Chapter 161

<The Summer Camp of Kwakran (9)>

***

Park Sang-ki had experienced all kinds of company dinners since elementary school while playing soccer.

Roast duck, pork belly, beef, meat buffets, chicken, Chinese cuisine…

If he had to pick the best, last night’s pork belly party was definitely the top.

The perfectly harmonious combination of the savory pork belly, with its fat perfectly rendered, and the homemade chili paste by Son Jin-hyeok’s mother was tearfully fantastic. The sight of the pork fat dripping onto the firewood, making it glow brilliantly, is still vivid in his mind. It wasn’t just fat; it was like jewels dripping from the pot lid.

‘…Am I going to die?’

But now, cold sweat is dripping down.

It felt like someone was tying a knot in his intestines and pulling hard.

The stomachache was so bad that he couldn’t straighten his back, and tears were welling up.

Click-.

In his haste, he turned the doorknob without knocking, but the door was firmly locked.

He had barely made it to the bathroom, clutching his stomach, but someone had already claimed it.

“Ughhh…”

Damn it.

Someone inside was clearly dying.

Farewell, my friend…

‘…Third floor.’

It felt like his sphincter was on its last legs. No matter how many distress signals he sent, it was fluttering like a butterfly, ready to give up.

Clunk-.

The third-floor bathroom was also locked.

Bang bang-. He knocked with desperation.

“Uh…”

He heard the voice of Yeom Byeong-taek, who sounded like he was on the verge of death.

Park Sang-ki, with one hand on his stomach and the other blocking his lower abdomen, headed to the first floor.

‘…The adults must be there.’

Finally arriving at the first-floor bathroom, dripping with cold sweat.

‘It’s open!’

He saw Han Yu-young busily preparing food, going back and forth in the yard.

He felt guilty seeing the mother of his friend, who put so much effort into her cooking every day.

Ah, I should have just eaten the food she gave us. Or, as Son Jin-hyeok said, maybe I should have only eaten the well-cooked stuff.

Just as he was about to head to the bathroom, holding back tears.

“Ahhh! I’m, I’m going! Now!”

Whoosh-.

A gust of wind made Park Sang-ki stagger.

‘…Jin-hyeok’s dad is really fast.’

Park Sang-ki no longer had the energy to pay tribute to the neighborhood gang leader. He was sure that if he moved to find another bathroom, the nerves he had been diverting to his lower abdomen would give out.

‘…Is this the end?’

If he could collect the cold sweat dripping down his neck and chin in a bowl, it would easily record over a liter. Maybe it would help with this year’s severe summer drought.

Park Sang-ki knelt quietly in front of the bathroom door, blocking his rear with his heel.

He could vaguely understand the desperation of the Dutch boy who plugged the dam with his finger.

If his heel couldn’t hold out, Park Sang-ki would die of embarrassment, and the rest of the family would die of disbelief. In the end, everyone would die.

‘…Please.’

He had never been this desperate, not even when he asked his girlfriend Park Jeong-hwa out.

Ah, come to think of it, Jeong-hwa and I are both from the Miryang Park clan. Park Sang-ki tried his best to think of something else.

He hoped his father’s business was just a quick pee, but he didn’t hear the sound of water.

Gradually, his mind went blank, and Park Sang-ki realized he was doomed.

But then.

Gurgle-.

Swoosh swoosh-.

Click-.

‘…Huh?’

He heard the sound of washing, and soon the door opened.

“Sang-ki, what are you doing? Do you have something to say to me? Are you trying to bow?”

Son Kwang-yeon, who found Park Sang-ki kneeling in front of the bathroom door, opened his rabbit-like eyes. Brushing off his hands.

“…Please.”

“What? Ah, I can’t hear you-.”

“…Move aside.”

As Son Kwang-yeon stepped aside, Park Sang-ki crawled on the floor with all his might.

He didn’t know that the men in this house sat down to pee. But who cares? He just needed to take care of business.

His face felt cold, as if all the blood had drained away.

‘Ah, I feel dizzy.’

Being found in a friend’s house while taking a dump isn’t a problem.

As long as it doesn’t reach my girlfriend’s ears.

Finally sitting on the toilet, Park Sang-ki silently shouted the breathing technique he learned from Son Kwang-yeon.

‘Gooo…’

***

The whole family skipped breakfast to take care of the kids.

Son Kwang-yeon started the car, and Yoo Jin, still half-asleep, took out slippers from the shoe rack and neatly arranged them for the patients to wear comfortably.

‘Strange. Even Yoo Jin’s touch didn’t help.’

Maybe because she was still half-asleep, even Yoo Jin’s gentle pats on the stomach didn’t ease her friends’ stomachaches.

Jin-hyeok helped his friends into his dad’s car and got into Moon Seok-il’s car.

Moon Seok-il had come to talk, but Jin-hyeok thought it was more urgent to take his friends to the hospital.

“We can talk on the way.”

“Since we’re going to the hospital, let’s take Jang Sunbae too.”

“Uncle Jin-nam too?”

“There was some business in town last night.”

Did the uncles in town have a pork belly party?

Is that why Uncle Jin-nam also has a stomachache?

Well, we’ll find out when we wait.

Last night, Jin-hyeok was too busy to even talk, and he was worried about his friends, so he quietly closed his eyes and waited. His heated body temperature quickly cooled, and he felt a chill. The car’s air conditioning is indeed the best.

The car carrying three men, including Jang Jin-nam, started smoothly, and Moon Seok-il began to tell the story of last night. He explained that he had no intention of spying on Kim Eung-nyeo’s family and that he had only stepped in to help Kim In-rang’s romance.

Jin-hyeok couldn’t help but agree with the concern that Kim In-rang might cause an accident because of Hwang Ga-yun. Kim In-rang was likely under the influence of hormones rather than reason.

*

Last night.

The scarred man gritted his teeth but answered the questions obediently.

“They have the right to get their money back, you know. They have the right. Huh?”

The man, who had been waving a piece of paper in his hand, looked dumbfounded.

The document that had been in his hand was now in Moon Seok-il’s.

Moon Seok-il, with tired eyes, glanced at the document and gave a dismissive look.

“Are you saying illegal loan sharking is justified?”

“If you borrow money, you pay it back, right? Isn’t that common sense?”

The scarred man stood his ground.

“Ah, whatever. You guys seem a bit tough, so I’ll let it slide today, but today’s not the only day we collect money, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll find out.”

The scarred man stuck his head out the window.

After confirming that his companion was unharmed, he muttered and headed for the exit.

“Whether it’s General or Jimmy, just go and get it. That guy borrowed money from his brother-in-law.”

That’s when it happened.

Jang Jin-nam blocked the exit.

“That’s a bit of a problem.”

Jang Jin-nam’s eyes, which had shown nothing but indifference, turned menacing.

The scarred man had to pay the price for saying what he shouldn’t have.

*

“They didn’t know where we came from, but they’ll find out now.”

The man mentioned Son Kwang-yeon’s company, causing Jang Jin-nam to have a fit. If they didn’t know, they were fools. Moon Seok-il smiled bitterly, suppressing the urge to look back.

After hearing the explanation, Jin-hyeok massaged his forehead with his hand.

The situation seemed both tangled and resolved, in an ambiguous way.

Jang Jin-nam, who had been fidgeting in the back seat, suddenly stuck his head out. Then he tapped his left palm with his right fist.

“Just like this, tap tap-, I only used my hands.”

Who would use the expression “only used my hands” while beating up a gang?

With fists like rocks, where exactly did the “tap tap” sound come from?

Jin-hyeok barely maintained his composure and asked again.

“Will there be any repercussions?”

“There shouldn’t be any problems. We even called Heon-chang and made sure to finish them off. They were from a nightclub in town.”

He wanted to ask if reporting to the police was the first step, but he didn’t.

He didn’t know what kind of relationship had formed between them, and there was no guarantee that the police would take proper action. They might investigate secondary crimes like violence or murder caused by loan sharks, but there are no police who investigate loan sharks themselves. Without a complaint, there’s no reason to investigate. Who would sue after borrowing money?

“Uncle Jin-nam, did you get hurt while fighting at the nightclub?”

“We did go in, but I didn’t get hurt fighting. I slipped. Someone spilled alcohol on the floor.”

Pfft-.

Unable to contain his disbelief, Jin-hyeok finally burst out laughing.

Anyway, it sounded like they had quite the adventure.

Jang Jin-nam, who claimed to dislike violence, looked surprisingly bright.

Jin-hyeok turned his gaze to Moon Seok-il, who was driving.

“Shouldn’t you report this to Mr. Hong Ki-jun-.”

“I already told him.”

Born to be a warrior, huh? What a needlessly loyal person.

A light sigh escaped.

“What did he say?”

“He said well done.”

Another sigh followed.

Hong Ki-jun had changed too.

The chairman, who used to be so cautious and strategic, seemed to have returned with a bold spirit.

It’s not that Jin-hyeok couldn’t understand the chairman’s actions.

If everyone gets a fair chance to start over, would they all dream the same dream?

Jin-hyeok didn’t agree.

While the goals of ordinary people were somewhat predictable, Jin-hyeok and Hong Ki-jun were unique.

‘Having lived once, he’ll try to fill what he couldn’t before. Like me.’

Hong Ki-jun had almost everything in his previous life—wealth, fame, a bit of power. But he must have regretted it. Living cautiously, as if walking on thin ice.

But now? He has a son he never had before, information, and immense power.

They say deficiency breeds obsession. Jin-hyeok thought he would obsess over the power to wield without caution. However, he also guessed that there were some constraints on Hong Ki-jun’s return that prevented him from acting freely.

As the only one who could guess Hong Ki-jun’s deficiency, Jin-hyeok found it easy to understand him.

Jin-hyeok, too, didn’t crave success, wealth, or beauty, but simply longed for the everyday life he couldn’t have in the past.

But, getting lost in sentimentality wasn’t helpful with the current problem.

Just a little bit.

Even if he faced it alone, he wouldn’t be afraid, and he had many allies.

“The organizations in the provinces aren’t the only ones.”

Just last night, there was news about nationwide gang activities. It’s no secret that large organizations expand their influence and secure interests by allying with or absorbing local organizations in small cities. The organization Moon Seok-il and Jang Jin-nam dealt with was smaller than a lizard’s tail.

Did they, while helping Kim In-rang’s romance, provoke a massive organization they didn’t even know?

Understanding Jin-hyeok’s concern, Moon Seok-il reached out his right arm to pat Jin-hyeok’s shoulder.

“That’s why I reported it.”

“Those guys can be handled with money, right?”

But knowing Hong Ki-jun’s personality, it was worrisome.

He’s not the type to compromise with such people.

“It’s not about money.”

Moon Seok-il’s lips curled meaningfully.

Only then did Jin-hyeok understand the intention.

‘He’s going to unleash the monsters.’

The SSS agents from the mountain.

Just 100 of them could even take out a head of state hiding in a fortified bunker.

It seemed like a determination to respond to illegality with illegality, to force with force.

“It’s not about using power for one person. It’s a test. I suggested it. It’s a good opportunity for a real test without holding back.”

Jin-hyeok simply nodded in response.

Weeds grow back even if you cut or pull them out. To completely remove weeds, you need to remove the seeds, but weed seeds scatter everywhere. Moreover, even the smallest root left in the ground can sprout again. Burning, plowing, and even applying pesticides to the soil is the sure way.

‘Many people will get hurt.’

Even if it somewhat contradicted his beliefs, Jin-hyeok had no intention of overstepping into Hong Ki-jun’s business. Sometimes, stepping back clearly can make you appear more cooperative.

“They’ll keep coming back even if we remove them.”

“Removing them when you see them and pretending not to see them are different issues.”

Jin-hyeok nodded with a bitter taste in his mouth and changed the subject.

“How did he look?”

“He doesn’t look like he’ll live long.”

Listening to Moon Seok-il’s description of Hwang Yeong-mo, Jin-hyeok’s feelings became complicated again.

His abdomen was severely swollen, his skin was dark, and the whites of his eyes were yellowish.

“His family didn’t even know when he got sick. Well, he was always wandering outside.”

Kim Eung-nyeo also cried, holding her husband after a long time.

Having lived together for over 20 years, it was natural to not recognize him due to his severe illness. A bit of pity, perhaps.

He loved alcohol so much, but it seems his liver has given out. It’s possible that he drank even more in this life because he couldn’t gamble as much due to lack of money.

In this small town, in his previous life, he sold Jin-hyeok’s exam success to borrow money and got stabbed. This time, he sold Son Kwang-yeon and repeated the same foolishness. The only difference is that he avoided being killed thanks to Kim In-rang.

‘Some things don’t change. Or maybe they’ve gotten worse.’

But at least in his previous life, he lived about four more years.

“Can you take care of him until he’s calm and safe? His shop is a mess too.”

“Sure. Heon-chang is here, and he’ll recover soon, so you focus on training. In-rang decided to stick around too.”

Kim In-rang, being a slave to hormones, will be loyal.

He should use his head, not just his body.

“Your friends don’t look too serious. They’re healthy kids.”

“Yes.”

The friends who had gone to the bathroom looked much better.

It’s just worrying that they complained of joint pain and muscle aches.

Perhaps uncomfortable with the serious atmosphere, Jang Jin-nam tapped the back of Jin-hyeok’s seat.

“In-rang’s sister-in-law is very kind and pretty.”

At the sudden comment, Jin-hyeok scratched his head in irritation.

Ah, what am I supposed to do with that?

What does that have to do with me? She’s not my girl, you know?