Force
Thud—!
The carriage lurched, then began to slow.
As it came to a stop, the driver’s voice rang out. “We’ve arrived.”
Creak.
The three of them climbed down from the carriage.
Baek Wontae clutched his lower back and twisted from side to side. “Ugh… my spine’s gonna snap. Does this damn carriage not have suspension or what…?”
Yi-hyeon replied irritably, “Quit whining.”
Baek Wontae turned his gaze ahead.
The sounds of the crowd, footsteps, and merchants shouting from every direction surged toward him all at once.
The streets were packed, and the buildings stood shoulder to shoulder. Along the roadside hung signs for pharmacies, general stores, and inns.
“So this is Hamwon… It’s pretty lively.”
Baek Wontae jerked his chin at Yi-hyeon. “Then guide me to the most reputable pharmacy. We start there.”
“There’s a physician here we know pretty well. Follow me.”
Where they arrived was a pharmacy.
What they needed to do here was simple: figure out how the local distribution points for Hyeonrihwa were spread throughout Hamwon.
And yet that was all they were allowed to do.
With his abilities, he could sweet-talk an entire merchant house into supplying Hyeonrihwa endlessly.
The hunger in Baek Wontae flared like fire, but—
It couldn’t be helped.
He’d made a promise to the family head.
He didn’t know why they were being so cautious, but it wasn’t his problem.
Every big venture started small.
Just as he reached out to open the old wooden door—
Crash!!
Something shattered inside.
Then a burst of shouting from rough voices shook the pharmacy.
The siblings flinched and hurried inside.
There was an old man in a white robe.
The physician known throughout the district.
Surrounding him were six thugs.
The biggest of them stepped forward and slapped one palm into the other. “Physician, we said we’d protect you, didn’t we? Just pay the protection fee and the local riffraff won’t dare lay a hand on you.”
Beads of sweat stood out on the physician’s forehead.
Carefully, but firmly, he answered, “Aren’t you the very ones laying hands on me right now? If such things are to be dealt with, they should be dealt with by me—not by the help of others.”
“Ha, you really are stubborn, aren’t you? Don’t you know who we are? We’re the White Bone Gang that runs this whole area!”
The lanky thug huffed through his nose.
“We even bring in medicinal supplies cheap and take care of the deadbeats who skip out on treatment fees. Isn’t this a perfect arrangement for everyone? Why keep refusing?”
The physician wasn’t stupid.
What they called “medicinal supplies” was trash with no healing value whatsoever.
And those “deadbeats who skip treatment fees” were just poor neighbors he’d been seeing for free.
The way these scum talked as if they were doing him a favor was vile.
“I said I don’t need it. You’re preventing me from working. Get out at once.”
The big thug bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes.
“Fine, so that’s how you want it? You think you can disrespect us and get away with it? Then we’ll make sure you can’t work at all.”
He grabbed the physician by the wrist.
“If we break this hand… can you still take a needle properly?”
“Y-you bastards…!”
The old man’s voice shook with fear and anger.
From a short distance away, Baek Wontae watched the scene.
Even places like this have their own thugs, huh. Guess they really do exist in every era.
His mind turned.
He could use this situation.
Maybe he could even squeeze out a bigger profit than he’d planned.
Tension crossed the siblings’ faces.
“Physician Yang!”
The physician looked up.
Recognizing the siblings, his expression changed.
“Y-young master and young mistress Hah-u? Don’t come any closer!”
Physician Yang shouted, his voice trembling.
Baek Wontae tilted his head.
…Hah-u siblings? What, are they using fake names or something? Cute.
The thugs turned as well.
“What, customers?”
“We’re closed for the day. Go somewhere else.”
“You’ll get hurt if you keep hanging around.”
Their voices were full of brute confidence.
An ordinary person would have frozen under that pressure.
But—
These three were anything but ordinary.
Baek Wontae gave a crooked smile. “Hurt? Who? You guys?”
The air turned ice-cold.
The thugs’ expressions hardened.
“What did you just say?”
Baek Wontae repeated it slowly, not missing a single syllable. “Hurt? Who? You guys?”
“Ha, look at this bastard….”
The big one shot to his feet.
“You screwing around?”
Baek Wontae lifted one corner of his mouth. “Screwing around? No. I’m actually grateful. This is gonna make things easier.”
“Y-you don’t know who we are, but arrogance like that is dangerous. Back off!”
Physician Yang tried to stop him in a panic, but Baek Wontae waved him off.
“Don’t worry. I’ll wrap this up fast.”
The thugs exchanged glances and muttered among themselves.
“What is he, insane?”
Baek Wontae answered calmly. “I’ll get to the point. Starting now, I’m going to beat you half to death.”
Silence fell over the pharmacy.
Then—
“Pwahahaha!”
Laughter exploded.
The thugs doubled over, clutching their stomachs.
Baek Wontae grimaced and covered his ears. “So loud. Did you swallow a train boiler or something?”
“What? Beat us half to death? Why not just say you’re gonna kill us outright?”
“Hey, what exactly are you relying on, huh? That pretty-boy male model over there? Or that girl?”
Baek Wontae snapped his fingers. “Ding ding. Correct.”
He stepped behind the siblings and tapped their shoulders. “All right, this is your debut match. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Kahahaha, I haven’t laughed like this in ages.”
One ugly thug wiped away tears of laughter and bared his teeth. “Boss, that girl’s actually not bad-looking. Let’s take her somewhere, have some fun, then sell her off.”
The big thug’s gaze shifted to Yi-hwa.
She was, indeed, beautiful.
Her sharp eyes were chilling, but even that only added a strange, dangerous allure that tugged at a man’s heart.
“Yeah, she’s got some use. Her eyes are fierce, though.”
Physician Yang sprang to his feet and shouted, “You monsters! If you lay a hand on Ahwa, I won’t forgive you!”
“Shut up, old man!”
The lanky thug grabbed him by the collar.
The old physician’s body was yanked into the air, then—
Thud!
He was slammed onto the floor.
“Ghk…!”
Clutching his hip, he let out a groan.
His whole body ached.
“Physician!”
A dark shadow fell over Yi-hwa’s face.
The big thug still had his eyes fixed on her.
He walked toward her.
His lips curled, and his tongue swept the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
“You should consider the touch of this White Bone Gang leader an honor. I’ll carve it into your body so you never forget it.”
The instant his rough hand reached for her cheek—
Yi-hwa’s hand shot out and seized his wrist.
Crack!
With a tightening grip, she snapped the wrist upward.
“K—”
Before even a scream could fully leave his throat—
Pow!
Yi-hwa’s fist slammed into his face.
Bang—!
It wasn’t just a matter of staggering back two or three steps.
The hulking body was flung clear off its feet and crashed into the other thugs.
“…….”
The thugs, Physician Yang, and even Yi-hwa herself all froze.
…Am I really this strong?
She’d trained for a long time, but this was her first real fight.
She’d been angry, so she’d put all that anger into her strength.
She hadn’t held back at all.
The result was a broken wrist and a body sent flying.
Baek Wontae whistled, impressed. “Damn, she’s a total beast.”
“Y-you little bitch…!”
The sneers vanished from the thugs’ faces.
Only rage and killing intent remained.
They pulled daggers from their pockets and growled, “R-run, guys!”
“Kill them!”
The thugs charged at once.
The siblings’ eyes flashed.
Blades swept toward their faces, but—
It was too slow.
He could see exactly where they were coming from.
There was no need for inner power, no need even to use a martial arts form.
Yi-hyeon’s body slipped lightly aside, and—
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
Within seconds, dozens of punches came pouring down.
One thug caved in and went tumbling across the floor.
Yi-hwa moved too.
Whoosh—
She hooked his ankle and dropped the big one, then drove in a knife-hand strike.
Kwaaaang!
The impact rattled the floor stones.
Not even the hem of his clothes was cut.
* * *
Five of them were reduced to bloody messes.
Less than a minute had passed.
Yi-hyeon looked around. “…Where’s the last one?”
A sharp shout rang out from farther away. “D-don’t move!”
The siblings stiffened.
The ugly thug had seized Physician Yang.
A blade was pressed tight against the old man’s neck.
“You bastards… take one more step and I’ll cut this old man’s throat right in front of you! If you want to watch, then move!”
The tip of the knife was trembling.
The man was terrified.
His desperate last resort was hostage-taking.
Baek Wontae snorted. “That’s the level we’re dealing with?”
Meanwhile, the siblings were at a loss, unable to think of a way to save the physician and growing frantic.
“Physician Yang!”
“You coward!”
Yi-hyeon clenched his teeth.
It was a filthy trick, but the blade was against the old man’s neck.
One mistake, and his life was gone.
If only I had some hidden weapon…!
He hadn’t carried any weapons, not wanting to attract unnecessary suspicion.
That strict caution had become his downfall.
Then—
Tap.
Someone poked him in the back.
“Yi-hyeon.”
When he turned, Baek Wontae was smiling.
“Give them exactly what they want.”
He placed something in Yi-hyeon’s hand.
Cold. Solid. Round.
Yi-hyeon understood his meaning immediately.
More than enough.
Strength gathered in his fist.
“Physician Yang. Don’t move.”
“If you try anything—!”
The thug raised his knife.
He never got to finish the sentence.
Swoosh—!
Yi-hyeon’s arm shot out like a flash of light.
The coin flew faster than the eye could track.
It was only a coin, but—
In the hands of Dang’s clan, it became a hidden weapon.
Crack!
The thug’s forehead bone rang, and his brain seemed to stop on impact.
“Ughk…!”
He stiffened with his eyes still open, then—
Clang!
He dropped the knife and crumpled.
Baek Wontae clapped and gave a thumbs-up. “Oh, nice throw. Knew I could count on you.”
Then he turned toward the comparatively unharmed one.
Baek Wontae approached the lanky thug, who was dragging himself away in a panic. “Hey. Stay still.”
“H-heeek!”
The thug clutched his injured leg and crawled on the floor.
Crush—!
Baek Wontae stomped down on the leg.
“Aaaaagh!”
“I said stay still. If you move, it’ll break, okay?”
Baek Wontae crouched.
“You must’ve got some backing if you’re pulling crap like this. White Bone Gang, was it? Pretty nasty name. Are you guys really something in this district? Who’s backing you?”
“N-no one… Aaaahhh!”
He stood and stamped the injured spot again.
The harder he put his weight down, the louder the screams got. It was almost like playing with a toy.
Baek Wontae leaned in and whispered, almost affectionately, “Lies still break bones, you know.”
“Uuuuugh! I-it’s true!”
Tears poured from the thug’s eyes.
“We just… got together to make some money on the street! White Bone Gang… was just a name to sound cool. We’re nobody! That’s everyone here, and there’s no backing at all!”
“Really?”
“Yes! We won’t do it again! Please, please just spare my life… Great hero, please show mercy!”
Baek Wontae snorted and picked up the knife that had fallen to the floor.
The thug’s face went completely white.
“G-great hero…?”
Baek Wontae smiled as he examined the blade. “No backing, huh? Good. I was worried I’d have to deal with the aftermath. Then I guess I can kill you without any worries.”
He spun the knife once and held it out to Yi-hyeon.
His whisper was so quiet only Yi-hyeon could hear it.
Yi-hyeon took the knife.
The thug, still crawling, flailed his hands. “W-wait! Please…!”
Whoosh—!
In that instant, Yi-hyeon’s hand shot upward—
Thunk!
The knife flew and buried itself deep in the floor beside his head.
“G-gluh….”
Foam gathered at his mouth as his eyes rolled back.