The courthouse steps were still crowded when Bakugo finally came out.
Baki spotted him near the side entrance, moving slowly with his hat in his hands. Seongji and Vin Jin followed as Baki walked over.
Bakugo stopped when he saw them coming. He looked at Baki's face and his shoulders dropped slightly.
"Old man," Baki said. "Let's go somewhere quieter."
---
They found a bench two blocks from the courthouse, away from the cameras and the noise. Bakugo sat down first. Baki stood in front of him. Seongji stood to the side with his hands in his pockets. Vin Jin stayed a step behind, quiet.
"Why did you lie?" Baki asked.
Bakugo was quiet for a moment. He turned his hat over in his hands. "When I got off the bus this morning, police were waiting for me. Two officers and a man in glasses leading them." He paused. "They put me in the car before I could say anything."
"And then?" Baki said.
"The man in glasses showed me photos." Bakugo's jaw tightened. "Jichang. Gongseob Ji. Taesoo Ma. Seokdu Wang. All four of them have been captured."
Seongji went still. 'Captured?! How's that even possible?!'
Baki's expression didn't change but something behind his eyes did. "Who was he?"
"I don't know," Bakugo said. "I'd never seen him before. He was police officer too." He finally stopped turning the hat. "I'm sorry, Baki. I had no other choice."
"I know," Baki said.
Bakugo looked up at him. Baki had already turned toward Seongji.
"I will have to visit White Tiger Job Centre," Baki said.
Seongji nodded. "Visit them tomorrow."
Baki nodded and turned to Bakugo. "Stay with us for tonight. It isn't safe for you alone."
Bakugo looked between them. "You're right. If I had known the situation would turn so worse, I wouldn't have dragged you all into it."
"It's okay," Seongji said. "We just have make sure that everything ends well."
---
The next morning, Baki arrived at White Tiger Job Centre alone.
The front desk looked the same. The waiting area looked the same. The smell of instant coffee and old paper was exactly as he remembered it.
Sera Shin looked up from her monitor and froze. Then she was on her feet. "Baki? You're actually here?"
Robert Choi spun around in his chair so fast it nearly tipped over. "No way."
Gabriel Park came around the corner with a stack of folders and stopped dead. The folders slid out of his hands and hit the floor. He didn't pick them up.
Baki looked at the three of them. A small smile crossed his face. "It's been a while."
They crowded around him, all talking at once. Robert grabbed his arm and started firing questions. Gabriel was still staring like he wasn't sure Baki was real. Sera stood at her place smiling.
He let them talk for a minute. Then he said, "Is Manager Kim around?"
Sera shook her head. "He's out on a mission. Won't be back for a few days at least."
Baki nodded. "Then I need to see Tom Lee."
The room got slightly quieter.
"He's in his office," Robert said carefully. "You sure?"
"Yes," Baki said.
---
Tom Lee's office was at the end of the hall. Baki knocked once and opened the door.
Tom Lee was at his desk with papers spread in front of him. He looked up with a practiced expression of surprise. "Hoho~ It's Baki. This is unexpected~"
Baki stepped inside and closed the door. He glanced at the desk. Papers covered most of it, but the neck of a soju bottle stuck out from underneath the stack on the left side. Baki said nothing about it.
"Tom Lee," he said. "Why did Manager Kim save Noh Bakugo?"
Tom Lee leaned back in his chair. He was quiet for several seconds.
Then he laughed. "Honestly? I don't know what you're talking about~"
Baki looked at him and waited.
Tom Lee's laugh faded. He looked down at the desk. "He moved on my order," he said finally. "I wanted to help you. When the opportunity showed up, I took it."
"Who had captured old man Bakugo?" Baki said.
Tom Lee shifted in his seat. "Do you really want to know~?"
"I wouldn't have come here if it was the otherwise."
Tom Lee set the paper down. His face turned serious. "You remember reporter Kim?"
"Yes," Baki said.
"A long time ago she asked me to look into a bigshot." He paused. "It's the only time I ever failed her. I couldn't find anything on the bigshot himself. But I found something else." He looked at Baki. "A name. Someone the bigshot trained personally. His right hand. Goes by J. Kingmaker J."
'J,' Baki thought.
"J was the one who picked up Bakugo," Tom Lee said. "I don't know why he did it," He folded his hands on the desk. "But I don't think he's moving on his own accord."
Baki was quiet for a moment. "The kings of Chungcheong, Daegu, Ansan, and Suwon are missing. Do you know anything about that?"
Tom Lee blinked. Then he shook his head slowly. "No. I didn't know that." He was quiet for a few seconds, and for once it seemed genuine. "But I am not surprised that they have gone missing~" He leaned forward slightly. "After all, he has returned." He looked at Baki carefully. "I don't know if you have heard of him as he mostly operates in Mexico."
"Who?" Baki said.
Tom Lee said it plainly. "Gapryong Kim's eldest son, Kitae Kim, the King of Seoul." He let the name sit for a second. "He's back."