Did I Hit the Nail on the Head?
A small table had been set in the main room.
There was nothing but radish soup without any meat and some kimchi. At least the rice, which was hard to come by in the prison village, made the spread look a bit more abundant.
The bowls for rice and soup were set for exactly three people. It wasn't that they didn't eat with their underlings—it was a sign they wanted to talk among the leaders.
Hwang Dong-soo sat silently in front of the table and picked up his spoon. The other two took their seats as well.
Hwang Dong-soo took a sip of soup without a word, then mixed it with his rice and shoveled it down heartily. The other two had no choice but to start eating as well.
As if they'd timed it perfectly, all three finished their bowls almost simultaneously.
Just then, Yi Joo-dae came in carrying some rice water and set it down next to Hwang Dong-soo. At her entrance, Ryeon Jeong-mun flinched. Cheon Deok-su averted his gaze.
"Ugh! Sis-in-law, your cooking's as good as ever. Who knew 'radish stew' without a scrap of meat could taste this damn good."
Hwang Dong-soo turned and said it with a grin, and Yi Joo-dae chuckled softly.
"If it were proper Gangseo-style, it'd have beef, chicken, pork—all of it. This is just boiled radish since we got no meat. Glad it hit the spot anyway. What about you two young masters?"
"It was delicious."
"Ahem. Well, it was decent enough."
"Glad it suited your tastes. Talk it out nice now."
Yi Joo-dae was heading out, opening the door to the main room. Through the gap, Kim Gil-young was visible. He was glaring daggers at Cheon Deok-su.
"Kids don't barge into adults' business."
Yi Joo-dae scolded her son. Hearing her voice, Cheon Deok-su turned around, locking eyes with Kim Gil-young. The boy didn't look away as he shot back.
"Came to see my enemy's face."
"Kim Gil-young!"
"Whatever. I saw it. Once I become a hunter..."
Kim Gil-young spun on his heel and bolted. Yi Joo-dae watched him go for a moment, glanced back at the main room, then shut the door.
Cheon Deok-su turned away with a complicated expression.
"If you're done eating, let's talk. What the hell do you mean? Forming factions out of nowhere?"
Ryeon Jeong-mun pressed, and Hwang Dong-soo answered.
"Just what I said. I'm gathering the guys who follow me and forming our own faction, like your two sides."
"Hwang Dong-soo! You bastard! We've left you alone so far 'cause you were solo with no crew. But if you pull this shit, we can't hold back anymore!"
Cheon Deok-su bellowed. But Hwang Dong-soo wasn't one to back down. He spoke calmly.
"Brother. Sure, things are sour now, but we used to be bros, right? I'll call you that today, like old times."
The sudden softness in Hwang Dong-soo's voice made the other two pull strange faces. They felt an odd disconnect from his usual feral intensity.
"Fine, since you brought it up, I'll call you little bro too. Let's cut the bullshit—what's your angle?"
"First, let's clear up a few misconceptions."
"Like what?"
"For starters, I'm not the 'leader' of my crew."
"What?"
Cheon Deok-su's face twisted.
Hwang Dong-soo wasn't the leader? Then who was?
Ryeon Jeong-mun felt the doubt too but calmly countered.
"Not you? Then who... No way, sis-in-law?"
"Not her either."
"Then who..."
That's when it happened.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
A jarringly alien sound cut through their talk from outside. Something heavy tapping the floor. Mixed in were faint, dragging footsteps.
Soon, old hinges creaked open with a bend of the waist. At the same time, Hwang Dong-soo stood from his seat.
Ryeon Jeong-mun and Cheon Deok-su couldn't even turn toward the door. What unfolded before them was too absurd—no, straight out of a dream, unbelievable.
Hwang Dong-soo was bowing at the waist.
"You've arrived."
"What the...?"
"This is the one I serve."
Ryeon Jeong-mun and Cheon Deok-su whipped around, eyes bulging.
"First time meeting. Kang Moo-hyuk."
* * *
The man leaning on a cane looked frail beyond belief. His face was ashen, lips bloodless. One good shove and he'd probably drop dead.
"Not a hunter, huh. What the hell's a guy like you... Wait."
Cheon Deok-su muttered to himself, then remembered the name Kang Moo-hyuk and shut his mouth. He knew who it was now.
The guy the Chinese ordered dragged in by noon, dead or alive. But a non-hunter?
'Hangs with Hyeon Jeong-geon, so I figured he had some chops. Turns out he's no hunter? Wait—how's a non-hunter got Dong-soo...'
As if reading his mind, Kang Moo-hyuk replied.
"Yes. I'm no hunter."
"Southern speech, so you're from down south. If Dong-soo's following you, you must have something even without being a hunter. What's your outfit?"
"From Iron Will Guild."
Kang Moo-hyuk's answer made Ryeon Jeong-mun start slightly and ask back.
"Iron Will? That place with Joo Se-ah?"
"Correct. I'm the raid leader there."
Ryeon Jeong-mun's eyes sharpened with caution.
Coming from the guild run by Joo Se-ah was reason enough to tread carefully. The rumors swirling about her up north made her sound like a walking nuke.
"So. What brings Raid Leader Kang all the way to this frozen hell?"
"The Chinese bastards."
Cheon Deok-su cut in before Kang Moo-hyuk could answer.
"What about 'em?"
"That kid said to kill him with Hyeon Jeong-geon. He called, so I came to Sinuiju. But he's with Joo Se-ah's crew? Damn Chinese kid got duped?"
"Hyeon Jeong-geon called?"
Ryeon Jeong-mun eyed Kang Moo-hyuk closely.
'Hyeon Jeong-geon's unreadable. Looks peaceful, but no way he lives quietly. If he called this guy, he's no ordinary joe. Hell, already got Dong-soo hooked—dangerous. But... looks like a total invalid.'
Still, no room for complacency. Ryeon Jeong-mun's gaze hardened further.
Kang Moo-hyuk gave them time to process, then spoke.
"It wasn't Hwang Dong-soo Hunter who called you two here. It was me."
"Why?"
"How long do you think you can keep living in this village? In Sinuiju?"
"What? You threatening us?"
"Deok-su bro, hear the raid leader out first."
"Dong-soo, you... Damn it. I'm gettin' heated here. If you're gonna beat around the bush, I would've just left."
As Cheon Deok-su shot to his feet, Kang Moo-hyuk spat out the words he'd been holding.
"I'm unifying all the hunters in this village. Goal: drive out the Chinese hunters. Make them scram from Sinuiju."
Silence fell.
Ryeon Jeong-mun's lips twitched as he mulled it over, but no words came.
'What the hell is this guy? Just nuts?'
Cheon Deok-su couldn't jump in either, struggling to grasp it. Then it sank in—his face twisted, rage boiling over into a roar.
"Now I get why the Chinese wanted this fool dead! You lost it? You know what you're saying?! Declaring war in front of me, Cheon Deok-su—not just claiming this village, but starting a damn war! No need to hear more from this psycho! Smash him flat, hand him to the Chinese, done!"
"Brother, don't act rash."
Hwang Dong-soo pointed a chopstick at Cheon Deok-su. The man barked a hollow laugh.
"You gonna stab me? With ki in it?"
"You're gathering your energy too."
"If you're buying this lunatic's crap, you're nuts too. Beat down all the crazies today, back to normal."
Thud!
The cane advanced a step ahead of the raging Cheon Deok-su. Kang Moo-hyuk followed.
"Getting angry?"
"What?"
"I said, you're angry."
"Damn right! Turnin' the village into a battlefield?!"
"One thing's bugging me. Keeps nagging. Mind clearing it up? Helps me figure direction."
Cheon Deok-su stared incredulously at Kang Moo-hyuk's out-of-left-field question. Ignoring it, Kang Moo-hyuk pressed on.
"Weren't you the Chinese guilds' lapdog, Cheon Deok-su Hunter? Folks might think you're some village guardian."
"..."
"Doesn't fit the guy who handed over the village's most respected hunter to the Chinese guilds."
"You little shit! How dare—!"
"Enough!"
As Cheon Deok-su lunged, Ryeon Jeong-mun thrust out a hand to block him.
"Raid Leader Kang, you're provoking Deok-su too much. Reckless with your life."
"All I've got is my life, so I gotta stake it to even talk with hunters like you. And you called it provocation—facts, actually. There's a phrase for this: hit the nail on the head. Did I? Which part?"
"Don't insult the dead. Don't stir trouble. Past stays buried—that's the village rule. We've lived by it. Not for outsiders to judge."
Ryeon Jeong-mun's near-standard accent cracked, northern dialect slipping in. His face looked more uncomfortable than before. Cheon Deok-su seemed less angry, more eager to bolt.
Thud.
Kang Moo-hyuk sat—or rather, collapsed into his seat, legs giving out.
"Hard to stand. Anyway, while I'm down, more weird bits. Two factions in a village, opposing goals. Long time at odds, no big fights, no blood, clashes solved by talk over fists. Hunters, even."
No one spoke. Even unrelated Hwang Dong-soo held his breath.
Kang Moo-hyuk continued.
"I know my hunter history. Never heard of it. Fairy-tale stuff. Peace without war. Made me think: do they really hate each other? And one more."
Kang Moo-hyuk raised a single finger. Ryeon Jeong-mun and Cheon Deok-su flinched.
"Why does Yi Joo-dae—no, Madam Jeong Ye-beon—only verbally hate Cheon Deok-su, who handed her husband to the Chinese guilds?"
"What're you..."
Hwang Dong-soo started to interject, curiosity peaked, but Kang Moo-hyuk waved him off.
"Weird constitution. Quicker on the uptake than most. Faces tell emotions. When Madam Jeong faces Cheon Deok-su's crew, her words curse but eyes show pity... not quite. Affection? Yeah, 'affection.' Kid Gil-young's eyes burned with venom. Just my take. Deny it, fine."
The room felt empty save for Kang Moo-hyuk. His voice echoed, prodding them.
"That sparked more questions. Common thread: Kim Byeong-joo. Madam Jeong's husband. A- rank hunter. Why'd he go down so quietly?"
Kang Moo-hyuk looked from Ryeon Jeong-mun to Cheon Deok-su to Hwang Dong-soo.
"No one knows how. Not even sworn brother Hwang Dong-soo Hunter. You two other brothers were there till the end, right?"
"Don't pressure my brothers anymore, Raid Leader Kang Moo-hyuk."
The door opened as Yi Joo-dae entered.
"My husband was wrong. Should've fought then. Not run."
* * *
'Raid leader was right after all? These guys are geared for war. Five guilds total. Village'll be a slaughterhouse. Better prep escape over fight.'
Mr. Jo finished recon near the enemy guild leaders' building and moved to slip out.
But a voice snagged him.
"When's the support party from Dandong over the bridge coming?"
"They move when we start. With them, no North Korean ant escapes."
"Hahaha! Finally pulling this rotten tooth."
Dandong? Support party?
Mr. Jo went slack-jawed.
'These bastards... not just fighting. They're wiping everyone out!'