Red Dot - 148

Chapter 148

“Gasp!”

At Yuseul’s words, Gyeong-oh audibly swallowed a gulp of air. His trembling shoulders even seemed pitiful.

Yuseul shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

“I didn’t know exactly who it was, though.”

Yuseul recalled the conversation she had with Junseong in the motel corridor that morning.

Right after the meeting ended, Yuseul, who had gone to Junseong recklessly because there was no mention of hostage rescue, realized her position after being hit with his cold words.

To her, he was a precious younger sibling, but to others, he was merely a dangerous element they had no reason to care about. Rescuing him at the risk of their lives brought no gain, and there wasn’t a deep enough trust built to disregard such calculations. Begging for help to save her sibling in that situation could be called shameless.

As she was about to give up, Junseong whispered secretly in her ear.

“There’s a spy among the members who were at Inhan Hospital.”

Junseong’s unexpected statement continued.

“I don’t know who it is, but I know they had no choice because of the hostage. That’s why I initially suspected you, noona.”

Yuseul almost nodded unconsciously. After all, she was the one whose loved one was held hostage by Ki-hyuk.

But Junseong said he was certain it wasn’t Yuseul.

“You openly revealed to us that you had a hostage. If you really had a hostage and had to follow Ki-hyuk’s orders, you wouldn’t have done something as foolish as showing a photo.”

That’s why he told this only to Yuseul among the group.

“I can’t forgive putting the group in danger because of a hostage, but if you’re willing to risk your life to break those shackles, I won’t stop you. So, if the spy admits their mistake and asks for help to save the hostage, gather only those who agree and go with them.”

At his unexpected words, Yuseul’s eyes sparkled.

“But if no one confesses until we pass the midpoint…”

Junseong’s whispering face quickly turned cold.

“Abandon the person who looks at the sky the most among the group. That person will end up being played by Ki-hyuk and get us all killed.”

The tunnel where the bus team was currently stopped.

This was that midpoint.

Yuseul, who relayed everything Junseong had told her, looked at the pale-faced Gyeong-oh with narrowed eyes.

“And the person who looked at the sky the most on the way here was you, Hwang Gyeong-oh.”

“Ugh…!”

Gyeong-oh swallowed hard again.

Changmin finally understood why Yuseul insisted on sitting at the very back. That seat was relatively higher than the others and offered a clear view of the entire bus.

Yuseul, who smirked at the trembling, frightened Gyeong-oh, approached Daewook while pulling out a small object. It was one of the two notes Junseong had secretly slipped into her pocket while whispering.

“Junseong told me to give this to you around this time.”

It was easy to guess that “around this time” meant after identifying the spy.

Patting the anxious Chaeyi’s shoulder while focusing on the conversation, Daewook unfolded the note Yuseul handed him and checked its contents.

The note contained a detailed map with a new route.

Daewook, who had memorized the safe route Junseong had previously planned, quickly grasped what this map indicated.

“It’s a route that branches off to another path just before the destination. The final destination of this note isn’t the civilian shelter but a ‘military bunker’… it says.”

Even as he spoke, Daewook couldn’t help but be amazed at Junseong, who wasn’t present.

Not only Daewook but everyone in the group had thought the shelter on the city outskirts was the final destination. Junseong had made them believe that and planned the route to get there.

But now it seemed Junseong had kept another final destination in mind as a contingency. It was truly meticulous.

Come to think of it, Ki-hyuk, who had dream memories, wouldn’t have failed to consider the shelter as Junseong’s destination. The note left by Gyeong-oh clearly stated the destination, and since they had been moving according to the information provided, it was likely that Ki-hyuk had stationed forces or set traps at the shelter.

So Junseong used the spy to mislead Ki-hyuk’s information and attention, ultimately aiming to pivot the group’s destination to an unexpected location. After all, the spy would be dealt with, one way or another, before the pivot.

This time, Yuseul approached Changmin and handed him another note. It was also from Junseong, detailing a rendezvous route to the military bunker after rescuing the hostages.

Yuseul, as if relieved after unloading a heavy burden she had kept hidden, wore a light expression.

“By the way, it’s interesting.”

Yuseul said, looking at Changmin and Gyeong-oh, who were focused on the note.

“Hanseo seems to have deliberately kept things from Junseong, but somehow they think alike.”

Yuseul mulled over the last words Junseong had left.

“If Ki-hyuk is with the hostages, I’ll draw him out.”

From those whispered words, it seemed Junseong also intended to keep something from Hanseo.

This was merely Junseong’s measure to prevent Hanseo from impulsively finding and killing the spy, but neither Yuseul nor the others fully grasped that and simply admired Junseong.

A few minutes later.

A drone, leisurely flying above the tunnel, began moving quickly again, following the bus emitting exhaust noise.

When the drone following the bus was no longer visible.

A few people walked out of the dark tunnel.

“Everyone ready?”

Changmin, standing at the front and scanning outside the tunnel, asked the people behind him.

Gyeong-oh, Jian, and Yuseul nodded with serious faces at his words. Behind them were two men and a woman from Daewook’s group.

Originally, Dujae had stepped forward, insisting on going, and Namsub had boldly offered to help, but both were rejected. Dujae was the only one who knew the code to send to the military, so he naturally had to stay with the bus team. Namsub, despite his bravado, was trembling like a leaf, so they had him sit back down.

Daewook seemed to want to help them at first, but since Junseong had entrusted him with leadership and he had to look after Chaeyi, he couldn’t step forward. So Changmin left him with a request to take care of the bus team.

Instead, the calmest man and woman from Daewook’s group joined them. According to Daewook’s quiet whisper, one was a man burning with an abnormal sense of justice. The other was a woman with deep affection for her mother, unable to ignore Gyeong-oh’s situation, or so it was assumed.

Thus, the six formed a team and exited the tunnel.

* * *

“Hyungnim.”

Woo Seok-jin, Ki-hyuk’s aide, quietly spoke to Ki-hyuk, who was lying on a mat with his eyes closed, as if asleep.

“I confirmed the bus is moving as per the message Gyeong-oh left.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Ki-hyuk replied indifferently, keeping his eyes closed.

“And the video message from the target has arrived.”

At that, Ki-hyuk opened his eyes wide and sat up abruptly. As if expecting this, Seok-jin, unfazed, handed him glasses and the drone’s controller.

Wearing the glasses, Ki-hyuk immediately played the recorded video on the controller.

The video began with Junseong and a man leaving the motel. The two moved skillfully through a route with very few zombies, captured clearly in the footage.

Ki-hyuk’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the man in black clothes in the video.

“I’ve seen that guy somewhere…”

But unable to recall clearly, Ki-hyuk focused on the video, lost in thought.

At one point, Junseong appeared to be bitten by a zombie and collapsed, acting. Though Ki-hyuk knew from reports that Junseong was perfectly fine during the recording, seeing this scene directly made his mouth feel dry.

Later, the man disappeared, abandoning Junseong, and soon those monitoring him approached to check the situation. Then, Junseong and the man in black, who had been waiting for the moment, completely overpowered them.

After that.

“…?!”

Ki-hyuk silently held his breath.

Veins bulged on the backs of his hands as he gripped the controller tightly, glaring at the man in black in the video.

His hazy memory rapidly became clear.

The man in black, boldly kissing Junseong while staring at the camera.

He was unmistakably the same guy who had suddenly intruded into Junseong’s dream a few days ago.