With the quiet evening breeze gently tousling his dark hair, Tae Gu stands near the glass railings of the outdoor garden situated a few floors below his apartment. He itches for a cigarette; but after noticing how Chae Yoon turned away from the smell of nicotine, he decides against it. He shakes his head, wondering when he had started basing his decisions on her preference. But then again, the memory of her face was the only thing that kept him going inside that dreary jail cell.
Finally, he breaks his silence and allows his companion to know the thoughts running through his mind. "I need someone to disappear," he says, playing with the lining inside the pockets of his jacket to ease his agitation. He had lost sleep thinking about it all night, but saying it out loud makes his chest tighten painfully.
"Someone in particular?" Kwak Seung-gun inquires curiously only to receive another minute of his ominous silence. He lights up a cigarette, oblivious that the action only added to Tae Gu's distress. "It has been a while since you called me for a job, but I don't remember needing to be a mind reader as one of your requirements."
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"Just let me think for a moment, will you?" Tae Gu snaps in irritation, making the other man raise his hands in mock surrender before exhaling the smoke from his lungs. "This is not just some job. I need her safety guaranteed. She is linked to my escape. So, I need her to disappear, quietly, somewhere she can live with a new identity."
"A woman. Why did I even think otherwise?" Seung-gun chuckles with a subtle shake of his head. "You always have had a soft spot for the women in your life. Is she the reason why we are meeting down here instead of your office? Is she in your apartment right now?"
"That is none of your business," Tae Gu replies coldly. "Can you help me out or not?"
The older man releases a deep sigh. "Let me tell you something. You are the most wanted man in South Korea at the moment," he informs him in a grave tone. "Anyone linked to you in any capacity, let alone an accomplice to your escape, will never be able to disappear quietly in this lifetime."
Tae Gu sighs, finding no sense in continuing the conversation, and turns to go back inside only to be stopped short by Seung-gun's next words. "What you need to do is clear her name."
At that, the wheels inside his head finally start turning toward the right direction. "And you can help me with that," he slowly says, waiting for his confirmation.
"Have I ever disappointed you before?" Seung-gun shoots back rhetorically, killing the cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "Once I have the details ironed out, I will let you know. And to clarify, we are only talking about her, right? Clearing her name might still be possible, but yours..."
Tae Gu doesn't provide him with a proper answer. "Just get it done. You know how to reach me."
Seung-gun regards him with a troubled expression before saying farewell. Once he was out of earshot, Tae Gu tilts his head back and releases a deep exhale, hoping it can somehow alleviate the weight inside his chest only to be disappointed. Opening his eyes, he catches a glimpse of a shadow on his home office window, reminding him that someone was waiting for him upstairs.
