Don’t Make Me Deal With You
Incheon, White Tiger Guild headquarters.
All the guild members who had succeeded in taking back Jo Sangkwon had gathered in Incheon.
They had established a blockade line beyond Gyeyang and Bupyeong, all the way to Namdong, sealing off every road leading from Seoul to headquarters and finishing their defensive preparations.
“The heavens are on our side. The National Assembly passed Kang Juhyuk’s red wanted order right on time. Thanks to that, this should be easy to wrap up.”
Hwang Geumgang smiled as he checked the red wanted notice.
Kang Juhyuk’s red wanted status was good news for the White Tiger Guild, which was already locked in conflict with the government forces.
While they were waging war against the NIS Seoul 2nd Branch, Black Garden, they had gained a way to keep that annoying thing called Kang Juhyuk tied down.
“A red wanted order, and a five-hundred-million-won bounty on his head. The bounty hunters won’t sit still for long.”
Lee Miyun, who had confirmed the notice first, could not quite hide the smile at the corners of her mouth either.
“Exactly. We won’t need to bother stopping him ourselves for a while. Hungry hyenas will be rushing in on him.”
“By the way, Master. Do you know why a red wanted order was issued for Kang Juhyuk?”
Geumgang gave a hearty laugh before answering.
“Murder.”
“Murder?”
“Yeah. Not long ago, Gu Jinwoo fought him, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“At the time, there were too many things to clean up with that bathhouse scrubber, so while they were handling it, they pinned the killing on Kang Juhyuk.”
“?!”
“Do you remember Police Commissioner Kim Pyeongman, the one you saw with me in Nonhyeon-dong the other day?”
“Yes, the short one who keeps coughing.”
“Right. Through him, we passed the case to the military security command, and from there we had the information leak out to each ministry. Once there was a death, it must have reached the President’s ears too.”
Hwang Geumgang leaned back in his chair and smiled broadly.
“That bastard Kim Pyeongman is surprisingly sharp since becoming commissioner. Money well spent, stuffing his mouth from back when he was a superintendent to now.”
“The NIS must have tried to stop it. It’s a relief things went so smoothly.”
White Tiger Guild’s black money reached into every corner of the government.
Not only had they used force to crush the NIS this time, they had also used their wealth to make Kang Juhyuk the culprit behind the murder that had taken place earlier.
Of course, the government had intended to treat White Tiger Guild’s surprise attack as an act of terror and hand down severe punishment.
“Kwahahahaha!”
No ministry wanted to get involved in this mess.
Who would be responsible for the aftermath of clashing with the vicious White Tiger? The police and military were both keeping their mouths shut, and the only place they could still borrow power from was the Hunter Association.
“Ah, right, Master. The promised money from Association President Hong Hwarang has been deposited.”
The Hunter Association was also in the middle of secret dealings with White Tiger Guild.
“Is that so? Then tell Gu Jinwoo to hand over the goods tonight.”
“Understood.”
“Tell Sangkwon to stay hidden for now until things quiet down. We’re taking a fair bit of damage just to get him back.”
“Yes.”
“Miyun, just bear with it a little longer. The incident has already happened, and the operation has been wrapped up well enough. Unless something unusual happens, the media will quiet down soon enough.”
“Of course, Master. I’ll pass that on to Jinwoo and Sangkwon as you said.”
“Ah! And that one, Kim Honggyeom, the traitor.”
At the mention of Kim Honggyeom, Miyun’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Why the hell are you bringing him up?”
“I heard he was being held in Black Garden’s underground holding facility not long ago. I checked just now, and he wasn’t there.”
“Oh, I heard about that. I was told you were planning to deal with him personally while you were retrieving Sangkwon.”
“That’s why I was thinking about it.”
Hwang Geumgang slowly tore Kang Juhyuk’s wanted notice in two, a vile smile spreading across his face.
Chiirrrk.
“Looks like that bastard has sided with the NIS. I think I should tell Hong Hwarang about this.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Under a brilliantly blue sky.
Shwaaah—
Waves rolled over the beach.
When Kang Juhyuk arrived at Gangneung Beach, he was wearing a red triangular swimsuit and showing off his muscular build.
“Uncle, I never really noticed before, but damn, your body’s seriously good. Anyone who saw you would think you were a martial artist.”
What’s more, the upper half of his body was covered with countless scars, giving off a pressure no ordinary person could ever hope to carry.
“Martial artist, my ass. More importantly, why are you wearing clothes when you came to play in the water? Where’s your swimsuit?”
“Why are you acting so old-fashioned? This is my swimsuit. Don’t you know what a rash guard is, Uncle? Young people these days all wear stuff like this.”
“Is that so?”
The last time Juhyuk had gone to the beach for fun had been about twenty years ago, when his parents were still alive.
Back then, there was no such thing as a rash guard.
After that, he had been too busy trying to make a living to even watch much television. So the sight of someone wearing a rash guard was unfamiliar to him.
“I’ve seen them on the internet, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen someone playing around in one. I didn’t know.”
“I should’ve bought you one too, Uncle. This blocks the sun and is really comfortable.”
“It’s fine. I’m satisfied with this.”
“I guess if I had a good body too, I’d wear a tight swimsuit like yours, Uncle.”
Kang Juhyuk and Lee Minho.
A happy time continued for the two of them.
They worked up a sweat under the hot sun with swimming and snorkeling, and when they took a short break from exhaustion, the watermelon they ate under the parasol tasted like honey.
“Krah! This watermelon is insane, Minho. Where did you buy it? I didn’t want to eat it because it was yellow, but damn, this is insanely good.”
Minho grinned and took a huge bite of the watermelon.
Crunch.
“Right? This is the most delicious watermelon I’ve ever had too. I bought it because it was on sale at Copang, but if I’d known it was this good, I would’ve ordered another one.”
“But why is it yellow?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a different variety.”
“Ah! Right, goblins come in different colors depending on the region too.”
“Uncle, don’t talk about goblins at all. When I think about the Kim Honggyeom hunter incident, I could die of guilt. I tormented him like that because I thought he was a monster, but he was a person….”
Juhyuk snickered.
“He was a criminal anyway, so who cares? Forget it. After we finish this, should we go on a fishing trip? I asked the captain earlier, and it’s fifty thousand won for three hours as a trial package.”
“Fishing? Sounds good! Then we can catch fish there and grill them for dinner.”
“Okay, then tonight we’ll have grilled fish. Since I’m thinking about it, I’ll go meet the captain and make the reservation.”
“No, Uncle, stay here. I’ll go say it while I’m on the way to the bathroom.”
After Minho finished speaking and left,
someone cautiously sat down beside Kang Juhyuk.
Darkly tanned skin, a long nose.
A Hunter in a black brimmed hat and black suit, Kim Honggyeom.
With a meaningful smile, he held out a cigarette.
“Long time no see, Kang Juhyuk.”
Juhyuk seemed to recognize him and raised an eyebrow.
“Was it goblin?”
“It’s Kim Honggyeom.”
“Right, Kim Honggyeom. Why the hell are you here when you should be in prison?”
“...I’ll explain that later. For now, could we talk about something else first?”
Kim Honggyeom, who had lived his life like a complete scoundrel up to now, was using the softest tone he possibly could.
And yet.
Juhyuk’s attitude was far too firm.
“No.”
A short, blunt answer that hid nothing at all.
“I’ll make this quick.”
“Don’t want to.”
“It won’t take five minutes.”
“I don’t even want to talk for one minute.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a monster, and I’m human.”
Honggyeom clenched his lips tightly.
I’m human too, you bastard.
Juhyuk gave a snort, then took the cigarette and lit it.
Hoo—
“I’m kidding. What’s this about?”
“We don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. I came here to help you.”
“You’re here to help me?”
“Yeah. I don’t know whether Choi Junhyuk contacted you, but the government has put out a warrant for you.”
“For me? Why?”
“When you fought with that Gu Jinwoo bastard, someone died. The White Tiger side must have pulled some strings, because they pinned the crime on you.”
“I’ve never killed anyone.”
“Probably. But whether that’s true or not doesn’t matter. In their eyes, they’ve already decided it was you.”
Juhyuk shrugged.
“So what?”
“Your wanted classification was set to red. At this point, the NIS can’t protect a criminal like you anymore. You need to hide yourself right now.”
Honggyeom pulled out Juhyuk’s red wanted notice and flipped it open.
Clack.
Name: Kang Juhyuk (30 years old, male)
Features: 176 cm tall, lean but muscular build, white skin, sharp features.
Ability: Unconfirmed.
Crime: Murder
Case Summary: -
Hunter Rank: -
Wanted Rank: Red
REWARD
500,000,000 won
There wasn’t much information in the wanted notice.
Still, the photo attached was definitely Juhyuk.
“Ah, they should’ve used a better photo. Why’d they grab the one from my driver’s license?”
As Juhyuk responded playfully, Honggyeom’s face suddenly turned red.
“Kang Juhyuk, do you not understand the situation you’re in right now?”
“What situation? I’m the one being wanted.”
“Then do you know what’s going to happen from here on?”
“Hunters after the bounty will come try to catch me. Since it’s a red wanted order, the ones who come won’t be ordinary.”
Honggyeom was left speechless.
He knew all of that, and yet he was this calm?
I couldn’t even sleep properly for a year after I was put on a red wanted list.
And this guy’s acting excited, like it’s some kind of game of tag.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Your face?”
“No! I mean the Hunters who are going to come kill you from now on. They’ll be threatening your throat day and night.”
Juhyuk was not afraid at all.
If he remembered the years he had spent in the other world being chased 365 days a year by knights, mages, assassins, and hunters, then a wanted order here was basically child’s play to him.
“Do whatever the hell you want.”
“What did you say?”
“Try it if you can. But just so you know, I won’t go easy on anyone who comes.”
Was this the composure of the strong?
Or the recklessness of the weak?
Kim Honggyeom answered that question immediately.
Anyone who had faced Juhyuk could see it.
“I understand your position. But stay careful. Even I, a professional Hunter, have had several close calls with death.”
“Hold on. Didn’t you say you came here to help me?”
“I did.”
“Who sent you?”
Honggyeom’s mouth curled.
“Someone above.”
“Above?”
“Yeah. The one highest up in the Republic of Korea sent me.”
“You mean the President?”
“No... higher than that!”
Is this guy crazy?
Where in Korea is there anything higher than the President?
“You’ll find out soon enough, so wait. Right now he’s in a state where he can’t move, so I came in his place.”
Juhyuk was curious who it was.
But if he kept asking, the story would get long.
He hated anything troublesome with a passion.
So Juhyuk just nodded as if he understood.
“I see.”
“And as you would’ve seen if you watched the news yesterday, the NIS is currently at war with White Tiger Guild.”
Kang Juhyuk hadn’t known that.
He didn’t set aside time every day to watch current affairs.
He thought it was better to read Chronos Gate update notices instead of wasting time on that.
“So?”
“Choi Junhyuk asked me for a favor. He said to stay by your side until things quiet down.”
“Jesus, you weaker than me are going to protect me?”
“This isn’t a matter of who’s stronger or weaker as an individual. I know perfectly well how strong you are. But from here on, the ones targeting you won’t be one or two people. They’ll be dozens, maybe hundreds.”
Juhyuk raised his middle finger.
“Fine, then go fuck yourself and get the hell out already. I can’t even eat my watermelon because of you.”
That damn bastard.
I came all this way to help him seriously, and he dares to treat me like this?
Me, Kim Honggyeom, the Master of White Silver?
Hoo—
A sigh slipped out on its own.
Still, Honggyeom clenched his fist and answered, “No. I’m not leaving you until I’ve completed my assignment.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t need your help, so get lost already, you goblin bastard.”
“I told you I’m not a goblin!”
“Whatever. I’m leaving, so you stay here.”
“Kang Juhyuk!”
“Don’t call my name, monster.”
“You... bastard!”
As the two of them were squabbling, Minho came running back from afar and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“U-uncle, save me!”