Prelude to Counterattack (2)
Dong-hyun shook off the thug's hand that had seized his arm.
"Hah!? Don't bother."
The man snorted, treating Dong-hyun's resistance like a joke. He'd beaten Dong-hyun plenty of times on Son Ga-eun's orders, so he had even less reason to take him seriously. A few hits and the kid would usually start blubbering and begging for forgiveness.
He reached for Dong-hyun's shoulder again.
Dong-hyun swept the incoming hand upward and drove a left jab straight into the thug's face.
Thwack!
"Guh!"
The man staggered back from the blow to his jaw. Dong-hyun followed him in and buried a left hook in his gut — a liver shot that folded him to his knees, gasping for air that wouldn't come. A knee to the face sent him crashing to the floor.
Dong-hyun had never trained in boxing or martial arts. The Martial God trait simply moved his body for him.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
The other thugs froze as their buddy went down in seconds.
"I told you not to touch me."
Dong-hyun's growl made them flinch. This was someone they'd always written off — but watching one of their own get dropped like that took the fight right out of them.
"What are you idiots doing?! Get him already!"
Son Ga-eun's shriek snapped them out of it. They rolled their wrists and advanced on Dong-hyun, trying to look intimidating.
The old Dong-hyun would have been terrified. This one wasn't. He'd fought for his life in another world. And after dropping the first guy, he was pretty sure he could handle the rest.
Two of them left. Dong-hyun struck first.
He stepped in fast and threw a jab at the nearer thug. This one was ready — he guarded and caught the punch. In that same instant the other man swung. Dong-hyun slipped the blow and drove an uppercut straight up through the guy's jaw.
Crack!
Several teeth exploded out of his mouth as he pitched forward onto the floor.
The last thug went pale. Three of them had come in, and two were already down. And it wasn't like he was any better in a fight than the ones already on the floor.
Dong-hyun ignored the man sprawled at his feet and closed on the one backing away.
"W-wait—"
The thug threw out a hand to stop him. Dong-hyun caught the fingers and twisted.
"AAAAAGH!!"
"What? Does it hurt? You used to ask me that every time you hit me, didn't you?"
"I-I'm sorry... ngh—"
Dong-hyun drove punch after punch into the gut of the man who couldn't even move with his hand bent backward.
"Ghhhk!"
"Does it hurt? I said, does it hurt?"
A few more shots to the stomach and the thug collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Both women stared. The Dong-hyun they'd treated like a cockroach had never shown them anything like this.
"That all of them?"
The fear on Son Ga-eun's face only fed him. The abuse he'd suffered since childhood had carved terror into his body. And now the person who'd put it there was afraid of him? That was the crack he needed. Looking at her now, he realized Son Ga-eun was just a woman. Nothing more.
"Can't do a damn thing on your own, so you borrow other people's fists to hurt people."
"You insane little bastard. You think someone like you can talk to me that way?"
Typical Son Ga-eun. She was scared, but she'd rather die than let him see it. She swung for his face again. This time Dong-hyun caught her arm the same way he'd caught Kang Su-yeon's and wrenched it behind her back. Her body crumpled to the floor under his strength.
Pinned face-down with her arm twisted behind her, she thrashed as Dong-hyun pressed a hand to the back of her neck.
"AAAH!! Let go!! Let go of me!!"
She writhed and cursed on the floor, but she couldn't break his grip.
"It hurts!! Let go!!"
"Keep squirming and it'll hurt more. Stay still."
"Kang Dong-hyun! What the hell do you think you're doing to Mom?!"
Kang Su-yeon screamed from the side.
"Mom? Your mom? My mom? Which one are you talking about? I'm just punishing someone who tried to hurt me."
"You son of a bitch!! You wanna die?!"
Su-yeon lunged. Dong-hyun cranked Ga-eun's arm harder.
"AAAAH!! Stop!! It's going to break!!"
"Come any closer and I really will break it."
Ga-eun writhed in agony. Su-yeon froze.
"Son Ga-eun."
He said her name.
"You little shit, how dare you!! Who do you think you are, calling me by name?!"
"I asked you a question."
He applied a little more pressure.
"AAAAH!! What!! What!! I answered you!!"
"Answer me properly."
"What...? AAAAH!!"
It seemed like the three of them were the only ones in the house. That explained why nobody had come running at all this noise. And if there'd been anyone else around, they wouldn't have tried to have the thugs drag him out in the first place.
This was the perfect chance to teach Son Ga-eun and Kang Su-yeon a lesson.
"Answer."
"What..."
She was starting to fold. He would have liked to hear some respect in her voice, but on paper she was still his stepmother. As furious as he was, as much as he wanted to make her pay, it wasn't time yet. Once he'd built up more power, he could take his revenge properly.
"I've put up with a lot. I'm not putting up with it anymore. So don't touch me. You either, Kang Su-yeon. Got it?"
"I... I got it... just let go of my arm. It really hurts..."
The woman who'd never shown him anything but ice and contempt sounded like she was about to cry.
"Kang Su-yeon. I asked you a question."
"Fine..."
Once Su-yeon answered, he released Ga-eun's arm and stood.
Son Ga-eun pushed herself up off the floor and reached for her shoulder. Then she looked at Dong-hyun, and something ugly surged back up in her — she opened her mouth to say something. The words died the moment her eyes met his.
She'd only ever been the predator. She'd never been the prey. That made this so much worse.
"Su-yeon. Let's go. You... just wait..."
She still had enough pride left to get one last line in before she left.
Dong-hyun smirked and headed upstairs to his room.
Serién was waiting for him, stretched out on his bed. She was as beautiful and as sexy as ever.
One of these days, Serién's going to be mine too.
"You really raised hell down there, huh? You're like a whole different person."
"Yeah... I guess I am. All thanks to you."
The sudden sincerity threw her.
"Whoa... did you eat something weird?"
"No. I mean it. I'm grateful."
"If you're so grateful, then hurry up and finish those quests already~"
"I know. I was just about to head over."
"Which one first? A D-rank?"
"No. I'm starting with Subjugating Female Gangsters. I picked up some good traits — I think I can handle it."
With Martial God and Heavenly Body, he was confident he wouldn't lose no matter what.
Serién grinned.
"Alright. Off you go."
Dong-hyun opened the quest window and selected his target.
A modern underworld-themed quest world
Transfer initiating...
His body was sucked in once more.
When Dong-hyun opened his eyes, he was in what looked like a warehouse. Dozens of people stood in front of him, and at their head was a single woman. Around him, bodies littered the floor.
"Just you left, huh?"
The woman in front of him spoke.
She had short black hair. Her face was almost cute — her body was anything but.
A sudden headache slammed into him. Information about the host body flooded in.
Name: Kim Tae-jin
Affiliation: Brown Bear Gang — Action Captain
Situation: Raid on Black Leopard Gang HQ
Status: All subordinates downed
Kim Tae-jin was an action captain of the Brown Bear Gang. On his boss's orders, he'd led a raid on the Black Leopard Gang's headquarters — the two outfits were at war. And Lee Yu-jin, the Black Leopard Gang's boss, had just put down every last man he'd brought with him.
Lee Yu-jin walked toward him, unhurried. She'd just dropped dozens of men by herself and she didn't even look winded.
"That mouth of yours has been pissing me off since last time. Lucky I ran into you today. I'm gonna have some real fun with you."
Kim Tae-jin and Lee Yu-jin had crossed paths before the war started and traded insults. Tae-jin had made sexual jokes at her expense — that was what she was talking about.
According to the incoming information, Kim Tae-jin's odds of beating Lee Yu-jin were basically zero. But Dong-hyun was the one in this body now. That changed things.
Dong-hyun settled into a fighting stance.
"Ohh... gonna try it solo?"
"Bring it."
"Alright. Let's see what you've got."
Lee Yu-jin closed the distance in a blur. She was under his chin before he could blink, fist already flying.
Something was wrong. His motor skills had vanished. The real-world Dong-hyun could have fought better than this.
Crack!
His vision went dark.
It was a long time before Dong-hyun opened his eyes again.
"Nngh..."
"You awake?"
He was lying on his back. Lee Yu-jin looked down at him from above.
He tried to sit up. He couldn't move.
He was strapped to a frame. Completely naked.
He looked around. Every last one of the men who'd raided with him was in the same state. Some of them had semen dripping from their cocks, their faces twisted in pain.
"You're... packing more than I expected."
Lee Yu-jin stepped in and grabbed his cock.
"Kh—"
There was nothing gentle about her grip.
"Time to start your training."
No way. I'm the one getting subjugated?