The Japanese never change.
Even after dragging East Asia into the abyss of war, they have never once offered a sincere apology—and their people do not even see it as a problem.
With that ingrained contempt toward Koreans, just as they once rotted the Korean Empire from within through pro-Japanese collaborators during colonial rule, even after liberation they left behind Cheongpunghoe as a social cancer and tried to twist Korea to their will.
For such Japan, I could only be an uncomfortable existence.
I blocked their entry into the loan shark market, shook their economy, and drove their Yakuza out of Korea.
They tried to re-enter using Ilseong Group, but even that failed.
And Yoo Seunghan, kneeling in front of , had been following Japan’s orders, plotting to seize Busan’s underworld.
But suddenly I rattled Chunha Group’s Busan branch. His plan was exposed, and in the end he had to play his worst card.
As a result, Yoo Seunghan was left bleeding on his knees before , seething with frustration.
“Bulgom.”
“Yes, Boss.”
True to his nickna, Bulgom had fought Yoo Seunghan barehanded and subdued him without serious injury. Thanks to that, I could clearly see what kind of man he was.
He was not, and could never be, fit to sit as a boss. He was a man with a nature similar to Brother Dongsu.
Brother Dongsu had Lee Sanggeun, a brain to assist him, which balanced his shortcomings. But Bulgom did not.
The one who should have been in Sanggeun’s role, assisting Bulgom, was instead Japan’s puppet. Without appearing, Bulgom would have been killed by Yoo Seunghan’s hand.
“Your head full of vanity and stubbornness put you and your n in danger. You are soone who must never sit in a boss’s seat. Do you understand?”
“...I apologize.”
“We’ll discuss the future when Chairman Yoo arrives. For now... how should I deal with this rat...”
I let my voice trail off as I looked down at Yoo Seunghan, who glared at as if he would kill . Even kneeling and beaten, his eyes still held fire. I chuckled.
“Manager Ma, take that fire out of his eyes. Should we start by taking his left one?”
I was never rciful. To those who crossed , I could only beco more brutal.
“I’ll do it.”
Bulgom blocked Manager Ma and spoke. Manager Ma turned his head, seeking my approval.
“Bulgom. Just this once. Don’t ever move without my order in front of again. I don’t trust you yet.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Fine. Let’s see what you can do. Take the light out of that bastard’s eyes. Such n don’t lose their spirit easily. Can I expect sothing?”
“Yes, Boss.”
Bulgom answered with stubborn resolve. That familiar look confird again—he belonged under command, not above others.
He bowed lightly toward , then stepped up to Yoo Seunghan.
“Baeksa. You bastard... I trusted you, and you do this to ?”
There was a trace of regret in Bulgom’s voice, but Yoo Seunghan only gave a vile grin as he looked up.
“Brother, isn’t this fun?”
“What the hell are you saying?”
“You should have been the one on your knees, not . But since I’ve served you long, send off kindly.”
He seed proud to die at an enemy’s hand. His provocation made Bulgom grit his teeth.
“Shut up before I rip that mouth apart.”
Snarling, Bulgom kicked Yoo Seunghan in the face.
With a heavy thud, Yoo Seunghan collapsed. Bulgom crouched before him and spoke coldly.
“Even without one eye, you won’t die right away. Don’t think you’ll die easy.”
Bulgom shoved his thick fingers under Yoo Seunghan’s eye. A sickening sound of flesh tearing filled the air.
“Uaaaahhhh!”
Yoo Seunghan scread in sheer agony, but Bulgom ignored him and pressed harder, gouging out his left eye.
“Urghh...”
Blood poured from the empty socket. Bulgom stared coldly at him, then dropped the eyeball to the floor and crushed it underfoot.
He turned back toward as if nothing had happened. I nodded in satisfaction, a small smile on my lips.
“Your nickna suits you well, Bulgom.”
“Thank you, Boss.”
Monts later, the warehouse door opened and one of Manager Ma’s n entered.
He whispered a report, and Manager Ma relayed it.
“They’ve finished cleaning outside.”
“Took quite a while.”
“They say more ca than expected. Not just Busan branch n, but many Japanese mixed in. So were killed. Will that cause a problem?”
“Hmmm...”
At that, Bulgom stepped up.
“I’ll handle it. Leave it to .”
“...Can I trust you?”
“This is my specialty. Please give the chance to make up for my mistakes.”
His determined face, receiving the weight of my distrust, made want to give him another chance.
“Fine. Then handle all the n here as you see fit. I trust you’ll do it right. And...”
I glanced toward the thugs dragged in with Jeong Minwoo. Bulgom’s eyes followed mine.
“Make sure those bastards never play gangsters again. Don’t kill them. Just make it so they’ll never dare raise their fists again.”
“Understood.”
“Jeong Minwoo. Get up and co here.”
At his na, Jeong Minwoo jerked, lifting his head in terror. His face was full of fear.
Looking at him, I knew he wouldn’t dare play gangster again, but I still needed to make it certain.
“Brother...”
“You’re going to leave here and go to your mother. You’ll kneel and beg her forgiveness. Then you’ll beg the market people too.”
Terrified of what I might say next, he crawled forward on his knees, trembling.
“If I hear you played gangster again, hit your mother, or harassed the market people, expect it. What you saw today will «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» be nothing compared to what I’ll do. Understand?”
He nodded desperately.
“Yes, Brother. I’ll never do it again.”
“Good. Forget everything you saw and heard here today.”
“Yes...”
I pointed at him and told Manager Ma,
“Let him go. Send soone to escort him ho.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Rehabilitating my hotown kid was a damn chore. With a sigh, I watched as Jeong Minwoo left with Manager Ma’s man.
Once he was gone, I told Bulgom,
“I’ll trust you to clean this up. Do it neatly and report back to . Then I’ll decide your fate.”
Bulgom bowed and left with the remaining n, dragging the market thugs out.
The warehouse door closed. Only Manager Ma, myself, and Yoo Seunghan writhing on the floor remained.
“Bring him here.”
Manager Ma grabbed his hair and dragged him before .
Even clutching his bleeding eye, he looked up at with defiant eyes.
“Still not broken, huh.”
“...K-kill .”
“You want to die? Then tell your plan. Otherwise, I’ll make you a man who can’t live or die.”
Blood stread through his fingers as he clutched the ruined eye.
But I felt no sympathy. Pointing at his remaining eye, I continued.
“I’ll gouge that one too. Cut every tendon in your hands and feet, dump you on an uninhabited island in the West Sea where no one will ever find you.”
“...”
“You might try suicide, so I’ll take your tongue too. I’ll feed you just enough to stay alive. You’ll live like an animal, desperate to die but unable. There are specialists who can make sure you won’t die.”
There were always people who would rather die than talk. Pride or training made them stubborn.
But once you dig into their minds from the bottom up, even they beco useful.
If they can’t die, eventually they’ll talk—just to escape the tornt.
And when they realize I’m not bluffing, they’ll fear even more.
“In the end, you’ll want to die but never be able to. Living in madness, begging for death. If that’s the life you want, then stay silent.”
I grinned viciously. Finally, fear flickered across Yoo Seunghan’s face.
Of course—who spread the rumor about such n existing, broken between life and death?
He had surely heard it before. His body trembled.
“You think it’s a lie. Fine. You’ll find out soon enough. I know your kind too well. Parasites like you, living off cheap pride, never listen when treated as humans.”
“...”
“Well? Still planning to keep your mouth shut?”
At last, the strength drained from his remaining eye. He stared blankly at , saying nothing.
“Now your eyes are dead. Finally, we can talk.”
I wiped away the grin, speaking coldly.
“Tell everything you know. How many like you are in Korea, how many have infiltrated Chunha Group, and who’s behind you.”
The Yakuza surely knew they could not shake the united Korean underworld head-on through Chunha Group.
So they chose to incite division from within. Without more intel, I could not conclude.
As deputy branch chief of Busan, Yoo Seunghan should know sothing worthwhile.
“...I...”
He began to speak slowly. I listened without interruption.
But he knew less than expected. When he finished, I asked again without aning to.
“That’s it? Nothing more?”
“We do not know each other. After seeing Cheongpunghoe collapse overnight, to avoid repeating that mistake, we only contact our own handler in Japan. Even my handler would not know others.”
“I see...”
The Yakuza were relentless. Yet as Japan’s crackdown on them worsened, they looked to Korea. But Chunha Group blocked them.
So they chose to eliminate and shatter Chunha Group instead.
Cockroaches—kill one, and more crawl out. Their persistence was endless.
“I see... Fine. I’ll believe you.”
“Now kill . I’ve told you all I know.”
He bowed his head, begging for death.
“If you want it that badly, I’ll grant it. Manager Ma.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Cut every tendon in his hands and feet, dump him on an island. Give him to the specialists. Tell them to do as usual.”
Yoo Seunghan’s head snapped up, and he shouted.
“Y-you’re breaking your promise!”
Promise? His indignant cry only made smirk coldly.
“I keep promises with n. Not parasites.”
“You vile—”
Not worth hearing further. At my look, Manager Ma struck him and knocked him out cold.
I handed him over to the n to be taken to the island.
Checking my watch, I saw it was nearly midnight.
“Grandma will be worried sick.”
The warehouse stank of blood, but all I could think of was her face, fretting over whether I was safe.
The sea breeze mixed with the stench, filling the warehouse with a strange atmosphere.
Then, several cars pulled in outside.
The first man to step out was Yoo Seongjin. He scanned the area, found , and rushed into the warehouse.
Uncaring that his suit was stained with blood, he threw himself flat before .
“I am sorry. All of this is my failure.”
I looked down at him with cold eyes.
User Comments
0 comments from readers