Chapter 43 – Operation [Savior Hong]

Shin Majeok looked at Agent Hong with trembling eyes.

‘How, how?’

His first thought was, ‘How on earth did you find this place?’

Then came the thought, ‘Maybe I can survive?’

As if responding to that glimmer of hope, Agent Hong slowly began walking towards Shin Majeok.

“Get rid of that bastard!”

The Action Leader shouted irritably.

The two youngest action members approached Agent Hong.

Agent Hong did not stop, even seeing the two men coming towards him.

The distance between them gradually closed.

‘…….’

Shin Majeok watched the scene with a face full of tension.

One of the action members placed a hand on Agent Hong’s shoulder.

At that moment, Agent Hong grabbed the man’s forearm with his left hand.

And with his right hand, he struck the man’s elbow from below, driving it upward.

Crack-!

The man’s arm bent at a grotesque angle.

“Gwaaahhh!”

Agent Hong’s fist cleanly slammed into the philtrum of the man who was screaming.

Two front teeth popped out along with blood, and the man lost consciousness and collapsed.

“Huh? Huh?”

The other man who had come with him momentarily lost his normal judgment at what happened in the blink of an eye.

Thwack-!

Agent Hong’s fist precisely struck and passed through the man’s chin.

Just like that, the man lay sprawled on the floor, eyes rolled back, like a deflated balloon doll.

“…….”

Only after the two were subdued in an instant did the Gangnam Luxury Faction action members finally begin to tense up.

Even the Action Leader, who had merely considered him a nuisance, revised his thinking.

The action members each pulled knives from inside their jackets.

Even those who had been carrying cement bags set them down for a moment and pulled hatchets from inside their jackets.

Even as over ten thugs armed with knives and hatchets approached, radiating murderous intent, Agent Hong remained unshaken.

‘It’s impossible.’

But Shin Majeok had lost even that thread-like hope.

The display Agent Hong had shown moments ago was clearly impressive.

As an action movie enthusiast, the score Shin Majeok would have given was about 4.75 out of 5—it was clean, precise, and a restrained attack without any excess.

If this were a movie, he would have expected Agent Hong to proceed to sweep away all the thugs.

‘But that’s just a movie. This is reality.’

As his hope crumbled, tears once again streamed from Shin Majeok’s eyes.

Nevertheless, his gaze remained fixed on Agent Hong and the thugs.

“Get him!”

At the Action Leader’s shout, the over ten thugs simultaneously rushed at Agent Hong.

One knife aimed for his abdomen, another flew towards his neck.

Agent Hong kicked away the hand of the knifeman aiming for his abdomen with his left foot, and grabbed the arm of the knifeman aiming for his neck with his hand.

“Guhhk!”

With a single sharp cry, the knifeman who had aimed for his neck was spun through the air and slammed onto the ground on the opposite side.

A tremendous shock transmitted from his back throughout his entire body, soon leading to severe external injuries and terrible internal damage.

Thwack-!

Agent Hong, having kicked the chin of the man groaning in pain to knock him out, also kicked up the chin of the knifeman who had missed, the one who had aimed for his abdomen.

Crack-!

The lower jaw was kicked upward, and part of the tongue, hesitating between the lower and upper teeth, was severed.

From the shock, he lost consciousness.

With the two who had taken the lead becoming combat ineffective in just 5 seconds, the remaining eight hesitated on the spot.

And into that gap, Agent Hong charged.

Agent Hong, leaping into the air, landed by driving his heel into the back of the head of the man directly in front of him.

Upon landing, he alternately kicked the chests of the men on his left and right.

Thud-! Thud-!

The two floated into the air, were pushed back, collided with the stacked cement bags against the walls on either side, and fell to the floor.

“You……. What are you doing, you bastards!”

The Action Leader, standing beside a drum, shouted.

At that sound, one man recklessly tried to stab Agent Hong with his knife.

Agent Hong lightly evaded the attack and struck the man’s Adam’s apple with the edge of his hand.

“Ghk!”

With a choking sound, the man collapsed on the spot, clutching his throat.

Two of the four remaining men, both knifemen, faltered.

Agent Hong slowly approached the two.

At that moment, a hatchet fell from behind, aiming for his shoulder.

“Huhk!”

But before the hatchet could touch his shoulder, his hand grabbed the hatchet-wielder’s wrist.

“Huh?!”

With one hand, Agent Hong spun the hatchet-wielder around once and slammed him down in front of him.

He stepped directly on the mouth of the man, coughing from internal injuries.

Lips torn, teeth shattering, he lost consciousness just like that.

Agent Hong’s gaze now turned to the three who had completely lost their will to fight.

He quickly charged at the three.

The two bastards holding knives fell with their chins twisted.

“Gwaaaaaah!”

The man holding a hatchet let out a bizarre scream and wildly swung the hatchet at Agent Hong.

“Don’t come! Don’t come, you bastard!”

An attack that was nothing but a desperate struggle to survive.

Agent Hong’s hand, which had been calmly watching, moved swiftly.

“Huhk!”

The vividly alive blade of the hatchet was caught in Agent Hong’s hand.

To be precise, the blade was tightly clamped between his index finger, middle finger, and thumb.

The hatchet-wielder strained to pull the hatchet free. But as if stuck in solid bedrock, the hatchet didn’t budge an inch.

Thwack-!

Agent Hong’s fist struck and passed through the hatchet-wielder’s chin.

The hatchet-wielder lost consciousness, still gripping the hatchet handle.

Only then did Agent Hong release the hatchet, and the action member, who had gone limp like a marionette, lay face-down on the ground.

Agent Hong’s gaze turned to the Action Leader.

“Thi, this…….”

The Action Leader too.

‘Is, is this real?’

Shin Majeok too—none of them could accept the reality they were seeing as real.

In just 1 minute and 15 seconds, the Gangnam Luxury Faction action members—seasoned bastards armed with knives and hatchets—had been helplessly subdued.

Without a single exception, all were unconscious; those with serious injuries lay fallen, unable to even feel the pain from their wounds.

“Who are you……. Who dares…….”

Agent Hong did not answer the Action Leader’s question. He merely approached him with leisurely steps, thump thump.

“Arrogant bastard!”

Instantly, the Action Leader pulled a 6-shot revolver from his inner pocket.

Shin Majeok, beside him, jumped in surprise, and Agent Hong also momentarily stopped in his tracks.

Seeing this, the Action Leader grinned.

“Damn, if you move even a step, I’ll put a hole in your lung. Stay still. Now, first. Who sent you? Why are you interfering with our…….”

Before the Action Leader’s words could even finish, Agent Hong moved again.

“Damn! I said don’t come closer!”

The Action Leader shouted, but Agent Hong ignored him and continued forward.

A flash of murderous intent passed through the Action Leader’s eyes.

The trembling in his hand holding the revolver stopped.

Bang-!

With an ear-splitting noise, the muzzle spat fire.

The bullet flew precisely towards Agent Hong’s forehead.

The moment he pulled the trigger, both the Action Leader and Shin Majeok thought a hole would appear in Agent Hong’s forehead.

“!”

‘!’

But the moment the muzzle spat fire, Agent Hong’s upper body moved slightly to the side along with an afterimage, then returned to its original position; the bullet had only pierced that afterimage.

‘Wh, what was that, just now?!’

Shin Majeok couldn’t possibly believe his eyes.

It was the same for the Action Leader.

Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!

Three times in succession, fire spat from the muzzle as bullets flew towards Agent Hong.

But Agent Hong evaded the bullets along with numerous afterimages.

Bang-! Bang-!

Having evaded even the last two bullets along with afterimages, Agent Hong.

Click! Click!

The revolver with its empty chambers merely made futile clicking sounds, showing no value as a weapon.

Flustered, the Action Leader tried to put his hand in his pocket to pull out live rounds.

But his trembling hand couldn’t properly enter his pocket.

In that time, Agent Hong approached and stopped in front of him.

The Action Leader froze solid in that instant.

“Hey, hey there……. Ghk!”

Agent Hong’s hand grabbed the Action Leader’s neck.

Slowly, the Action Leader’s feet left the ground.

Kicking in mid-air, the Action Leader grabbed Agent Hong’s wrist.

Strong pressure constricted his windpipe; the Action Leader’s face flushed bright red, then turned pale.

Soon, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.

Thud.

Agent Hong threw the unconscious Action Leader onto the floor like a sack.

And Shin Majeok looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

‘Wh, what on earth is this person?’

Shin Majeok looked at Agent Hong with trembling eyes.

Agent Hong’s gaze turned to Shin Majeok inside the drum.

From behind the face hidden by sunglasses and a mask, Agent Hong silently looked at Shin Majeok.

“Mmh! Mmmh!”

Shin Majeok tried to say something, but the only sounds coming from his mouth were stifled, suppressed noises.

“Mr. Shin Myeongjin.”

Agent Hong’s sharp yet deep voice struck Shin Majeok’s ears.

“The police will arrive here in 5 to 10 minutes. Rest assured. You are alive.”

Instantly, tears flowed from Shin Majeok’s eyes.

Shin Majeok bowed his head to Agent Hong, banging his head against the drum.

Looking at that sight, Agent Hong continued.

“Speaking as someone who once liked your music, as a fan, let me give you one piece of advice.”

Shin Majeok looked up at him, sniffling.

“Know clearly. Know who is trying to use you as a sacrificial lamb to resolve this situation, who is trying to kill you, and who issued me the mission to interfere with the actions of those trying to kill you and to save you.”

‘…….’

Agent Hong simply turned around.

Shin Majeok blankly watched his retreating back.

“Please remember that how honest you are may change the mission transmitted to me.”

And then Agent Hong quickly passed by the Gangnam Luxury Faction action members he had knocked down and disappeared from the warehouse, from Shin Majeok’s sight.

‘…….’

For a while, Shin Majeok mulled over the meaning of the words Agent Hong had conveyed.

‘Those trying to kill me……. Those trying to save me by interfering with them…….’

But more urgent than understanding those complex interests was getting out of the drum immediately.

Shin Majeok struggled inside the drum.

The fairly heavy drum only wobbled, refusing to tip over easily.

Thud-!

Finally, the drum tipped forward and Shin Majeok tumbled out.

‘I have to get out. Who knows when these bastards will wake up.’

Shin Majeok tried to get up from the spot. But since the action members had tied his ankles as well, standing up was impossible.

Nevertheless, Shin Majeok did not give up and began to crawl.

Crawling across the cold, rough warehouse floor, his clothes and skin naturally tore and blood flowed.

But even in the pain, only the single thought that he must survive remained in Shin Majeok’s mind, making his body continue to writhe.

It was when he had crawled about 3 meters like that.

‘?!’

A clamorous siren sound was gradually approaching the warehouse.

‘Po, police?’

Shin Majeok stopped in his tracks. And raising his head, he looked towards the warehouse entrance.

The siren sound grew closer, then soon a large police van and several patrol cars stopped in front of the warehouse, and from them, police in riot gear poured out.

The moment he saw the police, Shin Majeok let out a sigh of relief.

“What is all this?!”

Hearing the questioning voice of someone who appeared to be the team leader, Shin Majeok finally let go of the thread of tension.

And he closed his eyes and gently lost consciousness.

Shin Majeok’s emergency press conference, scheduled for 11 o’clock, was canceled due to the principal’s absence.

Journalists and netizens defined Shin Majeok’s actions as an act of deception against the nation.

On the Blue House national petition board, petitions demanding Shin Majeok’s execution poured out like a burst dam, and on communities and SNS, synthesized photos of Shin Majeok wearing a prisoner’s uniform circulated.

However, that evening, when a report aired as the headline of the main terrestrial news broadcast stating that he had been abducted and barely released, public opinion sharply reversed.

• What? So that bastard couldn’t come because he was kidnapped?

• Whoa, what is this?

• Seriously, isn’t there something huge behind this?

• I heard he’s involved with Yang Seongil’s son and the chaebols?

Moreover, as it was revealed that the kidnappers were action members of the Gangnam Luxury Faction, public opinion grew even hotter.

• I heard the Gangnam Luxury Faction has been working with Ilsin Construction since way back?

• I heard that too. Heard from an ajussi with 30 years of construction experience, they’ve been moving together since the Gangnam development days.

• Of course, there’s no construction guy who doesn’t have gangsters attached, but why is a chaebol making a fuss by specifically attaching gangsters?

Public opinion shifted from one-sided condemnation of Shin Majeok towards the Rust House gate itself and condemnation of the Gangnam Luxury Faction involved in Shin Majeok’s abduction and its backer, Ilsin Construction.

• Hey! It’s up! New work from the Rust House VIP private room is up!

• What is it? Who is it this time?

• What the hell is this pig bastard?

• I heard it’s Yang Seongil’s second son?

And right on cue, photos of Yang Seungjun doing drugs with an unconscious woman were simultaneously released on communities and SNS.

• Is this why they tried to kill Shin Majeok?

• Whoa.

• Shin Majeok is a bastard too, but seriously, Yang Seongil, this guy is trash.

• What is the ruling party doing? Why aren’t they expelling this bastard?

• Are there still no black cows supporting this bastard?

• Yang Seongil supporters = black cows on the level of coin suckers lolololol

• Bullsh- at least if you hold coins they go up, but Yang Seongil is really on a downhill now.

• Yes, next black cow. You’re already on a downhill. lolololol

“…….”

Lying in a single room at Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, Shin Majeok was watching all of this.

He turned off his smartphone.

His gaze turned towards the ceiling.

Looking at the dark ceiling of the unlit hospital room, Shin Majeok repeated to himself the story he had heard from Agent Hong during the day.

After thinking about those words for a long while, Shin Majeok raised his body from the bed.

His gaze turned towards the hospital room entrance.

Right now, two police officers are guarding outside.

“…….”

After looking there hesitantly for a moment, Shin Majeok picked up his smartphone again.

After looking at the smartphone for a moment, he made a call somewhere.

After a brief signal, the other party answered the phone.

“Yes, Reporter Choi. It’s me. Myeongjin. Yes, thank you. I don’t have any major injuries. Um……. Reporter Choi, could you come to my hospital room by 10 AM tomorrow? The press conference I was going to hold today……. I’d like to do it again here tomorrow.”