Chapter 299 - Gunshot

Hyun Jung was at a private hospital owned by N2. Riggs had sent him to interrogate the hitman who was kept there for treatment. The man was put under heavy security inside a cell on the topmost floor of the hospital consisting of only a bed and a table. The hospital itself was situated in a secret location away from the public eye. It was only for the prisoners of Abyss who were injured during interrogation and needed surgery to recover so that they could reveal the details of the Cartel. 

The hitman was looking at the floor while Hyun Jung stood before him. A month had passed by and the man was still too traumatized to talk. The wrath of the fans had completely rendered him speechless but Hyun Jung needed information from him.

"Who ordered the hit on KJ?" he asked in frustration for the hundredth time. The hitman had recovered physically but according to N2, the mob beating had made him scared of people. He was giving Hyun Jung a blank look as if he did not comprehend what the latter was saying. The trauma of failing a mission for the first time and being caught by amateurs had broken his spirit. 

His silence was starting to annoy even Hyun Jung. The hitman refused to talk.

"Listen," Hyun Jung said, taking a deep breath. "If you tell us who ordered you to kill KJ, we can protect you. You're with Abyss and we'll guarantee that you'd get the maximum protection from us. We'll even send you abroad to hide. The Cartel won't be able to reach you. Ever. So just tell me. Who ordered the hit?"

But the hitman refused to speak. Moreover, N2 had said that torturing him would only cause him to go through another psychological breakdown and he would not divulge anything. Unlike Teppei, who bent the knee quickly, this man had a superiority complex. He had immense pride in his abilities and was overconfident because of his flawless hit record. He never failed his missions and was one of the deadliest assassins in the world.

For a person like him to be upstaged by a legion of idol fans was not simply a matter of embarrassment but a blow to his mental state. Moreover, the fans were not merciful when they ambushed him. They had completely mauled him black and blue, stripping the man of his dignity.

N2 entered the room with a chart. 

"Any luck, Detective Lee?" he asked.

"No," Hyun Jung sighed. "He refuses to talk. Nothing could make him reveal who ordered him to kill KJ."

"It must have been the President," N2 guessed. "After all, he is out in the open and KJ himself said that the President was at the stadium."

"Could be," Hyun Jung shrugged. "But if he could at least confirm our theory, we could officially charge a warrant against the Cartel's activities! And if Ash Park was involved, then we could go there and arrest him immediately."

Hyun Jung was so engrossed in his discussion with N2, that he did not notice the brief gleam which passed through the dead eyes of the hitman. The other two men left the room, still discussing how to make the hitman talk.

Ash Park...the hitman was fixated on that name. He had been given a mission and he failed. The hitman could never forgive himself for his failure. Ash Park would not spare him. He had seen firsthand how menacing that man could be. Even the President of the Cartel had little inkling of the monster he had in his house. There was no way the hitman would be spared. Ash Park would come for him and no amount of security would be able to stop him.

His hands trembled in fear. That man would destroy him and make his life a hell.

Hyun Jung and N2 were standing right near the door, still talking about how to make the hitman talk. The hitman's eyes fell on Hyun Jung's sling which hung by his waist. And inside it was a gun.

"Are you sure that shock therapy would work on him?" Hyun Jung asked N2. "Won't that only worsen the matter?"

"Not necessarily," N2 replied. "If we do it carefully we can-"

Hyun Jung's phone rang up. He took it out to see that Somi was calling him.

"Where are you?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

"I'm with N2," he answered. 

"The hitman still didn't say anything huh?"

"No, he's quiet. He just won't reveal the main perpetrator-"

Suddenly, there was a swift movement behind him. He felt someone push him to the ground and the phone dropped from his hand.

"Hyun?" Somi's voice came from the cellphone. "Hyun is everything alright?"

Hyun Jung looked up to see the hitman was standing over them, pointing a gun at them. N2 was shocked while Hyun Jung got up with his hands raised.

"Put the gun down," he threatened. "You won't be able to escape this facility even if you kill us. The guards will capture you soon. They're right outside."

The hitman was panting heavily. There was a crazed mania within him which made him more dangerous. N2 squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"I don't want to escape," the hitman whispered. Realization dawned on N2.

"No!" he yelled. "Don't-"

But the hitman pointed the gun at himself and pulled the trigger. 

As if in a slow motion, the man fell to the ground, motionless. Blood and brains splattered on the walls. The gooey crimson liquid gushed out of the man's head, coloring the floor red. Hyun Jung was also sprayed by the blood and organs coming out of the dead man, leaving him shocked.

N2 slumped on the floor while Hyun Jung gaped at the scene, trying to grasp what happened. 

"N2…" He tried to string a sentence to say but words would not come out of his mouth. 

"We have to inform the CEO," N2 said. "Now. This is going to get more difficult."

"I'll call," Hyun Jung finally managed to say. His hands shook as he picked up the phone. Somi was still on the other line. She had heard the whole thing and was panicking. Did something happen to Hyun Jung?

"Hyun!" she shouted into the phone. "Hyun, where are you?"

"I'm here," he whispered. She let out a sigh of relief.

"But who was shot?" she demanded. "I heard a gunshot."

"I'll tell you later," he stated. "I must inform KJ and Mirae."

She was about to protest but he cut her off and dialed KJ's number.

….

KJ and Mirae were packed up and ready to head home. He was loading Mirae's suitcase into the car when his phone rang.

"Hey Hyun," he greeted. "We're returning today. Is everything alright?"

Mirae, who had just come out of the villa with her purse, stopped in front of him. She watched KJ's expression turning into shock as he heard Hyun Jung speak from the other end.

"What happened?" she questioned when he hung up.

"The hitman," KJ started. "He…"

"What happened to him?"

"He committed suicide."