June: I'll meet you at the parking lot of Azure in half an hour.
It was late at night, almost nearing midnight, but June couldn't shake off the thoughts inside his head. To add to that, he wanted to keep his end of the deal and tell Bo Wen where his family resided.
Bo Wen didn't respond; however, June knew that he was going to meet him regardless. After some more pondering, June threw on some warm clothes and went down to the parking lot.
He went to an area where he knew didn't have any security cameras.
Then, all he had to do was wait.
A few minutes later, he saw a huge figure with his body pressed against the walls. June shook his head in amusement. It seemed like Bo Wen's past instincts were still alive since he managed to walk through the blind spots of the security cameras.
Bo Wen looked around until his eyes landed on a lean figure behind the stairs.
"June," he said, making the idol look up at him.
"You're early," June remarked.
Bo Wen's jaw clenched. "You know what I'm here for."
"Eager, are we?" he chuckled. "Well, don't rush. I still need some answers to my questions."
"You better make it quick. Haruki has a schedule early in the morning," Bo Wen urged.
"The briefcase," June went straight to the point. "What's inside it?"
Bo Wen scratched the back of his head. "That's something that none of us know."
June raised one of his eyebrows in inquiry. "I'm sure Laohu told you what it's for, at least."
"He didn't," Bo Wen said, sincerity heard in his voice. "Nobody, except for Laohu, knows what is inside the briefcase or what it is for. All I know is that it has some important content."
"Then," June said. "Why do the people in the audio recording you sent know of its contents and purpose?"
Bo Wen froze, feeling caught in the headlight.
"You told me that only Laohu knows," June continued to pressure him. "It seems like a lot of people are aware."
"It's only them," Bo Wen gulped.
"I see," June chuckled. "Then, if Laohu didn't tell you, I'm sure that your new bosses did."
Bo Wen sighed, rubbing his bald head out of frustration.
"Phoenix and White Tiger are linked," he finally confessed. It was what June had been waiting to hear.
"I figured," June smirked. "You, Lin Zhi, and Laohu are there for a reason."
"Have I answered your questions yet?" Bo Wen asked, already eager to know where his family was.
"One more question," June said.
Bo Wen pursed his lips before nodding.
"The link between Phoenix and White Tiger...," June began. However, even with those few words, Bo Wen already knew what June was going to ask for.
"They're our counterparts," Bo Wen quickly divulged. He knew he shouldn't be telling June these pieces of information--especially since he wasn't even sure if what the idol was saying was true. However, something compelled him to tell June about it.
"I also only recently figured it out before our gang was dissolved," Bo Wen started off.
"Dissolved?" June frowned in confusion.
"Right, you didn't know," Bo Wen said. "White Tiger in Shanghai has been dissolved. After the briefcase had been lost, the 'head' dissolved the gang as punishment."
As Bo Wen continued speaking, June felt like his entire life had been a lie. Why did he know so little of what he has been a part of for most of his life?
"The head?" June asked.
Bo Wen chuckled in amusement. "You were really a pure soul back then, weren't you? You didn't know much about how we operated. You just did your job well and were loyal to Laohu until the day of your death."
"Answer my question," June said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"It might seem that White Tiger is the usual gang that raided clubs, stole money, and extracted information. However, we're part of a bigger organization. White Tiger is just a fraction of the entire corporation. There are a lot more affiliates, and the umbrella is wider than you expect."
"And Phoenix is a part of this?" June asked.
Bo Wen nodded. "That's correct. They're the biggest fraction and shareholder of the organization. That's why I was sent here instead of being a beggar on the streets after White Tiger had been dissolved. That's also the reason why Lin Zhi was able to get into the company quite fast compared to other trainees."
June shook his head in disbelief.
"And what about this 'head' that you were talking about?" he asked.
"It's self-explanatory," Bo Wen said. "If Laohu was the boss of White Tiger, then the 'head' is the core of the organization. They are the ones at the very top—the king, in simpler terms."
June pursed his lips. He thought his biggest enemy was Laohu, but it seemed like this problem ran deeper than he thought.
"Now, tell me the information I need in exchange for what I've told you," Bo Wen said.
June sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Honestly, Bo Wen revealed more information than he had expected.
So, he decided to tell him exactly what he needed.
"Before anything else, you need to promise me something," June said.
"What?" Bo Wen impatiently asked.
"Do not go after them. They're already living a good life without you."
Bo Wen's face reddened as he shook his head. "You don't get to tell me what to do. We had a deal. That promise is not part of the deal."
June finally sighed in frustration. Nonetheless, he knew that Bo Wen would swallow his words after his revelation.
June brought out his phone from his pocket and showed Bo Wen a location—a humble home in Hainan, China.
"Your son is in this place," June said.
"How do I make sure that you're telling the truth?" Bo Wen suspiciously asked.
June sighed and pulled out a photo of a woman, his wife's mother, to be precise, in that very house with a small child in her arms. The child strongly resembled his wife (thank goodness), and he had a wide, toothless grin on his face.
"Bo," the baldie muttered as he stared at the photo with teary eyes. "He's gotten so big."
June allowed him to stare at the photo a little longer before placing his phone back into his pocket.
"There, I told you already. Now, I don't owe you anything," June said.
"Wait," Bo Wen frowned. "My wife. You only showed me a photo of my son. You need to tell me where my wife is."
June sighed. This was the part he was dreading to reveal.
"Bring out your phone," he instructed.
"What are you—"
"Just do it," June insisted.
Bo Wen sighed and brought out his phone.
"Search for Mount Everest," June said.
Bo Wen looked him dead in the eyes. "You're joking with me now. Don't tell me that my wife is currently hiking in Tibet."
"Not the mountain," June sighed.
"Mount Ever Rest," he said, enunciating his words.
Bo Wen froze and typed the location into his phone. Then, he froze.
"You're fucking with me."
"I'm not," June said.
Bo Wen lifted his head and stared at June with red eyes.
"This is a cemetery."
