Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Time to Grab the Club (2)
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"Welcome..."
Sima Jin's cheerful greeting froze on her lips. The men who had barged into the butcher shop were just as stunned.
"Damn! What the hell, she's gorgeous!"
The leader of the group, Jang Sand o, swallowed hard at Sima Jin's beauty.
"What brings you here?"
Sima Jin forced herself to calm down and asked.
"W-Well, you see..."
His eyes spinning from Sima Jin's beauty, Jang Sand o stammered without giving a proper answer.
"Argh, what do we even say?"
His subordinates, whom he'd brought along, were equally at a loss for words.
As everyone stood there mumbling awkwardly, Cheol Woo—who had just finished slaughtering—approached with a slab of meat dripping blood over his shoulder.
"Who are these guys?"
Cheol Woo scowled at the men who had taken over the butcher shop.
"They seem like customers, but..."
Sima Jin quickly hid behind Cheol Woo's back, peeking out just enough to trail off.
"What's with the vague talk?"
Clicking his tongue, Cheol Woo hung the meat slab on the iron hook of the display stand.
Seeing the blood dripping from it, Sima Jin cried out in alarm.
"Why'd you bring meat that's still got blood in it?"
"We can drain it here. Doesn't make sense for the display to be empty."
"True enough."
Sima Jin nodded, recalling how Sima Hyeon had taken all the meat from the display earlier.
Still, she couldn't help frowning in dissatisfaction.
"Then just bring some from the underground storage. This is kinda gross."
Her furrowed brows and slightly wrinkled nose were so cute it made one want to pinch them.
Even Cheol Woo, who saw her every day, thought so—and for these men seeing such a beauty for the first time, it was enough to leave them utterly entranced.
"You're at a butcher shop. Look at the meat, not where your eyes are wandering."
Cheol Woo's gruff voice echoed through the shop.
"Jin, go inside. I'll handle these customers."
Sima Jin retreated, feeling uneasy at the men's rough appearance, and hurried to the slaughterhouse to fetch Sima Geon.
The men followed her retreating figure with dazed eyes, letting out sighs of regret only after she vanished from sight.
Clap! Clap!
Cheol Woo clapped to snap everyone back to attention and asked,
"So, what meat are you here to buy? I haven't put it out on display, but say the word and I can fetch anything you want."
Only then did the men, lost in Sima Jin's beauty, remember why they'd come to the butcher shop.
"Ahem! We're not here to buy meat."
Jang Sand o twisted his face into a scowl as if he'd never been dazed, shouting arrogantly. As if on cue, the men behind him kicked over shop items or shoved them roughly.
Cheol Woo watched their antics calmly before asking with a cold smile,
"If you're not here for meat, then what?"
His voice had sunk low, his tone shifting, but Jang Sand o didn't notice.
"You gotta pay taxes to do business."
"Taxes? We already do."
Cheol Woo shrugged, prompting Jang Sand o to snap back angrily.
"Not those taxes—the ones you pay us."
"Ah! So you're here to shake us down."
Jang Sand o scowled at Cheol Woo's laugh.
"Watch your mouth. To be precise, we protect you so you can do business in peace, which takes effort, so pay us accordingly. It's mutual aid, you see."
"Your tongue's awfully slick. It's protection money, plain and simple."
Jang Sand o burst into laughter at Cheol Woo's words.
"Exactly. Protection money. Now you're talking sense."
"Don't need your protection."
Cheol Woo replied indifferently and took a step toward Jang Sand o.
"Use your eyes. Do I look like someone who needs protecting?"
His overwhelming bulk, fierce expression, and intimidating voice made Jang Sand o's throat bob nervously.
"You from the Blood Banner Gang?"
"Y-Yes."
"Hey, you bastards! Pay up properly for the meat you took last time before yapping. Quit trying to eat for free!"
A ferocious aura poured from Cheol Woo, leaving Jang Sand o and his men too terrified to even breathe. They cowered like mice before a cat.
"Pathetic scum."
Cheol Woo tore off a fatty piece with bristles still attached from the freshly hung slab and flung it at Jang Sand o's face.
"Here, eat this and get lost."
The fatty chunk stuck to Jang Sand o's forehead like it was glued there.
"Scram! Come back once more, and I'll snap your necks."
Cheol Woo shooed them like flies, but terror had frozen Jang Sand o and his crew in place.
"What? Wanna die right here?"
Cheol Woo leaned in close to Jang Sand o with a grin.
To Jang Sand o and his gang, that smile was more terrifying than the King of Hell's.
"Get out!"
Before Cheol Woo's shout even ended, they bolted from the shop without a backward glance.
Cheol Woo chuckled at the sight of them tumbling over each other's feet in their frantic escape.
"Satisfying, huh?"
Turning, he saw Sima Geon watching with a pitiful look.
"Bums like that demanding protection money. Ridiculous. I held back from crushing them. Sent 'em off nicely, so they won't come back."
"Nice? That was a threat."
"This is nice. They all walked out in one piece. If I'd let loose, they wouldn't have made it out."
"Fair point."
There was no exaggeration or lie in Cheol Woo's words.
If anything, their luck in walking away alive after trying to extort him could be called heavenly intervention.
"But what if that's not the end? What if they come back?"
Sima Jin gazed worriedly toward where the men had fled.
"Don't worry. If I were weak enough to lose to trash like that, I wouldn't have survived this long."
Despite Cheol Woo's confidence, Sima Jin's stiff expression didn't soften.
Just then, Sima Hyeon returned from his delivery with a dark look.
"What's with your face? Don't tell me you didn't get paid again."
Sima Hyeon shook his head at Cheol Woo's question.
"Nah. The market vibe's just off."
"Why? Something happen?"
"Blood Banner Gang."
Sighing, Sima Hyeon continued.
"Thought they'd lay low after smashing the Youth Justice Society, but they've been rampaging full force these past few days."
"Shaking down for protection money, eh."
Sima Hyeon widened his eyes at Sima Geon's words, as if surprised he knew, then nodded.
"Don't get me started. The Youth Justice Society took protection money too, but it was reasonable—not a huge burden. These Blood Banner bastards are insane. Demanding three times what the others took, and if you resist, they wreck everything."
"Authorities just watching?"
Sima Hyeon gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"They investigate if you report, but it's all for show. Can't count the bribes they pocket. I'm worried. They'll hit our shop next."
"They already did."
Sima Hyeon's head whipped around at Sima Jin's anxious voice.
"Already?"
"Just now. Cheol Woo oppa chased them off, but I'm scared."
"What'd they say? How much did they want?"
Sima Hyeon asked Cheol Woo.
"Who cares. No point listening to that crap. Tossed 'em a fat chunk and sent 'em packing. Heh heh!"
"What're we gonna do? They're the ones who crushed the Youth Justice Society. They won't back down easy. Rumors say they've got backing."
Sima Hyeon was certain the Blood Banner Gang wouldn't stay quiet. They'd probably come down even harder to make an example.
He didn't think mercenaries like Sima Geon and Cheol Woo would go down easy, but they were few while the enemy was many. If the gang swarmed them, even those two would fall.
"They'll come back for sure. Stay out of it then. I'll negotiate."
Sima Hyeon pressed Cheol Woo firmly.
"Nah, come on. What's the profit margin on meat? Can't let scum like that bleed us. Plus, with the ranch loans..."
Cheol Woo waved it off dismissively.
"It's not about the money!"
Sima Hyeon yelled, his face pale with fear for the family.
As Cheol Woo blinked in surprise at the outburst, Sima Geon gently placed a hand on Sima Hyeon's shoulder.
"I get what you're worried about, but don't stress. It'll be fine."
"Ha! Really..."
Seeing the smile on Sima Geon's lips, Sima Hyeon deflated, at a loss for words.
Sima Geon nudged Cheol Woo's side.
[Time to grab the club.]
Cheol Woo's mouth fell open wide at the telepathic message.
"Haa!"
A long sigh escaped from Yong Jung, one of the Flying Wing Squad's top agents and the right-hand man of the Left Envoy, as he held his brush.
Half a shichen already—he'd been trying to write the routine report, but not a single character made it to the page.
After hesitating endlessly, Yong Jung finally moved his brush.
No unusual activity.
Short and simple.
He stared at the report for a moment, then tossed the brush aside and crumpled the paper aggressively.
"Haa! This won't do..."
Another sigh burst out.
Since the Black Ox Squad's disappearance, he'd been watching Sima Geon and his brothers, potential culprits.
Surveillance was no issue.
They weren't martial arts experts or particularly sharp.
He'd heard they were mercenaries, but he wasn't incompetent enough to get exposed by third-rate sellswords. The problem exploded in the most unexpected place.
"Young Lady Sima..."
Yong Jung's expression turned dreamy as Sima Jin's face came to mind.
He hadn't been like this at first sight. She was stunning, sure, but not to this obsessive degree.
Everything changed in mere days.
Her beauty blossomed daily into something world-shaking, stealing his soul. He felt he couldn't live a day without her.
"If I get recalled like this..."
Yong Jung's eyes bulged as he shook his head.
"No way!"
He snatched up the discarded brush and scribbled furiously.
The blank report filled up densely.
Finally setting down the brush, Yong Jung reviewed his work with a satisfied nod.
Strictly speaking, there was no vital info. He'd just dressed up vague suspicions—something fishy, keep watching—with flowery words.
"This should hold off any recall orders."
A pleased smile crossed his face, but cold sweat beaded his forehead like he'd overcome a major hurdle.