Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Why Do I Have to Say This? (1)
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"This... can't be."
The heavy recoil from the shotgun blast was undeniable.
The widespread shot had peppered the area around the door, so it should have hit Kanghyeok, who was standing right in the middle of it.
And yet, Kanghyeok had only been pushed back slightly; he hadn't fallen.
"Huuuh."
Seeing Kanghyeok groan, his teeth clenched and his face contorted, Rashid felt a chill run down his spine.
"You, you! You!"
As if having a seizure, Rashid aimed the shotgun at Kanghyeok's head.
His stance was proper, and although it was only two steps, he had closed the distance.
*BOOM!*
Once again, the shotgun's muzzle spat fire, smoke, and pellets. As the smell of hot lead and gunpowder instantly filled the room, Rashid's eyes widened in shock.
"How..."
Kanghyeok was still standing, having raised his arm to block his head.
*Click!*
Rashid pulled the trigger, but it was a double-barreled shotgun with a two-shot capacity. Nothing came out.
"Ngh! Nngh!"
Kanghyeok rubbed his stiff arm, then pointed his pistol at the flustered Rashid.
*BANG!*
"Aaaargh!"
Shot through the ankle, Rashid screamed and put a hand on the floor to steady himself. Kanghyeok kept the gun aimed at him as he walked forward.
"I have business with you."
*BANG!*
"Gyaaaaaah!"
A bullet pierced the back of his left hand, and Rashid rolled on the floor, his voice rising.
"Outside! Outside! Is anyone there?!"
*BANG!*
This time, the bullet went through the top of his other foot.
"Kiiieeegh!"
A piercing scream echoed through the room, and blood splattered everywhere from his flailing limbs.
*Thud.*
Kanghyeok stopped right in front of Rashid.
Rashid's eyes were wide as he stared at Kanghyeok and the gun still pointed at him.
"S-save..."
*Click.*
The gun, which had been aimed at his uninjured wrist, made an empty sound.
Rashid, who had been about to scream, thought for a brief moment that the terrifying ordeal was over.
*Clack.*
But when Kanghyeok ejected the magazine and pulled a new one from his pocket, he realized it was a false hope.
*Vrooom.*
In the car on the way to the meeting point, Leila and Aiden looked to their left at almost the same time.
It was Rashid's mansion.
The iron gates were wide open, but the local residents, who dared not enter, were gathered in a crowd large enough to obstruct traffic.
*'It's over.'*
Leila glanced at the bodies littering the building's exterior stairs and the open door, then tilted her head.
The signs of their resistance were clear.
But the door was wide open, and Kanghyeok had designated a different meeting place.
"My God, is he a monster?"
Aiden muttered from directly behind the driver's seat, as if mesmerized.
His complexion and voice were much more relaxed than before he'd parted ways with Kanghyeok.
"Looks like the treatment was quite effective."
Aiden looked at Leila in the rearview mirror, the corner of his lip twitching.
"In places like this, they pump you full of painkillers. It's hard to get proper medicine, unlike in the States."
"I hope you continue to take your medication as prescribed."
Aiden didn't reply, instead looking out the window at the people.
He was looking at the people who were quietly rejoicing that Rashid, their oppressor, had been attacked.
If this were the US, the place would probably be filled with people cheering or pulling out their phones to take pictures for social media.
But even that pure joy was nowhere to be found here.
They had lived their entire lives in anxiety.
Aiden watched them blankly for a moment before looking away.
"It's pointless."
"What is?"
Aiden pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze.
He knew they wouldn't get a fairytale ending where they lived happily ever after.
Some other bastard would just pop up and do the same thing.
It was just an endless cycle of running in place.
He had seen it too many times, for too long, during his time as a soldier.
Just then, Leila pressed the communication device in her ear and spoke.
"We're almost there."
Then she glanced at the rearview mirror and continued.
"Yes, he's much better."
Aiden realized she was talking about him, while Leila focused on Kanghyeok's voice and turned the steering wheel.
(I've secured his cooperation.)
Leila let out a soft laugh and checked her watch.
"It took you longer than I expected."
(I was moving to another location.)
"Has the next destination been decided?"
(Let's talk about that in person.)
Leila furrowed her brow.
But she figured Kanghyeok must have his reasons, so she spoke.
"Arriving in one minute."
(Bring Aiden with you.)
"Understood."
Leila slowed the car considerably at the entrance to a narrow alley.
It was impossible to drive through, so she had no choice but to park. She told Aiden to get out, and the two of them entered the cramped, dark alley, so narrow that sunlight couldn't reach the bottom.
*Scrape.*
Just walking was enough to scrape both shoulders against the walls, forcing Aiden to turn his upper body at a 45-degree angle. He let out a faint groan whenever his casted hand brushed against the wall.
*Creeak.*
Leila pushed open a wooden door that opened inwards and, with Aiden, stepped onto the stairs leading down to a basement.
As they descended, the smell of garbage and the scent of heated dust from an old incandescent bulb assaulted their noses.
*Clang.*
But the moment she opened the door, they realized those two smells were nothing.
The thick stench of blood and antiseptic was so strong it was almost visible.
"Pfft."
As Aiden exhaled sharply, as if to force out the foul smell that had entered his mouth, Leila looked at Kanghyeok and Rashid, who was tied to a chair under the incandescent light.
"Good work."
"It was nothing."
Kanghyeok wiped the blood from his hands with a cloth and looked down at Rashid.
His mouth wasn't gagged, but Rashid couldn't say a word.
He just reacted sensitively to Kanghyeok's every small movement, his eyes darting around cautiously.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"We don't have much time."
"Is that what he said?"
Rashid turned his gaze to Leila, then shook his head violently.
The movement pulled at the wounds all over his body, and his jaw trembled as he swallowed the pain.
"My God... This is absurd."
Even Aiden knew that Rashid was a figure who commanded this region.
It was astounding to see such a person so docile, but even more astounding was that neither Leila nor Kanghyeok seemed to think it was a big deal.
"I'm talking about physical time. And if they find out this guy is dead too, Jeff dies."
"That makes sense."
Rashid's body trembled as he shook his head again.
"So we're going to need his cooperation."
"Hmm."
Leila nodded as if she roughly understood Kanghyeok's intention.
"What's the chance he'll resist halfway through?"
If Rashid asks Dive for help or tells him what happened, the whole situation will get complicated.
"Zero."
Kanghyeok answered immediately, and Rashid nodded vigorously.
Just what kind of hell had he been put through?
Leila looked at the bandages wrapped around Rashid's body and the bloodstains seeping through them, then gave a slight nod.
"What's the specific plan?"
"We'll act as if we've been kidnapped."
Rashid's and Aiden's bewildered gazes fell on Kanghyeok.
"That will certainly save time."
As Leila spoke with understanding, Kanghyeok pulled Rashid's phone from his pocket.
"Exactly."
For now, this was the safest method.
To put the kidnapper, Dive, at ease.
And to make him believe he had achieved his initial objective: kidnapping Kanghyeok and Leila.
It was a way for Kanghyeok and Leila to join Jeff without conflict, by luring him into a false sense of security.
Just secure Jeff's safety.
After that, all that would remain was what Kanghyeok did best.
*Beep, beep, beep.*
Kanghyeok found Dive's name in Rashid's call history and handed the phone to Leila.
Then, he opened the notepad app on the phone to prepare a message.
"Aiden."
"Yeah?"
Kanghyeok took a pistol from his pocket, loaded it, and handed it to Aiden.
"This is..."
"If I give the signal, shoot him."
"N-no! I'll do whatever you say!"
Rashid squirmed and winced. Aiden felt the weight of the gun and nodded grimly.
He then pressed the muzzle to Rashid's temple.
"Hhhhp."
Beside Rashid, who was letting out a fearful groan, Leila pressed the call button.
*Ring, ring, ring.*
She had pressed the speaker button, so everyone could hear the ringing.
A strangely solemn and tense atmosphere settled over them.
Part of it was that all three were focused on Rashid, but the decisive reason was the importance of this call.
This was the final step.
The one that would lead them to Jeff...
Only God knew if the plan would succeed or fail.
And so, the three of them surrounded Rashid like priests offering a sacrifice to their god, listening to the ringing with heavy hearts, as if in prayer.
*Gulp.*
Rashid, swallowing dryly, was just as serious.
He wanted to live.
He knew all too well that to satisfy this intense, fundamental human instinct, his only option was to steer the conversation according to the wishes of the people surrounding him.
Just as he felt the cold press of the pistol against his temple, the call connected.
(What's up?)
The moment he heard Dive's voice, Rashid's face trembled.
Aiden pressed the gun harder, as if to steady his face, and Rashid's lips twisted as he began to speak.
"It went just like you said, man."
(What? Are you okay? Are you hurt?)
"Thanks to you, I'm perfectly fine."
What Rashid had gone through was because of Dive.
If it weren't for Dive, whom he'd always looked down on, none of this would have happened.
He kept the seething emotions confined to his expression, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. A sigh of relief came from the phone.
(That's a relief. I was worried something had happened.)
*Grind.*
As Rashid bit his lip, Kanghyeok typed on the phone's keypad with his thumb and showed it to him.
[Tell him you captured us alive.]
"I've got them."
(For real? You crazy son of a bitch! Where are they now?)
"Right in front of me."
Kanghyeok typed again, composing a new sentence.
[Tell him you'll deliver them to him. Along with the money.]
"It was nothing. More importantly, these guys. Aren't they related to you? I'll have my men deliver them. With the money."
(The money, too?)
"I've got plenty of that. You need it more than I do."
(Rashid...)
His voice was genuinely moved.
"Don't thank me."
Rashid said it with sincerity.
He glanced at Kanghyeok.
He understood Kanghyeok's intention.
To go to Dive disguised as a hostage.
How could he not know what would happen if this man met Dive?
That damned bastard Dive would get a lead bullet in his head.
This was the greatest revenge Rashid could take on Dive, the cause of his current predicament.
(Thanks. What about the location? Can you take a note right now?)
"Text it to me."
(Will do! You really went through a lot. Thanks. I'm glad you're safe.)
Rashid clenched his jaw, his face trembling.
"I'm hanging up now."
Rashid wanted to end the call, feeling like his brain would explode if he heard Dive's voice any longer. Leila granted his wish.
*Beep.*
As she pressed the end call button, an eerie silence fell.
Feeling as if he'd been dropped back into the scene, Rashid swallowed dryly and watched Kanghyeok.
He couldn't help but be aware of the gun muzzle still pressed against his temple.