Chapter 78: These Bastards—Where Did They Suddenly Crawl Out From
『 TL – Marctempest 』 『 ED – Laplace 』
About an hour by sea from Busan, a large island appeared. An uninhabited reef island marked on maps with nothing but a black dot, without even a na.
On top of a massive black rock battered and licked by rough waves—hardly worthy of being called an island—stood a decrepit salt warehouse precariously perched. That place was the true hideout of the Sea Whale.
Their private kingdom that held Busan’s sea routes in its grip gave off an atmosphere entirely different from the desolate exterior of the warehouse.
Under dim incandescent lights, on one side, Korean mbers of the organization—including its leader, Han Do-gyeong—were quietly eating dinner. Their al was as concise and disciplined as sothing straight out of the military.
On the large aluminum table sat nothing more than freshly cooked white rice, watery kimchi soup, and unbearably salty pickled radish. No one spoke. Only the regular clinking sound of spoons hitting bowls echoed through the space.
On the other hand, in the far corner of the warehouse, a completely different scene unfolded.
The Chinese organization mbers, including Captain Wang Hae, were enjoying a disorderly al amid raucous noise. They tore apart greasy pig trotters with their bare hands and gulped down bowls of strong sorghum liquor, shouting at one another at the top of their lungs.
And between those two incompatible dining scenes, in the darkest corner of the warehouse, sat Captain Noh.
His upper body was bare, tightly bound with rope to a broken wooden chair.
After a night of relentless beatings, his face was so sared with blood and bruises that it was hard to recognize him, and only intermittent groans leaked out through his torn lips.
“Finished eating?”
Han Do-gyeong asked quietly after cleaning his bowl down to the very last grain of rice. His gaze was directed at Park Gi-nam, who had finished his al.
“Yes, hyung.”
Park Gi-nam wiped the rice grains from the corner of his mouth and stood up. He took out an old pair of pliers from the toolbox and, with an utterly casual gait, walked over to Captain Noh.
“Captain Noh. There are rules on our sea. First, we don’t deal in people. Second, we never carry drugs. You broke both.”
Speaking with a fishy smile, Park Gi-nam firmly fixed Captain Noh’s left hand to the armrest of the chair.
“Because of your greed, our people almost got their tails stepped on by those KCIA bastards. And after that, you tried to save yourself by selling out our kids?”
“Khk…… you dog bastards. I’ll kill you all……!”
Before Captain Noh’s curse could even finish, Park Gi-nam roughly clamped down on his index fingernail with the pliers. His expression was utterly indifferent.
Crunch.
The horrific sound of flesh and bone separating echoed through the warehouse.
“Gaaaargh!”
Captain Noh’s desperate scream burst out. He thrashed so violently that the chair shook. Writhing in agony, Captain Noh glared with bloodshot eyes and scread as if clawing back at them.
“You, you sons of bitches! Do you know who I am?! Lord Yang Sobo stands behind . You bastards…… Lord Yang won’t let this go!”
At his scream, a brief stir ran through the Chinese organization mbers who had been shouting noisily.
To them, the three characters of Yang Sobo’s na carried trendous weight.
But Han Do-gyeong took a spoonful of kimchi soup and let out a snort, as if he had just heard the least amusing joke in the world.
“Yang Sobo? You still believe that old tiger will watch your back? You don’t know jack shit about how things are moving in Seoul right now. That man’s got his own nose three feet under. He got hit hard by the currency reform—his entire empire is shaking. You think he has the leeway to take care of so rotten rope like you?”
At Han Do-gyeong’s mocking words, despair surfaced on Captain Noh’s face. Park Gi-nam raised the pliers again, this ti aiming for the middle fingernail.
“Feeling like talking now? The drugs you were trying to handle—where are they right now? And how much did you spill about us?”
“Don’t…… know……. I said I don’t know, you dog bastards…….”
“Heh, looks like you still haven’t co to your senses. Gi-nam, keep going. There are ten fingers, so we’ve got plenty of ti.”
As Han Do-gyeong’s quiet permission fell, a cruel smile surfaced on Park Gi-nam’s expressionless face.
Once again, the dreadful sound of flesh being torn away mingled with the raucous dining noise and seeped into the darkness of the warehouse.
After all the entertainnt ended, the warehouse returned to its routine.
Park Gi-nam wiped the bloodstained pliers with an oily rag and put them back into the toolbox, while the other mbers dragged the mangled Captain Noh and tossed him into a dark corner.
Just then, the liaison So Yong-taek approached Han Do-gyeong with a ledger and reported quietly.
“Hyung, we just got word from the Choryang side.”
“What about it?”
“They say Jin Tae-rim…… has been released.”
In that instant, all movent drained from Han Do-gyeong. He set down the bowl of scorched rice water in his hand and turned to So Yong-taek with eyes full of disbelief.
“What did you say? Jin Tae-rim was released? Does that make any sense?”
For the first ti, confusion seeped into his voice. Soone taken by the KCIA—especially a Chinese man accused of leaking military supplies—being released in a single day was beyond common sense.
Reading the unusual atmosphere, Wang Hae, who had been mixed in with the Chinese group, walked over.
“What does that an? Jin Tae-rim was released?”
Even at Wang Hae’s question, So Yong-taek only looked at Han Do-gyeong. Wang Hae grabbed So Yong-taek by the shoulder and growled.
“Talk properly. Are you saying Jin Tae-rim really got out?”
The answer ca from So Yong-taek’s mouth.
“I couldn’t believe it either, so I checked several tis. They say a section chief nad Oh Chung-seong at the Busan branch of the KCIA personally ordered his release. Lack of evidence, dismissed without charges……”
“Oh Chung-seong? That crazy son of a bitch let go of soone he worked so hard to catch?”
At the na Oh Chung-seong, Wang Hae cut off So Yong-taek mid-sentence. Having suffered a lot at his hands, he ground his teeth unconsciously.
“Oh Chung-seong…….”
Han Do-gyeong quietly repeated the na. A direct line under Noh Gi-tae, a cold-blooded man who never moved without compensation.
There was no way soone like that would release Jin Tae-rim for nothing.
Because he couldn’t even guess who had pulled the strings, Han Do-gyeong’s mind grew unbearably tangled.
“How exactly did he get released?”
At Han Do-gyeong’s question, So Yong-taek added an explanation.
“They say one guest staying at President Wang’s inn negotiated directly with the KCIA.”
“Guest? Why would that person?”
“They say Jin Tae-rim’s nephew handled his route guidance. Then, after hearing what happened, he stepped in personally and resolved it.”
“……You expect to believe that?”
Wang Hae asked with a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“He negotiated directly with the KCIA just to save the uncle of so brat who was rely guiding his route? At a ti like this, when the KCIA’s eyes are wide open?”
“It’s true. And…….”
So Yong-taek glanced at Wang Hae before continuing.
“They say President Wang has been asking around about Captain Noh’s whereabouts. On top of that, he’s also been digging into us.”
“……President Wang? Why?”
Han Do-gyeong asked with widened eyes. President Wang, the diator of Chinatown, never made conspicuous moves. Yet to openly inquire about them—
“That much hasn’t co down to us. Only that an organization mber on the Choryang side inferred he might be connected to the man who got Jin Tae-rim released.”
After being lost in thought for a long while, Han Do-gyeong spoke to Wang Hae.
“Captain Wang. Bring Jin Tae-rim in. I need to hear directly what’s going on.”
“I’m curious as well. I’ll bring him right away.”
Wang Hae turned and spoke to the Chinese organization mbers.
“Jin Tae-rim’s been released. Let’s go and welco our brother. Who’ll bring him in?”
Several mbers raised their hands, and Wang Hae picked two and imdiately sent them ashore.
Han Do-gyeong jerked his chin toward Captain Noh, who was stuffed motionless into the darkness at the corner of the warehouse, and spoke quietly.
“Find out from that bastard why President Wang is looking for him.”
At his order, Park Gi-nam headed back to the toolbox. He rummaged around for a bit, then took out a well-worn old hamr and walked over to Captain Noh.
A fishy smile hung on Park Gi-nam’s lips.
I spent the entire day in my lodging, endlessly muttering the four characters “Sea Whale.” My head felt like it was about to burst.
‘If Captain Noh’s stowaway organization collapses, then Min-soo’s stowaway passage…?’
It was an organization Yang Sobo had personally introduced, so I had been able to trust them. Now, it was too late to find so other half-baked group. Min-soo could end up in danger out on the vast open sea.
It could beco sothing I’d regret for the rest of my life.
‘Give up on stowing away?’
No. The only way to get Min-soo out of this hellish country and obtain U.S. citizenship was through stowing away.
There was no other option.
‘Sea Whale…….’
A massive variable had appeared in the plan.
As long as a ghostlike smuggling organization that encompassed Busan’s sea routes existed, sneaking Min-soo out while avoiding their eyes might be impossible no matter what thod I used.
‘Find them and bring them down?’
An extre option crossed my mind, but I soon shook my head.
Bringing down a massive smuggling organization on my own was close to impossible. Even with the cooperation of the KCIA or the Military, finding it down to its roots in a short ti wouldn’t be easy.
If I touched it clumsily, everything could go awry.
“Ah, what a headache. Where the hell did these bastards suddenly crawl out from, ssing with people’s heads like this?”
I grumbled while scribbling viciously over the paper with “Sea Whale” written on it.
Just then, along with a knock, President Wang’s voice ca from outside.
“Mr. Baek. Are you awake?”
“Yes. Co in.”
The door opened and President Wang entered. His face was filled with fatigue and worry.
“No matter how much I ask around, I couldn’t find Captain Noh’s whereabouts.”
I hadn’t expected much to begin with. Still, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
“What about Sea Whale?”
“For now, after gathering the opinions of the smugglers in our community, Sea Whale…… does exist.”
“Exists.”
“Yes. To smugglers, they say it’s no different from the Jade Emperor himself.”
“Then what are the police and the Military even doing?”
“You know how it is. It’s customary for smugglers and stowaway brokers to pay them off and have them look the other way. Sea Whale is presud to have paid bribes far larger than theirs.”
They say there’s nothing money can’t do, but did this really make sense? As if there were skies above skies—once a smuggling organization appeared, things like this happened. Pressing my forehead, I asked President Wang.
“What about the leader? No one knows who Sea Whale is?”
“They all say they don’t know. There is a liaison, but even that person reportedly changes frequently.”
It felt like walking through thick fog. That a re smuggling organization could hide itself so perfectly behind a veil.
“Alright. And what’s the reaction in Seoul?”
“I passed the ssage along, but…… it didn’t seem like they had the ntal capacity to worry about this right now.”
It was sothing I had already anticipated, so I nodded vaguely.
They’d be too busy to worry about matters in far-off Busan. With Kang Byung-woo’s blade pointed at the heart of the capital, Yang Sobo, too, would be preoccupied with a fight for survival.
“I understand. Still, please keep looking into it.”
After seeing President Wang off, I lay down on the bed.
Having tossed and turned all night, exhaustion poured over from midday. To cool my aching head for a bit, I opened a collection of Go ga records.
My eyes followed the moves, but chaotic thoughts sprawled through my mind.
How much ti had passed? Around the ti evening twilight seeped through the window, soone cautiously knocked on the tightly closed door.
Rubbing my stiff eyes, I sat up. When I opened the door, Jin Tae-rim was standing there.
The vigilance and anger from last night were nowhere to be found—only the face of a man sunk deep in anguish remained.
“Please, co in.”
After entering the room, he stared out the window for a long while before finally opening his mouth heavily. Unlike yesterday, he didn’t avoid my eyes.
“About what happened last night…… I’m sorry. I taught my nephew never to forget a favor, but it turns out I was the one who misunderstood you. I heard you saved without wanting anything from .”
I said nothing. I simply waited for his next words.
At my attitude, Jin Tae-rim gave a bitter smile. Then, as if setting down a heavy burden, he confessed a shocking truth.
“When Oh Chung-seong released , he set a condition. He told to find out what you were trying to gain through , what your true purpose was, and report it back. Using my family as leverage…… he intended to use as his pawn.”
My head, already throbbing, began to ache even more. I barely managed to suppress the sigh rising to my chin.
‘Oh Chung-seong, this man really….’
To think he’d shown nothing in front of , only to pull this kind of dirty trick behind the scenes. Only now did I understand the sharp reaction Jin Tae-rim had shown.
“What could I possibly have to gain from you? Section Chief Oh has seriously misunderstood.”
But Oh Chung-seong’s business was sothing I could put aside—for the next words that ca from his mouth were even more shocking.
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