Chapter 11.3

“Kang SungHo is arriving tonight.”

“Good. The transaction is scheduled for tomorrow night, so that’s excellent timing.”

EunHa’s hand stopped moving at KyungHyun’s indifferent reply.

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah. There’s no need to drag it out, so I pulled the appointment forward. Im SungJoon will come tomorrow at noon through Hong Kong with the money.”

EunHa’s mouth went dry.

“And?”

“What do you want to do?”

KyungHyun gazed at her as he quietly asked. EunHa blinked. Her long eyelashes fluttered.

“What?”

“Tell me what you plan to do. I’ll match it.”

She could tell from his eyes that he wasn’t lying. EunHa calmed her heart as it began to race inside her chest. She sucked on the straw. The cup of cola that was now only filled with ice.

“I told Kang SungHo that I would steal the drugs once YongSung fulfilled their side of the deal.”

“And?”

KyungHyun asked drily.

“After I meet him at the harbor with the goods…”

“You can kill him.”

When EunHa hesitated to finish her sentence, KyungHyun finished it for her in a monotonous tone. EunHa still couldn’t believe that he was being 100% honest with her.

“Do it as you planned, and we will progress as planned.”

KyungHyun spoke as he took her empty cup and placed it on the corner of the tray.

“Tomorrow. After YongSung and drug trafficker Li Kahui are raided by the police at the designated location.”

KyungHyun diagonally dragged her cup from one corner to the other.

“All you need to do is go to the harbor with me. Call Kang SungHo by using the lackey he stuck to you.”

KyungHyun crumpled the hamburger wrapper and tossed it inside the empty cup. After carefully listening to his words, EunHa lifted her eyes from the tray.

“Kang SungHo is extremely observant with things like this. If the police move, there’s a chance Kang SungHo will figure it out and back off.”

“No. Only you and I will go to him.”

“…Are you telling me we’ll be moving without notifying the police?”

KyungHyun took a moment to piercingly stare at her as he faintly smiled.

“What kind of guy am I in your eyes?”

EunHa swallowed. That’s right. This man was undoubtedly a South Korean policeman. At some point, she had lost sight of this.

“Officially, I’d be proceeding with the operation to secretly arrest Kang SungHo.”

“……”

He continued to speak steadily as if to relieve the frustrations deep within EunHa’s heart.

“There is no law that prohibits shooting a criminal if he struggles during his arrest. Well, in this case, you’d be the one pulling the trigger.”

He was telling the truth when he promised he’d let her kill Kang SungHo. But…

“But I’m sure the police aren’t going to be happy about that.”

EunHa looked at him with a serious expression on her face. Lieutenant Han had made sure to tell her before. Their goal was to apprehend Kang SungHo and drag out all the other top-tier members along with him. Because they were police, if the criminal died, things would only get harder.

“What kind of guy am I in your eyes?”

KyungHyun repeated his question once again. His long, narrow eyes glinted dangerously as they gazed at her.

He leaned on the back of the chair and crossed his arms. His fingers tapped against his arm. Although he was merely waiting for her answer in silence, his sharp eyes had a way of making her feel nervous. EunHa felt as if she was back inside the office in KeumOh instead of being in a foreign country that was five hours away by plane.

It seemed that, although KyungHyun had been a gangster for 12 years, he had never forgotten that he was actually police. Still, whenever he gave her his crooked smile, he looked like a typical bad guy.

EunHa let out a soft laugh. It all didn’t matter. She felt just as nervous as when she was back at the squash courts, waiting for him to finish so that she could approach him. EunHa held KyungHyun’s fierce gaze and whispered.

“…I see a guy who’s just my type.”

EunHa expected him to tell her to stop joking around. But instead, he raised his hand and slowly caressed her cheek. His voice was as soft as his touch as it flowed out of his mouth.

“Thank goodness.”

EunHa had always wondered this. Did this man, who was looking at her so languidly, feel the same way as she did? She wanted to ask him… How did these ‘romantic feelings’ he talked about spring up in such a trashy situation as this?

As soon as they left the fast food restaurant, KyungHyun checked their surroundings and held her to his side as they walked quickly. The night wind was harsh, and the coat on her shoulders flapped wildly. EunHa was adjusting the collar of the trench coat when KyungHyun asked.

“Cold?”

“No.”

Checking a message that came from General Manager Cha, KyungHyun wrapped his arm around her hips and pulled her closer.

“I said I’m not cold.”

“Stay still.”

“I’m not a sack that you can just order around. You’re always telling me to stay still.”

EunHa chimed in as she continued to blab on about ridiculous things. Still, she didn’t push him away. KyungHyun rubbed his chin on the top of her head as he scrolled through his cellphone.

EunHa had been correct. Kang SungHo was planning on getting on the flight to Hong Kong tonight. As expected of General Manager Cha, he was going to get on the same plane and follow him here. Everything was going according to plan. After sending the final message regarding the operation to Lieutenant Han and General Manager Cha, he lifted his head.

“Do you smell the sea?”

The slightly salty fragrance of the sea was carried by the wind. EunHa drew in a deep breath.

“Good catch. There’s a port nearby. 10 minutes away by car.”

“Ah, that explains it.”

The fast food restaurant was not on the main street and was located in the middle of an industrial zone, so she thought it was a little weird. Commercial businesses had sprung up in these industrial zones of cities because they were usually filled with people who did business here. This was especially true in Shenzhen. Because of the vast amount of containers located here, the ports were generally used by international companies. Therefore, this area was filled with people.

“Don’t you think there’s a hotel somewhere nearby?”

As soon as they exited the area filled with factories, they came across a gas station on a two-lane road. Walking side-by-side, KyungHyun raised his bleary eyes.

“Are you asking me to go to a hotel with you?”

“No. What are you talking about? You said you were staying somewhere around here.”

KyungHyun wondered if he had taken any Viagra as he quickly crossed the road with EunHa, who was basically jumping up and down. Thanks to the bright lights of the 24-hour gas station, the street was illuminated. However, there weren’t a lot of cars on the road. Most of the vehicles were large trailer trucks that were headed for the port.

“I’m not staying at a hotel…”

He saw a taxi approaching them from far away. KyungHyun waved his hand to flag it down. They needed to get to somewhere safe as soon as possible. Up until yesterday, no one was tailing them, but because they were currently in a foreign country, they couldn’t be too careful. The taxi slowed to a stop and parked in front of them.

“Let’s get in for now.”

KyungHyun wrapped his arm around EunHa’s hips when… Vrrrr. The cellphone inside his pant pocket began to vibrate. The caller was Lieutenant Han. She usually didn’t call him on his personal cellphone…

“What’s going on?”

Click.

KyungHyun answered the cellphone as he opened the backdoor of the car. In that moment, KyungHyun’s thick brows twisted.

– I’m sorry, Sunbae-nim. There was something urgent I needed to report…

The backseat of the taxi was full of men. Someone stuck their head out and grinned at them.

“Ni hao, Director Shin.”

Slam!

KyungHyun almost broke the door as he slammed it shut. EunHa looked confused. He gave her back a hard push as he hissed something through his clenched teeth.

“Run.”

EunHa quickly caught on. After she saw the urgent gleam in his eyes, she hesitated for a moment, but then she quickly began to run across the two-lane street. She heard the car door open and close behind her. Then she heard fists hitting flesh and men’s voices as they cursed and groaned.

Frowning, EunHa panted for breath as she ran for her life. As she ran, she turned around to take a look. She saw KyungHyun fighting two other men.

“Haa, haa…!”

What should I do…? What do I do?!

EunHa continued to pant as her brows furrowed even more. They were currently in an industrial zone. She was basically running in the nude, and it would only get her so far. EunHa changed directions and began to head for the brightly-lit gas station. She saw the driver of an 8-ton truck get out as if he were in a hurry to go to the bathroom.

[What… What the…?]

The man saw a woman running across the street with her hair flying behind her. He stared at her with wide eyes.

“I’m going to borrow your car for just a minute, Oppa.”

EunHa agilely jumped up into the driver’s seat that was higher than her height. The car’s engine was off, but the key was still in the ignition. EunHa didn’t hesitate and started the engine.

Rumble. The seat shook as the truck’s engine turned on.

[Hey, what are you…!]

Realizing that his truck was about to be stolen, the man rushed over to the driver side door and flung it open.

“Uh, uh… watch out behind you!”

The driver whipped his head around at her warning, and EunHa quickly pushed his chest and caused him to fall back. Then she changed the gear of the truck and stomped down on the accelerator pedal. The truck shot out of the gas station like a bullet as she kept her eyes on the taxi behind her as well as the men who were attacking KyungHyun through the rearview mirror.

‘What’s going on…?’

EunHa’s brow furrowed. She had no idea who these men were. Although her mind was muddled, she didn’t have any time to sort through her thoughts. All she knew was that this group of men didn’t have good intentions toward KyungHyun.

“Ugh!”

KyungHyun flipped over a man who was approaching him from the back. Through the back window, EunHa could see the large man roll on the asphalt. Gripping the steering wheel, EunHa’s eyes focused on the back mirror.

Someone grabbed on to KyungHyun from the back. KyungHyun’s movements were now restrained, but, as the man brandished a knife, he managed to hit the man’s wrist. Then he grabbed the man’s arm that was around his neck and twisted it.

EunHa bit her lips nervously. Then she saw the man on the ground begin to slowly crawl with a knife in his hand. Struggling in a bloody battle with the other large man, KyungHyun didn’t seem to notice.

Oh no.

Her eyes widened. She felt her heart jump to her throat. She didn’t have time to think. She clenched her teeth and turned the steering wheel as far as it would go without slowing down.

Screeech!

The large truck made a U-turn as it skidded on the narrow road. EunHa’s body was thrust to the side, but she didn’t think anything of it as she slammed her hand down on the center of the wheel.

Beeeep!!!

The truck’s horn pierced through the air as the truck raced down the road. The man who had been approaching KyungHyun with a knife saw the bright headlights of the truck and jumped in the opposite direction in surprise. The shock only lasted a second. KyungHyun thought she had escaped, but when he saw her come back, he grimaced and roared out in a loud voice.

“Go back! Don’t come here!”

She couldn’t do that. EunHa watched as he waved at her and shook her head. EunHa’s body was moving by instinct, not by reason. The terrified EunHa who had barely taken a breath during the deaths of her parents was no longer here.

“I came here to save you, so show me how deeply moved you are, Mr. Macho lover.”

EunHa muttered under her breath. Unlike her eyes full of emotion, KyungHyun’s face held a terrible expression as he ordered her to turn the car around. She would never be able to leave him here and run off on her own. It wasn’t because she was paying him back for saving her life many times before. The moment she saw the man approach KyungHyun with a knife, she almost lost it.

“How dare that bastard… Who does he think he’s…”

Screech!

The 8-ton truck sped towards the taxi as if it was going to crash into it. However, it barely managed to stop right in front of it. EunHa stretched out her body and opened the passenger-side door. She yelled out to KyungHyun.

“Get in!”

“Damn it, what are you…!”

A man began to run towards the truck. KyungHyun kicked him down. Another man took out his gun. KyungHyun saw this and snapped his wrist before hitting the man’s head with the butt of the gun.

Bang!

The man’s finger was trapped and pressed on the trigger. The gunshot rang in the air. KyungHyun clenched his teeth. It would only be a matter of time before the police got here.

“Hurry, get in!”

KyungHyun ran towards the open passenger-side door and jumped inside. Suddenly, EunHa felt something touch her cheek. She couldn’t help but hold her breath. Her heart raced nervously inside her chest.

“…Don’t move, Lee EunHa.”

She didn’t have to see KyungHyun’s twisted expression to know that something had gone terribly wrong. The truck’s engine turned off, and the key was pulled out of the ignition.

Damn it.

She was just about to hit the person with her elbow, but he was faster. Her shoulder was pressed back onto the seat of the truck and the blade of a knife was pressed against her cheek.

“Oho, we can’t have such a pretty face be ruined by a scar, now can we? There, there.”

“Ugh…”

Someone forced EunHa’s head to turn. The greasy face of an unfamiliar man entered her eyes. She could tell at first glance that this man was a gangster.

“Hey, are you sure this fucking bitch is that fucking bitch?”

The man was standing on the step underneath the door as he yelled out. One of the men that had taken a blow from KyungHyun held his stomach as he rushed over.

“Yes, Hyung-nim. I’m sure that’s her.”

EunHa raised her eyes and glared at the man in front of her. The man continued to press his knife against her as his mouth stretched into a grin, his teeth gleaming.

“Wow, lookit this bitch’s face. I can see why this face caused Director Shin’s head to turn. Baby, let’s see… Is she as good in bed as she looks?”

EunHa’s brow furrowed as her eyes became fierce. The man acted surprised and widened his eyes before winking back at her.

“Aigoo, how scary. She must have a sharp temper. Why doesn’t our baby over here introduce herself. How old are you?”

“Get lost, you thug bastard.”

EunHa’s mouth twisted as she spit out the words. The man boomed out in laughter.

“Shall I go first, then? This cool oppa’s name is Im SungJoon. My hobby is beatin’ bitches into submission. I’ve found that bitches like you turn mighty gentle once they see some blood.”

His voice became strange at the end. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren’t. His eyes looked like that of a man who was constantly craving violence to appease his addiction. EunHa knew these eyes very well. EunHa did her best to settle her uneven breaths.

“Get your hands off her.”

KyungHyun looked at Im SungJoon and hissed out the words through his clenched teeth. Im SungJoon’s cruelty was well-known within YongSung. He didn’t go easy on women either. Im SungJoon’s tongue ran over his lips as he laughed at KyungHyun.

“I believe our dear Director Shin isn’t in any position to be barkin’ out any orders.”

Im SungJoon’s two wives had died by his hands. One of them was even pregnant with their child. To him, women were merely playthings that could always be replaced. KyungHyun needed to turn his attentions away from EunHa and back on him.

“If you let her go, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Haha. How stupid. Of course I’m goin’ to do whatever I want… From now on.”

Im SungJoon looked at KyungHyun with an excited expression on his face. He burst out laughing.

“Didn’t you say you killed her?”

KyungHyun’s dark eyebrows twitched. He was still aware that he had not ended the call from earlier, and his cellphone was now in his pocket. Even if Lieutenant Han was listening in on this conversation, she wouldn’t be able to help him out of this situation right now.

“Hello? You told me that the brave woman who dared to brandish a gun at our boss died by your hands. Then who’s this? A corpse? When she’s still panting for breath over here? Can you not see her with your own eyes? Is somethin’ wrong with yer eyes?”

KyungHyun’s fierce eyes moved to EunHa, whose head was tightly captured by Im SungJoon. There wasn’t much time for him to make a decision. He needed to kill Im SungJoon. It was now or never. KyungHyun silently took a few deep breaths and met EunHa’s eyes.

Please. Don’t move, EunHa.

“Yer done for, you traitor sunuvabitch.”

KyungHyun pulled out his gun at the grinning Im SungJoon. At that moment, EunHa’s eyes widened as she stared at something behind him.

“No!”

Thud. A dull pain exploded inside KyungHyun’s head. His eyelids lowered, and he saw EunHa’s shocked expression as she let out a scream.

Damn it.

Warm blood trickled down from his forehead. KyungHyun was plunged into darkness.\n