Prelude to Revenge
‘Huh, so this is how it works?’
I took a moment to check out the app.
I’d heard about it from Pig Hyung-chul, but seeing it for myself? Holy shit, it was nuts.
True to its name, Uhwa Doong-doong, this app was deeply tied to the nightlife and entertainment world.
‘Ranks... so they hand out skills every time you level up?’
After about thirty minutes of poking around, I had the basics down.
Clear achievements and quests to rank up, then use the skills you get to stir up some chaos in this world. That seemed to be the gist.
‘How the hell is any of this even possible?’
I tilted my head.
This felt straight out of some otaku nerd’s wet dream.
That’s when I caught a glimpse of myself in the little hand mirror.
Kim Hyung-chul of this world.
I’d lost some weight in prison, but the shitty horn-rimmed glasses and the pockmarked acne scars were still there, full of craters.
That’s when it finally hit me.
‘Well, hell. Soul-swapping into this body doesn’t make sense either, so why not some crazy fantasy bullshit.’
The more I tried to wrap my head around the current situation, the less sense it made.
Time to snap out of it and focus on what I could actually do right now.
Since when had I ever lived life strictly by the plan?
The original me, Kim Hyung-chul, had always been a spur-of-the-moment kinda guy.
Especially now, saddled with this risky exterior that wasn’t my usual look.
What did I need most right this second?
Money. Plain and simple.
No matter what scheme I cooked up, nothing worked without a solid cash foundation.
To give those bastards who threw me in prison a proper schooling? Money.
To fix my lawyer mom’s career after they got her fired? Money.
To survive in this world with this piece-of-shit body? Money.
Capitalism gonna capitalist, after all.
Money was the only thing that could solve all this crap.
First things first, I followed Pig Hyung-chul’s instructions and tapped into Connection.
['Kim Hyung-chul' connection established]
Select one ability acquired by Kim Hyung-chul to use.
Pig Hyung-chul had played around with the app for seven months, and it showed—he’d mapped it out pretty well.
Call it his parting gift: advice on how to navigate without getting lost.
Extraordinary Tact
Sensory Disturbance
Extraordinary Tact.
Seemed like it sharpened your instincts. Not something I needed right now.
‘I’ve got ten years in the nightlife game. Sure, sharper folks exist, but do I really need it?’
The second one: Sensory Disturbance.
This one...
I checked the hand mirror again.
Hmm.
Looked like exactly the kinda power this pig would pick.
Straight out of some sleazy erotic novel.
‘You were dying to bang some chicks, huh? Though with my face, you wouldn’t even need this shit.’
I didn’t get it completely, but between the two, this seemed better.
I selected Sensory Disturbance.
Sensory Disturbance
The instant I did, it felt like the ability’s manual got force-fed into my brain.
‘Mm... got it. Just focus your will, huh.’
…But what the hell?
This power was way better than I expected.
I figured it’d be some pervy gimmick, but nope.
Intensity control was basic, and it could mess with anything human senses picked up—pain, pleasure, dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline, you name it.
Hell, maybe even torture.
‘...This is dangerous stuff.’
Did Pig Hyung-chul know what he was picking?
No clue. Even if he did, didn’t matter much.
We were a team for now, anyway.
‘Smart guy? Great. Dumbass? Eh, not the end of the world.’
Point was, I scored a solid ability.
The catch? He could use the one I just picked, too...
That changed things.
Could I really trust the pig blindly?
‘...Headache.’
I’d have to think this through seriously.
After dinner with Mom at home,
I called Yoon Kang-chul right away and set up a meet.
Which is why I was now at a café on Teheran-ro in Gangnam.
First cold brew in forever.
“Kuh... this hits the spot.”
As the black nectar poured down my throat, it felt like all the stale prison dust was finally washing away.
Stepped out for a smoke after, and damn, this must be what kids call paradise—or sex, or whatever.
‘Yoon Kang-chul taking over the joint seems solid...’
I’d worried with all the gang politics, but that much was a relief.
He picked up my call, said a quick word to the boss, and bounced right over.
Wouldn’t be long.
Something about not hitting the sauna or catching up ’cause of me—whatever, not my problem.
I hadn’t planned on tangling with gangsters, but crunching the numbers, this was the fastest way to stack cash right now.
Details we’d hash out in person.
Still, no real worries.
‘Not like it’s my first rodeo with these types.’
Being a name-brand madam in Gangnam meant what, exactly?
Not just gang bosses and enforcers, of course.
Underground casino bosses, voice-phishing kingpins, even the ones who played it straight but dealt in illegal adoptions.
Back-alley scum was my daily bread.
Hell, I even had face-time with top-tier politicos and corp execs, off the books.
Bottom line: if you loved the nightlife—dick, pussy, whatever—you’d probably shaken my hand at least once.
‘Compared to those sharks, Kang-chul’s small fry.’
He had some swagger, sure—might grow into something later—but right now? Not even enforcer level.
Probably aiming to bulk up by taking this spot.
Which meant he needed my help bad.
If this worked out, his standing would skyrocket.
“Little bro!”
“You made it.”
An hour of waiting, and Yoon Kang-chul finally rolled in.
“Get out. This is it.”
“Hm.”
The second we stepped out of the car, I had to size up this rundown drinking joint.
We’d met up, and true to form, he’d insisted on checking the place first—like a proper gangster—and drove me straight to the spot he was supposed to manage.
“Whaddya think, little bro?”
Yoon Kang-chul asked, glancing around with barely contained excitement.
‘Guy’s impatient. Kinda like it.’
I quickly scanned the back-alley layout.
‘First floor’s a convenience store, rest is automated parking and management office...’
Easy parking, decent secrecy for the joint. Nice.
Sneon Station area, five-story mini-building. Basics covered.
Exterior passed.
“Let’s check the inside first.”
“Inside! Yeah, gotta see it. Haha!”
Yoon Kang-chul had been playing it cool, swallowing hard, but my nod lit him up. He grinned wide.
I followed him inside, taking my time.
Passed through the cleaned-up hallway and hit the elevator.
That’s when Yoon Kang-chul spoke up.
“Little bro, there’ll be a few of our organization’s guys inside. Don’t sweat it too much. You might’ve even seen one before?”
His tone was a bit hyped. I just nodded vaguely.
His “bros” were probably just low-level punks.
No big deal. They might not like me, but we wouldn’t cross paths anyway.
Worst case, I’d bail.
This was the best option, but I had backups.
Ding.
Elevator arrived.
Doors slid open smooth, revealing the entire third floor as one big entertainment bar.
“Boss! You’re here!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
A crew-cut thug at the entrance snapped a salute to Yoon Kang-chul.
Yoon brushed it off half-assed and led the way. I trailed behind, casually eyeing the place.
‘...What the hell?’
The more I saw, the weirder it got.
Glanced at Yoon Kang-chul to check if I was missing something—he looked extremely pleased.
“So, little bro? Manageable, right?”
I scanned again at his words, but it only confused me more.
“Mm...”
I leaned in and whispered in Yoon Kang-chul’s ear.
Too many eyes around to say it outright.
“...Yeah? Let’s hear more first.”
“You got it.”
He nodded seriously, glanced around, then bellowed.
“Hey! Set up a room here. How many girls we got right now?”
“Boss, eight on deck.”
“Whaddya say, little bro? Wanna check ’em out?”
“Sure, why not.”
“Get drinks in here. Bring all the girls.”
“On it, boss.”
I followed Yoon Kang-chul into the VIP room.
No soundproofing—the door slammed with a loud thud.
Room was about 8 pyeong, give or take.
Long table, old-school sofas ringing it—pure analog vibe.
That sealed it for me.
But I kept my mouth shut, just in case.
“Suuup...”
I inhaled deep, savoring the familiar chill of premium liquor wafting through the room.
A strange heat rose in my body, ass clenching on instinct.
Sex. Finally, I was back on home turf.
Yeah. This was my daily grind.
I muttered to myself and plopped onto a sofa.
“Little bro, why’re you sitting way over there? C’mere.”
I turned—Yoon Kang-chul was gesturing from the center seat.
Ah, old habit. Ended up on the edge.
I got up smooth and slid in next to him.
“So, what’s the verdict?”
“Suuup... Hm.”