Perfect Mission Chapter 13 - Lee Hongshin (2)

Chapter 13 – Lee Hongshin (2)

 

He didn’t remember how he fought. When he came to, the unidentified middle-aged man was collapsing to the floor, a knife protruding from his neck. The man, gushing blood, looked up at Junho with an uncomprehending gaze, then breathed his last.

“Gasp… gasp…”

Junho, catching his breath, approached Hongshin, who looked more dead than alive.

“Mister. Mister?”

“Dad… Dad!”

Junho didn’t hear the girl’s anguished cries from behind him. He was fixated on Hongshin, whose eyes were fluttering open.

“Y-You…”

“Gorilla sent me.”

“Gurk… cough!”

The man coughed up blood, then slowly opened his eyes again, looking up at Junho.

“G-Gorilla?”

What should he say? Looking at Hongshin, one of Jo Gyeongcheol’s few comrades, Junho couldn’t bring himself to lie.

Did Hongshin sense it?

“What… what’s your… relationship… with him?”

“He was my teacher.”

A faint twitch at the corner of Hongshin’s lips. He was smiling.

“Better… than me.”

“I’ll call an ambulance. Just hold on.”

He said he’d call an ambulance, but Junho knew it was already too late. And Hongshin knew it too. He slowly and deliberately shook his head.

“Don’t… be foolish… I… kept my promise…”

“I know. You didn’t say anything.”

“Gurk… A favor…”

Junho wiped away his tears and said to Hongshin, who was on the verge of death,

“Ask. What is it?”

“My daughter… please… The gift…”

Anything but that. He was just a high school student; how could he take responsibility for a teenage girl? But he couldn’t refuse Hongshin’s dying wish. Besides, Hongshin had kept his secret to the very end, for his comrade.

“Alright.”

Hongshin’s lips twitched again. He seemed relieved, his expression softening. Despite his mangled face, Junho could clearly sense it.

Hongshin’s trembling hand reached out and grasped Junho’s forearm. Even in death, his grip was strong. He was using his last ounce of strength to convey his final message.

“Mantis… beware…”

Hongshin’s bloodshot eyes stared into Junho’s. Junho met his gaze and gave a slight nod.

“I’ll avenge you.”

Junho cut his palm with his knife and let the blood drip onto Hongshin’s hand. Hongshin clenched his hand around the blood, then slowly closed his eyes.

“Dad! Dad!”

Junho gently laid Hongshin down on the floor. He approached the screaming girl and cut the tape binding her.

“I know you’re sad and devastated, but we don’t have time. We need to get out of here.”

She pushed Junho aside and rushed to Hongshin’s side. Her trembling hands touched his body as she sobbed.

“Dad, Dad… I’m sorry. Wake up! Please call an ambulance, please.”

“…He’s gone.”

“I can’t let him die like this.”

“We don’t have time.”

“Dad…”

Junho slapped her.

Slap!

“Snap out of it!”

“Uh…”

He looked into her startled eyes and slowly explained,

“See that man I killed?”

The girl slowly turned her head towards the dead man.

“There’s an organization that sent him here to kill your father. If they can’t contact him, they’ll send more. Even if they take their time, they’ll be here in an hour and a half. Maybe even sooner. And then you’ll die too. Just like your father.”

“I want to die.”

He’d expected that. Her vacant eyes held only despair, no will to live.

“I made a promise. I promised your father I’d keep you safe. If you want to die, do it somewhere else, not here.”

“…”

“Do you know why your father didn’t say anything, even while being tortured?”

For the first time, a flicker of life returned to her eyes.

“Why…?”

“He knew they’d kill you too if he talked. So, he gambled. He called for Gorilla’s help, hoping he’d come. That’s why he endured the pain and didn’t say a word. I came. Your father is gone, but you’re alive.”

Hongshin hadn’t stayed silent just for Gorilla; he knew they would kill everyone if he talked. Even knowing this, Junho didn’t think Hongshin had lied. He had, after all, kept his mouth shut.

“Dad…”

“Your father endured that pain for you, and you’re going to give up so easily? Don’t you feel sorry for him?”

“…”

“So, get up. You can decide whether you want to live or die after we get out of here.”

The girl, after looking at Junho with a complex expression, finally stood up, leaving her father’s side. Her tears broke Junho’s heart, but he didn’t show it.

“You know what your father left for you, right?”

The girl’s eyes wavered.

“Where is it? We have to take it.”

“Did you come for that too?”

“No, I came to help your father. But if we leave it here, they’ll take it. Is that okay? If so, we can leave it.”

The outcome was predetermined. The girl hesitated for a moment, then said,

“It’s in my room.”

“Good. Go get it, and don’t touch anything else. Change out of your uniform. Wear a mask and a hat, and pack only the most essential things in your bag. Don’t worry about money. Understand?”

“What… what about you?”

“I have to clean up.”

She looked confused, not understanding what he meant by “clean up,” but she ran to the house next door. It was fortunate that the workshop and the house were attached.

Junho gathered Hongshin and the killer he had killed in one place. He then searched the killer’s belongings, finding a phone, a crumpled note, and a matchbox with strange symbols and drawings. He carefully placed these items in his bag, along with one of the insurance brochures he had brought. Then he went into Hongshin’s house.

The girl had already changed clothes and was wearing a hat pulled low, clutching a small briefcase to her chest. She was still crying, her emotions raw.

“I’ll borrow some of your father’s clothes. Where are they?”

“In the back…”

His tailored suit was ruined. He was slightly worried about what his mother would say when she saw the cuts all over his body, but for now, he focused on escaping safely. Hongshin’s clothes were a bit small, but fortunately, he found a tracksuit. He put it on and came out.

He cut the gas line and threw the curtains, still attached to the rod, out the window.

“Let’s go.”

“…”

Hongshin’s daughter, sobbing, followed his instructions.

Junho cut the gas line to the boiler in the office building and opened the window.

“There’s a lot of grass around here. Did your father use a brush cutter?”

“In the shed…”

He went into the shed she pointed to and poured the fuel from the brush cutter onto the exterior wall of the building and through the open window.

“Run ahead, to the front. Cover your ears; it’s going to be loud.”

She nodded, covered her ears with her hands, and ran.

Junho struck a match from the matchbox, lit the curtain he’d doused with fuel, and ran like hell. Hongshin’s daughter, who had been far ahead, was getting closer—

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the ground.

They stopped running and watched the flames.

“Dad…”

Junho looked at Hongshin’s daughter, who was crying again, with sympathy. He grabbed her wrist and started walking.

She didn’t resist but kept looking back at the place where her father had died.

“He died knowing you would survive. That’s why we have to get away quickly.”

“…”

“What’s your name?”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“…Hyesun.”

“Does it mean ‘wise and kind’?”

Hyesun nodded.

“It’s a beautiful name. How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

So, they were only a year apart. He hadn’t even gotten a good look at her face in the chaos, but he hadn’t realized she was so close to his age. Now that he looked closely, she was quite pretty.

“What about your mother?”

“She died when I was young.”

The killer probably didn’t know that Hongshin’s wife was dead. If he had, he would have realized it earlier. If he had, Junho would have been ambushed and killed as soon as he entered the office.

A cold sweat ran down Junho’s back. He needed to anticipate situations like this in the future.

“…”

“What are we going to do now?”

Hyesun’s eyes were filled with fear. She clutched the strap of her bag, probably worried about the contents. She seemed to have learned from her father not to trust people easily.

“We need to clean up. We can’t wander around looking like this. And I need to take care of my wounds.”

“…”

“I know you’re worried, but worrying won’t help. If you’re concerned about something, prepare for it. Understand?”

She nodded again. He had expected her to be difficult because she was a girl, but she was quite quick to understand.

Even in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, there were motels here and there. He avoided places like jjimjilbangs (Korean spas) because they had CCTV cameras at the entrance and too many people.

Junho bought a first-aid kit at a pharmacy and checked the location of the CCTV cameras as he entered the motel, making sure his face wasn’t visible while getting a room.

‘This is my first time in a motel with a girl, and I’m in this state…’

Junho swallowed his disappointment. He’d dreamt of a heart-pounding, exciting experience.

It was probably Hyesun’s first time in a motel as well. She followed him bravely, clutching her bag and sitting quietly on a chair. Her large eyes darted around, observing Junho, ready to flee if necessary.

“Do you know what your father left you?”

“…”

Junho sat on the bed and sent an email from his burner phone.

“Should I tell you?”

“…What happens if I know?”

She wasn’t stupid.

“You have to hide it well. If anyone finds out you have it, things could get… a little, or rather, very complicated. So, what do you say?”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“I’ll hand it over.”

Hyesun’s eyes widened.

“To whom?”

“The NIS.”

“Why?”

“To buy you a new identity.”

Hyesun, finally understanding Junho’s intentions, looked bewildered. Her father had told her that the value of what she possessed was enough to live like royalty for a lifetime in most countries.

“Why? Did you think I’d want it for myself?”

“No one dislikes money.”

“True. But it’s not my money. I don’t want to touch it.”

“…”

“And I promised your father I’d protect you. You can’t live as a fugitive forever. I just sent a request to the NIS, offering this in exchange for a new identity for you. If everything goes as planned, you’ll have a new life. Somewhere no one knows you.”

Hyesun stared at Junho and asked,

“Why do I feel like you’re getting rid of me?”

“I can protect you once, but not forever. And… I made another promise to your father. To avenge him.”

Just as Hongshin hadn’t kept his mouth shut solely for Gorilla, this revenge wasn’t just for him either. It was revenge for those who killed Jo Gyeongcheol and also a way to eliminate potential obstacles in his path. He believed that those who killed Hongshin were connected to those who killed Jo Gyeongcheol.

“So, I just have to wait? For news that the revenge is complete… or that you’re dead, just like my dad?”

“…I won’t die.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Junho looked into Hyesun’s dark eyes.

“Because I’m the best. I will become the best. That’s why I won’t die.”