Are We Laughingstocks? (3)
The atmosphere in the room turned icy cold.
Heuk Su's face, sustained solely by his pride, twisted into something ferocious.
A maggot? It was a humiliating metaphor he'd never forget for the rest of his life.
If Wang Gon was an old maggot, that meant he himself was a young one.
If he were the type to laugh it off in a drunken stupor with a joke like, "Well, at least I'm a young maggot," it might've been different. But Heuk Su was the sort who dismantled anyone for a single slip of the tongue.
Heuk Su's blatant killing intent swirled through the room. Everyone present could sense it clearly. He had decided to kill Baek So-cheon.
Wang Gon didn't need to get angry. Heuk Su would punish them in his stead. He wouldn't listen if stopped, but Wang Gon had no desire to try anyway.
Arrest? Maggot? This crazy bastard!
Yes, now that maggots had entered the conversation, a corpse or two would be necessary.
Regardless of the escalating tension, Baek So-cheon remained utterly composed.
"If we don't arrest them now, it feels like we won't be leaving this place."
No, there was still a way.
He could drop to his knees and beg right now. Then he and Beon Saeng might survive. But Im Choong couldn't do that.
Sacrifice Baek So-cheon to save himself?
Just because he'd been prickly, or because he'd shaken Beon Saeng up? They hadn't even known each other for long. But no matter what, he couldn't let the man die.
But if he issued the arrest order?
Heuk Su and Wang Gon wouldn't submit quietly, so they'd carry out their earlier threats.
Im Choong knew his decision would seal his own fate and Beon Saeng's as well.
Drop to my knees and beg. Beg them to spare Baek So-cheon too.
Reason sent the command to his body.
But his knees disobeyed. No—the order never reached them. Emotion intercepted and blocked it. Emotion had been screaming since earlier.
Don't ever bow to these damned bastards!
Im Choong looked at Baek So-cheon.
You're really turning my whole life upside down.
But the trouble had started because of him. These two had come to rescue him.
Im Choong, staring at Baek So-cheon, slowly nodded.
"Arrest them."
At the same time, his heart screamed.
This is insane.
Beon Saeng, still pinned under Heuk Su's foot, gaped in shock.
Ah, we're all dead now!
But Beon Saeng pinned his last hope on Baek So-cheon too.
Big bro, please save us! I haven't even slept with a woman yet!
Even at the ripe age of twenty-six. If they were alone, he'd have shouted that secret he couldn't tell a soul—somehow convinced it would make Baek So-cheon save him.
Baek So-cheon stepped forward, about to say something to Wang Gon and Heuk Su, then turned to Im Choong.
"Ah, what are those guys' names?"
"Shin-hwa-bang's branch leader Wang Gon and warrior Heuk Su."
Baek So-cheon addressed the two in a clear, ringing voice.
"Shin-hwa-bang branch leader Wang Gon, Shin-hwa-bang warrior Heuk Su. You're under arrest for assault, threats, and bribery against Murim Alliance warriors."
Wang Gon glanced back and forth between Im Choong and Baek So-cheon, then shook his head.
"No helping it now. Fine, sometimes assumptions become reality."
Wang Gon issued a cold order to Heuk Su.
"Let's see what kind of maggot crawls out of that bastard's corpse."
It was an order to kill Baek So-cheon first.
He wanted to slaughter all three, but that would complicate cleanup. Killing a single warrior was one thing; wiping out the branch leader too was another.
Once Baek So-cheon was dead, he could break the other two completely. Make them watch and cover up a comrade's death, then use it as leverage to enslave Im Choong for life.
This might work out even better.
Heuk Su lifted his foot from Beon Saeng's chest and advanced on Baek So-cheon.
From a few paces away, he leveled his sword at Baek So-cheon.
"I'll start with your arms and legs. Tell me—where should I cut first?"
But Baek So-cheon showed no fear and simply added another charge.
"Assault, threats, bribery... and now attempted murder."
"Attempted murder? Oh dear. Shouldn't it be straight-up murder?"
Baek So-cheon grinned at Heuk Su's mockery.
"Unfortunately, it's just attempted."
"You mad bastard!"
Heuk Su lunged, closing the distance in a flash and thrusting his sword.
Shk.
Fast, precise, laced with clear intent to kill. A perfect strike.
It enveloped Baek So-cheon in an instant, and Im Choong shouted.
"No!"
As the cry escaped, Im Choong regretted it.
What have I done?
Did he not know Heuk Su was this skilled? He did. Wang Gon had acted so boldly because he trusted Heuk Su. He'd been possessed for a moment. Like Beon Saeng, he'd been swayed by Baek So-cheon. They should have begged somehow and all survived.
Thwack!
A crisp impact echoed through the room.
Baek So-cheon and Heuk Su were pressed close.
"Ah!"
Im Choong, Beon Saeng, and Wang Gon exclaimed in unison. Two in joy, one in horror.
Heuk Su's missed sword jutted out in front of Baek So-cheon's twisted torso, while Baek So-cheon's elbow was buried squarely in Heuk Su's face.
As if time had frozen, their movements halted.
Clang.
Heuk Su's sword hit the floor first.
Thud.
Then Heuk Su toppled backward stiffly, his nasal bones shattered.
A single exchange.
Pure external martial arts, without a trace of inner power, had subdued him.
Everyone watched, breathless. No one had imagined Heuk Su falling in one move.
Too focused on the outcome, they missed the training bracers on Baek So-cheon's wrists.
Even with those heavy weights, he'd dodged Heuk Su's attack and dropped him with one blow.
Beon Saeng rushed over to check Heuk Su.
"He's not dead, right?"
Fortunately, Heuk Su lived. Part of Beon Saeng hoped he'd croaked, but killing a Shin-hwa-bang warrior would bring retaliation from their main branch. Arrest and execution were worlds apart.
Fearing Heuk Su might wake, Beon Saeng swiftly sealed his inner power.
Wang Gon, never expecting Heuk Su to fall in one move, was half-dazed.
What the hell is this?
Baek So-cheon approached him slowly.
Wang Gon backed away. Though he was branch leader, Heuk Su outclassed him in martial skill. If Heuk Su fell, he stood no chance.
He'd lacked talent for martial arts from the start, so he'd focused on schemes instead.
"Stay back! Come closer and you're dead!"
He bellowed, but his men didn't come.
Wang Gon regretted meeting Im Choong here.
Expecting a secret talk, he'd chosen the most remote parlor and kept his other subordinates at a distance, bringing only Heuk Su.
Even if he'd called them, they'd be useless against someone who felled Heuk Su in one blow.
"Touch me, and the main branch won't let it slide! You know that much, right?"
"Of course they won't. They'll probably start by replacing the troublesome branch leader."
Wang Gon's heart sank. Baek So-cheon had spoken casually, but nailed his future perfectly.
The Shin-hwa-bang leader would quietly replace a problematic branch head rather than avenge a subordinate.
Wang Gon yelled again.
"Even without Shin-hwa-bang, I can mobilize all my connections—you're finished!"
"Connections, huh... Nice ones. But here's the problem: assault, threats, bribery, attempted murder against a Murim Alliance warrior. You'll be rotting in prison for at least thirty years."
"Thirty years!"
His face twitched at the realistic number.
"Will you even be alive that long? Connections? You think anyone would stand against the Murim Alliance to save you? Seems like all around you are maggot-worthy piles of shit."
Wang Gon couldn't deny it. He had no one he'd risk opposing the Alliance for. The feeling was mutual.
A horrific reality he'd never considered crashed over him like a tidal wave. His head spun, and he fell back on his first shout.
"Don't make me laugh! I'm Shin-hwa-bang's Wang, the branch leader! Shin-hwa-bang!"
"Hey, Branch Leader Wang."
Wang Gon flinched at Baek So-cheon's cold gaze.
"Playing king in some backwater makes the Murim Alliance look like a joke, huh?"
The flat tone terrified him more than any crude threat.
Probably that look—like gazing down at an insect. Wang Gon knew it well; it was the eye he gave the weak before crushing them.
"Heard about Tae-jeong dying? Guys who cross me tend to have mysteriously bad luck. How's your luck, Branch Leader Wang?"
"Urgh... Get lost, you bastard! Get... away..."
Crack!
Baek So-cheon's fist slammed into his face. Half out of it already, Wang Gon couldn't dodge.
His head snapped sideways, broken teeth flying, body spinning before collapsing spread-eagled.
Thud.
Baek So-cheon dragged the unconscious body—face a mangled mess—to Im Choong and dumped it at his feet.
"As ordered, the two are under arrest."
Silence blanketed the room.
Im Choong and Beon Saeng felt like they were dreaming in this surreal scene.
"You..."
Im Choong couldn't find words.
Gratitude mixed with resentment. The trouble now dwarfed Tae-jeong's arrest or death.
They'd captured Shin-hwa-bang's southern branch leader and his right-hand man.
Dragging them off wouldn't end it.
Wang Gon would scheme, make excuses, wriggle free. The main branch might even intervene fully.
He was just a backwater branch leader with no backing. Could this even be contained?
Unaware or uncaring of those worries, Baek So-cheon told Im Choong,
"Charging in alone out of excitement was incredibly stupid, but refusing the bribe was the right call."
With that, he turned and walked out first.
Watching his back, Beon Saeng murmured,
"Branch Leader, wanna be my little bro too? We need one more for the Peach Garden Oath..."
"You mad bastard."
"Yeah, I'm crazy. How do you stay sane in this mess?"
Im Choong sighed, staring down at the fainted Wang Gon and Heuk Su.
But deep down, one thing felt good.
Baek So-cheon's line to Wang Gon was what he'd always wanted to say to those who scorned them.
Playing king in some backwater makes the Murim Alliance look like a joke, huh?
Saying it had cleared a blockage in his chest.
Despite the mountain of fallout ahead, he didn't feel bad right now.
Im Choong gazed at the fallen Wang Gon.
Maybe I looked like a joke, but the Murim Alliance never has.