I'll Come to You
I wasn't the least bit afraid of punks who only relied on their size.
I was someone who had burned through his youth aiming to be a national kendo athlete.
Originally, kendo was a lethal technique designed to cut off an enemy's breath as quickly and effectively as possible.
It was more fatal than any other martial art.
Although I didn't have a sword in my hand, my bare hands were more than enough to shred their will to fight, piece by piece.
"Ugh! I-I'm sorry. Stop hitting me..."
I struck their vitals half a beat faster than their fists could fly. When a kick came my way, I broke the joints connected to that leg, joint by joint.
I hadn't even hit them that many times, but they were already writhing in excruciating pain.
"Are you guys all of the Gwangsu Gang?"
"T-There are twenty more inside. And about ten more waiting at the dorms."
"Thirty-six in total?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right."
It sounded like an attempt to compromise, suggesting we stop here.
"Right?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah?"
Did he realize I was a bit different from an ordinary cop?
"...Y-Yes, sir."
The punk who had just been ordering the others to beat me up hung his head, avoiding my gaze.
"What's your name?"
"It's Cheolgu. Lee Cheolgu."
"What's your street name?"
"...Jo Inseung."
"What?"
"Jo Inseung. Jo Inseung. They said I look a bit like the actor."
"..."
He doesn't look that good, though.
"Alright, Jo Inseung. Hand over your phone."
"H-Here it is."
Jo Inseung handed over his phone without a single complaint.
"You guys should hand yours over too, right?"
Clatter.
Before I could even finish my sentence, phones and walkie-talkies rained down onto the ground.
"Is there a place nearby where you can hide for a bit? Just for an hour or two should do."
"There's a container at the edge of the empty lot. It's used as a warehouse for the Gukbingwan, but there's a sofa inside, so it won't be too uncomfortable."
"Where is it?"
"Over there."
"Lead the way. To where you'll be staying."
"...Pardon?"
"Do you want to get beaten up some more before you go?"
"N-No, sir. We're going. Hey, get up, quick!"
Supporting his fallen comrades, Jo Inseung voluntarily locked himself in the container.
I tightly bound their hands and feet with the cable ties I had brought along.
"Bear with the discomfort for a bit. It won't take long."
As I was about to close the container door and leave, I remembered something and turned back.
"Ah, right. Let me ask you something."
"Ask away, sir."
"What's the name of the Shark Gang's boss?"
"It's Donbaek. Cha Donbaek."
"Cha Donbaek? But why did they name it the Shark Gang?"
"In Gyeongsang Province, shark meat is called dombaegi. People kept teasing the Donbaek Gang by calling them the Dombaegi Gang, so they just went with Shark Gang..."
"What a level of naming sense. Alright, I get it. Rest up."
I left the container and headed to the "Shopping District Prosperity Committee" office, which the Shark Gang used as their hideout.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Anyone in?"
"Who is it?"
A hulking man greeted me while lying on the sofa, naturally speaking in informal language.
I didn't feel any need to be polite either.
"The guy who shared a cell with Donbaek-hyung."
"With Boss Shark?"
Although he sat up halfway, he was still wary of me.
"Yeah. What brings you here?"
"He said we should eat from the same pot once we got out, but I don't plan on going that far."
"And?"
"I guess sharing a cell counts as a connection, and maybe I grew fond of him. I saw something, and I felt like I should let you guys know. But hey, your attitude toward a guest is pretty damn rude, isn't it?"
I glared at the hulk with a displeased expression.
Walking into a tiger's den without showing a shred of intimidation meant one of two things: either I was naturally fearless, or I was confident in my skills.
They say that in the animal kingdom, hierarchy is determined by aura alone...
"Hmm. Well, don't just stand at the door. Come in and let's talk. Hey, kid, bring a cup of coffee here."
The hulk's tone and behavior became noticeably polite.
But I had no intention of having a long conversation with him.
A lie works best when it's short and you pull out quickly.
"Coffee at this hour? No thanks. I'll just quickly tell you what I saw and head home."
"Sure, whatever you prefer."
"Donbaek-hyung said you guys don't get along with the Gwangsu Gang. Is that true?"
"We're the worst of enemies. But why do you ask?"
"I went to the hardware store in town to buy a hammer, and I happened to see something."
"See what?"
"The manager of the Gukbingwan came in to buy fire-resistant steel pipes. You know, the fire-resistant ones are sturdy, perfect for cracking skulls. He ordered thirty-six of them, each one and a half meters long."
"S-Steel pipes...?"
"He's picking them up tomorrow morning. I figured if you guys didn't want to sit back and get slaughtered, you'd want to prepare."
The reaction was instantaneous.
"Hey, kid!"
"Yes, hyung-nim."
"Go call the boys. Tell them to grab their weapons and get out here."
"Understood, hyung-nim."
It was impossible for me to handle sixty to seventy gangsters on my own.
I needed help, but the local police substation didn't seem like they would be of any use.
But that didn't mean there was no way.
I just had to make them help me on their own.
"Well then, good luck."
"Um, who should I say you are when I report to Boss Shark?"
"No need for that over something like this. It's fine. It's not like we'll see each other again."
"Anyway, thank you. Get home safe."
I should be the one thanking you.
Since you guys will fill up all the points I'm lacking.
Leaving the hulk's gratitude behind, I headed straight back to the Commando.
I had some gear to pack.
"Two miniature hidden cameras. I can secure video evidence with these."
I also pulled out and put on a stab-proof vest to avoid getting stabbed by a stray blade.
According to my inquiries, there didn't seem to be any guns in this neighborhood.
I felt a sudden pang of emotion thinking of my shooter who died from a gunshot, but I shook my head to clear my mind.
"Focus. Now is not the time to get sentimental."
I drove the Commando back to the Gukbingwan.
The interior was dark. A flashy beat pounded against my chest. Under the laser lights, I could see young men and women lost in a trance.
No one paid any attention to me even as I went around installing hidden cameras on the pillars and walls.
"First, I should get the customers out, right?"
There might be drug users among them, but they weren't the ones I was going to arrest today.
I climbed onto the stage and unplugged all the power cords except for the microphone.
Naturally, everyone's eyes turned toward me.
"Mic check. Gangsters are heading this way right now with raw fish knives. Anyone who wants to stay and get stabbed, make some noise!"
"Whoooooo!"
Those crazy bastards actually cheered.
"Hey, I'm not joking. If you act tough, you're literally going to get beaten to death by sharks. I won't take responsibility."
Only then did the crowd start to murmur.
The ones who reacted the fastest were, of course, the waiters.
Someone reported the news to the higher-ups, while someone else went outside to check if they were really coming.
I needed to crank up the tension a bit more.
I pulled out Jo Inseung's phone and dialed the number saved as "Hammer-hyung."
"Yeah, Inseung. What's up?"
"Hyung-nim, the Shark Gang is heading this way right now."
"What? How many of them?"
"All of them. It's an emergency, hyung-nim. Hurry!"
"A-Alright, got it."
Hammer fell for it easily.
The new rumor spread rapidly among the panicked waiters.
"They say it's for real! Those bastards have already left."
"Fuck, grab the weapons first!"
As the waiters caused a ruckus, the watching customers also began to panic.
"Oppa, did you hear that?"
"I heard. Looks like a gang war. Let's get out of here. It's dangerous."
"Take me with you, oppa!"
The customers wouldn't believe a cop, but they believed the waiters implicitly.
They all rushed toward the narrow exit at once, trying to get out first.
The resulting bottleneck bought the Gwangsu Gang some time to prepare.
What a relief.
A one-sided victory for either side wasn't the picture I wanted.
Mutual destruction or dragging each other to the grave.
That was the best-case scenario I hoped for.
This was the only way to handle two syndicates by myself.
Since there wouldn't be any other cops showing up on time anyway.
"Oh, what a waste."
Holding a plate of dried snacks and fruit left behind by the customers, I headed up to the second-floor lighting booth.
The lighting technician had already run away.
"This is the perfect spot."
I flipped all the light switches, illuminating the interior of the Gukbingwan as bright as day.
The arena was ready.
Right on cue, the members of the Shark Gang entered the Gukbingwan.
Soon, a bloody action movie unfolded.
"It's a shame to watch this alone."
*Crunch, crunch. Munch, munch.*
I desperately craved a beer, but I held back since I had to make my move soon.
Just as the plate of snacks and fruit was running empty, I dialed 112 to report the incident.
"...I think you'll need a transport bus to take them all in. Yes, please hurry."
Now that I've made the report, shall I head down and clean things up?
In less than ten minutes, the end of the war was in sight.
They were panting and trying to regroup, but the remaining numbers could be counted on one hand.
The only thing still working on them was their mouths.
"Fuck, did we scare you?"
"Yeah, I'm shocked. I never dreamed you worthless pieces of shit would have the balls to launch a surprise attack."
"Feels like shit getting totally wrecked by those 'worthless pieces of shit,' doesn't it? Why did you try to pull a fast one? You agreed to keep a gentleman's agreement until our bosses got out, but you were plotting behind our backs?"
"What did we do? Fuck, you guys ambushed us first! Who the hell are you trying to play?"
"Cut the crap. You think we didn't know you secretly ordered steel pipes?"
"What kind of bullshit are you spewing?!"
"Wow, look at this bastard playing dumb. If it weren't for that gentleman, we would've been completely fooled. Then again, what can I expect from guys who used to be club promoters?"
"You fishy-smelling Dombaegi bastards!"
The atmosphere was highly volatile, but a clash didn't break out easily.
The fate of their organizations rested on the shoulders of the few men still standing.
"Uh, hyung-nim..."
A lackey tugged at Hammer's collar while he was in the middle of a serious conversation with the enemy leader.
Hammer replied in an irritated tone.
"What is it, punk!"
"I think you need to look over there."
"What?"
"Some guy has been putting something on the hands of the guys who are down."
"Huh?"
Turning his head in the direction the lackey pointed, he indeed saw an unidentified man.
The man was crouching down, muttering something as he wrapped something around the hands of the fallen gang members.
*Zip. Zip.*
"What has he been muttering this whole time?"
"From what I could catch, it sounded like something about a lawyer..."
"A lawyer? Hey! You! Yeah, you."
At Hammer's call, the man turned his head and replied.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. Which family do you belong to?"
"I still live alone."
"This crazy bastard can't even understand plain Korean."
"I'm almost done, so can you wait just a bit? Let me tie this guy up first."
"..."
An uninvited guest binding the hands of gang members like he was gathering loot in a blood-soaked scene.
That bizarre sight captured their attention.
"All done. That makes fifty. The rest are a bonus, I guess?"
I stood up and walked toward the Gwangsu Gang, the owners of the Gukbingwan.
Only five members of the Gwangsu Gang remained with their limbs intact.
"I suppose you guys are the elites?"
"I asked who the fuck you are!"
"Do we really need to know each other to fight?"
"You're definitely not on our side, right?"
"Yeah, definitely. But can I pick up a weapon too?"
"Suit yourself."
Metal weapons were scattered all over the floor.
Out of all of them, I picked up a wooden mop handle with a bluntly broken end.
"Beating you with this won't kill you. And it has a nice grip."
The remaining Gwangsu Gang members held vicious weapons in their hands.
Knives, hammers, crowbars, and steel pipes.
Not a single one of them wasn't lethal.
It didn't matter.
Because one minute was more than enough to disarm them.
"Wrist! Wrist! Shoulder! Shoulder! Shoulder!"
Leaping into the midst of the five men, I focused my strikes on their wrists and shoulders.
The bastards, who had dropped their weapons in a daze, tried to engage in hand-to-hand combat as a desperate measure, but...
*Thwack, thwack, thwack!*
What else could they do besides get their skulls cracked?
The remaining members of the Shark Gang just stared blankly at the scene.
"Ilsik-hyung. Isn't that the guy who came to our office earlier?"
The Shark Gang's youngest had excellent observation skills.
"Yeah. He said he was the Boss's cellmate. Wow, to think he was such a powerhouse. Boss's eye for people really is amazing. If I had picked a fight with him earlier, I would've been screwed."
"He's definitely on our side, right?"
"Of course, you idiot. I told you he was Boss Shark's cellmate."
"But why did he tie up our guys too?"
"...Huh?"
Following the youngest's finger, Ilsik scanned the surroundings.
The guys wearing suits or vests were all Gwangsu Gang.
The ones in comfortable tracksuits were all Shark Gang.
It wasn't even easy to mix them up...
"He really tied up all of our guys too..."
"Are you sure he's on our side?"
The youngest asked again.
"Maybe he just doesn't know who is who?"
"Probably, right?"
"He'd better be."
"Hyung-nim, I think it's already over over there."
Having knocked out the five Gwangsu Gang members in an instant, I turned toward the spectating Shark Gang.
"Are you guys done talking?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes."
"Should I come to you, or do you want to come to me?"
...What?
Ilsik shook his head, desperately trying to deny the reality.
"W-Why are you being so scary?"
"I'll just come to you."
The blood-stained mop handle sliced through the air once more.