Chapter : 6
Wang Hun.
Cruel and despicable enough to be counted among the worst—he was the next boss of the Triad. Backed by him, Jo Chi-hoon was surely strutting around arrogantly by now.
“I don’t know. Just tail them for now and ping me the location.”
It seemed Jae-hyuk didn’t know about Wang Hun’s existence yet.
“Yes, sir. I’ll call again.”
The call ended, and Jae-hyuk remained silent for a while.
Hyun checked her receiver several times. Since there was still no transmission, it was clear that her superiors hadn’t realized the situation yet.
Does this even make sense?
The whole situation felt unreal, like a dream detached from reality. Just who was Ahn Jae-hyuk, to be able to stay one step ahead of her organization?
“We’d been staking out the airport the whole time.”
As if reading her thoughts, his deep voice answered her unspoken question.
“No food. No sleep.”
Even Cyclone had lost track of Jo Chi-hoon because his identity couldn’t be verified, but Ahn Jae-hyuk’s team had found him using nothing but brute persistence.
Hyun was dumbfounded. And worried.
If Jo Chi-hoon and Wang Hun slipped away now, a storm of blood would sweep through South Korea.
The corporations desperate to capture Jo Chi-hoon would stop at nothing, and Jo Chi-hoon—fully aware of that—would find another way to shake them off.
That was exactly the scenario he wanted. In the chaos, he’d likely ditch Wang Hun too and disappear.
But even so, she couldn’t drag Ahn Jae-hyuk into this.
Cyclone was fundamentally a secret organization. Investigation details weren’t even shared among colleagues—only reported upward through the chain of command. There was no way she could tell an ordinary civilian like Ahn Jae-hyuk everything.
While she was conflicted, Jae-hyuk’s phone rang loudly again.
“Team leader! They’ve gotten into the car! 190Ma07OO9! I’ve marked the location!”
The same voice from earlier now shouted the license plate number clearly before hanging up in haste.
The silence was broken by Jae-hyuk.
“What should we do?”
He pressed the accelerator, face expressionless, eyes fixed ahead.
The torrential rain had stopped before they knew it, and droplets fell from the window frame.
“So? Should I drop this?”
When their eyes met, Hyun couldn’t bring herself to shake her head.
His juniors had waited all night at the airport for Jo Chi-hoon. They couldn’t have known when—or even if—he would show up.
That was the difference between them and Cyclone.
The organization Hyun belonged to never moved without certainty. Minimizing trial and error and maximizing success rate was their principle.
How are we supposed to beat such a primitive method?
“I’m asking you.”
As she clicked her tongue inwardly at his approach, he asked again.
She tilted her head and blinked.
“Should I stop chasing Jo Chi-hoon?”
Since when had he ever been this obedient?
What was certain was that whatever answer she gave now would follow her for the rest of her life.
Jo Chi-hoon was right in front of them—she couldn’t tell him to quit. But there were too many complications in using Jae-hyuk, too.
Beep.
It was ridiculous.
Only now did Cyclone’s receiver start ringing.
“You’re not answering?”
Hearing the signal, Jae-hyuk gestured with his chin. There was nothing left to hide, so Hyun answered.
“B0-07, this is an emergency. Right now Jo—”
“Jo Chi-hoon’s in Korea, right?”
At Hyun’s self-mocking tone, the voice on the other end hesitated.
“How do you know that? Did you know and fail to report?”
“I was just about to. So where is Jo Chi-hoon?”
“We’re tracking him. He’s moving from the airport—”
As expected.
Hyun couldn’t help doubting the competence of Cyclone.
What’s the point of being an international organization if your intel is slower than a local salaried detective in Korea?
She let out a deep breath. It seemed she would have to take back the words she’d so confidently thrown at Ahn Jae-hyuk earlier.
“We’ve identified the location. We have the vehicle’s license plate as well. Requesting backup. Over.”
She fired off the message and ended the transmission. Jae-hyuk still hadn’t turned the wheel.
Sensing something odd, Hyun looked at him.
“I didn’t say I’d take you along.”
He had already pulled the car over to the shoulder and was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. A strange amusement lingered on his face.
Ha. So that’s how you’re going to play it.
Leaning an arm on the wheel, he bent toward her, meeting her gaze.
She immediately frowned.
“What? Is this really the time to joke around?”
“I know it’s urgent. That’s why I’d appreciate it if you got out quickly.”
“This isn’t the time for this. Hurry up and chase Jo Chi-hoon.”
“But how am I supposed to trust you?”
He brought the car to a complete stop and began to dig in his heels stubbornly.
She knew he wasn’t ordinary, but she hadn’t expected this level of bullheadedness.
After a moment’s deliberation, Hyun pulled out her badge from her back pocket.
She had never once imagined the day would come when she would reveal her identity herself.
“Interpol. From this moment on, if you don’t follow my orders, I’ll detain you for obstruction of official duty. Now hurry and chase Jo Chi-hoon.”
A slow grin spread across Jae-hyuk’s lips.
You should’ve said that from the start.
“You’re the one who ordered it.”
Only after fully accepting her decision did he start driving again.
Jae-hyuk’s car sped toward the outskirts of the city. Hyun found herself slightly impressed by his driving skills.
Within city limits, he hadn’t violated a single traffic law, yet they had already made it to the outskirts swiftly. Once they reached a road without speed restrictions, he began driving like a madman.
He’s good.
Even compared to Viper—who handled most of the driving during missions—he didn’t fall behind.
The problem was that no matter how long they drove, they couldn’t see the car carrying Jo Chi-hoon.
“Are you sure this is the right way? They’ve probably escaped by now.”
“We’re almost there.”
Unshaken by her sarcasm, his driving remained astonishingly steady.
“There.”
Just then, Jae-hyuk pointed to the diagonal lane, and an obviously suspicious black sedan came into view.
Checking the license plate, it matched the number relayed earlier through his phone.
“What now? They’ll notice they’re being tailed any second—”
Before she could finish, Jae-hyuk changed lanes.
“Lee Hyun, hold tight.”
“What are you doing? If you do that, they’ll notice—!”
Crash.
Before her words ended, he rammed the car in front of them.
Jo Chi-hoon’s vehicle, having immediately realized they were being tailed, accelerated despite its shattered rear bumper.
“Are you insane? How are you planning to catch them like that?!”
Ignoring her, Jae-hyuk increased speed.
Hyun soon realized there had been a reason for the reckless collision. She had to admit—he was an exceptional driver.
“One more time!”
After hitting the rear, Jae-hyuk swerved into the adjacent lane and this time smashed into the side of their car. As their speed faltered slightly, he overtook them.
At that moment, one lane merged into two, and suddenly Jae-hyuk’s car perfectly blocked Jo Chi-hoon’s vehicle.
He immediately unfastened his seatbelt. As he moved to get out without hesitation, Hyun urgently grabbed him.
“Wait!”
The same Lee Hyun who had urged him to chase Jo Chi-hoon was now stopping him. Jae-hyuk looked puzzled.
He glanced down at her hand gripping his shoulder tightly.
“You stay here. I’ll go.”
“What are you talking about? After coming all this way?”
With no choice, Hyun revealed the one thing she hadn’t told him.
“The Chinese man who came in with Jo Chi-hoon—he’s Triad.”
At her urgent explanation, Jae-hyuk tilted his head.
Was that really worth grabbing him so desperately that she’d wrinkle his clothes?
Seeing the confusion on his face, she added,
“Don’t you know what the Triad is? If you don’t want to get your limbs torn off here, wait in the car.”
Someone began stepping out of Jo Chi-hoon’s vehicle. The moment Hyun confirmed it, she got out immediately.
Jae-hyuk considered ignoring her warning and following, but suddenly he found himself curious about what she would do. He stayed put and watched.
Meanwhile, Hyun assessed the enemies.
One from the driver’s seat, one from the passenger seat. Probably underlings.
Take them down quickly and move on to Jo Chi-hoon and Wang Hun.
At the very least, she had to buy time until backup arrived.
That was Hyun’s plan.
