Jichang Kwak looked at the tan, red-haired man reading a book in front of him. "The case last night—was it your doing?"
Baki feigned surprise. "What case?"
Jichang shook his head. "The Pungsun cult leader. You killed him, didn't you?"
"How did you find out?" Baki asked with genuine curiosity.
Jichang smiled faintly. "Not many know the cult leader's name, but I have my ways. You've been searching for him for quite a while. Jondosan, isn't it?"
A dangerous grin spread across Baki's face. "Yeah, that guy was really annoying, you know? He cost me years of my life."
Jichang nodded. "Hmm... I understand. But I have a question."
"Shoot," Baki replied.
Jichang took a drag of his cigarette and released a puff of smoke. "What are you doing reading a human anatomy book?"
Baki scratched his head. "Oh, this? I'm just trying to learn."
"I didn't expect you to have any interest in books." Jichang shook his head.
"It's just a hobby," Baki replied.
With that, Baki stood and started to leave. Jichang called after him, "I've heard the Kings are being hunted. Be careful out there."
But Baki just stretched and said, "I'm not a King. On the contrary, you should be the one to be careful."
As he walked away, he pulled a card from his pocket—Baekho HRM.
Suddenly, he noticed a black sedan stop in front of him. A young Black man with tattoos covering his body stepped out, then quickly moved to the other side and opened the back door. A man wearing an unbuttoned jacket emerged from the car. He was tall and muscular. But that wasn't why Baki noticed him. The man carried an axe on his back, which piqued Baki's curiosity. He quickly shrugged it off and went on his way.
---
Baki stood in front of a heavy, dark metal door. Just above the door, was a narrow rectangular plaque with a number. The plaque is a muted gold or brass color, and etched onto it, clearly visible, is the number 01. He went inside. The room was nearly empty except for a single woman. She was tall and beautiful, with long brown hair, black round-rimmed glasses, and a brown handbag.
Baki approached her. "Hey... do you work here?"
The woman turned to face him. "Who are you?"
Baki scratched his head. "I'm Baki Hanma. I came here looking for work."
She replied, "I'm Sera Shin, the White Tiger Job Centre's Section Chief. Recruitment is ongoing. But how did you find out about us?"
Baki pulled out the card.
Baki scratched his head awkwardly. "D-does this count? I got it from an old beggar in the park."
Sera took the pamphlet and inspected it for a moment before saying, "Come back tomorrow for the interview."
Baki smiled. "Okay. There's no specific dress code, right?"
Sera shook her head again. Baki then left.
---
Seongji Yuk was sleeping. These days, there wasn't much he could do. He'd taken a job at a convenience store, but the pay wasn't enough. He could tell the kids were worried about money. Though he paid rent to Sally, it wasn't enough to support so many kids.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a door opening. It was past midnight. The lights were off, so he couldn't see the intruder. He didn't want to turn on the lights in case they ran away. He slowly approached the area where the intruder seemed to have gone—the kitchen.
Baki had returned home after more than a month away. Since he had a key, he'd entered without alerting anyone. Seeing that everyone was asleep, he didn't wake them and went to the kitchen because he was hungry from all the moving around he'd done that day. He opened the fridge. Suddenly, he noticed a silhouette behind him.
Seeing the intruder open the fridge, Seongji was confused. He decided to attack now, before there was any chance of escape. He rushed forward to grab the intruder in a chokehold.
Seongji's arms shot around the intruder's neck, locking him in a sudden chokehold.
Baki's eyes widened as the cold grip tightened.
"Caught you!" Seongji grunted, his muscles bulging as he tried to wrestle the intruder down.
Baki instinctively dropped low, twisting his hips and snapping his elbow backward. The sharp jab caught his opponent in the ribs, forcing him to loosen his grip.
"Kh! Fast..." Seongji staggered but immediately recovered, sweeping his leg to hook the intruder's ankle.
Baki let himself fall instead of resisting, rolling onto his back and kicking upward. His heel stopped just inches from his opponent's face, a hair's breadth from connecting.
Seongji froze, staring at the intruder's dangerous grin through the darkness.
Baki tilted his head, still balanced on one hand and one foot like a coiled spring.
"You're good. Not bad for a midnight thief," Baki said with a teasing smirk.
But just then, the fridge light flickered fully open, illuminating both their faces.
"Wait... you!" Seongji's jaw dropped.
"Seongji?!" Baki blinked in shock.
The tension shattered instantly. Baki lowered his leg and stood up with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Man, you almost crushed my throat," Baki chuckled.
Seongji sighed, pressing his ribs where the elbow had landed. "And you almost broke mine."
For a moment, they just stared at each other, then both burst into low laughter—half relief, half disbelief.
"You idiot," Seongji muttered. "You could've just said you were back."
Baki shrugged, opening the fridge again. "Yeah, but who would I tell? You were all sleeping."