It's a sniper shot aimed at me
Kim Moo-hyuk left, leaving only Ye Xiaotong.
She thought for a moment and then asked the bodyguard standing behind her.
"Tao. Did you know?"
"······."
"Did you know who my father was?"
"Yes, I knew."
"Ha······. This is driving me crazy."
Tao was the bodyguard assigned to him by his grandfather.
He was a soldier from the special forces who was sent to ensure her safety while she worked as a lobbyist.
"It must have been funny. I wonder how much fun it would have been if I had asked my mother and grandfather about my father's existence."
"No, I had no such intention."
"Tao. I trust you. But you don't trust me."
When Yeshaotong looked at him with disappointment, Tao's expressionless face broke.
"No. I work for the boss."
"Then you shouldn't have any secrets from me! How dare you pretend not to know when you already know! You know very well how important that story is to me."
"······I'm sorry. The elders told me to keep quiet with the boss."
Ye Xiaotong clicked her tongue and got up to approach Tao.
"Tao. Choose. Me or Grandfather? Of course, Grandfather sent you to me. But I am the one you should serve. If you remain Grandfather's person until the end, you can no longer be with me."
Ye Xiaotong sighed and patted Tao's arm as she spoke.
She already knew that Tao, who had been following her like a shadow for a long time, was craving her attention.
"Choose. If not, I will abandon you."
At those cruel words, Tao bowed his head slightly and said.
"Boss. Your safety and trust are always my top priority."
"Then show me your faith."
"······What should I do?"
"From now on, you must not keep any secrets from me. When Grandfather asks about me, you must only tell me what I tell you. And you must also pass on to me the instructions he gives you. Can you do that?"
Tao nodded with a stern face. Ye Xiaotong said with a satisfied smile.
"I must leave for Beijing right away. I will have a lot to talk about with my grandfather."
Tao followed her as she turned around and asked cautiously.
"What should we do if Wi Jeong-seong tries to assassinate President Kim Moo-hyeok?"
"Leave it alone. If he dies like this, that's all he'll get. I hope he survives and I can see him in Korea. Oh, and if he fails, tell the organization to kill Wi Jeong-seong."
"Is that okay? It's too dangerous to kill the righteousness."
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Ye Xiaotong shrugged her shoulders at Tao's worried question.
"Fake it as suicide and kill him. After being humiliated at the inauguration party, it wouldn't be strange if he took his own life."
"Okay, I'll make sure to convey that."
Ye Xiaotong nodded and walked forward. Her eyes shone colder than ever.
* * *
After meeting with Yeshaotong and Bo Xilai, I returned to the hotel.
Cheon Ji-young was waiting at the hotel.
"You're late? Did you meet your sister?"
As soon as I entered the hotel, Cheon Ji-young clung to me.
"Aren't you going to Korea? There's nothing to do in Shanghai anymore."
"There's nothing to do in Korea. I'll just go shopping and stay a little longer and then go back with you. But why did you change the subject? Did you say you met my sister?"
The pronunciation is slurred, which is not normal. I glanced around the room and, as expected, there was a whiskey bottle and glasses scattered on the table.
"Did you drink?"
"I had a drink while waiting for you, oppa. Answer me quickly!"
"Yeah. We met."
"What did you talk about? We didn't talk much at lunch a few days ago."
I loosened my tie and walked slowly towards the sofa.
"What do you have to say? Not business talk."
"Really? Hmm."
Cheon Ji-young glanced at me with a strange look. I can tell what she's thinking.
I lightly tapped her forehead and sat down. Then I poured some whiskey into a new glass.
"I'll be arriving in Korea in three days. If you want to go shopping before then, go shopping, and if there's a place to visit, go see it all in advance."
"good!"
Cheon Ji-young answered in a bright voice and sat down facing me.
"How is it? I think you're a nice older sister after meeting you. I don't know what you think, but I've really received a lot of help while working in China. I don't think she'd approach me just to approach you."
I had no intention of breaking Cheon Ji-young's illusion.
He nodded slightly and took some ice from the ice bucket with tongs and put it in the whiskey glass.
"Yeah. It must have been a coincidence. I think so too. But why did you come here without any plan if I had gone back early?"
"Well······. If we can't meet, we can just find a place to stay and go. It doesn't have to be that place. And I wanted to come to China. All of my activities in China were suddenly canceled, so my schedule was up in the air."
"What a blessed thing to say," he said lightly, tilting his glass.
"It's good to rest well when you rest."
"As you get older, you won't be able to do the roles you want to do."
"What are you talking about? You're still so young, why are you worrying about your age already?"
"What are you talking about, oppa? The kids are already attacking from below, and if you just sit still, you'll fall behind."
Cheon Ji-young's face, which answered angrily, was brighter than before.
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"Is life in the entertainment industry that great?"
"Yeah. It suits my personality. It's something I do because I want to do it rather than because I'm trying to make a living, so I might think it's more comfortable."
With those words, Cheon Ji-young began to chattering.
I also asked Cheon Ji-young about her life in the entertainment industry while drinking.
As we were talking like that, I suddenly checked my watch and saw that quite some time had passed.
"Now stop drinking and go to sleep."
Cheon Ji-young's face turned red, as if she had drunk quite a bit of alcohol.
"You keep treating me like a child. I'm all grown up now."
He chuckled at the slight complaint and finished his drink.
As I bent down to put down my empty glass.
Suddenly I heard a window shatter. At the same time, the furniture behind me shattered, and the debris grazed my cheek.
I instinctively skipped the table and hugged Cheon Ji-young.
Then he just went under the table.
"Whoa!"
Cheon Ji-young screamed, but no one could even think of comforting her.
'sniping?'
The sharp gunshots died away, and suddenly there was no sound.
There were no more bullets flying, but I still crouched, using the sofa and table as cover.
"are you okay?"
"Oh, brother."
Cheon Ji-young's face turned pale.
But the silence was short-lived, and soon a loud noise was heard, followed by the glass panes shattering.
A cold wind suddenly blew into the spacious living room.
Cheon Ji-young, who had been screaming, started to tremble as she started to fight.
"It's okay. I'm here. Calm down."
I waited for Director Ma while trying to calm her down.
After a while, Director Ma, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and came in leading his bodyguards.
"Boss! What's going on?"
Director Ma, who was about to run towards me, stopped.
This was because the bodyguard next to him was hit by a bullet that came flying from somewhere and fell.
The bodyguards ducked in surprise. Chief Ma calmly ducked and crawled to where I was.
Director Ma, who arrived in front of me, asked in a worried voice.
"Boss. Are you okay?"
I nodded and spoke while covering Cheon Ji-young's eyes.
"This is a sniper aimed at me."
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In such an urgent situation, I couldn't even think of being polite.
"I will send someone right away."
Director Ma quickly relayed the situation via walkie-talkie.
"There has been a sniping attack targeting the boss. Confirm the location and subdue him."
- yes!
After giving instructions, Director Ma looked at me and Cheon Ji-young in turns.
I glanced at Cheon Ji-young, who was curled up, and then looked at Director Ma as if asking if I could move, but he shook his head.
"Boss, it could be dangerous if we continue like this. The sniper's location has not been confirmed yet, so let's check the situation a bit more."
Chief Ma slightly raised his head and began scanning the opposite building for possible sniping opportunities.
Then, a bullet flew straight towards Director Ma and passed by him.
Director Ma quickly bowed his head and said.
"We have to hold out here until we find the sniper."
Director Ma, who spoke firmly, asked with concern.
"Boss. There's blood streaming down your face. Did a bullet graze you?"
Only then did he raise his hand and touch the ball in response to his question.
I didn't notice it, but it seemed like there was quite a bit of blood flowing. You can see it all over my hands.
He let out a small sigh and shook his head.
"No. The furniture must have broken and the debris must have grazed him. This level of injury is fine."
This little injury wasn't important. What was important was getting out of here safely.
- Check location.
At that moment, a sound came from Director Ma's radio.
"Subdue him immediately. Capture him alive if you can, but it doesn't matter if you kill him. The boss's safety comes first."
A military-style reply came back over the radio, and Chief Ma reported again as if trying to reassure me.
"We've confirmed your location, so the situation will be over soon. Please hold on a little longer."
If Director Ma says so, everything will be sorted out quickly. I nodded and patted Cheon Ji-young, who was still trembling.
"Jiyoung. Are you okay?"
"huh······."
Cheon Ji-young answered quickly, even with a trembling voice.
I kept my eyes closed as I gathered my thoughts.
'Who the hell is it? Shanghai Bang? Or Ye Xiaotong? Or······.'
They rented out an entire floor of the hotel and controlled access so that no one could enter, and even had security guards bring room service in front of the elevator.
We kept our identities completely hidden and prioritized safety.
But who would have thought he'd snipe? This was something I hadn't expected.
"Report the situation."
While I was gathering my thoughts, Director Ma continued to communicate via walkie-talkie.
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- We're engaged. There's more than one or two of us.
"What? ······Okay, I understand. If anything unusual comes up, report back."
Chief Ma, who had cut off radio contact with the security team that was engaged in combat, then connected with the security team waiting at the hotel.
"You can also infiltrate the hotel. As of now, control everyone entering the hotel, and seal off the floor where the boss is."
- all right!
After finishing the call, Director Ma sent a hand signal to the security guards inside the hotel room.
The guards read the signal, bowed, left the hotel room, and closed the door.
"I'm sorry, boss. I think you'll have to wait a little longer."
Rather than stepping in and sorting out the situation, it was easier to leave it to experts like Director Ma.
At that moment, my cell phone on the table rang.
Director Ma just reached out and snatched the cell phone from me, then handed it to me.
After checking the caller ID, I quickly picked up the phone.
- President Kim Mu-hyeok. Are you okay?
"What the hell is this? You said you were going to guarantee my safety. But you shot me in a hotel in the heart of Shanghai! Does this make any sense?"
Boshirai's voice over the phone was full of bewilderment.
- First, we dispatched armed police.
"Our security team has identified the sniper position and is engaged in combat. We have been ordered to use firearms, so please understand."
The use of firearms could have been problematic.
It would have been better to tell Bo Xilai, who was in charge of Shanghai, in advance.
― I have already reported to you. Do not leave your post until the armed police arrive. And I will go right away. I will contact you when I arrive.
The last thing I heard before hanging up the phone was his voice, which was trembling.
Judging from the reaction, it seemed like Boshirai could be ruled out as a suspect.
How much time had passed like that? At that time, when only Cheon Ji-young's heavy breathing was heard in the room, a crackling sound came from Director Ma's walkie-talkie.
- Situation ended.
"Are there any survivors?"
In response to Director Ma's question, a troubled voice came back from the other end of the radio.
― I'm sorry. Everyone has been shot and fallen, so I think we need to check. I gave the order to kill on my own because I thought that if we tried to capture them forcibly, our casualties would increase.
"······What about the damage on our side?"
― I didn't even realize that. The armed police are controlling the area······. What should I do?
Director Ma looked at me.
"Tell them to put down their weapons and stand by. And not to resist."
After Director Ma relayed what I said, he got up and walked towards the window.
Director Ma, who had been looking around through the broken window, turned around and spoke.
"Boss, please move to another room."
I nodded, got up, and released the hand that was covering Cheon Ji-young's eyes.
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My hands were wet, whether from sweat or tears.
"It's over now. It's okay."
Cheon Ji-young still looked at me with fearful eyes.
In order to appease Cheon Ji-young, I tried to smile and left the room.
We moved together to another room, where the windows were covered with curtains.
"Go in and rest for a bit."
I pushed Cheon Ji-young into the room and closed the door.
The door closed, and I forced the smile off my face.
"You absolutely must find out who is behind this."
At the cold order, Chief Ma quickly bowed his head. I must return at least double what I received.
< It's a sniper aimed at me > End