They'll All Vanish from This Country, Jo Joo-hyung
Jo Joo-hyung was a man who played money games in Daejeon and ran a gambling den.
He wore a puzzled expression.
"Are those guys off banging some girl they snatched or what? Why the hell haven't they come back yet? No word from Bae Ho-min either?"
"Yes, boss. Still no contact at all."
"What about Jeong Ho-cheol?"
"Ho-cheol too..."
Jo Joo-hyung scowled.
"Are they seriously off screwing around with that bitch somewhere?"
"..."
The two men should have returned long ago. But they hadn't. And not only that—no contact whatsoever.
Normally, he wouldn't bat an eye if a couple of underlings went radio silent. But...
Something's off.
Lately, Jo Joo-hyung had been feeling deeply uneasy. Probably because of the incident in Seoul.
The clash between Kim Dong-su and Hwang In-su, the giants of the capital's underworld. The media had been buzzing nonstop about guys like him because of it.
Did they crack down on crackdowns, only for these idiots to fuck up right after?
Jo Joo-hyung frowned again. That was another reason for his worry.
"That Seong Yubin chick... I was gonna have her."
Money hadn't been his goal from the start. The amount her parents had borrowed wasn't chump change, but it wasn't something he couldn't live without.
But Seong Yubin? She was tempting.
A few rounds of fun, then set her up in an office job—she'd more than cover her debt.
So he'd put in the effort. Which was why now, maybe, the radio silence from Bae Ho-min and Jeong Ho-cheol was getting under his skin. More than the big Seoul gang wars, he was anxious about what those two might be doing with her. About them stealing all his hard work.
"You made sure those guys got the memo on how to handle her?"
"Of course, boss."
"Sigh. Even if we trained 'em, those bottom-feeders could do anything and it wouldn't be weird..."
Should've put a tail on them.
He spoke up.
"...For now, check around her place. See if she's back home."
"Got it, boss."
He needed to know if she'd returned. He already had her address anyway. Sure, there were laws and prying eyes, so he hadn't gone to her house yet—but that wouldn't last much longer.
Can't wait anymore. Better harvest her before someone else snatches her up.
He'd planned to let her ripen more. But that luxury seemed over.
Time to ramp up the pressure. Make her give up completely.
But things didn't go his way.
"Huh?"
He was in a container office near the vinyl greenhouse gambling den—a farm shed.
Several vans pulled in.
What the hell?
That's when the unease hit.
"Hey, any word on a raid today?"
"No, boss. Nothing from Chief Hwang."
The Kim Dong-su scandal popping up in the news fanned his anxiety. But his subordinate's words eased it a bit.
If it were cops, Hwang would've tipped us off.
So what were these vans? Not just one—three of them.
Men started piling out as the doors opened.
"Who the fuck are they?"
At least a dozen, easy. Suited up like secret agents, all in black masks.
Their vibe was no joke as they approached—and not just Koreans; foreigners mixed in.
"...Hey, go find out who they are and where they're from."
Jo Joo-hyung figured he shouldn't mess with them yet. Sent a lackey first.
The guy looked reluctant but headed out.
"Haha, hello there. This is private property—what brings you here...?"
The man was tense as hell, per Jo Joo-hyung's orders. His crew was around too, smoking and eyeing the scene. Tension hung thick.
"...Jo Joo-hyung here?"
One of them spoke up.
"Yeah, he's around. Who should I say's asking?"
"Bae Ho-min. Jeong Ho-cheol."
"Huh?"
Names he hadn't expected.
Why the hell are those two coming up here?
Bae Ho-min and Jeong Ho-cheol—the guys Jo Joo-hyung had just been looking for.
Them coming up now...
So their silence is tied to these guys...
He swallowed hard. It clicked.
"No way... did those two assholes commit some major fuck-up?"
Up close, it was clearer. These were pros hired by some big shot. Maybe Bae and Jeong had pissed off the wrong whale.
Gulp. Tension spiked.
If it's just them getting axed, I'm golden...
Anything more, and shit gets messy. Didn't know who they were, but they screamed real deal. Even with weapons, no guarantee of winning here. Numbers were even.
"Get Jo Joo-hyung."
The man said.
"Y-yes, sir!"
The lackey scurried back.
"What'd they say?"
"Looks like... Bae Ho-min and Jeong Ho-cheol fucked up or something."
"Goddamn it. Knew something was off with those pricks. Sigh. So?"
"They want you out, boss."
Jo Joo-hyung scowled and smacked the guy's head.
"You just said 'got it' and came back? I'm the head of this outfit, asshole. I don't come running just 'cause they say so, or bail when they tell me to?"
"Sorry!"
"All you underlings are fucking idiots."
He ragged on the guy like that, but he went out anyway. Jo Joo-hyung knew his place.
"Heh heh. Mind if I ask who these esteemed guests might be?"
He groveled as he stepped out.
That's when it hit him.
We're in deep shit.
Seventeen men total from the three vans. Every one radiating killer aura.
Fight 'em and we lose, no question.
Didn't matter. They reeked of danger. Whoever commanded them was beyond his league—untouchable.
The guy he'd talked to earlier stepped forward.
"You don't need to know that. You're Jo Joo-hyung?"
"Y-yes. That's me, but..."
"Seong Yubin. You know her?"
He flinched.
"So you do."
Jo Joo-hyung couldn't hide it. Never thought Seong Yubin would come up here.
Should've guessed when Bae and Jeong's names dropped, but still—a surprise.
"Not super close or anything... I did lend her folks some money once."
"To Seong Yubin?"
"Well..."
Technically to her parents.
"Better back off. Though I doubt words will stick with a guy like you."
The moment the man said that, the air shifted.
The other sixteen charged—not at Jo Joo-hyung, but scattering to take down his crew.
"Wh-what the—?"
"These fuckers...!"
"Beat 'em down!"
His smoking spectators jumped in shock. Shouts flew.
But the fight was over quick. Punches got caught mid-air, bodies flung. Wrists twisted behind backs, slammed down.
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
Less than a minute. Nearly twenty of Jo Joo-hyung's men—all subdued in exactly ten seconds.
"Might as well do it clean if you're gonna handle it."
The talker said to Jo Joo-hyung.
"...!"
His eyes widened. In that instant, he felt death closer than ever.
He dropped to his knees.
Head bowed low, he begged.
"N-no, please! I'm Jo Joo-hyung... I've never forgotten my place. Seong Yubin? No idea who that is! Even if I did, I'll pretend I don't! I swear I won't go near her!"
"How do we trust that?"
"It's the truth! Please believe me!"
He bowed again, trembling.
The man tsked.
"Pathetic how quick you fold..."
He muttered, stepping close.
"We don't trust promises from trash like you."
"I-I..."
"You won't get near Seong Yubin anyway. Know why?"
He didn't want to.
"'Cause today... you and yours are all vanishing from this country."
Choi Jincheol's whisper in his ear.
Chills raced over Jo Joo-hyung's skin.
"Hic."
A sob escaped.
As he pleaded for his life, Choi leaned in.
"Sure, we could let you live. One condition, though."
"So... what happened with those guys?"
"Handled 'em so they'll never bother Miss Seong Yubin again."
"Gotta let Yubin know it's all sorted... so she can relax."
"Just say it's taken care of."
Derek Coleman replied.
"I guarantee—they won't show up in front of her ever again."
Shin Jaewoo nodded.
Probably scared 'em straight, paid off the debt too.
Yubin knows I've got money, so it'll sound right. Better me telling her than her seeing those scary faces.
But he needed certainty.
"Not doubting you, Coleman, but really—no issues? Those two were probably just grunts, not the boss..."
"Yes, sir. We talked it out with the head guy and wrapped it up."
"Good to hear."
Money made life easy. Even handled crap like this...
Derek Coleman added.
"So no more of those types sniffing around Yubin."
He was confident.
By tomorrow, they'd be out of the country.
Probably on a boat by now.
They'd never set foot on Korean soil again. Better not even dream of it.