episode_0228

Chomp chomp-

“Mmgh…?”

Manager Kim was roused by the sounds irritating his ears.

He was awake, but his eyes couldn’t focus.

Manager Kim struggled to scan his surroundings through his blurry vision.

The clearer the objects became, the more intense the headache that followed.

The light and the messy floor.

Wrinkling his brows deeply, he managed to roll his eyes and grasp the general situation.

‘Is this a restaurant…? What in the world…?’

As his mind began to clear, his body’s sensations sharpened.

At the same time, Manager Kim’s eyes shot open at the constricting sensation on his wrists.

“!!”

The black cable ties digging into his skin intensified their grip the more he squirmed.

“Mmgh!!”

The pain was subtly unbearable, and Manager Kim couldn’t hold back a groan.

And right now, a groan wasn’t important to him.

His hands and feet were tied, and his mouth was gagged.

The fact that he had been captured and bound.

He tried to struggle against this fact, but his movements were futile.

His tightly bound wrists and ankles couldn’t even budge, only intensifying the pain.

It was so meticulous that even both his thumbs were tied, preventing him from wiggling them.

The cold brushing against his skin, the distinct pain, and his utterly immobile body.

He realized that he was hanging like meat in a freezer.

A chilling sense of unease, akin to fear, began to creep over Manager Kim.

Just as he instinctively tried to find Team Leader Lee.

Slurp-

At the sound of slurping noodles, a sound that shouldn’t be heard in this situation, Manager Kim’s eyes naturally turned.

The lighting harshly illuminated the dark interior.

Beyond a neatly propped flashlight, a faint human figure was visible.

Slurp-

Munch munch-

Manager Kim’s brain momentarily froze.

What roused him, frozen like a slab of meat, was a man’s voice.

“You’re finally awake. I got hungry waiting, so I’m eating first.”

“Mmph mph!!”

“Alright, alright.”

Manager Kim tried to shout at the nonchalant response, but his mouth was gagged.

The man slowly approached, roughly tearing off the tape covering his mouth and forcibly pulling out whatever was stuffed inside.

“Gah?? Cough cough-”

The moment he tried to open his mouth wide, tears welled up at the pain encompassing his entire jaw.

“Stay still. The more you struggle, the more it’ll hurt.”

“Ugh! You bastard… what are you doing right now?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

The man who stepped into the light was, incredibly, holding a large pot.

He held chopsticks in one hand, and even while speaking, his plump cheeks were chewing away.

He stirred the pot with his chopsticks, then brought the large pot to his mouth with both hands and tilted it.

Gulp- Gulp-

“…”

“Aaaah~ So warm, it’s good.”

Manager Kim wondered if he was seeing things.

A human being hanging someone up and then feasting on ramen in front of them.

And in such an unsettling place, with the lights on no less.

Manager Kim’s head swam, but he instinctively knew.

‘He’s insane! A proper lunatic!’

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had stumbled into the wrong person, as if his luck had run out.

Yet, he also had the delusion that he himself might be the one who was crazy.

Because he had clearly seen the pot and chopsticks the man was holding disappear into thin air with his own eyes.

And seeing even bottled water appear out of thin air was enough to drive him mad.

Manager Kim swallowed dryly, watching the man casually chug a 2-liter bottle of water.

“…Hey. It’s not too late. Untie me right now.”

Manager Kim suppressed his emotions and tried to politely persuade him, but all he received was mockery.

“Are you an idiot? Would I untie you?”

“Untie me!!”

“Hmm. Energetic, just right. That’s a relief.”

“…What?”

“Wait a moment. I’ll wake up your partner too.”

At those words, Manager Kim craned his neck forward, scanning left and right.

“T-Team Leader Lee!!”

To Manager Kim’s right, Team Leader Lee hung limply, his head fallen forward, similarly strung up like a piece of meat.

One side of his blood-stained face even had a crude blindfold attached, making Manager Kim gasp in horror and gape.

The man approached Team Leader Lee, stepped onto a creaking chair, and raised himself to head height.

And then, he suddenly appeared with an 18-liter bottle of water and began pouring it.

“Mmgh! Ooh-mmph!!”

Drenched from head to toe, Team Leader Lee soon regained consciousness.

He thrashed his head against the choking stream of water, but it seemed futile.

Even after Team Leader Lee woke up, the man didn’t stop pouring water, ultimately emptying the entire bottle.

Thump! Thud thud~

The man, having emptied the water bottle, stood before Manager Kim and Team Leader Lee.

“Ugh… You… untie this right now… Untie me!”

“…”

Manager Kim felt goosebumps rise as he saw the man smiling without a single word in response.

“You must be very cold, but looking at you, I guess I don’t need to worry.”

“What?? W-What is this?”

“Don’t be too shy. We’re just men, what’s the big deal.”

Only then did Manager Kim realize he was stark naked.

Team Leader Lee next to him was in the same state.

Before the two men could feel any shame, the man spoke gently.

“It’s good to be energetic, but save your stamina. It’ll be hard to last long in winter, you know?”

“Ugh…”

Manager Kim’s anger flared at the man’s calm, everyday tone.

“Why are you doing this!! Why are you doing this to us?!”

As he burst out in anger, the man’s demeanor suddenly changed.

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“…”

Cold? Chilling? It was different.

Manager Kim felt something stickier, a cold, sharp force piercing him, and he instinctively closed his mouth.

But he didn’t stop his mind from racing.

‘Did he figure it out? No, how could he! No, this isn’t it. First, I need to try to reason with him…’

“I can hear your brain working from here.”

His voice was heavy.

It carried a cold, biting sensation, as if frost had settled.

The man dragged a broken, rattling table and placed it in front of the two, where they could clearly see it.

And at his next action, Manager Kim doubted his own eyes.

Team Leader Lee, who had barely regained consciousness, widened his one remaining eye.

Clack… Clack… Clack…

The man seemed to reach into thin air, then pulled out items one by one.

A fearsome-looking hammer, a kitchen knife, a hacksaw, and a torch.

And something in an unknown container.

He opened the lid and scooped out a handful; they appeared to be pills.

He brought the handful of pills to Manager Kim’s mouth.

“Eat.”

“W-What is this…”

At Manager Kim’s slight resistance, the man gripped the hammer.

A thick, appropriately sized sledgehammer, perfect for driving nails.

Realizing what it meant, Manager Kim quickly opened his mouth.

Perhaps pleased by his quick compliance, the man carefully fed Manager Kim the pills, even kindly providing water to help him swallow.

After confirming Manager Kim had swallowed everything, the man similarly stood before Team Leader Lee.

“I’m going to take off the tape, so don’t even think about doing anything stupid. Nod your head if you understand.”

…Nod nod

Rip-!

“Gah! Ugh!”

“Open your mouth.”

The man pulled out the dirty sock that was gagging Team Leader Lee and likewise offered him the pills.

But unlike Manager Kim, Team Leader Lee wasn’t so easy.

“You bastard. How dare you—”

Snap-!

“…Aaaaaaaagh!!”

The moment signs of resistance appeared, the man slammed down on Team Leader Lee’s suspended big toe.

“Aaagh! Guh-aaah!!”

“One more?”

“Gmph!!”

He offered the bundle of pills once more to Team Leader Lee, who desperately swallowed his scream.

“Eat.”

“…”

“Okay. One extra.”

“I’ll eat it!!!”

Snap!

“Aaaaaaaagh! I said I’d eat it! You bastard!!!”

“Don’t you know life is all about timing?”

“Ughhh…”

Team Leader Lee finally swallowed the pills only after both his big toes were crushed.

Witnessing the abnormal treatment right beside him, Manager Kim trembled violently.

But at the words that followed, both men couldn’t help but gasp.

“Don’t be scared. What you swallowed is iron.”

“What? Iron?”

“Yeah. You’re going to bleed a bit, but we can’t do blood transfusions here.”

“…”

“Don’t you think you should at least eat that to last longer?”

The pseudo-medical knowledge didn’t matter at all.

The man in front of them intended to break them.

Feeling that clear fact in their bones, both men felt a chill run down their spines.

Even Manager Kim, who had been through all sorts of sordid experiences, and Team Leader Lee, who had weathered every storm.

Now, they merely cowered from a type of fear they had never encountered before.

The murderous intent emanating from that man was that cold and sticky.

His ordinary tone of voice starkly contrasted with that ominous feeling.

The conflicting sense of incongruity was enough to give Manager Kim and Team Leader Lee cognitive dissonance.

The man continued speaking calmly, ignoring their trembling eyes.

“If you answer honestly and clearly, you’ll suffer less pain.”

“…”

“I’ll also make the ending clean and painless for you.”

“Th-That’s!”

“Can’t you just untie us?”

At Team Leader Lee’s words, the man twisted his lips into a grimace.

“Have you ever untied or spared anyone?”

“…”

“Stop with the bullshit and let’s do a practice run. This, is this a camera?”

The man picked up a button the size of a pinky fingernail and showed it.

A thin wire was connected to the button, and the wire was connected to a small object. A small object shaped like a smart external hard drive, the size of a credit card.

Confirming it, Team Leader Lee mumbled softly.

“…Yes.”

“Does it just record? Or does it transmit in real time too?”

“…Right now, it only records.”

Perhaps pleased by the submissive answer, which had lost some of its initial vigor, the man nodded, showing a satisfied expression.

“That’s a very good attitude. If you continue like this, I’ll send you off painlessly.”

“Khuhu…”

Not ‘letting them go,’ but ‘killing them.’

Team Leader Lee let out a hollow laugh.

“Do you like it?”

“Lunatic…”

“Ah… that attitude isn’t good… Well, it’s practice, so I’ll let it slide this time. Next time, no mercy, okay?”

A refreshing smile and a casual tone, as if talking to a friend.

Yet, Manager Kim and Team Leader Lee felt intense terror.

A murderous intent so chilling it felt as if it pushed back the cold of winter.

He was clearly smiling, but an aura of danger so strong it made them question if he was even human emanated from him.

“I ask, and you answer. It’s not difficult.”

“…”

The man’s eyes, facing them, deepened.

The two men, realizing that this was the real deal…

“Answer me. What are you? Why did you come here?”

The two men’s lips trembled as a chilling dread gripped the back of their necks.

* * *

I watched the two men, who had reluctantly begun to speak.

They answered, but no sincerity was felt.

The start was good.

Ignoring their names, they immediately confessed their affiliation and purpose for being here.

But that was as far as it went.

Perhaps they thought they had tamed me after a few answers.

While Team Leader Lee kept his answers brief, Manager Kim, what can I say…

He kept racking his brain, as if trying to prove he was the brains of the operation.

Like right now.

“W-Why are you doing this to us? We offered to work together, and we shared water and food, didn’t we? Huh?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Lee Deok, no, hey… W-Wait! Alright! I get it!”

Crack!!

“Aaaaaaaagh!!!”

Manager Kim, who had finally lost a toe, was now pouring out tears and snot.

His attempts to stretch out his words and constantly veer off topic left quite a pitiful impression.

In my opinion, smooth and flexible communication is necessary for effective interaction.

But right now, there’s not enough flexibility.

“Perhaps a beating is needed first…”

Even a dried pollock needs to be beaten to be eaten deliciously.

Firming my resolve, I put on the gloves I had taken from them.

As I pressed and fitted them snugly between my fingers and approached them…

“…Hey.”

Team Leader Lee called out to me in a voice drained of all strength.

“Is this really necessary?”

“Of course, it is.”

“…Why? We just met today, didn’t we? And only for a short time, so what in the world…”

“Shouldn’t you know that better?”

“…”

I slammed the hammer onto the man’s leg.

Thud! Thud! Crack-! Crunch!!

“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!!”

He writhed like a caterpillar, but I didn’t stop hammering.

I swung the hammer as if tenderizing tough meat.

I swung the hammer as if finely crushing bones to make a rich broth.

“Gah-uhhh… Heuuhhh…”

Team Leader Lee’s right leg, from the knee to the foot, had lost its form.

His skin had lost its color and turned a dark, purplish hue.

His leg, swollen like a sausage stuffed full, was unusually thick.

Yet, not a single drop of blood flowed.

Team Leader Lee choked, his eyes rolling back, drooling uncontrollably.

Manager Kim, witnessing what used to be a human leg turn into a lump of meat, gagged.

“You guys always clam up when things get unfavorable. Why do you do that?”

“…”

“This bastard is faking unconsciousness.”

I swung the hammer again, balancing out his left leg.

When handling tools, experience remains in your fingertips as a sensation.

Feelings of where, how, and how much to hit.

Using that experience, I accurately shattered only the inside.

It lost the shape of a human leg and transformed into something like a balloon doll.

But thanks to ‘familiarity,’ no blood flowed this time either.

Because of the ties binding his ankles, it looked a bit like the end of a sausage…

He trembled with pain, but somehow managed to hold onto his consciousness.

I quietly said to him,

“Earlier, you looked at Sohee with that sticky, deep gaze, didn’t you?”

“Huuuhhh…”

“Looking at pretty women? That’s understandable.”

It was an instinct inherent in males, so I could understand.

But.

“But your murderous intent was mixed with something like sexual desire, wasn’t it?”

“Hmph!”

It must have hit home, as he coughed and trembled violently.

I softly murmured to him.

“…You’re the kind of bastard who beats women, has sex with them, and then kills them, aren’t you?”

“H-How did you…”

Manager Kim answered instead, but I didn’t hear him.

I’d seen it several times on the other side, so there was no way I wouldn’t know.

“It turns you on when women cry and scream while you hit them, doesn’t it? The more they hurt, the more thrilling it is, and when they’re gasping for breath, you go absolutely wild, right?”

“…”

“And then a bastard like you openly stares at me, follows me, and you ask me, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Huh? Why do you think I’m doing this? Huh? Aren’t you going to answer?”

But Team Leader Lee just rolled his eyes back, twitching intermittently, unable to answer.

I glared at him for a moment, then switched targets.

“And you.”

“?!!”

“You snake-like bastard.”

“W-Why…”

“You treat people like absolute trash, don’t you?”

“N-No…”

“Everything you said, except wanting to work together, was a lie, wasn’t it?”

“It’s a misunderstanding! I truly!!”

“If you were going to say that, you should have first gotten your condescending eyes in order.”

While it might have been true that he wanted to work together, everything else he said was just sweet lies, all talk and no substance.

This bastard was the dirty type who creates weaknesses, gains control, and then sucks out all the sweetness and juice.

His expression was quite a sight when I pointed that out.

I poured water over Team Leader Lee’s head, forcing him to wake up.

“Guh-uhh…”

“You’d better stay sharp.”

I warned him softly, but no answer came.

But for now, it was enough.

All the color had drained from both their faces.

“Alright, I’ll ask again. What were you planning to do after taking Director Jang?”

“D-Director Jang?”

“I’m talking about Dr. Jang Myeonghwan.”

“…I don’t know the details.”

I immediately picked up the hammer.

“Really! It’s true! Even as a manager, I’m just a low-level employee who runs around in the field! I really don’t know the details!!”

Looking at his teary eyes, it seemed to be true.

“Then at least tell me what you vaguely know.”

“Th-That, ah! There’s a project being carried out by the higher-ups! I heard it’s progressed but hasn’t been completed yet!!”

“Continue.”

“I was only told that he’s a necessary person to complete it. Truly.”

I showed doubt to Manager Kim, who was spitting out words rapidly.

“Doesn’t Taeseong have a lot of talented people? Is an old internal medicine doctor really necessary?”

“Yes! Yes! He’s a genius too! He left the hospital a long time ago because he was pushed out by internal politicking, but he’s definitely a genius!”

“Hoh…”

To think Director Jang had gone through such a thing.

He truly was a doctor with a complicated story.

“F-For more details, check the terminal in my clothes! All the data is there!”

“K-Manager Kim… you…”

Manager Kim, struggling with pain, retorted to Team Leader Lee, who was grinding his teeth.

“Shut up! You lunatic bastard! I told you to be careful with women so many times! You damn horny lunatic bastard! Because of you!!”

“Quiet, you bastards. You two are both the same kind of people.”

“…”

“Is this it?”

I rummaged through Manager Kim’s clothes and found a device that looked like an electronic gadget.

It looked like a foldable phone but was a bit larger and heavier.

And it was clearly a very expensive item.

“Hey. It’s locked.”

“If you put it to my thumb…”

“Can it be changed to a password?”

“…”

Thwack-!!

“Gah-uhhh… W-Why me…?”

Team Leader Lee, who had been hit for no apparent reason, expressed his unfairness.

“From now on, I’ll hit the one who doesn’t answer, leaving the one who gives me the desired answer alone.”

“B-But why…?”

“You haven’t given a single proper answer so far, you bastard.”

“Ughhh…”

“Our Manager Kim will cooperate well, won’t he?”

“Y-Yes! I’ll cooperate! Save—”

Crunch-!

“Guh-uhhh…”

“Manager Kim says he’ll cooperate, but why aren’t you answering? And Manager Kim, your tone is a bit off, isn’t it?”

“!! I will cooperate!!”

“Exactly!! As expected of an intellectual, his attitude is good. Let’s keep it that way. So, can this be changed?”

“Yes! What you need to do is…”

“Before that. This has GPS tracking, right?”

“…Ah…”

Manager Kim was flustered by the sudden question.

Thwack-! Crunch-!

“Aaaaaaagh!”

“Guh-uhhh…”

“That one was collective responsibility. At this rate, Manager Kim’s legs will be crippled too.”

“Ughhh…!!”

The two men, whose breathing became ragged from pain, didn’t open their mouths easily.

“…G-GPS tracking… can be s-stopped…. I… I can… do it.”

“You bastard—”

Snap-!!

“Gah-aaaaaagh!!!!!”

“Khuh, huhh…”

Manager Kim thrashed his head back and forth, and Team Leader Lee grinned widely.

The two softened men were extremely cooperative.

Thanks to them, I was able to unravel my curiosities one by one, finally leading to a meaningful time.

And so, our night gradually deepened.