Don’t be scared. It’s probably empty inside anyway. You know because you’ve been there. Otherwise, why would I bother sending a rookie like you?
Whether Hwang Young-woo’s words were true or not, the building he had entered with great tension, was unexpectedly quiet. Yi-an, who had initially walked on tiptoes without making a sound, gradually relaxed, and by the time he reached the second floor, he was barely able to breathe.
The right flight of the forked staircase. And the room next to it… … As he stepped in, mulling over the words he had repeated dozens of times, a room appeared that was exactly the shape they had described. Just as he had heard, there was a pile of chips, and behind it… … .
“Wow. Found it. That was easy!”
A box wrapped in unidentified plastic lay there. It was even smaller than he had imagined. Yi-an opened the bag he was carrying in front of him with a creak and put the box inside.
Yiseo’s college tuition depended on this single small box. His heart swelled with emotion. If he finished delivering this box and ran just a few more errands, he might be able to live a life of doing honest daytime work for Yiseo.
“…….”
Even after getting his hands on the box he had been aiming for, the building remained eerily silent. Yi-an quietly rose from his seat and peered through the open door. Relieved by the absence of any human presence, he stepped inside. Tap, thud. He was hurrying down the stairs to the first floor when…
“You. What are you doing?”
Yi-an’s body froze at the sudden voice coming from above. With eyes as wide as if they were about to burst, he looked up and saw a man of such large build, who looked like he could crush Hwang Young-woo with a single hand, staring at him. He even caught a glimpse of a long knife scar on the man’s face.
“Uh, well… I… I came to bring you some chips.”
He was doomed. Sensing his failure, cold sweat trickled down Yi-an’s spine. Instinctively gripping the bag strap in his hand, Yi-an bit and released his lip. Before he knew it, the strap was becoming damp with sweat soaking into his palm.
“Chips? Was there something about bringing them today?”
“Yes……. I was told to deliver it, so I left it safely…….”
“Then…” Yi-an answered while stealthily backing away. The man, who had been silently watching Yi-an descend the stairs one step at a time as he instinctively tried to distance himself from him, snapped his head back. He continued speaking with his eyebrows raised.
“You, don’t go. I need to check what you brought.”
“I—I put it in the room. You’ll see it right away. I have someone who is waiting for me, so I think I need to go…”
“So let’s just check.”
Bang, bang. The man stomped down the iron stairs without hesitation. If he just stood there blankly, it was obvious he would be caught and exposed for taking something out. It was called a delivery, but the fact that the other party acted this way was no different from being caught stealing an item.
“I really have to leave now. Could you take a look first, and let me know later if there are any issues? Then… I’ll bring it back to you again.”
Yi-an, breathing nervously as the distance gradually narrowed, spun around as if he had made a decision and took a step. Bang! Bang! Making all the silence he had been holding until now seem pointless, he began to run away from the man, jumping down two steps at a time.
“Shit. Catch that bastard!”
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