<The Thieves (7)>
***
When the truck’s engine compartment was hit, the chicken cages stacked like a castle in the cargo area shook violently.
Just a punch was enough to dent the steel plate, and coolant started dripping from under the vehicle.
Squeak- Squeak-.
A pitiful metallic sound came from the cargo area.
It was the sound of dozens of dogs howling in unison, realizing something was wrong.
“I’ll get you out. Just wait a bit.”
There was something to do first. Jin-hyeok muttered to the dogs and moved toward the driver’s seat, staring at the door. He wasn’t planning to open it and pull the driver out.
Wham!
Crash-! Crunch-.
The driver’s side door crumpled beautifully under the weight and emotion-packed punch.
This time, he trudged toward the passenger side.
Bang-!
The passenger door got the same free makeover.
Click-clack-.
He tried to open it with a bit of force, but the mangled door seemed impossible to open, even for a strongman. Except for Jin-hyeok himself, of course.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
After spitting those words while glaring at the driver’s seat, Jin-hyeok immediately moved to the cargo area.
With a light, wind-like movement, he jumped into the cargo area and started opening the chicken cages haphazardly.
“I’ll get you out. Don’t bite.”
Terrified, the dogs tucked their tails between their legs and shivered, but they licked Jin-hyeok’s hand. Though they couldn’t speak, it was clear they were showing gratitude.
Dogs with no names, no homes. He patted each one, congratulating them on their newfound freedom.
‘Looking at them, I feel for them like I do for our Jang Gun-i.’
He didn’t count, but there were easily over 30 dogs.
“Go. Go home. Go home!”
They were clearly used to human hands. Even as they looked back repeatedly, they seemed to understand his words as they stumbled through the darkness.
Vroom! Bark bark!
Their regained freedom seemed to give their voices strength.
On the other hand, some dogs stayed by Jin-hyeok’s side, licking his shoes even when pushed away.
They seemed to like humans, so they probably weren’t strays. Why were they acting like this?
‘Ah, maybe…’
Jin-hyeok moved back to the driver’s seat.
The driver sat there with a dazed expression, showing no intention of escaping.
‘Why’s he acting like he’s seen a ghost?’
Tap tap-.
When Jin-hyeok knocked on the driver’s door with his fist, the driver snapped out of it and their eyes met.
Jin-hyeok tilted his head, recognizing the face, and tightened his neck.
“Where did you get these dogs?”
“…Most of them are from this neighborhood…”
“Most? What about the others?”
“From Jae-dong Village…”
“You scumbags, worse than dogs!”
Crash-!
One hit was enough.
The 5-ton truck shook like a toy car.
Jin-hyeok’s furious punch deformed the cargo side door, and empty chicken cages tumbled out.
“How many areas did you steal from?!”
He almost asked how many dogs they had killed but quickly changed his question.
Just saying it would make him want to kill this guy.
“If you get out of this car, you’ll see hell.”
He gritted his teeth.
Stay put if you don’t want to get hurt. A clear warning to the man in the driver’s seat.
There’s no way this guy can escape anyway.
Jin-hyeok looked back at his helper.
“Keep an eye on him.”
“Hmm. Did you know?”
Moon Seok-il emerged from behind a thick ginkgo tree.
“I heard the engine even though you didn’t turn on the lights.”
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
Moon Seok-il gestured, his hands in his pockets.
But he tilted his head for a moment.
When riding a bike at full speed, the wind noise usually interferes with hearing, making it hard to pick up the quiet hum of a gasoline engine. But then again, you can’t judge that guy by human standards. Not surprising.
Jin-hyeok got on his bike and pedaled away without looking back.
Squeal-! Pop-!
Not long after starting, the bike’s generator light exploded, unable to handle the front wheel’s rotation speed.
He kept riding. His eyes had adjusted to the dark, so his vision was fine.
He had a lot to do before the night was over.
Catching up to the patrol car he passed earlier would make handing over the scene easier.
‘Jang Gun-i wouldn’t drool on the cops, right?’
He also had to feed Jang Gun-i.
***
Moon Seok-il peeked at the man in the driver’s seat.
He was crouched in a position that could either be praying or sleeping, holding the steering wheel.
Knock knock-. He tapped on the window.
“Want to come out?”
The man, still in the same position, silently shook his head.
He seemed to be in shock.
“Hmm-.”
The crisp autumn air was mixed with an unpleasant smell. Probably the stench of various animals that had been in the truck. Moon Seok-il admired the vehicle Jin-hyeok had remodeled and left.
‘How did he do that?’
A fist mark on the front and each door.
Not just a dent, but the steel was crushed as if a meteor had hit it. The panels were deformed like craters.
‘Should I try it?’
Moon Seok-il chuckled and shook his head.
No matter how he thought about it, he wasn’t the same Moon Seok-il as before. With his mind at ease, he even had the leisure to imagine strange things and look around.
He had rushed after hearing from Choi Mi-kyung that Son Jin-hyeok suddenly ran home.
He followed quietly on his bike. Chasing Son Jin-hyeok on foot or by bike was practically impossible.
Only after chasing him to the empty lot behind the health center and witnessing what Jin-hyeok had done did he understand what was going on.
‘It’s fascinating every time I see it.’
He clicked his tongue while examining the crumpled driver’s door.
Even if the steel was weaker compared to foreign trucks, could a human fist really crumple it like that? He knew Jin-hyeok was beyond human, but he often forgot.
‘Since he doesn’t show it off, everyone just thinks he’s a fit athlete.’
Moon Seok-il wasn’t the only one.
Kim In-rang also had a similar experience, he said, rubbing his chest.
He once got a knuckle sandwich while talking to Jin-hyeok without realizing it.
‘What a strange talent. He has the ability to make people comfortable and erase his own presence.’
It’s the most important lesson he learned during his training as an operative.
Blending in naturally without standing out, the most basic and essential skill. Jin-hyeok had the talent to hide his extraordinariness without even trying. Of course, he was extraordinary just to look at, but this was beyond that.
‘Anyway, he’s an interesting guy.’
Moon Seok-il often wondered what he could do if he had such superhuman strength.
He could become a pro boxer, make a fortune as a world champion, or even steal an entire bank vault. He could be treated like a king in illegal fighting rings where rich kids gather. He might even twist the necks of anyone he didn’t like, including the guy who beat him up and stole his money in the back alleys as a kid.
‘It’s normal for humans to be born evil.’
Moon Seok-il believed in the theory of original sin.
But Jin-hyeok was different.
He used his monstrous strength, which couldn’t be explained by mere physical power, only to protect his daily life. He fixed bikes, researched compost, collected dog poop, carried loads up the mountain to gather fallen leaves. He went out with his siblings and pulled weeds in the garden on weekends.
Things anyone could do, even without strength.
It almost seemed like he exercised to prevent his unused strength from being wasted on strange things. Though it seemed like he still had strength to spare.
Sigh-.
Anyway, he’s an incomprehensible guy.
While sparing the life of someone who tried to harm him, he crushed a car like a can to create a temporary prison to save dogs he didn’t even know.
“Ah, but he didn’t say how long to keep watch?”
Maybe he’ll send the patrol car that passed by earlier?
Should I pull the guy out of the driver’s seat and spar with him?
He’s big, so it might be fun to use some strength.
Clunk-.
‘This won’t do.’
He tried pulling the handle as if out of curiosity, but the door didn’t budge.
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feeling several pairs of eyes on him.
The dogs kidnapped from other neighborhoods sat quietly, looking up at Moon Seok-il.
But the blue light reflected in their eyes under the moonlight was subtly unsettling.
The eerie night in the wilderness, the fear a wanderer surrounded by a pack of wolves might feel, began to rise.
“Go-. Go away-. Don’t come near me.”
Hehehe-.
The dogs started approaching as if they heard “come” instead of “go.”
“Ah, don’t come-. Yikes-. Don’t drool on me.”
I just polished these shoes for a party today…
The dogs seemed to consider Moon Seok-il a savior too.
***
Thanks to his natural sneakiness, Ma Gun-cheon avoided being chased by the dogs and hid.
Though he wasn’t smart and couldn’t easily empathize with others, he had been good at shallow tricks since childhood. Literally shallow tricks that were obvious but still worked.
While Gong Seok-du was being chased by a Doberman and tripped, Ma Gun-cheon stepped on a windowsill and climbed up. Then he used the brick gaps and a drainpipe to reach the roof.
‘Ugh, is that guy the dogs’ owner?’
Seeing how the scary dogs retreated at a single command and how the alpha dog seemed happy to see him, it seemed so.
Saving Gong Seok-du looked difficult.
Even if he managed to knock out one large dog, the other two would pounce. The only good thing was that they weren’t tearing Gong Seok-du apart.
The dogs circled Gong Seok-du mockingly, and one even jumped on him. Whenever Gong Seok-du tried to move, they growled near his ears, showing their high intelligence.
‘They’re playing with him, damn it.’
After the dogs’ owner disappeared, Ma Gun-cheon quietly entered the house.
From the roof, he took the outdoor stairs down to the second floor, then the indoor stairs to the first floor.
And now he’s eating in Choi Mi-kyung’s kitchen.
Chomp chomp chomp-.
Escaping death relaxed him, and extreme hunger set in.
Though he wasn’t smart, he hadn’t planned to eat. Hiding and looking for valuable items came first.
But everything in the house was too big to carry.
Chomp chomp chomp-.
Trophies and golden calves with inscriptions like “Strongman Champion” shone in the display case, probably just gold-plated. You could buy those at sports stores, and even if you stole them, where would you sell them? Who’d buy them?
He wanted to search everywhere, but there was no time, and the dogs outside might react to noise.
Chomp chomp chomp-.
‘Damn, this is delicious.’
The rice cooker was empty, and the fridge only had side dishes, so he was about to give up when he spotted a flat stew pot on the table.
Opening the lid, it seemed like a local traditional dish.
‘Ge-gukji? Kke-kkukji?’
He thought he’d heard the name before, maybe it was something like that. The not-so-bright Ma Gun-cheon could only guess.
Inside the pot, crabs, radish greens, mackerel, and something like white kimchi were harmoniously mixed. It tasted similar to crab soybean paste stew.
There was enough rice for a hearty meal, just needing a spoon. Enough for about five people.
The more he looked, the more he ate, it was a strange dish. It even had seokbakji, so no side dishes were needed.
Chomp chomp chomp-.
It was like a last meal for a death row inmate. He was so hungry he cleaned out the pot.
“Ugh-, I’m alive.”
Now that he’s full, it’s time to escape.
Pulling back the curtain, he saw Gong Seok-du crying as if praying to God, and the alpha dog licking him as if to comfort him. Maybe not a bad dog.
The Shepherd pressed Gong Seok-du’s thigh, and the Doberman licked his left foot instead of his right. The Retriever sat quietly, watching the scene.
Gong Seok-du’s unusually clean right foot shone under the moonlight.
‘I can sneak out the back door.’
Sorry, Gong Seok-du, but I have to live to fight another day. Ma Gun-cheon decided to abandon Gong Seok-du like Cao Cao aiming for his uncle’s heart. It felt heroic, even giving him a sense of superiority.
He took off his shoes and slipped out of the house like a thief.
When he felt safe, he put on his shoes and ran to his motorcycle.
Pant pant pant-.
“Damn! I’m alive-.”
“Hey-, did the dog thief come?”
“Ugh, damn it, you scared me!”
Ma Gun-cheon fell flat on his butt.
Like a cockroach, he scrambled to turn toward the sound, but there was nothing there. A windless night, only the forest shadows quietly guarding the area.
“What, what is it! A ghost?!”
Then the forest shadow moved.
A spine-chilling sight.
But upon closer look, it had a human form.
Tall and dark.
The figure slowly approached, tickling Ma Gun-cheon’s eardrums with a dreamlike voice.
“I’ve been waiting. Let’s go.”
A chilling sense of déjà vu made Ma Gun-cheon’s eyes bulge.
Where had he heard that before?
Ah! The Legendary Hometown.
Frozen in place, Ma Gun-cheon’s body slid sideways and collapsed.
*
“Hey there?”
Jin-hyeok scratched the back of his sticky, sweaty neck.
This is annoying.
He needs to hand things over to the police, but all the patrol cars are gathered at his house.
Probably because Hong Ki-jun gave them his address.
“Hey there-. Sir? Are you okay? Snap out of it.”
He tapped the shoulder, but the dog thief, who had fainted with his eyes rolled back, didn’t wake up.
“Sigh-, what do I do now?”
He planned to catch the runaway first and hand him over to the police, but now he’s out cold.
He once emphasized during Yoo Jin’s first aid training.
Don’t discriminate against those in need.
And above all, even if they’re unconscious, get consent first.
“Sh-should I help you?”