Choice
Choice
I kicked the brat in the stomach as he collapsed to the ground from the punch that slammed into his cheek, then chased after the bastard as he slid backward and struck his belly once more.
"Kkeoheok!!!"
"Hurts, doesn't it? It's going to hurt a lot. I'm deliberately hitting you just hard enough not to knock you out. And this is only the beginning, you son of a bitch."
Thwack! Thwack!! Crack!! Crack!! Thwump!!
The brat was pinned against the rooftop railing that came up to chest height, and as my kicks rained down on him, the pained groans escaping his mouth grew fainter and fainter.
"Hey, is that it already? Get up, you bastard!"
"..."
Slap! Slap!! Slap!!
I fiercely smacked the cheeks of the brat who had crouched down and lost consciousness, but whether he had properly passed out or not, he wouldn't wake up easily.
Or maybe I hit his cheeks too hard?
Ah, shit... I haven't even properly taught him manners yet, and he's already passing out?
This weak-ass bastard...
And then, along with the brat lying unconscious on the ground, a somewhat belated threat reached my ears.
"D-don't move!!"
"Step away from Minjun! Or else..!"
"Or else?"
"I-I'll kill..."
"I'll kill you! I'm not joking!"
At my question as I glanced back, the woman who had been stammering was replaced by the woman beside her, who pressed a knife to Kim Minseo's neck and threatened me.
Well, instead of stammering, the hand holding the knife was trembling.
With that hand, she'd do a fine job of killing.
"Oh, oppa..."
"Don't 'oppa' me. You brought this on yourself."
"Hiiing..."
I hope this incident serves as a big lesson for the sniffling Kim Minseo.
Of course, technically, I was the one who acted contrary to my words in the first place.
"You clearly said you wouldn't fight unless they were people who needed to be killed, oppa!"
"I did. But that doesn't change the fact that you didn't listen to me, and that's why things turned out this way. So don't complain and just die gracefully. I'm offering to kill you cleanly without much hassle. Isn't that better for you?"
"I don't want to die!!"
"Then you should have listened."
At our exchange, the eyes of the two women darted back and forth, quickly alternating between me and Kim Minseo as they asked.
"Excuse me..."
"A-are you on the same side..?"
"We are... but threatening to kill me probably won't work... He's a heartless bastard without even a speck of affection... I'm sorry..."
"Are you stupid? Why are you apologizing for something you didn't do?"
"..."
After scolding Kim Minseo for apologizing for not being an effective hostage, I turned my head slightly, finished off the remaining zombie, then looked at the man in his 30s who was about to move toward me and spoke.
As a bonus, I lifted myself up and placed my right foot on the head of the unconscious brat.
"I kill without warning. If you want to test that, try moving even a little."
"...Why are you doing this?"
"Hmm... Why... First, you tried to take my woman first."
"We didn't try to take her; we were trying to protect her. It was a situation where we could easily misunderstand."
"Second, you misunderstood and provoked me first by calling me trash and a perverted bastard."
"That too was caused by a misunderstanding."
"Third, failing to properly educate that brat over there. Didn't you say the same to him? That someone could get hurt because of you."
"Still, those reasons are not sufficient justification for doing something like this."
"That's not for you to decide whether it's sufficient or not. I'm the one who decides."
"..."
"If you still don't understand, how about this?"
"What now?"
"Because you're weak. In a world like this, isn't weakness the greatest sin?"
"..."
Only after hearing the final reason did the man in his 30s stop arguing and clamp his mouth shut.
"Looks like you finally understand?"
"It's more convincing than the reasons you gave earlier. Did you come here specifically targeting us from the start?"
"Pretty sharp."
"What is your goal? Is murder your objective? Or do you have another purpose?"
What's this?
He's taking control of the conversation with a composure and calmness that even surprises me.
And he's hitting the core points squarely.
"As for my purpose... the woman, coins, information, and as a bonus, I've decided I want to take some weapons too."
"I'll give you everything."
"Oppa!!"
"What are you saying?!"
What the hell, this smart bastard.
He's making the best choice and decision possible in this situation, to the point where it's killing the mood.
Those two women might not feel that way, but right now, there is no other option besides the decision that man just made.
Because although it was a brief moment, the situation isn't one where he can guarantee victory against me—someone who dodged his attack and easily subdued his companions.
And if he chooses to fight, at the very least, the brat whose head is being stepped on by my foot will die for sure.
He's definitely a man with the qualities and qualifications to lead people.
Unlike me.
"We'll give you all the coins and weapons we have. But the women are off-limits. I believe we can demand that much in exchange for safely returning that woman to you."
"..."
Ah, fuck...
Everything he says is spot on, so I have nothing to refute.
But I don't like letting things flow the way this bastard wants, just out of spite.
"Then what if I kill this brat and you hand over one of your women? That's fair, isn't it?"
"What nonsense..!"
"Oppa!!"
"You're too loud."
"Shit..!"
This is a deal where I'm definitely losing.
Just based on looks and body shape, even if I took both of those women instead of Kim Minseo, I'd still be at a loss.
But there's no way this bastard, who has a different disposition from me, would accept these terms.
"How about it? Yes or no? For reference, if even one condition of the deal goes wrong, this deal never happened."
"..."
Hehehe...
Seeing that flustered face makes me feel a bit better now.
The only reason I made such a proposal was to see that bastard make that expression.
"Ugh..! You can't negotiate with a bastard like this..!"
"Minjun!"
"What? Were you pretending to be unconscious?"
Whether the brat whose head is under my foot actually regained consciousness or never passed out in the first place, he expressed his opinion toward the man in his 30s.
"Just... kill him..!"
"No, Minjun! Just stay quiet!!"
Kkuuuuk!!
"Aack!!"
"Looks like you weren't meant to live long because of that mouth of yours."
"Stop it!!"
"That's not for you to decide either. You just make your choice. Whether to accept the conditions I've laid out."
Eudeudeuk!!
Even though he's quite far away, the sound of him grinding his teeth reaches my ears.
But even that grinding sound soon faded, drowned out by my right foot pressing down harder and harder on the brat's head.
Thud-
The man in his 30s suddenly dropped to his knees on the ground, prostrating himself as if bowing.
"I'll release that woman and give you my life instead. Please be satisfied with that."
"..."
Wow, fuck...
For a moment, I was speechless.
Because it was so cringey.
Right now, what's going through that bastard's head is probably...
No, why the hell are you offering your life for someone else!
I want to protect everyone, even at the cost of my own life.
Crazy bastard... Whew... Since you're going that far, I have no choice. Fine, I'll just take the coins and weapons.
Something like that, I'm guessing?
Though it's just a baseless imagination.
"Hey, you crazy son of a bitch. I said I want the woman, not your worthless life. That's not even a valid deal condition, you dumbass. And are you an otaku? Fuck, that line was so fucking cringey... Ugh!! Goosebumps..!"
I vigorously rubbed my arms, which actually had goosebumps, and at my words, the head of the man who had been prostrating slowly lifted up.
That bastard, despite his appearance, is definitely an anime fan.
This is why you shouldn't judge people by their looks.
No, wait.
Could he have been buying time?
"Ugh..!"
"Uk..!"
"Uh-hu..!"
Not only the two men who looked to be in their 20s, but even the middle-aged man with the half-bald head got up.
If they really were buying time until those guys could get up...
Wow, I'll admit it.
I definitely fell for that bastard's tactic.
Of course, that anime-fan bastard probably wasn't aiming for that.
But even if he was, the situation wouldn't change much anyway.
The guys who just came to aren't fully recovered, and I still have this brat as a hostage under my foot.
"That bastard..!"
"Minjun, are you okay..? Ugh..!"
"Jeonghu, what the hell happened here.."
The name of the man in his 30s is Lee Jeonghu. After the three who had briefly lost consciousness heard the current situation from Lee Jeonghu, they revealed genuine murderous intent and gripped their weapons tightly.
Well, even before hearing it, they were glaring at me with venomous eyes.
"Hyung, what the hell are you thinking with that nonsense?!"
"Jeonghu, it's a difficult decision, but I think we have to do it."
"Minjun, are you ready?"
"Yes... don't worry about me... Aack!!!"
"Shut up, you bastard. Why is the hostage running his mouth?"
"Everyone, stop!! I'll make the decision."
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm the one who makes the decisions, not you. Weak bastards only get to choose among what's given."
"..."
"What did you say?!"
"This bastard!!"
"Are you going to let him talk like that, Jeonghu?!"
At my words, the three flared up, and after a brief moment of consideration, I made my decision.
I was planning to compromise and end things peacefully, but hearing all this "this bastard" and "that bastard" pissed me off.
Let's just kill them all.
"Let's settle this cleanly. Only one of us survives: me or you all."
"That's what I wanted, you bastard!!"
"Don't underestimate us just because you succeeded in one surprise attack!"
"Jeongwoo!"
"Do you really have to go this far?"
"You're the one who turned a situation that didn't have to be like this into this. I clearly gave you a choice."
"..."
4 against 1.
It seems like a somewhat uneven fight, but the odds are definitely in my favor.
That half-bald middle-aged man's legs are trembling, one guy is nothing special, and even the decent one's hand holding his weapon is shaking.
It's just a fight between Lee Jeonghu and me.
Then first, before the fight, I'll kill this brat.
Swipe-
Just as I was about to slam my right foot down hard, lifting it off his head.
"Excuse me..."
At Kim Minseo's small voice, everyone's attention turned to her.
And feeling the pressure of all those stares, Kim Minseo's lips moved hesitantly before another voice came out.
"You only have to do it once... No, just one day."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't plan to settle here. I'll be leaving for somewhere else tomorrow. So just think of it as having a bad dream and close your eyes for one day. That's better than someone dying."
Kim Minseo's words were directed not at me or the men, but at the two women holding her hostage.
Honestly, no matter what Lee Jeonghu chose, if these women agreed to it, that would be the end of it.
"R-really..?"
"How can we trust you?"
"Hmm... Because I'm prettier."
"What?!"
"..."
"I'm sorry to say this, but neither of you are enough to make oppa covet you."
Wow, she's dropping truth bombs there.
If I were a woman more sensitive about looks than men, I'd have just killed her out of annoyance.
"And it was the same before we came here. I stayed just one day and came back. Actually, the woman asked to be taken, but..."
"Wait. So you're saying if one of the two of us sacrifices herself, this situation will be resolved?"
"Yes. And if you also give him the coins, information, and weapons that oppa demanded."
"Why are you even hesitating over such bullshit?!"
"That's right! Just fight!"
"Then are you going to let Minjun die?!"
"That's..!"
"If it's an unavoidable sacrifice..."
"Unavoidable my ass! You said we can stop it!"
"Then are you saying Daeun should just let that man have her?!"
"Yes! I'll do it! I will!"
"No, noona! Don't do that!!"
"Just shut up for a moment."
Thwack!!
Thud!!
As I brought my raised right foot down and stomped on the brat's head, a painful sound echoed as it hit the hard rooftop floor.
"D-don't!!!"
"Noona... don't do that... please..."
"But..!"
"If it's not Daeun, then I'll do it. That works, doesn't it?"
"No, eonni! I'll..."
"Don't talk bullshit! I absolutely won't allow that!"
What's this? This brat and that Daeun bitch like each other, and the guy who's decent likes the one called eonni?
That makes me want to have both of them.
Yeah, rather than killing them, it would be better education for them to have their beloved women spend a night with me, the one they want to kill.
Hehehe....
"Fine. Then both of you come here. I'll take both of you. But not one night—until midnight tonight. 9 hours from now. How about it?"
"You son of a bitch..!"
"Shut up! You crazy bastard!!"
"Kim Beomsu!!"
Fuck, that's a name that sounds like he'd be great at singing.
The decent bastard who landed a backspin elbow on me couldn't control his anger and charged.
And the brat under my foot started squirming too.
Swipe— Thwack!!
I swung my right foot forward and then backward, stomping on the brat's face with my heel. Then I reached out with my left hand, grabbed Kim Beomsu's right wrist as he swung his dagger, and with my clenched right fist, I uppercutted his jaw once more.
Crunch!!
Ouch, that's a terrible sound.
Kim Beomsu's head bounced upward from the uppercut, which landed so solidly that my own jaw ached, and his body collapsed. As he fell, I folded my right arm at the elbow and was about to drive it down onto his face—
"No!!! I'll do it! I'll do whatever you say, just please stop!!!"
"Please... I'm begging you... Huuk..."
At the two women's desperate cries and sobs, my elbow stopped just before crashing into his face, and Kim Beomsu's body crumpled to the ground.
That's a bit unexpected.
I thought if one of them charged, the rest would all join in.
Ah, he stopped them.
"The negotiation is over. Sujeong and Daeun have decided to do it, and that's the end of it. Don't escalate this. That goes for you too."
"Lee Gangho!! Are those the words coming out of your mouth right now?!"
"Hyung! How can you say that?! You're basically selling out Sujeong noona and Daeun!!"
"Then do you want to die instead?"
"Yes! I'd rather die than..."
"Fine, then let's do that."
"..."
"..."
Lee Jeonghu, who had been gripping the collars of the two men with both hands stretched out to his sides, released his grip, and the insignificant bastard and the half-bald middle-aged man, who had been shouting loudly, clamped their mouths shut, helpless.
Tsk, whining when they can't do anything with their own strength.
Anyway, Lee Jeonghu, as the leader guiding his people, made the best choice.
I don't know what the survivors will think.
That's not my concern.
I just need to...
"Kim Minseo, take all their coins while checking the information. And the weapons too. You two, come here."
...gather the spoils from a victorious battlefield.