The Crossroads (1)
Choi Yeon returned to the quiet café.
The moment he saw him, Lee Seongjun—who had been stuck face-to-face with Red Fang’s new male and female recruits, Moon Soo-bin and Kim Na-yeon—let out a huge sigh of relief.
It wasn’t that he had been fretting over Choi Yeon going off alone to face the executives. He had simply been dying of boredom, stuck with a pair of exhausted, vacant-eyed rookies. Besides, after learning mana control from him, Lee Seongjun had felt firsthand just how formidable a hunter Choi Yeon truly was, so he hadn’t worried in the slightest. He had firmly believed the man would wrap things up and come back without a hitch—unlike the two rookies sitting across from him.
The pair stared in surprise as Choi Yeon casually took a seat as if nothing had happened. There had clearly been a fight… yet he didn’t look injured, or even tired. It was as if he had simply gone out for a stroll.
“…You’re completely fine?”
“The executives… no, the executives are…?”
“I handed them over to the police.”
“Already…? It’s only been ten minutes since you left.”
Choi Yeon shrugged and took a sip of the Americano in front of him. What’s the big deal? That was the attitude he projected, and the two rookies’ mouths fell open. He’s insanely strong! Admiration followed close behind. In truth, it was less that Choi Yeon was overwhelmingly powerful and more that the executives had been pathetic, but he didn’t bother correcting them. Being thought of as strong was a good thing, and saying the two had been collared by a bunch of worthless thugs felt a little too awkward.
Instead, he explained the situation.
“Our chief went with me, so… probably today? At the latest by tomorrow, the Red Fang Guild will be dissolved.”
“Red Fang is… dissolving…”
“And this will depend on the results, but the executives will all likely have their hunter licenses revoked or suspended for several years.”
“Revoked?”
“They did things that warranted it.”
“Ah…? Then, maybe…”
Kim Na-yeon made a sound as if something had just clicked, then trailed off. Her words never finished, but Choi Yeon easily filled in the blank.
If we had just told the Dongdae about this from the start, it could have been resolved simply… right?
Even so, Choi Yeon stayed quiet. Eight years as a Dongdae hunter had taught him that, in moments like this, silence was kinder to both of them. Anything he said would barely register with two people still in shock, and even if it did, it would only deepen their shame. They were already embarrassed enough; there was no need to pile on.
Of course—
“Next time, please trust us Dongdae hunters.”
—he did offer a bit of advice. We’re here to help people like you, so come find us anytime.
Moon Soo-bin and Kim Na-yeon nodded weakly. Their gazes dropped to the floor, and regret dripped down with them. Choi Yeon remained calm; Lee Seongjun fidgeted and pretended not to notice.
“Thank you so much.”
“Thank you…!”
Moon Soo-bin and Kim Na-yeon offered their thanks and left. Their voices still sounded a little thick, but their steps were firm. They seemed almost cheerful, eager to carry the good news to the other guild members who had suffered with them.
Choi Yeon saw them off with a smile, then parted ways with Lee Seongjun as well. He had successfully finished his original purpose—turning down the scouting offer—so there was no reason to linger. Lee Seongjun had never imagined Choi Yeon would wipe out the entire guild, but he was satisfied all the same, and even tacked on the usual promise that he would definitely repay this favor someday.
Choi Yeon returned to the Dongdae without any real expectations. The “favors” a Dongdae hunter usually received were things like green juice, onion juice, or the occasional snack.
Choi Heeseok welcomed him back.
“Yeon, you’re back.”
“The chief isn’t here yet?”
“Said he was gonna stop by the Yuseong District Office. If he has time, the Daejeon branch director of the Hunter Association too.”
“Why go that far?”
“Probably telling them to pay a little attention. Don’t play dumb now and regret it later.”
Choi Yeon understood what he meant. Seemingly minor incidents like this had a way of ballooning into major problems later, like a butterfly effect. Being careful ahead of time was the wise move.
As Choi Yeon sat down, Choi Heeseok spoke again.
“Oh, right. Yeon, you got the Red Fang intel from the Haedrim Private Investigation Office, didn’t you?”
“…Yes. How did you know?”
“Where else around here would you get that kind of information? Minseok’s too busy.”
“Hmm, so it might become a problem after all?”
Choi Yeon asked, guessing at Choi Heeseok’s thoughts. If he had brought it up on purpose, it was probably because it could cause trouble.
But contrary to his expectation, Choi Heeseok smiled gently.
“It’s fine. The chief and I use them now and then ourselves.”
“…You do?”
“Yeah. Their information network’s better than you’d think.”
“I had no idea.”
“Because you never tried to find out.”
…That was true enough. If he had sincerely wanted to know, it would have been easy to learn even in this tiny office. If he had put even a fraction of the effort he spent trying to clock out into it, he would have noticed long ago.
“You did well.”
“…Pardon?”
“Haedrim doesn’t cross the line. They’re careful about staying on the right side of the law, so things don’t blow up into big problems.”
“What about the monster smuggling?”
“That was crossing the line. That’s why they turned themselves in.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, that was right. Back then, the Haedrim office had known exactly when he would be “patrolling”—which was really just him trying to go home—and had been waiting there. Not only because the Trainer was a dangerous person, but also…
“…Ah!”
“Hm?”
“This isn’t the time. I need to go on patrol before the chief gets back.”
“Haha…!”
Choi Heeseok burst out laughing as Choi Yeon shot to his feet. How could one person be so consistently himself? He called it “patrol,” but he clearly had zero intention of coming back anytime soon.
“Nothing else you need me to do, right?”
“If I gave you something, would you actually do it?”
“Of course.”
Even as he answered, his eyes rolled toward the door. If Chief Kim Jaesang had been there, he would have stopped him on the spot, saying the kid couldn’t open his mouth without lying—but the chief was out on business. There was no one left in the Dongdae who would stop Choi Yeon’s “patrol.”
Choi Heeseok? For all the years they had worked together, he was more on Choi Yeon’s side than the chief’s.
“Patrol carefully.”
“Yes!”
“If anything happens, contact us right away.”
“Of course. Naturally!”
After a short goodbye, the smaller Choi hurried out of the office. Maybe it was for the best. If Chief Kim Jaesang had seen this with his own eyes, he would have deeply contemplated why patrols were always one-way streets—and just where the loyalty of that big Choi bastard had gone.
“Huh? Ain’t even five yet and you’re already off work?”
Just as Choi Yeon crossed Malmangsan Intersection, the mart owner called out to him, checking his wristwatch.
“It’s patrol. A nice big loop around my assigned area.”
“Heh heh…! Right, of course it is.”
“Please don’t say things other people might overhear and misunderstand, boss.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful. Feel bad, so here’s a little something on the house.”
The mart owner slipped three or four sweet persimmons into a bag and held it out. Inside the heavy bag, the persimmons gleamed as if they had soaked up the sunlight. Their firm surfaces were flawlessly smooth, lightly dusted with bloom, looking perfectly fresh. One bite would fill your mouth with sweet juice.
“If you keep giving me stuff like this, won’t your wife scold you?”
“It’s fine, just a few persimmons. Tch, or is it? Want me to take two back?”
“I’ll enjoy them!”
Choi Yeon thanked him and quickly moved on. Four sweet persimmons would keep his mouth from getting bored on the way home.
A moment later, he locked eyes with the tailor shop owner in front of Mokdong Intersection. The man was bouncing his leg restlessly; at first glance it looked like anxiety, but a closer look showed it was nicotine withdrawal. Choi Yeon had solemnly kept the secret with a zipper over his lips, but it seemed the tailor’s wife had finally caught him smoking after all.
Poor guy.
“Hang in there.”
The words were aimed at him, but the voice was really directed at the wife standing behind. The husband had chosen to smoke of his own free will, so even if he was miserable now, he had brought it on himself. She, on the other hand, had done nothing wrong, yet still had to watch the person she loved suffer.
Choi Yeon exchanged a quiet nod and passed by. He briefly considered offering a persimmon, but the man was already chewing nicotine gum with grim determination. Even without the fruit, he would get what he truly needed.
Choi Yeon continued straight along Dongseo-daero, where there were no more mascot costume part-timers. Before long he reached Hyeonam Bridge on the northern edge of Seonhwa-dong.
He would walk along the Daejeon Stream under Hyeonam Bridge while enjoying his persimmons…
“…?”
A man entered Choi Yeon’s field of vision just as he was about to. The man sat alone on the embankment, tipping a bottle back and chugging.
The soft sloshing of liquor inside the tilted bottle blended faintly with the gentle rush of the Daejeon Stream.
“Pwah…!”
The man gasped roughly for air. It was simply because he had been drinking so hard he hadn’t been breathing properly, yet to Choi Yeon it looked as if he had just barely broken the surface of deep water.
“…Long time no see, Squinty junior.”
Song Jong-in wiped the liquor running down his sparsely bearded chin with the back of his hand and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The instant he heard the greeting, Choi Yeon twisted his lips mercilessly. He didn’t want to answer, yet the reality that he had to was pure misery.
Why is the Amhyanghoe branch manager here? And looking like he was deliberately waiting for me, no less.
“Ain’t my junior happy to see me?”
“Why are you here?”
“Hobby. Drinkin’ while watchin’ the river’s my only real pleasure.”
“Hobby…”
“Today it just happened to be Hyeonam Bridge.”
“You do know that Hyeonam Bridge is basically Seonhwa-dong’s front yard, right?”
Song Jong-in only laughed “heh heh” without answering. That was answer enough; a sigh slipped from Choi Yeon’s mouth.
Song Jong-in held out the bottle in his right hand. The contents sloshed invitingly.
“Since we ran into each other, how ‘bout we chat a bit, Squinty junior?”
“I’d like to, but I’m worried someone might get the wrong idea.”
“Wrong idea?”
“A Dongdae hunter having a cozy little chat with the Amhyanghoe branch manager doesn’t exactly look good, does it?”
“Heh heh, that how it looks? Anyone with eyes can tell I’m just some drunk.”
He had a point. To ordinary neighborhood residents rather than industry people, the scene would simply look like a young man fretting over a street drunk.
“Or we can dance with swords right here. I’d find that fun too.”
“…Do you like sweet persimmons?”
“Heh, I was just wishin’ I had a little somethin’ to nibble on. Perfect timing.”
Choi Yeon rustled the bag and tossed him a few. His fingertips felt regretful.
Crunch!
He bit into the orange fruit himself to swallow the regret. Beneath the thin skin, firm flesh shattered with a crisp crack. The unique sweetness of the persimmon and its crunchy texture blended together until it felt as if the midday sunlight itself had settled inside his mouth.
“Oh, this is good.”
“…Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
I have to share this delicious thing with a drunk.
He had tried to swallow the regret, but eating only made it bigger.
At least there was one silver lining, if he could call it that.
“You know Park Do-kyeong’s plannin’ to wipe out Amhyanghoe, Squinty junior?”
The words that followed wiped away the remaining regret with pure surprise. Crunch. He took another bite of persimmon without letting it show on his face.
Wipe out Amhyanghoe? Why?
“To get me.”
“…What?”
“Huh? Don’t believe me?”
How am I supposed to believe that?
Choi Yeon was so dumbfounded he forgot to keep chewing.
“Looks like my junior doesn’t know me. That’s also why I became branch manager so fast.”
“…You haven’t been a member long?”
“Nah. Just a few months. Spent some time trainin’, wandered around, caught a few wanted criminals here and there.”
Chief Kim Jaesang’s words flashed through his mind. Where’d the original branch manager go? Power shifted that fast? He had been surprised at the time. Of course, a powerhouse like Song Jong-in would never stay under someone else; it only made sense that he had taken the branch manager seat almost immediately after joining.
The fact that it was specifically the Daejeon branch manager also deserved attention. Once you made Chungcheong your stage, Daejeon inevitably became the core. Not just Amhyanghoe—every organization was like that. Even Jeokryeohui’s hideout had been planted right in Daejeon, hadn’t it?
…So he didn’t come for a conversation. He came to show off?
“So now I’m standin’ at a crossroads. Can’t decide which way to go.”
“……”
“What would you pick, junior?”
“Between Amhyanghoe and Pakator?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, obviously…”
Choi Yeon couldn’t understand the dilemma. Park Do-kyeong valued him enough to destroy Amhyanghoe just to obtain him—so why was Song Jong-in hesitating?
Because he’d grown attached? No way. A few months together wasn’t enough for real attachment, no matter how you measured it. Time wasn’t everything, of course, but these were people of the underworld. Could a bunch of folks who gathered because they couldn’t live clean lives suddenly trust each other in such a short span?
I doubt it. The discarded Jeokryeohui executives—written off as failed experiments—rose in Choi Yeon’s mind. Amhyanghoe probably wasn’t much different, so Song Jong-in must have some purpose that made the organization useful to him.
What even is this guy’s goal in the first place?
A drunk who never neglected his training… wandering around catching wanted criminals?
Then…
“Revenge… is it?”