Oh In-muk called President Choi Tae-ho.
"Sir, it is him. The Kim Myeong-gil we know is definitely the CEO of Smile Capital."
Choi Tae-ho's face turned dark and a deep line appeared between his eyebrows. His voice was low and heavy.
"I see. I understand."
"I am on my way to pick you up. I will be there soon, sir."
"Right."
Tae-ho gave a short answer and hung up the phone. He looked out the window and an old memory started to come back to him. He remembered a time when he was younger and ruled the streets with his own hands.
---
A decade ago, Tae-ho stood tall in front of his men. Hwang Yang-jung, Lee Du-yeong, Moon Gwang-mu, and Kim Myeong-gil were all lined up in the office. Tae-ho looked at them with a serious face.
"I am sorry for the sudden news. Something happened in my personal life that changed things. I have decided to close this company by the end of the month. Everyone will get their salary and extra pay. Thank you for everything."
Gwang-mu looked worried and spoke up. "Sir, what about all the money we still have out on the street?"
"I will take care of that myself."
The men all nodded with grim faces. Only Kim Myeong-gil was different. His face was like a stone mask and he stared at Tae-ho without saying a word.
That night, Tae-ho lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. After a life of crime, leaving felt strange but also like a relief. Suddenly his phone rang in the dark room.
"Yes."
"Sir, it is Oh In-muk from security. Robbers are inside your office right now."
Tae-ho's eyes snapped open. "How many?"
"I think there are two of them."
Inside Tae-ho's office, In-beom was shouting at a man on the floor.
"Hey! Why is this taking so long?"
A locksmith was hunched over the big safe with sweat dripping off his face. "This model usually has six numbers but this one has eight. It has been changed."
In-beom did not have any patience and scowled at him. "What does that mean?"
"It means I need more time to open it."
In-beom looked around the room and urged him on. "Hurry up. We need to finish this quietly."
A loud mechanical click echoed through the quiet office.
"Got it!"
In-beom shoved the locksmith out of the way. "Move!"
The safe was full of documents and stacks of money. A pile of loan agreements sat right on top. The locksmith's eyes went wide as he looked inside.
"These notes are worth a billion won each."
In-beom let out a low curse. "Fuck! We hit the jackpot."
Down in the lobby, Tae-ho arrived wearing a black leather jacket. In-muk met him by the elevator.
"No one has come out yet. I held the elevator here for you."
Tae-ho nodded. "Thank you."
"Sir, should I go up with you?"
Tae-ho patted In-muk on the shoulder. "No, I will be fine. Thank you." He looked at the flashlight in In-muk's hand. "Let me borrow that."
Tae-ho stepped into the elevator and went up. When the doors opened, he saw a shadow standing by the safe. Tae-ho clicked the flashlight on and the beam hit In-beom right in the eyes.
"Who are you?"
In-beom used his hand to shield his eyes from the light. Tae-ho walked toward him slowly.
"How did you get in? Who sent you here?"
In-beom stood up and showed his massive frame. He let out a low growl like a wild animal.
"Hey, old man. If you want to die of old age, just turn around and pretend you didn't see anything."
Tae-ho did not answer him. He tossed the flashlight onto the floor and the beam hit the ceiling. It cast long and jagged shadows across the walls.
"I asked who sent you."
In-beom lunged forward like a beast. As the giant man rushed at him, Tae-ho stepped to the side. In-beom's fist hit nothing but air. In that second, Tae-ho slammed his elbow into the back of In-beom's head.
THWACK!
"Arrgh!"
In-beom hit the floor hard. But the man was built like a tank and did not stay down. He rolled over and tried to grab Tae-ho's ankles. Tae-ho jumped back and landed a snap kick deep into In-beom's chest.
CRACK!
In-beom's ribs broke with a loud snap. Tae-ho kept moving and landed an uppercut on the man's jaw. He followed it with a heavy punch to the stomach.
In-beom's head snapped back and he started to wobble. Tae-ho grabbed the locksmith by the shirt and pulled him up.
"Talk. Who gave you the order?"
Suddenly a shadow rose up from behind the sofa. It was Kim Myeong-gil. He held a long sashimi knife that glowed in the moonlight.
Myeong-gil lunged forward with the knife aimed at Tae-ho's throat. Tae-ho jerked his head back and the blade missed his skin by an inch.
Myeong-gil kept attacking. He slashed sideways and then moved the blade up in a sharp arc. Tae-ho kept his hands behind his back and moved his body just enough to let the knife pass him.
"So it was you, Myeong-gil."
"Shut up! If you are retired then stay in your hole and die! Why did you have to come back?!"
Myeong-gil's eyes turned red with rage as he tried to stab Tae-ho. This time Tae-ho did not move. Just as the knife was about to hit him, Tae-ho grabbed Myeong-gil's wrist. At the same time, he slammed his palm into Myeong-gil's elbow.
CRUNCH!
"Aaaagh!"
Myeong-gil screamed as his arm broke. Tae-ho tried to take the knife away but Myeong-gil was like a rabid dog. Even with the pain, he tried to claw at Tae-ho's face.
Tae-ho slammed Myeong-gil onto the floor and got on top of him. He grabbed the knife handle with both hands and started pushing the blade toward Myeong-gil's face.
Tae-ho wanted to end it right there.
He put all his weight on the knife. Myeong-gil tried to fight back with all his strength but Tae-ho was stronger.
"You dug this grave yourself!"
The tip of the knife went into Myeong-gil's forehead. The sound of cutting skin and bone filled the quiet room. The blade moved down from the hair to the jaw and carved a deep path through Myeong-gil's face.
"Aaaaaaaaaggh!"
As blood covered Myeong-gil's face, In-beom got up from the floor. He let out a loud howl and his eyes were wild.
He did not care about defending himself. In-beom wrapped his big arms around Tae-ho's waist and ran toward the huge window.
"Die! You old fossil!"
CRASH!
The glass shattered and Tae-ho's body flew out into the night. He fell through the air and his back hit the sharp edge of a truck parked below.
A sickening snap echoed through the alley. His body flipped over and hit the asphalt. Rain started to fall and washed the blood into the street.
Inside the office, Myeong-gil stood up and held his face. The wound felt like fire.
"Fuck..."
"Sir, are you okay?"
Myeong-gil did not answer. He saw In-beom standing by the broken window and looking down in shock.
"He is dead. That fucker is dead!" In-beom was shaking. It was his first time killing someone and his hands would not stop trembling.
Myeong-gil struggled to breathe while he gripped his bleeding face. "What?"
He grabbed In-beom's shoulder. "Snap out of it. You are fine. Do you hear me?"
"Yes... yes, sir."
"Kang In-beom!" Myeong-gil shouted.
"Yes, sir!"
"We do not have time. Take all the money from the safe and get out of here. Go!"
In-beom started stuffing money into a bag as fast as he could. When it was full, he looked out the window one more time. His eyes went wide.
"Huh? Sir! He is gone!"
"What do you mean?"
"Down there. The body is missing!"
Myeong-gil ran to the window and looked down. The street was empty. Tae-ho was gone.
Myeong-gil looked at the rain with a strange expression.
"Just go downstairs. Now."
---
"Mr. Choi."
In-muk's voice brought Tae-ho back to the present day.
"Hm?"
"Have you thought about it? What should we do now?"
Choi Tae-ho stayed silent for a long time while he watched the city lights.