Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Royal Family
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The nightclub was brightly lit.
Of course, it wasn't opening time yet, but the inside of the club had all its lights blazing, as if they had known Seo Ji-hyeok's crew was coming.
And in the back of the nightclub, on the stage meant for dancing, sat a luxurious single-seater sofa that didn't quite fit the vibe. A man in a suit lounged there, legs crossed.
"Those little punks actually showed up."
The one who spoke was a hulking brute standing to the right of the man on the sofa.
"You didn't really think they'd come, but you prepared all this anyway?"
Ji-hyeok was right.
The sofa area was packed with men in black suits.
Even at a glance, there were at least sixty of them, but Ji-hyeok's voice remained perfectly calm.
"That cocky little shit—should I spill his guts to knock some sense into him? Huh?"
The brute drew a knife from his inner pocket and took a step forward, snarling.
As if on cue, the seated men began grabbing their weapons one by one, stepping onto the stage and lining up behind the sofa guy.
Any normal person would have been intimidated by the atmosphere alone, but Ji-hyeok just smirked instead.
"Anyone would think you're shooting an MV. And why the hell are you shining those lights on us?"
At Ji-hyeok's words, Jang Woo and the other twenty in their crew all burst into chuckles.
The sight only stoked the brute's temper further.
"Laughing? You little blood clots! Get over here, you mutt—I'll pickle you in fish sauce!"
"The owner of this house has his dog barking like that—why's he just sitting there? Isn't it annoying?"
"What? Dog? Dog? You, stay right there, you son of a—"
"Enough!"
Just as the brute lunged forward at Ji-hyeok's words, the man on the sofa raised a hand lightly to stop him.
"As expected, you've got some guts. That's enough. More than enough. Come under me. I'll treat you right."
"A pimp like you trying to play gangster... Cut the crap and stand up. The Gwang-su Faction ends tonight."
Gwang-su, the man on the sofa, flushed red in an instant.
"Pimp" was his sore spot.
As Ji-hyeok said, he had been a pimp back in the heyday of Cheongnyangni's red-light district.
He'd run eight spots, managing up to 120 girls at his peak.
That's how he'd raked in the cash.
While getting called a pimp.
That was a few years ago.
But times changed, the district got demolished, and now no one mentioned his past.
Yet here this kid was...
The word "pimp" had slipped from the mouth of a punk who looked young at first glance.
And that snapped Gwang-su's last thread of reason.
"Turn those bastards into vegetables and drag them to me."
"Yes, boss."
At Gwang-su's command, his men charged forward in a mob.
They came at them like they meant to kill, but none held knives.
The side with more to protect is always the more cowardly.
Knives are dangerous.
Even a blind swing can kill.
If that happened, things would escalate, and the whole organization could crumble.
So their hands gripped only blunt weapons—metal pipes, baseball bats.
That was when it happened.
Seeing the men charging, Ji-hyeok turned to Jang Woo beside him.
He flashed a grin, and Jang Woo grinned back.
Confirming each other's smiles, the two bolted forward without a word.
- Crack!
It was almost simultaneous.
Ji-hyeok and Jang Woo moved in perfect sync, like mirror images, smashing their fists into the jaws of the two leading men.
That was the signal.
The twenty behind them roared and joined in, instantly clashing with the sixty. It turned into one massive brawl.
Screams erupted from all directions.
"Idiot bastards."
At first, Gwang-su was brimming with confidence.
Sixty against twenty.
Those numbers gave him his ease.
Everywhere he looked, it was his own men.
Brute force always wins.
Numbers trump all.
But less than three minutes into the fight, bewilderment crossed Gwang-su's face.
"Wha... what the hell?"
Even as an ex-pimp, he had thirty years in this underworld. He'd seen his share of brawls.
Yet now, he wondered if he was watching a movie.
How... how could people move like that?
As his mouth hung open unwittingly, the hall's chaos thinned out. Both sides had totaled around eighty men, but in just five minutes, most were down.
And most of those still standing weren't his.
Gwang-su, glued to his sofa like his ass was attached, finally shot to his feet.
"Sh-shit! What the fuck is this? What are you doing? Stop them! Stop them, you bastards!"
Now, only one man remained by Gwang-su's side.
The brute who'd yelled at Ji-hyeok first.
But as the saying goes, the scared dog barks loudest.
The brute still clutched his knife from earlier but only hesitated at Gwang-su's shouts.
Meanwhile, Ji-hyeok's crew halted their movements all at once, plunging the club into sudden silence.
It meant none of Gwang-su's men were left standing.
Jang Woo glanced back, and his men swiftly moved to block any retreat behind Gwang-su.
Gwang-su's face twisted further in disbelief. He stared at Ji-hyeok, lost on what to do.
"I grew up in this neighborhood. Ran every alley. You know how it used to be here, right? Beggars, hustlers, junkies... Looking back, it was a shithole, but I loved it anyway."
Ji-hyeok stepped forward slowly, speaking as if to himself.
"So I got to know a lot of the big sisters. They must've found it weird—a six-year-old buzzcut kid racing around the brothel alleys like it was a playground. Some even bought chocolate for me every day. I was kinda famous, you know. That's why I know exactly what a piece of shit you are."
Gwang-su finally cracked under the cold voice drawing closer, lashing out in panic.
"Wh-what are you doing, you punk?!"
He grabbed the brute beside him and shoved him forward.
Stumbling a step, the brute gripped his knife tighter, no choice now.
But in that instant—
- Whoosh!
From behind Ji-hyeok, Jang Woo shot forward like the wind, launching into the air and slamming his knee straight into the brute's face.
- Smash! Thud...
The brute didn't even get a swing in. He crashed backward with a guttural boom.
And that was it.
He didn't get up again.
"Gahk!"
Gwang-su's choked gasp came after Jang Woo landed.
With his nape seized by Jang Woo, Gwang-su crumpled to his knees without resistance.
Meanwhile, Ji-hyeok strolled over and settled into the sofa Gwang-su had just vacated.
"Agh! I'll go! I'll go! Let me go, damn it!"
As Ji-hyeok sat, Jang Woo yanked Gwang-su by the hair, dragging him toward the sofa.
His knees thumped along—thud, thud—but Jang Woo's grip was so brutal that Gwang-su abandoned all dignity, tears welling up.
Once in front of Ji-hyeok, Jang Woo released his hold. A clump of hair rained down from his hand.
"G-guh... What do you want? Money? I'll give you money."
Gwang-su clutched his stinging scalp, voice desperate, but Ji-hyeok ignored him and looked at Jang Woo instead.
Then—
- Crack!
Jang Woo drove his foot into Gwang-su's jaw without mercy.
"Graaahk!"
Gwang-su toppled backward from the kick, only for Jang Woo to haul him up roughly and force him back to his knees before Ji-hyeok.
"Don't say a word until I'm done."
At Ji-hyeok's icy command, Gwang-su nodded frantically, blood streaming from his nose unchecked.
"I know of six. Six big sisters who vanished from your shops. Four just disappeared without a trace. When I asked them, they'd just pat my head. The other two—I saw your men dump them at a nearby hospital like trash. Covered in so much blood, I wondered how a person could bleed that much."
"Tha—"
- Crack!
"Graaaahk!"
The moment Gwang-su opened his mouth, Jang Woo's foot flew again.
And just like before, Jang Woo grabbed his hair and dragged him back into position.
"Yeah, most pimps did it back then. But why you? Sure, you were a special kind of scum, but that's not the real reason. It's an excuse. The real reason? You're in my way."
"What do you—"
Gwang-su tried to speak again, but this time Jang Woo held back.
Ji-hyeok had raised a hand lightly.
"I'm taking over Cheongnyangni. Jang Woo."
"Yes."
At Ji-hyeok's call, Jang Woo bowed politely.
Ji-hyeok extended his hand, and Jang Woo pulled a knife from his inner pocket and handed it over.
"Do it like I saw. Just leave him alive."
Ji-hyeok rose from the sofa.
Terror filled Gwang-su's eyes as he watched, but he couldn't move.
Jang Woo had his nape pinned already.
And moments later...
"Gaaaaaaaah!"
A long, piercing scream echoed through the nightclub.
Not once, but four times...
Gwang-su was dumped at a nearby hospital in the early hours of dawn, a wretched sight.
The doctors who saw him all shook their heads.
He was alive, but barely.
"Jang Woo."
"Yeah?"
The two sat on the steps of Cheongnyangni Station, each with a can of beer.
"You can resent me, hyung."
"Me? Why?"
"I dragged you into hell."
"Nah. Hell was before I met you. This is heaven now."
"It was my path anyway. Bury Taesung and devour Seoul's nights—that was the plan. Looks like I handed it off to you instead."
"Pfft, why would a Korea University guy waste time on the night scene? Be real, hyung—you don't fit the night life. But I love it here. Especially the nights."
Ji-hyeok smirked at Jang Woo's words.
Right. He'd claimed to be a high school grad at the morning interview, but he was actually attending Korea University's Political Science and Diplomacy department.
High school grad was technically true, though.
He was on leave.
His reason for going to Korea University was clear and simple.
Fists alone couldn't conquer the night.
Connections, pedigree, alumni networks—they were essential.
That's why he'd enrolled.
But now, those words meant nothing.
That path was Jang Woo's now.
'I'll have your back. Don't worry.'
Ji-hyeok swallowed his inner vow, flashed a grin, and raised his beer can. Jang Woo clinked his lightly against it.
They downed them in one go—glug, glug.
- Fizz!
As Ji-hyeok crushed his empty can, Jang Woo pulled a fresh one from the plastic bag beside them, cracked it open, and passed it over.
Ji-hyeok sipped silently, watching the people pass by for a while.
He spoke only when his can was nearly empty.
"Won't see me for a bit."
"I know."
"Solidify your base first. Make sure no one mentions my name. Make it yours. Then, Dongdaemun."
"Got it. I'll do good."
"Keep an eye on Cheong-a Orphanage while I'm gone."
"Yeah. Don't worry about that. I'll guard it with my life."
Ji-hyeok gave a soft smile at Jang Woo's reply.
It was a week later that Seo Ji-hyeok appeared at Taesung Group headquarters.