Fate in the Rain

Lights of Gwangan

The small fishing boat shuddered through Busan’s coastal waters, its engine coughing smoke as waves slapped its damaged hull. Kang Min-jae gripped the helm, his heart pounding as the helicopter’s searchlight pinned them like prey, its roar drowning out the sea’s relentless crash. Choi Soo-jin crouched beside him, her backpack clutched tightly, the USB drive and newly salvaged evidence from the warehouse safe a heavy weight. In the back, Hye-jin supported her wounded brother, Lee Min-soo, whose confession—“I helped him, years ago”—hung in the air like a storm cloud. Behind them, Joon-ho’s speedboat closed in, Lee Soo-kyung’s g*n glinting in the moonlight, her silhouette sharp against Gwangan Bridge’s dazzling lights.Soo-jin’s eyes, red from smoke and tears, locked onto Min-soo’s ashen face. “What did you do?” she demanded, her voice trembling over the engine’s sputter. “You said you were fighting my father. How could you help him?”Min-soo coughed, blood staining his lips, his scarred face etched with guilt. “I didn’t know the cost,” he rasped. “Years ago, I handled deals for him—offshore accounts, payoffs to silence people. I thought it was just business. When I realized what he was doing—smuggling, worse—I tried to stop him. That’s why I ran.”Min-jae’s hands tightened on the helm, his mind flashing to his mother, Eun-ji, and her alliance with Hye-jin, Soo-jin’s mother. The letter they’d found—The evidence is in Busan—tied their mothers to Min-soo’s fight, but his confession cast a shadow. Had he betrayed them too? The helicopter’s light swept closer, its blades chopping the air, and Joon-ho’s speedboat gained, a gunshot cracking the night, grazing the boat’s stern.“Min-jae!” Soo-jin shouted, ducking as water sprayed. “We’re not going to make it!”He swerved the boat toward Gwangan Bridge, its diamond-shaped lights a shimmering beacon against Busan’s skyline. Hye-jin had said a journalist waited there, someone who could take the evidence and expose Choi Enterprises. But the helicopter—likely under her father’s control—made every move a gamble. “We’re close,” Min-jae said, his voice steady despite the fear clawing his chest. “Hold on.”Hye-jin leaned forward, her auburn hair plastered with sea spray. “The journalist—Kim Seo-yeon—she’s at a café under the bridge,” she said, her voice urgent. “She’s been tracking your father for years. Get the evidence to her, and this ends.”Soo-jin’s eyes flicked to her mother, doubt and longing warring in her gaze. “Why didn’t you give it to her yourself?” she asked, her voice raw. “You burned the warehouse. You could’ve destroyed everything.”Hye-jin’s face tightened, her hands steadying Min-soo. “I had to make them think the evidence was gone,” she said. “Your father’s men were too close. It was the only way to buy you time.”Min-jae’s gut churned. Hye-jin’s explanation made sense, but her sudden return, Min-soo’s confession, and Han’s sacrifice at the pier left too many questions. The memory of Ji-hoon’s silenced shout gnawed at him—someone had betrayed them, and the helicopter’s presence meant their location was no secret. He glanced at Soo-jin, her face fierce despite the tears, and felt a surge of resolve. The lock on Namsan’s fence, their promise to return, anchored him.The boat’s engine sputtered, water seeping through the bullet hole in the hull. Min-jae steered toward a small dock beneath Gwangan Bridge, its concrete pillars casting shadows over the water. The café Hye-jin mentioned was visible, its neon sign flickering through the mist. But Joon-ho’s speedboat was relentless, closing the gap, and the helicopter’s light locked onto them, its roar deafening.“We need to jump,” Min-jae said, cutting the engine as the boat scraped against the dock. “Get to the café on foot.”Soo-jin nodded, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Hye-jin helped Min-soo, his face pale with pain, as they climbed onto the dock, the sea’s cold spray soaking their clothes. The helicopter hovered above, its light blinding, and Joon-ho’s speedboat slowed, Soo-kyung’s g*n trained on them.“Run!” Min-jae shouted, pulling Soo-jin toward the shore. They sprinted across the sandy path, the café’s lights a faint hope. Hye-jin and Min-soo lagged behind, his wound slowing them, but Min-jae didn’t dare stop. Joon-ho’s shout echoed—“You can’t hide!”—as footsteps pounded behind, Soo-kyung’s voice barking orders.The café was small, its windows fogged with steam, the smell of coffee and grilled squid wafting from a nearby street vendor. Inside, a woman sat alone at a corner table, her laptop open, her face sharp and focused. She looked up as Min-jae and Soo-jin burst in, her eyes narrowing. “Soo-jin?” she asked, standing. “I’m Kim Seo-yeon. Hye-jin told me you’d come.”Soo-jin thrust the backpack at her, her voice urgent. “The evidence,” she said. “USB drive, documents, recordings—it’s all here. You have to get it out.”Seo-yeon nodded, taking the bag, but her eyes flicked to the door. “They’re close,” she said. “I’ve got a car out back. We can—”The door slammed open, Joon-ho striding in, Soo-kyung at his side, her g*n raised. Hye-jin and Min-soo stumbled in behind, his arm slung over her shoulder, blood dripping onto the floor. “No one’s going anywhere,” Joon-ho said, his smile cold. “Hand it over, Soo-jin, or your mother and uncle join your friend Ji-hoon.”Soo-jin’s breath caught, her eyes flashing to Min-jae. “Ji-hoon’s dead?” she whispered, her voice breaking.Joon-ho’s laugh was cruel. “He was… uncooperative. Like Han. Loyalty’s a losing game, Soo-jin.”Min-jae’s heart sank, Han’s sacrifice and Ji-hoon’s silenced shout now a grim reality. He stepped in front of Soo-jin, his jaw clenched. “You’re not touching her,” he said, his voice steady despite the gun.Seo-yeon’s hand slipped under the table, her eyes flicking to Min-jae—a signal. He caught her glance, his mind racing. The café’s back door was steps away, but Soo-kyung’s g*n pinned them. Min-soo coughed, his voice weak. “Soo-jin,” he rasped, “the recordings… they name everyone. Your father, me, even Joon-ho.”Joon-ho’s smile vanished, his eyes narrowing. “Shut up, old man,” he snapped, nodding to Soo-kyung. She aimed at Min-soo, but Hye-jin lunged, shoving her brother aside. The g*n fired, the bullet grazing Hye-jin’s arm, blood blooming on her sleeve.“Now!” Seo-yeon shouted, pulling a small canister from under the table—a smoke bomb. She smashed it on the floor, thick gray clouds erupting, choking the air. Min-jae grabbed Soo-jin, pulling her toward the back door as Seo-yeon scooped up the backpack. Hye-jin dragged Min-soo, her face grim with pain.They burst into an alley, the sea air sharp after the smoke. Seo-yeon led them to a battered sedan, its engine already running. “Get in,” she said, tossing the backpack to Soo-jin. “I’ll drive.”They piled in, Min-jae and Soo-jin in the back, Hye-jin and Min-soo in the front with Seo-yeon. The sedan peeled out, Gwangan Bridge’s lights blurring past as Joon-ho’s shouts faded. The helicopter’s roar followed, its light sweeping the streets, but Seo-yeon wove through Busan’s narrow alleys, her driving precise.“Where are we going?” Min-jae asked, his hand still gripping Soo-jin’s.“My office,” Seo-yeon said, her eyes on the road. “It’s secure. I can upload the evidence, get it to the right people—prosecutors, international press. Your father’s done, Soo-jin.”Soo-jin’s eyes glistened, her hand clutching the backpack. “And my mother?” she asked, glancing at Hye-jin’s bloodied arm. “My uncle? What happens to them?”Hye-jin’s voice was soft, pained. “We’ll face what comes,” she said. “But you’re free now, Soo-jin. That’s what matters.”Min-soo coughed, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought I could protect you by working with him. I was wrong.”Soo-jin’s face crumpled, but she nodded, her hand tightening on Min-jae’s. “We’ll finish this,” she said, her voice fierce. “For my mother. For yours.”The sedan slowed as they reached a quiet street, a small office building tucked among Busan’s high-rises. But as they stepped out, the helicopter’s light flared above, and a new voice crackled through a megaphone, chillingly familiar—Choi Dong-hyun, Soo-jin’s father. “Soo-jin,” he boomed, “you’ve gone far enough. Surrender now, or everyone you love dies.”