The Calm Before the Storm
Woken by a ringing phone, Seowoon answered groggily, his unfamiliar hoarse voice betraying the effects of the previous night's drinking.
"Hello?"
—It's Mom, Seowoon.
"Oh, hi."
—I just wanted to tell you that your father is being discharged today. Thanks to our son, the surgery went well, and now he just needs outpatient rehab.
"What time is he being discharged?"
—Around lunchtime, I think. After the final doctor's rounds.
"Then I'll come too. We should at least have something nice to eat for his discharge."
—You will? That's great. It's been so long since I saw your face. Then come to the hospital by 11. We'll wait for you, son.
"Okay. See you soon."
After hanging up, a sharp headache struck him.
He had no idea how much he drank last night with Sang-yoon, but the drinking had gone on well past midnight.
He must've called a chauffeur for Sang-yoon and taken a cab home himself before falling asleep. But the alcohol still hadn't worn off.
'In martial arts novels, they always talk about expelling alcohol through qi flow…'
Pressing on his throbbing temples, Seowoon sat up and activated his meridians.
Something distinctly abnormal pulsed inside him—different from usual.
But he had no idea how to get rid of it.
Of course, he'd never been taught how.
Focusing on the internal energy moving through his meridians, Seowoon began slowly guiding his will to sweep away the lingering alcohol within.
'It's working!'
Indeed, the alcoholic energy in his blood vessels began to clump together and move with the flow of internal energy.
After gathering all the alcohol spread throughout his body into one place, he hesitated for a moment.
'But now what do I do with this?'
Then he focused on the tip of his right thumb and tried to force it out.
The fingertip tingled and throbbed slightly, then began turning red.
The concentrated alcohol caused a sharp pain in just that one finger.
Hurriedly, Seowoon grabbed a paring knife from the sink and made a small cut on his thumb.
At the same time, dark blood dripped out with a pungent smell of alcohol.
After about ten drops had fallen, the alcoholic fog in his body was completely gone.
"Phew."
As the alcohol cleared, so did his mind—like he had never had a headache in the first place.
He checked his phone and saw that he still had time.
After a short breathing exercise and a quick shower, Seowoon stepped out of the house.
***
A man in patient clothes and on crutches ran toward the hospital emergency exit.
People stared at him with odd expressions—running wildly like that, even though he was in a cast.
Not only was he sprinting through hospital corridors, but he had a cast on his leg, which made it even more conspicuous.
"Even university hospitals have fakers these days," one woman muttered.
But the man brushed past her, opened the emergency exit, pulled out his phone, and scanned the stairs to check if anyone else was around.
"It's me! I've just received word that the target is approaching."
—…
"Yes! I'll stay on standby and make sure the watchers are ready."
—…
"I heard he's being discharged after the next rounds."
As he listened to the voice on the line, the man gave a deep bow before hanging up.
***
"Why'd you come all the way here? You must be busy."
Hearing his father's words as he leaned against the hospital bed made Seowoon's chest tighten.
Not long ago, his father had seemed like such a towering figure, but now he looked so small.
"You should've eaten more hospital food. Why are you so thin?"
"Try eating it yourself. It's so bland it's hard to get down. These days, even private hospitals season better."
His father's grumbling seemed to ease some of Seowoon's worries.
"Come with me. Let's get something good to eat. How about your favorite—spicy seafood stew?"
"Sounds great. Your mom should be here soon, so let's wait a bit. She's probably handling the discharge paperwork."
As they stepped outside the hospital, the fresh air made his father's face visibly brighten.
Following his mother, who went ahead to catch a taxi, Seowoon supported his father as they walked together. Then, unexpectedly, his father spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Hearing that, Seowoon's heart sank as if he were a child who had done something wrong.
"I'm ashamed I couldn't help you and even had to dip into your saved tuition money."
Seowoon felt a surge of anger that his father would say something like that over just a few million won.
But he couldn't take that anger out on his father.
"Money can be earned again. What matters most is your health, Dad. Don't worry about the money. I've been making good money lately. Honestly… I might even quit school."
His father's steps faltered.
Meeting his father's gaze calmly, Seowoon continued speaking.
"These days, lots of people are starting small businesses, right? I've been working in the online shopping business. What started out as a side job grew into something profitable. It's been growing so fast lately that I'm thinking of going all in on it."
Seowoon's father walked in silence for a moment before finally speaking, hesitantly.
"Seowoon… you're not doing anything shady, are you?"
"What are you talking about? You and Mom raised me better than that. You didn't raise me to live causing harm to others. If you're really that worried, I'll still get my degree."
Hearing that seemed to ease his father's worries, and his stiff expression relaxed.
"Do what you want. It's your life. As long as you're not hurting anyone, live freely doing what you want. That's how I lived too."
His father's idea of a free life had been one of hard labor to support his family.
Seowoon nodded.
"I won't disappoint you. I'll make a lot of money and be good to you, so just stay healthy."
His father, now proud of his grown son, gently patted his head.
Meanwhile, his mother had hailed a taxi by the roadside.
After a long-overdue meal with his parents at an old seafood restaurant they used to frequent near their home, Seowoon handed an envelope to his mother despite her protests.
Just 500,000 won. The first allowance he had ever given them as a son.
His bank account was barely holding on, but money could be earned again.
What weighed on him was not being able to offer more help to his parents while they struggled through his father's rehabilitation.
After parting with his parents, Seowoon wandered the streets aimlessly.
He strolled through the busy district, browsing shop windows, watching the crowds, wandering through a mall, and even watching a movie for the first time in a while.
He sat alone in a café enjoying a coffee, walked paths popular with couples, and leisurely passed the time.
Even as the sun set and darkness fell, Seowoon kept walking.
'Still not caught?'
—They're not caught. Feels like something filthy's been stuck to me ever since someone took a huge dump and didn't wipe. But I can't pin down their location. These guys are experts at tailing.—
Stretching naturally at Hamit's words, Seowoon stopped walking and scanned his surroundings.
Like a bored unemployed man wandering around, he took a seat at a nearby bus stop.
He knew through Hamit that someone was tailing him.
The problem was, he couldn't catch any trace of them.
He'd tried everything—circling through crowded streets and taking complicated paths—but couldn't shake them.
'They must be professionals.'
This was someone who had once sniffed out even a disguised agent from Central Intelligence.
That such a person couldn't catch a tail meant these people weren't special ability users.
'It's definitely not Central. Probably the same underground group from last time—or someone like them. Why aren't they making a move? Avoiding public places?'
Lost in thought, Seowoon started walking again.
He flagged down a passing taxi and told the driver to head for Incheon Grand Park.
Night had fully fallen. With few people around and lots of forest, it was the perfect place for doing something away from public eyes.
'Still following?'
—Still got that filthy feeling.—
It wasn't ideal to rely solely on Hamit's feelings to detect the tail, but Hamit had never been wrong before.
As soon as the taxi dropped him at the edge of the park, Seowoon took off running.
He darted into the thick forest where barely anyone was around, and faintly sensed a presence hesitating and disappearing.
—They're flustered.—
Of course they were. He had been acting nonchalantly until suddenly bolting.
Even so, the way they quickly erased their presence again showed they weren't amateurs.
Still, following someone into the forest like this would expose them.
And they had to know—
That they were no match for him.
Boosting his energy like a wild beast in the woods, Seowoon pulled out his phone.
—Hello?
"It's me. I've been tailed."
—Where are you?!
"Incheon Grand Park. I can't tell how many there are. I think I've shaken them for now, but I'm not sure. The fact they've stuck around for half a day means they're up to something."
—I'm on my way! Don't turn off your phone!
He could hear the powerful roar of Haabusha's engine through the receiver. After ending the call and putting his phone safely away, Seowoon stopped moving.
—That filthy feeling's gone.—
'Shook them off for now. It'd be best if I could escape clean.'
—No idea how many there are, so don't get too comfortable.—
'I know. For now, I'll cross the lake and try a forceful breakout.'
Moving through the forest, Seowoon took a cloaking cloak out of subspace and wrapped it around himself.
Even as he moved slowly, he stayed alert to the smallest signs around him.
Ideally, he'd shake them off entirely and then turn the tables—start following them instead.
"If we consider the time when the tailing started, it's definitely the hospital. It must be those who were close to my parents."
Just thinking about it made my teeth grind.
Even though I knew about the tailing through Hamit while spending time with my parents, and I didn't let it show, rage swept over my entire body.
Although they hadn't harmed my parents, I couldn't shake the feeling that they might, and I realized I needed to take proper precautions.
Even in the community, Kichan had spoken out together with others.
They said that even if the people were powerful, they never touched ordinary civilians. But after experiencing this, I couldn't just trust those words.
"Honestly, thinking that gangsters would keep any lines is just naive."
I spent a long time trying to catch the tail, but it was impossible.
Sometimes, I couldn't distinguish between ordinary people who seemed like lovers and those who were tailing me.
Then, in the park, people gradually started to disappear.
The ordinary people who had occasionally appeared were nowhere to be seen, and the large park became completely empty.
There was no sense of anyone in the entire park—near the lake, on the bike path—so I frowned.
As if waiting for the right moment, a man appeared under the streetlight near the lake.
He was a man with striking eyes, grinning as he opened his mouth.
"Where are you? Come out~!"
Master. The bastard showed himself. What now? Are you going out? –
'Are you crazy? I'll wait and see.'
Following that man, two more men appeared around the lake.
One was a man in a gray suit with a strong, intense look, possibly due to his shaved head, and the other was a muscular man in a black sleeveless shirt, showing off his brawn.
At that moment, a wave of mana was felt around the man in the gray suit.
It's a detection spell. I won't be able to sense the master's cloak, though. –
Fortunately, it didn't seem like he had trained his eyes on Carmen.
The man in the gray suit shook his head, and the man in the black shirt rolled up his sleeves and glared, shouting loudly.
"It's the rule not to touch civilians, but maybe we'll make an exception. Shouldn't we show some filial piety if your parents live long enough?!"
In an instant, my rational mind was consumed by immense rage.
The moment I took off my cloak of concealment and stored it in my space, the three men approached cautiously, aware of my presence.
Before they could get any closer, I stepped forward.
As I emerged from the dark forest into the area illuminated by the streetlight, the man with the striking eyes smiled even more broadly.
"Right. If you're a human, you should take care of your parents."
"I'll tear that mouth of yours apart."
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]