Michael walked away from the alley.
Before long, a crowd and many police officers arrived after hearing the gunshot.
Michael had already erased all traces of his presence.
He had shot the agent in the face and taken his wallet to make identification difficult, but this was only a temporary solution.
Michael had also destroyed the amateur intel agent's listening device, which was now in his pocket.
He would throw it into a trash can in front of the hotel.
Midway through his walk, a police car pulled up beside him.
The officers got out, and the male officer asked him, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Did you see what happened? We got a report that someone walked out of that alley, and you were seen leaving it."
Michael put his arm around the officer and whispered softly in his ear, "Here's an ATM card with ten million won on it. The password is 4576."
He reached into his jacket pocket and discreetly handed the card to the officer.
The male officer's eyes widened, then he smiled, glancing at Michael's emerald green eyes.
He whispered back, "Okay, then. I'll keep your good deed a secret."
The female officer, holding a baton behind her back, asked with a suspicious tone, "What are you two talking about, sir?"
The male officer shot her a firm look and said, "Nothing. He didn't see a thing. We're asking the wrong person." He smiled, before looking at Michael, who had a confident smirk on his face.
The female officer narrowed her eyes, "But the residents said he came out of that alley. Are you lying?"
The male officer shot her a firm look and said, "You are wrong. There's no evidence on this man, and you, as a junior, need to learn more. Understood?" He slipped the ATM card into his back pants pocket.
The woman immediately apologized before leaving. "I'm sorry for being suspicious of you. See you later."
Her expression showed that she wasn't convinced, but she held her tongue.
As they got into their car, Michael said to them, "Have a great day at work! Hope you have a wonderful day!"
He waved, and the male officer, who was holding the steering wheel, waved back with a smile and gave a thumbs-up.
Not long after the police left, Michael's hand slipped into his leather jacket pocket.
He took out a small cube with a red button. It was the detonator for the explosives he had wired to the antenna in his room.
He pressed the red button.
Click! In the distance, a loud explosion echoed like a bomb. It was his apartment.
Michael kept walking toward the park, muttering to himself, 'You think you're smart, huh?'
When he arrived at the park, he saw someone sitting alone.
Michael approached him.
The person responded to Michael's hand signal and nodded.
Michael sat down next to him, looking at the fountain in the park.
Many people were walking around.
He reached into the front pocket of his leather jacket and handed something to the person from behind his back.
The folded piece of paper contained a phone number.
The person took it with a hand that he stealthily took out of his jacket sleeve.
He put it in his pants pocket, then put his hand back into his sweater sleeve.
Michael stood up, walked in front of the person, and bowed as if to show respect.
After that, he left the place.
The person in the sweater narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly behind his mask.
He mumbled softly, "Don't worry, I'll contact you. This collaboration might be a long one."
The voice was a woman's.
Michael walked to the side of the road, looked for a taxi in the distance, and waved.
The taxi approached him, and the back door opened automatically.
Michael got in and said to the driver, "Take me to the west beach."
He sat with his legs apart, his arms crossed, in a posture of dominance.
"Okay. When we get there, please pay according to the distance," the driver replied, his eyes darting to Michael in the rearview mirror.
Michael looked at the view through the car window while thinking to himself, 'I miss my wife and child. Are they doing okay? I had a feeling this would happen.'
He closed his eyes, trying to rest for a moment.
Not long after, the driver woke Michael up, "Sir, we have arrived, and the fare is one million won."
The driver was a little curious and tried to take off Michael's hat.
However, Michael opened his eyes and pushed the driver's hand away harshly.
He said in a deep voice, "What are you doing? I'll pay, but with a condition."
The driver's hand was in pain from the push, and he replied fearfully, "What's the condition, sir? This is according to our agreement. You're going to pay, right?"
Michael narrowed his eyes, took a pistol from his leather jacket, and aimed it at him. "Stop talking. It annoys me. Tell me the real price. Don't lie, or I'll shoot you."
"Y-yes, sir. I'm sorry for lying. How stupid of me."
Sweat dripped from his temple as he continued, "It's only four hundred thousand won, sir."
Michael replied, "Don't move. I'll give you the money, but on one condition. I want to take your taxi, along with the documents and license you're carrying. Understand?"
He took out his wallet and handed it to the taxi driver.
"I'm sorry, sir, please forgive me. I can't do my job if you take it," the driver said as he took the money from Michael, with tears starting to fall.
Seeing this, Michael pointed the pistol at him again and asked, "What do you need, and what's the price of the car you're driving?"
The driver raised his hands, "Sir, please understand. I work for a company. There's no way I can take your money if this company car goes missing."
Michael asked again, "Do you have a wife and child? Answer me truthfully."
"I'm divorced, sir. I was caught cheating at a motel, and now I'm paying for my child's life."
His story just didn't add up.
Then, Michael hit the driver's head with the butt of the pistol, causing the driver to hit the window. Blood came out of his temple.
Crack! The driver passed out.
Michael searched the driver's pockets and found a small comms device and a hidden ID, confirming he was an intel agent.
Michael felt suspicious and said to himself, 'Why are there so many intel agents roaming around this island like ants?'
Then, Michael moved the driver to the passenger seat, keeping his pistol aimed at him until he woke up.
Michael took over the wheel and drove toward a cliff by the sea.
He drove the taxi recklessly, smashing through the roadside barrier and careening along the rocky path, which dented the car's body.
With his muscular body, Michael pulled the driver out of the car through the driver's side door.
He dragged him to the edge of the cliff, looking at the unconscious driver's face.
Fresh blood washed the dry blood on his temple.
Then, he threw him into the sea below.
He stood tall, facing west, where the sun was starting to set.
He said, "This world is just a game, and those who dominate are the ones who become kings."
He turned around and let out a long sigh.
As he turned, he saw someone standing a few meters away from him.
The person said, "A game indeed. And I'm here to show you a whole new level."
She took the letter from her pants pocket.
Michael was surprised.
He said to himself, 'Who is this woman? Why is she wearing the same clothes as the person in the park? And strangely, she knows about the letter.'
Michael calmed down and acted as usual.
He asked, "Are you the person from the park earlier today?" He was trying to confirm.
The woman took off her hood and mask.
Her face was beautiful, her ears were long, and her hair was a beautiful silver color.
She said softly, "The woman from the park... my name is Seraphim. And I'm not of this world."
Michael couldn't believe his eyes.
His head started to hurt.
He held his head with both hands, his breathing ragged.
"Hey, are you okay? First, tell me your name," the elf woman said.
Michael, who was in pain, tried to look at her again, but his vision became blurry.
He could only hear the words spinning in his head.
Michael didn't understand the woman's words from the beginning and only tried to guess.
Those words were what made Michael's head hurt.
The language the elf woman used sounded like it was not from the earth he lived on.
Lying on the ground, Michael mumbled as Seraphim approached him, 'Is this an illusion? But why does it feel so real? I didn't expect to meet a strange person. Her words are hurting me.'
Then he closed his eyes.