Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 222: Family (4)

I hadn’t known about Lee Yeon-Sil's pregnancy in my past life.

Even when I went to Kang Eun-Gi's funeral, I knew nothing about her because I only saw her from a distance and left without greeting her.

"How many weeks pregnant is Yeon-Sil now?" I asked my mom.

"She said four weeks when I called two weeks ago, so she must be at six weeks now."

'Then it must be an extremely critical time for her,' I thought.

Because of this reason, I called Kang Eun-Gi instead of Lee Yeon-Sil. But Kang Eun-Gi wasn’t answering my calls at all for some reason.

At that moment, I thought the only way to prevent his death was to go directly to Kang Eun-Gi’s house.

"Mom."

"Hmm?"

"Can you be alone for a moment?"

"Do you think I'm a child? Of course I can be alone. But why? Are you planning to bring them here?"

"Yes. I think it’ll be quicker that way."

"Okay. Then bring some hotteok[1] on your way back. I’m so hungry I can't bear it anymore," Mom replied.

"You're not supposed to eat anything because you’re fasting. I’ll buy you anything you want after tomorrow's check-up," I explained.

"Is that a promise? Then you’ll hold my hand and go with me?"

I nodded at Mom who was whining like a child. "I will, Mom."

Mom smiled widely. "My son has become much gentler since he came to Seoul. Alright, go ahead then."

I left the hospital immediately after reassuring Mom.

After all, I didn’t want my ‘nephew’ to ever hear someone call them ‘a kid with no parents’—something Lee Yeon-Sil, Kang Eun-Gi, and I used to hear all the time during our childhood.

I called Kang Eun-Gi again outside the hospital, but he still didn’t answer as expected. I thought about reaching out to the police, but they’d probably think I was crazy.

'It's not like I can call a bodyguard either...' I remarked inwardly.

For now, I decided to send Lee Yung-Jin to Incheon Airport and instructed him to catch Kang Eun-Gi and give me a call.

In the meantime, I headed to Kang Eun-Gi's house in Itaewon where the stabbing was supposed to occur just in case.

***

I hid in a nearby alley in front of Kang Eun-Gi and Lee Yeon-Sil's house in Itaewon, and began checking the equipment I had prepared in advance.

Wearing a stab-proof vest with a sturdy plate protecting my neck and hockey pads on my elbows and legs, I was pretty well-protected. I wore a bulky hoodie and wide straight-leg pants to hide the pads, and I also put on cut-resistant gloves.

"Phew. This should be enough to handle most dangers," I muttered to myself

There were a few critical areas where a person could get seriously injured if stabbed—the carotid artery, the heart, and the femoral artery inside the thigh. These were mainly areas where arteries passed and where bleeding out by stabbing could be fatal.

But thanks to the equipment I prepared, I wouldn’t die unless I was stabbed very precisely in those areas.

"I guess I should warm up a little in advance."

I tested my punches and found my movements a bit restricted. However, it was far more important not to get hurt rather than to be fast against a knife. After all, the extreme pain would immobilize me at once if I got cut.

Then I wouldn’t be able to save Kang Eun-Gi or protect my own life.

After checking my gear one more time, I opened the collapsible baton I had prepared and began to warm up. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to get used to the dull movement.

"Why hasn’t there been any contact?" I wondered.

It was already 9 p.m. Time was ticking, but there was no call from Lee Yung-Jin who had gone to Incheon Airport.

In the end, I couldn’t bear to wait any longer and made the call.

"Yung-Jin, has Kang Eun-Gi come out yet?"

-Not yet. There were too many people coming down so I might have missed him. What should I do?

"Don't worry about it, it’s fine. He might have changed flights and come out earlier. Thanks for your help. I’ll treat you to a meal properly some time."

-Don't mention it. Then I’ll stop by Mr. Tae-Poong's shooting site and return to the company, Mr. Jung.

"Okay, take care."

My heart started racing after hanging up the phone because the entry in my planner still remained unchanged.

"Seriously, he was only obedient after getting hit since he was young...I guess he's still the same when grown up."

Sweat was pouring down my back due to the protective gear, but I was too focused on saving Kang Eun-Gi to feel the heat.

That’s when a black Merciless Bends sedan appeared at the end of the street.

‘Is that Eun-Gi?’ I wondered.

But it wasn’t Kang Eun-Gi sitting in the driver's seat. I quickly hid, thinking it might be people planning to harm him. Soon, I could see Kang Eun-Gi's face through the side window of the Merciless Bends sedan driving past me.

‘He's finally here.’

There were three people in total inside the car—two in the front seats and Kang Eun-Gi in the back.

At that moment, two BWM cars started to quickly approach the sides of Kang Eun-Gi’s Merciless Bends. The two BWMs sped up right in front of me and rammed into Kang Eun-Gi’s Merciless Bends.

Screech! Bang!

The back of the Merciless Bends caved in and it crashed into the wall before stopping. As the three cars got tangled up, six men in suits with baseball bats got out of the BWMs.

Not to be outdone, Kang Eun-Gi and two men immediately jumped out of the front car. But the faces of the men next to Kang Eun-Gi were utterly familiar for some reason.

They were Choi Dong-Hyuk and Lee Soo-Chan, younger kids who grew up with me at the Angel Orphanage.

I was confused. ‘Why are they with Eun-Gi?’

Before I could process this confusing situation, the fight began.

"Hey!"

"You fucking bastards!"

"Die, you asshole!"

The men in suits swung their bats widely, but Kang Eun-Gi and the two men skillfully dodged the first swings. Then they crouched and began to fight back against the six.

"Take away their bats first!"

"Okay, hyung-nim!"

It looked like the side with the weapons had the advantage on the surface, but Kang Eun-Gi and the two others moved exceptionally well.

‘I'm sure they can hold out for a while,’ I thought.

I wanted to jump out and help them immediately, but I couldn’t move recklessly because I could see there were still two people left in the other BWM.

Even among gangsters, there were those who specialized in using knives. Surprisingly, most gangsters couldn’t handle knives properly. For this reason, some gangs had assassination squads specializing in throat-cutting.

Not only did they send just one but two cars to kill Kang Eun-Gi.

‘They really came prepared.’

I focused solely on the knife-wielders from then on.

After a while, the two men in the BWM slowly got out of the car when the six men couldn't easily take down Kang Eun-Gi and the two others.

The skinny men were wearing shirts and jeans, both holding sashimi knives in their right hands. One was tall, and the other was short.

The two slowly approached Kang Eun-Gi.

At that moment, I couldn’t wait any longer and rushed toward them. The two quickly turned their heads toward me at the sound of my sudden footsteps. Simultaneously, I struck the wrist of the short man closest to me with my collapsible baton.

Whack!

"Argh!" The short man groaned and dropped his knife.

But my next swing missed the tall man’s wrist as the short man who dropped his knife instinctively blocked my way.

At that moment, I heard Kang Eun-Gi’s shout from afar. "Y-Yoon-Ho! What are you doing here... Hey! Don’t come near me! Run away!"

Kang Eun-Gi screamed at me to run away and shouted at the hitmen in front of me, "You fucking sons of bitches, I'm your target, aren't I? Don’t you dare touch Yoon-Ho!"

I came to save him, yet Kang Eun-Gi was yelling and trying to divert the hitmen's attention since he knew very well that professional hitmen usually handled only their target.

But the two didn’t take their eyes off me despite Kang Eun-Gi’s plea.

"Just you wait, Kang Eun-Gi. I’ll kill you right after dealing with this guy first."

The sashimi knife was aimed at my neck as soon as the hitman finished speaking. But I dodged and swung my collapsible baton.

I aimed at his wrist with a whoosh, but he narrowly avoided my baton. Wearing protective gear had made my movements slower, which would have been impossible otherwise.

At that moment, the short man grabbed my waist and yelled, "I got him! Stab him now!"

"Okay," said the tall man.

The short man’s grip restricted my movements. Simultaneously, the tall man’s knife came straight at me. I could see the blade approaching me fast. I tried to dodge, but the short man’s hold made it impossible to evade completely.

To attempt to free myself, I struck the short man’s occiput with my left elbow.

Thud!

With a heavy thud, the short man lost consciousness at once and his grip on my waist loosened.

I could barely manage to move, but the sharp blade was already near my neck. Although I was wearing a stab-proof vest, a direct stab could still injure me.

I quickly took a step back and tilted my neck to the right. At the same time, the tall man’s knife grazed my neck guard.

Screech!

Thanks to the stab-proof vest’s plate, the knife only scratched the surface and left me unharmed. I took advantage of the moment and moved inside the tall man’s range, landing a powerful left uppercut to his jaw.

Wham!

The punch as strong as a full baseball bat swing knocked the hitman unconscious, causing him to fly all the way to the back.

"Phew," I let out a sigh of relief.

Then, I searched the unconscious hitman for any remaining knives and threw them far away.

I then ran toward Kang Eun-Gi who was still fighting and shouted, "Everyone~ stop!"

***

The fight ended quickly the moment I intervened.

Kang Eun-Gi’s opponents turned out to be just big guys swinging bats, not skilled fighters. The two hitmen were still unconscious and the bat-wielding men were all kneeling before us.

Kang Eun-Gi caught his rough breath and asked, "Huff, huff. Yoon-Ho, how did you know I'd be here?"

"Shut up. Why didn’t you answer my calls? Do you have a death wish?" I retorted.

Kang Eun-Gi averted his eyes. "No, it’s just that my phone got broken in China...that's why I couldn't pick it up."

I took off my torn hoodie. "Shut up. Carry two phones until you die from now on. More than that, I thought I was going to die from the heat," I lamented.

Seeing my stab-proof vest and hockey gear, Kang Eun-Gi’s mouth dropped wide open.

"By the way, you should get ready for a beating today. Didn’t I warn you to be careful because you've got bad luck coming?" I rebuked him.

I cracked my knuckles and made a sound, making Kang Eun-Gi instinctively take a step back.

At the same time, the two subordinates acting as Kang Eun-Gi's bodyguards tried to block me.

That's when I spoke in a low voice. "Dong-Hyuk and Soo-Chan, you guys stay back. It’s your turn after Eun-Gi."

Choi Dong-Hyuk and Lee Soo-Chan stopped.

"H-hyung, it’s not like that..."

The two who had been scolded by me as kids were trembling. When they bowed their heads and stepped back, Kang Eun-Gi frantically waved his hands. "Yoon-Ho, wait!"

Kang Eun-Gi’s face looked urgent.

"Give me one reason to hold back. I’m completely furious right now," I argued.

Kang Eun-Gi urgently pointed at the two hitmen and said, "Those guys were sent by Choi Kang-Han, the president of my company."

"What?" I replied in shock.

"The guys with baseball bats are from the Taechon faction who have a grudge against me, but the hitmen aren’t. They were sent by my boss, or rather, the president," Kang Eun-Gi explained.

"W-what? Why would your president target you?" I asked with a puzzled expression.

"I don’t know the reason either. But if he sent an assassination squad to take me out, it means he’s determined to get rid of me no matter what."

The moment a sense of foreboding washed over me, I quickly pulled out my phone.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: July 17, 2020]

-08:00 a.m. Gangbuk Samsung Hospital. Kang Eun-Gi's funeral.

The entry was still showing that Kang Eun-Gi would die.

‘Is it not over yet?’ I wondered.

There was still time left in the day. This meant that if no action was taken, Kang Eun-Gi would die.

I put away my phone and asked, "You said you’re not a gangster anymore, didn't you?"

Kang Eun-Gi let out a deep sigh. "I thought so too. But my president seems to think otherwise."

"So? What are you going to do now?" I asked again.

"I have to strike first before they get me. Otherwise, I’ll die and the people under me will get hurt too," said Kang Eun-Gi.

Kang Eun-Gi explained that not only the kids from our orphanage but also those from nearby orphanages were under his care. He named many, and I could recognize more than half of them.

Kang Eun-Gi looked at me with a bitter expression. "Yoon-Ho, please let me go. It’s not just me who’ll die if I don't deal with this issue right away, but Yeon-Sil will be in danger too."

Kang Eun-Gi wasn’t wrong. Even though I wasn’t a gangster, I knew how they operated. Once a knife was drawn, there would certainly be retaliation even if today somehow passed by.

In that case, it was better to handle the problem as soon as possible.

"Just... don’t kill anyone." That was all I could say to Kang Eun-Gi.

As long as no one died, the sentences would be lighter even if he was caught by the police.

Kang Eun-Gi nodded heavily. "Got it."

Kang Eun-Gi stood up, sighed deeply, and borrowed Lee Soo-Chan’s phone to make a call somewhere.

1. hotteok is a flour dough pancake filled with sugar syrup inside. It's one of the most popular street snacks in Korea ☜