“One pack of Esse, please.”
The convenience-store clerk handed over the cigarette pack. Ihyeon checked the cigarettes, slid his card into the reader, and his phone buzzed immediately. Thinking it was a payment alert, he glanced down — and an address popped up on the screen.
[Gawonro 27-gil 52, 4th floor]
What is this.
It was an unknown number. Maybe it was a mistake. Just as he was about to put the phone away, it buzzed again.
[8:00 PM. Be there on time.]
At that message, Seunghyeok’s face flashed into his mind. Now that he thought about it, it had been strange that he hadn’t heard anything since the day he’d gone to borrow money.
Instead of replying “Who is this?”, Ihyeon stepped out of the shop, lit a cigarette in the alley, and stared at the message. His expression was quietly level as always.
Is this him getting ready to start the thing he mentioned? He’s probably calling me to explain the details. What does he mean by “get information”? Could I do the job Gu Seunghyeok is asking for? No — even if I can’t do it, I have to pull it off somehow.
Knowing it was useless to worry now, he still let his thoughts crowd his head. Exhaling a long plume of smoke, Ihyeon entered the address into his phone.
The destination pin showed it was a fair distance away. Better to leave early and arrive too soon than risk cutting it close. He crushed the cigarette under his shoe, then headed toward the bus stop with heavy steps.
Getting off the bus, he found himself on a street packed with nightlife bars and drinking establishments. One block over from the noisy main road, a dark, narrow alley set a different tone.
At the end of the lane stood a five-story commercial building with no signage; cars were illegally parked all along the road. This was the address Seunghyeok had sent.
Because so few people passed by and the neighboring buildings looked neglected, a chill atmosphere hovered around. Ihyeon glanced up toward the lit floors, then climbed the stairs.
Was the office on the fourth floor?
The building was old and had no elevator. The second and third floors looked long vacant. On the bare cement floor, crumpled “for lease” notices lay scattered.
Reaching the fourth floor, his chest heaved. After steadying his breath, Ihyeon knocked on the tightly closed metal door. His light knock echoed loudly down the stairwell; the harsh sound made him frown.
“Anybody there?”
No response came. Just as he wondered whether to knock again, the door slammed open. Beyond the gray-painted door plastered with stickers sat several men, their faces guarded as they looked back at him.
“What the hell?”
The one who opened the door squinted when he recognized Ihyeon, then scowled. He peered up the stairwell as if checking for others.
After confirming no one else was coming, his gaze returned to Ihyeon, now tinged with puzzlement. He scratched his forehead and arched an eyebrow.
“You must’ve lost your way.”
Through the narrow opening Ihyeon could see into the office: a large leather sofa in the center with several people seated, and hana-tua cards strewn across the table. Those holding cards turned toward him with curious expressions.
Though these men gave off an awkward, hesitant air, Ihyeon had become used to dealing with such types while working at the club. Like at Taeseong headquarters last time, Seunghyeok had probably not warned them that he was coming. Rather than stopping to explain the situation to them, it would be faster to find Seunghyeok himself.
He stepped past the man and walked inside. The big men on the sofa put down their cards and scowled.
“Hey kid, what’re you here for? This ain’t a place to wander in and out of.”
Their blocking behavior felt threatening. Just as he was about to say he’d come for Gu Seunghyeok, a voice cut in from the side.
“He’s my guest. Leave him alone and get back to what you were doing.”
Turning, Ihyeon saw Seunghyeok leaning against a partitioned office door. The big men glanced between them and muttered, “Oh, our boss’ guest?” with forced cheer.
“Don’t just stand there dumb — come inside.”
At Seunghyeok’s words, Ihyeon ground his teeth slightly and stepped forward. He felt eyes follow him as he passed; when he reached Seunghyeok, the man nudged the door open a little more. Swallowing, Ihyeon stepped into the partitioned office.
The main area was arranged like a large conference room, with a small study attached at the back. Unsure where to go, Ihyeon froze; the sound of a door clicking shut echoed behind him.
“Follow me.”
Standing shoulder to shoulder in the not-very-wide space, Ihyeon felt Seunghyeok’s presence more acutely. He must’ve been taller, he thought before swallowing the thought. He shook his head to clear it and kept a step’s distance behind Seunghyeok as they moved inward.
“Sit.”
Seunghyeok nodded toward the sofa; Ihyeon took the place opposite him. Seunghyeok sat with one leg crossed, leaning back, and stared at Ihyeon with dark, intent eyes.
“I thought you might be scared and not come. You came — knowing what I might order.”
“I didn’t think you’d just let me run away.”
Ihyeon’s flat reply earned a scoffing laugh from Seunghyeok.
“Ha. Right. We don’t exactly make a living by digging up dirt.”
Where Seunghyeok lounged casually, Ihyeon sat with his knees together and his back straight. Avoiding eye contact, he stared at the edge of the table, which made Seunghyeok crease his brow and sneer.
“How far are you prepared to go?”
“……”
“You said you wouldn’t dig holes. Anything else you’ll dig?”
“……”
“You know how to use your mouth or hands, right?”
The taunting tone brought color to Ihyeon’s face. He knew the words were meant to needle him, and his fists tightened.
“If I say I can use them—”
“……”
“Will you try me out here?”
Ihyeon lifted his eyes slowly and met Seunghyeok’s gaze. Seunghyeok cocked an eyebrow at the look, then turned away with a short laugh.
“Right. That’s more like Kwon Ihyeon.”
Springing up, Seunghyeok went to the desk and brought back a yellow file, dropping it in front of Ihyeon.
“……”
There was no writing on the cover. It felt like an instruction to open it, so Ihyeon flipped it. The first thing that caught his eye, pasted at the top of the first page, was a familiar man’s photograph.
“Name: Gu Jinhyeok, thirty-two. Head of Taeseong Group headquarters.”
“……”
“You might know him — he’s my… older brother.”
At the word older brother, Seunghyeok paused, leaving a barely audible space in his sentence. Ihyeon’s hand trembled.
Brother? Did Gu Seunghyeok have an older brother?
Old memories stirred, and his expression tightened. He shook his head to clear them and focused back on the file.
The man behind the rimmed glasses in the photo had a cold look Ihyeon recognized from before — the man who had sought them out at the office and who had helped him at headquarters last time.
His features were sharp; he’d seemed only handsome at a glance, but learning he was Seunghyeok’s brother made his gaze feel strangely icy.
Ihyeon licked his lips and turned the pages. The A4 sheets detailed meticulous observations: likes and dislikes, favorite restaurants, daily patterns — the kind of dossier someone would compile after long-term surveillance.
“There’s something I’m looking for. Next week there’s a completion party for VIPs, and I need the password that will be in Gu Jinhyeok’s hands then.”
“……”
“On the day of the party, you’ll attach yourself to him as his partner and find out a six-digit key. That’s your job.”
Ihyeon, flipping the pages, lifted his head and looked at Seunghyeok. His face was expressionless, unreadable. Seunghyeok watched him, clenched his fist and opened it again.
It had been an impulsive suggestion — a mixture of incredulity and anger when Ihyeon had calmly asked for a loan.
Seeing him sitting there with such an innocent face, not knowing what he was about to be involved in, made Seunghyeok’s stomach twist. He crooked his mouth and cracked his knuckles.
The item Seunghyeok was after was a new synthetic drug that had been smuggled in from South America last month alongside children’s Barbie dolls. The quantity, less than a child’s weight, was worth roughly thirty billion won on the street. It vanished during transport through Hawaii.
Chairman Gu believed the Seunri faction had been brazenly running about without knowing what they were doing, but Seunghyeok thought otherwise. If someone was pulling this kind of dirty trick, it was likely Gu Jinhyeok.
To prove that, the amount of the drug being sold on the market had decreased. Seunghyeok planned to squeeze things tight until the moment Gu Jinhyeok inherited management, then sell off at the highest price just before the others went crazy.
There was only one likely place the pilfered goods could be hidden: the VIP lounge building nearing completion.
Through the architects, they learned a secret storeroom had been added that didn’t appear on plans. It was said to be designed so it could only be opened with a daily-changing OTP number.
Even if someone planted a mole to learn the password, it would be useless unless they could access the lounge that day. That made the VIP party the only opportunity.
Whether it was right to drag Kwon Ihyeon into such a crucial operation was still unclear, but the water was already spilled.
“……”
Ihyeon bit his lower lip. Seunghyeok’s demand felt outrageous. If it was such an important password, there was no way they’d hand it out casually — how could he possibly obtain it?
No—before that. He and Gu Jinhyeok had only ever crossed paths by chance; there was no point of contact between them.
“Someone like me getting close enough to approach him seems impossible.”
“Don’t worry about that. You won’t have to approach him — he’ll come to you first.”