"Hah... hah... Fuck."
Regulating his ragged breath.
"My legs feel like they're about to give out."
I regulated my breathing, occasionally glancing behind me.
I was now in the park near a towering Christmas tree.
The snowfall had subsided. It was now 2 AM.
The air felt piercing and deadly silent.
Twinkling lights encircled the Christmas tree in the park, reflecting a faint glow on the frozen layer of snow.
I turned my head, scanning the surroundings.
It was quiet, completely empty.
My location and the target were close, only about a hundred meters away.
Because I was tired, I walked and sat on a park bench. The iron bench felt cold, cutting right through my jacket.
My throat was dry, needing a warm drink, but there wasn't a single open store nearby.
"Uhh! So tired."
I looked up, regulating my breath, closing my eyes while stretching both arms across the back of the bench, spreading my legs to relieve the fatigue.
My breath plumed into the air before vanishing.
Crackle! A crackling sound came from the bushes near me.
My heart immediately pounded.
'Is someone following me?'
I watched the source of the sound around the snow-covered bushes, which were quite dark, not reached by the park light.
My eyes swept over the slow-moving shadows.
I tried to think positively.
"Maybe it's just a fox."
I ignored it.
My fatigue had slightly lessened, so I stood up.
I continued walking.
First, I wanted to go to the 24-hour store, which was a bit far from here.
Based on the estimate, the target's location was on the right, and I had to walk to the left.
I walked, taking the left path, leaving the quiet park, putting both hands in my pockets.
I was already wearing gloves, but the cold still felt gripping on my fingertips.
After some time, I finally arrived in front of the 24-hour store.
A bright light shone from inside, and I didn't see the cashier from outside behind the thick glass.
I walked up and opened the door, which rang with a soft kring!
My eyes scanned the entire room in front of me.
It seemed the cashier was on a break or in the restroom.
"This room is a bit warm."
I felt the heat directly on my skin behind my mask.
I looked for a plastic cup already containing tea leaves, then took it, and some small plastic packets of sugar.
Then I brought them to the cashier counter.
'I wonder why the cashier is taking so long.'
My fingers tapped on the glass counter.
I waited for five minutes, standing in front of the cashier counter.
Because I was impatient, I shouted loudly.
"Hey, where's the attendant? Come out, you're taking too long!"
Soon, the staff break room door opened.
A woman came out of the room, closing the door again.
She rubbed her eyes, yawned widely, then casually scratched her stomach, which was covered by her uniform.
I was annoyed by the behavior, but I held it in, waiting for her to walk slowly, half-conscious, then sit down in the cashier chair.
"Yes, sir, welcome," She answered as if she was brushing me off.
Then I handed her the plastic cup with tea and two small plastic packets of sugar.
She looked at my order on the counter, then stared at me with a slight look of disappointment.
"Is this all you're buying after shouting like a maniac? Tch. Annoying job," she grumbled, her voice sounding hoarse.
She scanned my order, then took it to the hot water machine, filled it, and gave it back to me.
"Two dollars."
I placed the money on the counter.
Without further ado, I hurried out of the store, preventing my anger from exploding.
In front of the store, I opened the plastic packets of sugar, poured them into the warm tea, then slowly drank it all.
Afterward, I threw it in the trash, continuing my steps toward my main destination.
"My body feels a little warmer. That warm feeling is spreading throughout my body."
Just before reaching the intersection, I saw a dimly lit bar open.
In a narrow alley nearby, a man staggered, accompanied by a woman. He seemed to be violently vomiting.
I paid attention to them as I got closer, glancing at the man.
"Hoaarhgghh! Uhukk uhukk"
Disgusting vomit, mixed with a piercing acidic smell of liquor, flowed into the rainwater drain.
I felt a little disgusted, but after looking at him from the side, the man slightly resembled my target in terms of facial posture.
"Darling, let's go home. Look, you're shaking and shivering. Forget all this for a moment, don't push yourself."
The woman patted his back.
She seemed unaware of my presence, standing on the sidewalk watching them.
"Damn! Damn it! Do you think it's easy to forget? He's dead! Who is the murderer? He was my best friend! How can I forget it, even for a moment?"
The man cried, then vomited again while holding the rain pipe and bending over, his voice full of loss.
I narrowed my eyes, stepped back into the nearest shadow to eavesdrop.
I leaned against the wall, my right hand secretly reaching for the pistol under my thick jacket.
'What he said... is my guess correct? If so, I'm lucky to meet him here, hehe.'
It seemed they were rambling; I didn't care to listen to their rambling.
Then I peeked briefly to confirm if he really was my target.
I tilted my head slightly, peeking from behind my shoulder, making sure my shadow on the wall wasn't visible.
I saw him.
He looked a bit older now, his hair graying.
Thinking back, the woman might be his partner.
Judging from the information I got, the three of them were released only a month ago, and it was normal for him to have a partner now.
The old scar I clearly remembered on his face confirmed it was him.
Although his face was covered in exhaustion and alcohol, his bloodshot eyes couldn't deceive me.
'It turns out he really is the one who kicked me until I passed out five years ago. I won't forget it, and fate is on my side, it seems.'
Cold vengeance felt like it was spreading through my veins.
I turned away again, thinking of a tactic.
Since he was heavily drunk, this was a golden opportunity for me.
But if he knew I was after him, it would be difficult to manage.
Information about his friend might have spread very quickly; maybe he was also suspicious of something, if he was smart.
I took a deep breath, releasing my grip on the pistol handle.
'Let me try asking and testing him first.'
Because my voice and posture were different now, he probably wouldn't recognize me.
I walked closer to them, who were grieving and rambling, stepping slowly, then greeting them gently.
"Hello, good morning."
"I saw you both while walking on the sidewalk. You look sad. Has something happened? Oh, no, I mean I don't want to interfere in your business. It's just that you look helpless. Maybe I can give you a ride home?"
I extended my right hand to the man, bending slightly.
The man turned his head, staring at me for a long time with watery eyes. Then, he grabbed my right hand.
I pulled him up until he stood straight.
"Oh, what's your name, sir? Why do you look like this? May I hear your story?"
He just stayed silent, sobbing.
Because I pulled him up, his face swayed onto my shoulder.
Tears and residual vomit dripped onto my thick jacket.
It was truly disgusting to me, but I had to hold back and continue this act until the time came.
"I'm Toretto, I'm sorry I can't talk about it. It's just that I need your help to drive me home, because my wife can't support me. I might be a little heavy."
He seemed to close his eyes; his crying had stopped.
Then I supported him, walking out of the alley with his wife following behind.
'It turns out this woman is his wife. Hmm... I have an interesting idea.'
I turned to the woman with a look of fake sympathy.
"Ma'am, could you guide the way? Oh, do you have a car? If so, it might be faster. If I see correctly, you also look lightly drunk, which is still dangerous. Let me drive for you."
Then the woman walked ahead of me toward the parking lot across the street.
Strangely, she seemed quiet, too easily following my words.
Without the slightest suspicion.
'Whatever.'
'The important thing is that my plan works this time.'
After reaching the parking lot, I opened the back right door of the car.
I placed Toretto, who now seemed completely unconscious, on the seat, and his wife got in through the back left door.
I closed it again, then I sat in the front seat, holding the steering wheel.
Earlier, the woman had given me the car keys when we were walking.
The key was inserted, then turned; the car was now running.
Through the upper rearview mirror, they both seemed to be sleeping, leaning against each other.
I took off my hat because the car engine was quite warm.
I pressed the accelerator, driving quickly toward their residence.
While on the road, I realized something was odd. My heart pounded fast.
I checked the upper mirror again; they still seemed to be asleep.
Toretto's drool-covered face and graying hair were faintly visible; he wasn't moving.
'W-Why did I seem to miss a crucial detail? Even though I knew the house address, why did the woman hand over the keys as if they already knew the location of the house?'
Cold sweat began to bead on my temple, feeling strange in the freezing air.
My hands trembled.
Suddenly, a car sped up from the intersection, immediately blocking my path while pointing bright, blinding headlights at my eyes.
I instinctively slammed on the brakes, reflexively covering my face with my arm.
The car I was driving screamed as the tires scraped the snowy asphalt, skidding uncontrollably until it stopped right in front of the car that blocked me.
The front bumpers were almost touching.
I was startled and snapped back to awareness.
There was a momentary silence.
Only the sound of the engine hissing and the ticking of the cooling metal of the car.
I wrenched the door open and scrambled out, desperate to escape.
My terrified expression confirmed it: this was an ambush.
My legs were shaking.
I stumbled as I looked at the car where two men seemed to be standing and walking toward me.