After several minutes of discussion about strategy and next steps, Seongji Yuk stood to leave.
"Will you be okay?" Kangmi asked, her eyes dropping to the blood visible on his clothing. She'd noticed it when he first arrived but hadn't commented. Now that they were working together, she couldn't ignore it.
Seongji turned back with a slight smile. "I'll manage. Just make sure to handle everything."
He left the office without waiting for a response.
Kangmi stared at the closed door. This case could define her career. She wouldn't let the opportunity slip away.
Nam, who had been standing guard throughout the meeting, finally spoke. "Ma'am, I don't think we need to worry about him. He's clearly an exceptional individual."
Kangmi nodded slowly. "But the tallest trees are the first to fall in a storm."
---
Outside, Seongji pulled out his phone to update Jichang on the alliance with Kangmi Choi. With her resources and their evidence, they had a real chance.
The call went to voicemail. He tried again. Still nothing.
A flicker of concern crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. Jichang was with three other kings. Nothing could threaten that group.
He continued down the street, redialing every few minutes. Headlights suddenly blinded him as a black sedan pulled to a stop at the curb.
"Finally," Seongji thought, assuming it was Jichang. He reached for the door handle.
A hand caught his wrist. The man wore a bandana and a shirt with a snow leopard print.
"Who are you?" Seongji asked, tensing. "Are you with them?"
"We mean no harm." The voice came from inside the car as the window slid down.
A woman sat in the back seat. She had neck-length black hair cut in a curtain style and sharp, intelligent eyes.
Seongji took a step back. "Who are you? Have we met before?"
"No. We haven't," she said. "I'm Yeonu Kim. I've been looking for you, King of Cheonliang."
"Looking for me? How do you even know who I am?"
Yeonu gestured to the empty seat beside her. "Get in if you want answers."
Seongji hesitated. According to the plan, he should have been with Jichang right now. But for some reason, Jichang hadn't appeared yet, nor is he answering the calls. Seongji was also curious about this woman before him. Since he had already done his part, there's no harm in seeing what this woman wants.
He got in.
The car pulled away from the curb. Seongji settled into the seat, maintaining distance between himself and Yeonu. "How do you know about me?"
"The question isn't how," Yeonu said. "It's why I came to you. You have it, don't you?"
"Have what?"
"The Red Paper."
Seongji's hand moved instinctively toward his jacket before he caught himself. "Why are you asking? Who are you people?"
"I've already introduced myself," Yeonu said. "But I'll be clearer. I'm investigating a case. You've heard of the Fist Gang, haven't you? Considering Jin Mujin was your teacher."
The mention of his teacher's name hit like a physical blow. "How do you know about him?"
"Legend of Korean Sserium. It would be awkward if I didn't know about him after living in the same era as him. But that's another matter. The thing is I'm investigating Gapryong Kim's death."
Seongji barely registered the last sentence because his mind had stuck on the first part. Finally, he had found some clue about his teacher. He eagerly asked. "Do you know where he is? My teacher."
Yeonu's expression shifted, something like sympathy crossing her features. "Gapryong Kim wasn't the only victim. After his death, Jin Mujin went missing."
Disappointment dawned Seongji's feature. One of his goal behind leaving Cheonliang was to find traces of his teacher. But even after all this time, he hadn't found any clues regarding where his teacher could be. It's as if he had vanished from the earth's surface.
"Look, I don't want you to hand over the Red Paper to me," Yeonu said. "But it might be the only way to find out more about Gapryong Kim's death. Can I see it?"
"You might not know this," Seongji said, forcing his voice steady, "but Charles Choi was behind Gapryong Kim's death. His driver, Noh Bakugo, confirmed his involvement. He was collecting evidence when Charles attacked him. My friend intervened in time to save his life, but the evidence was lost."
Yeonu's fingers drummed against her knee as she absorbed this. "I've had my suspicions for a while, but to think Elite was actually behind Gapryong Kim's death... it's shocking to say the least. But Elite couldn't have taken down Gapryong Kim alone. He must have had help."
"That's what we suspect too," Seongji said. "The Red Paper is enough to prove Charles Choi's guilt in general, but it doesn't prove he was involved in Gapryong Kim's death specifically. If we can recover the lost evidence, we can make that connection. Right now we're trying to identify his accomplices."
"How are you planning to find out who helped Charles Choi? Do you have a strategy?"
Seongji nodded. "I have capable people working with me. According to the law, if we can prove that Charles Choi's entire business was built on criminal proceeds, the government will seize all his assets."
Yeonu's eyes widened as understanding dawned on her face. "You want to lure them out. There's no way they'll let the government seize Charles's assets, so they'll have no choice but to reveal themselves..."
---
Daniel Park lay on the floor of his room and stared at the ceiling. He felt lost without any clear direction. With Charles Choi's sudden death, he didn't know what he should do next.
Life seemed peaceful finally. He appeared to be adjusting to his normal routine at J High, and everyone else seemed to be doing the same. But Daniel could feel that something was missing, like this was just the calm before another storm hit.
James Lee had been missing ever since Charles Choi died. With him gone, the secret of Daniel's second body seemed to have vanished as well. But Daniel couldn't give up yet, not when he was this close to answers.
His phone buzzed. He pulled it out and his eyes widened when he saw who had sent the message. It was James Lee, finally contacting him after all this time.
The message was simple: "Tomorrow. Meet me at the plaza." A location pin was attached below the text.