With a crash, the glass shattered and bodies tumbled outside. After rolling on the ground with the rabbit, Soo-hyun quickly got to his feet. The sudden breaking glass and people flying out caused several people gathered on the terrace to scream. Hearing the commotion, others began emerging from nearby rooms one by one.

Soo-hyun shook his head to remove the glass fragments and looked at Lee Young-jun. He lay sprawled on the floor with the knife still embedded in his stomach. The necklace that had been gleaming around his neck now rested in Soo-hyun’s possession. But Lee Young-jun wasn’t his concern right now.

The rabbit had somehow gotten up and glared at Soo-hyun with murderous intent. Blood streamed from a cut on his eyelid, covering half his face. The face that had been hidden beneath the mask appeared undeniably handsome, but his eyes contained the ferocity of a wild beast. He represented the type of person Soo-hyun would never want to befriend had they met under normal circumstances.

The rabbit’s gaze naturally fell on the necklace in Soo-hyun’s hand.

“Ha, f*ck.”

With an irritated expression, the rabbit tilted his head back once before returning it to position. Seemingly just realizing where his sought-after item was, he approached with angry strides.

Soo-hyun backed away and looked down over the railing. True to Lee Young-jun’s words, a swimming pool lay directly below, fortunately filled with water. The problem was its depth, but he lacked time to consider that luxury. The rabbit already stood right in front of him.

Dying here from a beating by this muscular rabbit or smashing his head on concrete below—neither option seemed particularly appealing. Staff had arrived after hearing the commotion, but they made no effort to restrain the rabbit, focusing instead on providing first aid to the bleeding Lee Young-jun.

Just as the rabbit reached him, BOOM! An explosion like a signal flare sounded and the floor shook. Oh, thank God. A momentary look of confusion crossed the rabbit’s face, but it lasted only an instant.

Unlike the people screaming and falling into panic, he maintained his cold expression and reached out. Soo-hyun stuffed the necklace into his mouth and climbed onto the railing. Then, just before the rabbit could grab his collar, he threw himself outward.

The fall happened in an instant. There wasn’t even time to feel fear before SPLASH, he sank into the water. Worried that the USB might get wet, he kept his lips tightly sealed as he rose to the surface. Thankfully, the pool proved deep enough. The black shirt he’d been wearing over his face floated on the water.

Soo-hyun swam to the edge and took out the necklace from his mouth to check it. Another explosion sounded as fierce flames shot up from one side. Though quite far from the party venue, people ran in all directions, screaming in panic.

The butcher shop owner Kim Tae-shin’s claim about planting bombs had been true, and their power exceeded expectations. The entire building had gone dark, suggesting a power outage, with only rising pillars of flame visible. The entrance had turned into chaos with people screaming and others unable to escape.

Soo-hyun looked up. Someone stood on the now-empty terrace, looking down at him. Though too dark to see clearly, he guessed it was the rabbit. There was no time to waste. Soo-hyun ran for his life toward the exit without looking back.

His ankle hurt, threatening to snap, but getting caught now meant the rabbit might cut his intestines rather than Lee Young-jun’s. From somewhere came the sound of dogs barking. Looking back, he saw dogs and a group of men in pursuit.

Soo-hyun chose the mountain path instead of the exit. As he climbed over the wall and moved along the path he’d scouted earlier, the sound of barking dogs alternately faded and grew closer. He couldn’t even pause to catch his breath. In the darkness, he saw only moonlight and trees stretching ominously toward the sky.

***

After wandering shirtless through the mountain paths, Soo-hyun discovered a rural house and entered. Shivering, he stole some clothes and a wide-brimmed hat lying in the corner of the yard, then went outside to change. The clothes fit reasonably well but were too short, and dirt covered them, probably from farming use. Still, he couldn’t be picky if he wanted to avoid freezing to death.

At least it wasn’t the dead of winter. He put the necklace in his pocket and walked on, rubbing his arms for warmth. He planned to hitchhike when possible, but in such a remote area, few vehicles passed by.

Achoo! Sneezes kept erupting. By the time dawn broke, he spotted a blue van in the distance and flagged it down. The vehicle contained elderly people heading to work early in the morning. They gladly made room for him, and when they reached town, they even gave him a 10,000 won bill for transportation.

Thinking how generous country folks were, Soo-hyun caught a glimpse of himself in a store window and roughly understood why. He embodied the appearance of a beggar. There was no time to clean up. Pulling his hat lower to avoid recognition, he exchanged the bill for coins at a nearby shop. Then he found a payphone and dialed the number he remembered.

After a click, a familiar voice came through. It was Kim Chang-nam.

[“Hello?”]

“Boss, it’s me.”

[“You bastard, where are you? I thought you were dead when I couldn’t reach you.”]

“I’m sorry. Things got complicated in the middle.”

[“The item?”]

“I found it, but…”

Soo-hyun quietly looked at the necklace in his hand. He recalled the butcher shop owner’s threat about what would happen if he tried anything funny, but the thought quickly vanished. Considering that Lee Young-jun had been negotiating with someone on the phone, and that scary rabbit had stabbed him over this very item…

It occurred to him that this might be worth much more than he’d initially thought.

[“F*ck. That bastard Kim Tae-shin is going crazy looking for you. Tell me where you are. I’ll send someone.”]

Instead of answering, Soo-hyun gripped the necklace tightly and put it back in his pocket. The sharp-witted Kim Chang-nam seemed to catch on, calling firmly, “Baek Soo-hyun.” Soo-hyun licked his lower lip.

“If I run off with this, would that put you in a difficult position…?”

[“You son of a…”]

“Tell me. Would it be troublesome for you?”

[“Don’t do anything stupid. You won’t get away with it.”]

“What about you? Would you be safe?”

The other end went silent. Sometimes this was fun—gradually provoking someone and testing them. It became even more enjoyable when done to someone stronger than yourself. Of course, dragging it out too long could lead to unpleasant consequences.

“Or I could wipe out the principal. Then I’ll consider it.”

[“Baek Soo-hyun!”]

“Hand on my heart, I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request. I’ll call back in 30 minutes. I hope you’ll have the answer I want.”

After hanging up, Soo-hyun smiled wickedly. F*ck, this is nerve-wracking. That dog Kim Chang-nam. Always increasing interest like a snowball and bleeding people dry when they can’t pay. Now it’s your turn to suffer, you bastard.

After leaving the loan shark to stew, Soo-hyun went to a nearby convenience store and bought a triangle kimbap. Having run all night without proper food, he was starving. After finishing a cup of noodles and buying a bread roll, about 30 minutes had passed. By now, Chang-nam must be sweating bullets.

Soo-hyun returned to the payphone and called Kim Chang-nam again. But no one answered even after several rings. Eventually, someone picked up but remained silent. Soo-hyun raised the corner of his mouth.

“Boss, are you angry? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Still no response. Is he really that mad? Maybe I went too far.

“I’m sorry. It was a joke.”

[“Uh…”]

“I’m near Yangpyeong Terminal. If you don’t come quickly, I’m really going to run.”

[“Alright…”]

It was definitely Kim Chang-nam’s voice, but something seemed off. “Boss?” he called, but the coins dropped and the call disconnected. Damn it. Checking his pockets, he found only a 50-won coin left. Soo-hyun sighed and sat down on a terminal bench with his bread.

Just then, a group of men in suits walked by. They looked completely out of place in a rural bus terminal. Instinctively, Soo-hyun knew they were looking for him. Pulling his hat down lower, he blended in with the crowd and kept his ears open. The TV mounted on the wall showed the news, but not a single line mentioned yesterday’s events.

After the group disappeared, Soo-hyun left the terminal. It should be about time for them to arrive. While waiting, he took out the necklace from his pocket to check it again. When he pulled on it, the cross separated, revealing a USB drive. He didn’t know what it contained, but judging by how desperately everyone searched for it, it must be important.

Part of him wanted to just run off with it, but he possessed neither the ability nor the position to dispose of it properly. Rather than getting caught and having his limbs cut off or organs harvested, he thought it better to at least reduce his debt by half. As he put it back in his pocket, he spotted a familiar car in the distance—the expensive foreign car that Kim Chang-nam drove.

“F*ck. All the interest I paid went into that car.”

The car slowed down. As Soo-hyun walked toward the road, Kim Chang-nam’s car passed by, and a black van stopped instead. What the hell? As he looked on in confusion, the back doors of the van opened and rough-looking men jumped out and grabbed him.

There was no chance to escape. In the blink of an eye, they dragged him inside, and before he could resist, a blade pressed against his throat. “Baby, don’t move. You’ll get your throat slit.” Soo-hyun froze, only moving his eyes.

Surprisingly, Kim Chang-nam sat among the strangers, his face beaten to a pulp and filled with fear. Soo-hyun had known him for six years but had never seen him with such an expression. The car door opened again, and the men threw Kim Chang-nam out like a sack of potatoes. As he rolled on the ground, the door closed and the van drove off.

Soo-hyun wondered if these might be people sent by the butcher shop owner.

But before he could satisfy his curiosity, the man to his right struck the back of his neck with the handle of his knife. THWACK! With no time to dodge, the tremendous impact knocked Soo-hyun unconscious.