When the Enemy Reaches Out (1)
"Cheon Yang-ho is dead."
Im Choong and Beon Saeng blinked at Baek So-cheon's words. At first, they thought they'd misheard.
"Who died?"
"The Cheon Dok-sa is dead."
Having to hear it twice made them miss the moment to freak out. Beon Saeng, still looking dazed, asked,
"How?"
"I killed him."
A brief silence fell, and then the situation clicked in their minds.
"Brother killed Cheon Yang-ho...!"
Beon Saeng, about to shout in shock, clamped a hand over his own mouth.
"Why'd you kill him?"
"He came for me last night. Said Wang Gon paid him to do it."
"My god!"
It was truly hard to believe. They knew he was corrupt, but they hadn't thought he'd stoop to killing a fellow warrior for money. And he was a Murim Alliance branch leader, no less.
Beon Saeng lowered his voice.
"What about the body?"
"Right under your feet."
"Gah!"
Their eyes dropped to the ground.
"Buried next to Heuk Su."
It was utterly unreal. Cheon Yang-ho, who seemed like he'd pop up anytime to annoy everyone, was now a buried corpse?
"What now?"
"What else? We wait. With Cheon Yang-ho dead, there'll be more moves. Either another attempt on my life, or someone trying to win me over. Either way, I just wait."
"What should we do?"
"Keep doing your jobs and wait. You'll have things to do soon enough."
Come to think of it, not just Wang Gon's people would come.
Once Cheon Yang-ho's disappearance came to light, the Jeol-gang Branch would be in an uproar. The real power there had vanished without a trace.
Investigators from the branch would come down. Dealing with them was Im Choong's role.
Staring down at his feet, Im Choong suddenly wondered,
'Will another body end up buried here?'
"What? Cheon Yang-ho's missing?"
Wang Gon jumped at the news of yet another disappearance.
"He's not at the Alliance, and he's not at his place."
Wang Gon's face hardened completely at Wang U's report. He'd sent the man to kill Baek So-cheon, and now he was gone. The answer was obvious.
"That bastard got him."
Heuk Su had vanished the same way, so it was clear.
"Maybe he just ran off with the ten thousand nyang?"
"Ten thousand nyang is a lot, but not enough for Cheon Yang-ho to abandon everything. He definitely got taken out by him!"
"But Cheon Yang-ho went well-prepared."
"That's how strong the enemy is."
Thinking back, he'd invested ten thousand nyang— a massive sum—precisely to kill this guy. Who else had ever warranted that?
"Shouldn't we report to headquarters now?"
Wang Gon's scowl deepened. His son didn't grasp the gravity.
He'd lost Heuk Su, and now Cheon Yang-ho, whom he'd steadily bribed over years.
The ten thousand nyang to Cheon Yang-ho had come from his personal funds, but prior bribes had been from Shin-hwa-bang's coffers. Heuk Su was a top expert provided by the bang.
In a blink, he'd lost two key assets, and his reputation had tanked with his arrest at the Murim Alliance branch.
Headquarters would surely hold him accountable.
Would he lose his position as branch leader?
Maybe, maybe not.
His only hope was the iron ore business underway in Mun-seong. Replacing him would delay it. But even that shield wasn't guaranteed.
Even if he kept his seat, this mess would derail his future prospects.
'I can't let this stand!'
He had to turn the tables somehow.
Then Wang U thought of something.
"What if we ask those people...?"
"Shh."
Wang Gon scowled.
"Don't speak their name lightly!"
"Sorry."
The "those people" they meant were the Chil-geom-hoe.
"Even if we wanted a hit, we couldn't place one."
"We could afford it, no matter the price."
"It's not about money."
"Then what?"
"The Chil-geom-hoe only takes Shin-hwa-bang commissions through Jong Teacher."
This shadowy figure, known only as Jong Teacher, was a trusted expert of the bang lord. He'd handled many tasks for Shin-hwa-bang, including Chil-geom-hoe hits.
"Don't they trust headquarters?"
"The opposite."
"Huh?"
"The bang lord doesn't trust the warriors under him in the society. He must have an agreement with the Chil-geom-hoe lord: commissions involving us go only through Jong Teacher. Any others related to Shin-hwa-bang get reported to him. That way, at least the assassins won't come for him."
"Ah!"
Wang U realized anew how cautious and clever the Shin-hwa-bang lord was. At least the province's top assassin group wouldn't target him.
"If we can't get their help... what now?"
The experts he knew were all below Heuk Su's level. Mobilizing them would just pile up bodies and escalate things.
"I'll meet Baek So-cheon myself."
"No, Father! It's too dangerous. He killed Heuk Su and Cheon Yang-ho."
"I have to. With a tiger prowling our gates, you think hiding inside gripping the doorknob keeps us safe?"
"And if you meet him?"
"I'll win him over to our side."
Wang U stared blankly, stunned by the unexpected words.
"After killing Heuk Su and Cheon Yang-ho?"
"In this world, there are no eternal enemies or allies."
"How will you recruit him?"
"With money."
It was Wang Gon's forte, what he trusted most.
"Will he take it?"
"Money fails for only one reason: not enough of it."
His confidence stemmed from his wealth. Even before joining Shin-hwa-bang, he'd come from money.
"I don't like it."
Wang U said it politely, but inwardly he was screaming in protest.
'Father! No! Don't waste that money! It's my inheritance!'
He had to protect his father's fortune. Handing it to some no-name? Father thought power let you earn money anytime, but lose power too, and they'd be ruined.
"Father! Tell the bang lord instead!"
"I'd be ousted from my position."
"Better to aim for a comeback than waste money with nothing to show."
"Fool! Think you'll get a second chance after being booted? The bang lord will dig into every detail, even if you've pocketed a single nyang. Confident nothing'll turn up?"
His life in Mun-seong? Dust wouldn't cover it—he'd be buried in it.
"You don't know the bang lord. How cold and ruthless he is. And I know too many of Shin-hwa-bang's secrets. The moment I'm demoted or pushed down, not just me—you'll die too."
Realizing his father meant it, Wang U finally grasped the stakes.
"Recruit Baek So-cheon, and we erase all mistakes. The losses from Heuk Su and Cheon Yang-ho become necessary sacrifices to gain a far superior subordinate."
"Will the lord buy it?"
Half certain, half hopeful, Wang Gon replied,
"He values ability above all. He'll accept."
Baek So-cheon was drinking at a market inn.
His bottle was nearly empty when a man in a bamboo hat approached.
"Mind if I sit?"
It was Wang Gon.
"You've got guts. What if I beat you again? Why come see me?"
Wang Gon glanced around.
"Beat me in a crowd like this? You wouldn't get away clean."
"True. In a tavern, you drink."
Baek So-cheon poured him a cup. Wang Gon drank.
"One bit of news: we've decided not to report you for excessive force."
"Shameless. You, of all people, saying that to me? You don't actually believe I used excessive force, do you?"
"No. Just popped into my head. Forget it. Heard you shone in the Cheol-geom-dan?"
"Yeah."
"Impressive. Joining the Iron Sword Unit is every warrior's dream, right?"
"Don't sell warriors' dreams short."
Wang Gon drained another cup.
'Picky bastard. Won't let a single word slide. But no matter how superior you act, I'll prove you're just like me.'
Hiding his irritation, Wang Gon probed casually.
"Baek warrior. Heard the Cheon Dae-ju from the branch is missing. Tragic."
He watched Baek So-cheon's reaction.
"Tragic? Too soon to say. Maybe he struck it rich and went traveling."
"Rich?"
"That Cheon Dae-ju seemed to have plenty of side income beyond his Alliance pay."
Wang Gon was certain.
'He took him out.'
And he wasn't hiding it. Bringing up money proved it.
"True, the Central Plains has plenty to see. Don't you want to visit those places?"
"Not my fate."
"Fate's what you make."
Wang Gon pulled a thick envelope from his bosom.
"What's this?"
"Your new fate."
Baek So-cheon checked inside: fifty bills of one thousand nyang each.
Fifty thousand nyang.
What an ordinary branch leader might earn in forty years. And that wasn't all.
"Join me, and I'll give you three thousand nyang a year regularly. Work with me, and there'll be plenty of side income besides."
"Hm."
As Baek So-cheon hesitated, Wang Gon sealed it.
"Take this."
He offered a box. Inside was the century-old ha-su-o he'd meant for Im Choong.
"Forget the past. Let's do well going forward."
Baek So-cheon nodded.
"Fine."
"As expected! Straightforward. Cheers."
Wang Gon raised his cup; Baek So-cheon clinked.
"Just in case: break this promise, and you face all of Shin-hwa-bang."
"Won't happen. Bribery in the Murim Alliance is a major crime. This amount? Life in prison. Don't you start whining either—say three thousand nyang then give only two."
"Would I? Haha!"
Things going smoothly, Wang Gon laughed heartily.
"Teaming with a reliable man like you feels great."
He smiled wide, but inwardly:
'Once this crisis passes, you're first on my list.'
He had no plans for a long alliance. And he savored money's power now.
'No matter how cocky, you couldn't resist fifty thousand nyang. Money you've never dreamed of, you beggar.'
But it was a huge misunderstanding.
If he knew Baek So-cheon's rank from the three great Central Plains battlefields, he'd be shocked.
Baek So-cheon held the highest Bu-gwi rank, given only to those trusted with over a hundred thousand nyang. In all three fields.
The fortune he'd amassed over twenty years was beyond imagination.
He'd counted up to five hundred thousand nyang precisely; after that, he hadn't bothered. Alliance salary, hazard pay, rewards. Especially huge bounties for slaying key Black Heaven Alliance experts.
"Now my subordinate, one question."
"Ask."
"What happened to Cheon Yang-ho?"
"You hired me, not my past. Call quietly if you need me."
Baek So-cheon stood and left.
The stares weren't friendly.
'Arrogant prick!'
He wanted to tear him apart, but the bastard had just swallowed his precious fifty thousand nyang like blood. Squeeze now, and it'd be shit; he'd use him to the max, then discard—and recover the money if possible.
Anyway, he'd successfully reeled in Baek So-cheon.
Now, convince Shin-hwa-bang.
A far better subordinate than Heuk Su or Cheon Yang-ho—grounds for a reward, even.
His worry: who they'd send from headquarters.
'Hoping for someone easy to handle.'
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