A lime tree and the dark silhouette of a tennis court behind a fence were visible. Beyond the grass-covered court, a cream-colored club building stood tall, dotted with lights.
The sound of an owl came through the slightly open window. The wind rustled through the wilted wild rose bushes.
A faint streak of light meandered through the bushes towards him. Lee Young-jin narrowed his eyes at the approaching light. A man in a suit, relying on the light from his smartphone, limped closer. His tie was missing, and several buttons at the neck were undone, revealing the shirt underneath. Despite the chilly weather, he was only wearing a thin suit jacket. He stopped at the end of the path and looked around. A car sped past on the opposite road, briefly illuminating the surroundings with its headlights.
The man spotted Lee Young-jin’s car.
Lee Young-jin moved his hand towards the car key, ready to start the engine.
A pair of eyes cautiously approached the car window.
Dark eyes filled with tension and fear peered inside the car. Lee Young-jin turned the handle to lower the window. Their eyes met. There was no time to waste. He waved at the man outside.
The passenger door swung open roughly. Thump, thud. The worn seat of the decades-old Camry shuddered insecurely.
“Damn… I thought it was some abandoned car.”
The man’s breath was heavy, and his Korean was surprisingly fluent.
Lee Young-jin didn’t look at Xi Xiping as he started the car.
“It’s you?”
Xi Xiping glanced at Lee Young-jin.
The car jolted onto the road, gradually picking up speed.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“So, not an AI, huh.”
The young executive murmured to himself. His forehead and temples were either wet with cold sweat or the evening dew.
“Where’s the item?”
“Here.”
Xi Xiping showed the aluminum case he was clutching. A square hard case, about 65 centimeters in length, 50 centimeters in width, and 15 centimeters thick, with a fingerprint and iris recognition lock. Lee Young-jin briefly glanced at the lock. A TB-172A type. The most difficult type to unlock. Even if the biometric lock was forcibly bypassed, there was a complex manual panel underneath the double cover, requiring manual operation to unlock unless opened the regular way.
Regardless, that was a problem for later.
“We’re going straight to El Dorado airport.”
“Airport?”
“Yeah. The Caracas cartel has already spread out around here. Their plan was to lure the limousine you were in to San Andres Golf Club, kidnap you, and then take the stolen item straight from Guaymaral Airport to Korea.”
“Is that Seo Seung-hyun?!”
At the urgent question, Lee Young-jin nodded.
“But I’m going to take you to El Dorado Airport.”
He recalled what Seo Seung-hyun had said at the club a few nights ago. ‘If Xi Xiping gets even a scratch, it’ll really mean war, so I trust Ms. Yang will handle it properly.’ War. He couldn’t know the extent or scale of that war, but it certainly wasn’t what Lee Young-jin wanted. Teacher could get involved in this matter, and Seo Seung-hyun could be in danger… That’s where his thoughts ended.
There was never enough time.
He had to hurry and take care of things before it was discovered that the employee sent with the bodyguards and the limousine wasn’t the real Xi Xiping.
“Do you have a private jet at the airport?”
“Huh? Yes, yes.”
“ID?”
“I have it.”
“And you have your phone, right?”
“Mhm.”
Xi Xiping answered hesitantly.
Lee Young-jin nodded.
The likelihood of a young billionaire with both his ID and phone becoming lost at an international airport is slim. He would be safe.
“What are you trying to do? What do you want?”
“…I already told you.”
“What’s your relationship with Seo Seung-hyun? Are you with the Korean police? Or…”
“No. I’m just a third party.”
Lee Young-jin hesitated for a moment before responding.
Xi Xiping blatantly stared at the side of Lee Young-jin’s face as he gripped the steering wheel. That observing gaze made Lee Young-jin’s lips twitch.
The rain suddenly started pouring down heavily. The heavy raindrops hammered against the old Camry’s body, and a strong wind from the sharp mountain peaks rolled dirt and gravel along the road’s edge. The car jolted as it drove over the gravel. Xi Xiping was cursing or complaining in Chinese, likely a mix of swearing and pointless grievances.
The silence and occasional jolting continued for about an hour.
Instead of using the northern highway that cuts through the middle of Bogotá and El Dorado Avenue, Lee Young-jin took Route 7, circling east of Bogotá. He passed through the crime-ridden areas of the south through narrow, winding alleys.
The dark night sky began to sparkle with the lights of airplanes.
Xi Xiping wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The back of his hand, clutching the safety bag tightly, was also damp.
The car passed the airport hospital and headed towards the central parking lot. The cargo terminal could be seen in the distance.
At that moment, Xi Xiping’s phone started to ring.
Xi Xiping inhaled sharply.
It was 9:16 PM.
It was still a bit too early to be discovered.
“Don’t answer it.”
Following Lee Young-jin’s words, Xi Xiping nodded breathlessly, turned off the vibration of his phone with trembling hands, and tucked it away.
The car stopped.
In the dimly lit parking lot across the way, a bus slowly made its turn. About twenty meters away on the opposite side, a family was unloading luggage from the trunk of their SUV.
“Head straight to the terminal. We don’t have much time, so we need to get the private jet in the air as soon as possible.”
“Tha, thank you……”
Before Xi Xiping finished speaking, Lee Young-jin opened the console box and took out a Glock. Xi Xiping’smouth fell shut at the sight of the murder machine that was revealed.
His heavy breathing filled the quiet car.
Lee Young-jin raised the gun with calm movements and aimed it at Xi Xiping. He had to work hard not to look Xi Xiping in the eye.
“You…”
Xi Xiping gasped.
Lee Young-jin quietly continued his words.
“The terminal is right across the street. If you follow that family, nothing will happen.”
He practiced shooting a gun a few times while he was living on the island. His shooting skills were poor and his accuracy was low, but he was not stupid enough to miss the target even at such close range with this type of semi-automatic pistol.
“Whose order is this? Who is behind it?”
Xi Xiping asked in a trembling voice.
Instead of answering, Lee Young-jin spoke again.
“I don’t have time. Not just for me, but for you as well…”
A short silence.
Along with that, Xi Xiping moved slowly.
His hands slowly lowered the reinforced aluminum bag to his knees. Then he lifted both hands below his ears and opened the car door. Rattle. Cold, humid air quickly rushed into the car.
Xi Xiping’s cell phone started vibrating again.
Neither of them cared about it.
Xi Xiping completely got out of the car and took two steps back. The wind blew and shook the disheveled collar of his shirt. Tak! The car door was closed. Lee Young-jin’s foot immediately stepped on the accelerator. The old Camry rattled forward with difficulty. Xi Xiping’s silhouette, standing dazed beyond the dim taillights, quickly receded.
The heavy Glock 17 slipped out of Lee Young-jin’s hands and fell under the passenger seat.
Raindrops blurred the red and blue traffic lights. The broken wiper rattled the windshield.
The destination is now Medellin, Colombia.
It is a 420 kilometer long journey on a high-speed national highway that passes through majestic, rugged mountain ranges.
He quenched his stiff throat with bottled water and looked straight ahead again.
The old Camry quietly left the airport and turned onto the avenue leading to Route 50.
Street lights were sparse and the roads were rough. When the speed exceeded 100 kph, air resistance shook the car violently. To the right of the black car window, the black back of the Cordillera Oriental Mountains stretched out like a giant anaconda.
Lee Young-jin tried not to think about anything.
Aluminum bulletproof case lying under the passenger seat.
The second item inside protected by a TB-172A type lock.
Taken from Xi Xiping by threatening him with a gun.
Auction.
Gold club.
Teacher.
Seo Seung-ho.
In the end, his thoughts led him there.
Would that Alpha notice Xi Xiping’s escape by now? What about Lee Young-jin running away? What about the item being intercepted? What about the fact that Lee Young-jin, whom he trusted and entrusted with work, betrayed him?
At that moment, Lee Young-jin’s hand holding the steering wheel shook. The wheels hit the lane. Baaang! A loud klaxon sound from behind shook his eardrums menacingly. Lee Young-jin barely managed to straighten the car. He shook his head once to shake off his thoughts. It wasn’t easy.
The painful 219 km ride continued on route 45 for 4 hours and 30 minutes.
He put gas in at a self-service gas station.
He leaned back against the car and ate a cold baguette sandwich then moistened his throat with bottled water.
It was past midnight. Shrouded in darkness and mist, the Andes looked like a black, wet, giant creature……. Lee Young-jin stared at it, then got back in the car. He locked the car and kept his eyes on it for about an hour. Then he drove another 201 kilometers.
Dawn was beginning to rise.
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