Burn!

Ep 34

Myung-heon has introduced me to an expert on the Saje gun. 

I'm about to meet him at a vacant lot in Seoul for a demonstration firing and instructions on how to use it. 

The gun expert looks like a typical Japanese man. 

White hair, long beard, horn-rimmed glasses. A designer who looks to be in his sixties. 

"Nice to meet you, Myung-heon. You're an acquaintance?"

"Yes. Thank you for making this so quickly."

"Well, I'm surprised at the amount of work you've done. Excuse me, but may I ask what you're planning to do?"

"How many crimes have you committed?"

"I don't have a definition. I'm just genuinely curious."

"As you might expect, I'm planning a terrorist attack."

"A bank or financial institution?"

"No. Just a regular office building."

"A grudge or a vendetta?"

"Yes, I hired a total of six of my friends."

"I knew that because you asked for seven guns. There's no ammunition, so each gun is loaded with four rounds."

"That's enough"

"Yeah, you've been in the army, you know that."

"I haven't." 

"Then I'll give you a lesson."

"It's very simple, four rounds in a magazine, insert it into the gun, pull the top of the gun once, and pull the trigger."

"But there's more recoil than you think, so you might want to aim a little lower when you shoot."

"I'll give it a try."

I grab a pistol that looks like it belongs in a video game and fire it into a clearing. 

It has a silencer, so it's not as loud as I thought it would be, and with practice, I was able to control the recoil. 

Mr. Lee said that the recoil of his guns is a little more expensive than other manufacturers, but he recognizes the killing power and accuracy.

And safety. 

He confidently told me that most guns in Korea are made and surveyed by him. 

He seems quite proud of that.

"Now that you seem to know how to use it, I'll have Myung Heon-yi pay you."

"Thank you, sir. I got something good from you."

"Remember, one shot is enough for everything, one shot is enough to kill a person, one shot is enough for birth and death, so it's only fair."

ep 34.5

After receiving the gun, I was deeply troubled. 

I had to think harder. How to get them out. 

The date is getting closer and closer, and I'm running out of ideas. The money is coming in, but the right strategy is lacking. 

The target was a tire company in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on October 21st. 

The plan is to position the nursery cubs, including Choi Sung-tae and Choi Sun-mi, at a single location at a single time. 

According to information, the 21st of every month is the regular executive meeting of S Tire, and luckily for Choi Sung-tae and his clan, the meeting will be held there from noon to 2 p.m. 

The meeting is held in a seminar room on the second floor, and the first floor is heavily guarded. 

There is one emergency staircase and one emergency exit, which will be guarded by the people I hired anyway, and the first floor passageway will be blocked. 

Then I have to bring out the sensitive Choi Sung-mi. 

Of course, there are ways to get revenge by accusing these bastards and taking them to court, but you know. 

Innocent by heredity, guilty by association. 

I deeply distrust the judicial system in this country. 

After seeing the practice of letting those who are honored or have money go unpunished, I concluded that the justice system is only strict with people like me. 

A modern-day version of the long-haired man who stole bread because he was hungry gets jail time, while those who sexually assault and abandon infants get probation. 

With backgrounds and good legal counsel, they slip through the criminal net without being arrested and investigated, and I can't bring the nursery workers to justice. 

I'd rather they be brought to trial when the bomb hasn't gone off. 

The goal is to dishonor them to the death. 

I will judge myself. 

Everything should be my decision and my judgment. 

Of course, my crime is really a targeted crime. 

It's not like those assholes who stab women or old people on the side of the road. 

You have to give them credit for that, 

they're just cowards. 

The kind of lowlifes who stab without having the courage to confront the person they're trying to avenge. 

Of course, what they plan to do with this attack has other symbolism besides revenge, so sacrifices are inevitable. 

I apologize to them in advance and pray for their souls. Diary entry for October 4th.

ep34.8

We were about to eat dinner. Cheol Woo-hyung suddenly came to our door. October 9th. 

"Hyung, come in."

He takes a one-shot of the two bottles of soju he brought and says. 

"I heard the story. Jungmin, you're going to be traveling a long way."

His expression is serious and heavy, the opposite of how I felt when I first saw him, and everything about his voice is determined, even the trembling.

"But I'll never forget the memories of working out and crying with you. Thank you."

"It would be great if we could see each other again. I must have been a pretty important person in your life."

"I'm so sorry for ending your teaching like that. I remember it so vividly."

"The first time I saw you, the sound of your voice, the look on your face, all of it was a good memory for me."

"You pulled me up from the floor of the subway station. Thank you for coming to me first."

We hugged and cried for quite a while. 

Words cannot express the feelings of joy, sadness, and regret of parting. 

Sweat drops and pain are too monotonous, simple, and tiring to express in words. 

Tears can be thicker than blood, sadness can consume a person. 

He said he would clean up the gym.

"Are you quitting because of me?"

"No. You have to move on with your life."

"What are you going to do? I thought your goal was to go to the UFC."

"I'm just leaving, I don't know where."

"Are you sure you'll be okay at a regular job with your energy?"

"Yeah, yeah, you worry about yourself, man."

"I've never felt so empty in my life."

"Isn't that what you taught me, kill or be killed?"

"Yeah, that's right. You're too loyal."

"I'm leaving Korea before you do."

"I'm going to Brazil next week."

"Why Brazil?"

"I just want to go somewhere. I'm thinking a few months. I wonder if I'll be investigated when I get back."

"Maybe, Dean."

"You're talking like it's someone else's story, asshole."

"I'm sorry, Dean."

He bursts into tears. It's quite a sadness to know the time of our parting. 

How sad it would be to have the time until our death floating above our heads. 

I wonder if I should be sorry. 

"I'm sorry. Then don't do it, asshole."

"Sorry, Dean."

"Buy yourself a copy of the playbook. Think of it as a gift for your sister."

"What's that, a maneuver?"

"It sounds like the name of some wrestling technique."

You're so stupid. 

He doesn't know anything but sports.

"No, Dean, not many people know there's going to be a terrorist attack. Make money off of it. I'm telling you."

"Really? Easy, easy, easy."

"Well, few people know there's going to be a terrorist attack, so buy the stocks related to it and sell them right after the attack."

"You'll make some money on that."

"I'll tell you something good, man."

"Is that music to my ears?"

"You're not buying, then?"

"What's up?"

I think he was trying to be jovial. 

In a way, it reminded me of him the first day we met. 

The way he asked me if I had eaten. 

We chatted for hours. 

I lost track of time. 

Looking back, some of the most enjoyable moments of my life were the intense workouts with Chul Woo-hyung and all the time I spent with Dahae. 

Pure fun and original enjoyment is what remains in the end.

I realize that's what sustained and drove me.

I fall asleep with him for the first time in a long time

With cheese on the floor of the room

Maybe I had a good dream that day.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)