Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Insane Hostage Negotiation
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O Makeong headed over to them, carrying the money pouch stuffed with twenty nyang of gold.
At the same time, the boss's mistress—who had three mouths sprouting from her, metaphorically speaking—started walking toward us... Wait a second!
Three mouths sprouting from her?
Why?
She's escaping the kidnappers—why the hell would she do that?
And that woman, no less.
She's got this hugely regretful look on her face, full of dissatisfaction as she keeps glancing back over her shoulder.
Ah!
Have I ever seen such damn filthy bastards?
Now I was certain.
I knew exactly what was going on.
Anyway, the ransom was paid.
The mistress came over to our side.
Hostage secured safely.
"A fine negotiation! You won't come chasing after us, will you?"
"Why would we? We just need to ensure this young lady's safety. That's as far as our commission goes this time. No reason to risk our necks for something that doesn't pay, so don't worry. Haha."
"Clean and straightforward—I like it! Let's never cross paths again."
"Agreed."
It was a suspicious, bizarre hostage exchange, but it worked out.
Done and over with.
All we had to do now was take this woman and go.
Or so we thought.
"Wait!"
Everyone was satisfied with the outcome.
No reason to drag it out further, no one wanted more.
Except for one person.
Wang Buho's mistress.
The moment she was about to leave with us, she threw up her hand and shouted "Wait!"
Her cry made all of us—and those guys over there—scowl in unison.
Whatever.
"Let me just... say a proper goodbye. I didn't get to before."
Have you ever seen such a lunatic of a hostage?
She wants to go say farewell to the damn kidnappers.
"No way! Are you out of your mind? We just handed over twenty nyang of gold to save you! And now you want to go back to those bastards?"
O Makeong.
He was beyond pale—he was downright frantic, nothing like his usual self, blocking her path in a rage.
But the mistress didn't look like she was backing down either.
"I'm going over there on my own two feet just to say goodbye. Why are you stopping me? Who the hell are you? While I was with those guys, they treated me so well. And now you're saying I can't even say a word to them?"
"Miss! This makes no sense! You need to come with us right now!"
"No way! If you won't let me say goodbye, I'll bite my tongue and kill myself! Then you won't get your success fee from Lord Wang, right?"
O Makeong was driven to the brink by her nonsense.
He was so desperate he even shot me a pleading look with his eyes.
A look that said we should seal her pressure points or knock her out and drag her away by force.
Hmm... But O Makeong's acting weird too, huh?
Sure, the situation was absurd, but even so, this reaction was over the top compared to his usual cool demeanor.
No, way over the top.
He was way too worked up.
"Hero Jin... We have to stop this lady somehow..."
"It's fine. Let her go."
"What? Hero Jin! What kind of nonsense is that..."
"Hero O. Let her go."
I said it straight-faced.
O Makeong's expression crumbled like a kicked sandcastle.
But even with that pitiful look on his face, he ultimately let the mistress go.
"Oh my! At least this brother's got some sense. Hohoho."
And just like that, the mistress crossed back over to their side.
The funny part was their reaction.
The gisaeng pretty boy glared at her murderously when she approached, his face twisted in fury.
The old master cracked one eye open, wearing an openly sinister expression.
And the four ragtag beggars each had these puzzled, hard-to-read looks on their faces.
"You, why'd you come back? Just go already!"
"Tch! You're really coming back? For real?"
"Go! We told you to go!"
Ah!
Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm losing my mind.
I get what's happening here, but watching these bastards bicker is driving me insane anyway.
Even the mistress was yelling at us now, her face full of indignation.
"Just give us some space for a bit."
Whoa!
She's something else.
Asking the people who came to rescue her to step aside.
At this point, it's gone beyond ridiculous— I can't even laugh anymore.
And it wasn't just me.
O Makeong was still watching the scene in extreme agitation and tension.
Wang Dal, the Yin-Yang Monk, Mak Chil, and the others just looked utterly baffled, like they had no clue what was going on.
"We'll just hang back over there for a minute."
"No!"
O Makeong bellowed at my words, trying to stop me.
But when I stared him down...
"H-Hero Jin. Are you serious?"
"Yeah. She's asking us to give her some space."
In the end, O Makeong dropped his head and followed behind me.
So we all cleared out of the area.
Leaving the hostage behind with the kidnappers.
The moment we stepped away...
"Everyone, suppress your presence as much as possible and follow me."
I immediately gave the order to my crew.
Before they could even grasp what I meant.
I crouched low in a hurry, killing my presence completely, and moved out.
We hid among the thick underbrush and watched the scene unfold.
The mistress was screeching at the gisaeng pretty boy.
"This isn't what we agreed on! You said you loved me? Said we'd kill those bastards, grab the money, and run? Now you want to send me back to that old pig? Are you crazy? I'll spill everything!"
Slap!
"Kyaaak!"
In the end, the gisaeng pretty boy couldn't hold back and smacked her across the cheek.
He hit her so hard she crumpled to the ground right then and there.
But his rage was boiling even hotter.
"Have you ever seen such a crazy bitch! Hey! Get a grip. With this money, I could roll around with hundreds of girls younger and prettier than you. Why the hell would I risk my life fighting those guys for a slut like you? And split the cash?"
"You... you bastard... You seduced me just to pull this from the start, didn't you?"
"Not a total idiot after all. Now that you get it, get lost. Go squeeze your own cut out of that pig old man."
"You think I'll just sit still?"
"What're you gonna do if you don't? If they find out we staged this kidnapping, you won't get off scot-free either. So shut up and scram."
"You dog bastard."
"Let's never meet again. The moment you show up in front of me, I'll cut your throat first. Got it... Huh?"
The gisaeng pretty boy's throat was slit.
Headless, he toppled over with a thud.
It happened in an instant.
A single figure emerged from behind the dead gisaeng pretty boy.
The old master.
He flicked the blood from his blade with a swish, then sheathed it.
The old master wore a satisfied, utterly delighted smile.
The shocking part was...
"Ahn! As expected, my Guyang oppa is the best. It feels like you only ever think of me."
"Told you to trust only me! Heh heh heh."
The mistress threw herself into the arms of the old master surnamed Guyang.
She'd already snatched the money pouch from the dead gisaeng pretty boy's embrace.
She snuggled into the old master's arms, playing up her charms to the hilt.
But it didn't last.
The old master from the Guyang clan gently pushed the mistress aside.
"I'll take care of the rest real quick, so wait here. Scared? Close your eyes and count to ten."
"Got it, oppa. Finish fast, okay?"
"Yeah, got it. My pretty girl. Hahaha!"
The old master from the Guyang clan turned around.
Toward the four ragtag beggars.
But these four beggars...
Were they all insane as a group?
The gisaeng pretty boy got decapitated in one stroke, and now this Guyang geezer was coming for them too.
Yet all four were laughing?
"Crazy bastards? Or just suicidal maniacs. Whatever. Doesn't matter to me if you're nuts or not. No time to waste—let's end this quick."
But these four lunatics just kept laughing right up to the end.
The old Guyang master finally lost his patience and drew his sword to charge them.
Only then did the four beggars start showing uneasy expressions.
But...
"Die, you bastards... Huh? Huh? Wha...?"
Just as the old master was about to leap at them...
His body suddenly froze.
The four beggars, who had gone pale, burst into laughter again.
"You... you... you dog bastards... The wine we drank earlier..."
"Whew. Thought I was gonna have a heart attack. What kind of old fart chugs poison straight from the bottle and has it kick in this late?"
"You... you bastards... So cowardly..."
Thud!
For all his words...
The old master apparently didn't have the strength to stand anymore.
His face like the sky had fallen, he collapsed to the ground.
And then...
The beggars showed no mercy.
Swish!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
They hacked the old master to pieces wildly.
And so the old master from the Guyang clan died.
The real problem came next.
Covered head to toe in the old master's blood, the four beggars turned their gazes squarely to the mistress.
She looked panicked, shocked, terrified.
But soon...
"Oppas... Ahn! You'll let me live, right? This money! You guys take it all! Of course you should—you worked the hardest. And you know how I feel, right? That I liked you oppas way more than that gisaeng pretty boy. Ahn! Ahn! Spare me. Please?"
"Heh heh heh. Crazy bitch."
"Desperate much? What a performance."
"But seriously, what do we do? Kill her?"
"Might be a problem. If the rogues come back, they'll come for us."
"Damn it! If things had gone smooth, our plan wouldn't have gotten so messed up. Why'd she have to come back and stir shit?"
"Just kill her quick and bolt?"
"No profit in it—maybe let her go?"
"Ahn! Oppa! Save me. Killing me won't even get you a single copper coin. Right? Ahn! Ahn!"
Tears streaming down her face in terror, the mistress still forced a fake pretty smile, going full ham to survive.
But then!
Swish!
Slash!
The old master.
The dead old master came back to life.
He sliced one of the four beggars' throats before dying again.
The remaining three froze like they'd seen a ghost.
But only for a moment.
"You damn old fart!"
The three survivors immediately started hacking at the dead old man again.
This time, they meant business—chopping off his head and limbs entirely.
The old master truly died this time... Huh?
Swish!
Slash!
Two of the remaining three beggars nearly simultaneously slit the third one's throat.
Whoa!
I'm going nuts.
What the hell are these bastards?
Now just two beggars left.
All dead but these two.
The pair glared at each other, expressions unchanging.
"We... we won't betray each other."
"Obviously. I can't trust anyone else, but I trust you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah. I trust you more than anyone. Even more than my own mom. For real. I swear."
You maniacs!
Lower those swords you're pointing at each other first, then talk!
But then!
"Let's deal with that bitch first."
"The bitch?"
"Yeah. Take her out quick and run. Split the money half and half."
"Why her?"
"Obvious, isn't it? We can shake the rogues somehow, but if Wang Buho that old pig really sends assassins after us, we're done for no matter what."
"True. Assassins are scarier than rogues. Let's do it."
"Yeah!"
Now in agreement, the two finally turned their sword tips from each other toward the mistress.
Pale as a ghost, she scrambled backward on the ground with both hands.
Forcing a strained smile, tears pouring like a waterfall, she begged desperately to survive.
"Oppas, why? This is a joke, right? I'll do anything you want. So stop messing around. I love you oppas... Kyaaak!"
This time, it looked like the mistress was really done for.
I was about to move when...
O Makeong, who'd been suspicious from the start, beat me to it.
But.
I grabbed his wrist, stopping him as he tried to rush in to save her.
O Makeong broke out in cold sweat from the urgency.
With an incredibly earnest face, he pleaded desperately with me.
"Hero Jin. It's a four-hundred-nyang silver commission."
A double commission.