A New Identity (2)
'He's wearing glasses and dyed his hair, but that's definitely Kim Juhwan. To run into him here of all places... what a bizarre coincidence.'
Kang Hyuk slipped his hand inside his coat. Should I just shoot him dead right here? Kim Juhwan was a wanted serial rapist who had ruined the lives of countless women. Kang Hyuk felt absolutely no hesitation about ending his life.
'Besides, I've already crossed the line and taken a life once before... taking out a piece of trash like this should be nothing!' Kang Hyuk slowly reached for his revolver, but stopped when his eyes fell on the woman clinging to his arm.
On second thought, killing Kim Juhwan right here was the worst possible move. If he shot him in the middle of a crowded club, countless witnesses would remember his face. There was no need to draw unnecessary attention to himself.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me calling you?" While Kang Hyuk was calculating his next move, Kim Juhwan had already marched right up to his face.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing, harassing this lady?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you, asshole! Why are you clinging to a girl who clearly wants nothing to do with you? Huh?"
As Kim Juhwan glared at him, Kang Hyuk felt a wave of sheer absurdity. Was there something wrong with this bastard's eyes? The woman who had been desperately clinging to Kang Hyuk also stared at Kim Juhwan in utter disbelief. Why was this old creep suddenly sticking his nose in her business and ruining her chances?
"Excuse me, mister! It's not like that at all, so why don't you just keep walking?"
"Look, if this punk is bothering you, I can teach him a lesson—"
"Ugh, I said it's not like that, so just piss off! What business is it of yours anyway? Seriously, what a freak!"
The woman shrieked, wrapping her arms tightly around Kang Hyuk's right arm. He felt a soft, pressing sensation against his side. Ahem. Kang Hyuk cleared his throat and looked at Kim Juhwan. The man was staring back at him with blatant, envious jealousy.
"Hey, mister! I told you to get lost, so go away!"
"Hey...! I was just trying to save you...!"
"Ha! Save me? My ass! You think I don't know what you're trying to pull? Look, mister, you're disgusting, so please just screw off! Aren't you embarrassed to be hanging around a place like this at your age? Have some shame, seriously...!"
The woman's tongue was sharp as a razor as she tore Kim Juhwan to shreds. How would she react if she knew this guy was a wanted serial rapist? Kang Hyuk watched Kim Juhwan's reaction, letting his mind wander to such idle thoughts.
Kim Juhwan looked absolutely livid, but he clearly didn't want to cause a massive scene in the middle of the club. Huffing and puffing with rage, he turned on his heel and stormed off. The place he was heading to was none other than the men's restroom.
"Ugh! Finally, he's gone! Oppa, isn't he seriously disgusting? Who does he think he is, trying to 'save' me? Right?"
"..."
As the woman looked up at him for agreement, Kang Hyuk simply shook his head. A moment later, after finally shaking her off, Kang Hyuk slipped away and followed Kim Juhwan into the men's restroom. No matter how he looked at it, this was a golden opportunity.
"Ugh... fucking bitch...! She was totally my type, so I was going to show her a good time, and she treats me like that...!" Inside the restroom, Kim Juhwan was standing at a urinal, pissing aggressively. He had clearly developed a deep, venomous grudge against the woman in a matter of seconds.
"Fucking whore... goddamn bitch... piece of trash... Just a worthless slut who'd squeal like a pig once I shove my cock in her, how dare she...!" Kim Juhwan spewed a non-stop stream of vile curses. Kang Hyuk stared at his back, then quietly locked the restroom door. He saw no reason to listen to this bastard's garbage any longer. By now, Kim Juhwan was already plotting how he was going to kidnap and rape the woman who had insulted him.
Click.
"...What?" Hearing the door lock, Kim Juhwan frowned and turned his head toward Kang Hyuk. Kang Hyuk met his gaze and, without a moment's hesitation, drew his revolver. And then—
Bang!
"...!"
Kim Juhwan collapsed to the floor, frozen in the middle of taking a piss. A stream of dark blood erupted from the neat hole between his eyebrows. It was an instant, clean death.
"...Whew." Once he confirmed Kim Juhwan was dead, Kang Hyuk let out a soft sigh and holstered his revolver. Thump, thump! Though he had steeled his resolve, his heart was still hammering wildly against his ribs. Now that he had taken this step, there was truly no turning back. From this moment on, he would have to kill many more.
Rattle, rattle! "...Huh? Why is this locked? Is someone in there?" Thud, thump, thud! Just as Kang Hyuk's expression grew complicated at the sound of the level-up notification ringing in his head, a voice called out from the other side of the door.
Kang Hyuk sighed again, hoisted Kim Juhwan's corpse onto his back, and unlocked the door. Click. "Hey, what's taking so long? Why did you lock the—gasp!" The man who had been knocking recoiled in sheer terror at the sight of the blood splattered across the tiled floor. Kang Hyuk calmly informed him that he had simply apprehended a wanted criminal. In this world, it was perfectly legal for a licensed Bounty Hunter to execute a wanted villain. Left utterly bewildered, the man had no choice but to step aside.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't report this to the police. I'll handle this guy myself."
"Ah, y-yes...!"
"Hmm? Looking at your face, you seem like you're definitely going to call them."
"Eek! N-No way! Look! I'm smashing my phone right now!" The man frantically stomped on his own phone, crushing it under his heel. Only then did Kang Hyuk feel reassured enough to walk past him.
Inside the club, the crowd continued to dance in a wild frenzy, completely oblivious to the murder that had just taken place in the men's restroom. The woman who had been clinging to Kang Hyuk was nowhere to be seen, having vanished into the crowd. That was a stroke of luck. If she had approached him while he was carrying Kim Juhwan's corpse on his back, things would have gotten incredibly messy.
"Next up... finding a broker." Kang Hyuk muttered quietly to himself as he stepped out of the club. By then, the rain had finally stopped.
The Gangnam Branch of the Public Security Bureau.
"The identity of the wanted criminal, Kim Juhwan, has been verified. Here is your bounty." The female clerk behind the desk handed over a thick stack of cash, and the old man counted the bills on the spot. The total payout was two million won. However, after stepping out of the Gangnam branch, the old man pocketed only 200,000 won.
The old man was none other than the broker hired by Kang Hyuk. His job was to hand over the corpses of wanted criminals to the Public Security Bureau on Kang Hyuk's behalf. Bounty hunters who wished to avoid the spotlight typically operated through brokers in this manner. By using a middleman, they could hunt and collect their rewards without drawing unwanted attention to themselves.
"Here you go. One point eight million won, minus my ten percent cut."
"Thank you. Did they say anything about the body?"
"They saw the gunshot wound and asked for my firearm permit. Fortunately, I have one, so it wasn't an issue."
"That's a relief. Thank you for your hard work."
"Call me anytime."
The old man gave a brief nod and turned away without another word. Kang Hyuk highly approved of this broker. The man possessed no useless curiosity. 'I should use his services often.'
Once he was sure the old man had completely disappeared from sight, Kang Hyuk hailed a taxi. His work for the day was done; it was time to go home. 'Heh...' Rolling down the taxi window, Kang Hyuk let out a sudden chuckle. Earning nearly two million won and enough experience to level up in a single night's work was an incredibly lucrative deal.
Of course, it wasn't entirely perfect. Though his Strength stat had increased through the level-up, he hadn't acquired any new skills. It seemed he would need to level up much more before he could unlock any new abilities.
'Still, if I keep hunting wanted criminals like this, I'll eventually achieve monstrous growth! By then, no one will ever dare to cross me.' Kang Hyuk was brimming with confidence. After all, he was a veteran player who had completely mastered this game.
He possessed future knowledge that no one else had, and the SSS-grade trait Creation unique to him alone. If he played his cards right, it wouldn't be long before he became an absolute powerhouse. 'This is where the real game begins.' Feeling the newfound strength coursing through his muscles, Kang Hyuk clenched both fists tight. A cold wind swept past, rustling his bangs.
The next morning.
Kang Hyuk stared at the morning news, utterly dumbfounded.