The Ledger
"In today's parlance, we call them MZ Gangsters—young punks with no intention of living like human beings, but plenty of interest in every money-making piece of filth out there."
"......"
"As you can see, setting aside their violence, there's loan sharking, narcotics, rental deposit scams, illegal gambling, romance scams, crypto pump-and-dump chatrooms—ah, that's right, brother-in-law, you wouldn't even know what crypto is, would you? Anyway, the ones these bastards have driven to suicide number over twenty. They've greased the right palms up top, because no matter how many stories we break, they don't budge an inch."
They really were different.
In the nature of their crimes, certainly.
They didn't receive even the token slap on the wrist that others did.
In a way, weren't they worse than the killers out there?
"Are there many of them?"
"Oh, an obscene number."
Lee Seo-hyun murmured as she handed over yet another file.
It contained information on several more organizations worth hunting.
"There are so many of them popping up lately, you'd think it was a trend among the lowlifes."
These were not the traditional gangsters of the past.
A new breed, fraud and violence fused together—vile among the vile.
But their essence was the same.
'Creatures with no right to draw breath.'
That was enough.
"Oh, and brother-in-law—this time I have one more favor to ask."
"Which is?"
"If those bastards keep a ledger, anything like that—bring it back to me."
"A ledger?"
"A ledger of their connections to the higher-ups. It's bound to exist."
Some MZ Gangsters earned more money than the gangsters of old ever did.
And where did a substantial portion of that dirty money flow?
Into the work of protecting themselves, of course.
Bribes, for instance.
"With the ledger in hand, we could secure far more quality prey."
A request he had no reason to refuse.
Tae-jun gathered up all the documents.
"I'll do that."
* * *
"What—he got scammed out of eight thousand won and killed himself?"
The VIP room of Club 'Janus.'
Around a table drowning in alcohol, drugs, and every manner of pleasure, Ko Moo-young, boss of the 21st Century Gwanak Gang, muttered in sheer disbelief.
"That punk was dead the moment he was born, no matter what he did. Am I wrong?"
"You said it. He could've earned that much in a few years doing manual labor anywhere."
"Kids these days, I swear. Jeez, this country's future is looking dark. Real dark."
The person they spoke of—the one 'driven to suicide after losing eight thousand won'—was one of the victims of the rental deposit scam the 21st Century Gwanak Gang had run across Gwanak-gu, infamously known as the 'Villa King case.'
A young office worker, just twenty-eight years old.
Money someone had scraped together by working himself half to death was pocket change to them.
"It's all because parents coddle their damn kids, that's what it is. They ought to live like starving dogs, like we did. Am I wrong or am I wrong?"
"You're a hundred percent right, boss!"
"You little shit, you kiss ass like a pro even while you're high."
Ko Moo-young snickered and stuck a cigarette between his lips.
"Anyway, it's going to be noisy for another few days."
"They're all just sheep, aren't they? It'll die down fast."
"It'd better. You know how much money I've shoved into every pocket in this city."
Unlike the rest of his crew, he didn't touch drugs.
If he was high, he couldn't savor all these pleasures in full.
Neither the thrill of handling big money, nor the delight of demolishing the lives of fools.
Instead, he enjoyed a pleasure all his own.
"Boss, the setup's finished."
Just as the mood was ripening, a waiter entered the VIP room.
"Did you dose her properly?"
The waiter answered with a crooked grin.
"Don't worry yourself. She's completely out of it—she won't know up from down till tomorrow morning."
"Coming from you, I believe it. Downstairs room?"
"Yes, boss. After you."
Ko Moo-young headed with the waiter toward the club's underground secret room.
Opening the door, they revealed two young women with childish faces.
Unfocused eyes, bodies that couldn't hold themselves up.
Anyone could see they were far from a normal state.
"How old are they?"
"Graduated high school just recently, apparently."
"Guess I'm getting old too. I keep craving something fresh."
"I prepared them with exactly that in mind."
"You little shit. Always one step ahead."
Ko Moo-young chuckled and slipped a thick envelope of cash into the waiter's hand.
"I added a little extra. Keep it up, and there'll be more where that came from."
"With passion and devotion, boss! Every time!"
"Get out. Make sure nobody comes in."
The door sealed shut.
An expression that could hold back no longer.
Just as the filthy business was about to begin—
"B-boss."
One of the crew hurried into the room.
"What? Didn't you hear me say nobody comes in?"
"It's, it's Lawmaker Kim Young-hwan on the phone. What should we do?"
One of the higher-ups watching the 21st Century Gwanak Gang's back—Gwanak-gu's National Assembly lawmaker, Kim Young-hwan. At the news, Ko Moo-young's face twisted.
"Tch, what the hell does he want on such a fine night."
Still, he stepped outside the room and picked up the burner phone reserved for business.
He took the call in a suitably secluded spot outside the club.
"Ahh, our esteemed Representative Kim. Taking your call with both hands. This is Ko Moo-young. Yes."
The sly flattery lasted only a moment.
Kim Young-hwan's voice on the other end was anything but ordinary.
[Mr. Ko, here's the thing. As you well know, public sentiment these days has turned ugly. Very ugly indeed.]
"Public sentiment, you say? Which sentiment exactly might you be referring to...?"
"What's the matter with you? Do you genuinely not know, or are you playing dumb?"
"Whatever could you mean, playing dumb in front of you, Representative?"
[Your little businesses are getting carpet-bombed across the board, hm? They're raising hell in the National Assembly about drafting a special law. Hell, I say.]
"Is that so?"
"'Is that so' my ass. Listen here. I'd say it's time you kept a low profile. Me too, and you too."
In plain terms: cut the ties.
In plainer terms: no more cover from above.
Every trace of a smile drained from Ko Moo-young's face.
"So, you're cutting me loose now? After swallowing every last won you've skimmed from us all this time?"
[Oh, come now. When have I ever taken money? I'm simply saying we shouldn't make each other miserable. Keeping your head down when times get dangerous—that's good for you too, no?]
"I'm not sure what's supposed to be good about it, but fine, understood. So, I'm going to give you a parting gift right now—take a look at it, and then we'll continue this conversation."
The moment the words left his mouth, Ko Moo-young hung up.
"That cocksucking son of a bitch, taking his cut and trying to slither away..."
Then he sent several video files to Kim Young-hwan.
The footage captured the true face of Kim Young-hwan, publicly known as a devoted father and doting husband.
Kim Young-hwan, naked and tangled with young women in a hotel suite.
Three of them, no less—and two of them still underage.
Insurance he'd secured precisely for moments like this.
Vvvvvvrrr—!
Less than thirty seconds after the videos went out, the phone rang again.
Ko Moo-young smirked and answered.
"I trust you enjoyed your gift—"
[You filthy degenerate son of a bitch! You... are you out of your goddamn mind?! You think you'll survive doing this to me?!]
Kim Young-hwan's desperate shriek exploded through the receiver.
Not a trace of his usual gentleness remained.
"Calm down, Representative. What are you getting so worked up about? It's just a little gift. Yes?"
[A gift? This filthy blackmail is a gift? You—you've forgotten who I am?]
"Heavens, no. You'd be our shining Representative Kim Young-hwan, two consecutive terms in Gwanak-gu, wouldn't you?"
[Y-you little—!]
"Oh dear, our Representative seems awfully angry. Well, you should've been pickier about what you swallowed. Taking every bribe and every girl that's handed to you, gobbling it all down—of course it caught up with you."
Still dripping with that sly insolence, Ko Moo-young pressed on.
"Representative, let's not dirty ourselves over this."
[Y-you...!]
"They say a man who stands beside you in hard times is your true friend, don't they? Hell, we've been together far longer than a day or two, haven't we? Yes? Times like this are exactly when we need to huddle together."
"......"
"If you don't like it, then by all means, go down together. Now, me and mine are just gutter trash, so that's fine and dandy—but will you be all right, Representative?"
"......"
"There's your wife to consider, of course, but your precious daughter—the one you've coddled and cherished for nineteen whole years—oh, how heartbroken she'll be. A high school senior already so sensitive as it is."
Under Ko Moo-young's threats, Kim Young-hwan fell silent for a long while.
Ragged breathing came through the receiver, along with the sound of something shattering.
[...For now, let's say tonight's conversation never happened.]
"Excellent judgment. And in apology for speaking out of turn myself, I'll delete this recording of our call right away."
"......"
"If there's nothing else, do take care of yourself."
In the end, Kim Young-hwan had tucked his tail.
Ko Moo-young grinned and hung up.
Naturally, he did not delete the recording.
"Damn it all. They only figure out whether it's shit or soybean paste after they've eaten it."
Ko Moo-young muttered as he pulled out another cigarette and stuck it between his lips.
The moment he raised the lighter—
"...?"
A chill crept up from behind his back.
Something was there, behind him.
"...Who's there?"
Slowly.
Very, very slowly, just as he began to turn his head—
"Found you."
A crimson gaze flashed out of the darkness.
The eyes of a beast, hungering to devour.