Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 757: Attack (3)

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 17, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: News of death from close ones keep arriving. You'll be betrayed by someone you trusted.

(Deleted Schedule Entry: You will receive news of a close one's death.)]

I avoided the exit toward Myeongdong Cathedral, only to receive not a notice of death but notices—plural. That meant more than one person was going to die.

'Should I have just gone to Myeongdong like originally planned?'

Just then, a phrase warning a betrayal by someone I trust from Everyday jumped out at me. At that moment, I caught sight of Attorney Cheon Jin-Sang running ahead through the narrow passage. And instantly, all the suspicious things connected to Cheon Jin-Sang began surfacing in my mind.

'You were the insider?'

Come to think of it, everyone inside the house had been arrested by prosecutors. Yet the one person who should have stayed to defend them, the attorney, didn't go with them.

And when I went outside to make phone calls, Cheon Jin-Sang cut the call short and returned to Choi Eun-Tae despite having many people to alert. Not long after that, the masked men stormed in.

That wasn't the only thing. When we got to the basement, Choi Eun-Tae told him to lock it down so no one else could come in. Cheon Jin-Sang said he did, but the attackers came down the exact same way we had.

Then while we were fleeing, he tried to steer Choi Eun-Tae toward Myeongdong Cathedral. When I checked Everyday and changed course to Cheonggyecheon, he didn't look worried at all. If anything, he looked annoyed like someone upset that a plan had failed.

All of this pointed to one thing: Cheon Jin-Sang was a traitor.

'How could you... How could you betray Mr. Chairman after everything he did for you?'

Cheon Jin-Sang was one of the few people Choi Eun-Tae could open up to. On top of that, he was the longest-serving of the three attorneys protecting him. It was hard to believe someone like Cheon Jin-Sang would turn, but I had to. After all, Everyday never lied.

In any case, I had to move quickly now. First priority was getting Kang Eun-Gi, who was headed to Myeongdong, redirected to the Cheonggyecheon safehouse.

I caught up with Choi Eun-Tae. "Mr. Chairman. Where should I tell Eun-Gi to go in Cheonggyecheon?"

Choi Eun-Tae answered, "Tell him to head to the basement of the Daheung Building next to Hanbit Plaza. This passage leads to the fourth basement level there. To get in, he can either give the entry code to the security guard at Elevator 3 in the lobby or punch it into the keypad inside. The code is 23173."

I had assumed a safehouse meant some hidden residence, but this one was set up in the basement of a massive 30-story tower—the secondary headquarters of Daheung Savings Bank.

I nodded and called Kang Eun-Gi right away.

"Eun-Gi. We're escaping through the basement to the safehouse. Head to the basement of the Daheung Building in Cheonggyecheon. The code is 23173. You can give it to the guard at Elevator 3 or punch it into the panel inside."

-I'm almost there. But Cheonggyecheon? Not the Myeongdong basement?

"They stormed the basement. We're on the run. I'll explain everything later."

-Got it! I'll head there.

Click.

The moment I hung up, Cheon Jin-Sang running just ahead took out his phone too. However, I quickly closed the gap and snatched it from him.

Smack.

Stopped in his tracks, Cheon Jin-Sang turned to me in the narrow passage. "What... What are you doing? Why'd you grab my phone?"

"Who were you trying to call?" I asked.

"Who else? Obviously the security team lead! We have to tell them to head to Cheonggyecheon instead of Myeongdong, don't we?"

"Are you out of your mind? You can't just broadcast our internal situation to the outside like this."

"So you, Chief Jung, contact Eun-Gi but say I shouldn't call the head of security? What the hell are you doing?"

"That's because we can trust Eun-Gi."

At that moment, a glint flickered in Cheon Jin-Sang's eyes. "You're not seriously suspecting me right now... are you?"

His stare was sharp enough to tear me apart, but I ignored it and checked his call log.

'Just as I thought.'

[Current Time: 8:22 p.m.]

[Recent Calls]

-8:20 p.m.: Security Team Lead Ahn Sung-Tae

-8:15 p.m.: Attorney Kim Tae-Hoon

-8:12 p.m.: Attorney Oh Sung-Ha

-8:05 p.m.: Security Team Lead Ahn Sung-Tae

The 8:05 p.m. call matched the time he had made a call from the Myeongdong house courtyard. And the 8:20 p.m. one lined up with when he secretly called someone at the fork in the path a few moments ago.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

Buzz~

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 17, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: You will receive news of a close one's death. It's time to be extra cautious.]

(Deleted Schedule Entry: News of death from close ones keep arriving. You'll be betrayed by someone you trusted.)]

The fortune had changed. This only made it clearer that Cheon Jin-Sang was indeed the traitor.

"Be honest. How many people are waiting at the Cheonggyecheon safehouse exit?" I asked.

"Y-You little punk. Just because Mr. Chairman favors you, do you think you can say anything?"

When Cheon Jin-Sang exploded and cursed at me, Choi Eun-Tae stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Chief Jung. Attorney Cheon. What's going on?"

I calmly met his gaze and said, "Mr. Chairman. Attorney Cheon Jin-Sang is a traitor."

Choi Eun-Tae slightly frowned. "What? That can't be."

As Choi Eun-Tae looked at me in disbelief, I launched into an explanation. "You said it yourself earlier that even Choi Eun-Tae Man-Sik wouldn't be able to come down if we locked down the basement. But it got breached far too easily. And he didn't hesitate for a second before steering you toward Myeongdong, either."

"But that alone isn't enough to accuse him..."

Even if my logic made sense, I knew it would be hard for him to throw away decades of trust. Fortunately, I had one piece of irrefutable evidence.

"And more importantly, why hasn't the backup security team lead who was supposedly headed to Myeongdong called your phone to check in yet?"

If Cheon Jin-Sang really had told the backup security team lead to go to Myeongdong, the man would have absolutely called to ask about Choi Eun-Tae's safety by now. However, there was not a word from him like someone who already knew exactly where Choi Eun-Tae was.

As Choi Eun-Tae trembled ever so slightly, I laid it out clearly. "I believe that the back-up security team lead is in on it too." I held out Cheon Jin-Sang's call log to Choi Eun-Tae. "He contacted the security team lead at 8:05 p.m. right before the masked men stormed the compound. And he made another call to the same man again at the fork in the path earlier."

Cheon Jin-Sang frantically waved his hands. "No! Mr. Chairman, no! I did call the security team lead to come, that's true! But I didn't even know I made the second call just before! I must've butt-dialed him when I put my phone in my pocket!"

Cheon Jin-Sang tried to explain, but it wasn't enough to fool Choi Eun-Tae.

"You son of a bitch."

His face twisted with rage, Choi Eun-Tae grabbed Cheon Jin-Sang by the collar.

Thud.

"Keuk... M-Mr. Chairman..."

"I took in a bastard with no family, made you a lawyer, gave you everything you needed to grow... and this is how you repay me?"

"It's... not...it's not like that..."

"Who was it? Who did you sell out to?"

"Huff..."

"If you don't want to die, start talking. Cheon Jin-Sang!"

Gasping for air, Cheon Jin-Sang finally forced out an answer. "Choi Man-Sik... it was him."

"Why... Why the hell did you side with that bastard? Did he offer more money? If it was money you wanted, I'd have given you twice as much if you'd just asked!"

"It wasn't... about money. He said he'd crush Kim Tae-Hoon and Oh Sung-Ha for me. Cough, cough."

Choi Eun-Tae shouted with a flustered expression. "D-Don't tell me... you held a grudge over being demoted in seniority?"

"Cough, cough... Yes. That's right. What did I ever lack compared to those two? What made you cast me aside like that? What makes them better than me!"

Cheon Jin-Sang had worked with Choi Eun-Tae longer than anyone. Yet after Kim Tae-Hoon and Oh Sung-Ha joined the team, he had been pushed to the third spot. A whole decade had passed since then, but he had clung to that grudge until it drove him to side with Choi Man-Sik.

Realizing the reason behind the betrayal, Choi Eun-Tae trembled with rage. "You want to know why you got pushed aside? Let me tell you. You were the best at your job, but your petty little mind was the problem!"

Overcome with fury, Choi Eun-Tae tightened his grip on Cheon Jin-Sang's collar.

"Cough, huff..."

"Because you're as shallow as a damn soy sauce dish. You were all nerves, all insecurity. I never thought you'd have the guts to betray me. But I kept you close out of loyalty, out of old times. That was my mistake. So prepare yourself. If I make it out of here, I'm taking everything back I gave you and your family."

"Y-You old man... You'll never... never get out. Man-Sik... Man-Sik will..."

Thud.

Cheon Jin-Sang lost consciousness, unable to finish his sentence as the chokehold finally took its toll.

Right then, I heard footsteps and voices rushing in from not far away.

Murmur.

That's when Kang Gam-Chan said, "Yoon-Ho, take Mr. Chairman and go. I'll hold them off here."

Everyday said a death notice would arrive for someone close. At first, I thought that meant Choi Eun-Tae. But now, it could be anyone.

I shook my head. "No, sir. You take Mr. Chairman and go ahead."

"No, I should—"

"In this tight space, I'm the better choice. I've trained in boxing. Hurry! There's no time!"

I stripped off Cheon Jin-Sang's jacket and wrapped it around my left arm. Then I laid his unconscious body sideways in the narrow corridor just about a meter wide. I moved roughly a meter away from Cheon Jin-Sang and took position.

"If I use Attorney Cheon as an obstacle, I can hold off even twenty men. Please go. I'll follow soon."

"You can't. Let's just fight together."

"Sir. The less visible Mr. Chairman is, the more panicked they'll get and the more likely they'll make mistakes. You need to go now!"

Choi Eun-Tae bit down on his lip and said, "President Kang, Chief Jung is right. Right now, we're both just burdens to him. Let's go."

Kang Gam-Chan, trembling with frustration, finally relented. "Fine. But promise me. Don't you dare get hurt."

"Yes, sir!"

Only then did Choi Eun-Tae and Kang Gam-Chan begin to move, their reluctant footsteps echoing as they disappeared.

A moment later, I heard footsteps racing toward me.

Tap, tap, tap.

With Cheon Jin-Sang's jacket wrapped around my left arm, I raised it slightly and clenched my right fist tight. Five masked attackers rounded the corner.

The one in front spotted me and shouted, "Stop right there!" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The frontmost one out of five men drew a knife as they lined up in a row.

"Chief Jung. Step aside. We're only after the chairman. Don't throw your life away."

'Yeah, right. They're wearing masks and coming to kill, but I'm supposed to believe they'll let me live?'

I raised my middle finger in response to their bullshit. "Here. Choke on this."

"You little shit. Fine. Let's finish this."

The frontman flipped the knife in his grip and barked, "I'll go first. You flank him from behind."

"Yes, sir!"

The lead attacker charged, swinging the knife. Yet as he sprinted, his gaze dropped to the ground toward Cheon Jin-Sang's body, which he had to jump over. It was an instinctive move to clear the obstacle, and exactly what I wanted.

The moment I closed the gap, I drove a punch into the chest of the masked man who was leaping over Cheon Jin-Sang.

Pow.

The man hit around the solar plexus and fell without a scream.

Flop.

His body landed on top of Cheon Jin-Sang's, raising the obstacle to about fifty centimeters. At the same time the men who were about to attack froze. As long as I, the one who could knock someone out with a single blow, held my ground, clearing a fifty-centimeter obstacle became much harder.

"What are you doing? Come at me."

They had no way to beat me as long as they didn't know how to fight around an obstacle.

***

"Ugh..."

The men who tried to clear the wall all ended up unconscious and became part of the barrier. The last one even threw his knife as if he couldn't clear the wall. I caught the knife with my jacket-wrapped left hand, vaulted over the pile, and took him down myself.

"Huff, huff, huff."

I lifted the last downed masked man and stacked him on top of the others. Making the wall higher, I pulled off their masks and took photos.

Flash.

At that moment, Cheon Jin-Sang, who lay at the very bottom, woke up. He panted and began to grin at me.

"Heh heh heh. Thanks to you, things got easier."

'What the hell is he talking about now?'

"They were targeting Mr. Chairman next and then Kang Eun-Gi, but you called Kang Eun-Gi. Heh heh heh. Now we can deal with them all at once. Thanks."

'Like that mattered.'

If they were aiming for Choi Eun-Tae's life, whatever happened next was inevitable.

I scoffed. "Don't act like you did something clever with such an obvious move, you traitor."

"T-Traitor? Choi Eun-Tae betrayed me first—"

Whack.

I knocked Cheon Jin-Sang unconscious again with a quick jab.

"What a load of garbage. Him taking you in was a debt you could never repay."

I shoved the trash of his words out of my head and followed where Choi Eun-Tae had gone. I ran fast through the narrow passage and called Doctor Kim Soo-Myung.

"Mr. Kim! Do you know any doctors near the Daheung Building by Cheonggyecheon? Please send someone fast. An ambulance, too!"

-Ah, actually I'm at a senior doctor's opening ceremony near Gwanghwamun, but I can come right away. We can use a car from here, too.

'Phew. We got lucky.'

"Then please wait in the Daheung Building lobby. I'll call you back."

I hung up and hurried on.

***

Following the passage to its end, I came to a stairway. I ran up to the top and found a door.

Click.

Yet seemingly locked from the outside, the door wouldn't open.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Mr. Chairman! Mr. Kang! It's me!"

When I shouted loudly, the door flew open.

Kang Gam-Chan greeted me with a bright face. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"No. More importantly, where's Mr. Chairman?"

"He's next to Mr. Eun-Gi."

I turned my gaze where Kang Gam-Chan pointed.

"Hey! Jump over! Go, go!!"

"Just block the knives! Don't get hurt!"

"Damn it. Tear down the barricade first!"

In the roughly 100-pyeong basement fourth level safehouse, both sides were fighting around barricades made of dining tables, chairs, and sofas. Even though some had gone toward the Myeongdong safehouse, about forty masked men remained here just in case.

Kang Eun-Gi was inside the barricade, directing the thirty men guarding him. "Just hold them off! TOP security and an extra hundred of our guys are on their way. The police will come soon too, so hang on a little longer!"

Knowing the enemies were also targeting him, Kang Eun-Gi wisely stayed behind the lines and directed rather than charging forward. On top of that, he was using just the right amount of bluff.

'As expected of him.'

As someone who has countless experiences of fights, Kang Eun-Gi knew perfectly when to push and when to pull back.

Choi Eun-Tae stayed right by his side. Luckily, the attackers seemed afraid of being surrounded by the incoming reinforcements, so they wavered and panicked.

Thinking that was a relief, I checked Everyday again.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 17, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: You will receive news of a close one's death. It's time to be extra cautious.]

'It still hasn't gone away?'

Then I saw Team Lead Song Chae-Moon of Security Team 3, the guard sent to protect Kang Eun-Gi, approaching Kang Eun-Gi.

Song Chae-Moon said, "Mr. Chairman. The reinforcements called and said they'll arrive in the lobby in five minutes—"

But as he neared, Song Chae-Moon reached into his inner pocket when he was about two meters away. Every hair on my body stood up.

I dashed toward Kang Eun-Gi and shouted, "Eun-Gi!! Watch out!"