Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Screech.

The sedan came to a stop and the door clicked open. A familiar face emerged: It was Attorney Kim Chan-Sung. He was Lee Ji-Yeon's personal lawyer and had accompanied me in rescuing Lee Si-Yoon.

Kim Chan-Sung got out of the car with a surprised expression. "Oh? Mr. Jung, you're here too?"

"What brings you here, Mr. Kim?"

"Haha, I came to take Si-Yoon to his test center."

"Ah, I was planning to do the same..."

"That's great. Then let's go up together."

I realized it would be better to give Lee Si-Yoon the clothes I brought and have him wear them before leaving.

"Just a moment please," I said as I grabbed the prepared gift.

Then I entered the apartment's main entrance with Kim Chan-Sung. While we waited for the elevator on the first floor, I noticed a black van passing by the front entrance with several burly men who looked out of place like gangsters.

At that moment, the horoscope of the day flashed through my mind. 'Could the warning to 'be careful' be about those guys? Could they have been sent by Woo Sung-Chan?'

Woo Sung-Chan had lost everything and was currently imprisoned. He was facing a hefty sentence since Lee Si-Yoon had refused to settle. I also heard that Woo Sung-Chan's parents were still desperately pressuring for a settlement under the guise of threats.

If my guess was correct, those men were likely sent by Woo Sung-Chan's parents. They were here to ruin Lee Si-Yoon's test day and force a settlement, killing two birds with one stone.

Thanks to Everyday V12, I had already had a heads-up. There was no way I would let them ruin Lee Si-Yoon's life as long as I was here.

I handed the paper bag full of gifts I was holding to Kim Chan-Sung. "Mr. Kim, please take this."

Kim Chan-Sung tilted his head in confusion. "What's going on?"

"I think Woo Sung-Chan's family is targeting Si-Yoon. I just saw some thugs passing by who looked like they might be after him."

Kim Chan-Sung's face turned cold. "Then let's call the police immediately."

I shook my head. "No, that won't solve the problem. They'll just say they were loitering if we report it. And they could later pose an even greater threat to Si-Yoon."

Kim Chan-Sung looked worried as he held the paper bag. "Then what are you planning to do?"

"Don't worry. I've got a plan."

I decided to lure them away to ensure Lee Si-Yoon could take his test without interruption.

"Si-Yoon is sensitive by nature, so don't let him know anything. Tell him the elevator is broken and take him to the rooftop to escape through the opposite stairway. Leave your car behind and take a taxi instead." ŔÂＮɵ฿ÊŚ

Kim Chan-Sung blinked in disbelief. "Are you seriously planning to handle this alone, Mr. Jung?"

"Yes."

Kim Chan-Sung's eyes widened in shock. "What? That's ridiculous…"

Ding.

That's when the elevator arrived.

I smirked. "You know I'm good at fighting, don't you?"

"But even so!"

I pushed Kim Chan-Sung into the elevator as I replied. "Please tell Si-Yoon I'm sorry I couldn't go with him and wish him luck on his test."

"I'll get Si-Yoon to the test center as fast as possible and call you! Please don't get hurt."

I flashed a grin and waved.

Ding.

The elevator doors closed.

I immediately headed out to the first-floor main entrance. The security booth nearby had a sign reading "Patrolling" but I saw no guard in sight.

At that moment, the van carrying the gangsters parked and searched for a spot.

Clunk.

The van's door opened and five burly men in thick black down jackets stepped out. Their faces were hidden by their caps and masks, making them hard to identify.

For a moment, I considered calling the police just as Kim Chan-Sung had suggested. However, if I wanted them to confess who had sent them, I needed to lure them into talking, which wasn't something the police could handle.

However, rushing into a confrontation without preparation could be dangerous. I slipped my hand into my pocket and pressed a speed dial.

-Hyung-nim? Why are you calling so early?

"Hey, Soo-Chan, I'm at the Jamsil rental apartments. Can you send a few guys over?"

-Is something going on?

"It's hard to explain now, but I'll keep you updated on my location as I move. There are five of them and they look like proper gangsters. I need to get some answers out of them."

-I'll send some guys immediately. Be careful.

"Got it."

At that moment, I locked eyes with a buzz-cut thug who seemed to be the leader about ten meters away.

The buzz-cut thug took out his phone and compared my face to a photo. "Huh? Aren't you... Jung Yoon-Ho?"

The guy next to him nodded. "It's him, hyung-nim."

'Could it be that I'm also a target, not just Si-Yoon?' I wondered

Thinking back, it made sense. I was the one who had stood in Woo Sung-Chan's way that day. They weren't just after Lee Si-Yoon but me as well.

Oddly enough, I felt a sense of relief. If they were targeting me, it might be easier to lure them away.

The buzz-cut thug called out to me. "But what are you doing here instead of being in Cheonho-dong?"

I replied with a brazen expression as if I had been waiting for this. "I figured Woo Sung-Chan might send someone, so I've been waiting. Oh, and Si-Yoon is already at the test center. If that's who you're after, give up now."

The thug frowned before turning to his men and whispering in confusion.

As I pondered how to lure all five, the leader suddenly shouted. "Get that bastard!"

The buzz-cut thug charged toward me and the other four followed. Prepared for this, I quickly leaped over the flowerbed near the security booth and ran.

Thud thud thud.

Thanks to the horoscope of the day's warning, I had tightened my clothing and shoelaces earlier. My strides felt lighter than ever.

When I glanced back after running a few steps, all five were chasing me just as expected. To ensure they didn't give up, I shouted loudly. "Catch me if you can, you fucking idiots!"

Their eyes instantly flared with rage.

"You're dead if we catch you!"

"Stop right there!"

"You little son of a bitch, we'll dice you up!"

On the morning of the CSAT, a full-fledged chase had begun.

***

I ran through a narrow alley behind the rental apartments and emerged at the back gate. From there, I sprinted straight into Olympic Park.

Under normal circumstances, people would have been out exercising, but it was early, freezing, and the day of the CSAT. As such, the park was completely deserted.

The gangsters panted heavily as they struggled to keep up behind me. As the thugs were large and slow on their feet, I could have easily shaken them off. Instead, I maintained a teasing distance and led them toward the waterfront stage at Olympic Park.

Once I reached the waterfront, I stopped to catch my breath and waited for the five to arrive. "Phew…"

The waterfront stage at Olympic Park with Lake 88 as its backdrop featured a circular platform surrounded by a semi-circular tiered seating for spectators.

I updated Lee Soo-Chan on my current location. "I'm at the waterfront stage at Olympic Park!"

-Got it, hyung-nim. We're almost there. Hold on just a bit longer.

"Okay."

Just then, the five thugs reached the topmost row of the spectator seats.

"You damn bastard… running all over the place… huff, huff, huff."

They plopped their oversized rear ends onto the seats and gasped for air. These guys were so out of shape that just a few minutes of running had them on the verge of collapse. They were even wheezing so hard that they ripped off their masks to breathe better.

All of them had rough and menacing faces.

"Huff, huff, huff…"

With my smartwatch's recording app already running, I called out to them. "Were you sent by Woo Sung-Chan's parents to grab me and Si-Yoon?"

The buzz-cut thug, seemingly the leader, panted heavily before answering. "Huff… Who gives a damn about that? You… you're dead meat. Just accept it!"

'He's not taking the bait,' I thought. In that case, I needed to stall for time.

"Come on~ It's obvious. Why bother hiding it? It was Woo Sung-Chan or his parents, wasn't it? Am I wrong?"

The thug with beady eyes next to the leader spoke between gasps. "Hyung-nim, the way he's stalling makes it seem like he's trying to buy time. If the cops show up, we'll be in deep trouble!"

'Ah, they caught on.'

Still, the buzz-cut leader dismissed the concern. "Doesn't matter. It takes at least five minutes to run here from the entrance. We've got plenty of time. Let's grab him now."

"Yes, sir."

The five began descending the tiered seating and closed in on me like hunters cornering their prey.

The leader took the center. The beady-eyed one and a scar-faced thug came from the right, while a large-headed thug and another tan-skinned thug flanked me on the left.

I observed that the tan-skinned thug looked the weakest and decided he would be my first target if it came to a fight.

Just as they were about ten meters away, they halted.

The buzz-cut leader smirked wickedly at me. "You know, we were just going to take you in for a little talk. But after making us run this much, you owe us big time!"

"For what?" I retorted.

The leader barked, "Take out the gear!"

At his command, all five drew knives about thirty centimeters long from their coats.

'Damn it.'

These weren't ordinary knives. They were sashimi knives with blades about 20 centimeters long.

The way the knives were modified made it clear they weren't just normal thugs.

The first five centimeters of the blades were exposed while the rest was wrapped thickly in black electrical tape. The tape wasn't just to protect the wielder's hands but also to control the depth of a stab, preventing accidental fatalities.

These weren't just for show—they were designed to be used.

The leader glared at me. "We weren't planning to go this far… but you brought it on yourself."

I scoffed. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. Boys, let's not hurt him too badly. Just enough to leave a mark, okay?"

"Yes, hyung-nim!"

The thugs closed in slowly and narrowed the gap.

The closer they got, the louder my heart pounded. No matter how good I was at fighting, knives were a different beast. A sharp blade could slice through muscles with ease and even a graze could leave me permanently disabled.

I just needed to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Thankfully, this open space made it easier to keep them at bay.

When I shrugged off my cashmere coat as they approached, the beady-eyed thug chuckled mockingly. "Hahaha! Hey! Are you crazy? You think wrapping that around your arm is going to block us?"

The large-headed thug snickered as well. "You must have watched too many movies. That's the kind of mistake people make when they've never actually seen how sharp these sashimi knives are in action."

I raised both middle fingers at them and shouted, "Mistake, my ass. Take this!"

With that, I waved my fingers mockingly and flung my cashmere coat at them.

Flap.

The coat fluttered through the air and obscured their view. At that moment, I stepped onto the ledge and dove backward into the lake.

Splash!

A massive spray of water erupted as my body plunged into the freezing depths of the winter lake.

***

The average depth of Lake 88 was about two meters.

Submerged in the icy water, I began swimming along the lakebed. The cold stabbed at my entire body like countless icy needles. The darkness of the water amplified my fear and my heart pounded furiously.

I clenched my teeth and pushed forward while holding my breath until I was on the verge of blacking out. Finally, I surfaced. "Huff, huff, huff."

As the cold winter air hit my soaked body, it felt as if my face were being torn apart. The bone-chilling cold made me feel faint, but I forced my eyes wide open to assess the situation.

The thugs stared at me in shock from the stage above. They were about 20 meters away. While they weren't far, they weren't close enough to act immediately. Though I was in a freezing lake, none of them had the guts to jump in after me.

Gripping the railing, the buzzcut leader and his crew shouted furiously with their sashimi knives still in hand. "Y-you crazy bastard!"

"That…that lunatic!"

At that moment, the leader bellowed. "Don't just stand there gawking! Get down there and grab him!"

The beady-eyed thug stammered. "D-do it myself?"

"Yes, you idiot!"

Watching their hesitation, I floated in the water and taunted them. "C-come… get me… come on."

When I raised my middle fingers again and continued provoking them, the fuming buzz-cut leader waved his knife and screamed, "Gahhh! Get in there and grab him! If you don't catch him, I'll kill you myself!"

At his threats, the four thugs hesitated briefly before biting down on their knives, preparing to jump in. However, they didn't bother removing their thick down jackets as it was too cold.

I scoffed. 'Dumbass.'

Swimming in thick jackets while holding knives in their mouths was absurd. Not even trained soldiers could do that.

'But that's good news for me,' I remarked inwardly.z

I provoked the thugs once again as they hesitated. "S-scared? You…coward bastards…C-come at me…"

My teeth chattered without realizing it due to the cold.

At that moment, the leader shouted again and the four thugs jumped into the water simultaneously.

Splash!

As the water erupted again, the four thugs surfaced one after another. But they had all lost the knives they had been holding in their mouths.

"Blurgh… cough!"

"Gah! Ack!"

Their waterlogged jackets absorbed the lake's freezing water, leaving them floundering and unable to swim. They were too panicked even to try chasing me. Instead, they struggled toward the shore.

"Hyung-nim! Help us!"

"Ahhh! I'm drowning!"

"S-save me!"

The sight of his men flailing helplessly left the buzz-cut leader wailing in frustration. "Arghhh! Jung Yoon-Ho, you son of a—!"

'Perfect.'

Once Lee Soo-Chan's men arrived, I could drag the rest out of the water and interrogate them even if the leader ran off.

At that moment, around twenty of Lee Soo-Chan's men came sprinting toward the lake.

"Hyung-nim!"

"Where are you, hyung-nim?"

The tides had turned.

Seeing this, I vowed silently to myself. 'Buzz cut, I'm going to dunk you in this water for sure.'

My teeth chattered from the cold and fury, but a smirk crept across my frozen lips as I imagined exacting my revenge.

Ristretto's Thoughts

LOL this chapter is gold

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