Episode 15
#7 Illegal Gate (1)
"Ugh."
"Ughhh."
I could hear people groaning all around me, nonstop. But even though they were hurting, they couldn't stop.
If they stopped, the guys behind them would make sure they regretted it.
Han Johee turned his head to the side. The guy who said he was Park Jiheon, his lips and even his fingernails were already turning blue. That meant the mana had gotten all the way into his bone marrow.
At that point, most medicines wouldn't do jack for mana poisoning. He'd be screwed up for life. That is, if he even got out of there and got treatment. If he stayed stuck in a place with that much mana...
Everyone there was basically on death row.
If they had any sense, they'd have hauled ass out of there. That was the only way to survive, even for a little while.
Money's important, but not more important than your life. But the second they stepped in there, their lives weren't their own anymore.
Thud.
Han Johee flinched when Park Jiheon dropped right next to him.
"Damn, another one down."
The guard watching them clicked his tongue and walked over to the body.
Han Johee squeezed his eyes shut, hearing the footsteps coming up behind him.
This place was a freaking deathtrap. The only way out was to drop dead like Park Jiheon. But even then, he wouldn't make it back to his family.
The guy picked up the body and hauled it off somewhere.
That made three people dragged out like that in just a week.
The blue creeping up his fingers made him think he didn't have much time left, either.
No, he definitely didn't have much time.
The guy wasn't staring at him anymore, but Han Johee was frozen.
He'd felt so helpless for days, it was like he was paralyzed.
'Don't trust Im Hyunsoo, not one bit.'
He should've listened.
Too little, too late, but this was way too late.
Even though Kang Isin warned him, Han Johee couldn't turn down Im Hyunsoo's offer. Im Hyunsoo's offer, ten days ago, had seemed like a lifeline.
He needed ten million won for his little sister, Han Seohyun, to get her training gear.
It was a ton of money, and Han Johee, who'd been sick and couldn't make his quota, was totally screwed.
But he couldn't say no.
He was a lost cause, but his sister had a real future. She could make something of herself if she just hung in there.
So he got greedy, and this was what it got him.
He'd risked everything, coming here because they promised him that huge advance.
'I didn't know it'd cost me my life.'
Han Johee gave a bitter laugh.
He was gonna die there.
Just like Park Jiheon, who'd been working right next to him.
"Hey, move it."
The guy who'd hauled off Park Jiheon's body came back and yelled at Han Johee. Han Johee moved his pickaxe with trembling hands.
Just like he'd been doing.
—So you're gonna take down the bad guys?
"Heroes in times of chaos? That's just a fairy tale. In real life, the bad guys just use it to get richer."
Look at Seol Rokjin, he used people's fears to line his own pockets.
There were tons of thieves like that in Korea.
—So you're gonna catch those guys?
"Damn right. And get rich doing it."
—So who's the guy you're going after now?
"Im Hyunsoo."
It was the name of the bastard who ruined my life.
I had a serious score to settle with Im Hyunsoo. If I hadn't met that prick, or if I hadn't fallen for his crap, I wouldn't have met Seol Rokjin or screwed over Jeong Hosan.
But this time, it wasn't personal.
That illegal gate Im Hyunsoo dragged me to was where Seol Rokjin got his dirty money.
Taking down a few gates wouldn't stop Seol Rokjin completely, but it'd buy us some time.
So I was gonna wreck the place.
I swung by my place and grabbed some ratty clothes I had stashed in the closet.
━Seriously, what's with that look?
"It's bait to hook Im Hyunsoo."
—A guy's gonna fall for that homeless look?
"Yep, he's got a thing for guys who look like this."
━Th-that pervert.
I don't care what Ray thinks. There's not a single lie in what I said.
I checked myself out in the mirror and grinned.
I looked like a total wreck who'd lost everything – his home, his mind, you name it.
It was the perfect look to explain why I'd been MIA for weeks.
Ready to go, I headed straight for the temp agency.
Im Hyunsoo, just coming out after lunch, caught my eye right away.
Lucky me. I went right up to him.
"Hyung, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Wow, look who it is."
Im Hyunsoo acted surprised to see me, all shocked by how I looked, but I caught that gleam in his eye.
"What the heck happened to you?"
"Stuff happened."
I said it all weak, and Im Hyunsoo patted my shoulder.
Even though I looked like total crap, Im Hyunsoo was all smiles, not even fazed.
The guy was a real piece of work.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Not here. Is there somewhere quiet we can go?"
My voice was shaking, and I asked him, even though he was already hesitating.
"Yeah, it’s not something I wanna talk about with everyone around.”
He was still playing coy, so I went for it.
"Hyung has been good to me all this time…"
I was acting all weak, nothing like the confident act I put on before. He might've been suspicious, but this was more like the me Im Hyunsoo thought he knew.
Im Hyunsoo gave me a kind smile.
"Yeah, I was wondering where you'd gotten to. You just vanished, no warning. People were worried."
Then he lowered his voice and whispered.
"Everyone's worried you ran off to some illegal gate."
And he's the one sending people to those gates! The guy's a total liar, doesn't even blink.
He knows damn well how those people are dying. Just saying that to test me...
I looked down. If I met his eyes, he'd see right through me.
"Okay, let’s go talk."
Fortunately, Im Hyunsoo took the bait.
Im Hyunsoo thinks I'm hooked. We'll see about that.
"I’m just gonna talk to this guy for a sec."
Leaving witnesses isn't smart, but whatever. I'm ditching this identity anyway.
"Why are you dressed so warmly in the summer?"
It's to hide where my ID tag used to be. I gave an awkward laugh.
"I look like hell, basically."
I gave him a sad smile, and he bought it.
We had that little thing with Han Johee, but Im Hyunsoo still saw me as a total pushover. He wasn't suspicious at all, so I didn't need to use my powers.
"I’m in deep debt. They said they’d kill me if I didn’t pay up fast."
"…A lot of debt?"
"Yeah, so much that working here won't even make a dent."
The corners of his mouth twitched up. He was so happy he couldn't hide it. I bet he thought he'd hit the jackpot, me falling right into his lap like this.
"Look, I wouldn’t normally suggest this unless you were really hard up for cash. But since you're in a bind... there might be something."
Just like I figured, he started talking about illegal gates. The guy knew everything, but he was still playing Mr. Nice Guy. I almost snorted.
"Where do I need to go?"
"It’s in Chilseong County."
Chilseong County. That's where I went in my past life. Six months from now, I'd end up in that gate. Though, by the time I got there, they'd already done a ton of mining.
Of course, it had to be that place.
I felt that rage at Im Hyunsoo all over again. He was really planning to bury me there.
"I’m sorry, man, but you gotta work at least a week to get an advance."
Lies. I'd be dead in a week. And I'd never see that advance.
'Good, you're the same scumbag I remember.'
—Why not just take out the trash now?
I figured something out while I was stuck with Ray in that cave: he could read my mind, sort of. He couldn't get to the deep stuff, but he could pick up on what I was thinking about.
That's how I could talk to Ray like this, even with other people around.
'He doesn't know it, but he's got a curse on him. It sends his location and status in real time. If I took him out here...'
—The enemy would know right away, got it.
That's right.
It's not like I'm keeping him around because I like him. I decided to hold off on taking him out and get some info first.
Even though he thought I was a moron, Im Hyunsoo wasn't stupid, so I could only get so much out of him.
But I got the contact info for the illegal gate.
They were even running a shuttle, like a taxi service. Just regular cars, so you'd never find it unless you knew what to look for.
If I went to Bupyeong Station at the right time, a car would pick me up.
Just like in my past life.
"I don’t usually hook people up with this kind of job, but you look like you’re in a bad spot. It’s illegal, so keep your mouth shut, got it?"
"Thank you, hyung."
I hid what I was really thinking and bowed, acting all grateful.
"I really hope you can pay off your debt."
"Yeah, I’ll pay it off."
I was gonna pay it back, alright. With interest.
The debt for ruining my life.
