Chapter 25

In front of the departures hall at Incheon Airport, Iwon stood beneath the enormous flight information board, staring blankly at the rows of destinations scrolling across the screen.

Around him, travelers hurried toward their gates, dragging suitcases behind them, their faces bright with anticipation. Yet Iwon’s eyes remained painfully dry.

In his hand was the plane ticket to America—the one he had bought himself.

He had refused to use anything Kang Taeon had given him. But it was probably pointless.

A man like Kang Taeon would know where he was going anyway.

That was the kind of person he was.

Thorough. Relentless. The sort who left nothing to chance.

Would Kwon Heeseong and Yoon Mujin find out?

No. If Kang Taeon wanted to keep it hidden, they probably wouldn’t.

Iwon closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again.

For a long while, he simply stood there.

Then he turned around and walked out of the airport.

There were countless people who would have given anything to leave for America.

Iwon didn’t want to go.

“Then where am I supposed to go?”

Once outside, he made his way to the express bus terminal. There happened to be a bus leaving for the southernmost tip of the peninsula almost immediately, so he boarded without giving himself time to think.

After a long journey, he arrived in an old port town saturated with the salty smell of the sea. From there, he paid cash for a one-way ticket aboard a battered little ferry.

The horn sounded.

White foam churned behind the boat as the shoreline gradually disappeared into the distance.

He had even left his phone behind at the airport.

All he had now was a single suitcase.

The ferry carried him to a small island far removed from the mainland. Few people lived there, and the place wasn’t developed enough to attract tourists either.

Still, there was apparently one restaurant.

Iwon stepped inside, took an empty seat, and ordered a meal.

“A new face?”

The owner looked him over curiously.

“What brings you here? We hardly get tourists. The fishermen are about the only outsiders we see.”

They were the fishermen who kept the little restaurant running.

“You don’t look like you’re here to fish, though.”

Iwon gave her a faint smile.

“You’re not here because you’re planning to die, are you?”

The suspicious question made him shake his head.

“No. I’m looking for somewhere to live.”

“Here? There’s nothing but old people around here. You’re still young.”

The owner clicked her tongue.

Just then—

Jingle.

The bell above the door rang as another customer entered.

She turned around and brightened.

“Well, look who’s here. Grandpa? Isn’t it a little early for you to be coming back?”

“What do you mean, early? I’ll come back whenever I damn well please.”

The old man grumbled as he dropped into the nearest seat.

A young man followed him inside.

“Oh? Is that your grandson?”

“That’s right. Came to fetch me.”

“My goodness.”

“I’ve gotten old. It’s about time I gave up my life on the outer island.”

“And here I thought you’d rather die out there than ever leave.”

“My kids keep nagging me. What else can I do?”

The old man grumbled a little more before ordering two set meals.

“So what will happen to the outer island?”

“That’s what I’m wondering. I suppose I should find someone to live there. I’ve got animals to take care of, after all. Can’t just abandon them.”

“The black goats?”

“Those too.”

“Why don’t you take them with you?”

“Take them where? My children all live in Seoul. How am I supposed to raise chickens and goats in the city?”

That was when Iwon quietly spoke up.

“Would it be all right if I lived on the outer island?”

The old man turned toward him and looked him over from head to toe.

“Why would someone as young as you want to live out there?”

It was almost exactly what the restaurant owner had asked him earlier.

Even the sturdy young man beside the old man looked surprised, as though he couldn’t understand it either.

“I have my reasons.”

“Aigo.”

The old man waved him over to the empty seat across from him.

“Hello. I’m Jeong Iwon.”

Iwon introduced himself first.

The old man nodded.

“I’m Choe Chunbong. And this is my grandson, Choe Hyeon.”

“Hello. I’m Choe Hyeon.”

The young man, built like a mountain, gave Iwon a shy greeting.

“Life on the outer island isn’t easy. Water is scarce, electricity is unreliable, and you’ll have to cook every meal yourself. There’s a man who brings supplies over by boat, but he only comes once every two weeks.”

“You managed to live there just fine.”

“That’s because I’m used to it.”

Chunbong clicked his tongue and gestured toward Iwon.

“Just look at him. He’s pale and skinny as a beanpole!”

Iwon couldn’t exactly argue with that.

Still, he wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away.

He patiently explained that he’d grown up doing farm work and knew how to handle himself. He could cook. He could work the land. He could take care of himself without relying on anyone.

He pressed his case until, after a long while, Chunbong finally gave a reluctant nod.

“I’ll be staying here for about a month, so give it a try. Live there for a while and see how you like it. If you decide you can’t handle it, tell me honestly.”

And just like that, Iwon’s move to the outer island was decided.

Kwon Heeseong had always possessed sharp instincts.

It was something he’d inherited from his mother, who had passed away years ago.

And right now, every instinct he had was screaming that something was wrong.

A chill settled deep in his chest. The back of his neck prickled.

He tried calling Iwon again, just in case.

No answer.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Heeseong stared down at the phone in his hand, his expression growing darker with every failed call.

Finally, he stood.

He had to go see Iwon.

Now.

“Sir?”

His secretary, who had just entered with another report, stared at him in surprise.

“I’m stepping out.”

“What? Stepping out?”

But before the secretary could ask anything else, Heeseong was already heading for the underground parking garage.

He climbed into his car, started the engine, and slammed his foot down.

“Damn it. Why does that bastard have to live in the middle of nowhere?”

The village where Iwon’s blue-roofed house stood didn’t even have a train station nearby. Driving was the fastest option.

Heeseong gripped the steering wheel and tore down the road.

When he finally reached the village and pulled up in front of the familiar blue roof, someone was already standing there.

Yoon Mujin.

Heeseong’s expression twisted the moment he saw him.

Mujin’s expression wasn’t any better.

The dislike between them went both ways. If Iwon hadn’t been standing between them all this time, they probably would have settled things with their fists long ago.

“You came too?”

Heeseong asked as he got out of the car.

Mujin nodded.

He had rushed over the moment he received confirmation that Insu’s surgery was successful, but exhaustion was still etched heavily beneath his eyes.

“Jeong Iwon. He’s not answering you either?”

“…No.”

The two men stood in front of the gate.

Neither said anything else.

They didn’t need to.

Both of them could feel it.

Something was wrong.

“Jeong Iwon! Open the gate!”

Heeseong slammed his fist against it.

Usually, that would have been enough to bring an irritated shout from inside.

But there was nothing.

Not a single sound.

The house was unnaturally, almost eerily quiet.

A chill ran down both their spines.

Without even needing to discuss it, they climbed over the wall together and dropped into the yard.

“Jeong Iwon!”

They rushed toward his room.

The door was locked.

Heeseong banged on it several times.

Nothing.

His patience snapped.

He stepped back and slammed his shoulder into the thin wooden door.

Crash!

The door gave way immediately.

“Jeong Iwon!”

No answer.

There was no one inside.

They searched the bedroom, then the kitchen, then every corner of the house.

Nothing.

And then they noticed something else.

The things that had made the house feel lived-in were gone.

His clothes.

His books.

His electronics.

Everything that should have been tucked away in the drawers had disappeared.

Even the slippers beneath the veranda were covered in a thin layer of dust.

“…He’s gone.”

Heeseong’s voice came out hollow.

Iwon’s voice from their last phone call was still fresh in his mind.

Only now did he understand.

That strange gentleness hadn’t been Iwon being sentimental.

It had been a goodbye.

“Fuck!”

Heeseong kicked the wooden platform with all his strength.

“No way!”

His shout echoed uselessly through the empty yard.

He grabbed his hair with both hands, breathing hard as though he could somehow force reality to change.

Mujin was quieter.

But the moment he looked around the empty house, something inside his eyes seemed to die.

“First…”

He pressed his fingers against his eyes and took a slow, deep breath.

“Let’s ask the village elders.”

Right.

The village was tiny, and Iwon was the only young person living there. The elderly residents had all taken an interest in him.

If he had disappeared, surely someone had seen something.

Heeseong immediately rushed out of the house and headed toward the nearest home.

Bang! Bang!

He pounded on the old gate.

After a moment, an elderly woman cautiously poked her head out.

Her wary expression softened when she recognized them. Despite their imposing builds, she knew neither man was the type to hurt an elderly villager.

“What are you banging on my gate for all of a sudden?”

She clicked her tongue as she came outside.

“Grandma, have you seen Iwon?”

“I haven’t seen him. Why? Did something happen? He didn’t come out to the vegetable patch today, either.”

“Iwon’s gone missing.”

The woman’s eyes widened.

Then, as though she’d suddenly remembered something, her expression changed.

“That’s right. Was it the day before yesterday? A black car I’d never seen before came by. Several people got out. The man standing at the front was very handsome.”

“Did you hear what they called him?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Then was it this man?”

Heeseong had already pulled up a photograph on his phone and held it out.

The grandmother narrowed her eyes and studied the screen for a long moment.

Then she slowly nodded.

“Yes. I think that’s him.”

Mujin and Heeseong exchanged a look.

Their jaws clenched simultaneously.

The photograph on the screen was of Kang Taeon.

“That’s the man.”

The words came out through clenched teeth.

Rage surged through them.

There was only one person with enough power, money, and reach to make someone disappear without leaving a trace.

Kang Taeon.

The thought flashed through Heeseong’s mind.

But the fury quickly curdled into something much darker.

A hollow, savage emptiness that seemed to drag at his feet.

“Thank you.”

The two men thanked the grandmother and hurried back toward Iwon’s house.