The Snake’s Proposal (1)
It was a leisurely afternoon
On one side of the empty lot sat the elderly, filling in their remaining years with joy whilst playing Baduk.
On the other side, you could see young kids holding hands as they excitedly slid down the playground slide.
And then there were the men dressed in black suits emanating a dark aura.
Haaah. They stand out so much that there’s no way to make this scene seem natural.
Apart from a few who were manning their cars, the rest were all keeping an eye on me.
It looked as if they were prepared to escape at any time should anything happen.
Ma Eun-Tae’s subordinate brought over two cans of cola, still cold from a vending machine.
“Are you okay with Cola?”
“Aren’t you supposed to ask something like that before you buy it?”
Hiss.
I popped open the can and took a refreshing gulp.
Even in my wildest dreams, I’d never thought that I would end up sharing a bench with an executive of the Guma Gang.
“Haha. You must be quite the casual person, Detective. You’re not treating me as an elder at all.”
Ma Eun-Tae should be in his mid-to-late thirties.
On the other hand, Go Ji-Hun was only in his mid-twenties.
Thanks to his flawless skin, he looked even younger than his actual age.
I puffed up my shoulders.
“From where I’m standing, you’re only a bit older than me.”
“Ah. Is that so.”
While there weren’t any changes in his expression, by now he must be thinking that I’m really full of myself.
While checking my watch, I pressed him.
“Why don’t we keep things simple? Because of the guys from your family, I really have a lot to do.”
“From my family? I’m afraid that I don’t know those kids at all.”
So he’s washing his hands clean of them.
Then again, the Guma Gang was the type to be made up of many different branches instead of a single brotherhood.
There really could be guys that he didn’t know mixed up with the kids we’ve gotten in custody.
“It seems that you have a close relationship with that guy, Dal-Gon.”
Mhmm. A close relationship was right.
However, it would be awkward to say that we knew each other under the current circumstances.
Since it’s a one-sided knowledge of him on my part.
I replied with a crude contraction.
“Think whatchu want.”
“I usually deliver a small selection of certain items to the Gogo Nightclub.”
“Certain items?”
“Well. You can just think of them as products to be used for after-drinks amusement.”
Ma Eun-Tae grinned coolly.
It was exactly like the smile of a snake.
The last smile seen by many a prey who had gotten caught in a pit of vice.
He kept on speaking.
“However due to the sudden turn of events, I wasn’t even able to collect any payment before my products vanished into thin air.”
“So what?”
“The person responsible for this was Dal-Gon. I am sure of it.”
So Dal-Gon had played the role of a figurehead.
It wasn’t for nothing that Song Dae-Ak had managed to push everything onto Dal-Gon.
By placing him in such a position, it made the lie believable.
“Regretfully, after he was placed in prison, the means to contact him disappeared. It was at that junction that I learned of Mr. Detective, and that’s why I’ve come to see you today.”
So it’s for his products.
If it was alcohol or bar snacks that had disappeared, there was no way he would risk doing something as dangerous as this.
Since that’s the case, there was a high probability that he was talking about drugs.
It looked like some of the drugs he supplied had been lost in transit.
I felt a shudder of excitement run up my spine.
If this works out well, this might just end up being a really big catch?
I quickly tried to calm my pounding heart.
If before I was shaking with nerves, then now I was shaking in anticipation.
“Mr. Detective?”
“I’m listening”
Ma Eun-Tae had turned to face me after I failed to reply to him.
“So are you saying that you want me to go ask Dal-Gon where these ‘products’ are?”
“That is the case.”
“Why should I?”
I carelessly crumpled up my empty can.
Acting as if I had no interest or concern in this matter.
Ma Eun-Tae must have predicted my attitude since he waved over one of his subordinates who was standing at a distance.