Infiltration Resumed (3)
Some time later, in a building in Suwon. Jaehyuk stood before the entrance of a structure that looked like any other ordinary shopping center from the outside. He wore casual clothes and carried a large bag that appeared stuffed full of something.
Kim Sehan, one of Seo Myungwoo's subordinates, runs a gambling den here. The files confirmed this was the place. But will the passphrase be exactly what I'm thinking?
Jaehyuk stepped inside the building and descended to the basement. One of the three guards watching the basement entrance moved to block his path.
"This isn't a place just anyone can walk into."
Let's see... It's Tuesday today... So I should say it like this?
With that thought, Jaehyuk spoke to the guard in a low voice.
"I had a dream about a dog coming out today."
"......What kind of dog was in your dream?"
"One orange Jindo."
The guard immediately stepped aside, opening the way for him with an apology.
"My mistake. Enjoy your time."
Lucky it worked.
This passphrase was the standard one used across every gambling den run by the Gangryonghoe. It was a sophisticated security system where both the phrase given to the guard and the guard's follow-up question changed depending on the day of the week.
Jaehyuk opened the door. The scene that greeted him was exactly what he'd expected.
"Hell yeah!! Seven of a kind!!"
"Goddamn it!! My luck today is absolute dogshit!!"
"Kahaha!! I rode that one pair all the way, baby!"
"Aaaargh!! This doesn't count, it doesn't count!!"
Five or six people sat around each table playing games with playing cards, Seotda, Hwatu, and the like. Stacks of colorful chips covered the tabletops. Some players grinned from ear to ear as they raked in the chips, while others wore expressions of national tragedy and screamed in despair.
The scene before Jaehyuk was the classic tableau of any illegal gambling den. Huge sums of money changed hands, and the gamblers' emotions swung between ecstasy and agony in the blink of an eye. It was like a movie where no one knew whether the ending would be comedy or tragedy.
I've already taken five months of support funds in advance... Well, I'll just get it all back according to plan later.
Jaehyuk walked to the counter, pulled several bundles of fifty-thousand-won cash from his bag, and exchanged them for the appropriate number of chips. He then took a seat at an empty spot. The game he chose was Seven Card Stud.
Once the game began, the dealer gave him three cards. Jaehyuk flipped one of them face-up.
Hmm... Ace of Spades. Not a bad start.
The game continued. Jaehyuk and the others received more cards from the dealer while placing their bets. After a while, everyone revealed their hands. Jaehyuk held the Ace of Spades, Hearts, and Clubs—a triple.
But another player had the four of Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades along with the six of Hearts and Diamonds. A full house. Since a full house ranked higher than three of a kind and was the strongest hand at the table, the pot went to the middle-aged man who'd made it.
"Kahahaha!! I dreamed about a pig last night and look at my luck today!!"
"Ugh, damn it... Two pair... I'm screwed, fuck."
"Aaaargh!! If I'd just had the three of Hearts I would've had four of a kind!!"
Unlike the other customers, however, Jaehyuk remained perfectly calm. His real purpose here wasn't to win money at the tables.
He kept playing, repeatedly cashing chips in for more bets, losing everything, buying more chips, and losing again. The cycle continued.
"Man, young friend, your luck is terrible. Hope you win some back next time."
The man who'd earlier complained about missing the three of Hearts for four of a kind spoke to Jaehyuk with pity. Jaehyuk simply sat in silence and joined the next round.
Is this the right timing?
During one hand, Jaehyuk suddenly picked up one of the cards belonging to the man who'd made the full house earlier. The startled man blurted out.
"Hey? What the hell??"
"Hey, buddy!! What do you think you're doing!!"
"This bastard lost all his money and now he's throwing a fit?!"
"Sir, what exactly are you doing?"
The players and dealer protested, but Jaehyuk shoved the card's back under the dealer's nose and growled as if furious.
"Hey. Are your eyeballs just two ping-pong balls with brand names written on them? Look at this, you son of a bitch. Only this one's pattern is different."
The dealer looked flustered. Around Jaehyuk, the gambling den's guards began gathering one by one.
"What the hell? You saying we're running a scam here?"
"If you lost money, just go home like a loser instead of causing a scene."
The gathered guards threatened him, but Jaehyuk showed no sign of fear. Instead, he glared right back at them.
"All you worthless bastards can fuck off. Get your boss over here. I don't know if you're playing favorites with certain people, but what the hell is this shit on the back of the cards?"
Jaehyuk held the card up in front of one guard's face, showing how its back pattern was slightly different from the others, his voice dripping with irritation.
His accusation that the games here were rigged instantly froze the atmosphere inside the gambling den. Sensing the shift, a bald guard who seemed to be the leader barked orders at the others.
"Hey!! Clear out the customers!! We're closed for the day!!"
The guards ushered the customers outside. Once they were gone, the guards pulled out steel pipes, aluminum bats, sashimi knives, and other weapons.
"Little shit should've just played nice and left. Now you've completely fucked up our business? Guess I'll have to split your belly open to make up for the losses."
The bald leader brandished his steel pipe while threatening Jaehyuk.
"You scam artists sure have long tongues. Did you grow that tongue instead of hair on your head?"
"Get that bastard!!"
The guards all charged at Jaehyuk at once. He dodged a baseball bat swung by one, drove his right elbow into the man's face, then avoided a sashimi knife from another and snatched up a nearby chair.
When a guard swung a sashimi knife at him, Jaehyuk used the chair to shove the man back and block the attack. At the same time, he spun away from another guard's baseball bat swing, threw a punch that connected with the man's face and jaw, and dropped him.
"Die, you fuck!!"
A guard swung a steel pipe at him. Jaehyuk stepped back briefly, then ducked under the attack to avoid being pinned against the wall. He closed the distance and executed a single-leg tackle, bringing the man down before driving his right fist into his face.
As Jaehyuk drew back for another punch, another guard tried to lock him in a rear naked choke from behind. The moment he felt the arm wrapping around his neck, Jaehyuk grabbed his own right collar with his left hand and used his left arm to defend against the choke.
He then drove his right elbow backward into the man's ribs, temporarily disabling him, before snapping his head back and smashing the back of his skull into the guard's face.
Simultaneously, Jaehyuk used a front kick with his right foot to strike the solar plexus of yet another guard who was charging at him with a baseball bat. He then dodged a steel pipe swing, closed in as close as possible, grabbed the attacker's wrist to block the next strike, and quickly kicked the man's knee with his right foot to destroy his balance.
Jaehyuk swept the unbalanced leg out from under him, grabbed his head, and slammed it down onto a nearby table. He picked up the steel pipe the man had dropped.
With no time to catch his breath, Jaehyuk weaved through the continuous attacks from the remaining guards, swinging the steel pipe and dropping them one after another.
In a room deeper inside the gambling den, Kim Sehan—the den's boss and one of Seo Myungwoo's subordinates in the Gangryonghoe—was enjoying himself with several women.
As Sehan rolled around on the bed with them, someone knocked urgently on the door.
"Boss!! Boss!! We've got a big problem!!"
One of the women lying with him grumbled.
"What is it? Didn't you tell them he was busy?"
"Ha... I specifically said not to disturb me..."
Irritated, Sehan got up. He opened the door with his muscular upper body exposed, revealing a large irezumi tattoo of a dragon and carp along with numerous knife scars. The intimidating sight made the subordinate flinch.
"What is it?"
Standing around 185 centimeters tall with broad shoulders and defined abs, Sehan looked imposing with his tattoos and scars.
"One of the customers noticed the rigged poker game."
"Then why the hell didn't you guys handle that bastard yourselves? Why are you interrupting my happy time like this?"
"The thing is... that one guy is taking down all our men."
"What? Ha..."
Sehan let out a disbelieving snort. He went back into the room, picked up his scattered clothes from the floor, and put them on while speaking to his subordinate.
"Go hold that bastard in place. I'll go kill him myself."
"Yes, boss."
Meanwhile, Jaehyuk continued blocking or dodging the attacks from the guards rushing at him, driving them to the brink of total defeat. He'd been picking up the weapons they'd dropped after being incapacitated.
Before long, the area around Jaehyuk was littered with guards writhing on the floor and groaning in pain. Only three guards remained. Overwhelmed by the oppressive aura of Jaehyuk's displayed prowess, they hesitated to attack—until a roar cut through the tension.
"Hey!! Freeze right there!!"
Kim Sehan, the gambling den's boss, appeared with a shout. He looked at Jaehyuk, cracked his neck loudly from side to side, and asked.
"So you're the bastard spreading lies about us running a scam?"
"You're the boss? Did you know your boys were messing with the backs of the trump cards?"
"So what? As long as the games were running smoothly, what's the problem?"
At Sehan's shameless response, Jaehyuk glared at him.
"Enough talk. You'll pay with your body for ruining my mood."
"You worthless piece of shit..."
Sehan charged and threw a punch. Jaehyuk raised both arms to block it. Sehan kept swinging, then grabbed Jaehyuk's right wrist with his right hand, forcefully breaking the guard before throwing a left fist at his jaw.
Jaehyuk turned his head to slip the punch and countered with a left hook to Sehan's side. The blow made Sehan falter for a moment. In that opening, Jaehyuk threw a right punch at his jaw. Sehan blocked it, but by the time he sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.
Huh...? His power is a bit weak...?!
While Sehan kept his right arm raised in guard, Jaehyuk drove a low kick directly into the exposed left knee.
"Ugh...!!"
Taking advantage of Sehan's stagger, Jaehyuk unleashed a barrage of punches. Sehan blocked or countered while retreating until he saw an opening at Jaehyuk's left jaw. He threw a right punch toward it.
Jaehyuk spun his body to evade, grabbed Sehan's right arm with his left hand, slipped his own right arm under Sehan's armpit, and executed a rapid hip throw that slammed him into the floor.
Even landing on a mat, the massive impact to the back could momentarily paralyze the whole body. On a hard floor, the effect was devastating. While Sehan was still dazed, Jaehyuk mercilessly pounded his face.
The guards couldn't bring themselves to intervene. They were too terrified of Jaehyuk, who was completely dominating their boss.
After beating Sehan to a bloody pulp, Jaehyuk looked down at the man gasping for breath on the floor and delivered his ultimatum.
"I'll come back here in three days. Have three billion won ready as compensation by then. You've made plenty from your rigged games, so that much should be easy, right?"
Jaehyuk glared down at him and continued.
"If you don't prepare it, the rumor that you're all scam artists will spread throughout the entire city. Got it?"
Sehan stared back at him with his one unswollen eye, saying nothing. Jaehyuk kicked him in the jaw with his right foot.
"Guhhhk!!"
"Answer me."
"......Understood."
Jaehyuk left the gambling den. Only then did the guards rush over to help their fallen boss up.
"That fucking bastard... If I'd known, I would've brought a knife."
"But what do we do? If we really don't prepare the three billion, our business will..."
"What else? We have to contact Brother Myungwoo."
Sehan took out his phone and called his superior, Seo Myungwoo.
Meanwhile, at the Incheon branch of the Crown Hotel. Jeonghan, who had entered the hotel to take a non-regular job, had just finished his interview and was walking through the building.
"So I can start work tomorrow?"
"Yes. Just come in tomorrow."
"Understood. Thank you."
As Jeonghan was bowing to the interviewer, Kang Jihun, who was walking down the corridor with someone, spotted him. Kang Jihun asked the interviewer.
"A new applicant?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Jeonghan quickly bowed to Kang Jihun.
"Hello!! I'm Lee Jeonghan!!"
"Whoa, my ears are ringing. Haven't been out of the military long, have you?"
The person next to Kang Jihun stared at Jeonghan for a moment before asking.
"Hmm... Jihun. Mind if I take this friend with me?"
"Huh...? Him?"
Wait... what...? Why does it feel like things are going completely off plan...?
Both Jeonghan and Kang Jihun looked startled by Taeyang's words. Taeyang asked Jeonghan directly.
"I'd like to hire you as a regular employee at my company. Have you heard of Crown Entertainment? I'm the representative there."
"Uh..."
"Director Seo. Even though it's a non-regular position... he's already passed our interview..."
"Cancel it. I'm taking him on as a regular employee."
Taeyang smiled brightly at Jeonghan.
"Let's go write up the employment contract while I show you around the company."
And so, contrary to the original plan, Jeonghan ended up entering Crown Entertainment.
Nearby, the NIS's I.O who had been monitoring Jeonghan sent a message to headquarters.