PHUW 70

Lee Sangjin’s movements on the day he died were suspicious in many ways.
That day, a resident of the same building had reported that a group of large men in black suits had swarmed in and made a commotion. But the police did not respond in time. Later, the same resident heard the sound of something heavy falling and called 119. By the time the ambulance arrived, the men in black were nowhere to be seen in the villa. Instead, there was a corpse in the small cement yard, the head shattered. It was Lee Sangjin.

It was a neighborhood with poor public safety. Since it was evening, a busy time, most residents besides the one who reported had been out, and those who had been home testified that they had neither seen nor heard any commotion. Whether they truly had not known or were pretending not to was unclear. Even the resident who reported had been too afraid to look outside, making the call from inside the house. There were no nearby CCTVs or vehicle black boxes recording the scene.

The autopsy revealed that Lee Sangjin had died from shock caused by multiple fractures and organ failure. In other words, he had died in pain after his body was mangled from the fall. There were defensive wounds, but they were not the direct cause of death. They only indicated that he had struggled with someone before dying.

No one cared about the death of an orphan without family. The case was hastily closed as an accidental death, and the body was handed over to the local government. Like any unclaimed corpse, it was cremated and placed in a public charnel house.

The next morning after Lee Sangjin’s death, roughly seven hours later, Haeri was discovered by Jeong Mok at a construction site. Judging from the location and his condition, it looked like he had been running away from something. It was likely related to Lee Sangjin’s death. He might even have witnessed it.

What was strange was what came afterward. Even though Lee Sangjin continued to be absent without leave, no one at Hongil Trading made an issue of it. Instead, he was recorded as having voluntarily resigned. And that, starting a week before his death.

Chief Ahn had investigated Lee Sangjin’s phone records. Although he was supposedly resigned a week earlier, on the day he died he had been at Incheon Port, where Hongil Trading was located, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The resignation had been fabricated. That was why Jeong Mok had instructed Chief Ahn to dig further into Hongil Trading, and the report he had just received was the result.

As Choi Sangeon had guaranteed, Chief Ahn was thorough. From the first page, he attached Hongil Trading’s main product list and financial statements, with notes of special findings.

Hongil Trading was a very sound company. At least, on paper.
Every time a container came in, they dutifully declared it to Incheon Customs. In unannounced inspections by the Korea Customs Service, there had been some minor remarks but no serious illegalities discovered. They had even received a commendation from the National Tax Service as a diligent taxpaying business.

It was too clean. Even ordinary companies usually have one or two violations over time, so how could a company run by gangsters be spotless? There had to be some special “arrangement.”

He immediately called Chief Ahn.

–Yes, Vice President.

“It’s too clean.”

–I think so as well.

Chief Ahn responded to the abrupt remark without hesitation.

“Compile a list of customs officials who handled Hongil Trading’s cases. Fabricate complaints and submit them to higher-ups in the Customs Service. Push for audits, get them reassigned or transferred to another office if possible. And don’t touch Hongil Trading directly. Start with their main clients. Anyone importing goods from China will have dirt if you dig, and if there’s none, plant some quietly. That’s fine too.”

–Understood.

“And create third-party proxies to file complaints against all their main clients. Even trivial reasons are fine, illegal parking or trash dumping. Scatter their attention. If there are environmental or noise complaints from residents, build them into lawsuits. Contact Solsoop and say it’s the vice president’s order, tell them to make it as big as possible. And if you think of any other good ideas, do them all.”

–You want all their clients crippled, sir?

“That’s right. They seem to be doing a cash business. If their clients cut off the money flow, they’ll do something reckless. Then we’ll find out what kind of people they really are.”

–Yes, understood. I’ll organize everything and begin immediately.

“Report progress through messages and email as you’re doing now. Expenses will be handled on this side.”

–Yes, sir.

What Choi Sangeon had handed over was not just the vice president’s chair. He had truly refused to involve himself in company affairs, to the point of even turning over the slush fund accounts he had managed. For an executive running a giant corporation, not every project was one that could be pursued openly. In fact, Hyeonsan was more serious than Hongil Trading when it came to backroom operations and lubrication. For that account alone, someone completely trustworthy was needed, and that was Jeong Mok. It was clear the chairwoman had been persuaded on this matter too, which was why she had remained silent about Jeong Mok.

Even if Jeong Mok diverted some of the billions in slush funds for personal use, it did not matter. If the chairwoman or Choi Sangeon ever raised an issue, he could just throw down his resignation on the spot. They were the ones who would lose out.

After the call, he tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and leaned the back of his head against the headrest.

Thunk.

Someone placed a hand on the driver’s side window frame. He snapped his eyes open and turned quickly in alertness.

A huge animal nose pressed against the glass, leaving a wet mark. Alongside it, thick paws tipped with hard claws scratched incessantly at the door. It was Gom-i.

He instinctively rolled the window down. As soon as it lowered enough, a head the size of a basketball suddenly pushed inside. A thick snout eagerly sniffed around Jeong Mok and the car interior. There was no sign of aggression.

“How did you know to come here?”
At the question, Gom-i gave a low, whisper-like woof-woof. Then he pushed his body inward as if he were about to climb fully into the car. Jeong Mok had no choice but to open the driver’s door and step out.

Once outside, Gom-i began inspecting him in earnest. He pressed his front paws against Jeong Mok’s torso, sniffing his face closely, then turned around and nearly pounced on his back to sniff his hair.

“You, did you forget I scolded you? That you bit my arm?”

He rolled up his sleeve and showed it. The wound had fully healed, but the stitched scar remained. It was the result of being hastily sewn at the ER.

Gom-i sniffed at his arm as if expecting something there, then dismissed it and turned away. Instead, he circled the car, carefully checking its scent. That was not all. After finishing his inspection, he lifted his hind leg in front of the rear wheel and peed. It was a territorial mark. Jeong Mok let out an hollow laugh.

When Jeong Mok reached out his hand, Gom-i trotted back and licked it.

“You really don’t hold grudges, do you.”

Always watching from afar, now finally touching him, even Jeong Mok felt good.

In fact, he already knew that Gom-i had sensed his presence. Even though it was a short distance and Gom-i was around, the fact that Haeri walked home alone at two in the morning had bothered him, so whenever he had time, he would wait and secretly watch from behind. Gom-i had noticed Jeong Mok’s car from the start. But Haeri seemed completely unaware.

“It’s good that you’re here.”

Just as he decided to secretly bring some snacks next time,

“Gom! Gom! Where are you?”

Haeri, realizing Gom-i was gone, had come out of the convenience store and was looking around this way and that, searching.

Woof!

Gom-i barked in reply. Haeri’s gaze instantly turned this way. Jeong Mok’s heart plummeted. Should he retreat into the car? Maybe it wasn’t necessary… No, he had to. If Haeri asked what he was doing here in the middle of the night, there would be no answer but a stalker’s confession.

He pushed Gom-i aside, climbed into the driver’s seat, locked the door, and rolled up the window. Gom-i, bewildered, placed his paws back on the sill and pushed his nose against the glass again.

“Hey! What are you doing there! Get over here right now!”

Haeri had stepped closer to the highway, calling for Gom-i. Torn for a moment between his owner and Jeong Mok, Gom-i soon ran back to his owner. Haeri welcomed him but kept staring at Jeong Mok’s car, then pulled out his phone and shone its light this way. The beam from the latest model was stronger than expected, reaching even across the highway. He might be discovered at this rate.

Like a criminal hiding from police eyes, Jeong Mok slid his body down low. His long legs cramped under the steering wheel uncomfortably.

The light circled around the headrest, then finally disappeared. After a long while, Jeong Mok slowly straightened up. From staying tensed in that cramped position, his legs were close to cramping.

It was nearly time for the convenience store to close. Once he finished tidying, Haeri locked up with Gom-i’s leash in hand. His steps home were much quicker than usual. Jeong Mok felt certain that if he followed by car as he usually did, he would be caught, so he gave up. Instead, through the security camera he had installed next door, he confirmed Haeri entering home safely, then left.

***

Lately, Haeri had not been in a good mood. It was because Gom-i kept acting strangely. Every night at one in the morning, he would vanish on his own and then reappear. Sometimes he smacked his lips like he had eaten something somewhere. If Haeri tied him up to stop it, Gom-i whined and made a fuss as if the world were ending. He seemed ready to wake the whole neighborhood. Haeri had no choice but to let him go.

“What are you getting up to out there?”

He could not abandon the store to go looking for Gom-i, and even when there were no customers and he thought of locking up briefly to search, the idea terrified him. And with good reason. At that hour, the nearby shops, trying to save every penny with prices rising, all turned off their night lights after closing. The area was pitch dark. The only lights came from the convenience store sign, the glow inside, and the standing signboard at the front yard.

Haeri, more than anyone, was afraid of the dark. Always fearing someone might be hiding in it.