I Said, Don't Mess With Me.
I told Yoon-seo not to worry and headed with Tae-oh to where my car was.
"By the way, how do you handle the cleanup these days?"
"Earlier, inside the container. We pour cement in through a hole in the top and fill it."
"Oh..."
"In that state, we circulate air to harden it, then the whole container goes into the ocean."
"Clean. That's how you handled Oh Tae-hyeon's bunch too?"
"That's right."
I looked at Tae-oh, who nodded with pride in HSW's way of doing things.
"Right, Ji-hoon's lined up with the leave dates. That's fine, yeah?"
"Of course."
I watched Tae-oh peel off his gloves and neatly tuck them into a plastic bag, then I got into the Spotted One.
"So how is your physical condition now compared to the past?"
"I'm confident I've already surpassed my past condition."
"Oh? Really? Now I'm looking forward to it."
It was a little late at night, but it felt awkward to part ways with Tae-oh right then, so I called Dad to tell him I'd be home by midnight, then we headed to a café.
Tae-oh was looking at his phone.
"Girlfriend?"
"That's right."
While Kim Tae-oh went to order, I checked the messages on Kim Tae-oh's phone.
5/21.
(Yeon-woo) - Eat this and cheer up!
- Thanks.
5/22.
(Yeon-woo) - How was the lunchbox I made?
- It was good.
5/23.
(Yeon-woo) - Is the exam prep going well?
- That's right.
5/24.
(Yeon-woo) - Let's go to a restaurant tonight.
- Got it.
5/25.
(Yeon-woo) - It's the weekend, what are you doing? Could you maybe go to the amusement park with me?
- Busy.
Today.
(Yeon-woo) - Are you really busy tomorrow? Maybe... if you have time, want to see a movie?
- I think I'll be busy.
(Yeon-woo) - Okay...
Looked like this dumb fuck did make some effort. But seeing the state of the texts he sent, his girlfriend was lucky she hadn't died of cancer.
It was only after seeing this that I realized a guy really can get a girlfriend on looks alone.
That woman was a saint, but even saints have limits. She was practically the textbook definition of a good wife and wise mother.
I clicked on her profile for a moment, and...
This bastard's girlfriend was seriously, stunningly pretty.
Pretty enough that she didn't lose out even next to Tae-oh.
Her profile was genuinely stuffed with photos of Tae-oh, and her status message read, 'hoping you'll look my way someday.'
What in the... in the twenty-first century...
Kim Tae-oh saw me looking at his phone but drank his Americano without a word.
"You're a piece of trash, you know that."
"...?"
I quickly grabbed the phone and continued sending messages in the tone Kim Tae-oh usually used.
- I'm free tomorrow. Could we meet?
(Yeon-woo) - Really!?
Tae-oh's girlfriend replied less than two seconds after I sent the text.
Does she live with her phone glued to her hand or what...
- I'll buy you dinner tomorrow.
When there was no reply for a moment, I tilted my head, and a message belatedly popped up.
(Yeon-woo) - Are you... by any chance Kim Si-yoon...?
I'm fucked.
Goosebumps broke out all over my body...
I had no idea how this person knew me.
But I knew damn well I couldn't stop my hands at a moment like this, so I imagined the kind of reply Tae-oh would give and quickly sent a text.
- What are you talking about?
(Yeon-woo) - Your replies... seem a little too fast...? Sorry for doubting you.
A call came through right away, so I tossed the phone to Kim Tae-oh like I was throwing it at him and said,
"Tomorrow, you're buying dinner for someone named Yeon-woo. Tell her you've got the whole day free tomorrow."
"Understood."
I rested my chin on my hand, leg jittering, and watched Kim Tae-oh handle the situation.
Kim Tae-oh couldn't lie worth a damn, but luckily, it seemed he hadn't been caught this time...
Or if not... the girl was pretending not to notice.
That woman's intuition... something I, a person who's a woman only on the outside, just didn't have.
I almost had a heart attack.
"You said you hadn't eaten. Want to go grab something?"
"It's very late. Won't you get in trouble?"
"If I say I'm feeding you, he won't really care."
I fed Tae-oh some goat soup and headed home.
I arrived at the meeting spot first, left the Spotted One's door open, stretched my legs outside, and was looking at my phone.
I was hitting like on Da-yeon's social media video of her at Lee Gi-seok's house, playing with her horse, when
a car pulled up behind mine.
Out of the car that stopped behind me stepped Jong-hyeon and Kim Tae-oh.
"What about Ji-hoon?"
"Said he's coming separately."
Just then, a man in a training suit approached from a distance.
He had his hat pulled down low, but with that height, build, and distinctive walk, anyone could tell it was Park Ji-hoon.
"Yo~ buzzy-buzz~"
"Don't call me that..."
"What's that, coming from a buzz cut?"
"Hey. This hair embodies our fighting spirit, alright?"
"You're not keeping it after discharge, are you?"
"Nope."
"Be honest, you're regretting the hell out of joining the Marines, aren't you?"
"....."
"Kyahahah"
"Fuck!"
We walked along, talking, for a good while, then I threw open the gate of a house that looked quite stately.
Like the old days, Tae-oh was to my left and Park Ji-hoon to my right.
In addition, Jong-hyeon was following behind me.
When the door opened, I saw people in black suits staring at me.
"Hi?"
As always, Tae-oh signaled the start, and Jong-hyeon followed behind me making 'fwoop fwoop' sounds.
Watching that, Park Ji-hoon smiled playfully and said,
"Aish~ aren't guns a bit cheap~?"
"Hey, at your age, running around with your fists clenched would look even weirder."
"Heo-heo... I'm alright."
As I passed through the courtyard and saw Tae-oh getting worked up, I said to Jong-hyeon.
"Give Tae-oh a hand."
"Yes, miss."
When we opened the building door and stepped inside, a man waiting right behind it lunged at me with a knife.
I trusted Park Ji-hoon and just watched without reacting at all.
And sure enough, Park Ji-hoon, beside me, swung his right hand sideways.
A fist that landed squarely on the face of the man who had charged in, only looking at me.
Craaack!!!
Hearing that sound, I knew for sure.
Park Ji-hoon had become stronger than my past self, at least in pure strength.
It was as if it was the first time he'd hit someone with this much force; Park Ji-hoon himself seemed flustered.
"I... I'm strong as shit..."
"Dumbass."
Now I felt like I could say it for certain.
That the Ji-hoon of now overwhelmingly beat the Jae-hyeong of the past.
Whatever the hell he did in his unit, his strength alone had turned him into an absolute monster.
Agent Song Sang-gil was training like crazy, saying he'd beat Ji-hoon... but no matter what he did, he couldn't compete in raw power.
When we went further inside, Taebaek apparently still had no intention of showing their face, because Koreans were the ones who greeted us.
But every single one of them, the moment they even grazed Park Ji-hoon's hands or feet, turned into bloody pulp like they'd been hit by a blunt weapon.
Even when they rushed him with knives, Park Ji-hoon dodged lightly with a speed that didn't match his bulk, then used the heel of his palm to strike upwards at their chins.
Those who charged in full of bluster went limp as their pupils unfocused, sagging like strings had been cut.
And then Park Ji-hoon raised his leg as if it were the most natural thing.
He put his weight into it and stomped the man, who burst like a watermelon.
Crunch!
"".....""
"Ah, you crazy bastard! All that nasty shit splattered everywhere!"
"Then you fucking do it, seeing as you haven't lifted a single finger."
"You saying that to a woman?"
"Eh? A woman? Who? You? Don't talk shit."
Park Ji-hoon and I bickered back and forth as we moved forward.
Before we knew it, Tae-oh and Jong-hyeon had come up beside us.
As always, Ji-hoon was messing with Tae-oh.
"Oho? What'd you do, take a bath on the way?"
"Eyes front."
Without thinking much of it, I opened the door directly ahead.
And then, someone on the other side of the door was aiming right at me—
Bang...!
"".....""
In the now-silent space, I sighed on the floor and said,
"Whoa, fuck... almost got hit... damn, nearly caused a major incident. If this had hit me, what the hell was I supposed to tell Dad?"
"...Did you... dodge... it?"
"What."
"The bullet... did you dodge it..."
"What kind of bullshit is that. The muzzle was aimed at me the second I opened the door. Am I supposed to not dodge and just stand still? Just watch until they shoot?"
While Tae-oh and Park Ji-hoon were standing there appalled,
Jong-hyeon helped me up, saw the situation inside the room, and pulled a grenade from his pocket.
And naturally tossed it inside through the door.
The people inside flinched and shouted to get down, but the grenade didn't go off.
The moment the inside turned into chaos, Jong-hyeon swiftly infiltrated, tidied up the situation, and we moved forward.
"Let's return to the car, miss. Firearms... are dangerous."
"It's fine~ Those guys just now were Koreans. Taebaek's too arrogant to use stuff like that much. I know them."
When we entered the building's interior, the hallway was lined with people in suits.
Every one of their necks was marked with Taebaek's symbol: 'M'.
And the moment they spotted us, they all drew one-sided blades from inside their jackets.
"See? That's not confidence, that's just reckless bravado. If someone opened fire with an automatic rifle in here, they'd all be dead."
"...I see."
I smiled when Tae-oh started loosening up, about to move.
"Can you handle it?"
"Of course."
Kim Tae-oh let a slight smile show and stepped forward.
Tae-oh smiling, huh...
Watching Tae-oh advance full of confidence, we realized that Park Ji-hoon wasn't the only one who had changed.
Whatever training those two had done, they'd grown to a point you couldn't even compare to three years ago.
In the past, Tae-oh had one biggest weakness.
Even with a knife in hand, against multiple opponents, he fought worse than Park Ji-hoon barehanded.
I guess you could call Tae-oh a bit of a perfectionist.
When facing multiples, he had the habit of trying to inflict fatal wounds on each and every one, as if he didn't want to leave future troubles behind.
That was why I always told him.
You have to put something cold inside them. Then they realize reality and understand that numbers mean nothing.
Watching Tae-oh dance with his blade among those who had carved Taebaek's name into their bodies, I found myself smiling without realizing it.
Now, at last, Tae-oh was moving in a way that suited him...
"Oh... you're gonna lose to Tae-oh now~"
"Bullshit? Honestly, I could do that too."
Park Ji-hoon's expression looked just as deeply amused as my own, and well, there was nothing as reassuring as the person who has your back becoming stronger.
We walked along the path Tae-oh opened, and Jong-hyeon finished off anyone still twitching with his handgun.
The door ahead looked ornate enough that it might have been the last one.
When we opened the door, a dozen-odd people were seated, and at the far end, a baldy with a tiger tattoo covering his whole body was chugging liquor.
The man grinned when he spotted Jong-hyeon among us and opened his mouth.
"Kang Jong-hyeon... we meet here..."
Jong-hyeon, who didn't understand Japanese, only caught his own name.
"I am called Mokichi."
He introduced himself as Mokichi in Japanese, trying to act all imposing.
We ignored the Japanese guy named Mokichi.
"Do you two know each other?"
"No. Although Taebaek is looking for me, so... hmm..."
I sat down in an empty seat and spoke in Japanese.
"They have mouths too, and look at them stuffing themselves with this damn expensive food."
"".....""
I picked up some tuna and dipped it generously in vinegared red pepper paste and ate it.
"Kyah..."
Mokichi watched my behavior with interest, while his closest men scrunched up their faces.
One of them twisted his expression and opened his mouth.
"What... are you trying to pull...?"
"I'm eating. What does it look like?"
"As expected, Koreans have no manners."
"Manners? Who uses manners on monkeys~ You just toss them a banana and tell 'em to do a trick. Ahah."
Mokichi and his men's expressions started hardening at my words,
but I ignored the monkeys and signaled to Tae-oh and Ji-hoon, and the two of them sat down beside me and started eating, too.