Chapter 20
Chapter 20
-------------------------------------------------
Translator : M.N 1391
Chapter: 20
-------------------------------------------------
Kyung-wan, who continued living in solitary confinement, could meet the other inmates only during mealtime.
But unfortunately, that was exactly the time when a pair of chopsticks would be in Kyung-wan’s hands.
The warden grumbled spitefully.
“Guess I should forbid you from using chopsticks during meals.”
Kyung-wan replied.
“Spoons also stick in if you jab them.”
The warden stared at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
“Congratulations, I guess.”
“If I don’t have anything else to brag about, then this will do. The world runs on people living off the pride of their own talents, don’t you think?”
The warden seemed exhausted by this point and said nothing more.
But just as he had said, it was now clear that no one would be foolish enough to target Kyung-wan anymore.
The problem was that his sentence might be extended because of the assault.
And that was something the warden had decided to smooth over personally.
To the warden, the bastard who had possessed a weapon within his prison was far more infuriating than the kid who had poked someone in the eye.
In the warden’s eyes, Kyung-wan seemed like someone who behaved quietly as long as no one bothered him.
Thanks to the warden’s “accident” ruling on the attack, Kyung-wan finished the rest of his sentence without any extension.
Honestly, the warden simply didn’t want to see this troublesome kid any longer than necessary.
Just like the juvenile center director had done, the juvenile prison warden called Kyung-wan in on the day he completed his sentence.
Among the countless inmates he had watched over, this boy named Kyung-wan was one who would remain memorable for a long time.
“What will you do once you’re out?”
“I want to live quietly.”
“Don’t you think they might be waiting for you to be released?”
“I’m not going back to any facility. I plan to go somewhere else right away.”
That was why he had given away the few belongings he had to the kids at the facility, because he wasn’t returning.
The warden asked him:
“Do you have a place to go?”
“That’s actually why… if there’s something like a settlement support fund, I’d be really grateful.”
Rubbing his hands together slyly, Kyung-wan grinned.
The warden smirked and handed him a thick envelope.
Kyung-wan peeked inside and froze in shock.
There was a full million won inside.
“Whoa! That’s a lot!”
“With that much, you should be able to rent a room easily, as long as you don’t go somewhere overpriced.”
The warden didn’t stop at that.
He also gave him contact information for various organizations that help former inmates reintegrate into society, such as the Korea Legal Aid and Welfare Foundation.
“If someone tries to hit you out in society, just get hit.”
The warden offered advice that he thought would be blood-and-bone useful for becoming a functioning member of society.
The boy he had watched for the past eight months was not fundamentally a bad kid.
Among all the inmates he had ever seen, he had rarely encountered anyone who lived so peacefully and quietly, almost like prison was his natural habitat.
Sure, the solitary cell helped, but even then, it was remarkable that he never showed the usual signs: lethargy, depression, breakdowns.
His personality didn’t seem bad, just his hands were violent.
That was why the warden told him to take a beating instead.
It was better to get hit and retaliate financially. That was the adult, socially acceptable way.
But Kyung-wan disagreed.
“Why would I get hit? I should avoid it. If I get beaten and end up disabled, who’s responsible? The guy who hit me? Maybe, if he’s scared enough to throw money. But suing? That stuff is useless against people with money and connections.”
Sure, he’d never cross paths with the chaebol heir who had once bragged about paying settlement fees to people he beat.
But even at the lowest levels, there’s always hierarchy.
Gangsters, those slippery slugs of the law, would give far less settlement money than a rich kid.
Would they even give any?
What ordinary person could force a gangster to pay?
An ordinary citizen would be better off spending that time working.
That was the harsh reality.
In short, lawsuits were a tool meant for people in comparable positions, average citizens.
The law doesn’t guarantee fairness, and judges don’t guarantee fair application.
What?
Don’t insult legal professionals?
Go look up the difference in sentencing between the crimes of the wealthy and the crimes of ordinary people.
“Anyway! Don’t become a criminal when you get out. Live decently.”
“I can’t promise anything about the ‘decent’ part, but I won’t break the law. Becoming a criminal? I’d rather become homeless.”
The warden stared at him, baffled, shaking his head.
Never in his life had he met someone like this kid.
---
Detective Jang ran with everything he had.
His breath was scraping at his throat, but there was no way he was going to let months of undercover work be wasted like this.
“Stop right there, Park Dong-chil!”
The shout stayed inside his head, because he couldn’t waste even a single breath while chasing someone who ran this well.
Running up a narrow mountain path like a hiking trail, Park Dong-chil finally stopped at a small clearing and gasped heavily.
He was too out of breath to keep running, and there was nowhere left to go anyway.
The clearing was surrounded by disordered shrubs, untrimmed trees, and piles of fallen leaves.
“Huff! Huff! Park Dong-chil! Stop this already!”
“Pant! Huff! Spare me that horse-shit!”
Park Dong-chil retorted with curses while trying to catch his breath.
“Huff! Huff! Hey, Detective Jang. Haah… haah… what glory do you get from chasing me all the way out here?”
“You bastard! Isn’t it normal for a detective to arrest criminals?! Put your hands up before I beat your ass!”
“Damn… talk about bad luck.”
Judging by his tone, this wasn’t his first time.
Park Dong-chil calmly turned around and raised his hands.
Detective Jang grabbed Park’s wrists and reached for the handcuffs on his belt, but suddenly felt pain shoot through his side.
He dropped the cuffs and groaned.
Somehow, Park now had a knife held in reverse grip, already buried in the detective’s side.
“Damn it…”
He’d let his guard down.
The bastard who had been running like crazy wouldn’t suddenly surrender so easily.
He must’ve been oxygen-deprived from sprinting so hard.
He hadn’t anticipated this trick, and all those years of police experience now felt embarrassing.
“You bastard… you’ll rot in prison for, aaagh!”
Park twisted the knife, and Detective Jang screamed.
Park smirked wickedly.
“Detective Jang, you piece of shit. Why do you think I ran all the way out here? If I think about all the times you and your police lapdogs screwed me over, my stomach still burns.”
“Aagh!”
“What you’re feeling now?
That’s what I felt.
Don’t worry. You’re not dying. You’ll just disappear. Oh, maybe I should frame you instead? Say you were siphoning off drugs and ran when internal affairs got on your tail?”
“You… you bastard…”
Detective Jang grabbed Park’s jacket with bloodshot eyes, but his strength was fading.
Park grinned as he continued.
“Isn’t this the perfect place to disappear?”
“Disappear my ass.”
The unfamiliar voice made Park jump as he frantically looked around.
Then, someone crawled slowly out from behind a tree.
“A homeless bum?”
Not a homeless man,
It was Kyung-wan.
But with hair torn unevenly like it had been ripped out, with several layers of clothes barely keeping warmth, torn gloves, and an overall grimy appearance,
He looked exactly like a vagrant.
He glared at Park.
“Mister, why are you causing trouble inside someone else’s house?”
“House? This place?”
“You picked your killing spot without even checking whether someone already lived here?”
So that’s why there was such a conveniently empty clearing.
But at this point, it didn’t matter.
Cold murderous intent filled Park’s eyes.
If he was going to kill one person, killing another wasn’t a problem.
To him, a homeless person was just a bug to be crushed.
He shoved Detective Jang aside and charged at Kyung-wan.
He needed to kill him quickly, slice his throat before he could run.
But Kyung-wan did not run.
As Park rushed forward, a dense bundle of fallen leaves flew toward his face.
He narrowed his eyes and ducked his head instinctively, trying to reduce the obstruction to his vision while thrusting the knife forward.
He was determined to kill the witness.
But because he’d lowered his head, he never saw the foot,
Descending toward the back of his skull in an arc like a Brazilian kick.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Park lost his balance instantly from the concussion and collapsed.
Before he could recover, Kyung-wan’s soccer kick slammed into his head.
Park’s eyes rolled back as he fainted.
Kyung-wan immediately rushed to Detective Jang.
“Mister, are you okay?”
“You… does this… look okay to you?”
His face was white, his lips blue, one hand clutching his bleeding side.
“Mister, where’s your phone?”
“Right… right side…”
Kyung-wan quickly pulled out the phone and called emergency services.
The 119 operator asked urgently for his location when they heard a detective had been stabbed while chasing a suspect.
“Where is this? In the mountains. Track the phone. I’ll light a fire so you can find the smoke. And call the poli, ”
“Watch out!”
Detective Jang shouted, and Kyung-wan dodged to the side.
The supposedly unconscious Park Dong-chil had regained consciousness quickly and lunged at the spot where Kyung-wan had been.
Tough bastard.
Even though he was still wobbling from the aftereffects of being kicked, the killing intent in him hadn’t faded.
“Die!”
“Up we go!”
But Park still underestimated Kyung-wan.
Even while staggering, he trusted his knife too much.
That arrogance made him careless,
resulting in his wrist being grabbed, his arm twisted, and his entire body flipped over.
The world inverted,
the ground and sky exchanging places.
This homeless-looking brat knew such clean takedown techniques?
The mismatch between expectation and reality left Park momentarily stunned.
But even while choking on the pain, he desperately reached for the knife on the ground.
This time, Kyung-wan didn’t hold back.
Until now, he had delayed dealing with Park because he had to check the detective’s wound and call for help.
But now that the urgent matters were handled,
It was time to properly deal with the arrogant piece of trash who had spilled blood inside his home.
Kyung-wan kicked Park’s head.
Thump!
“Gah!”
“Hey now! Don’t wrinkle your face like that. It makes everyone sad~.”
Thump!
“Urgh!”
“For the day of vengeance, there will be enemies standing beside you~.”
Thump!
“Oof!”
“When you feel alone, just look around you~.”
Thud!
“Guh!”
“All these many people are your eternal foes~.”
“Please! Please!”
“Our journey together will never be an easy one~.”
Crack!
“Gyaaaah!”
“Sometimes the pain will be so harsh you’ll scream~.”
Crunch!
“Aaagh! Please! Stop!”
“But with all our enemies together, it won’t be hard~.”
“H-huuh… huuuu!”
“Now let us join hands, one! Two! One two three four!”
Thud! Thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Humming that bizarrely rewritten children’s song, Kyung-wan stomped and kicked Park’s head repeatedly, then snapped his forearm and crushed one of his knees.
And then he resumed stomping to the rhythm,
one, two, one two three four!
At this rate, Park really might die, and Detective Jang began panicking.
“Hey! Stop! He’s going to die!”
“Aw. I still had one more verse left.”
Smacking his lips in disappointment, Kyung-wan nevertheless stopped obediently.
The detective had already lost a lot of blood, he didn’t want to stress him out with pointless arguing.
And besides, a detective willing to chase a criminal this deep into the mountains was a valuable person.