IC C18

Chapter 18

 

He set his phone down on the bed first. If it was Baeksapa, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have planted a location-tracking function in the device. One could hardly tail someone while carrying something like that.

With only his wallet in hand, Kang Siwon carefully opened the door to his room. The corridor, carpeted in deep red, was deathly still. Nevertheless, he kept his guard up as he walked to the elevators and pressed the call button.

Perhaps Jushang had just gone down, for the elevator—stopped at the ground floor—began rising. Even those few seconds felt agonizingly long to Kang Siwon. He worried that at this rate, he might lose Jushang.

Fortunately, as soon as he reached the lobby and stepped outside, Jushang’s back came into view. He was striding briskly toward some destination.

“……”

Pulling his hood deep over his head, Kang Siwon followed. It was his first time tailing anyone, and his heart was pounding. If he were caught, that would be the end—but he could not allow this opportunity to slip away, not when it might reveal what Jushang, and Baeksapa, were truly up to. A powerful suspicion—one even he could not fully define—was compelling him forward.

Even if he were discovered, he could claim he was only looking for a restaurant. Repeating this to himself, Kang Siwon kept a measured distance, shadowing Jushang’s steps.

Surprisingly, following Jushang proved easier than expected. The narrow, bustling streets offered myriad places to hide, and dusk’s encroaching darkness was an added blessing. Thankfully, Jushang seemed unaware of his pursuer; all Siwon had to do was stay alert and not lose him in the crowd.

But when Jushang entered a distinguished building, Siwon had no choice but to slow his pace.

Even among the high-rises crowding the streets of Hong Kong, this one was notably tall. Through the glass doors, a brilliantly lit lobby gleamed, its entrance guarded by security staff.

Could he even enter such a place? Siwon hesitated, watching the people coming and going. Since even casually dressed visitors passed through without trouble, there didn’t seem to be a dress code. It might even be a tourist-favored spot. He decided to act the part of a tourist himself and walked through the doors.

“……Phew.”

In the lobby, he exhaled softly. Getting inside was one thing—but he had already lost sight of Jushang. Worse still, the lobby was overly bright and wide open, far from ideal for a pursuit.

Anxiousness crept in. After a sharp scan of his surroundings, Siwon decided once again to blend in among others.

Just then, three young men, close to his own age, passed by. Following quietly behind them, he moved with them toward the elevators, as if by coincidence their paths aligned.

Of the six elevators, three were stopped at the thirtieth floor. Taking note of the numbers, Siwon stepped into one that had arrived.

“Ha, I’m starving. We came all this way—surely they aren’t closed yet?”

“Google Maps says open until ten. It’s only nine, so we’re fine.”

The men chatted in English as one pressed the button for the third floor. Siwon, spotting their choice, pressed for the thirtieth—but the button did not light up. It seemed that access to the upper floors required a key card.

Testing his luck, he tried the twentieth floor—same result. Nineteenth, seventeenth, fifteenth… all refused him. At last, when he pressed for the tenth floor, the light came on.

The elevator reached the third floor first; the men poured out, and the doors closed again. Silence fell inside. Siwon finally let out the breath he had been holding.

“Haa……”

Reaching the tenth floor at last, Siwon stepped out cautiously, surveying his surroundings. It appeared to be an office floor—empty, and completely dark save for a few corridor lamps that made it possible to walk around.

“Hmm……”

It seemed there was little to be gained from exploring here further. After a brief pause for thought, Siwon sought out the emergency stairwell. Perhaps ascending via the emergency stairs might bring him to the thirtieth floor.

Of course, there was no guarantee Jushang was on the thirtieth floor. Nor was there any certainty that finding him would yield useful information. But having come this far, Siwon refused to leave empty-handed.

He began climbing the stairs. His heart raced with each floor—not solely from exertion, but from a tension unlike anything he had felt during his espionage in Sovereign Casino. A different kind of thrill coursed through his veins.

“……”

At the thirtieth floor, he halted, taking a deep breath before gripping the emergency door’s handle. He had braced himself for it to be locked—but to his surprise, it opened easily.

From the far end of the hallway, faint jazz melodies drifted toward him. He began to head that way, but froze when a presence stirred from the opposite corridor. He quickly hid behind a column.

“Are you insane? Do you know where you’re barging in?”

“Uninvited guests include you too, don’t they? I suppose you managed to get your hands on an invitation against the odds?”

“Yeah. Just like you said, I went through trouble to get that invitation. So shut it, unless you want to be responsible if I get thrown out.”

“Think it’s easy for everyone to get in? If I’d heard from you earlier, it would have been better for both of us.”

That sly voice was unmistakably Jushang. He spoke glibly.

“Left Macau only to end up in Hong Kong? What a long trip.”

“What, are you mocking me?”

“No. I pity you. Tell me, what did you do wrong? Honestly, how many VIPs have you delivered to them, only to be ditched for a few measly rebate dollars? This is exactly what they call tosagupaeng—discarding the hunting dog after the rabbits are caught.”

“Cut the sugarcoating. What’s your point?”

“Straight to it, then. Join us. You’ve kept your list, haven’t you?”

“What? Ha… that list is my lifeline. If I hand it over to you, what happens to me? Am I just supposed to die afterwards?”

“I’m not asking for the whole thing. Just give what you can, and Baeksapa guarantees your safety. Since you’ve practically been driven out of Macau, you know as well as I do that drifting from one party to another won’t land you any new clients.”

The other man said nothing. His hesitation was tangible even from Siwon’s hiding place. Jushang seized the moment to press harder.

“Whether it’s money you value, or safety, it’s in your best interest to side with us. Frankly, do you even have a better option?”

“If I hand over the list… will you use it to tighten the leash around my clients’ necks?”

“Former clients. And frankly, you’re the one on a leash yourself.”

“……”

“Instead of being bitten, bite first. That’s the only way you’ll survive.”

A sweetened offer, steeped in hidden agenda. Jushang’s voice was eerily similar to Director Park’s when he had first proposed that Siwon become a spy. From the sound of it, the man was a junket broker—and Siwon had no trouble guessing he might accept.

“I…”

Siwon swallowed dryly, waiting for the broker’s reply—when suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from afar. Heavy strides were moving toward them. Kang Siwon was not alone in noticing.

“What’s this?”

“Security. Damn it, let’s move!”

Jushang and the broker bolted away like cockroaches, and Siwon too gritted his teeth and ran down the opposite corridor. The others had fled toward the emergency exit, so that left only this path for him.

If security caught him, who knew what trouble might follow? Better not to be caught at all—especially given all the things hanging over him.

Taktaktak—multiple sets of footsteps thundered through the corridor. Were they chasing him? He didn’t dare glance back to check. Keeping his eyes forward, he noticed the corridor growing steadily darker. Chandeliers hung at intervals, scattering lavish light—but Siwon failed to register them in his haste.

“Hff, hff…”

The closer he came to the end of the hallway, the dimmer the lighting grew. The once faint jazz grew louder, its bass notes thrumming against the floor. Now, Siwon could fully sense the change in atmosphere—it felt like there was a club nearby.

“Hhh…!”

Rounding a corner, short of breath, he was met with a scene from another world.

An arched entrance adorned with fresh flowers, guards stationed beside it, and guests in gowns and tuxedos strolling in with easy grace.

It was a party hall straight out of a film.

“…This is bad,” Siwon murmured, stunned. He had anticipated a crowd from the volume of the music, but not such elegant refinement. In his hoodie, he matched neither the setting nor its guests. Already, several eyes were darting curious glances at him.

But there was no turning back now. Caught between action and retreat, he suddenly felt a firm hand close around his wrist.

“……!”

He instinctively tried to wrench it free, but the grip only tightened. Whoever it was, they held his wrist fast and moved forward. Dragged along, Siwon kept twisting his wrist in vain.

“Stay still,”

The low murmur pierced his ear like a blade. Startled, Siwon froze. His wide-eyed gaze caught a familiar back.

“…Lei Jun?”