The horrible sound of a collision rang out, and white smoke rose from the front. Seok Kang-Ho drove out to the lane on the opposite side, while the truck stopped amid its turn into the corner.
Screech!
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho ran out at the same time.
People got out of the van and the car in front. They then pounced on the âChiffreâ that Kang Dae-Kyung was in.
Swoosh!
Kang Chan threw himself toward the man standing by the seat behind the passenger seat.
Whish!
They were equipped with knives, so Kang Chan violently struck his targetâs face with his right elbow and grabbed his wrist.
Crack!
Kang Chan twisted his opponentâs wrist, causing it to lose strength, and took away his knife.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
He then swiftly sliced his opponentâs wrist, forearm, and left eye.
âGaaahh!â
Crash!
âGahh!â
On the other side of the car, Seok Kang-Ho had shoved someone against the car. He was consecutively slicing his opponentâs shoulder, waist, and thigh.
âKill them!â One of the enemies yelled. People wielding filet knives and iron pipes simultaneously ran toward them.
Slice!
Thud.
Kang Chan cut the wrist of the man that pounced at him, then pulled another manâs collar. How could they try to kill Kang Dae-Kyung? He was powerless!
Pow!
Kang Chan stabbed a knife into someoneâs side and ran it through his body toward the armpit.
âGahh! Gah! Gaahh!â
Whish!
Meanwhile, another opponent swung a knife at him.
Pow.
âUgh!â
As the man with the stabbed forearm twisted around, two more swung their knives at Kang Chan.
Whish! Whish!
If Kang Chan got overpowered here, Kang Dae-Kyung wouldnât be able to survive.
Slice! Slice!
âHuh? W-what?â The two men asked in shock. They stepped back while applying pressure on their slit necks.
Pak!
Blood fountained out in between their fingers.
Whoosh!
Another swung a knife at Kang Chan. Kang Chan grabbed the attackerâs arm and sliced his wrist, armpit, neck, and eyes.
Pit! Slice! Pit! Pit! Pit!
âGaahh!â
Whoosh!
At that moment, another enemy pounced at Kang Chan.
Bang!
Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow.
As Kang Chan bumped against the glass window, he stabbed the personâs back multiple times so fast the knife wasnât even visible anymore.
Kang Dae-Kyung could be watching him. Kang Chan had to suppress his anger, but he got so enraged it was as if he was going to go crazy. He quickly twisted the knife that he had stabbed into the guyâs back.
âUgh!â
Three more opponents pounced on Kang Chan.
Slice! Pit! Pit! Pit! Pow! Pow!
Kang Chan instantly got through the three, making the rest of them hesitate.
âWhatâs going on?![1]â
They were speaking Japanese. Kang Chan glared at someone yelling âItâs too late! Stop!â
The guys got in the van and car, dragging their injured with them. The people that came over to see what was going on ran away after shuddering at the horrible sight.
Kang Chan first checked on Seok Kang-Ho.
âAre you okay?â Kang Chan asked.
âIâm alright.â Seok Kang-Hoâs forearm was bleeding, but it didnât look life-threatening.
âCheck on the agents,â Kang Chan told Seok Kang-Ho.
âAlright.â
Kang Chan opened the back door of the âChiffre.â Kang Dae-Kyung was looking at Kang Chan with surprise in his eyes.
âAre you okay?â Kang Chan asked.
âYeah,â Kang Dae-Kyung nodded despite looking stunned.
Kang Chan stood upright and examined the surroundings. Their intense battleâs aftermath required an ambulance and a tow truck. However, it was weirdly way too quiet.
Kang Chan looked behind him. Seok Kang-Ho was trying to open a crushed car door. The white car was completely crushed in between the âChiffreâ and the truck.
After about three minutes passed since the cars of the enemy had leftâŠ
The sound of an ambulance siren rang out.
âDaye! Leave it and get the car!â Kang Chan yelled.
Seok Kang-Ho looked at the car with a sad expression and then walked forward.
Oh shoot!
To Kang Dae-Kyung, Seok Kang-Ho was just a P.E. teacher. Kang Chan bent down from the waist and held out his hand to Kang Dae-Kyung. âFather, please get in that car for now.â
His hands and sleeves were soaked with the blood of his enemies.
Kang Dae-Kyung was stupefied and couldnât walk properly. He had lost strength in his legs partly due to the accident and mainly because of the shock of witnessing the fight that occurred afterward.
âPlease get in quick,â Kang Chan said again.
Kang Chan seated Kang Dae-Kyung in the backseat, then looked at the driverâs seat.
âPlease go to the hospital for now, and give me a call when you get there,â Kang Chan told Seok Kang-Ho.
âAlright.â
When Kang Chan turned away after hearing Seok Kang-Hoâs answer, Kang Dae-Kyung grabbed Kang Chanâs arm. âWhat about you?â
âI have something to sort out at the back of the road. Iâll be with you after Iâve taken care of it.â
Kang Dae-Kyung shook his head.
Kang Chan looked straight into Kang Dae-Kyungâs eyes.
âFather, please go with Mr. Seok Kang-Ho for now. I have to look after the people that stopped the truck from the back.â
âYouâre⊠youâre going to follow us immediately, right?â Kang Dae-Kyung asked.
âYes. If you stay at the hospital, Iâll go there.â
From the front, the police officers and medical workers ran over.
âMr. Seok Kang-Ho, please go to the Bang Ji Hospital if youâre not too injured. And please contact President Kim Tae-Jin and tell him to send more employees to the hospital,â said Kang Chan.
After he closed the car door, Kang Chan walked to the car that the agents were in. Two police officers were clinging onto the car door and were trying to open it. Beyond the broken glass, the three agents could be seen. They were all over the car and were covered in blood.
âThey hadnât even had a proper dinner yet.â
Why did he think about that at this moment? The tow truck driver brought over the equipment. On one side, the cars slowly moved according to the police officerâs hand signals.
Kang Chan went to the truck. The door was wide open, and the driverâs seat was empty. He then went to Kang Dae-Kyungâs âChiffre.â Beside it was a middle-aged man sitting on the road. He got startled upon seeing Kang Chan.
âAre you that carâs driver?â Kang Chan asked the man.
âHuh? Oh, yes, yes. I did.â
This person was indeed just a replacement driver.
âHave you been paid yet?â Kang Chan asked again.
âNo, but itâs fine.â
Kang Chan took out 100,000 KW from his wallet and gave it to the driver.
âPlease make sure to go to the hospital and contact Kang Yoo Motors if youâre hurt anywhere,â Kang Chan said.
âThank you. Thank you.â
Kang Chan walked out to one side, then held his phone.
- Mr. Kang Chan.
âMr. Manager, Iâm at Yongin. The three agents guarding my father are severely injured. They mightâŠâ
- Understood. Whatâs your exact location?
Surprisingly, Kim Hyung-Jung sounded calm.
âMy father has left for the Bang Ji Hospital with Seok Kang-Ho. Iâm at the outskirts of Yongin. I donât know the exact name of this road, but itâs headed to Seoul.â
- Has the police arrived?
âYes.â
- Iâll find out your location, then Iâll contact you.
After Kang Chan ended the call, he called Oh Gwang-Taek.
- Kang Chan? How can I help you? Do you want to drink again?
He didnât even know why Kang Chan called. He just seemed genuinely happy to hear from him.
âOh Gwang-Taek, let me ask for a favor.â
- What is it? You asking for a favor scares me.
âMy father was attacked today at Yongin. Find the people who did it.â
- What? What did you say just now?
âSome people attacked my father at the Yongin-Seoul boundary. They crashed into the back of his car with a truck, then thronged over with two vehiclesâa van and a sedan. There was a Japanese guy involved. Can you find them?â
- What about you? No, wait, your father! Is your father safe?
âThree employees either died or are in critical conditions. As you requested, Iâll make it so that the institutions don't get involved. But find the people who did this.â
Kang Chan heard the sound of a quiet sigh across the phone.
- Hang up. Iâll find them as fast as I can and let you know.
Kang Chan smirked after he hung up the phone.
Sons of bitches. They followed the Japaneseâs orders and tried to kill Kang Dae-Kyung even though they didnât have any resentment toward him.
- Mr. Kang Chan, the video that was taken at the time of the accident is being uploaded on the Internet. Please leave the scene for now.
Whatâs he saying?
- It seems like there were people that were recording the scene with their phones. Weâre trying to conduct a media blackout about it, but itâs difficult to delete videos that are personally being uploaded. Itâs hard for the National Intelligence Service to publicly do something due to the whole incident revolving around money being sent to North Korea, so please leave the scene for now. If you stay there, youâre definitely going to prison.
âWhat about Seok Kang-Ho?â
- I already called him. Weâll take action as soon as he arrives at the Bang Ji Hospital. You should really leave the area now.
âUnderstood.â
How could videos be uploaded already? It hadnât even been that long since the cars were moved after the incident happened.
- Donât worry about the Bang Ji Hospital. They haven't arrived yet, but thirty of our employees are surrounding its perimeters, and I sent another ten employees to guard their room. I also stationed twenty more employees in front of the apartment as a precaution.
âThank you.â
- I heard from Hyung-Jung. Leave immediately and stay somewhere safe in Yongin. Iâm leaving now, so Iâll arrive in forty minutes.
âIâm going.â
- Kang Chan, if something happens to you now, then everything will go awry. I also canât stand to see the members of my company getting injured. We didnât cause this, so let's avoid others until my friend takes care of everything. We should just watch from afar.
Kang Chan heard the sound of a car starting up. It was difficult to refuse this kind of sincerity.
âAlright. Iâll call you after finding a place to stay in.â
- Be quick. Iâll see you in a bit.
Kang Chan hung up the phone, looked around his surroundings, and found the replacement driver getting in the van.
âMister!â
Kang Chan called out to him, and the man turned his head in surprise.
âPlease give me a ride as well!â Kang Chan yelled.
âSure! Come quickly!â
Despite being surprised, the man gave Kang Chan an amicable look.
Kang Chan quickly went over and got in the van. The driver said that he was a replacement driver and that he should be paid for this. When Kang Chan handed him 50,000 KW for both of them, the driver got excited and said that heâd even go to Seoul if Kang Chan gave him another 50,000 KW.
âThey told me to go to the police station tomorrow,â the replacement driver told Kang Chan.
âPlease go and tell them what you saw.â
âAlright. But the people that left firstâŠâ
Kang Chan smirked at the man. âWhat just happened has nothing to do with you and is already over, so please donât worry too much.â
âAlright,â the man answered as he glanced at Kang Chan. Kang Chan followed the manâs gaze on his upper body, finding bloodstains all over it. It didnât look too bad since his shirt was black, but it was stained enough for the blood to be clearly visible whenever light flashed across him.
Those sons of bitches had even ruined the clothes that he liked.
Kang Chan took off the jacket, turned it inside out, and draped it over his arm.
About twenty minutes later, Kang Chan got out of the taxi at the other side of the restaurant where Kang Dae-Kyung had a group dinner. He went to the coffee shop Seok Kang-Ho had bought coffee from and sat down. After ordering coffee, he contacted Kim Tae-Jin, took out a cigarette, and bit on it. His phone rang.
âHello?â
- Channy! I saw that there was a knife fight at Yongin. Was that you by any chance?
Michelle saw that already?
- That video unexpectedly popped up while I was searching for dramas and actors. It keeps on getting deleted, but if I really want to, I can still find it and watch it as many times as I want. That was you, wasnât it?
Michelleâs voice started to tremble when Kang Chan didnât answer.
- Channy! Where are you? Are you hurt?
âIâm not injured. Iâm okay. But Iâd probably have to avoid people for a short while until things settle down. I might not be able to talk to you via phone for the time being as well.
- Where are you going to stay? No, stay with me. I have a workroom thatâs not in Bang Bae-dong. You can stay there! Where are you? Iâll go there.
âSomeoneâs coming here to pick me up, but Iâll contact you if things get uncomfortable. Donât worry too much and do a good job in producing the drama.â
- Channy! Donât do that!
Michelle was on the verge of tears.
âI said youâve got nothing to worry about. Everythingâs going to be taken care of soon, so letâs drink beer together then. Thereâs someone thatâs coming here, so I have to contact them.â
- Alright. Make sure to contact me, okay?
âSure.â
Kang Chan hung up the phone and bit on the cigarette again. The incident was bigger than he had expected. Kang Chan stared at his phone. Should he call Yoo Hye-Sook first? What would she do if he or Kang Dae-Kyung wasnât there?
As Kang Chan was frowning, a car stopped in front of the coffee shop. It was the car that Kang Chan had ridden with Kim Tae-Jin when they were going to Mount Jiri.
Kim Tae-Jin got out of the car, then smiled leisurely while looking at Kang Chan.
âWait here. Iâm going to buy coffee,â Kim Tae-Jin said, then gestured to Kang Chanâs clothes with his eyes. In that short moment, it seemed he had already noticed the bloodstains on Kang Chanâs clothes.
âThey appear to be making frantic efforts.â Kim Tae-Jin sat down opposite Kang Chan a moment later. He put his coffee down on the table.
âTheyâre likely trying to stop us somehow before the âUnicornâ is announced. Still, I didnât expect theyâd try to kill your father,â Kim Tae-Jin continued.
âA Japanese was involved in this.â
Kim Tae-Jin took a sip of his coffee, then tilted his head. âTheir actions canât be explained. If your identity has been revealed, then they shouldâve tried to kill you instead. They have nothing to gain by killing your father. At best, itâll just make you want to get revenge on themâŠâ
Kim Tae-Jin briefly raised his head. Kang Chan also had the same thoughts. But when he carefully thought about it, it seemed like a stretch. They werenât in a movie. Would they really kill Kang Dae-Kyung just to drive Kang Chan into a wall?
âLetâs not go that far,â said Kang Chan.
âHmm, if we take the profit that the âUnicornâ would bring into consideration, then it might not be true.â
Kang Chan shook his head. âDidnât you say that everyone will profit if the âUnicornâ gets connected? From my perspective, the conglomerates donât have anything to lose. Rather, wonât they earn even more money from it? However, for the Japanese, this is worth screaming and throwing themselves at us. The question is why theyâd try to kill my father.â
Kim Tae-Jin poured about half of his coffee into Kang Chanâs cup, perhaps because he didnât like his coffee hot.
âThe conglomerates and those with vested rights could dislike having the current regime being maintained like this since the privilege and benefits that they had enjoyed until now would disappear,â Kim Tae-Jin explained.
âBut didnât you say that everyone will be well off?â
âTheyâre already well off. Anyway, letâs observe the situation for now.â
âMy mother is going to be very surprised.â
âIs she alone right now?â
âYes. Thatâs why Iâm worried.â Kang Chan was heavy-hearted.
Buzzâ BuzzâBuzzâ. Buzzâ BuzzâBuzzâ.
âFather?â Kang Chan answered his phone.
- Are you okay? Are you safe?
âIâm drinking coffee in downtown Yongin right now. The President of Yoo Bi-Corp is also with me.
- Okay. Iâm going home now.
âFather? You have to do a proper examination.â
- I was told that there was nothing wrong with me. Iâll have to go home. Your momâs going to be worried, and Iâm going to have to console her.
Kang Chan deeply breathed a sigh of relief.
- Letâs not tell your mom what happened today for the time being. Iâll just mention it in passing once youâve gone home and the three of us are together. Okay?
âYes. Iâll do that.â
- Chan.
âYes.â
Kang Chan heard the sound of him inhaling deeply.
âYouâll get home safely, right?â
Kang Chan answered with an âof course.â
- Your P.E. teacher is a really wonderful person.
Kang Chan couldnât help but laugh out loud at Kang Dae-Kyungâs evaluation of Seok Kang-Ho.
- Then Iâll be at home.
âOkay.â
- Wait.
Whatâs going on?
- Itâs me.
Kang Chan heard Seok Kang-Ho. He sounded serious.
âGo on.â
- Iâll call you again after I accompany your father home. Weâre going to go with the Yoo Bi-Corp employees stationed here, so you probably donât need to worry.
âYou worked hard. Howâs your injury?â
- Letâs talk about the details later.
After their strange conversation, Kang Chan heard, âLetâs go, Mr. Kang Dae-Kyung,â and âYes, Mr. Seok Kang-Ho.â The call ended then.
If Kang Dae-Kyung was at home, then Kang Chan would feel somewhat relieved.
The remaining problem was how theyâd take care of the videos that got uploaded to the Internet and find out the people behind this.
Buzzâ BuzzâBuzzâ. Buzzâ BuzzâBuzzâ.
Kang Chan looked at his phone, then texted that he was going to contact them later.
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
âWhoâs that?â Kim Tae-Jin asked Kang Chan.
âItâs Heo Eun-Sil, one of the female students youâve seen at the school.â
âAh! The tenacious-looking female student?â
Kang Chan wondered if it was possible to describe that bitch like this.
Cha So-Yeon, Moon Ki-Jin, and a few other people called him as well, but he declined all of them. Considering how many calls he got, then people likely somewhat recognized him in the video.
âHyung-Jung has to cover up this incident properly,â Kim Tae-Jin commented and looked at Kang Chan with a worried expression.
âIâm more worried about the three agents that got injured.â
Kim Tae-Jin wordlessly drank the coffee when Kang Chan said that.
After they smoked a cigaretteâŠ
âLetâs get up,â Kim Tae-Jin said and got up.
1. This was written as ëë€ì! (ăȘăă ă!), which is a transliteration of âWhatâs going onâ in Japanese â