Power & Sex, and... 62
“Lower the gun.”
“Bullshit. Hey! You fucking prick, you think you're hot shit just 'cause you're an assemblyman? Should I grovel on my knees and beg forgiveness, sir?”
“Who the hell are you guys?”
“You don't need to know that. Just hand over that original footage you're using to blackmail our assemblymen!”
“I need to know who you are to decide whether to give it to you or not, don't I?”
“Grab that bastard and throw him in the car!”
They were really planning to drag me off. Made sense—they'd come armed with guns, so they must have been prepared for anything. As one guy lunged toward me, Im Bi-seo and Jongmin leaped forward, swinging punches at him.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out, followed by a grunt as Jongmin collapsed to the ground. Im Bi-seo froze at the sound, so I rushed to Jongmin's side. He was clutching his left shoulder in agony, blood seeping between his fingers. I ripped open his shirt buttons, yanked it off, then tore his undershirt into long strips like bandages and wrapped them tightly around the bullet wound.
“You guys from the agency?”
“Shut your fucking mouth already. Hand over the original footage!”
“You think I'd be carrying it around?”
“Then we'll find it when we take you in. Grab him and load him up!”
The guy with the pistol barked orders, and the others started closing in on me slowly. Sangdu, who had been watching over the fallen Jongmin, suddenly threw his head back and yelled, “You dog bastards! Come on!” as he pulled a jackknife from somewhere. Im Bi-seo steadied himself, bracing for them too.
“Jongmin, stay down.”
With Im Bi-seo and Sangdu facing them off, even Jongmin—shoulder clutched, face twisted in pain—struggled to his feet. The three of them formed a protective circle around me, glaring daggers at the thugs.
“You dog bastards! Kill us if you can! I don't know how many people in Korea can even fire a gun without consequences, but you fuckers will face judgment too.”
He was right. My car's black box camera had captured every word and action. If any of us could escape with the car, we'd eventually expose their crimes and bring them to justice. But first, one of us had to survive long enough to drive away.
The standoff dragged on until police sirens wailed in the distance. Glancing back, I saw a patrol car speeding toward us, lights flashing. The thugs panicked at the sight, backpedaling to their car before peeling out with a screech of tires and roaring engine.
“Assemblyman, are you okay?”
“I'm fine, but this guy's been shot.”
“Shot?”
“Yeah. Get him to a hospital fast.”
Not just the patrol car—a whole convoy screeched to a halt in front of us. The hotel manager leaped out of one.
“Sir! Hwasun District Police Sergeant Kim Cheol-yong reporting!”
“Yes, thank you for your service. Get this guy to the hospital quick.”
Once the patrol car carrying Jongmin drove off, Sergeant Kim approached again, asking for a rundown of the incident. I gave him the basics, then followed them to Hwasun Police Station. When we pulled into the yard, the station chief and his officers were lined up waiting—clearly tipped off ahead of time.
“Sir! Hwasun Police Chief Superintendent Park Hong-su!”
“You've worked hard.”
“Assemblyman, please come inside first.”
I followed the chief up to his office on the second floor. As I sat down at his gesture, he opened with a troubled, heavy expression.
“Assemblyman, I'm so sorry. Our police failed in our duty, letting this happen.”
“No, Chief, that's not it. Even the police couldn't have stopped this.”
“?”
He stared at me, puzzled. Ignoring it, I asked him to check which hospital they'd taken Jongmin to. After a quick call, he reported Jongmin was at Chonnam National University Hospital, where the bullet had been successfully removed.
Things had escalated this far—no more need to lay low. I called Seo the assemblyman.
“Park Maru speaking.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“How far do you plan to take this?”
“Park, we didn't do that.”
“If not you, then who?”
“They said they'd handle it themselves...”
“Right. You wouldn't procure gunmen yourself, Assemblyman Seo.”
“Gunmen? Guns? What the hell are you talking about?”
“The guy protecting me got shot.”
“What?”
Seo's voice shot up. Clearly, he hadn't expected guns. But I was done accommodating them. I declared firmly,
“It's 11:47 now. Hold that press conference you scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m. today. I'll wait until then. If not, I'll hold one right here in this police station!”
I hung up. No more talking, no more favors. Dragging this to Wednesday might get someone else hurt. Time to end it.
Foolishly, the gunmen hadn't broken through the police cordon—they'd been captured. I headed down to the statement room on the first floor with the chief. Their arrest would soon reach their bosses, so we needed IDs before the calls came in.
Seeing them in the room, they didn't scream "agency operatives." More like gangsters. Digging out their backers was priority—but probably impossible. Whoever pulled the strings wasn't sloppy.
They turned out to be from a Mokpo gang. The hotel manager confirmed them as enforcers for Mokpo's fist organization.
As we sat there, an officer whispered to the chief.
“Assemblyman, the Jeonnam Police Chief is here.”
“Alright, let's go. Nothing more to get from these guys anyway.”
Back upstairs, uniforms snapped to attention as we entered.
“Sir! Jeonnam Provincial Police Chief Senior Superintendent Hwang Seong-jin!”
“You came all this way. Have a seat.”
“Assemblyman, we're ashamed this happened on our watch.”
“Like I told the chief, it's not the police's fault. Relax.”
“Then what...?”
“It'll be resolved by 3. Have some tea and head back. But keep it from the press—tighten lips with your officers and hospital staff.”
“Yes, sir. Already on it.”
From the moment their rural cops nabbed these clowns from the Mokpo gang, I hadn't expected much. Tracing backers would take jumping hoops until the top cut ties cleanly. Unmasking them was a pipe dream.
If this blew up, it'd highlight the regime's corruption but erode trust in our party too. Worst case, I'd get smeared as tangled in gangster beef. Best to bury it here.
I settled for new ties with the provincial chief and station chief, left the station relaxed, and headed to a restaurant under the chief's guidance. Jongmin's wound missed bone and muscle—no lasting issues. Hell, this might even help me.
Waiting for our food, the TV flashed a breaking news ticker:
“Assemblyman, is that your doing?”
“Yeah. That's why the ruling and opposition parties teamed up to cause trouble—to stop it.”
“Even the ruling party?”
“Probably reported up to BH by now.”
“......”
The chief looked baffled, but the provincial chief—seasoned—nodded silently. Just time to head back to Seoul relaxed. We ate lunch leisurely, watched their no-run presser at 3, then parted with handshakes. The chief saluted me with visible relief once the chief left. The incident would fizzle out, or if press sniffed it, pass as gang infighting gone wrong.
“Jongmin, you holding up?”
“Assemblyman, I'm good now. But wandering like this... what if...”
“Nah, it's over. No more worries.”
At the hospital, a cop guarded the room. I flashed ID, said the case was closed, and asked him to check HQ for pullout. Laughter leaked from inside—Im Bi-seo and Sangdu reenacting the chaos. The room was packed: manager, Im Sajang, and some burly guys.
The doc said bullet out, two days' stay—good enough. I tasked Im Bi-seo with guarding, then headed back to the hotel with the manager.