.”
“You're leaving already?”
“I've heard all of Mr. Kang's requests and have passed them on to the workers.”
Then, Jeff shifted his gaze to Yohan, who stood tensed behind Leila.
‘Is it because of that boy?’
Among Kanghyeok's requests was a shooting range.
The official reason was a training facility for the agents who would use this safe house, but it was unlikely that agents would come all the way to a safe house just for target practice.
That meant the facility was for someone else.
*Clink.*
Seeing the piles of spent casings, enough to trip over, and Yohan's swollen index finger, Jeff roughly grasped the situation.
‘Well, it doesn't matter.’
Normally, it would be right to file a report, as it was an attempt to use company capital for personal reasons.
But Jeff didn't want to do that.
Once the shooting range was built, the agents would probably use it a little anyway. And the fact that he was being forced to resign also played a part.
‘This much should be fine. A loss of this magnitude is hardly a loss to the company.’
Jeff snorted a laugh at himself for having thoughts he normally wouldn't.
Having decided to just bury the matter in his heart, he focused on giving Leila a firm handshake.
“It's good to see your face on my way out.”
“Will you visit again next time?”
“I don't think there will be a next time.”
“That's a shame.”
“Indeed it is.”
Jeff checked the time on his wristwatch.
Seventy hours left.
It was the last bit of time he had left as an employee of the company.
And during this time, there was one thing he had to do.
“It would be nice if we could have a meal together.”
Looking at Leila's disappointed face, Jeff gave a bitter smile.
“I'm sorry. I have a flight to catch. I don't think I'll have the time.”
“Oh, I see. I'll pass on your regards to Kanghyeok.”
“I'm sorry. And thank you.”
“Not at all. It can't be helped if you're busy.”
Leila seemed curious about Jeff's business.
Jeff pressed his lips together for a moment, then took out his wallet and pulled out a business card.
After receiving the business card, Leila nodded with a look that said she had a rough idea of what was going on.
“You're going to conduct an investigation.”
“Sometimes, this is necessary. For an expert to personally inspect the equipment being used in the field.”
Milli-Weapon.
That was the company name written on Jeff's business card.
It was one of the corporations managed by the company, and publicly, it was involved in developing military equipment.
“Where are you headed?”
“The Middle East.”
Leila smiled bitterly and tried to return the card.
But Jeff asked her to keep it as a memento, adding that he hoped she wouldn't forget him.
So the business card went into Leila's pocket.
“Please, I hope you return safely.”
“Please take good care of Mr. Kang.”
Jeff gave a parting gesture by slightly tipping the hat he was wearing, then got into his car.
*Vrooom.*
Watching the departing car, Leila took out the business card again.
It was because a strangely ominous feeling was washing over her.