Chapter 294: Why Didn't You Buy My Doll?
Chapter 294: Why Didn't You Buy My Doll?
Geom Wu-jin raised his head, staring intently at Deok-chul before checking the address written on the paper.
"This is indeed my home."
"Ah, so I found the right place."
Deok-chul smiled and sat down across from him. He had just become the first ordinary person to have a private audience with the Heavenly Demon, yet he had no idea how monumental this moment was.
"Your son is Geom Mu-geuk, right?"
From this point on, Deok-chul’s mission was clear. He had to use honeyed words to coax and wheedle this man into confirming he was the boy’s father and signing a guarantee.
"Your son borrowed some money. Therefore, as his father, you’ll need to stand as his guarantor."
A sudden silence fell over the tavern. Jo Chun-bae, the customers on the first floor, and the hidden guards surrounding them were all witnessing an astonishing moment in history.
A moment later, Geom Wu-jin burst into a loud laugh.
Downstairs, Jo Chun-bae jumped. It was the first time he had ever seen the Cult Leader laugh like that.
Even Hwi, the personal bodyguard hidden in the shadows, hadn't seen the Heavenly Demon laugh so heartily in a very long time.
With the remnants of a smile still on his face, Geom Wu-jin spoke.
"I have never had a son who would make his father stand as a guarantor for a debt."
As if expecting such a reaction, Deok-chul stood up and slyly moved to sit right next to Geom Wu-jin.
Watching this, Jo Chun-bae clenched his fists in shock. The hearts of the other customers raced at the thought of what might happen next.
Please, let his severed head not roll down to the first floor!
Everyone knew the truth, but the man himself remained oblivious to just how precarious his situation was.
Deok-chul poured a drink for Geom Wu-jin, offering words of consolation.
"Everyone says that at first. But what can you do? He might be a scoundrel of a son, but you still have to pay it back for him."
The only saving grace was that he didn't pat Geom Wu-jin on the shoulder.
Don't touch his body! Jo Chun-bae prayed fervently.
"I'll be honest with you. If your son can't pay the money back, people will come looking for you. The people who collect debts are terrifying, so you should be careful."
Geom Wu-jin seemed to be enjoying the situation—an experience unlike any he'd had in his life.
"You don't need to worry about me."
"Then, why don't you start by reading this? Take your time, and then just sign here."
After placing the documents in front of Geom Wu-jin, Deok-chul stood up to give him a moment to read.
"Oh?"
His eyes caught the inscriptions on the wall—the wall where the Demon Lords had left their marks and signatures.
"A lot of famous people have been here."
From "The Poison King was here" to the traces of the Golden Great Buddha left by the Demon Buddha, and right next to it, the inscription of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Blood Heaven, stopping by for a drink with his disciple.
"Ooh! Even the Blood Heaven Blade Demon left a mark!"
He looked down at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon doll hanging from his waist. Having seen the man's face in person today and even bought his doll, he felt a sense of intimacy, as if an old acquaintance had left the message.
Then, one particular signature caught his eye. The handwriting was more powerful than any other script on the wall.
Heavenly Demon, Geom Wu-jin.
Deok-chul jumped in surprise.
"Whoa! Even the leader of the Demonic Cult was here! Wow! Have you seen this?"
Deok-chul looked around.
The people on the first floor were staring at him with anxious eyes. When was the last time he had received so much attention? Deok-chul felt a flutter of excitement and pride.
"The cook here must be quite skilled."
After shouting this toward the lower floor, he added in a whisper meant only for Geom Wu-jin.
"Well, the best restaurants are usually these humble-looking places, right?"
Then, he shouted again toward Jo Chun-bae on the first floor.
"To think the Demonic Cult Leader visited this place! You should change the name of this tavern to 'The Tavern the Heavenly Demon Visited.' If it were me, I'd change it right away!"
Jo Chun-bae shook his head with an expression that screamed, Please, stop!
Suddenly, Deok-chul flinched and turned back to the wall.
"Huh? Come to think of it, the Demonic Cult Leader's name is also Geom Wu-jin."
Deok-chul looked at Geom Wu-jin, then back at the wall.
Jo Chun-bae and the customers on the first floor waited with bated breath.
Finally, he realizes who he's talking to! Hurry up and beg for forgiveness!
Deok-chul stared at Geom Wu-jin for a moment.
"It must be quite inconvenient for you to have the same name as the Demonic Cult Leader."
A wave of silent groans rippled through the first floor. Deok-chul didn't have the slightest inkling that the man before him could be the Heavenly Demon.
"Now, please sign. You have to do it anyway. Is there any parent who can truly win against their child?"
"I have no such son."
"If you don't do it, your son will be dragged away by those scary people, I'm telling you."
"They would have to be scarier than the people written on that wall."
Of course, Deok-chul took it as a joke. The scariest people in the world were all listed right there; anyone scarier would only be found in the afterlife.
"I understand. You're right. You raise your kids, and they all think they grew up on their own. Come on, take this brush. Just sign here. You'll only understand how your parents felt once you have children of your own and go through the same thing. Don't overthink it, just write your three-syllable name."
At that, Geom Wu-jin signed the document as if he were giving in.
"Well done. This is all for your son's sake."
Looking down at the document, Deok-chul flinched again.
Jo Chun-bae and the customers downstairs felt their hopes rise once more.
Yes, compare it with the writing on the wall! Turn your head! Please!
As if their prayers were answered, Deok-chul slowly turned and looked at the wall. His eyes widened. Just when they thought he had finally realized the Heavenly Demon's identity...
"Not only is the name the same, but the handwriting is identical! Wow, how strange!"
An "Oh, boy..." escaped Jo Chun-bae's lips. A customer at the next table lost strength in his hand and dropped his chopsticks, while another clutched his head in a groan and spilled his drink.
"Surely, you don't look like him too, do you?"
The possibility of meeting the Heavenly Demon in a place like this simply didn't exist in Deok-chul's mind.
"Be careful. You could easily be misunderstood for impersonating the Heavenly Demon."
Just then, someone entered the tavern.
At his appearance, everyone on the first floor held their breath. The man walked with long strides and headed straight for the second floor.
Deok-chul, glancing that way, gave a friendly bow. He did it instinctively, thinking it was someone he knew, but then he let out a sharp yelp of surprise. He did know the man. The person who had come up was none other than the Fist Demon.
The Fist Demon remembered seeing Deok-chul earlier beneath the walls of the Main Headquarters. His gaze seemed to say: Who are you, and why do you keep appearing before my eyes?
Jo Chun-bae and the customers were gripped by tension once again. The danger had just doubled.
The Fist Demon bowed respectfully to Geom Wu-jin.
"I heard you were here and came to see you. I have just returned."
"Did you have a good trip?"
"Yes, Cult Leader."
At the word "Cult Leader," Deok-chul blurted out without thinking.
"He's not the Cult Leader, he's just a lookalike!"
Another wave of groans erupted from the first floor.
Geom Wu-jin laughed, while the Fist Demon wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Wait, why?
Blinking at the surrounding reactions, Deok-chul’s expression slowly began to change. Come to think of it, there was no way the Fist Demon would fail to recognize the Cult Leader and call a lookalike by that title.
And the lookalike's reaction... Did you have a good trip?
Why would he say that? Why? Because he wasn't a lookalike—he was the real thing.
By the time Deok-chul’s thoughts reached that conclusion, his face had turned deathly pale. He let out a low moan, his entire body trembling like an aspen leaf.
The Fist Demon asked Geom Wu-jin.
"Who is this man?"
"He came to me saying I needed to stand as a guarantor for my son's debt."
The Fist Demon stared at Deok-chul with an absurd expression.
"No! Not at all! There's been a mistake! I was wrong! Please spare me!"
He prostrated himself flat on the floor. At the moment the man's identity as the true Heavenly Demon was revealed, Deok-chul had achieved the record of seeing four Demon Lords and the Heavenly Demon all in a single day.
Then, Geom Wu-jin asked abruptly.
"Why didn't you buy my doll?"
Since there were no "Cult Leader" dolls, he was asking why Deok-chul hadn't bought a Heavenly Demon Soul doll. It was truly the greatest ordeal Deok-chul had faced all day. Jo Chun-bae and the customers downstairs tensed up again.
To make matters worse, the Fist Demon chimed in.
"What about mine?"
Deok-chul looked down at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and Demon Buddha dolls tucked into his belt. The large blade and the golden radiance were far too conspicuous.
Ah! In the end, I should have bought the Heavenly Demon Soul and Fist Demon dolls today!
Was he going to die because of a single choice? Goat-beard, I won't forget you even in death.
Deok-chul didn't know how to answer. Finally, he spoke in a dejected tone.
"I didn't buy your dolls because you two were too scary."
His choice to answer honestly was a brilliant one. Geom Wu-jin laughed, and the Fist Demon followed suit. The reward for making the Heavenly Demon laugh so much for the first time in a long while was something unexpected.
Geom Wu-jin pulled a piece of paper from his robe and flicked it. It glided slowly through the air and landed in Deok-chul's hand.
To his shock, it was a bank note for a thousand yang.
"On your way out, buy one of my dolls and one of this fellow's as well."
Deok-chul’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. A silent wave of shock spread through the first floor as well.
"Do you not want to?"
"What? No! I'll buy them! I'll buy them right now!"
After wandering in a daze of misunderstandings all day, Deok-chul finally grasped the other person's intention perfectly in this final moment.
"I will quit this job immediately, go back to my hometown, and live an honest life! I'll use the money you've given me to buy land, farm, and live while being a filial son to my parents."
Having given the right answer, Deok-chul flew. It wasn't just his spirit that soared; his body literally took flight.
With a wave of Geom Wu-jin's hand, Deok-chul was lifted into the air and landed gently on the first floor.
Exclamations of awe broke out downstairs. He, who had received only pitying sighs all day, was now the object of everyone's envy.
Jo Chun-bae spoke with a kind smile.
"I'll need your signature as well. I think I should record you as the luckiest man in the world."
"Thank you so much for having me as a guest. I will definitely come back to visit someday!"
With tears welling in his eyes, Deok-chul gave a respectful bow toward the second floor and departed.
I used to work at a message center in my younger days. When I went on my first mission... He was a man who had just spent a day that no one would ever believe.
Jo Chun-bae also looked up at the second floor. Though Deok-chul had been disrespectful several times, the Cult Leader had shown him mercy. Furthermore, he had opened the path to a new life for him. Jo Chun-bae felt a sincere sense of respect for the Cult Leader.
And above all, he was overjoyed that the Heavenly Demon had laughed so loudly today.
Jo Chun-bae wrote the date on the wall behind the counter and left a message.
The day the Cult Leader laughed heartily.
In all his years of running a tavern, today was a day he could never forget. He had never had such a pleasant day.
On the second floor, a conversation continued between the two most masculine men in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Since the Fist Demon was the person Geom Wu-jin trusted most, the conversation was comfortable and natural.
"You seem happy."
"Will I ever have another chance in my life to be treated like a debtor?"
"When you're with Mu-geuk, you experience things you never could have imagined. Like suddenly gaining an unexpected foster daughter."
The Fist Demon had come specifically to tell the Heavenly Demon this news first.
"I have decided to take Lee An, who was Mu-geuk's guard, as my foster daughter."
Geom Wu-jin was a man who was rarely surprised by anything, but this news caught him off guard. He filled the Fist Demon's cup to the brim.
"Congratulations."
The Fist Demon drained the cup in one go. This time, the Fist Demon filled Geom Wu-jin's cup.
"Gaining a disciple, and now a daughter. I seem to have much luck in my later years."
"A daughter is better than a son. You raise a son, and for what..."
Geom Wu-jin's gaze drifted toward the window. Still, today, he felt a little bit... like he wanted to see that son who would try to make his father a debt guarantor.
*
Geom Mu-geuk stayed holed up in his guest room, focusing solely on training the Time Heaven Secret Technique.
Now, all his training was done strictly within the Time Heaven Secret Technique. Naturally, this allowed him to train for much longer periods. The more time he gained, the more he could train, which in turn allowed him to gain even more time.
While he was training, Ju Yang from the message center that had lent him the money came to visit.
"I've seen all sorts of crazy people in this line of work, but you're the first one I've seen who wrote the Demonic Cult Leader's name as his father."
Upon leaving the message center, Deok-chul had reported the result of his first and last investigation: that the borrower was a lunatic who used the Demonic Cult Leader's name. Naturally, there was no way the Heavenly Demon's son would have used the King Yama's Debt.
"You've probably never even met the Demonic Cult Leader, so how can you call it impersonation?"
"You probably counted on that, but we did meet him."
"My father?"
"I heard he was drinking in some shabby tavern."
This time, it was Geom Mu-geuk who laughed out loud. It was a laugh that perfectly mirrored the one Geom Wu-jin had let out at the Pungryu Tavern.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I laughed because I thought of my father."
He pictured his father, who would have been drinking alone at the Pungryu Tavern. Thinking of his father's back, burdened with everything, he found himself missing him.
"Do you really need to be dragged to the Demonic Cult, have your skin flayed, and be thrown into a salt vat before you come to your senses?"
"Do you have the courage to take me to the Demonic Cult?"
Ju Yang's eyes turned fierce.
"You seem to think of us as mere thugs who just run the King Yama's Debt."
"Are you not?"
A cold sneer formed on Ju Yang's lips.
I've been bored lately, but now such an interesting fellow has appeared.
Thoughts of how to break this boy filled his head, but Ju Yang didn't let those emotions show. The greatest pleasure was politely guiding someone to hell.
"I was told to reveal who my father was, so I did. I was told to write an address, so I did."
Even though the boy persisted, Ju Yang didn't get angry. The punishment would come from the clauses written in the promissory note anyway.
"Young people can be reckless. I understand. People often give fake addresses. However, from now on, the debt is one hundred yang."
"One hundred yang? Didn't I borrow ten?"
Ju Yang pulled the promissory note from his robe and showed it to him.
"Look here. Isn't it written at the bottom? 'If the address or family relations are recorded falsely, the borrower must repay ten times the amount borrowed.'"
"The print is too small to even see. And the language is too difficult."
"Isn't providing accurate information on a promissory note the most basic requirement? Regardless, the money you owe is now one hundred yang. Naturally, the interest will be calculated based on that amount."
"Why do you keep saying I wrote something false? I'm telling you, I wrote the truth."
Ju Yang spoke in a soft tone.
"What will you do if I actually bring a Demonic Cultist here?"
He clearly seemed to have someone in mind. Since asking directly wouldn't yield the desired answer, Geom Mu-geuk muttered as if to himself.
"A Demonic Cultist? From a mere debt collector?"