9.3 Chae-gwi (Hungry Ghost)
About ten hours had passed since I had forcibly separated myself from the man who said, ‘I only want to be with you.’ It was now 8 PM, the time Chu Gi-oh said he would come to pick me up.
I wondered if he would take me to the scene after everything was finished, or if he intended to carry out his plans right in front of me. Whatever it was, I had made up my mind to accept it.
However, perhaps his plans had changed; 8 o’clock passed, and it was nearly 10 PM, but there was still no news. I considered calling him, but fearing I might interrupt his work, I only toyed with the call button. After twenty minutes of this, someone came to the room. Thinking it was Chu Gi-oh, I rushed to the entrance and opened the door. But it wasn’t him; it was Du-jik.
Du-jik gave me a quick bow and spoke urgently.
“The Big Brother wants the Haengsu-nim to come with him now.”
Since he seemed to be in a hurry, I didn’t even ask where we were going and simply followed him. However, as I looked at the familiar street scenery through the car window, I knew the destination without asking. It was Kim Jeong-suk’s house.
Du-jik got out of the car and ran toward me. I stepped out on my own before he could open the door for me. I could get used to being called Haengsu-nim, but I never wanted to get used to being waited on.
I saw Chu Gi-oh’s car parked nearby. The sight of it made my heart pound like a runner just before receiving the baton in a relay race. Imagining what kind of situation I was about to face, I followed Du-jik down to the entrance of the house.
I entered the house through the door opened by Kim Sang-su. I thought I would be let in alone, but Du-jik continued to lead the way. Kim Sang-su, who bowed to me, said to Du-jik in a low voice, “You’re here.” Then, he guided the two of us to Room 3.
The interior was the same as usual. It was still a raccoon’s den, and as always, it was quiet, save for the occasional curses spat out by players whose cards weren’t hitting.
Come to think of it, Kim Min-chul, who usually served as the ashtray, had been missing since visit our sitelast time. Suspecting this wasn’t a coincidence, I asked Kim Sang-su quietly, but the only [unauthorized copy]answer I got was that [Read on Read BL Novels]he was working at another house. Beside me, Du-jik quietly added,
“Just in case, my Brother stashed him away elsewhere. If some other guy comes in when we need him, it’ll all be for nothing, won’t it?”
I was curious about what “when we need him” meant, but my mouth shut naturally when Kim Sang-su knocked on the door of Room 3.
“Sorry to bother you while you’re busy, but a guest has arrived. He’s with CEO Chu….”
Aside from my absence, Room 3 was exactly as it had been. The devils trying to fleece Chu Gi-oh were all gathered there. President Ko, President Park, Kim Jeong-suk, and Kang Moon-soo. The Seoul guy, whom I thought had only visited for a day, was also sitting next to Kang Moon-soo, receiving cards dealt by President Park. Everyone looked to be in a good mood.
Rather than Chu Gi-oh’s face, which looked back at me with a smile, Kang Moon-soo’s filthy face—held high with shamelessness and without so much as a blink—caught my eye first. He looked so perfectly fine that I felt the strength leave me. The man, who even had a cigarette in his mouth, only twitched slightly under his eyes upon seeing the bruise on the bridge of my nose.
I felt glad that I had come with the bruise exposed. If I hadn’t, Kang Moon-soo wouldn’t have twitched so much as an eyelid.
“Please go in, Haengsu-nim.”
Du-jik whispered softly from behind and gave my back a gentle push. Only then did I step forward and sit down next to Chu Gi-oh.
“Du-jik, you head out now,” Chu Gi-oh said, pulling me by the shoulder and leaning his body against mine. Amidst the smell of cigarettes and the disgusting scent of the people around us, his scent hit the tip of my nose clearly. I felt my churning stomach settle.
He looked at me with a smirk. Our foreheads touched and then parted.
“Did you sleep a bit? Did you eat well?”
“Yes. I took a nap and ate well.”
Ignoring the gazes fixed on me, I looked only at Chu Gi-oh and replied with a smile.
“Thanks to the CEO taking care of me when it was time,” I continued, thinking to myself: Chu Gi-oh said it would all be over today, so after today, I would never have to set foot in this place again. My filthy connection with those bastards would be completely severed tonight.
The Seoul guy slowly scanned me. He first looked at the bruise on my face, then slowly lowered his gaze. Since I was wearing a loose-necked t-shirt, the marks Chu Gi-oh had left would be clearly visible. I had long since forgotten about shame. I had nothing to hide.
While Chu Gi-oh pulled away from me to organize the cards he had received, I deliberately looked at the Seoul guy. I looked at Kang Moon-soo and Kim Jeong-suk too. As I did, I deliberately stretched my neck. Whether they thought it was filthy or not, I showed them all the marks Chu Gi-oh had left.
Kang Moon-soo, sitting opposite me, lit cigarette after cigarette. Unlike at first, he seemed to grow increasingly uncomfortable with me. After stealing a few glances with a displeased expression, he eventually stopped lifting his head and only stared at his cards. Seeing Chu Gi-oh engage in such blatant displays of affection that it made one frown, he seemed to find the current state of excessive silence suspicious.
Staying with my back straight, I watched the process of Chu Gi-oh losing money. Before I knew it, it was midnight.
The players, having finished the final round of a session, stretched and began to count the money they had won. The Seoul guy, who had won the most, piled his money to one side and spoke to Chu Gi-oh.
“If you’re not too busy, why not do one more round today? You should at least win some back before you go.”
No wonder it had been so late yesterday; it seemed he had played two sessions and didn’t get home until morning. Having spent four hours in such a filthy den, it was no surprise that the smell of cigarettes clung to him so nauseatingly.
“Ah. Maybe not.”
Before he received an answer, the Seoul guy muttered to himself while looking at me. Beside me, Chu Gi-oh let out a long breath. Then, he pushed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter toward me.
“Could you light this for me?”
His voice was incredibly tender. When I took out a cigarette and tried to place it in his mouth, he frowned slightly and shook his head.
“You should light it with your own mouth. You know how it is, why act like this?”
As told, I put the cigarette in my mouth and lit it. After drawing in a long puff with my tongue, I blew the smoke toward Chu Gi-oh and passed the cigarette into his mouth. Tasting the filter stained with my saliva, Chu Gi-oh smiled and blew out smoke as if singing a response.
“You’re bringing me back to life again.”
The Seoul guy watched us with a look of utter disbelief. The way his mouth twisted made it seem like he found it disgusting.
Chu Gi-oh took the cigarette out of his mouth. He blew a puff of smoke directly at the Seoul guy, whose expression was fully exposed, and said,
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Kim Jeong-suk quickly scanned the bundles of cash lying in front of Chu Gi-oh. Perhaps it wasn’t a satisfactory amount, as she cleared her throat and pretended to be considerate.
“In the next round, our CEO will surely win some back. There are always people who get a lucky streak later on. But CEO, Read on Read BL Novelsdid you bring as much [Read on Read BL Novels]money as you did yesterday? You’ll need some capital to push through a session….”
“If I don’t have any, I can just borrow it here. Or the madam can lend it to me.”
Chu Gi-oh replied, flicking ash into a paper cup and spitting right on top of it.
Kim Jeong-suk gave an awkward laugh and said, “Of, of course. If you’re short, borrow from me too. I’ve gained a lot from you, so I’ll lend you plenty.”
Because I was nervous about how and when the situation might suddenly change, I had drunk a lot of water and now really needed to urinate. It was manageable, but since a new round was about to start, I figured it would be difficult to go unless I did it now, so I whispered into Chu Gi-oh’s ear that I would be back from the restroom in a moment. However, he immediately shook his head. “Stay beside me,” he said, and began gathering the cards scattered on the round table. After tidying them up, he handed them to Kim Jeong-suk with a short command.
“Change the deck.”
Even without further explanation, she would know to bring a new deck. It was the house rule to change to a new one every session.
Kim Jeong-suk pressed the bell under the table to call Kim Sang-su.
“Discard these, and go tell President Yoo to give us a new deck. One with the packaging still sealed.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Kim Sang-su bowed low as he took the cards and a ten-thousand won tip from Kim Jeong-suk. The reason for insisting on a sealed pack was obvious. It was an intention to show their integrity by opening the cards in front of Chu Gi-oh. We’ve never cheated with cards or anything else, so don’t have any fucking suspicions. If you want to blame someone, blame your own unlucky fingertips. Since saying it out loud would start a fight, they were signaling it through their actions.
While a few people went to the restroom, Kim [visit our site]Sang-su returned with a new deck exactly as it had been shipped from the factory. As he bowed and handed it to Kim Jeong-suk, she gave him another ten-thousand won tip.
The expression on Kim Sang-su’s face as he turned away after receiving the money was quite sour. He looked as if he were cursing internally, thinking, Giving it out so stingily.
While Kim Jeong-suk tore open the packaging and took out the cards, the players who had gone to the restroom all returned and took their seats. She handed the cards to Chu Gi-oh and said,
“It’s your turn to deal, CEO. Also, about the money….”
Chu Gi-oh didn’t even look at Kim Jeong-suk, who seemed to be asking with difficulty, and simply took the cards. Perhaps feeling embarrassed that her words were ignored, Kim Jeong-suk twisted her mouth secretly behind Chu Gi-oh’s back.
And so, amidst a silence filled with unpleasantness, the game began without fail.
After about three or four rounds, I began to wonder. I couldn’t understand how he planned to pull them up by the roots this way. But then.
The Seoul guy, whose turn it was to deal, suddenly changed color. He placed the remaining cards in front of himself and looked at Kang Moon-soo meaningfully. When there was no response, he even nudged him with his elbow.
Upon receiving the signal from the Seoul guy, I saw Kang Moon-soo secretly flip over one of the cards he had received. A moment later, after shielding the card with his hand and examining it, Kang Moon-soo’s eyes shook violently.
Soon, Kang Moon-soo secretly nudged Kim Jeong-suk, just as the Seoul guy had done. After a short while, Kim Jeong-suk’s expression also changed, just like the others. All three of them looked pale, as if something terrible had happened.
At their suspicious behavior, I immediately lowered my gaze to the cards. Like using a magic-eye poster, I relaxed my focus and stared intently at the checkered pattern on the back. After a few dozen seconds, I saw something protruding from the corner. It was a marked deck.
Judging by their expressions, this wasn’t their plan. If it were, unauthorized copythey wouldn’t be so [Read on Read BL Novels]flustered and wary of Chu Gi-oh.
In an instant, a realization sent a shiver through my limbs. The tingling quickly spread from my spine throughout my entire body. The culprit was none other than Chu Gi-oh. He intended to frame everyone here, including Kim Jeong-suk and Kang Moon-soo, for cheating at gambling!
It seemed President Park and President Ko were still unaware of this terrifying fact. Marked cards look exactly like ordinary store-bought cards unless you are told. If it weren’t for the Seoul guy, who made a living from gambling and had a habit of detecting cheats, perhaps Kang Moon-soo and Kim Jeong-suk wouldn’t have noticed either.
Excited, I looked at Chu Gi-oh. He was staring only at the cards in his hand with an unreadable expression. My heart was racing so much I couldn’t stay still. Wanting to show him that I knew, I secretly touched his thigh under the table. As I applied pressure and squeezed, he smirked while still looking at his cards. Then, he called “Die.”
Only after laying down his cards did Chu Gi-oh look at me for a moment, with a gaze that seemed to say, Watch closely how I handle these bastards from now on.
As soon as Chu Gi-oh flipped his cards, Kim Jeong-suk’s movements became unnecessarily frantic. Having rolled around in this underworld for a long time, there was no way she didn’t know that getting caught cheating against gangsters meant losing a hand at the very least. Even if she returned all the stolen money, her life wouldn’t be guaranteed.
As soon as the sucker President Ko raised the stakes, Kim Jeong-suk called “Die.” Then, she lifted the coffee in her paper cup as if to drink, but subtly spilled it over the cards. Kim Jeong-suk stood up, acting startled.
“Oh my, what happened? I just made a mistake.”
While she was pulling out tissues to wipe the flowing coffee, the round ended. As soon as President Park took the money, Kim Jeong-suk stepped forward and began gathering the cards. When President Ko barked, “It’s not the madam’s turn, what are you doing?” Kim Jeong-suk replied as if telling him not to be stupid.
“If coffee gets on the cards, it leaves a mark and interferes with the game. We should change the deck and then play.”
With that, Kim Jeong-suk said, “The part-timer seems busy, so I’ll go get them myself.”
It was the moment she headed toward the door with the collected cards. CEO [stolen content]Chu grabbed my hand under the table and called, “Jang-bae.” When I [stolen content]looked back, Jang-bae was already blocking Kim Jeong-suk’s path.
To the pale-faced Kim Jeong-suk, Jang-bae held out a hand thick enough to knock someone unconscious with a single blow.
“Give them to me.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“The cards.”
“Wh-what are you going to do with the cards….”
“I told you to give them, so give them. Tsk.”
At Jang-bae’s threatening words and attitude, Kim Jeong-suk gasped sharply. While she hesitated, Jang-bae snatched the cards from her hand. Because she struggled not to give them up, most of them fell to the floor, except for a few.
Jang-bae didn’t care about the cards on the floor; he indifferently passed Kim Jeong-suk and returned to the round table. He went to Kim Jeong-suk’s seat and began scanning the backs of the cards. After a moment, he began throwing them one by one to President Ko, saying,
“Diamond 6.”
“Huh? Wh-what is this….”
“Clover K. Heart 7. Heart Ace.”
“….”
“Flip them over and check if they’re right or not.”
President Ko, swallowing hard, began to flip over the cards Jang-bae had thrown to verify them.
“Th-this…!”
As every single one matched, President Ko’s eyes grew wide as if they were about to pop out. Immediately, the veins in President Ko’s face stood out.
With a deadpan face, Jang-bae picked up one card and held it out to Chu Gi-oh.
“It’s a marked card, Brother. You’ve been cheated until now.”
The first person to react to those words was President Ko. While others held their breath and didn’t move rashly, President Ko jumped up from his seat and shouted at CEO Chu.
“I-I know nothing about this! I only found out today that such cards even existed!”
The reason President Ko acted this way was likely because he knew exactly what kind of person Chu Gi-oh was. Until the real culprit was revealed, everyone who had played cards together was a suspect. President Ko, unaware that he was the sucker, probably thought Chu Gi-oh naturally suspected him as well.
Knowing the plan, my heart beat as if it were about to jump out of my chest. This was a first for me too. I had seen many instances of them getting into arguments and fighting among themselves, but I had never once witnessed a scene where unauthorized copya gambling cheat was caught red-handed. Everything was likely Chu Gi-oh’s [stolen content]scheme, but regardless, the party being cheated was a gangster. Since undeniable evidence had emerged on the spot, someone would definitely have to take responsibility. Either with their body or with money.
Chu Gi-oh, taking the card Jang-bae offered, slowly scanned the frozen people one by one. His expression was not just cold; he didn’t even look like a living person. The man who had smiled at me and whispered tenderly had completely vanished in a matter of minutes. It was so chilling that I felt suffocated.
Suddenly, he crumpled the marked card in his hand. He threw the crumpled card in front of the Seoul guy, where bundles of cash were piled. The Seoul guy and Kang Moon-soo flinched and stood up simultaneously. At that moment, Kim Jeong-suk shouted from behind.
“Th-this is a misunderstanding! It seems President Yoo gave out the wrong cards! We shouldn’t have misunderstandings between us, so I-I’ll go ask him! No, I’ll go and bring President Yoo here!”
She was able to say that because marked cards were actually kept in Yoo Gi-cheol’s safe.
At Kim Jeong-suk’s words, Kang Moon-soo added, “That’s right. Let’s not suspect each other and just call President Yoo to verify. Even I think today’s incident was a mistake,” and tried to head toward the door.
It seemed they hadn’t yet realized it was Chu Gi-oh’s scam. They must have judged that Yoo Gi-cheol, whose actions were always clumsy and whose track record was varied, had finally made a grave mistake.
Just as Kang Moon-soo turned around and Kim Jeong-suk grabbed the door handle.
“If you move any further, you die.”
Chu Gi-oh’s chilling voice filled the room.
Jang-bae brought Kim Jeong-suk back and forced her into her seat. With a cigarette in his mouth, Chu Gi-oh lit it himself and looked straight at Kang Moon-soo.
“From now on, any bastard who stands up or moves without Read on Read BL Novelspermission is the culprit. Until I make my [stolen content]judgment, keep your mouths shut and stay quiet.”
Silence fell over everything. Kang Moon-soo sat down with a look on his face that said he was completely fucked. President Park, who had plenty to be guilty of, turned pale and scrubbed his face harshly with his hands. President Ko and Kim Jeong-suk also looked lost, not knowing what to do. Only the Seoul guy remained standing, looking down at Chu Gi-oh.
Perhaps because he had traveled all over the country but had never experienced a truly brutal situation, he committed the foolish act of running his mouth in front of a gangster who had been cheated out of his money.
“W-wait a minute! Why are you acting as if only y-you were the one scammed, CEO? Is CEO Chu the only one who lost money today? President Ko and President Park here, a-and I, though not as much—”
But the Seoul guy couldn’t even finish his sentence. Chu Gi-oh had bolted upright and slapped him across the face.
A sound like a bat striking rang out, and the Seoul guy was slammed against the wall like a bundle of straw collapsing. Blood burst from his nose, and his pale cheek immediately swelled up in the shape of a handprint. Seeing the Seoul guy pass out from the shock, Kim Jeong-suk let out a shrill scream and trembled violently.
“You piece of shit, I’ll rip that mouth right off your face.”
Chu Gi-oh spat out curses, flicking a cigarette at the face of the Seoul guy as he slid down the wall.
“You bastard who ate up all my money, where the fuck do you get the nerve to be so arrogant?”
At the sight of the murderous Chu Gi-oh, President Park, who had been about to say something following the Seoul guy, shut his mouth tight. President Ko had an expression that looked almost like he was about to cry, despite his large frame.
Seeing the blood on his hand, Chu Gi-oh frowned deeply. He wiped it off on his trousers and then suddenly looked down at me. He pulled me up, as I was frozen in fear, swept up in the atmosphere.
“You’ll get hurt. Stay over there.”
“….”
His fierce eyes softened in an instant, and he gave me a gentle smile. “Hurry.” With that, he pushed me back. When I didn’t move far enough, Jang-bae pulled me away and led me to the wall behind. Pressing me close to the wall, he whispered in a low voice.
“Stay right here. Don’t be startled even if something happens. It’ll be easier if you think of it as a gift from the Big Brother.”
“…Excuse me?”
Without explaining anything, Jang-bae returned to Chu Gi-oh. Chu Gi-oh continued to stare at me, only turning away once Jang-bae stood by his side.
Chu Gi-oh held out his hand to Jang-bae.
“Give me the axe.”
As if he had been waiting, Jang-bae pulled an axe from his waist and offered it to Chu Gi-oh. As soon as Chu Gi-oh took it, he slammed it violently into the center of the round table.
“Go tell them all to die.”
Shortly after Jang-bae made a phone call, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed. This was followed by the sound of doors in each room being flung open and shut, the sounds of people playing cards being dragged out, Yoo Gi-cheol’s shouts asking what the hell was going on, and the sounds of things being smashed, all in rapid succession.
My legs trembled. This was the moment I had been waiting for, but now that it was happening in reality, I just wanted to avoid it. Looking at Chu Gi-oh, whose smile had vanished and turned cold, I felt as if that brutality would extend to me as well. I had seen him covered in blood before, but this was the first time I had witnessed him directly beat someone. It was just a slap, yet it was far more barbaric than I had imagined.
I shook my head. It was a weak thought. I vowed to keep my eyes wide open and watch the effort he was making for me. To push myself, I pressed my thumb hard into the nail of my other hand. You are Woo Min-jo. Woo Min-jo is a man who can endure anything. Even if someone’s limbs are severed right here, you must be able to accept it all.
A moment later, the door to Room 3, where I was, burst open. Two burly men entered carrying a large safe in its entirety. Following them was Yoo Gi-cheol, his mouth taped shut and his hands tied behind his back. The person dragging Yoo Gi-cheol was Du-jik.
“He keeps denying it, saying he never gave such cards to a part-timer. He’s insisting until death that we check if the ones found here are the same as the ones in the safe. He was making such a racket that I had to shut his trap, Brother.”
Du-jik said to Chu Gi-oh while kicking the back of Yoo Gi-cheol’s knees to force him to kneel. Chu Gi-oh stood up and walked over to the safe. Perhaps the thugs had already picked the lock, as the safe door opened easily when he pulled the handle.
I knew well what was in the safe because I had seen it before. The first and second shelves from the top would be filled with cash for the bankroll, and the bottom shelf would contain the contracts and ledgers of those who had taken the bankroll, along with marked cards wrapped tightly in black plastic bags. There might even be special lens cards that could only be seen with lenses. No matter which of the two came out, it was the end. Chu Gi-oh wouldn’t just hold today against them, but every single day they had played cards here.
There was one slim chance of escape: questioning the manufacturer of the marked cards. Depending on the manufacturer, the position of the marks used to identify the cards differed. Knowing this, Yoo Gi-cheol must have suggested comparing the cards.
If there were differences between the ones in the safe and the ones used today, they would certainly deny it, but such a shallow mistake would not exist in Chu Gi-oh’s dictionary. Just seeing how he had placed Kim Sang-su as a lookout showed that his plan was exceptionally meticulous.
Chu Gi-oh handed two black plastic bundles to Jang-bae. One contained marked cards, and the other contained cards for lenses along with a lens case. Jang-bae took out one deck of marked cards and unwrapped it. After examining the back closely, he said, “They are identical, Brother.”
Next, Jang-bae had Kim Sang-su bring the cards that Kim Jeong-suk had been made to throw away earlier. Since they weren’t marked cards, he had one of the thugs put in the lenses. Looking at the cards through the lenses, the thug said, “They’re crystal clear, Brother.” Watching from the side, Kim Sang-su handed something to Jang-bae as if he had been waiting. It was a single transparent lens, identical to the one the thug was wearing.
“A guest dropped this in the restroom earlier. I noticed him constantly pulling something out of his eye while he was pissing, so I kept a close watch. And this was lying right next to the toilet. Who was it again…?”
As he spoke, Kim Sang-su glanced at the Seoul guy, who still hadn’t come to his senses.
“Ah, I think it was that guy. The one who said he came from Seoul.”
Even if it was a rigged setup, Kim Sang-su was a clear witness to settle the situation. With Kim Sang-su’s testimony, the fraud was confirmed, and any way of escaping was completely gone. With Yoo Gi-cheol and the Seoul guy involved, Kang Moon-soo and Kim Jeong-suk, who were their acquaintances, would naturally be judged as accomplices even without separate testimony.
At that point, Kim Jeong-suk and Kang Moon-soo turned pale, realizing it was a trap set by Chu Gi-oh. It was quite a sight to see their faces change color by the second as they were pushed into a corner.
Chu Gi-oh, who had been sitting in front of the safe, stood up. He went to the round table and pulled out the axe he had embedded there. In the next moment, the table was flipped, and everyone sitting in the chairs was sent sprawling backward.
Jang-bae signaled the thugs. The flipped table and the messy chairs were quickly cleared away by the thugs’ hands. Now, nothing remained between them except for scattered cards, trash, and countless green banknotes on the floor.
Showing me his profile, Chu Gi-oh scratched his forehead with the hand holding the axe. Then, he pointed to them one by one and called their names.
“Park Deok-hyun. Go Mun-gyu. Seo Gyeong-ho, Yoo Gi-cheol. And our Kang Moon-soo and Kim Jeong-suk. Now, I’m going to give you the conclusion, so listen carefully.”
He rested the sharp axe on his shoulder and continued.
“I lost nearly 700 million won coming here. Adding a bit more for the sake of our past relationship, let’s call it 700 million. By sunrise tomorrow, the six of you find a way to get that money and bring it to me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, President Ko swallowed his fear and stepped forward, sounding aggrieved.
“C-could you please leave me out of this? I don’t know [unauthorized copy]about [visit our site]the others, but I really have nothing to do with this! [visit our site]If you look at the fact that I didn’t win a single cent, isn’t the answer obvious?”
“Mr. Go Mun-gyu. I haven’t finished speaking. Shut your mouth and listen, you piece of shit.”
When Chu Gi-oh spoke while threateningly brandishing the axe, President Ko hiccuped and sank back down. Tears were streaming down his greasy face.
“And on top of that 700 million, each of you bring another 700 million as consolation money for me. I’ve concluded that you’re all in on it together. 700 million is a generous discount, isn’t it? Except for one or two of you, you’re all quite wealthy. Some have buildings, some have land, and some even run companies. And yet you’re greedy for other people’s money. Do you have a death wish?”
As he spoke, Chu Gi-oh poked his own thigh with the back of the axe.
“You pieces of shit, do you think money just comes out of your ass when you take a dump? You don’t know the first thing about fearing other people’s money, do you, huh?”
President Park took off the hat he used like a second skin and scratched his thinning hair. The Seoul guy, who had barely regained consciousness, wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand, and Kim Jeong-suk trembled violently as if she were sobbing. Kang Moon-soo, being a man with a prior conviction for murder, was the only one with sparks of rage in his eyes.
“If there’s someone who can’t bring the money, the one with the most money pays for them. I won’t tolerate anyone trying to survive on their own, so get that straight from the start.”
“Fuck, what the—!”
Not only did Kang Moon-soo glare at Chu Gi-oh with wide eyes, but he also spat out a curse. Chu Gi-oh glanced at him and strode toward him. Without a word, he suddenly swung the axe. A scream of “Aaaagh!” rang out, and blood erupted from the thigh struck by the axe. Chu Gi-oh didn’t stop there; he kicked Kang Moon-soo in the chest, knocking him to the floor. After stomping on Kang Moon-soo’s outstretched right arm with the hard sole of his shoe, he raised the blood-stained axe high. In the next instant, the hand below the wrist was severed.
Chu Gi-oh nudged the severed hand with his foot and turned toward Kang Moon-soo’s feet. He moved without pause. With eyes fixed on his target, he raised the axe high and drove the sharp blade deep into the ankle.
I thought that the moment I blinked, Kang Moon-soo’s ankle would fall [visit our site]off just like his wrist. However, perhaps [unauthorized copy]he had controlled his strength, as the blue-steel axe simply remained embedded deep in the ankle.
It all happened in an instant. It was a short window of time, too brief for people to even scream. Covered in bright red blood, Chu Gi-oh, who was pressing down on the embedded axe with his foot, had no expression on his face. That sight… was like a ghost I had never seen anywhere. A blood-ghost… Yes, a blood-ghost. If there were a blood-ghost that climbed up from hell, it would look exactly like that.
Chu Gi-oh exhaled a heavy breath and looked down at Kang Moon-soo, who had fainted, unable to bear the pain.
“You piece of shit, be grateful I didn’t slit your throat.”
After that, things proceeded according to protocol. Thugs holding pieces of paper clung to each individual and forced them to leave their thumbprints. President Ko wailed and clung to a thug’s pant leg before finally giving up his right thumb. The others, terrified, obediently stamped their thumbprints on the pledge. Watching this, I found myself extending my thumb out of habit.
Chu Gi-oh, dusting off his blood-stained shoes, looked at Kim Jeong-suk. Kim Jeong-suk was sitting there, looking soulless, next to Kang Moon-soo, who was either unconscious or dead. Chu Gi-oh picked up Kang Moon-soo’s severed hand, crouched in front of her, and spoke softly.
“Madam, your share, including your husband’s, is at least 1.4 billion. If you’re in the same boat, you have to take responsibility until the end.”
With that, he gently placed Kang Moon-soo’s severed hand into Kim Jeong-suk’s hand.
“Don’t think about throwing him away just because he’s a cripple; keep him in your arms until the day you die. I’ll be watching until the end.”
Kim Jeong-suk simply nodded. She didn’t even seem to know what she was hearing. Then, seeing the piece of a body in her hand, she let out a scream as if she had suddenly snapped back to reality.
The hand she threw in horror flew far, far away and landed with a thud right in front of me. Naturally, my head bowed. The hand was loosely clenched into a fist. I stared at it blankly. No thoughts came to mind. As I blinked and looked up, I saw Chu Gi-oh staring intently at me.
He smiled at me. His blood-smeared lips revealed straight, [Read on Read BL Novels]white teeth. Just as I was about to smile back, a powerful surge of nausea rose from within. Contrary to my will, my body collapsed onto the floor.
“Bleeaaagh—!!”
Vomit poured out over Kang Moon-soo’s hand. Simultaneously, a warm sensation spread between my thighs. I had pissed myself.
It was so absurd that I almost laughed. What the…
The sound of footsteps approached. Black shoes entered my field of vision, and my body was lifted. Chu Gi-oh, his expression distorted, scanned my face with his eyes.
Being so close, the smell of blood hit me sharply. Feeling like I was going to gag again, I covered my mouth with my hand.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Continuing to look down, he frowned upon seeing my jeans, which were clearly stained where I had pissed. His pupils shook violently, as if he hadn’t expected this reaction from me.
My face was gripped by his two hands, which looked as if they had been washed in blood. An aggressive tone pierced me.
“Is this your first time seeing something like this?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“I heard you worked elsewhere besides [stolen content]here. That place looked much bigger than this, but I [stolen content]guess things like this never happened there, huh?”
“Uh… yes. This kind of thing… never once…”
I didn’t remember telling him that I had experience working at other houses. Could he have actually looked into my background?
“B-but it’s okay. I’m totally, totally fine. I, I did piss myself, but that’s just because I really had to go, not because I was scared. I’m really fine— uugh!”
I almost vomited on his chest. If I hadn’t quickly covered my mouth, I would have shown him an even filthier sight.
Chu Gi-oh chewed the inside of his empty mouth with a bewildered face. The muscles in his jaw bulged. It seemed he had thought I had experience with these kinds of things. That must be why he felt comfortable showing me his lowest side, and why he believed there would be no barrier to me fully accepting and understanding him.
Even though he could have handled it without me, Chu Gi-oh had insisted on having me stand there. There must have been a clear reason. Was it because he thought our union would be incomplete unless he showed me every detail of his cruel side? Or was it, as Jang-bae said, simply a gift for me?
Whether it was the former or the latter, Chu Gi-oh was the only person in the world who could go this far for me. That one fact was clearly engraved in my mind through this incident. However…
“Uuuugh!”
…I didn’t know I was such a weakling. While he wanted me to witness the carnage with my own eyes, far from handling it, I had behaved embarrassingly, gagging and pissing my pants. If I had seen someone’s limbs severed even once in my life, would I have been able to accept this situation calmly? My resentment flowed in the wrong direction—toward the weak debt collectors who hadn’t treated me the way Chu Gi-oh did, and toward my lazy parents who hadn’t pushed me into an even deeper abyss.
I felt sorry for Chu Gi-oh, but given my state, it seemed it would take a very long time before I could calmly look into his depths. Unless I removed my brain, I wouldn’t be able to look at him as I did before. Now, whenever I thought of Chu Gi-oh, the image of him mutilating Kang Moon-soo’s body like he was butchering meat would be the first thing to come to mind.
No. Maybe I’ll be fine by [visit our site]tomorrow. Even if I hadn’t witnessed it, [stolen content]it’s not like I didn’t [Read on Read BL Novels]know what kind of human Chu Gi-oh was.
Looking at the part of Kang Moon-soo pushed aside next to Chu Gi-oh’s foot, I felt all the blood drain from my body. He quickly supported my staggering frame. His hand roughly brushed over my face and neck.
“Someone else bled, so why the fuck are you the one turning pale?”
“I-I’m sorry. I-I’ll be fine soon. It’s just temporary, temporary.”
At my stuttering words, his expression grew even more menacing.
He called Jang-bae close.
“Looking at his state, there’s nothing more for me here. You take care of holding these bastards until morning and seize their assets one by one. If they refuse, cut off their fingers if you have to and take everything.”
“Yes, Brother. I will do so.”
“And that Kang Moon-soo bastard. Where’s Chan-guk!”
As Chu Gi-oh shouted the name while looking around at the thugs, someone appeared before him. He was a man with a lean build and a gentle appearance, unlike a typical gangster, but his eyes shone as sharply as if he were harboring a blade. Pointing to Kang Moon-soo with his fingertip, he commanded the man.
“Take responsibility and make sure that son of a bitch lives. If he doesn’t make it, I’ll cut off the other side too.”
“Yes, hyung-nim. I’ve already got everything prepared. Don’t worry.”
“I left the axe embedded so he wouldn’t bleed out. You take care of cutting off the rest of the foot.”
“Yes, hyung-nim. Thank you.”
After finishing their terrifying conversation, Chu Gi-oh hoisted me over his shoulder. Through my blurring vision, I saw Kang Moon-soo lying there stiff as a board. The area around his body was drenched in blood. The axe still embedded in the man’s ankle reflected the light, glinting brightly.
“Du-jik, you take the wheel.”
After a man named Chan-guk clung to Kang Moon-soo to stop the bleeding, I was carried out of the house on Chu Gi-oh’s shoulder. Every time he climbed a step, my cold head lolled as if it were about to be ripped off.
He put me in the car first and then climbed in right beside me. When Du-jik asked where he should take us, he checked my temperature by touching my forehead, cheek, and the nape of my neck before answering.
“Home.”
He stripped off his blood-soaked jacket and tossed it into the passenger seat.
“I can’t go into a hotel like this.”
Then, he pulled me close, letting me lean against his chest. He gently stroked my back. All the while, I could hear him whispering above my head, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
However, other words Chu Gi-oh had spoken earlier continued to echo in visit our sitemy mind. His words inside the house—about not knowing how terrifying other people’s [unauthorized copy]money can be—were clawing at my brain along with the debt of eighty-five million I owed him.
I trembled. Who on earth had I been shouting at and defying so brazenly?
The smell of urine began to waft through the moving car. I felt pathetic.
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