Perfect Mission Chapter 22 - Counterattack (5)

Chapter 22 – Counterattack (5)

Mortar, a battlefield veteran, instantly knew he was exposed to a sniper the moment Shorty’s head exploded. His only cover was inside the container. But could he make it before being hit? Should he turn and run, zigzagging?

In the split second Shorty’s body crumpled, Mortar made his decision and dove inside. It was the best option he could think of. With about a second to spare before the sniper reloaded and fired, and with just a bit of luck, he might make it to safety.

As he flew inside, he saw the middle-aged man, frozen in terror, jjajangmyeon halfway to his mouth.

Thud!

‘Shit…’ A searing pain in his back told him something was wrong. He desperately tried to crawl—

Thud!

His world went dark.

And then—

“BLAAARGH!!!!”

Yoon Gyeongsik, witnessing a scene straight out of a nightmare, vomited everything he had in his mouth. Dangerous? He never imagined the danger he was warned about involving getting shot in Korea. He was glad he hadn’t called his wife. Then, his phone rang. It was him.

“H-Hello.”

A flat, emotionless voice came through the phone.

[You brought what I asked for, right? No time, move quickly.]

“Is this… okay?”

[Don’t want to? Then leave. We never met.]

“No! I mean…”

[Questions later. Move. Or you’ll end up like them.]

“Understood.”

Yoon Gyeongsik retrieved a large suitcase, heavy-duty plastic sheeting, a hazmat suit, rubber gloves, and cleaning supplies from the trunk. He hadn’t understood why he was told to buy them, but now… He put on the suit, then wrapped the bodies in plastic. Dealing with two corpses, especially with their heads… like that… was beyond horrific.

“Ugh… ugh! Blech!”

He vomited repeatedly. He’d never seen anything so gruesome. He finally wrapped the bodies in black trash bags, and then he heard footsteps. He spun around—

“That’s not how you wrap a body for transport.”

“Gah…”

Yoon Gyeongsik collapsed, relief washing over him, his legs giving way. Junho glanced at him and placed the black case he was carrying on a chair inside the container.

“When disposing of bodies, plan the transport first. Otherwise, you have to start over.”

“Who are you?”

“Ignorance is bliss.”

“…”

Junho unwrapped the bodies, retrieved their belongings, and re-wrapped them.

“Bring the car to the front. Take off the hazmat suit. No blood on the car. It’s a rental. Remember.”

“Yes.”

He removed the suit and pulled the car up. They shoved the bodies into the trunk.

“Now, clean up. Gloves on.”

“Okay.”

“Wipe up the blood and… bits… with paper towels, bag them. Scrub the stains with detergent and a brush.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Gyeongsik began cleaning. The sight had been horrific, but now his aching back and arms just wanted it over with. He resented the middle-aged man, who merely watched, occasionally picking up spent cartridges.

“What about the bullet holes in the floor?”

“Leave them.”

“Okay.”

“Hurry up.”

“I am hurrying!”

Gyeongsik scrubbed harder, annoyance in his voice. Finally, he wiped the floor with water and paper towels. It was spotless. Junho nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s finish this.”

“Okay.”

Yoon Gyeongsik got behind the wheel and asked,

“Where…”

“Here. Don’t use the car’s navigation.”

Junho displayed an address on his burner phone.

“Okay.”

Yoon Gyeongsik drove, and Junho fell into deep thought. He’d already searched the car Mortar and Shorty arrived in, retrieving a few items and the dashcam memory card. Mortar wasn’t smart enough to handle a multi-billion won operation. There had to be a boss in Korea. But he couldn’t think of any agent connected to Mortar who fit the bill. It couldn’t be a Korean national, then. Perhaps a Korean-Chinese agent, or someone from mainland China.

He had to eliminate this person too. Once they learned of Mortar and Shorty’s deaths, they’d react, creating more variables. He should deal with it today, but it was physically impossible.

Should he set another bait? A stupid fish would bite twice, but a smart monkey wouldn’t fall for the same trick.

“Tsk…“

Gyeongsik flinched at Junho’s dissatisfied sound and glanced at him. Seeing Junho staring out the window, lost in thought, he gulped and asked,

“What about me?”

“Oh, right.”

Junho, as if just remembering, handed him a thick envelope of cash. Yoon Gyeongsik felt the weight of the ordeal lift.

“Thank you.”

“You earned it. And don’t feel guilty. If I hadn’t killed them, they would have killed you. Didn’t you feel it?”

Yoon Gyeongsik knew. The murderous look in the man’s eyes as he lunged at him… if the bullet hadn’t arrived in time, he’d be the one lying dead.

“I know.”

“Those two… the one with the eyebrow scar, he’s a real piece of work. Murder, rape, countless victims. Kills and tortures children in front of their parents without flinching.”

“Ha…”

“And this isn’t all the money.”

“What?”

“This is just pocket change. The real payment is still to come…”

Yoon Gyeongsik felt his hands on the steering wheel tremble.

“Really?”

“Yes. That one’s a real monster too. And I’ll be the one doing the killing. You just help me. This next deal is worth one…”

“One…?”

“100 million won.”

Yoon Gyeongsik wiped the sweat from his brow, though it wasn’t hot.

‘100 million? 100 million?’

He was 300 million won in debt, but 100 million would give his family some breathing room. He’d left home because he couldn’t bear to see them suffer because of him, but was it any better for them now? 100 million won would cover some of his debts, his children’s tuition, and living expenses.

Even if it led to hell, he had to do it.

“I’ll do it.”

“It’ll be dangerous, as you’ve seen.”

“It’s okay. I have nowhere else to go.”

Junho smirked, impressed by his resolve.

“Where are we going?”

“The mountains.”

“Oh… but we don’t have a shovel…”

Junho, momentarily forgetting that detail, closed his eyes. Yoon Gyeongsik quickly said,

“Let’s buy a portable shovel on the way.”

“Won’t it look suspicious buying a shovel at this hour?”

“I’ll buy some camping gear too.”

“Heh! Good thinking.”

Junho was starting to like this guy.

 

***

 

There should have been a call, but there wasn’t. For an agent, keeping promises was fundamental. Those who broke them weren’t worthy of the title. Even Mortar, despite his recklessness and stupidity, wouldn’t break a fundamental rule. If he couldn’t even do that, he’d be dead by now, his status as an agent revoked.

So, no contact at this hour meant he was unable to contact them… and what was even more baffling was that Shorty, who went with Mortar, was also unreachable. The only logical conclusion was that they were both dead, with 99.99% certainty.

“Idiots…”

He called them idiots, but he knew that even two of them might not be a match for the real Gorilla. He’d never faced Gorilla himself, but his reputation preceded him. A high reputation in the world of espionage was not to be taken lightly. For those constantly flirting with death, even a small mistake could be fatal. A high reputation was proof of skill and the ability to survive countless dangers.

So, the conclusion was…?

The bald man stood up and opened the safe.

‘Two days. Just hide for two days.’

He’d shown weakness, taken a hit. It was their turn now. He had to hide and find an opening in the next two days. The bald man clenched his jaw; things were getting more complicated than he’d anticipated.