Circles of Fate
The next day, at the D-Workshop.
Jaehyuk, Sanggyu, and Jincheol were on duty inside the facility. The security team's job was simple: make sure no one was smuggling out organs, and that none of the tongnamu tried to escape before their organs were harvested. Monitoring for such incidents was their primary responsibility.
Jaehyuk and Jincheol were overseeing an organ extraction site. While performing his duties, Jaehyuk carefully observed the procedure, gathering as much information about the D-Workshop as possible.
Jincheol, who had been watching another victim's extraction, let out a long sigh and spoke to Jaehyuk.
"This is straight out of Saw. Cutting, slicing, ripping out..."
"I don't think even Saw was this bad."
"Right? And they expect us to watch this crap for two whole months?"
"It's not exactly two months. Could be three. Could be a year. Nobody knows."
"It's honestly amazing. How the hell do these people even eat after watching that?"
At that moment, a voice came from behind them.
"Humans are creatures of adaptation, you know. Keep watching for a month straight and you'll be able to chow down on fried chicken while staring at guts like it's nothing."
When Jaehyuk and Jincheol turned around, a man was smiling at them with an unsettling grin.
"Think positively. The work we do here helps keep some people alive even as others die."
Position: Manager, D-Workshop
Notes: Treats organ harvesting as routine business. Uses twisted corporate rhetoric to justify atrocities.
"Oh, hello sir."
"Where's Team Leader Woo?"
"Well… he went to the bathroom again to… throw up."
Jongseok let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh… That guy really has a weak stomach. How does he expect to survive in this line of work…"
He clicked his tongue.
"No problems so far?"
"None, sir. All extracted organs have been confirmed stored at 24 degrees Celsius. Quantities also match the order volume."
"Good. There are always bastards who try to divert some almaengi elsewhere to skim extra cash, so keep watching them closely like you are now."
"Understood."
Just then Sanggyu walked in, and Jongseok turned to him.
"Back from the bathroom?"
"……Yes. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Better than puking on the floor. You did well."
Jongseok patted his shoulder in encouragement.
"Whenever it gets tough, take pride in what we do. People who can't afford proper organ transplants at hospitals because of money issues get them cheaply thanks to us and start new lives. Even hospitals that run short on transplant organs sometimes rely on our help."
Jongseok pointed at the victim currently having organs extracted on the operating table and continued.
"These people are making a noble sacrifice for others. They signed the consent form themselves—what else is there to say? So I'd appreciate it if you didn't let pointless sympathy make this job too uncomfortable for you."
What a disgustingly twisted load of bullshit.
Jaehyuk glared at Jongseok without anyone noticing and clenched his fist tightly. The so-called consent form Jongseok mentioned was a document deliberately worded in the most convoluted way possible to get people to surrender their bodies. They ruthlessly exploited desperate situations—massive debts, sick family members—to break the victims' minds. Once broken, the victims lacked the mental clarity to read the document properly and ended up signing away their lives, becoming victims of organ trafficking. Occasionally they kidnapped people from remote areas, but they usually preferred this method.
"Oh, right. The boss wants to have a team dinner later. You guys in? Can you make it?"
Jaehyuk asked in return.
"A team dinner?"
"You don't have to come if you don't want to… but the boss usually wants full attendance. Something about building team synergy or whatever."
So he's basically forcing us to come.
Thinking that, Jaehyuk answered Jongseok.
"I'll be there."
Jincheol and Sanggyu glanced at each other before speaking up as well.
"I'll go too."
"Me… too…"
"Okay. I'll let the boss know all the dispatched staff will attend. Don't go changing your minds later."
"Understood."
Jongseok walked down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Jincheol let out a heavy sigh.
"Sigh… It's crazy that people can still eat and drink after seeing shit like that."
"He's probably seen it for years. Adaptation does its thing eventually."
"I really don't want to go… but if I don't, it'll look bad, right?"
"What do you think?"
"Fuck… office life really is the worst…"
Jincheol sighed again. The three of them continued performing their duties in an environment that threatened to shatter their sanity.
That evening, at a bar in Suwon.
The staff from the D-Workshop had each reserved rooms and were enjoying drinks, food, and entertainment.
"Drink as much as you want!! Everything's on me tonight!!"
"Wow!! Boss, you're the best!!"
President Jegal Sanghwan was in the same room as Jaehyuk, Jincheol, and Sanggyu, singing loudly. Do Jongseok and Gwak Hyochan were also present.
"As expected of the boss!! Your singing is incredible!!"
Jaehyuk watched the scene with open disgust, then turned his head toward the empty side of the room and downed his drink.
At that moment, the door opened and two men entered.
"Hey, Jegal!! Still singing your heart out?"
The man standing behind Gihan made eye contact with Jaehyuk. Jaehyuk stared at him blankly. There was something familiar about him.
Seo Yeongseok…?
It was Seo Yeongseok—the Gangryonghoe thug who had helped Jaehyuk escape in his previous life. At the time, Yeongseok had belonged to Crown Capital like Jeonghan and had been very close to him. He had assisted both of them in their escape. But along with Hyeondongcheol, Kang Suho, and the others who had helped Jaehyuk back then, he was eventually killed in the fierce counterattack by Gangryonghoe gangsters.
What the… Is he looking at me?
Of course, the current Yeongseok was seeing Jaehyuk for the first time, so he had no idea why Jaehyuk was staring at him like that. Realizing that the Yeongseok of this life had no connection to him yet, Jaehyuk looked away.
At that moment, Sanghwan noticed Yeongseok behind Gihan and called out to him.
"What’s this? Long time no see, Manager Seo!"
"It's been a while, sir."
Yeongseok gave Sanghwan a polite bow. Gihan asked Sanghwan,
"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen those three before…"
"They're not our new hires. They're dispatched staff. From headquarters."
"Ah, headquarters? I used to work there too back in the day. Nice to meet you guys."
Sanghwan grinned and introduced Gihan to the three men.
"This is Simpson—er, Sim Gihan. He used to work at the hotel headquarters. These days he mostly supplies girls and spikes drinks here, but back then he was really…"
However, Sanghwan's words didn't register with Jaehyuk at all.
He was a gangster in my previous life too… So it's the same here…
The thought left a bitter taste in Jaehyuk's mouth.
"By the way, how old are you guys?"
Gihan asked Jaehyuk.
"All three of us are twenty-seven."
"Twenty-seven? Yeongseok here is twenty-seven too. You four should become friends!!"
Gihan laughed heartily while Yeongseok maintained a stoic expression and stayed silent.
"Alright, shall we bring some girls in? Who wants to party with girls?"
"Me!!"
In response to Sanghwan's question, Jongseok and Hyochan raised their hands. Then Gihan turned to the dispatched staff who hadn't answered.
"What about you guys? Not joining?"
Yeongseok spoke to Gihan.
"Boss. Would it be alright if we take a separate room? Calling in girls with this many people might take up too much space."
"Hmm… Then you four twenty-seven-year-olds can take one room and have fun."
Gihan waved his hand as if giving permission to leave. Yeongseok led the three men out of the room.
Once they moved to another room and sat down, Yeongseok spoke to them.
"You said you're from Crown Hotel headquarters?"
Sanggyu answered.
"Uh… yes."
"I heard earlier. All four of us are twenty-seven. You can speak casually."
At that moment, Jincheol, who was slightly tipsy, asked Yeongseok.
"Where are you from, though? Doesn't sound like Gyeongsang… Jeolla? Chungcheong? That accent is a bit…"
"Is my way of speaking that strange?"
Yeongseok poured himself a drink.
"Uh… sorry if I offended you. I was just curious…"
"It's fine. It's been three years since I came here, but this damn accent still hasn't changed."
Jaehyuk recalled Yeongseok's background.
Seo Yeongseok… Was it 2024? He was a North Korean defector who crossed the border alone.
Yeongseok had defected from North Korea by himself at the age of twenty-four. Remembering that fact, Jaehyuk looked at him with pity.
I heard his mother and younger sister later tried to defect to join him in South Korea… but at the time, all contact was lost and no one knew if they were alive or dead.
"Ahem… Sorry for killing the mood. Should I call some girls?"
"I'm in!! I'm still a virgin!!"
Jincheol shot his hand up and shouted. Sanggyu hesitated before answering.
"Uh… I'll take one too."
"I'm good. I have a girlfriend."
"Look at this damn prude! Just enjoy yourself!! As long as you don't go all the way it's fine!! Call a girl and just do a duet or something!!"
"I said I'm good."
"Alright. Then I'll just call girls for you two."
With that, Yeongseok pressed the bell. A short while later, a man entered and Yeongseok told him,
"Two girls for this room. Send them in."
"Understood, Manager."
Some time passed. Jincheol and Sanggyu had stopped singing and were now spending intimate, lewd moments with the girls. While Jincheol was aggressively engaging in sticky affection that seemed far too practiced, Sanggyu was awkwardly fumbling at first before matching the girl's lead and becoming physically entangled with her.
"Hey, oppa? Aren't you going to join?"
When the girl entangled with Sanggyu asked Jaehyuk, Yeongseok answered for him.
"Dabin. Don't bother a customer who said he doesn't want to."
"Hmph… But Manager, aren't you going to play either?"
"I'm good. Not feeling it today."
And so Jaehyuk and Yeongseok simply sang or drank in silence. Eventually, Yeongseok set down his empty glass, stood up, and spoke to Jaehyuk.
"Let's step outside for some fresh air for a bit."
Leaving Jincheol and Sanggyu behind as they enjoyed their time with the girls, Jaehyuk and Yeongseok stepped out. Yeongseok asked him,
"Do you smoke?"
"No. You?"
"Nah. I don't smoke either?"
Huh…? Yeongseok was a smoker…?
Jaehyuk stared at him blankly. Yeongseok rummaged through his pocket and held out a lollipop.
"I use these when I crave a cigarette. I'm trying to quit right now."
"You're quitting? How long has it been?"
"Not that long. About a month? I met my younger sister who came to Korea for a bit, and she said she hated the smell of cigarettes."
His younger sister… So she made it safely to South Korea in this life. That's good.
The two of them sucked on the lollipops. Jaehyuk casually asked,
"You seem close with your sister?"
"Well, I usually try to accommodate her. She's the baby of the family. And she's really gentle-natured."
"How much older are you than her?"
"Eleven years."
"You must have been spoiled a lot by the family."
"Family, huh… Yeah, I was loved quite a bit."
The expression on Yeongseok's face as he said this looked sad. Seeing that, Jaehyuk guessed that only his younger sister had successfully defected.
"Does my way of speaking sound really weird?"
"A little? I don't think it's strange though."
"Really? When people hear a North Korean accent here, doesn't it feel… kind of off-putting?"
"Not for me. I had a friend who was a defector too."
As he spoke, Jaehyuk thought of the Yeongseok from his previous life.
"Where was that friend from?"
"Cheonma County, North Pyongan Province."
"Same as me? I'd like to meet him someday. That'd be nice."
Jaehyuk unknowingly gave a bitter smile. He and Yeongseok talked outside for a long time as the night grew deeper.
"Let's head back in. They should all be passed out by now."
"Yeah. Let's go."
Before going inside, Jaehyuk gazed up at the moon floating in the sky.
So this is what they mean by fate coming full circle…
After staring at the moon for a while, Jaehyuk followed Yeongseok back into the bar.