Chapter 420: War on Crime(2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 420: War on Crime(2)
“So, where exactly are we going?”
The group of us had gathered to rescue Jeong Chan-woo.
Unlike his usual self, Ahn Hyun-ho was being remarkably proactive about saving him. I didn't remember him being like this in the past.
“Do you owe Jeong Chan-woo money or something?”
I naturally assumed he’d done something wrong, but that wasn't it.
“I have to enlist soon, and I don’t want to go alone. If Jeong Chan-woo kicks the bucket here, I’ll have to enlist by myself.”
“Aha.”
A very rational reason indeed.
Anyway.
To save Trainee (to-be) Jeong Chan-woo, we stepped into the entertainment district.
Even though it was only 7:00 PM, the streets were already lined with people. At first, I thought there were surprisingly many people who enjoyed this kind of thing, but I was wrong.
“Bosses, the girls are great here!”
“Hey, those girls over there are all filters and lighting. Our girls are the real deal—”
It only looked crowded because of all the waiters out on the street touting for business. In reality, they were locked in a psychological war, trying to divvy up the few customers like fish fighting over food dropped into a tank.
“Move.”
The touts shrank back and retreated at the Bald Man’s sharp command. The man was massive and bald; when he put on a serious face, his aura was no joke.
“Hey, Kim Woo-jin. Where is it?”
Thanks to the Bald Man’s intimidating presence, we were able to walk comfortably while looking at our phones.
“The closest one from here is… a place called ‘One Night.’ If he’s not there, we have to move to the next one.”
“What did those Architectural Engineering bastards do, a karaoke bar pilgrimage?”
“Tell me about it.”
There were quite a few people at the Department of Architectural Engineering gathering yesterday, and apparently, they split up into different groups to go to various karaoke bars. Since the assistant instructor didn't know which specific one Chan-woo went to, we decided to stop by each one briefly to ask.
“Wait, One Night Karaoke?”
Ahn Hyun-ho tilted his head as if the name rang a bell. However, he couldn't quite place it, and we arrived at our first destination.
“That’s the place.”
One Night Karaoke.
The flashing lights at the entrance were so gaudy they were almost overwhelming.
“This is my first time in a place like this.”
“Me too.”
As we stepped inside, a hallway bathed in red light—the kind you only see in movies—stretched out before us. Honestly, aside from the excessive lighting, it wasn't that much different from a regular karaoke joint.
“Hello.”
Isn't it the national rule for a female manager to be the face of a place like this? But the person greeting us at the counter was a man who looked like he had a hell of a temper.
“Hello, we’re looking for someone.”
When I spoke with a smile, he immediately pulled out a booklet and handed it to us.
“Yes, if you look here, we have the profiles and photos of our girls. Take your pick.”
Oh boy, we’d been misunderstood.
“No, we’re looking for a guy. An excessively handsome guy. A bunch of college students came here yesterday, right?”
“Are you detectives?”
The owner immediately grew wary. We waved our hands in dismissal.
“No, no! Definitely not! We’re his friends, but we can’t get a hold of him, so we came looking.”
“…….”
Despite my explanation, the atmosphere was growing tense.
“Ah! I remember now!”
Ahn Hyun-ho clapped his hands and shouted.
“This is the place! The one where Senior Han-gang and Jin-ho worked!”
“……Han-gang and Jin-ho?”
The owner’s gaze shifted toward us. I never imagined we’d meet a mutual acquaintance of those two like this.
“Yes! Senior Han-gang and Jin-ho. I heard they worked here?”
“Hey…”
I wondered if bringing up their names was actually a good idea.
The owner asked with a bright smile, “How are those boys doing?”
“They both enlisted in the military together.”
“I see. So you’re their friends?”
Look at him suddenly dropping his voice.
Sensing the atmosphere turning sour, I glanced at Ahn Hyun-ho. He was also breaking into a cold sweat while smiling.
“We’re not friends. We’re enemies. You have no idea how much I suffered because of those pieces of shit. They caused a lot of trouble here too, didn't they? I’m planning to sue them; do you want to go see a lawyer with me?”
“Look at this guy cutting ties.”
“Kim Woo-jin, shut up for a second.”
Ahn Hyun-ho warned me, sensing this wasn't a situation for jokes. Well, the owner’s expression certainly wasn't great after hearing those two names. It seemed they had been total nuisances here as well.
“Whew. If you’re here to play around, just leave. This isn't a place for kids.”
The owner, seemingly getting annoyed, gave us a chance to leave. Normally, I would have bowed ninety degrees and bolted, but not today.
“Hey, mister.”
Because we had the Bald Man with us.
“I told you we’re looking for one of our boys.”
The man finally stepped forward.
“He said… ‘our’ boy.”
“Kim Woo-jin, shut the fuck up. The man is working.”
Ahn Hyun-ho and I were now relegated to standing idly by his side.
Was it because of the Bald Man’s pressure? Or was it an instinctive sense of danger to his rear? I noticed the wrinkles in the owner’s pants, crumpled from his sphincter tightening as if he were doing Kegel exercises.
“I’m asking if you’ve seen this kid.”
“Do you have a photo of Jeong Chan-woo on your phone?”
“For fuck’s sake, Chan-woo, just give it to him at this point.”
Whether we were blabbering in the back or not, the adults were having their own conversation. The owner looked closely at the photo and shook his head.
“I-I don’t know him. If a kid looking like this had come in, I definitely would have remembered.”
“Right. I suppose so. Woo-jin, looks like we need to move to the next place.”
“Yes, sir.”
After giving a quick salute, I was about to lead them to the next spot.
The owner of One Night cautiously called out to us as we were leaving.
“Excuse me… but by any chance, have I seen you somewhere before?”
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
Ahn Hyun-ho and I looked at the owner simultaneously. He was staring at the Bald Man, who gave him a brief glance before walking out without a word.
“What was that?”
“Did they meet at a gay bar or something?”
“Is he gay too, then?”
“Maybe?”
While we were whispering among ourselves, the man relaxed his expression and asked, “Woo-jin, where’s the next one?”
“Ah, yes. Let’s go right away. It’s not far from here. There’s another place called ‘Summer Night Beach’—”
“Hey! Get the stuff! Grab the tools!”
Ahn Hyun-ho and I were startled and immediately hid behind the man’s back.
Sudden, menacing shouts from burly men erupted. Gangsters in black suits were running somewhere, clutching "tools" in their hands.
“Whoa, what’s that?”
“Looks like a gang fight?”
“Damn, I’m seeing the stuff from movies in real life.”
“Should we go watch?”
I wanted to agree to Ahn Hyun-ho’s suggestion immediately, but the Bald Man looked displeased. Seeing him huffing, it seemed he wanted to find Chan-woo as quickly as possible.
“Ahem, Hyun-ho. We came here to find Chan-woo.”
“Ah, right.”
“Let’s get to the next place quickly.”
As we started walking again, I pulled out my phone. Since it was getting rowdy here, I planned to tell Senior Ju-hee to be careful.
— Hello?
“Senior, where are you?”
— Me? Right now… where is this?
The background was incredibly noisy. It was an entertainment district, so it would be weirder if it wasn't noisy, but still.
— Send me your location, and I’ll head there.
“We checked one place, but he wasn't there. We’re heading to the next one. I’ll send you the location via Tok.”
— Got it.
Click.
“It sounds really chaotic over there, but she sounds so peaceful.”
Feeling a sense of unease, I sent her the location of the next karaoke bar. Though they called it a karaoke bar, it was more like an adult entertainment lounge. It was obvious they had a "secret menu" and everything.
“Whoa, damn. The women here are gorgeous.”
Summer Night Beach was tucked away in a corner, and they had booklets displayed right at the entrance. Ahn Hyun-ho clicked his tongue as he flipped through them; they were certainly beautiful.
“What’s with this one? It says she has a scorpion tattoo on her thigh?”
“C-crazy. This one says she has a piercing there?”
“That must have hurt like hell. Wouldn't she get metal poisoning?”
“Probably. But she’s really pretty. If I were coming here, I’d pick this Noona.”
Gyu-a should have seen him acting like that.
“I’d pick this Noona.”
But that was a separate matter. For now, if I had to choose, it would be the Noona with the scorpion on her thigh.
“Girl crush?”
“She looks like she’d be very rough.”
I felt like this Noona would lead very roughly with a girl-crush vibe.
‘Of course, our girls are the best, though.’
Don't misunderstand; I had no intention of going in, nor had I forgotten about the girls. Our girls were beyond comparison.
After finishing our brief scouting, we headed inside. This place was a bit different from One Night. Gangsters were everywhere, looking like they’d shove you into a drum can if you made one wrong move. Even the Bald Man’s momentum seemed to falter slightly as he looked around.
And then.
When we reached the counter, we were met not by a female madam, but by a grim-looking man.
“Boss?!”
The owner shouted as soon as he saw the Bald Man.
“Boss?”
“Mister?”
When we both looked at the man, he covered his face with his hand and let out a sigh.
“I had a feeling, but are you guys still running shops like this?”
“Boss! I knew you’d come back like this! Sniff!”
“What the fuck.”
“Kim Woo-jin, shut up.”
When I cursed, the surrounding gangsters immediately glared at me. Ahn Hyun-ho hurriedly covered my mouth, but I still wanted to say my piece.
“Mister, were you a gangster?”
“A long time ago. Back when I was immature.”
“Whoa.”
I was genuinely impressed.
“I’ve been waiting for the day you’d return, Boss! We’re going to take over this street again!”
“Sigh, I’ve washed my hands of that life.”
Suddenly, I was curious.
“Mister, did you get a Brazilian wax?”
When I asked, the man nodded.
“I did. It’s important.”
“Doesn't it hurt?”
“You have to endure that much to be loved by your partner.”
That’s incredible. Even thinking about the girls, I don't think I could endure that.
“Boss! This must be fate! That bitch has returned!”
“That bitch?”
“The crazy bitch who cleaned up the gangsters on this street all by herself in just one week! Some bastards call her ‘Paeryong’ or whatever, but I know! It was just because the house was empty!”
Wait.
I felt like I’d heard this story somewhere.
“She barged in right when you retired! Didn't she tarnish your reputation, Boss?!”
“…….”
“I heard she appeared just now! After several years! Let’s go, Boss! Go and show that wench who the true ‘Paewang’ of this street was!”
* * *
Paeryong (Supreme Dragon) and Paewang (Supreme King).
We were on our way to witness the legendary battle between the two.
“But why is she called Paeryong?”
When I asked the Bald Man’s lackey, he glared at me once, but he answered because he was mindful of the man.
“Because she wears a jacket with a dragon on it.”
“Aha, gangsters sure like that kind of thing. Very Wuxia novel vibes.”
“…….”
The lackey glared at me again.
“You’ve got nerves of steel.”
Ahn Hyun-ho whispered beside me, praising my boldness, but honestly, what was there to be scared of?
“We’ve got Paeryong on the right and Paewang on the left. What’s there to fear?”
“I guess that’s true…”
I had heard from Senior Ju-hee that back in high school, she had once wiped out all the gangsters because they were being annoying. She said that was why there were no gangsters around this area.
As we went to meet Senior Ju-hee, I asked the Bald Man.
“But mister, why did you quit the thug life?”
“This brat just said that to the Boss—!”
The pissed-off lackey tried to interject, but the man answered with a smile.
“I realized many things. I realized this lifestyle was impossible for me.”
“Boss! What do you mean by that?!”
“Don't butt in.”
The lackey stepped back at the Bald Man’s warning. Since he grumbled and led the way, we were able to have a candid conversation.
“You mean in a sexual sense, right?”
“Of course.”
“Why? You could have just hidden it.”
“Sigh, that turned out to be difficult.”
The man shook his head with a sincere sigh.
“I couldn't even stand up because I was always erect because of my subordinates. It started to hurt because it stayed up all the time.”
“Aha.”
I just heard something disgusting. I need to forget that as soon as possible.
“Especially since gangsters go to the bathhouse often. But there—”
“Paeryoooooong!”
The lackey leading the way suddenly shouted.
Gangsters were already lying around, beaten to a pulp. And in the center of it all, Senior Ju-hee, who was smoking a cigarette, spotted us.
“Oh? I was just about to head out.”
Look at the blood on that bat. She must have fought quite savagely.
“It’s the battle between Paeryong and Paewang!”
“Paewang has returned!”
“Are you watching, you Monaka bitch?! This is the power of Koreans!”
“It’s a legend! We’re witnessing a legend right now!”
“This is insane!”
“Save us from those Japs!”
Shouts erupted from all over. The people around us began to misunderstand, thinking that Senior Ju-hee and the Bald Man were about to fight.