Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Royal Family 10-2
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Cheolgyoha held a knife in his left hand.
As Seo Ji-hyeok shot toward him like an arrow, Cheolgyoha crouched slightly, like a frog lying in wait for its moment.
And the instant Ji-hyeok entered his range, he twisted his body fluidly and swung his hand, stabbing at Ji-hyeok's right neck.
- Chaeng!
But Cheolgyoha's knife was blocked by something.
Something made of metal, at that.
Startled by the sound and the sensation in his hand, Cheolgyoha glanced at Ji-hyeok's wrist, where a silver bracelet was blocking his blade.
'Damn...'
He hadn't anticipated it, but in that moment, Cheolgyoha swallowed a groan.
The bracelet on Ji-hyeok's wrist was only about five centimeters wide.
From an accessory standpoint, it was a bit large, but as defensive gear, the sight was hard to believe even seeing it.
It hadn't glanced off.
He had definitely stabbed.
Blocking a slashing knife with a bracelet was impressive enough, but Ji-hyeok had stopped his blade perfectly with that round band.
Even a slight deflection would have let the knife slide and pierce his neck.
Yet it had blocked it without the tiniest margin for error.
How could he not be shocked?
But there's a saying about hidden trump cards.
Cheolgyoha's eyes flashed as he thrust his right hand toward Ji-hyeok's chest.
And as he extended his arm, a blade snapped out from his previously empty right wrist with a click!
'Got him!'
As his hand shot unhindered straight to Ji-hyeok's chest, Cheolgyoha flashed a triumphant smile.
But that was the moment.
- Kwa-deuk!
"Grraaagh!"
The first thing he'd learned wasn't the sword.
It was how to endure pain.
No, more precisely, he'd internalized it.
How to bear the beatings that came without reason.
Yet...
Cheolgyoha screamed in agony that felt like death.
He didn't just scream; his hand aiming for Ji-hyeok's chest froze in place.
Ji-hyeok had grabbed Cheolgyoha's left hand—the one blocked by the bracelet—and wrenched the wrist back a full 180 degrees.
His left palm now faced the sky.
That was the moment.
- Shiiik!
Ji-hyeok tossed Cheolgyoha's knife to the right.
As Cheolgyoha, dazed by the pain, snapped back to focus, Ji-hyeok's hand seized his right wrist and elbow, shoving forward and upward.
"Guhk!"
It happened in an instant.
Cheolgyoha's jaw was pierced by the blade protruding from his own right wrist, the knife spearing through his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
With his tongue impaled, his scream came out small and muffled.
That was when Ji-hyeok spoke in a calm voice.
"Don't make that aggrieved face. It makes me look like the bad guy. You're the one who killed my parents to wash away your own misfortune. Mercy? Don't make me laugh. I'll send the rest of your crew to join you, so gather together and talk it over. Figure out whose fault your misfortune really is. Why you never solved it at the root."
"Grrrk..."
Blood bubbled from Cheolgyoha's mouth like boiling.
But the meaning behind that sound was clear in his eyes.
Indignation...
Confirming it in those eyes, Ji-hyeok let out a scoffing laugh.
"Yeah, you're not the type to reflect anyway. My mistake for expecting better. Just go."
- Kwa-duk!
Ji-hyeok's fist sank deep into Cheolgyoha's throat.
That was the end.
Cheolgyoha crumpled to the floor like a wad of tissue, unable to hold on any longer.
And with that, Ji-hyeok's body turned toward Jang Woo.
But the fight there was already nearing its close.
The moment Ji-hyeok had charged at Cheolgyoha, Jang Woo had rushed toward the Staff.
It was to confuse the Shadow.
If Jang Woo had gone straight for the Shadow, the Staff would have leaped at Ji-hyeok without hesitation.
But by targeting the Staff, the Shadow was thrown into momentary confusion.
Among the three, Cheolgyoha was undoubtedly the strongest, no matter what anyone said.
Rationally, the wise move was to go after Jang Woo's back as he ran toward the Staff.
But the Shadow prioritized Cheolgyoha's safety over the Staff's.
That hesitation gave Jang Woo a brief one-on-one opening with the Staff.
And just as the Shadow finished deliberating and lunged for Jang Woo's back, the knife Ji-hyeok had thrown embedded in the Shadow's nape.
- Geu-geuk!
The Staff's knife sparked against Jang Woo's right blade and slid off.
In that instant, as Jang Woo drove deep into the Staff's guard, the long-sword wielder's fate was sealed.
"Keurk!"
The scream dragged up from deep in his gut was heavy and guttural.
Jang Woo stepped back slightly, locked eyes with the Staff, and yanked his blade free from the man's abdomen.
"Huk... huk..."
A man stabbed in the gut can't stand.
The Staff dropped to his knees at last, glaring up at Jang Woo with fierce eyes.
"Who... are you? Who wields such a vicious blade?"
"Vicious? Is your blade kind? Show me one kind sword in this world meant for killing people."
"I've never... huk... huk... seen a blade like this."
"Of course not. Everyone who's seen it is dead. Oh, the one who made this was from the most hardship-ridden generation in this land. They endured the wars, the upheavals, the great famine. That's why this martial art has techniques specialized for butchering scum like you."
At Jang Woo's words, the Staff's face twisted in confusion, but his body slowly tilted over.
And that was the end.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. You?"
"My clothes got a little torn. You?"
"Me? I'm fine, like I said."
As Ji-hyeok approached, Jang Woo turned his body slightly.
But Ji-hyeok's hand was faster.
He grabbed Jang Woo's shoulder and spun him around.
Jang Woo's pant leg on his thigh was torn longways across, and blood trickled down, dripping steadily to the floor.
"You're hurt again."
"Nah, just grazed. A bandage will do."
"Not good enough. Let's get you stitched up soon."
"Huh? No need. You're busy, I'm busy... Ah! Hello?"
Seeing Jang Woo frantically pull out his phone to answer a call, Ji-hyeok smiled faintly.
He took a handkerchief from his pocket, tore it into a long strip, knelt down, and wrapped it tightly around Jang Woo's thigh wound.
"Yeah, how'd it go? Uh-huh... Yeah... Got it."
As he talked on the phone, Jang Woo glanced at Ji-hyeok kneeling before him, bandaging the wound. Emotion flickered across his face for a moment, but as Ji-hyeok stood up slowly, he turned his head to hide it.
"Good work. Come back here then."
Hanging up, Jang Woo scratched his head vigorously, schooled his expression, and turned to Ji-hyeok.
"The Mapo kids downstairs are handled. Told them to head over. Looks like I'll crash at the hotel tonight, bro. Gotta wrap things up here and finish off Mapo too."
"Smart. I'm finishing up today too. I'll take Myeongdong."
"Not tired?"
"Tomorrow's Saturday. I can rest. Don't worry."
"Still..."
"Get Dong-hwi and drop him at Myeongdong. Call if anything comes up."
"Yeah, got it."
"Leave the cleanup here to me."
"No worries. I'll make it spotless."
Patting Jang Woo's shoulder, Ji-hyeok turned and rifled through Cheolgyoha and the Shadow's pockets.
He pocketed a few items, left the rooftop, headed to the underground parking, got in his car, and drove toward Myeongdong.
Jo-eun Finance was on the third floor of a small building in a Myeongdong back alley.
Using the security key from Cheolgyoha's clothes, Ji-hyeok unlocked the door and stepped inside, slowly searching the office.
"Bro, I'm here."
Dong-hwi arrived about thirty minutes later.
He looked utterly exhausted at a glance.
Physical fatigue was part of it, but the mental strain must have been worse.
"Yeah. Crash on that sofa first. I called you here to stick by my side. No work—just rest."
"Okay. Sorry, bro. I'm beat."
"I know. No apologies. Go sleep."
From the Taesung Card audit to this nonstop march.
Dong-hwi was probably holding on through sheer tension and iron will.
Ji-hyeok found it somewhat admirable.
Turning off the lamp near the sofa so Dong-hwi could sleep, he focused on searching Cheolgyoha's personal room.
'Thorough guy. Lives like he could vanish anytime without a trace.'
The only thing worth taking was the ledgers.
Maybe due to his age, Cheolgyoha had meticulously recorded inflows and outflows in notebooks labeled "Household Account Book" in hanja on the cover.
Over thirty of them.
Too much to check on the spot, so Ji-hyeok set them aside and kept searching.
'Doesn't make sense for a Myeongdong loan shark not to have cash on hand.'
But no safe in sight, no matter how hard he looked.
Not even enough loose cash to bolt with.
'If I were him...'
Sitting in Cheolgyoha's chair, Ji-hyeok scanned the room, then glanced up at the ceiling.
His eyes caught a small round ring.
Something clicked. He grabbed the long iron rod leaning against the wall from earlier.
Hooking it into the ring and pulling down, a staircase slid down like magic.
"Bingo."
The stairs were narrow but sturdily built of iron framing.
Seemed like it could handle jumping up and down without collapsing.
Ji-hyeok ascended slowly.
As his torso rose above the ceiling, the space above came into view.
"Whew..."
Standing fully on the last step, Ji-hyeok straightened up.
The hidden space had plenty of headroom.
He walked slowly toward the mountain of cash that had just amazed him.
The tower of bills, stacked in a two-meter square, rose to chest height.
That was when it happened.
"Whoaaa..."
Turning at the voice behind him, he saw Dong-hwi peeking his head up, eyes wide and mouth agape.
"Awake?"
"Yeah. Woke up and you were gone. But... how much is all this?"
"Dunno exactly. Heard you can fit six hundred million in fifty-thousand-won bills in a ramen box. This has to be at least fifty billion."
"Whoa, they really store cash like in the movies."
"A loan shark running exchange scams can't exactly bank it."
"Bro, what're we doing with this money?"
"Why? Want some?"
"Who wouldn't?"
"Take what you can carry."
"For real?"
Dong-hwi hesitated in front of the bundles as Ji-hyeok nodded.
Maybe unsure how much to grab.
He just stared, hands at his sides.
Then...
- Jjaak!
Raising both hands, he slapped his cheeks hard and stepped back from the pile.
"Phew, okay! Good job, Cha Dong-hwi. You beat worldly temptation. You know this is the devil's test. You did well. Great job!"
But Ji-hyeok stared at him in utter bewilderment.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Huh? Weren't you testing me?"
"What test?"
"You know... like those trials. A test."
"Go take a shit. Here, take it."
Chucking, Ji-hyeok grabbed a thick wad and tossed it to Dong-hwi.
"Dong-hwi, don't get it twisted. I'm no agent of justice. I'm utterly worldly and selfish. This is spoils from a war I risked my life for—mine by right. Take that for now. I'll give you more later. Think of it as thanks for your hard work."
Dong-hwi's eyes sparkled.
He figured he'd made the best choice.
If he'd grabbed greedily, he wouldn't have heard those words.
He felt like he'd learned a tiny bit more about Ji-hyeok.
Grinning ear to ear, Dong-hwi sidled up to him.
"Bro, can't I have more? Eight bundles feels uneven. Make it ten?"
"Want me to take three and make it five?"
"No! Nope! Heh heh, heading down now!"
Dong-hwi backpedaled fast as Ji-hyeok spoke.
He bolted down the stairs.
Chucking at his retreating figure, Ji-hyeok pulled out his phone.
"Yeah, it's me. Mapo wrapped up?"
"........."
"Good. And swing by Myeongdong. Got cash here. Bring the guys to haul it."
"........."
"Yeah. Around fifty billion. Don't bring everyone—just the tight-lipped ones. Loose talk on this is bad."
Ending the call, Ji-hyeok descended and reset the stairs.
Dong-hwi, who'd come down first, looked up at him with bright eyes.
"Bro, we got slush funds now. Wanna grab a drink? It's Saturday anyway—no work tomorrow."
"Drinking? See those ledgers over there?"
"Huh? Those?"
"Yeah. Grab 'em. Your weekend homework to analyze."
It was three a.m. on Saturday. Amid the silent Myeongdong streets, Dong-hwi's long wail echoed like a wolf howling in pain.
"Kyaaaooooooouuuw..."
Ji-hyeok left home on Sunday evening at nine, a full day later.
From the parking lot, he drove to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu.