Just Shut Up Already (2)
A sickening thud exploded through the alley, followed by the wet crack of bone and Taesu’s raw scream.
Sihyun drove a kick straight into the man’s ribs, then crushed the fallen wrist under his heel without missing a beat.
“Aaaargh—!!!”
And he still did not stop.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Sihyun stomped down again and again, grinding Taesu into the pavement as if he meant to pulverize him completely.
“Aagh! Stop! You crazy bastard! Aaaagh—!”
Under the relentless violence, Taesu’s voice cracked.
“Wh-what are you all standing around for?! Help me—hurry—aaaagh!”
He screamed for his crew, but the men stood frozen, paralyzed by the sheer terror of the one-sided beating.
He’s… going to kill him…!
Don’t even meet his eyes!
They understood on pure instinct: step forward now and they would be the next ones torn apart.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again… aaaargh—!”
Taesu begged, voice breaking, but Sihyun showed not the slightest intention of stopping.
“Hey, Kim Sihyun, you little bitch. Just because you’ve got a pretty face and know a little Taekwondo, you think you can keep running your mouth? Hey! Don’t you ignore me!”
“Heh… go on, keep pretending I don’t exist. Your mom’s real pretty, you know? How about you introduce me sometime…”
Back then he should have finished it properly. Should have broken the bastard so thoroughly he would never dare crawl back up. Leaving him half-crushed had only invited this trash to keep circling again and again.
Sihyun showed no mercy. He kept crushing Taesu underfoot with merciless, methodical force.
Watching the scene, Dongchul scratched the back of his head with a troubled look.
“Damn… this got real messy.”
He still needed Taesu to call Cha Mujin, but the kid had crossed every line and then some. If it had been him, he would have done worse, not less, so he had no real urge to stop Sihyun. Still, he could not just stand there forever. At this rate the boy might actually kill someone.
As if the stomping still was not enough, Sihyun lifted his foot high, ready to drive it straight down onto Taesu’s skull.
Dongchul lunged and seized his shoulder.
“Hey—cut it out! That lands and the bastard’s going to the next world for real.”
“…Don’t stop me.”
Sihyun turned and fixed him with a look that made Dongchul flinch and take an involuntary step back. For a split second the killing intent rolling off the boy sliced through the air and brushed his skin like a blade.
Damn… this kid is seriously terrifying…!
Still, he had no desire to watch Sihyun cross a river he could never return from over scum like this. Dongchul softened his voice and tried again.
“Hold it. Think of your mother if nothing else. This is enough. You don’t want to become a murderer, do you?”
“….”
At the mention of Seojin, her face flashed through Sihyun’s mind. He reluctantly lowered the raised foot, then exhaled a long, ragged breath, fighting to wrestle himself back under control.
“That’s it. Good. No point getting filthy blood on yourself for trash like him.”
Dongchul clapped Sihyun’s shoulder a few times, then walked over to the crumpled form on the ground.
“Guhh… gurgle…”
Taesu lay unconscious, body ruined, bloody foam bubbling at his lips.
“Tsk tsk… you stupid son of a bitch. You brought every bit of this on yourself. Should’ve learned your lesson the first time you got your ass beat…”
Dongchul clicked his tongue, fished the phone from Taesu’s pocket, and pressed the blood-smeared finger to the scanner.
“‘Real powerhouse Brother Cha Mujin,’ my ass… what kind of delusional crap is this?”
He scowled at the contact name and dialed.
“….”
“It’s Cha Mujin, right.”
“….”
“Quit playing shocked and cut the crap.”
“….”
“You were sitting there with your mouth hanging open waiting for this call anyway, weren’t you?”
“….”
“Yeah. Just give me the damn location.”
The moment the call ended, Dongchul tossed the phone carelessly onto the asphalt.
“All right, kid. Let’s go.”
He turned back to Taesu and the frozen crew, eyes full of pure contempt.
“You lot… I really don’t get why spineless punks like you keep trying to act tough.”
He nudged the unconscious Taesu with his shoe.
“Some of our boys will be here soon. Stay put and don’t even dream of running. Got it?”
“Hic…! Y-yes, sir…!”
“Y-yes!”
The underlings nodded so hard their necks looked ready to snap under Dongchul’s chilling warning.
There was no need for Sihyun to get any more blood on his hands. Other Daeho Clan members would arrive soon and deliver a far more thorough end to Taesu and his crew. In the end these insects would sink to the bottom of the West Sea.
No reason the kid needs to know that…
With that thought, Dongchul left the alley with Sihyun, leaving the broken men behind.
Several hours later.
The sun had long set and thick darkness covered everything. Sihyun, Dongchul, and half a dozen Daeho Clan members who had joined them stood before an abandoned construction site on the deserted outskirts of the city.
Rusted iron gates, shattered windows, dust swirling on a cold night wind—every detail only deepened the grim atmosphere.
“Damn… just the kind of place a sneaky bastard like Cha Mujin would love…”
Dongchul clicked his tongue. One look was enough to know that if someone died or got maimed here, no one would ever find out.
Then a voice slid out of the dark—polite on the surface, yet thick with something oily and rotten.
“Heh heh… so good of you to come, Brother Dongchul.”
Cha Mujin stepped slowly into view, dressed in a clean black silk suit. Behind him, dozens of men stood in neat ranks. Every one of them bore a vivid blue dragon tattoo on his forearm. The Biryong Clan force outnumbered Sihyun and Dongchul’s group by at least three to one.
“If you were lucky enough to survive, you should have simply run and hidden somewhere to preserve your lives. Truly foolish of you all…”
Mujin smiled that thin, mocking smile at them.
“Shut your mouth, you traitorous bastard!”
Dongchul’s face twisted with raw fury.
“You and those lizard dogs! Tonight I’m taking every last one of your heads right here!”
Beside Mujin, Jo Gangil let out a sneering laugh.
“Keh keh… listen to the little wildcat yapping so loud.”
“Ha! Jo Gangil, you honorless piece of shit! You’re just the same!”
“Keh keh… maybe it’s because you’re all just country bumpkins. Thick-headed as rocks… This, my friends, is what we call strategy. Wouldn’t you agree, Cha Mujin?”
“Heh heh… perfectly said. As expected of the boss of the Biryong Clan, who made his roots here in Seoul.”
“Keh keh…”
“Heh heh…”
Their layered, contemptuous laughter pushed Dongchul past the edge.
“You sons of bitches are really full of yourselves tonight!”
“If that brat hadn’t been there, Brother Dongchul, you would already be at Brother Pildu’s side. I truly don’t understand where all this bravado is coming from. Keh keh…”
“You little—?!”
Mujin ignored the outburst completely and turned his cold gaze on Sihyun, voice soft and measured.
“Heh heh… it seems I underestimated you far too much. I had planned to deal with you at my leisure later, yet you dared to interfere with my plans…”
“….”
Sihyun met that icy stare without a single word, only silent, unblinking eyes.
That was the last straw for Dongchul.
“Hey! Shut your damn mouths already and let’s just fight!”
Mujin gave a small nod and stepped back.
“Keh keh… I don’t particularly enjoy such barbaric methods, but it seems we have no choice.”
He raised one hand. As if they had been waiting for the signal, the Biryong Clan men lifted their weapons in perfect unison.
Anyone could see the odds were overwhelmingly against them, yet Dongchul did not flinch for a second.
“Boys—let’s go!!”
Jo Gangil answered with his own roar.
“Wipe out these last few wildcats!”
A massive dual battle cry tore through the night, and the Daeho Clan and Biryong Clan crashed into each other.
As expected—utterly barbaric. Low-class thugs, the lot of them…
Mujin watched Dongchul’s men clash with the Biryong forces and clicked his tongue inwardly.
An unexpected variable appeared, but the result will not change.
Dongchul and his remaining pack would thrash about like a suicide squad, yet they could never overcome numbers like these. The Biryong Clan was one of Seoul’s major organizations; they had handled the filthy cleanup work of chaebol families more than once. There would be no more mistakes.
Still, better safe than sorry. As long as he kept a careful eye on that bodyguard brat who kept sabotaging every plan—Sihyun—everything would be cleaned up without trouble.
Do thrash about as much as you like on your way out, Brother Dongchul. It will only make the show more enjoyable. Keh keh…
With that thought, Mujin’s gaze drifted toward Dongchul for a moment.
…Where is he?
Sihyun, who had been standing right beside Dongchul only moments ago, was nowhere in sight.
Mujin scanned the chaos again, searching—
Whoosh—!
A sharp sound of something cutting the air came from directly behind him.
He spun around in haste.
“…!”
A brutal impact slammed into his abdomen.
“Ghhk! You—!”
Unable even to raise a proper guard, Mujin clutched his gut and dropped to his knees.
Sihyun looked down at him with eyes of pure ice.
“…Tell me whose orders you’re following. Now.”
His voice was quiet, final.
“Just shut up already.”