Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Crushing the Loan Sharks
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Lying in bed, I slowly stroked Yu-na's smooth back and asked,
"Your dad took out a loan?"
Her soft body felt good just to touch.
"Yes..."
The loan shark had arranged the job, she said.
Just do it once, and they'd clear her father's debt.
I didn't know how much it was, though.
"So why are you trying to pay it off?"
"I've only ever received from them until now... At least this time, I should help..."
"Hmm..."
She had a body and a heart to match—pure and kind.
"Sounds like bullshit to me..."
"Huh?"
Yu-na's innocent eyes went wide.
"That bit about clearing your dad's debt."
My words seemed hard to believe; her face darkened.
"No way... He wouldn't... He couldn't..."
She didn't want to believe it, but did the guy seem more trustworthy than he was to her? That loan shark.
I hadn't seen him myself, so who knew.
She looked so naive; maybe it was easy to string her along?
Honestly, I couldn't imagine a loan shark with that kind of conscience.
If he had any, he wouldn't be in that business to begin with.
"Why don't you check it out."
...
Feeling uneasy at my words, Yu-na called Choi Yang-gyu.
[Ah, Yu-na. Did everything go well?]
His familiar yet sleazy voice came through the receiver, making her body tense up without realizing it.
"Ah. Yes..."
[Good work.]
Choi Yang-gyu sounded impressed on the other end.
"So, my dad's debt..."
[Ah, about that... Sorry.]
His words turned her anxiety into reality, her chest tightening.
"What?"
[Looks like... you'll need to do it one or two more times to clear it.]
He sounded genuinely apologetic.
"What? But you said just once before..."
[Well, there's market rates, you see. With the economy being rough, competition's high, and we didn't get as much for you as expected.]
"Th-that..."
Yu-na's voice brimmed with injustice.
[Now that you've got experience, it'll be easier next time. Just one or two more! Then it'll be all cleared up nice and clean.]
One... or two more? How could she trust that?
"........."
I was right.
He'd never planned to let her go after just once.
[Haha. I'll call when the next one's lined up. I'll make sure to squeeze every bit of value out of you this time. Look forward to it.]
Look forward to it? She wanted no part of that kind of anticipation.
Yu-na's eyes filled with despair.
...
"Why the long face?"
Yu-na approached me dejectedly as I leaned against the headboard.
That pitiful look stirred a man's protective instincts.
She definitely had a natural charm that captivated men.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace.
Burying my face in her ample breasts.
"Mmm... Nice."
"Ah... Uncle."
She'd gotten used to me; even with her sullen face flushing red, she didn't resist.
"Those guys never planned to let you go from the start."
I wouldn't have either, if I were them.
"R-really?"
Yu-na looked like she might cry.
"I'll handle that problem for you."
"Huh? But how..."
"I'm an Awakener."
"An... Awakener?"
She seemed shocked that I was one.
It was understandable.
Awakeners were all over the media, but unless you lived near Gates, you rarely saw one.
And they didn't walk around with signs on their foreheads saying "Awakener," so most people passed them by without noticing.
Awakeners were objects of envy for civilians.
Popular with women, too, of course.
Maybe that popularity would make Yu-na fall for me, but she didn't seem the type to swoon just because I was an Awakener...
"Get your dad's contract from those guys."
"The... contract?"
"Not for free, obviously."
"But... why..."
She still looked puzzled at my sudden kindness.
"Why? 'Cause I like you. You're worth it."
Truth be told, I didn't want to hand her over to other guys.
"Huh?"
I gripped her plump ass and pressed my lips to hers.
"Ahh... Mmm... Smack."
I had to let her go tomorrow; time was precious.
...
"This the place?"
After one more round with Yu-na, I drove over to handle business.
[Yes, Master.]
It was a four-story building, nothing too grand.
<Yanggyu Investment Company>
<Sky Outcall Massage>
Two big signs stood out.
I stepped inside.
"What do you want?"
A burly guy in a black suit blocked my path roughly.
"The boss."
"Huh?"
"Didn't hear me? I'm here to see the boss."
Reading the bad vibes, he glanced at me, eyes darting.
-Thud.
I grabbed his head.
"Ah... Awakener!"
He gasped, sensing my grip strength.
-Grin.
"Yeah... an Awakener. Where's the boss."
I tightened my hold.
-Creak.
Any harder, and his skull would crack.
"Aaaagh! My... my head!"
"Yeah. Tell me unless you want it smashed."
Trembling in pain and fear, he spoke.
"Pl-please! F-fourth floor!"
...
"Boss!!!"
-Bang!!
A subordinate burst into the office.
Choi Yang-gyu frowned.
"What? Making a racket."
"Someone's barging in."
Choi Yang-gyu thought he needed to discipline the guys with Deok-gu.
"Barging in? No subject, dumbass. What're the kids doing?"
"Uh... Looks like an Awakener."
The subordinate seemed terrified.
"Awakener?"
Why the hell would an Awakener storm in?
Food or something?
He racked his brain for any run-in with Awakeners—nothing.
They swam in different waters anyway.
But he was an F-Rank Body Enhancement Awakener himself.
Stuck there for five years, but still.
If he came here, probably not high-rank.
Couldn't underestimate, though.
Soon, noise erupted outside.
-Boom!
The door shattered as a hulking man strode in slowly.
Sharp eyes, rugged face.
His well-developed muscles bulged even under casual workout clothes.
Choi Yang-gyu instinctively knew:
Same rank or not, he couldn't win.
Years on the streets sharpened his survival instincts.
"Uh... Sir, seems like there's a misunderstanding... What brings you..."
"Yu-na."
Choi Yang-gyu blinked.
"Pardon?"
"Yu-na."
He racked his brain desperately.
A girl's name.
'Which call girl? Yu-na? Yu-na? Ah... the one I scored big on at the auction recently...'
The girl he'd recently recruited and eyed.
"Ah! You mean Yu-na?"
"Cut it. Hand her over to me."
Gauging the man, Choi Yang-gyu tested timidly.
"Pardon? We have our own circumstances..."
Glancing around, he saw Deok-gu and the men poised tensely.
A spark of courage rose.
'I'm an Awakener too. If we all pile on...'
As if reading his mind, the man raised a hand.
Suddenly, a ridiculously massive hammer appeared in his grip.
He swung it down.
-Boom!!!
-Rumble.
A deafening roar shook the building.
The giant hammer embedded halfway into the floor.
Choi Yang-gyu's face drained of color.
The man looked down at him: anything else?
The black-suited goons around were pale as ghosts.
"Hand her over."
His emotionless eyes stared coldly.
'Fuck! We're screwed.'
This wasn't an Awakener he could tangle with.
"Of course, sir! We'd be happy to!"
Choi Yang-gyu bowed ninety degrees.
"Now we're talking."
The man sat casually at the head seat like it was his.
"Hand over the contract related to that girl."
"Pardon? Ah... Well... Of course."
Choi Yang-gyu worried how much it'd cost him.
The man smiled chillingly.
"That Yu-na kid... She's just so pitiable."
'Pitiable my ass. Clearly he wants her for himself.'
No one would buy that pity act from his face.
"Your eyes look impure, but I'll let it slide."
Choi Yang-gyu flinched a bit.
'Fuckin' mind reader.'
He knew her looks and body were exceptional, but to lure an Awakener like this?
"Not asking for free. Hand it over."
...
Choi Yang-gyu stared blankly at the hole in the office floor, smoking.
"Boss..."
Deok-gu called dejectedly.
"Forget it."
"Huh?"
"What 'huh'? Just forget it. What else can we do?"
Choi Yang-gyu eyed Deok-gu pitifully.
"Well..."
"Can't you tell? He's not an Awakener small fries like us can touch."
"Yeah..."
"Not like we took a huge loss."
'What ability was that? Elemental? Unique? Build screams Body Enhancement.'
An Awakener summoning a hammer like that should've stuck out, but he couldn't recall any high-rankers matching.
'At least C-Rank or above... Real superhuman level.'
He reflected on his choice.
No better option in hindsight.
Even if they'd lost everything, no recourse.
Bad luck, and they could've been massacred.
Choi Yang-gyu had long lurked in the shadows.
The guy didn't look like he'd hesitate to kill.
Yet, unlike his entrance, he'd paid fair and taken the contract cleanly.
Aside from the busted floor, minimal damage.
Gentlemanly, in his own way, despite the looks.