M 32
by SoraiIt had been a long time since he gave up on getting a reasonable and kind explanation from Ki Tae-jeong, but this still wasn’t it. What will you use instead of the packaging container?
“Director, I’m sorry, but I don’t… I don’t quite understand what you’re saying… ”
“Don’t you know what a bomb is?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t know what it is…”
Sehwa’s shoulders trembled. The only sound he could hear was his own breathing. Sehwa felt like he was slightly hyperventilating, so he hurriedly covered his nose and mouth with his hands. It was difficult to tell whether it was because he was in pain or because he was angry.
“People can be ignorant. Why are you crying over that?”
“I’m not crying!”
Sehwa, who was trying to regulate his breath, shouted abruptly. Swearing by his life, there wasn’t even a hint of tears in his eyes. He didn’t feel like crying, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have any moisture to cry with because he was sweating like a torrent from running so hard for so-and-so.
”I really am not crying! I don’t cry like that all the time, ah…!”
Courage spontaneously surged in the desperate situation. It was the first time he had shouted so loudly in front of Ki Tae-jeong, but the situation was urgent. Sehwa couldn’t continue his words as he felt like a knife was being inserted between his ribs, so he just took a deep breath.
“Wow, you’re even yelling at me now because you’re wearing this face?”
Ki Tae-jeong teased Sehwa, saying that he would make a fool of himself by only using the man’s face like that. Sehwa decided to just keep his mouth shut. This time he really felt like crying. He was so frustrated that he suddenly felt sad.
“…Yes, I’m sorry. Let’s just go.”
“Fine. I’ll explain. Even if we call it a bomb, what we have here is of the Z2 series… So, it’s not very powerful, just enough firepower to break a few doors in an emergency. Usually, it’s about this size.”
Ki Tae-jeong measured the approximate size with his hand. As Ki Tae-jeong said, it was big enough to fill the five syringes Sehwa brought. As for the bomb called Z2 or whatever, he described it as something that looked like a black sphere inside a transparent plastic box.
“It looks like your favorite toy.”
Although there was something similar to it among the doll packaging Ki Tae-jeong had given him, he didn’t think it was appropriate to compare a cute doll packaging to a bomb. However, wondering what the use of this argument was right now, Sehwa just nodded with a tired expression.
“And the lock on the old Z2 case can be reused.”
With a bomb like the Z2, which was designed to be used for escape and other purposes, the first thing to do was detonate it quickly, thus they normally discard the entire thing as soon as they open it. Since the case was not reused at all, the new models that come out these days do not have the same locking device as before.
“So, when Lieutenant Kim’s maternal family was chosen to design a new model, there was a lot of opposition.”
“Lieutenant Kim?”
“Yeah. Those bastards invested a lot in that damn locking technology. Talking about nonsense like Echo Battle.”
Ki Tae-jeong told him something about the evolution of Z2, which Sehwa was not curious about at all… Well, he thought this was what Ki Tae-jeong ultimately wanted to say.
“If you put it in the Z2 case, even Kim Seok-cheol won’t be able to do anything. It would also be a disgrace to the technology invested by his mother’s family.”
“Then what do we do with the bomb inside?…”
”Detonate it.”
Ki Tae-jeong replied nonchalantly as if answering the obvious.
“Anyway, the moment you take the bomb out of the case, it explodes.”
“… It explodes? As soon as I take it out?”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
“No, that’s not it… Here… I mean, Lieutenant Park said that we need to obtain a hologram that seals within the hackable range…”
“Yeah.”
“But if it explodes the moment we take it out… won’t we be in danger too?”
”We’ll throw it inside while lowering the firewall shutter. It’s not that powerful of a bomb, so we should have time to escape as the firewall struggles with flames.”
While the firewall that swallowed the bomb was struggling with the flames, they could unlock the door and leave, and it would all be done. Ki Tae-jeong explained as effortlessly as if he were explaining how to make ramyun. He pretended not to notice that Lee Sehwa’s face was distorted again. Usually, tasks done by physically colliding require dependence on the senses. When he thought it was about time, he considered throwing the bomb. He had always done it that way, explaining each and every natural sensation in the body as if it needed further elaboration was pointless. But that wasn’t important now.
“The problem is that Kim Seok-cheol seems to have changed the storage location of the bomb.”
They had cleared away makeshift booths that could serve as indicators and even dismantled the situation room. If there was any intention behind this, it would be better. Every strategy has its basis, so finding hidden rules could lead to answers.
However, Kim Seok-cheol was not a guy who could think that far. Since there seemed to be a lack of space to hide drugs, the items that could be put away would have been sold off at low prices, while the items that were difficult to dispose of, such as Z2, would have been crudely placed in a corner.
The drug was found a long time ago. The moment Ki Tae-jeong entered the shelter, he saw a suspicious sack on the shelf and thought that was it. These many supplements couldn’t all be drugs, so he thought he’d secure Z2 at a makeshift booth and investigate more.
However, as soon as Ki Tae-jeong moved to the next area, something suspicious caught his eye. Well, of course. The camouflage technique devised by that foolish and lazy bastard Kim Seok-cheol was so obvious that it could be seen even when running. The sacks had something like a stamp under the manufacturer’s name. It was definitely not the format used by the military. While running, Ki Tae-jeong glanced at other shelves and saw that only a few of the sacks had the mark.
It seemed like it would be easier to solve than he thought. Ki Tae-jeong had instructed Sehwa to practice quickly manipulating his hand in case it was hidden in a hard-to-reach place. It would not be unreasonable for Lee Sehwa to steal medicine from such a large bag. Even if he kept in mind that Lee Sehwa may be nervous in an unfamiliar place. So now, they just needed to secure the Z2.
After that, Ki Tae-jeong moved leisurely. While searching for the Z2, if he sensed a suspicious movement from a distance, he would go back and save Sehwa. It wasn’t difficult or challenging; it was just annoying.
But… no matter how far he went forward, there was nothing to see. There was not even a panic room for waiting soldiers to be seen, let alone a makeshift booth. The whereabouts of the Z2 were naturally also unknown.
Ki Tae-jeong stared at the scattered corpses with a twisted leg. Because the entrance was blocked, everything behind it was dark. An ominous red lights were frantically embroidered on the ceiling.
Ki Tae-jeong didn’t think they would have sold an old model that couldn’t be used in battle… Moreover, Z2 was a failure that Kim Seok-cheol’s family was reluctant to even mention. According to the family, Kim Seok-cheol, who had been put in silence, would not have bothered returning that thing to the world.
If he took the time to search, he would naturally find it, but he didn’t have the time to do so. Even though the abandoned facility is located in the middle of nowhere, the soldiers have been attacked. Naturally, a request for reinforcements would have been sent.
“Huh?”
Lee Sehwa, who was taking a breath while leaning on the shelf, suddenly tilted his head as if he was realizing something. Somehow, there was even a slightly delighted expression.
“What if it’s a “double junk”“”쌍피” (Ssangpi) Double junk is a Korean gambling term used in the context of playing cards(Hwatu cards/Go-stop). It refers to a card that has the power to score double points or achieve a special effect in certain card games. For further explanation go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-Stop”?”
Ki Tae-jeong, who was immersed in thoughts about the Z2, suddenly raised his head.
“Double junk?”
“Yes. When playing Hwatu(Go-stop), there are a few cards where you can get 2 points with just one card, and this is one of them. This looks like the of a chrysanthemum. Double junk is like this… Usually, it’s more splendid than a chrysanthemum.”
Seeing it here was fascinating, Sehwa thought. Ki Tae-jeong’s expression became faint. Chrysanthemum. Double junk…
“Haha…”
Sehwa was taken aback and closed his mouth while Ki Tae-jeong let out a perplexed laugh due to the absurdity. He appeared surprised by the unexpected laughter, and he appeared hesitant as he had brought up the subject of Hwatu cards without realizing it.
“No. Good job. You found it well.”
Sure. This too was a rule if it was a rule. Ki Tae-jeong should have looked at it through the perspective of a guy who was obsessed with gambling and drugs, but as a normal person who just knows how to drink and smoke, he couldn’t think of constructing a code using cards.
“You’re in March(Samwol), right?”
“Y-yes.”
Lee Sehwa answered hesitantly. It seemed like he thought Ki Tae-jeong was being grumpy again.
“Then what month is the chrysanthemum?”
“Chrysanthemum? It’s September.”
September. It was the early days of autumn, the season when ‘Harvest’ began. F*ck. Ki Tae-jeong cursed and looked at the numbers written on the shelf. This was 8-1. In that case, if he went to the 9-2 area, there seemed to be the item he wanted. No, it must be there.
“Lee Sehwa.”
Lee Sehwa, who was looking at the double junk engraved on the sack of the syringe, lifted his head. His gaze was so intense that even Ki Tae-jeong, who called his name, couldn’t speak right away.