17 Chapter 17

Next morning, Kim Jong-Seo received bad news that had nothing to do with Yoon-Yi's dark premonitions. He received a letter from the Chief of Police, informing him that the body suspected of belonging to a Black Sword member mysteriously disappeared.

The preliminary investigation had proved to be inconclusive and they were waiting for the opportunity to search for more information. That is when they discovered the body to be missing.

As soon as he finished reading the dreadful piece of paper, the general wrote a letter to the Chief of Police, summoning him to his house. He always preferred talking about serious businesses face to face.

Meanwhile, Jun-Ho and Shin, who had come to give their morning greetings, were just told the news.

"Disappeared?! How can a body disappear just like that from the premises of the Police Bureau?" Jun-Ho cried out in utter astonishment.

"No one thinks it happened just like that." Shin said shaking his head, his voice even and calm.

"Indeed. There is no doubt that this was planned. I can't wait to hear what the Chief of Police has to report on the matter." Kim Jong-Seo said with a dangerous frown.

He disliked incompetent men and he always believed the current Chief of Police was too stupid for his position. Nevertheless, he had to accept him, as he was a man trusted by the Chief State Councilor, Hwangbo In.

"What will happen now?" Jun-Ho asked his father, arousing him from his thoughts.

"I am waiting for… ah here he comes." Kim Jong-Seo exclaimed, as the door opened, and his servant allowed a man to enter the room.

"Chief of Police, Gwang Ha-Jun, is here to see you, sir." The servant said with a low bow.

"You may go now." Kim Jong-Seo told the two young men.

As Jun-Ho and Shin were leaving the room, the general dismissed the servant and motioned for Gwang Ha-Jun to sit down in front of him. Due to the difference in rank between the two men, Kim Jong-Seo remained seated on his pillow in front of a small table, his feet crossed beneath him, while Gwang Ha-Jun made a respectful bow and took a seat slightly farther from the table. He remained in a kneeling position, as the custom required, and bent his head down in deference.

The Chief of Police Gwang Ha-Jun was a slightly chubby man, with eyes like two narrow slits and a round face. He did not necessarily look fat, but rather well built. His nerves were high because he kept fiddling with his hands, clenching, and unclenching his fingers. Everyone who was in the presence of Kim Jong-Seo felt the same intimidating sensation, especially when he was upset, like he happened to be at the present time.

Kim Jong-Seo placed his fists on his knees and stared at the man in front of him. He always found silence to be a good intimidating factor. Sometimes, people would betray themselves without him having to say a word. After a moment of maintaining this cold stillness, Kim Jung-Ho spoke in a deep voice, making the Chief of Police flinch.

"Tell me what happened at the Bureau."

"The body, sir, the one that was brought to us by your men, is gone, sir." The man said in a slight high-pitched voice that did not fit his large-built body.

"How did this happen?"

"I… Uhm, sir, if I may be permitted… we…" Gwang Ha-Jun's words trailed off.

"You don't know." Kim Jong-Seo finished for him in a cold voice.

"Yes, sir. I mean we do not know, sir. One moment it was there, the next moment it was gone."

Kim Jong-Seo pondered for a moment, his fists clamping tighter around the knees. Then suddenly an idea came to him.

"Was there another body at the Police Bureau at that time? Other than the ones my men brought there."

"What?" Gwang Ha-Jun asked, his slit-like eyes widening as much as it was possible. He looked thoroughly confused. "Yes, sir. We had the body of a man who had been accused of murder. He died during the interrogation the same day we discovered the body had disappeared."

"And what happened to his body?"

"It was thrown outside the city gates, sir. He was a murderer and besides, no one came to claim him, so we disposed of him." Gwang Ha-Jun said matter-of-factly, puffing his chest slightly.

"Did the men who came to take the body look suspicious? Do you remember anything at all, did your men report something?"

"No, sir. The men who take the bodies always wear white cotton masks to protect themselves from the stench. You know, sometimes the bodies smell so horrid it is impossible to…" Gwang Ha-Jun started to rant but was cut off.

"Did your men check the cart before they left the premises?" Kim Jong-Seo asked, his voice turning icy cold. He knew what the answer would be, but he had to ask, nonetheless.

"N-No, sir. I mean, my men took off the mat and made sure the dead man was… I mean we checked the body, sir, but the cart was not suspicious at all." Gwang Ha-Jun finished, gulping at the sight of Kim Jong-Seo's rising fury.

The general looked downright frightening at this point. His eyes were sending daggers at the poor Gwang Ha-Jun, who bent his head down and did not dare to raise his eyes from the floor.

"YOU FOOL! YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL! Boomed Kim Jong-Seo's voice, making the poor man in front of him flinch violently.

"Sir, I apologize! I deserve to be killed, sir!" Gwang Ha-Jun yelped in a panicked voice, bowing his head to the floor so quickly, his large-brimmed hat flew backwards, and his head made contact with the hard floor.

"Enough!" Kim Jong-Seo snapped, slapping one of his hands against the table. "Write a detailed report about what happened and include what your men could find about the body. Send it to me by tonight and make sure you include every single detail. Do you understand?" he added in an angry voice.

"Y-Yes, s-sir. I am at your service, sir." Gwang Ha-Jun said, pressing his forehead even more against the floor.

"Is anyone out there? The Chief of Police is leaving." Kim Jong-Seo said in a loud voice.

It was a sign the conversation was over, and the servant could come and lead Gwang Ha-Jun out of the house. The man scrambled to his feet, pulled his hat back in its place and made a deep bow before scurrying out after the servant.

***

Meanwhile, a group of white-masked men were carrying a cart on the path outside Gongju city. They soon entered the forest road of the Gyeryongsan mountain and started climbing.

After almost half an hour they were stopped by two men. They wore large black-straw hats and had swords tied to their waists.

"Were you followed?" one of the men asked in a deep voice.

He was the tallest there, with a slim build. His waist was small, and he seemed almost delicate, but his tightly fitted warrior costume betrayed his strong muscles. He seemed to be the boss, because the rest bowed their heads as soon as they saw him. They could not see his face, being almost entirely covered by the rim of his hat, but they had no doubt he saw them perfectly.

"No. They didn't suspect a thing, sir." One of the men carrying the cart said in a low whisper.

"Good." Their boss said.

He walked towards the cart and pulled the mat over the dead man's face. He stared down at the same man who fought Shin on the riverbank, the tattooed swordsman. The man had died with a jeer on his face, which made him look terrifying. With a deep breath, the boss pulled the mat over, quickly covering the haunting face.

"Dispose of him properly and make sure you are not followed." he said briskly.

"Yes, sir!" all the men said in one voice, bowing their heads sharply.

The ones carrying the cart continued on their path up the mountain, while their boss and the other one remained there.

"Where are the men?" the boss asked in a low voice, not turning his head to look at his companion.

"They are waiting for you at the hideout, sir."

"Let us go then. We need to make sure everything is proceeding as planned." The boss said curtly, turning around and heading in the opposite direction from the others. As he started walking towards the city, he raised a hand to arrange his hat. A black mark gleamed in the light, streaked through by a thin white line.