Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beepbeepbeepbeep.
Once the fishing vessel came within sight, the beeping of the device intensified. The people on board the ship would also be aware of the pursuit.
A man appeared from the wheelhouse and began firing at them. Jongwoo clenched his jaw and swerved the boat wheel. The whole boat took a sharp turn, creating a big splash of water. Most of the bullets missed, but one managed to lodge itself into a corner of the boat. On the bright side, it didn’t hit the engine or the gas tank—no fireworks show tonight.
It was still pitch-black around the fishing vessel, making it impossible to apprehend the target without killing them. Even slightly closing the distance triggered a hail of bullets. The mission was absurd. How were they supposed to capture armed targets alive?
The motorboat kept swerving to dodge attacks, only to stop when met with another barrage of bullets. Yun Jongwoo slammed the wheel, frustrated. He couldn’t bear the fact that their targets were right in front of them, yet still untouchable.
“Move.”
Taekjoo pulled Jongwoo out of the seat. Then, he took charge of the wheel. The motorboat accelerated straight toward the fishing vessel. Jongwoo stumbled back from the impact.
“AAAHHHHH! Sunbae, we’re gonna crash! We’re gonna crash!”
Jongwoo barely managed to steady himself before screaming for his life. But Taekjoo only sped up further.
The gunfire from the fishing vessel intensified too. Taekjoo swerved the wheel to take a sharp turn and gave the fishing vessel a big splash. That forced them to hesitate. He then sped up far ahead of the enemy’s boat, turning the wheel unexpectedly, creating a big, sharp turn. The engine could no longer hold back and roared in protest. The turn was so steep and so quick that the motorboat nearly capsized. Jongwoo had long since turned as pale as a ghost. As the motorboat whipped around and retraced its path, he stumbled back again.
Taekjoo went back the way they had come as fast as he could. When the boat reappeared from the darkness, the men on the fishing vessel seemed to have been caught off guard. The shower of bullets showed just how anxious and scared they were.
The gunfire was so relentless that Jongwoo couldn’t even consider covering Taekjoo. Instead, he simply curled up, shielding his head with his arms.
“We’re really gonna end up dead at this rate! DEAD! AAAHHH!!!! You’re gonna get me killed! You crazy bastard!”
Jongwoo, scared out of his wits, started cussing out Taekjoo, his senior officer. Taekjoo didn’t care. He simply kept going. At this rate, they were about to crash head-on into the fishing vessel. Yun Jongwoo squeezed his eyes shut. He suddenly missed his parents back in the countryside. His eyes slowly welled up with tears. He hadn’t even had the chance to send his mom some money, thanking her for the kimchi she sent him. Jongwoo recalled the last text message his mom had sent him—my damn rotten child—right before today’s mission. Oh, Mom, thought Jongwoo to himself.
The men on the fishing vessel must have also sensed their final moments approaching. Watching the motorboat heading straight at them, the two men froze in panic. They desperately searched for a way out before diving into the waters at the same time. Only five yards remained before the collision. The crash was inevitable. Helplessness and desperation stretched each second into an eternity.
And then, he made his move. Taekjoo swerved the wheel with all his strength. The boat bucked wildly, struggling against the sudden deceleration. It drew a big arc, crashing against the surface of the ocean. Even so, it would still be impossible to avoid a collision—at least, theoretically speaking.
At this point, Taekjoo should give up and start looking for ways to survive. But the man stubbornly held on to the helm. Soon, with a loud noise, the right side of the fishing vessel collided with the tail of the motorboat. The impact caused both boats to rock violently, and the point of contact sparked dramatically. For a brief moment, the entire motorboat seemed to hover in midair.
“...Huh?”
After the chaos, Jongwoo carefully opened his eyes. It was calm and quiet. To his surprise, Jongwoo was not in the cold, icy seawater but was still on the boat. And Taekjoo stood just as fine as him. Smoke billowed from behind the motorboat. And the wooden fishing vessel now had a big hole in its right, but that was it. The fear that turned the entire body rigid disappeared in an instant. At the same time, Jongwoo was so relieved that his legs turned weak.
Finally, the engine died, and the waves, writhing like a serpent, carried the boat toward the vessel. The two boats drifted closer until they began knocking against each other with dull thuds. Kwon Taekjoo stood up and jumped over to the fishing boat. Only then did Yun Jongwoo regain his senses. He reached down to feel the floor and picked up his Colt. It wasn’t over yet.
Now aboard the wooden vessel, Kwon Taekjoo shone his flashlight to check the surroundings. He could see two shadows swimming in the deep waters, offering no refuge. Taekjoo observed their frantic movement for a while before grabbing the industrial fishing net in the corner. He held it up, careful not to tangle it, then he cast it on the two. The net spread wide up in the air. The two men, desperate to escape, became ensnared in it. The more they struggled to free themselves, the further they were trapped.
Taekjoo watched the desperate scene, then began turning the winch to pull up the fishing net. The manual winch, befitting the old wooden vessel, groaned with a rusty, creaking sound. The task turned out to be more toiling than he had expected.
“...”
Taekjoo quickly looked back and found Yun Jongwoo watching him. Apparently, Jongwoo had been covering Taekjoo. Looking awkward, he slowly walked over, likely feeling awkward, and began turning the winch with more gusto than Taekjoo. Soon, along with the fishing net, Lee Cheoljin and his accomplice came aboard.
“What should we do now?”
Yun Jongwoo asked, panting and wiping his sweat. There came no reply from Taekjoo. Wondering why that was, Jongwoo looked over and saw that Taekjoo had already hopped back onto the motorboat. He seemed busy looking for something.
“What are you doing?”
“Did you prepare what I asked for?”
“Oh, it’s under the wheel seat.”
Taekjoo flipped over the seat immediately. Just as Jongwoo had said, there it was. A suitcase. Taekjoo opened it and confirmed what was inside. Then, he suddenly gave Jongwoo an order.
“Call HQ and report that we’ve secured Lee Cheoljin, his accomplice, and the USB. The contact, Kim Younghee, is cuffed to the ferry’s railing. The Coast Guard should’ve found her by now. Also, tell HQ to have the Coast Guard transfer her to us.”
“Huh? Wait, you want me to do all of that—”
“Why, yes.”
“What about you?”
“Unfortunately, this crazy bastard is busy. Family matters. Thanks, bud.”
Jongwoo recalled the things he had said earlier during the near-death experience. Huh?—Jongwoo exclaimed repeatedly, trying to deny what had just happened. As if to confirm the ominous feeling he got in his gut, the motorboat engine started roaring. Jongwoo was still on the wooden fishing vessel with the two men caught in the net. Taekjoo didn’t look back as he throttled up.
The boat boasted its robust engine, gliding fast on the water surface. Jongwoo wasn’t even able to think of transferring boats. Everything had happened so fast. He had been staring ahead hopelessly when his shoes started getting wet. The fishing vessel was taking on water. It wasn’t sinking just yet, but it was riddled with holes nonetheless. How could he abandon his own handler and junior officer without a shred of hesitation, leaving him on a sinking boat?
Jongwoo screamed out of desperation, but Taekjoo simply told himself that the noise must have been the wind or waves. The wind was particularly wailing today—NOOOOOOOO—it screamed. People say that the more you love the child, the tougher your love should be. But Taekjoo was sure that it was the wind and that he must have heard it wrong.