The Girl's Revenge (6)
"…Da-eun."
Park Min-gyu began to tense up as he eyed Lee Ho-yeon and Nam Da-eun standing side by side. At this point, he could grasp the full situation. Nam Da-eun must have told Lee Ho-yeon everything and asked for his help.
What the hell did she do to pull this off…?
Park Min-gyu had been watching Nam Da-eun for a long time. He'd completely analyzed her personality and speech patterns, so he could predict all her actions. Nam Da-eun was never the type to ask for help from others. She'd rather suffer in silence. So how had she managed it?
Doesn't matter.
Park Min-gyu shook off the stray thoughts. Now wasn't the time to dwell on causes. What mattered was what they wanted. He had to meet their demands somehow and escape this mess.
That's when Lee Ho-yeon, who had been staring at him, finally spoke.
"Park Min-gyu. I saw your recent interview—you're really good at apologizing. Lucky for you, you'll have plenty of practice ahead."
"…What do you want?"
He'd only just managed to quiet the media frenzy over the drug trafficking scandal. Some outlets were still buzzing, and if this blew up now, covering it would be impossible.
"Oh, I want a lot of things. Money, maybe?"
"How much? The guild's still small, so it can't be too—"
"Everything."
"…Huh?"
Lee Ho-yeon smirked inwardly. As expected, sparking that drug scandal had rattled him a bit. Letting go of hard-earned prestige was never easy.
"All the filthy, ugly money you've scraped together. Hand it over."
Park Min-gyu stared at the calmly speaking Lee Ho-yeon, unable to hide his panic.
"Th-that… what?"
"Park Min-gyu. Money's easy to make back. But if this evidence spreads? No more chances to earn it. I promise—that's all I want. Just the money."
"…"
Park Min-gyu hesitated. But no matter how he thought about it, complying was his only option. Force might work, but even if he took them down, he couldn't be sure the evidence wouldn't leak.
"Still haven't figured it out?"
Lee Ho-yeon shook the documents in his hand.
"…I don't have it on me. It's stored in the guild building. Give me some time and—"
"We'll handle that. Just tell us where you hid it in the guild building."
"Th-the guild master's office has a safe."
"Password?"
"…"
"The password?"
"4856. But it won't open without my biometric confirmation."
Park Min-gyu sighed in relief as he revealed the code. The personal safe was an expensive magic artifact—it required his biometrics to unlock. Even if someone infiltrated the office, the door wouldn't budge…
"Got it? 4856—can you open it?"
"Yes. Opened. Looks like artifacts and about 5 billion won in cash."
"5 billion won…"
Park Min-gyu broke out in cold sweat at the voice on the line. It was too precise to be a bluff.
"N-no way… impossible."
"Min-gyu. Is that all?"
"Y-yes! 5 billion—that's everything I've saved my whole life…"
Park Min-gyu trembled and dropped to his knees. He exhaled a sigh like his entire existence had been denied.
But Lee Ho-yeon just snorted at the sight.
"Min-gyu. You think I'm an idiot?"
"Wh-what…?"
"No way you've only got 5 billion saved up."
Lee Ho-yeon shook his head. Pathetic old creep. You think I'd dive into this without knowing Buyer Guild's capital? He tapped the documents with a finger, urging the next words.
"Where's the rest?"
*
"Ah, aaah…"
Sweet.
In the end, Park Min-gyu spilled every location of his remaining funds. He'd stubbornly denied more until Lee Ho-yeon called a reporter contact—then he cracked.
"Th-that's it now, right? 30 billion! A whole 30 billion!"
30 billion won. A tidy sum for side income.
"Okay. My demands end here."
"Th-then give me the evidence. We never met today…"
"Now talk to the real client."
"…What?"
Lee Ho-yeon stepped behind Nam Da-eun. His demands were done. Nam Da-eun, who'd been waiting, stepped forward to face Park Min-gyu.
"…Uncle Min-gyu."
"D-Da-eun."
Surprisingly calm, Nam Da-eun tried talking, just as planned—even with her revenge target right there and the power to act.
"I've been thinking nonstop since we rescued Da-hee. Why did you do that to us? The Uncle Min-gyu I knew wasn't like that."
Shing—
She drew her sword.
"But no matter how much I think, there's no answer. We didn't do anything wrong."
Her face reflected in the blade. Staring at it, she continued calmly.
"Uncle Min-gyu… tell me now. Why?"
"Da-eun. W-wait. Calm down. I can explain."
"Da-hee and I… we trusted only you. Why suddenly…? Were you after my body from the start?"
Now he got it. She wasn't angry—she was genuinely confused. She couldn't comprehend the sudden change in the man who'd been kind. Those warm memories ran deep.
He was always trash like that.
Scum like him were rotten to the core. And the worse the trash, the better the acting. Easy to fool someone pure like Nam Da-eun.
Thud—
Park Min-gyu knelt, head bowed, tears splashing the floor.
"Da-eun…"
"Uncle?"
"I'm sorry. Really… so sorry."
Lee Ho-yeon yawned quietly at the tearful apology.
Predictable.
He saw it all. Kneeling and hunching forward to hide his hands fumbling in his pocket—probably for a hidden knife.
Lee Ho-yeon watched how Nam Da-eun would react.
"Uncle. Do you really want to apologize to us?"
"I'm truly sorry. I regret all my past sins. That's why I blew the whistle on Shin Young Guild—to start over… I don't want dirty work anymore…"
Lee Ho-yeon stared boredly. The warm face and pitiful tears worked their charm, but he knew the truth. A real good guy wouldn't drag a minor into a hotel room under the guise of recruitment.
"Then give it all up."
"…What?"
"Everything you gained from dirty deeds. Pay for your crimes, then start from scratch."
"D-Da-eun…"
"Then I can forgive you. If you really want to apologize, ditch your reputation first."
Nam Da-eun tapped her smartwatch. As pre-set by Lee Ho-yeon, she just needed to hit send—easy.
"Uncle Min-gyu… see this?"
"Wh-what… huh?"
The screen was simple: breaking news.
"N-no! No…!"
Park Min-gyu, mid-apology, jerked his head up and whipped around. In Korean society, visiting "rooms" could pass as "entertaining clients"—ridiculous, but reality. High-earning hunters swept that under the rug. His image would tank, but he could recover with time.
But not anymore.
"D-Da-eun. I'm truly repentant. I have guild members under me with families to feed. No more… please."
"…"
Nam Da-eun seemed to waver at his plea. I'd left the info dumps entirely to her.
Don't fall for that.
She was still too pure for revenge. Guess I'd have to step in.
"Nam Da-eun."
"…Yeah."
Her voice lacked conviction. Worried about making them jobless, probably. Too late for that, but she'd solve it.
"Be selfish."
"…Selfish?"
"Forget others. Follow your feelings only. It's time."
Plenty of ways to convince her—non-criminals would be cleared, job hunts might suffer but recoverable. Blame their poor judgment for joining. Everyone has excuses. But no. He wanted her to act on emotion. At her prime age, she deserved to know her own heart, not suppressed by trash.
"…"
"D-Da-eun, please…"
"I don't know."
Nam Da-eun clenched her fist, staring at Park Min-gyu.
"Please, stop now…"
"I don't get how to handle this frustration. But… I trust Ho-yeon. This time, I'll do what I want."
She kept tapping the watch. Buyer Guild's double books, tax evasion, illegal loans, fake artifacts—all blasted as breaking news, dominating real-time trends.
Park Min-gyu's face twisted in horror.
"Uncle Min-gyu. Still want to apologize?"
"…"
"If you're sincere and pay fully… I'll help you start over."
"…"
Her eyes seemed genuine. Probably clinging to memories of him raising her and her sister.
Tch. Too kind. But it wouldn't happen. She didn't grasp the scale, but Buyer Guild and Park were done. Even if he walked out whole, life in prison awaited. Her mercy wouldn't save him.
"Y-you…"
"Uncle…?"
"You bitch… all you've done is leech off me! A whore clinging to young guys dares…?!"
"…Whore?"
Nam Da-eun turned to Lee Ho-yeon, eyes swirling with complex emotions.
"I was your father since I took you from the orphanage. Betraying me for a young man's body? You dare?!"
At the outburst, she bowed her head, eyes shut. Finally seeing his true face.
Moments later, she opened them with a hollow laugh, raising her sword.
"…Yeah. I'll be your whore then. I'm sick of your face."
"You filthy bitch, drawing a sword on your father?!"
Park Min-gyu surged with mana. His presence was no joke—dirty work required real power.
But Nam Da-eun was beyond specs. A game heroine versus an extra? No contest.
She swung her arm slightly.
Slash—
His arms flew off.
"A-aaah! Gaaah! Wh-what!"
Stunned, he thrashed his head.
"Thank you, Uncle Min-gyu."
"Da-eun! Wait—Da-eun! One chance! Just one…!"
"For staying a consistent villain. For letting me sever my feelings."
Squish—
A single horizontal slash. Simple yet profound, clean with perfect technique.
Park Min-gyu's head tumbled from his neck. Crimson blood splattered her clothes and Lee Ho-yeon's shoes nearby.
He watched to the end, witnessing her revenge complete.
"…He's dead."
Nam Da-eun murmured at the head on the floor.
"Yeah. It's over, Da-eun."
"…It was this easy."
"…"
"Why couldn't I do it sooner? Why?"
"Haa…"
Lee Ho-yeon approached slowly. Post-revenge, she trembled—not joy, not sorrow. A new emotion. He'd never revenged himself, so he couldn't grasp it. He just pulled her into a hug.