Burn!

EP32

"Ji-hoon, do you have many friends?"

"Friends?"

"Yeah, I'll pay you if you introduce me to them."

"What kind of friends are you talking about?"

"The friends you made when you got into the accident at the bakery, or the ones with criminal records and a lot of felonies."

"Well, there's about four or five of them."

"Yeah? Well, I'll only introduce you to the least rehabilitated of them."

"And what kind of work do you want them to do?"

"Dangerous work. That's why I can't ask you."

"You're just going to give me a list? You're not going to give me a job. I'm disappointed."

"Okay, I'll pay you a referral fee. But are they close to you?"

"No. We're not really close, we have contacts."

"Those bastards. They're all craftsmen and they're really bad."

"Really? How is your mum these days?"

"You helped her back then, so she's recovered a lot. She's doing great."

"Well done, bastard. Be a man from now on, mate."

"Yes, I've started studying."

He patted his collar. Kim Ji-hoon's leather jacket shook slightly.

"What are you studying, a pyramid scheme?"

"I'm trying to become a real estate agent."

"To scam people?"

"No, I'm serious, like, really serious."

"That's funny. Anyway, just give me the list."

"Yes, sir."

"What made you suddenly decide you wanted to stop being a badass?"

"I went all the way, killing people myself, and I realised I wanted to live a good life."

"I mean, sure, you've committed crimes, but I'm just going to live the rest of my life making money and taking care of my mum."

"I'm sober now, bro."

"Okay, just send me the list and I'll pay you for your trouble. And don't go back to Dahae. In the future."

"Of course, please tell her I'm sorry for what I did."

"Go away, bastard."

He texted me the names of several people, their criminal histories, and whether they had children. A part of me smiled. 

'This is Ji-hoon. 

I wondered how many people would be needed to carry out a terrorist attack. 

A few people to stand around with priestly guns.

You'd need quite a few people to lock the doors to the building, or block the road with a big truck and run away, etc. 

That's why we were only looking for criminals, but a few people for Myung-heon and a few for Ji-hoon should be enough. 

The mission was to make sure they didn't escape while the bomb went off. 

Nothing too complicated. 

Just a bunch of good soldiers and good listeners. 

The only problem is that they'll block the passage with lorries, and if the mercenaries know their fate, it could be a coup d'etat. 

I told Myung-heon.

"Brother, make sure they're only criminals. Really bad ones?"

"For terrorist attacks, yes. I'll look for them. The lowest of the low."

"But if they find out I'm giving them guns and bombs and they're gonna die, the first thing they're gonna do is kill me."

"So you have to reverse it. You're the one who can end it."

"That's hard. If I'm a mercenary, they're gonna shoot me."

"Is there a fire escape or something in the building you want to take out?"

"I don't think so. It's more like a conference centre for meetings."

"Good luck with that. I think we can get three of them."

"Okay. But if I borrow money and die, who do you blame?"

"Your family. They'll ask if you got paid."

"Really?"

I start the interview. 

Myung-heon's brother's three criminals.

Ji-hoon's four friends.

and me, so I figure eight people is enough to take them down. 

Plus a lorry driver who'll be fleeing the country soon enough. 

I announced the call on the phone and started the interviews at the appointed time, but most of them were really clueless. 

They were the kind of people who should be sacrificed for human sacrifice or drug discovery. 

And then, funnily enough, I rejected one. 

He couldn't go because he had to do two years in the army. 

Below is a transcript of the interview. 

All of these candidates were of varying degrees of bravery, but all of them had been unable to stay away from illegal work after their release. 

"What is your current job?"

First applicant. 

"Yeah, I'm just doing deliveries and odd jobs."

Second applicant. 

"I'm a bum, I just got out. I got out a week ago due to rape."

Third applicant. 

"I'm working as a loan shark."

Fourth applicant. 

"I run an online pachinko parlour."

"Then work with me for just two days. I'll pay you 3000 per day."

"What kind of work?"

"I need you to help me with a terrorist attack."

"Terrorism?"

I recruited seven people in total. 

With an hourly wage of 400 and a total of 3000 in 8 hours, what could I refuse? 

That's the minimum wage in 2010. 

And if they give you a used priest's gun, why not? 

But they don't know that. That's the price of life. 

You don't realise that they're all involved in murder, they're all in a gang, and if you get caught, it's the end of your life. 

I mean, I look at these guys, they're sexual assault, attempted murder, assault, robbery, they're a cancer on society, what's the point of being alive? 

I went straight to the banks and lenders. 

"How much can I borrow?"

"It depends on your credit, but I think you can get about $35,000."

"How much can I borrow?"

"Up to two big ones."

The gap between tier 1 and tier 3 lenders is huge

Banks wouldn't lend me much money in my mid-twenties, but the third sector was different.

Sure, the interest rates were different, but it didn't matter to me.

Just as I was celebrating, thinking that this would be enough to pay for the entire operation.

the phone rings again. 

It's Dahae.

Even as I sit down to dinner with her, my head is filled with thoughts of the end. 

I have to use my head. 

How can I get all the children from the nursery school together at one time on one day, and when will the police force be able to handle it easily? 

I flip open my calendar and search for the date.

 '21 October' 

My birthday and National Police Day seem like the best fit. 

Four weeks from now. 

When the police are at their most vulnerable.