Chapter 26
Sinsa-dong, Seoul.
Hyuk-Soo had gotten off at exit number eight of Sinsa Station. He checked the map on his smartphone one more time. Walking down Garosu Street, he spotted a four-story building that was quite lavishly decorated.
After confirming the upscale sign that read Shilla, Hyuk-Soo swallowed nervously and said, “This is the place, Do-Jun.”
“It’s more extravagant than I thought. Is Chief really not coming?” Do-Jun asked as he looked up at the sign.
The Shilla in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, was a nightclub frequented by celebrities, Hunters, and the wealthy—basically, people who had “done well for themselves.” Cheol-Soo had said that an old guy like him would only ruin the mood in such a place and had sent only Do-Jun and Hyuk-Soo to the meeting.
“I’m sure he wanted to come. When would civil servants like us ever get to visit a place like this? And it’s not like we’re accepting bribes; it’s just a friend treating us with pure intentions,” Hyuk-Soo explained.
“Pure intentions, huh...” Do-Jun murmured with an ambiguous expression.
The moment Hyuk-Soo stepped on the red carpet at the building entrance, the automatic doors opened to reveal a well-decorated interior with marble walls and floors, potted plants, and paintings scattered throughout.
“There’s no one here,” Do-Jun said.
“Oh, it looks like we have to go downstairs.”
After walking a bit further, they saw a staircase leading down to a long corridor illuminated with warm, pink lights, with dozens of rooms on either side.