March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 37

With every increase in the car’s speed, the dark crimson luster of the letter gleamed. It was the color of the bomb, the flames that had terrified Sehwa just moments ago. Sehwa had never ridden in such a car in his life, but he felt that pressing that button carelessly would be dangerous. The car probably wouldn’t explode, but touching it in the current situation wouldn’t lead to anything good.

To get out of here, he had to turn the steering wheel now. The empty lot was wide, but at this speed, if they kept going straight, they’d hit the wall in an instant. There was even a terrifying warning sign on the wall. He wasn’t sure, but it probably said something about electric shock.

However, Gi Taejeong showed no intention of turning the wheel. Considering the reckless things he had done so far, it was entirely plausible. Sehwa trembled, praying and praying that this state-of-the-art vehicle had some kind of escape function.

“Ready?”

Gi Taejeong gripped the bazooka, which he had rested on the console, properly and straightened up. Sehwa, at that moment, felt an ominous premonition and shook his head. No…

“D-Director…!”

What was this crazy bastard doing, firing that gun here, and not even a small pistol, but a bazooka? He didn’t know much about weapons, but he knew that a larger size meant a greater recoil. And this was a bazooka. Firing a shot in this situation would naturally impact the car body. And he hadn’t even reduced the speed setting… Was he really trying to die together? Or did he want to kill him? Had he successfully retrieved the drugs, so he was useless now?

“The car will drive itself, so don’t worry, and if you don’t press that…”

The omitted words were probably “both you and I will die.” It was the phrase he had heard most often today, and it was the one that choked Sehwa’s breath. From their first meeting until now, Gi Taejeong had never said anything that pleased Sehwa, but this was the worst of them all. The words meant that if he didn’t do as he was told, both of them would be finished here.

And as if to aid Gi Taejeong’s semi-threat, a deafening roar echoed from behind with a kwang-kwang. The old building seemed unable to withstand it any longer.

“Lee Sehwa!”

There was no need to ask what kind of signal he would give or how. It was right now. Sehwa couldn’t make any judgment. He simply pressed the button, startled by Gi Taejeong’s imposing presence. For a moment, his body lurched backward, then bounced forward. The ‘S’ must have stood for sport mode, as the engine began to rev menacingly.

“T-This way, Director…!”

The bright red sports car sped forward at a terrifying speed. The impossibly distant wall rapidly approached within the frame of the front windshield. At this rate, they would collide. Sehwa had never driven such a car, nor did he know what to press to stop it.

“It’s going to hit…!”

Gi Taejeong, using Sehwa’s scream as background music, aimed the bazooka at the building. The exit, getting farther and farther away, and the narrow gap of the metal door that had been opened just enough. The principle was similar to before. Set a goal, and when he decided he would achieve it no matter what, his body moved on its own. He loaded and pulled the trigger, and a pleasant recoil swept through his body.

The projectile slid perfectly into the gap in the metal door. Gi Taejeong confirmed the small flash of fire inside and threw down the bazooka. At the same time, he felt an unusual tremor. The oil drums, whose lids he had opened earlier, seemed to finally be fulfilling their purpose, as black smoke began to billow like a rising dragon.

As soon as he lowered himself into the driver’s seat, a deafening roar echoed from behind, as if tearing his ears. Even with some distance, the car body shook precariously.

“D-Director, at this rate, there…!”

Sehwa, whose mind had been momentarily snatched by the explosion, screamed again with pale lips. Truly, the wall was right in front of them. Gi Taejeong, with a face that seemed to say it was nothing, pressed several buttons on the center console in quick succession. His grip on the steering wheel was nonchalant.

“……!”

The sound of braking screeched loudly. Unable to overcome the furious speed, the car body was lightly lifted. The case he was holding shook, and even in that moment, Sehwa fumbled to grip the object with one hand. The skin and wig he had been wearing had all peeled off and fallen away. Sticky, dusty tears streamed down his face. Sehwa huddled his body. He was going to die. This time, he would surely die. Gi Taejeong would somehow escape, and he would be burned to death with the car. His muffled tears tasted of ash and oil.

“……?”

But… no matter how long he waited, the pain he had braced himself for didn’t come. He heard no sound of colliding with the wall, nor the explosions he had grown sick of hearing today. What… was this? Sehwa, feeling puzzled, finally squinted his eyes open.

“Why are you such a coward?”

Gi Taejeong’s exasperated voice descended upon his head. Sehwa wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, which was streaked with grime, and looked around. The car… was flying. It was more accurate to say it was hovering low rather than flying, but still…

“What in the world is this…?”

“Modern cars all come with emergency flight functions, you know.”

Sehwa had only heard such a thing existed; he had never even owned an old car, let alone a modern one, so he widened his eyes and looked out the window. Avoiding the wall and the terrifying electrical devices installed on it, the sleek sports car flew gracefully like a butterfly. As it dangerously sped through the gaps in the gloomy gray buildings, a wide plain and sky unfolded. Although the grass was dead and yellow, he had never imagined such a vast landscape could exist for 1 won.

“Have you ever seen the sea?”

“…No.”

“If you go down there, you’ll find it. It’s a cliff soon.”

“…Director, please.”

He thought he couldn’t be surprised anymore, but Gi Taejeong gave him no time to breathe, utterly exhausting him.

“You always cry and get surprised even when I don’t do anything amazing, so I’m telling you beforehand.”

The sky and land, which had been amicably sharing his vision, slowly separated. The devouring blue sky increasingly filled the windshield.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Gi Taejeong peeled off the skin he had been wearing and ruffled his heavily pressed hair.

“I’m the commander of the combat air wing.”

Wiping the sweat dripping down his neck, he smiled with a sense of relief. He didn’t know what difference “combat air wing commander” made from the rank of brigadier general, but seeing the word “flight” in it… it probably meant Gi Taejeong was in the air force. Even Sehwa, who didn’t follow the news much, knew that the air force held the highest rank within the military.

Just as when he held a gun, Gi Taejeong casually tapped the steering wheel, and the car’s altitude subtly changed. It was a remarkably elegant skill, undeniable.

“I know you’re a coward, but this time, you can truly trust me.”

A halo of light danced gracefully along his fine hair. Receiving the pouring light head-on, Gi Taejeong smoothly increased speed.

“Because I’m invincible in the sky.”

Behind them, explosions still faintly echoed, and the unfeeling man beside him whispered for them to fall together into the beyond. Sehwa gazed blankly at the point where the boundary between sky and earth disappeared. It was all so blue that he couldn’t tell where it ended.

“Ow, hot!”

The powdered ointment Gi Taejeong gave him was effective. Blisters were already subsiding, and new skin was growing. But it stung and burned just as much. Sehwa winced, furrowing his brow, and fanned himself vigorously.

They arrived at a small bunker after crossing the cliff. It was called a bunker, but he said it was more like an exclusive lodging for the air force. A place where they could rest and play if unavoidable circumstances arose during combat flight training. Perhaps that’s why, despite being a military facility, it was as cozy and clean as a home, and it had everything they needed. Gi Taejeong grumbled that it was too small, probably because it was in a secluded spot, but to Sehwa, it was nothing short of a palace.

“What are you doing?”

Gi Taejeong, who had just showered, asked indifferently, shaking his hair dry with a towel.

“It hurts a bit.”

“Want some medicine?”

Sehwa instinctively started to nod, then stiffened.

“…No, it’s fine.”

“It helps when you feel sick to your stomach too.”

“It’s not that… I shouldn’t get used to it. I’m not someone who can take that kind of medicine every day just because it hurts…”

Sehwa inwardly repeated the resolution he had made in that damn shelter. Know your place, know your place…

“And anyway, it won’t even work. Right now, I haven’t wrapped the, uh, black… patch.”

“That’s… Ah… Was it?”

Gi Taejeong, who was about to reply, let his words trail off enigmatically.

“Just a moment.”