The conversation with Chairman Kim concluded without us having a meal. As he made his purpose clear, the last words he left continued to echo in my mind.
'You have one week. You can either remain under President Jung and eventually be discarded like a rag, or you can take my money, go back to the U.S., and die quietly. Think carefully about what's in your best interest.'
I couldn't fathom how the madman would navigate this situation. As I followed the madman's instructions and walked slowly down the dimly lit street to reach the exit, an unusual thought crossed my mind, one that seemed out of character for me. Thanks to the serious discussion between the two men, Myungshin and I had ended up being nothing more than spectators. Strangely, I even felt that my pursuit of revenge against Myungshin was akin to child's play. Myungshin appeared to be an easy opponent.
And as if to prove my point, a foreign sports car raced past right in front of me as I was about to leave the exit. It was a car that made a lot of noise, speeding away too quickly for me to catch a glimpse of the driver. Yet, my intuition told me it was Myungshin, and I felt even more certain because it was a new car, not one I'd seen him drive before. In fact, it was the same car from the photo Hansoo had posted as a joke, the more expensive vehicle that had blocked Myungshin's car, playfully mocking it. I watched until the car disappeared from sight. Myungshin was indeed an easy opponent. He had swiftly acquired a new car, as if reading my thoughts.
The prospect of bringing down Myungshin seemed rather dull now. I had witnessed a confrontation on a grander scale. After all, losing would have far greater repercussions, wouldn't it? As this thought crossed my mind, a familiar car pulled up in front of me. The front passenger's window rolled down, revealing the face of the madman sitting in the driver's seat.
"Get in."
I tried to discern any signs of distress on his face for a while before getting into the car. However, his expression remained unyielding, and his words were simply urging me on.
"I only have 30 minutes."
As soon as I settled into the car, he immediately started the engine, leaving me no time to ask what he meant. He entered a location into the navigation system and accelerated once we hit the road. The car swerved and darted between vehicles, changing lanes like in a stunt scene. Despite the speed and urgency, I didn't ask about our destination. Perhaps it was because Chairman Kim's words were still echoing in my head. The madman eventually stopped at a traffic light and spoke.
"How's your revenge coming along?"
"Don't worry, it's going well."
"Is that so?" He lifted one corner of his mouth and spoke softly, as if offering praise.
"It seems you're doing fine. Let me know if you need anything."
"I got everything I needed today."
He glanced back as if he didn't quite grasp what I was referring to and then resumed driving. I replied dryly, my eyes on the road filled with red tail lights.
"Because I now understand that Chairman Kim was only using Myungshin as bait, which means he won't give him money for nothing."
The eager-to-please Myungshin, who was determined to remain by Chairman Kim's side until the end, wouldn't make unreasonable requests. If he wanted to upgrade his car again, he'd have to find the money himself. While it was comforting to know that Chairman Kim had a lot of money at his disposal, it was disheartening to realize that the madman didn't. This was why my words came out a bit stiff; I didn't want the madman to think that I cared. Absurdly, he brought up the topic in a light-hearted manner.
