Murim's Grudges #6
In the end, beating the shit out of that bastard gave us some usable intel. The current leader of Amto-bang is a guy named Yeon Mi-pyeong, and his skills are roughly at the second-rate warrior level. He supposedly has some sense of loyalty, but he's brutally ruthless. With that charisma, he gathered up the bottom-feeders of the black道 and formed Amto-bang, but it looks like that's all over now.
Because we killed four of their warriors, they thought a master had attacked and a bunch of them fled. So now, including the leader, there are only six left. And one of them is this fucker right here.
"What about O Su-man?"
"Th-that bastard's completely fucked! They think he dragged in a master for no reason...!"
Already short on manpower, and now one more's done for. Good news.
"So effectively, just four combatants. Hey, Jae Mi-son. We're lucky as hell, huh? Kill four and it's over."
"Fewer than expected... kuk kuk. Lucky."
And earlier, I saw guys coming and going outside the warehouse. Factoring in those who bailed, isn't it basically just that Yeon Mi-pyeong fucker and O Su-man inside right now?
"Jae Mi-son. We can move in right now. Some already left, so this is prime time for a sneak attack."
"We can wrap up the grudge quicker... Ah, but one thing I'm curious about."
Jae Mi-son glanced downward as he spoke.
"Spit it out, no matter what, great hero!"
"Thinking about it, this is that O Su-man prick's grudge... Why the hell is Amto-bang handling it for him? Why would the whole gang avenge some lowly follower's beef?"
"Ah, that."
The guy explained timidly.
"H-he, Yeon Mi-pyeong that fucker wanted to show off his loyalty, and also! Capture the target alive and execute him brutally, th-that kind of show!"
"Hah."
Not a great explanation, but I got the gist. In other words, settle a gang member's grudge at the gang level to boost loyalty and devotion, then put on a performance by brutally executing me to imprint himself as a terrifying figure. If the members aren't just loyal but fear their boss, the organization gets damn strong. Guess Yeon Mi-pyeong was planning to build up Amto-bang that way. Not a bad scheme, and it shows the guy's got brains for a black道 thug.
Stab!
"Guhk...!"
I tidied up the now-useless Amto-bang lackey. War's on—no mercy. Lately, killing feels too damn easy, like a big weight's dropped in my chest, but if I don't do this, I'm the one who dies. For me to live. For Jae Mi-son and me to survive here, Amto-bang leader Yeon Mi-pyeong must die.
"Let's go, Jae Mi-son."
"Before that... let's grab some tools."
"Tools?"
"Kick... Set the warehouse on fire first, then we win for sure."
Jae Mi-son grinned slyly.
"Great idea! You're the genius of our generation! This Zhuge Liang wannabe!"
"Kuk kuk, cut the funny shit."
Arson? Fucking perfect. We headed straight to the nearby market district and bought arson supplies. Sucks burning cash, but looting their hideout should cover it. Black道 bosses always have something stashed, even if the grunts are broke.
With that, we headed to Amto-bang's base.
"..."
Even rotten tuna has its uses—one guy was guarding the entrance. I signaled Jae Mi-son with hand signs, and we circled wide to the left side of the warehouse, taking position a bit back. Jae Mi-son took the right flank. Signal, and we strike together.
"..."
I spotted Jae Mi-son peeking out. He raised his fist—go time.
Swish.
Casual, like it's nothing, I approached the guard.
"Hm? What the—?"
The moment he spotted me.
Whoosh!
I charged full speed. He panicked, yelling something and fumbling for his weapon—
Stab!
Jae Mi-son's I-sang Je-go plunged into his lower back.
"Gack...!"
I followed with a sword thrust to his throat. Not a clean slice, but the carotid severed, blood gushing as he dropped dead. Perfect covert kill. He probably never knew who got him.
And that's not all. Jae Mi-son set up the arson gear right at the entrance, lit the igniter, and boom—fire.
His skills were pro-level, like he was telling the fucker to burn in hell. Made me impressed. Played with fire as a kid or something?
Whoosh!
Flames crackled to life.
"Whew, whew!"
I fanned with my hand while Jae Mi-son blew on it to fan the flames.
"Done."
Guard dead, entrance ablaze. Setup perfect. Soon Yeon Mi-pyeong would burst out in shock—then we finish him.
Thump thump!
Boss hunt time. Heart pounding. But ambush succeeded, and I've got reliable partner Jae Mi-son. Nothing to fear. Together, black道 scum are nothing.
I signaled Jae Mi-son with hand signs to flank the entrance. We took positions—
"Fuck! What the hell! Why's there a fire?!"
A shrill voice erupted from inside as the door slammed open.
Fighting spirit and rage boiled up. This is the bastard who tried to kill me for his shitty goals! I gritted my teeth, locked on target.
Bald head, sharp features. Amto-bang leader Yeon Mi-pyeong!
"Raaargh!"
"Hup!"
Ambush. Jae Mi-son and I kicked off simultaneously, weapons thrusting at Yeon Mi-pyeong.
"Wh-what?!"
He panicked hard, drawing his sword clumsily, flailing like he had no clue.
Makes sense. Even I'd freak—step out for a sudden fire, then psycho killers hit from both sides. Even a trained master would struggle; what can a safa remnant do?
"Fuck!"
Yeon Mi-pyeong cursed loud and swung at Jae Mi-son's I-sang Je-go. Naturally, Jae Mi-son used the weird puppet spear's shape to catch the blade.
And that was it.
"Die, Amto-bang leader!"
"Nooooo!"
No need for Dae-ryu Geom-beop. Just a hard thrust into his exposed back. Purple sparks danced along my Cheon-rae Geom's blade. Nice to see 'em again, but no time—busy killing.
Squelch!
"Gahk!"
Yeon Mi-pyeong got his death sentence. My Cheon-rae Geom pierced clean through his gut. I yanked it out. He just clutched his belly and collapsed. No death throes, no last words. Just bleeding out from the hole.
"Mi-pyeong-ah, it's me. Your target, Kim Geun-hyeop. You dared come after us... Pay for that sin with death."
"You... crazy... cough, never thought you'd... ambush like... ugh."
Short talk. Amto-bang leader Yeon Mi-pyeong died like that.
"It's over."
"Not yet... Check inside."
"Yeah. But first, put out the fire."
Not a big blaze—just cheap arson shit. Limited inferno. But enough to roast this little hell.
Pat pat pat!
We stomped the flames like tap-dancing, then tossed Yeon Mi-pyeong's corpse on to smother it. His own fat fueled the festival. Hope that's what he wanted. Praying that, we entered the warehouse.
"Ugh... what the..."
O Su-man, completely wrecked, was crawling on the ground. Nice to see the root of all this shit.
"Hey, Su-man-ah. It's Geun-hyeop. How've you been?"
"Y-you?! You!"
"I killed Mi-pyeong... Time for you to follow. Come on, the boys are waiting. Mi-pyeong's waiting for you in hell."
"You motherfucker!"
Last gasp. O Su-man showed insane fighting spirit. But it was pathetic. Limbs shattered—what could he do? I unleashed Dae-ryu Geom-beop. The fierce flow became a sharp slash embedding in his skull. Didn't split it fully, but enough to kill a man. Enough to end this cursed grudge.
"Whew."
Final kill. Exhaustion hits. Everything feels like a dream.
"Really over now."
Some stragglers outside, sure. But seeing HQ and boss trashed? They'll scatter, organization be damned.
"Ahh... It's done."
"Loot time, Jae Mi-son."
"Kick... The best part."
Jae Mi-son stood watch while I ransacked the warehouse. Just some cash and weapons. Meager for the murders. Still, grabbed it all and headed out.
"Check this fucker too."
Rifled Yeon Mi-pyeong's corpse.
"Oh!"
This bastard had decent cash! Several small silver pieces!
"Kuk kuk, befitting a black道 gang leader."
"Hey, Jae Mi-son. Split this exactly half."
"Kick... That's why I like you."
Kept their weapons, but nothing caught my Cheon-rae Geom owner's eye. Sell for 100 mun to pawnshops or whatever. With that, we casually left the murder scene.
Bottom black道 killing each other? Too common for news. Even internet trolls ignore it. Newbies fill in, Amto-bang forgotten. Just another cheap grudge wrapped up.
"One grudge tied off..."
Jae Mi-son, arms crossed, looked to the sky.
"Yeah."
"But don't let your guard down, Geun-hyeop. Murim grudges never end."
"Never end?"
"We're already caught in the grudge vortex."
Grudge vortex.
"Connections we never expected... Like friends, brothers, family, or acquaintances of those Amto-bang scum coming for revenge."
"Ah."
"Killed everyone here to cut off loose ends... But you never know. Someone out there might learn about us and seek payback. Plus those who fled early or were out."
"...So what do we do?"
Jae Mi-son's gaze pierced me.
"Just live."
Through his shaggy hair like some visual novel protag, his shining eyes gleamed.
"Entwined with grudges till the moment we die. That's what it means to be Murim folk."
Saying that, Jae Mi-son was straight-up badass.
That day, I fell for his Murim philosophy, shared drinks, and forged our bond. Only now did I truly become a Murim man. Living entwined with grudges till death. That's a Murim man. I'll stride proudly through that grudge vortex.
