Burning the Straw Shack (3)
'Did it work?'
Ttakkachi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, muttering to herself inwardly. When her subordinates were dropping like flies amid the tear gas and that bastard started slicing through the ghouls wholesale, she thought it was all over. But luckily, the dog had clamped down on him at the perfect moment, letting her land the arrow.
She couldn't follow up, though. Ju Kang-rim had vanished into the tear gas in an instant.
"Aaaagh! Uwaaaah!"
But from the midst of the ghoul horde came agonized screams. The ghouls, clad in heavy armor, couldn't bite their target, but their limb strength far surpassed that of any grown man. If the guy was still alive in there, his body would be twisting and tearing apart right about now.
Did it really... work?
She hadn't even sprung the real trap she'd prepared yet. Ttakkachi couldn't believe that the man who'd been tearing through the Kangryeong faction like paper would go down this easily.
Once that thought crossed her mind, the screams started sounding off—like they weren't his.
Shit!
Ttakkachi prepared to shift positions while 'linking' with her dog. Merging senses with the beast, sharing thoughts and control—that was Ttakkachi's awakening ability.
With it, she'd survived countless scrapes as a zombie hunter.
The dog, which had bolted the moment the arrow hit, sped back to the spot. The tear gas burned like hell, but it endured under Ttakkachi's sensory override.
But at the place where Ju Kang-rim should have been dying... it wasn't him. It was some random organization grunt.
How the hell...?
Ju Kang-rim had dodged the arrow while smearing his own blood on the fallen man and tossing him in as bait. The low-IQ ghouls couldn't tell friend from foe in the gas haze.
Still, that arrow should've been pumping poison through him by now.
It was a toxin that paralyzed the body in seconds. Deadly risky, but she couldn't afford to underestimate a foe with his rep.
The dog followed the blood trail on Ttakkachi's command. Not far off, thankfully.
But the direction it headed made Ttakkachi cut the link immediately.
The instant she snapped back to her own body, she saw the second-floor window shatter in a crash of glass.
Ju Kang-rim had leaped from the first floor and smashed straight through.
Amid the flying shards, Ttakkachi locked eyes with his coldly burning gaze.
Whoosh. Slash.
The blade whistled past her head by a hair's breadth. Ttakkachi tumbled and scrambled out of the staff room.
He's tanking that much anesthetic and still coming? No way.
Does the bastard not have blood flow or something?
But as she glanced back at Ju Kang-rim pursuing her, she figured it out. He was clamping his arrow-hit arm so hard no blood could circulate. His balance was off from the immobility, but he charged like a ghost regardless.
"Eek...!"
Ttakkachi sprinted full tilt, but he closed the gap enough to grab her hair in seconds.
"Arf!"
But she ducked, and the dog lunged from the front. Ju Kang-rim flinched at the sudden assault, missing his grab.
The dog sank teeth into his arm. Ttakkachi rolled, aimed her crossbow.
Knowing the arrow's poison, he had to block it. Meanwhile, the dog released and circled behind him.
Now pinched front and back.
But Ju Kang-rim showed no fear. He glared fiercely at Ttakkachi, then hesitated as if realizing something.
"...Shiraik?"
He muttered something nonsensical. But Ttakkachi didn't miss the opening. No signal needed—the dog lunged at the perfect moment.
Ju Kang-rim barely blocked the renewed attack.
"Hold up!"
He yelled desperately, but Ttakkachi pressed on. One slip, and her bolt would punch his heart; with one arm out, he had no room to breathe.
Just a bit more...!
Ttakkachi was sure she could wear him down. He was playing it safe now—no fatal hits, but definitely tiring.
She zipped between her own mind and the dog's, syncing perfectly to corner him.
"Damn mutt..."
Seeing him mutter curses, Ttakkachi was certain of victory. Keep nicking him, and the poison would work eventually.
Then she spotted odd movement down the hall. A woman in a navy longcoat stared at them with a blank, ghostly expression.
Civilian?
Ttakkachi fired a warning shot wide. But even as it grazed her hair, the woman didn't flinch—just stared.
Then she spoke.
"How long do you plan on watching?"
***
Ju Kang-rim let out a hollow smile at Yoo Wol-ryeong's words.
"Ah, come on. Watching? Anyone hears that, they'll think it's real!"
But like a switch flipped, his movements accelerated. Ttakkachi and the dog, synced to his slowing tempo, missed the sudden surge.
Ttakkachi realized she had to drop him now, no matter what. She yanked the hand axe from her belt and charged.
Clang.
But when it met his Saingeom, it wasn't metal on metal—it shattered like a cookie.
Ttakkachi gaped at the crumbling bits. Her arm flew back, leaving her midsection wide open.
Ju Kang-rim reversed his grip and plunged into her gut without mercy.
The dog bit his left arm desperately—not on command, pure instinct to save her.
But Ttakkachi, linked, felt her mouth go numb instantly.
Shit, the anesthetic!
The dog, choking down blood laced with the stuff, couldn't hold and dropped off.
Ttakkachi bought distance with its sacrifice, but her face paled.
Ju Kang-rim finished the dog with a stab to the throat.
Her turn next.
"Wait!"
Ttakkachi yelled frantically.
"I lost. You want the Shine Sand? Fine, it's yours—take it, burn it, whatever."
"How do I trust you?"
"You don't? Okay, weapons down."
She really dropped the crossbow. Then her knife, bolts—all dumped on the floor.
Hands up, she backed away, fully disarmed.
Ju Kang-rim had seen this play with Jang Han-taek before. Still, he sighed inwardly in relief.
Damn, should've clocked it when I heard 'Ttakkachi.'
Beast handler with a crossbow. Years from now, she'd rise as the S-rank merc 'Shiraik.'
In a rival armed group to his—not even Gerald's Knights could snag her despite tries.
Her look's totally different now; almost missed it.
If he hadn't personally scouted her back then, he'd never have known.
Shiraik had that icy, ruthless merc vibe. Zombie hunting must've changed her face big time.
Wait, Shiraik was immortal?
Ju Kang-rim frowned. She'd gone down with her group after rejecting Gerald—blood enemies after.
If she was really Kangryeong Daegun's exec, high odds immortal. And immortals? Reaper targets.
Her power... beast control, huh.
He glanced at the stabbed dog. Shiraik always ran beast packs, but not this breed. Still, fierce enough.
Yoo Wol-ryeong sidled up beside him.
"Gonna let her go again?"
"Wasn't letting her go—she's a real handful. If you hadn't shown, she'd have given me way more hell."
Toughest exec yet, and she hadn't even hit S-rank. Definitely Shiraik.
Without Saingeom upgrades, it'd been dicey.
He raised his Saingeom at Ttakkachi.
"Alright. Where's the Shine Sand?"
"...In the freezer. Enough to dope 30,000 people."
"Damn, spilling it all. Kangryeong execs all this spineless?"
Ju Kang-rim grinned and probed further.
"What's your name?"
"Huh?"
"Your name. Not Ttakkachi—the real one."
He only knew her as Ttakkachi or Shiraik. Her real name? Gold.
"Why... Oh, right. Shin Seong-hui. Pyeongsan Shin clan, hometown Geochang. The 'hui' means bright like the moon."
"Whoa, didn't need the full genealogy... Anyway, Shin Seong-hui."
The name echoed strangely in her ears. Ttakkachi felt a queasy churn and stared at him.
Ju Kang-rim stood frozen long after saying it. She eyed him suspiciously.
"What?"
"...What? You gave a fake name, didn't you?"
He sounded wary. She scowled.
"I even gave the hanja and hometown— what more?"
She reached into her pocket. He tensed to lunge; she yanked out her wallet in panic.
"My ID and license are in here. Check 'em."
Yoo Wol-ryeong took it instead, nodded after verifying.
"Real name, then? Why the weird reaction?"
"...What reaction should I have when you say it? You into me or something?"
"Nah, it's... uh."
Ju Kang-rim suddenly paled, hit by a possibility.
"You an immortal?"
"Immortal?"
She seemed mildly shocked he knew the term but didn't dodge.
Scowling faintly, she shot back.
"I got ghoul control rights, yeah. But not immortal."
"You know what immortals are?"
"You mean like Lopez, Jang Han-taek, that bear guy."
Bear guy's who?
Not a literal bear, probably. Ghoul control, knows immortals, but claims not one? Didn't add up. Maybe kept on a leash without the perks.
"Almost got us in deep shit meddling," Yoo Wol-ryeong muttered.
Reapers were strictly barred from fighting non-immortals.
"So what now?"
"Changes nothing? Just swaps unkillable for killable. Healthy body, long life—no sa-ja-cho-hon on her."
Ju Kang-rim pondered. Not immortal? No must-kill. But Kangryeong loyal? Still a threat.
Recruit Shiraik's firepower, or axe the minion? Easy call.
Shiraik was strong. But unallied? Better off dead.
"Guess traditional soul-ripping it is."
His Saingeom, now reinforced as a hand axe, advanced on her.
Ttakkachi panicked, hands out.
"Hold on—what're you doing to a surrendered foe?"
"Magic words with my goblin club: 'Soul, out you pop!' like that."
He waved the axe. Realizing he meant it, she blurted.
"Immortals! I'll tell you who they are!"
"Three."
"Three?"
"Two, one."