Chapter 31
Hongju endured the thirst clinging to his throat as he moved quickly around the house. Whenever he passed by the empty room at the end of the hallway, he couldn’t help but peek inside.
Time passed like that for a while longer. One day, they closed early after hearing that a crackdown might be coming. Even then, Mu-gyeong didn’t show up.
"Tch, it’s been four days and not a single glimpse of him."
Guppping muttered while leaning his head out the window at the end of the staircase. Hongju also looked outside. The days were getting shorter, and it was already growing dark. Around this time, Mu-gyeong would usually be walking the hallway with his coat billowing, or sitting in the room at the end, smoking. Was he keeping a low profile because of the rumor about the gangsters getting involved?
"......."
Or maybe... Guppping had already made a move and was playing dumb? That wasn’t out of the question either. As crooked as he was, Guppping could be dangerously sharp when it came to shady dealings. Faces of gangsters close to Guppping flashed through Hongju’s mind.
"Yeah, hey, how’ve you been? Our house is under construction, you know. We’re just setting up temporarily for now. You been busy lately?"
Apparently, they’d sniffed out a decent operation somewhere, and Guppping and Doksu were busy scouting for good players.
Leaving the two of them to their calls, Hongju slipped off to the bathroom. There, he pulled the phone out of his front pocket where it had been sleeping quietly. His fingers hovered over the keypad for a moment before moving quickly.
[Are you safe?]
He hit send and immediately powered off the phone. Stepping back outside, Hongju moved briskly, acting like nothing had happened.
"Where should I put this?"