12.2 Accomplice

It was a man. His height and build were beastly—as large as Chu Gi-oh—but he looked to be around my age... It clicked instantly. He was undoubtedly Chu Gi-oh's nephew, whom I had heard of before. Cha... Mu-gang, was it? I remembered him because his name was similar to Mugwang, this place.

Cha Mu-gang was wearing a black tracksuit and sneakers, looking like a loafer, and he was staring at me with a gaze so piercing it felt like my skin was stinging. The way he frowned while flicking the ash from his cigarette made him look far too much like Chu Gi-oh. He looked to be in a foul mood, as if something had upset him. Even that fierce aura was similar—no, identical—making it feel as if a young Chu Gi-oh had suddenly popped up and was standing right in front of me. It felt like he might reach out for me at any moment and say, "Get over here, fucker."

I stared at him blankly before suddenly snapping back to my senses. I hurriedly took the cigarette out of my mouth and gave a clumsy greeting.