Chapter 295: Can You Handle My Interest?
Chapter 295: Can You Handle My Interest?
Those were the words Ju Yang hated hearing most.
“You’re nothing but a bunch of Yama’s debt collectors.”
It was the phrase people used when they wanted to look down on them. But even if the rest of the world said it, there was one person who absolutely should not: the party who had come to borrow the money in the first place.
“I told you,” Geom Mu-geuk provoked him again. “If you have any demonic cultists backing you, bring them out.”
In that moment, Geom Mu-geuk read Ju Yang’s emotions. The sentiment flickering in his eyes and expression was clear: I’d really like to just kill this bastard!
The man definitely had someone to rely on within the Demonic Cult. Was it the Jiangxi Branch Leader? Or some other cultist? Speak! Who is the one you’re putting your faith in?
However, Ju Yang was no pushover. He had dealt with all sorts of debtors for a long time and held a firm conviction when it came to tormenting others.
The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult? What’s the point of bringing in swordsmen to beat up a guy spewing such ridiculous bluffs? What plunges these slippery rats into hell isn't violence or threats. It’s presenting them with the suffocating reality of having to work for the rest of their lives—having no choice but to work—just to pay back the debt.
“Since you have the Cult Leader as a father, I suppose you can afford to be this bold,” Ju Yang said sarcastically.
Geom Mu-geuk took the comment at face value. “Your boldness in trying to find my father is even more impressive.”
“So you’re going to keep insisting you’re the Cult Leader’s son until the very end?”
“That’s right. I am the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. I’ve stated it clearly, so don’t try to change your story later. Don't ask how you were supposed to believe it, or if I would have believed it in your shoes. Let me be clear: if it were me, I would have believed it. Because my life is precious.”
Of course, Ju Yang didn't believe a word of it. He had already received word from his investigator and visited today based on that report. This guy was the most brazen person he’d ever met, even among the many who tried to impersonate the Cult Leader’s lineage.
“Fine then, my dear ‘Young Cult Leader.’”
“Finally, you believe me.”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll send someone to collect the interest every day.”
“Every day? Wasn't it originally once a month?”
“The rules have changed.”
Starting tomorrow, this obnoxious brat’s life would shift from brazen arrogance to grueling misery.
“Are you allowed to just change them like that?”
“It’s written in the promissory note. We can change the method of interest collection at our discretion.”
Geom Mu-geuk shook his head after checking the clause, which was written in print so tiny it was barely visible.
“Did you lend money to ants? This is really too much.”
“We’re acting according to the law. You should have read it carefully before signing.”
The predatory clauses were hidden with incredible ingenuity. This was how these usurers sucked the marrow from the bones of the poor.
“Since you’re the great Young Cult Leader, surely you can pay back this much money in no time if you set your mind to it?”
“Can you really handle my interest?” Geom Mu-geuk asked.
Ju Yang smirked, his expression asking what that was even supposed to mean, and shot back a question of his own.
“Have you ever met anyone who hated money?”
*
The next day, while Geom Mu-geuk was eating at an inn, a fierce-looking man strode up and abruptly held out his hand.
“I’m here for the interest.”
Looking up, Geom Mu-geuk saw it was the same man who had taken money from Pyeon Jung before. The same bastard who had beaten Pyeon Jung in front of his wife and children and even held a dagger to a child’s throat.
A few customers eating nearby set down their chopsticks, quietly paid, and left. Those who remained turned their heads, avoiding eye contact. This alone was enough to show how the man usually behaved.
“My nickname is Mad Dog. You should know exactly what to do from now on. When you see me walking from a distance, have the interest ready. Got it?”
This Mad Dog, who knew how to torment people and enjoyed doing so, was the "hardship" Ju Yang had bestowed upon him.
Geom Mu-geuk looked up at him. “But aren't you scared? Your opponent is a martial artist carrying a sword.”
Mad Dog had a blade at his waist, but he wasn't a true martial artist with internal energy.
“Why? You think you’re actually a martial artist? You gonna draw that sword and kill me? Go ahead! Try it! You and your family will be finished that very day. You think our organization will let you live? We’ll start by tearing your family apart limb from limb.”
Despite the intimidation, Geom Mu-geuk spoke with a smile. “Then I guess I can’t even start.”
Mad Dog’s face contorted into a deep scowl. In that moment, he truly looked like a rabid hound.
“They said you were a delusional brat who thinks he’s the Young Cult Leader. I guess it’s true.”
Mad Dog grabbed the bowl Geom Mu-geuk had been eating from and hurled it onto the floor, shattering it. A sense of crisis hung in the air, as if a fight would break out at any second.
The innkeeper and the waiters watching from the side wore pitying expressions. They knew better than anyone that once a person—no matter how kind or diligent—became entangled with the Message Center, they could never return to their original life.
And of all people, Mad Dog was the one assigned to him. The man committed such atrocities that there wasn't a single person in the village who hadn't been beaten by him.
“Young Cult Leader. What are you going to do now?”
“What else? You broke the Young Cult Leader’s rice bowl, so you have to be punished. Now, when I give the signal, the Demon Lords will appear right outside.”
At the mention of "Demon Lords," not only Mad Dog but everyone in the inn flinched. The term carried a primal sense of terror.
“Not there, look over there.”
Mad Dog followed Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze. The other customers looked that way as well.
“One, two…”
Geom Mu-geuk began to count, as if giving a signal. Mad Dog grew tense for a moment. Surely they won't actually appear, right?
Tension thick enough to choke a man filled the room, as if someone was about to burst through the door.
“Three!”
But no one appeared. Everyone’s eyes turned back to Geom Mu-geuk.
“You actually believed that? You think the noble Demon Lords would come to deal with trash like you?”
Relieved, Mad Dog found the situation absurd. He was furious that he had actually been nervous for even a second. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, Geom Mu-geuk pulled money from his robe.
“Here. Here is the interest.”
Seeing the polite attitude, Mad Dog’s rage subsided slightly. But for some reason, he felt like he was being played.
You little shit, you’re on my list now.
“You should’ve done that from the start. A young brat like you doesn't know how scary money is.”
Geom Mu-geuk dropped the coins into his palm.
The coins seemed to fall lightly, but then—
Whooooosh!
Slam!
The moment the coins hit his palm, they became so heavy he couldn't withstand them. The coins crushed his hand and slammed it into the floor.
“Aaaargh!”
The impact shattered the bones in Mad Dog’s hand, grinding them to dust. He tried to use his other hand to lift the coins away, but they wouldn't budge an inch.
“It hurts, it hurts! Someone move this! Aaaagh!”
The pain was excruciating. The weight seemed to grow heavier and heavier, as if it were about to punch a hole straight through his palm.
“There’s still interest left. Give me your other hand.”
Mad Dog looked up at Geom Mu-geuk while pinned to the floor. In that moment, he realized. There was no way coins could be this heavy; Geom Mu-geuk was using some kind of trick.
Mad Dog spoke in a trembling voice. “Please, spare me.”
The dog that had been so fierce just moments ago had turned into a puppy on the verge of tears.
“I can’t! They said they’d go find my father if I didn't pay the interest. Take it.”
Mad Dog tried to run, but his body wouldn't move because of the hand pinned by the coins. An unknown force compelled his other hand to reach forward against his will.
“Uuuugh! Please spare me!”
“What are you talking about? I’m telling you to take the interest.”
He lightly placed a coin on the other hand.
Whooooosh!
Slam!
Again, unable to withstand the weight of the coin, the hand was slammed into the floor. An even louder scream erupted from Mad Dog’s mouth.
With both palms pinned to the ground, Mad Dog was forced into a position as if he were prostrating himself in a deep bow. The onlookers glanced at each other. A joy they couldn't hide flickered across their faces. The man had truly been a monster to them.
“Uuuuugh. It hurts so much.”
Geom Mu-geuk tilted his cup, using the man’s screams as a side dish for his drink.
“Yes, you should know how scary money is.”
*
Having heard the news, Ju Yang rushed to the inn with his swordsmen.
He had expected the boy wouldn't give up the money easily, but he hadn't imagined he would cause trouble from the very first interest payment.
“Isn't it a deficit for you all to swarm here just to collect two coins?”
Ignoring Geom Mu-geuk’s words, Ju Yang kicked the unconscious Mad Dog to wake him up.
“What are you doing?”
When Mad Dog regained consciousness, the coins on his palms had become light again.
“Uuuugh. My hands hurt so much.”
Ju Yang examined Mad Dog’s hands. The bones in both palms were crushed; he would never be able to live a normal life again.
“Please, treat my hands first.”
“It’s no use. You’ll have to live as a cripple for the rest of your life.”
Mad Dog let out a horrific shriek. Ju Yang slapped him across the face without mercy.
“Get a grip! What exactly happened? Were they smashed with a rock? Or stepped on?”
“The... the coins were so heavy I couldn't lift them.”
“What are you talking about? Were you dreaming?”
If he had just been beaten, it would be one thing, but the claim that the coins had become heavy was impossible to understand.
Ju Yang glared at Geom Mu-geuk. “What kind of trick did you play?”
“A trick? He came for the interest, so I gave it to him. Then he just started rolling around on the floor screaming that it hurt.”
Geom Mu-geuk went a step further.
“Are you people into extortion and threats now? Trying to squeeze money out of me with an act like this? How much are you going to raise the debt from a hundred taels this time?”
Ju Yang calmly asked the innkeeper and the waiters what had happened. They repeated exactly what Geom Mu-geuk had said.
“He gave him the coins, and then the man started rolling on the floor in pain.”
It wasn't just one or two people who had seen it. Ju Yang could tell Geom Mu-geuk had done something with the coins, but he had never heard of coins becoming so heavy that a person couldn't move.
“Do you know who we are to be doing this?”
As Ju Yang lowered his voice, Geom Mu-geuk mimicked him.
“And do you know who I am?” He quickly added playfully, “Oh, right, you do. The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.”
Ju Yang’s face hardened. He had thought the boy was just a delusional lunatic. So, he’s a guy with a trick up his sleeve, is he?
As the swordsmen tried to carry Mad Dog out, Geom Mu-geuk picked up something from the floor.
“You have to take the interest.”
Geom Mu-geuk held out the two coins Mad Dog had dropped. Having heard the story, Ju Yang didn't dare reach out his hand.
“It’s the interest you love so much, isn't it? Aren't you going to take it?”
There were many eyes watching. If they left like this, the prestige of the Message Center would plummet. The head of the Message Center believed that if they were looked down upon by a debtor, the business was over. It was certain that a thunderous punishment would fall upon Ju Yang if he showed weakness.
Ju Yang signaled to a swordsman beside him. The designated man stepped forward with a reluctant expression.
“Here comes the interest!”
The very moment Geom Mu-geuk dropped the coin—
Whooooosh!
Slam!
His hand was also slammed into the floor. This time, too, he couldn't withstand the weight of the coin.
“Aaaaaaaaargh!”
The swordsman screamed in agony as his bones shattered. Another swordsman rushed over and tried to lift the coin, but it wouldn't budge.
Seeing this with his own eyes, Ju Yang was struck with horror. He had never seen such a sight in his life. This wasn't a simple trick.
He’s a master!
The swordsmen drew their swords all at once. It wasn't out of a desire to avenge their comrade, but a reflexive action born of fear.
Ju Yang raised his hand to stop them. If the opponent was a master of that caliber, the Message Center’s thugs stood no chance.
Geom Mu-geuk held out the remaining coin to him.
“If you came for interest, you should take the money. Why are you drawing your swords?”
Ju Yang asked in a trembling voice, “What is your purpose in approaching us?”
There was no way a master like this had borrowed money because he lacked ten taels.
“Purpose? I simply borrowed it because I needed the money. You’re the one who increased it to a hundred taels, and you’re the one who said you’d collect interest every day. If you hadn't changed the rules, we wouldn't have met today.”
Ju Yang couldn't argue. He was the one who had created this situation.
“Now, take the interest.”
Geom Mu-geuk held out the remaining coin. Since the swordsman who had taken the first coin was currently screaming that he was dying with his hand pinned to the floor, no one dared to step forward.
Ju Yang looked back at his men, but no one moved. They all avoided his gaze. Ju Yang eventually pushed the responsibility onto the swordsman who was already screaming on the floor.
“That man decided to take it, so give it to him.”
“Let’s do that then.”
Geom Mu-geuk strode over.
“Aaaagh! Please! No!”
The coin fell, and the other hand was crushed. The man, who had been screaming his lungs out, promptly fainted. Everyone was terrified by Geom Mu-geuk’s hesitation-free, merciless display.
“How could you people, who go around with swords just to squeeze money out of others, ever know? Money earned through labor is this heavy.”
Ju Yang sensed that things had gone wrong—terribly wrong.
But it wasn't over. Geom Mu-geuk picked up the coins from the man’s palms.
“You said no one hates money, so why is everyone refusing to take it?”
Geom Mu-geuk held the coins out in front of Ju Yang again.
“You have to take the interest.”
The moment his eyes met Geom Mu-geuk’s, goosebumps erupted all over Ju Yang’s body. He had dealt with all sorts of people, but he had never been this terrified.
“Hold out your hand.”
Geom Mu-geuk’s demeanor had completely changed. Ju Yang didn't dare disobey. The fear that he would die if he refused dominated him. His outstretched hand shook violently.
The coin fell into Ju Yang’s hand. He squeezed his eyes shut, but fortunately, it wasn't heavy this time.
Opening his eyes, Ju Yang spoke urgently. “I won't take the interest, or even the principal. Let’s consider it all paid off.”
As he hurried to turn away, Geom Mu-geuk’s cold voice rang out from behind him.
“At whose discretion?”
When Ju Yang turned back, Geom Mu-geuk had placed two new coins on the table.
“Come back for the interest tomorrow, too. If you don't come, I’ll come find you.”