New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

1050  Making Friends In All The Wrong Places

It didn't take long for the limo to arrive and pick up Aapo, who finally felt relieved to leave after his embarrassing stunt under the rain. But, with it came the sadness of leaving his friends with whom he'd bonded over the last days, as well.

As the limo pulled out of the hangar, going back into the torrential rain mother nature was gracing Finland in that wet afternoon, he looked at them through the tinted windows one last time, a discreet smile appearing over his lips.

"Bye, guys. Catch you next time," he whispered to himself. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As for the ones in the hangar, they still had a while to wait since the plane needed to get refuelled and drop their last unwanted passenger.

Park Jun-Seo chose the moment after the limo had left to disembark the plane. He had tried sneaking around in the cargo hold, trying to find the crystals he'd seen the young man holding earlier, but was unsuccessful.

Both because he couldn't pinpoint which crate they were in, but also because the pale one called David came back as he was snooping and glared at him with unabated killing intent, forcing him to abandon his attempts.

Alex saw the man walk down the small staircase, and he locked his eyes on him.

"Finally leaving us? Are you going through some fancy tunnels again? Or was your client meeting you here?" Alex mocked.

Mr. Park looked outside and scoffed.

"Do you think my client would meet me in a shabby hangar in weather like this? It is clear you don't know what kind of people my organization deals with. No. My journey is not yet done. But since this is as far as the bird takes me, I will take a limo to my next stop.

"Would you mind being a dear and calling one for me as you did for your friend?" the smuggler asked, giving his most amicable smile.

Alex replied with a deadpan expression, as Kary scoffed at his question.

"No way. You're on your own from here, parasite," Alex said, turning to look at the kids playing on the edge of the rain curtain.

Mr. Park grimaced at his words, convinced there was still a way for them to become friends.

"Don't be like this, Mr. Leduc. My organization goes beyond just smuggling goods across borders, you know? We also deal with all kinds of political powers, who I am sure could make your life easier in the coming times.

"Is that not an enticing enough offer for you to consider keeping us in your phone book?" the man asked, strolling toward the hangar door.

Alex couldn't care less about having political ties, but Kary pinched him in the side.

"Ow!" he growled, looking at her confusedly.

"Jack wouldn't want you to outright flush with such an opportunity. If not for you, do it for him," she whispered into his ear, her eyes sharp.

Alex groaned as he resigned himself to committing to this farce.

"Fine. But don't you dare think my plane is for you to hijack whenever you need wings, Mr. Park. I went to great lengths to get this aircraft, and I'm not pawning it to some smuggling ring."

Park Jun-Seo spun on his heels, a broad smile across his face.

"Please, Mr. Leduc. It was as if we needed a plane as eye-catching as your big black bird to conduct business. We already have many planes with much better pilots on retainer," he replied, his mocking tone back.

"Fuck you, squinty!" Major Schrute shouted from the other side of the hangar as she inspected the fuselage.

Alex had to resist the urge to punch the man in his smug face as he mocked the effort he went through and the ass-kissing he endured to get his hands on this plane.

He bit the inside of his cheek and smiled at the smuggler.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Park. Then what could I ever have that you want to keep contact with some nobody like me?" he asked, starting to get annoyed from this dancing around the pot.

Greed flashed through the smuggler's eyes, and he didn't even try to contain it as his grin widened.

"Merchandise, Mr. Leduc. Material or otherwise, that no one can get their hands on. Don't think I didn't see the crates with armour and weapons in them. They may look like standard medieval weapons to an untrained eye, but I have been in this business for a long time.

"I can tell when something is not normal, and I can tell when an object exudes a weird vibe. And all your crates were all but alarms, to my senses, Mr. Leduc. This entire plane reeked of opportunity," he explained, motioning the aircraft with a broad gesture.

Alex's gaze narrowed.

"You don't have a clue what you are asking me, Mr. Park. You would be better to lower your expectations," Alex warned him.

But the smuggler knew he was on to something and wasn't about to let go of this big fish. He was already a prominent figure in his organization; reeling in a new type of merchandise, something so rare that no one can get their hands on, would rocket him to the top.

"Don't be like that, Mr. Leduc. Should I call you Alexander? I feel like remaining casual would be better for our future relationship. I'll call you Alexander," the man pleaded, changing his smile to something more friendly.

Alex grunted at his words.

"I'm not sure I want to befriend a criminal."

Mr. Park chuckled at his harsh words.

"Ah, but Alexander, it's not like you aren't one as well, now," he replied mockingly.

Alex's teeth clenched, as he could barely refute his claim.

"The accusations are unfounded," he defended himself.

But the man didn't care about such trivialities.

"Irrelevant. I don't care what society tags you as. All I care about, Mr. Leduc, is the profit we can make together. You offer a chance at a new product of extreme value, and I offer a service.

"The service of transporting it to interested parties without ever getting your hands dirty. Does that not interest you? Are you too good for easy money? That would be hypocritical to assume, given how you got the funds for this trip," Mr. Park explained, grinning.

Alex stared at him intently, but up to now, the man hadn't uttered a single lie.

Yes, things were a little more complicated than he tried to picture them as, but he was still correct.

'David is to blame for putting us at this guy's mercy. He better have some good excuse later, ass hat,' Alex fumed internally.