The boss had eyes that looked like he was going to crush Cocaine.
“You don’t know the basics of trade. If you want to sell what you’ve got for a fair price, you need to check the goods, not just sell with your tongue. Or put up collateral worth its value.”
The boss came up to Cocaine’s nose and said.
“Remove the chip? How can I believe that what you say is true or not? You’d better not get on my nerves. I know there are other healers out there somewhere. It must be one of the people you’ve gone through. Isn’t that obvious?”
“You have already tested the singers and confirmed that there are none, haven’t you? So could it be one of the guests I met? Or are you planning on catching and checking all the people I’ve passed by?”
The boss widened his eyes and shut his mouth. Cocaine’s heart was racing. Even though this was something he’d been planning for a long time, even though this was the moment he’d been waiting for, dealing with the boss alone was a daunting task. Clenching his fists and pressing his fingernails into his palm, the tremors subsided.
“Are you afraid to face me without the remote?”
The corner of Cocaine’s mouth twisted.
“I was the one who found out that Yaba was alive. If it wasn’t for me, you would have been hugging the corpse forever and living like a disabled person, boss. Even the most well-handled dogs sometimes bite their masters if not properly rewarded.”
The boss stroked his rough chin.
“What are you complaining about? At this age, you gained wealth and fame you never dreamed of, and everyone worshipped you like a god. It’s disappointing that you asked for freedom when I treated you on a different level than other singers. This is heaven. The outside world is hell, on the contrary.”
“I thought this place was heaven too.”
But it wasn’t. He realised that the voice of praise he’d directed at him could turn into a voice of condemnation at any moment. Fire ants would even bite the flowers when they run out of nectar. The boss had wrapped it up as a shameless flattery, but the only way to get out of this quagmire was to get old and sick, be disposed of or die. If he had to sell his soul to the devil, he would gladly do so. Even if he had to snitch on a friend in return, even if it’s worse…
“I would rather have my head blown off than live as a slave for an indefinite amount of time. A piece of glass the size of a finger would suffice to slit my throat. I could even hang myself with a ribbon from the mask. Or, I’ll even bite my tongue. What do I have as collateral, you ask? It’s because you have to protect the only healer that you have. I risked my pride and my conscience as a human being on this matter.”
Cocaine’s lips quivered.
“The chip comes first. If the boss doesn’t accept the hand I offer, I have no choice but to overturn the game.”
The boss had the eyes of a beast that bit its shin in the teeth of an iron trap. Cocaine got up and bowed to him.
“You may not be in a hurry right now, I’m sure you need some time to think about it, and when you’ve made up your mind, call me.”
At that, Imsoo restrained Cocaine grabbing the doorknob and waited for the boss to make a decision with a stern expression. Kang Giha gestured at him to let him go. He’s still chipped, so he would not be able to squirm out of the creek. When Cocaine went out, Imsoo, who was usually not taken aback, furrowed his brow. He looked at the papers.
“… The corpse is not Yaba, and who is the new healer?”
Just as he didn’t believe the corpse was Yaba at first, he couldn’t believe it wasn’t Yaba anymore. At the time, the road accident vehicle, the corpse with the same physical condition as Yaba… there was no reason to doubt and they were in a state of loss of judgement. Yes, it was an accident that could have been made up if one wanted to. They just needed time to get rid of Yaba’s chip.
Kang Giha laughed out loud that he had been hugging the wrong corpse all this time. Instead of despair, anger boiled over. Faking an accident and swapping bodies? How dare you dream of escaping?! I’m not letting both of you get away like this!!!
“Fucking son of a… !!”
It was said that one root remains, but he had become no different from the eunuchs. Executive Director Cha, that crazy bastard. I’ll rip your stomach out and eat your entrails, and I’ll give you back the same as I received! Kang Giha chewed on curses and knocked over the drip tray and threw away cups and pillows.
“Crazy bastard!! I’ll kill you!! I will definitely kill you!!”
The realisation that it wasn’t Yaba made him want to rip off the hands that had been touching the rotting flesh, the stench of the corpse lingering in the air turned his stomach.
“Take the body and throw it away.”
“Understood.”
Imsoo silently cleaned the messy floor.
“Did you not find any documents from my clothes?”
“Yes. There was nothing.”
“Have you looked all over the inside pockets and pants?”
“Nothing but the boss’ cell phone, wallet, cigarettes and lighter…”
“Fuck… !”
Apparently, the bastard put the Paradiso contract into his inner pocket. So, did you mean that he retrieved it again when Kang Giha completely lost consciousness? So what about shares? He hadn’t even registered them yet, so they weren’t exactly in his possession. It could be stolen by that crazy bastard if he so desired. Like the Paradiso contract.
The lunatic claimed with his own mouth that he was the real owner of Paradiso, but Kang Giha wouldn’t believe him until he saw it with his own eyes. Even if he tried to verify its authenticity, there was no way to find out now since that crazy bastard took the documents. Moreover, if he knew Kang Giha found out Yaba’s body was fake it would make him even more vigilant. Even now, he might have fifty thousand contingency plans in his head. This time, he was not getting caught. Thinking that, Kang Giha’s facial muscles trembled, and he drew in a ragged breath.
“No, at least it would be better to seem completely fooled. Prepare for the funeral.”
***
“Dear friend… I thought about you every night after you died. I cried a lot because I could only think of the times I wasn’t good to you. I hope you make a lot of friends there, and don’t feel lonely…”
Morphine sobbed as he read the eulogy. The ossuary with its back to the mountain was a sight to behold for a tomb of the dead. On weekday mornings, the only mourners who visited the charnel house were Kang Giha’s subordinates and the singers.
Imsoo watched the funeral wearing black sunglasses and a black suit. The boss entrusted all of Yaba’s funeral to Chief Imsoo and disappeared for several days. The only ones who knew of his current whereabouts were Imsoo and several of his subordinates. Cocaine wondered why the boss hadn’t appeared here since he wasn’t incapacitated. They all felt as if they were conscious of someone invisible.
Imsoo was watching Cocaine through his sunglasses. In the solemn atmosphere, the cries of the singers could be heard intermittently. The henchmen also had complicated expressions. Cocaine performed quite well, as he was comforted by Hashish. Of course, it was fake, but the emotions were quite plausible. The only ones who know that Yaba lived are Cocaine himself, Kang Giha, and Imsoo. And the corpse lying there.
The tedious funeral ended with the cremated remains placed on the first floor of the ossuary.
The boss had eyes that looked like he was going to crush Cocaine.
“You don’t know the basics of trade. If you want to sell what you’ve got for a fair price, you need to check the goods, not just sell with your tongue. Or put up collateral worth its value.”
The boss came up to Cocaine’s nose and said.
“Remove the chip? How can I believe that what you say is true or not? You’d better not get on my nerves. I know there are other healers out there somewhere. It must be one of the people you’ve gone through. Isn’t that obvious?”
“You have already tested the singers and confirmed that there are none, haven’t you? So could it be one of the guests I met? Or are you planning on catching and checking all the people I’ve passed by?”
The boss widened his eyes and shut his mouth. Cocaine’s heart was racing. Even though this was something he’d been planning for a long time, even though this was the moment he’d been waiting for, dealing with the boss alone was a daunting task. Clenching his fists and pressing his fingernails into his palm, the tremors subsided.
“Are you afraid to face me without the remote?”
The corner of Cocaine’s mouth twisted.
“I was the one who found out that Yaba was alive. If it wasn’t for me, you would have been hugging the corpse forever and living like a disabled person, boss. Even the most well-handled dogs sometimes bite their masters if not properly rewarded.”
The boss stroked his rough chin.
“What are you complaining about? At this age, you gained wealth and fame you never dreamed of, and everyone worshipped you like a god. It’s disappointing that you asked for freedom when I treated you on a different level than other singers. This is heaven. The outside world is hell, on the contrary.”
“I thought this place was heaven too.”
But it wasn’t. He realised that the voice of praise he’d directed at him could turn into a voice of condemnation at any moment. Fire ants would even bite the flowers when they run out of nectar. The boss had wrapped it up as a shameless flattery, but the only way to get out of this quagmire was to get old and sick, be disposed of or die. If he had to sell his soul to the devil, he would gladly do so. Even if he had to snitch on a friend in return, even if it’s worse…
“I would rather have my head blown off than live as a slave for an indefinite amount of time. A piece of glass the size of a finger would suffice to slit my throat. I could even hang myself with a ribbon from the mask. Or, I’ll even bite my tongue. What do I have as collateral, you ask? It’s because you have to protect the only healer that you have. I risked my pride and my conscience as a human being on this matter.”
Cocaine’s lips quivered.
“The chip comes first. If the boss doesn’t accept the hand I offer, I have no choice but to overturn the game.”
The boss had the eyes of a beast that bit its shin in the teeth of an iron trap. Cocaine got up and bowed to him.
“You may not be in a hurry right now, I’m sure you need some time to think about it, and when you’ve made up your mind, call me.”
At that, Imsoo restrained Cocaine grabbing the doorknob and waited for the boss to make a decision with a stern expression. Kang Giha gestured at him to let him go. He’s still chipped, so he would not be able to squirm out of the creek. When Cocaine went out, Imsoo, who was usually not taken aback, furrowed his brow. He looked at the papers.
“… The corpse is not Yaba, and who is the new healer?”
Just as he didn’t believe the corpse was Yaba at first, he couldn’t believe it wasn’t Yaba anymore. At the time, the road accident vehicle, the corpse with the same physical condition as Yaba… there was no reason to doubt and they were in a state of loss of judgement. Yes, it was an accident that could have been made up if one wanted to. They just needed time to get rid of Yaba’s chip.
Kang Giha laughed out loud that he had been hugging the wrong corpse all this time. Instead of despair, anger boiled over. Faking an accident and swapping bodies? How dare you dream of escaping?! I’m not letting both of you get away like this!!!
“Fucking son of a… !!”
It was said that one root remains, but he had become no different from the eunuchs. Executive Director Cha, that crazy bastard. I’ll rip your stomach out and eat your entrails, and I’ll give you back the same as I received! Kang Giha chewed on curses and knocked over the drip tray and threw away cups and pillows.
“Crazy bastard!! I’ll kill you!! I will definitely kill you!!”
The realisation that it wasn’t Yaba made him want to rip off the hands that had been touching the rotting flesh, the stench of the corpse lingering in the air turned his stomach.
“Take the body and throw it away.”
“Understood.”
Imsoo silently cleaned the messy floor.
“Did you not find any documents from my clothes?”
“Yes. There was nothing.”
“Have you looked all over the inside pockets and pants?”
“Nothing but the boss’ cell phone, wallet, cigarettes and lighter…”
“Fuck… !”
Apparently, the bastard put the Paradiso contract into his inner pocket. So, did you mean that he retrieved it again when Kang Giha completely lost consciousness? So what about shares? He hadn’t even registered them yet, so they weren’t exactly in his possession. It could be stolen by that crazy bastard if he so desired. Like the Paradiso contract.
The lunatic claimed with his own mouth that he was the real owner of Paradiso, but Kang Giha wouldn’t believe him until he saw it with his own eyes. Even if he tried to verify its authenticity, there was no way to find out now since that crazy bastard took the documents. Moreover, if he knew Kang Giha found out Yaba’s body was fake it would make him even more vigilant. Even now, he might have fifty thousand contingency plans in his head. This time, he was not getting caught. Thinking that, Kang Giha’s facial muscles trembled, and he drew in a ragged breath.
“No, at least it would be better to seem completely fooled. Prepare for the funeral.”
***
“Dear friend… I thought about you every night after you died. I cried a lot because I could only think of the times I wasn’t good to you. I hope you make a lot of friends there, and don’t feel lonely…”
Morphine sobbed as he read the eulogy. The ossuary with its back to the mountain was a sight to behold for a tomb of the dead. On weekday mornings, the only mourners who visited the charnel house were Kang Giha’s subordinates and the singers.
Imsoo watched the funeral wearing black sunglasses and a black suit. The boss entrusted all of Yaba’s funeral to Chief Imsoo and disappeared for several days. The only ones who knew of his current whereabouts were Imsoo and several of his subordinates. Cocaine wondered why the boss hadn’t appeared here since he wasn’t incapacitated. They all felt as if they were conscious of someone invisible.
Imsoo was watching Cocaine through his sunglasses. In the solemn atmosphere, the cries of the singers could be heard intermittently. The henchmen also had complicated expressions. Cocaine performed quite well, as he was comforted by Hashish. Of course, it was fake, but the emotions were quite plausible. The only ones who know that Yaba lived are Cocaine himself, Kang Giha, and Imsoo. And the corpse lying there.
The tedious funeral ended with the cremated remains placed on the first floor of the ossuary.
