Chapter 81

The men continued their conversation with serious expressions, showing no reaction to Jin Hyuk.

Despite being ignored, Jin Hyuk struggled to suppress the boiling anger inside him. He was used to being ignored, and verifying the facts came first.

– “It’s a kind of counter-espionage, but a bit different. Counter-espionage isn’t clean. Bats just spread diseases to both sides. It’s better to just extract information. Then, whether you kill or spare them…”

The men’s sighs mixed with their ongoing conversation.

Once exposed, it was impossible to move according to plan. They talked about how the money they received was too much, how they would cover the family’s hospital bills, and so on. They lowered their voices, but Jin Hyuk, with ears as sharp as Jang Gun-i’s, couldn’t help but hear.

– “Fear and mercy. That’s how you draw absolute loyalty. Using just one is fine, but combining both is the most certain. Using only one can lead to side effects.”

It wasn’t an actual order to kill, but Hong Ki-jun said that if you can’t instill fear worse than death, it’s not real fear. The moment you escape that fear, relief and the joy of life will erase it in an instant.

Hong Ki-jun also said that if someone is a clear enemy, you must cut their throat no matter what.

‘They say one murder can save three lives, but that’s still a bad deed.’

Jin Hyuk reaffirmed that he didn’t want to become a murderer. Even without Cheon Gil-ryong’s warning, he wanted to stand tall in front of his family. To do that, he had to subdue these men without killing them, no matter what it took.

– “Now everything’s ruined, we’re dead. In such a situation, you have to open a path to survival. But first, you have to make the other side beg for their lives. It’s better not to touch those who resist fiercely from the start. You have to finish them off.”

Placing Hong Ki-jun’s words on his ice-cold resolve, Jin Hyuk quickly organized his thoughts. It was a grateful moment. His vague respect for Chairman Hong Ki-jun took shape, and the cautious Mr. Hong Ki-jun felt a step closer.

By the way.

‘I came all prepared, but there’s no tension at all.’

It felt like being ostracized again. Dark memories from the past surfaced, and something welled up in his chest. The anger that had calmed down rose again. He needed to eat soon, and Yoo Jin might wake up.

He realized something he hadn’t known before: when you’re hungry, the thread of reason becomes thin, and emotional control enters the realm of irrationality. In other words, he was pissed off.

Just as Jin Hyuk let out a sigh, a voice from the man at the back reached him. The man clenched his teeth and only moved his lips, but his direction was clearly toward Jin Hyuk.

“If compromise isn’t possible… we’ll subdue him.”

The men moved in unison, centering around Jin Hyuk.

Their movements were precise, as if trying to secure a predetermined position, but it wasn’t enough to rattle Jin Hyuk’s nerves.

Even though the situation was clearly unfavorable and tense, Jin Hyuk’s attention was elsewhere.

In the meantime, he had learned a strange sense of leisure from the men.

‘What on earth is my dad’s identity?’

He knew they were reluctant to talk, so he didn’t press, but at this point, curiosity had surpassed patience. Even those land guys disappeared as soon as his dad left the house. Mom and Hong Ki-jun were also tight-lipped.

Now it seemed like everyone was whispering among themselves, and Jin Hyuk had no allies.

‘I’m starting to feel hurt by dad.’

…But the person is quite nice.

Jin Hyuk tilted his chin in anger toward an unclear target.

Since he couldn’t take his anger out on his dad, a suitable substitute appeared.

“Look at you, talking about subduing me.”

Sssss-

A chilling aura spread from Jin Hyuk’s feet as he smirked.

The tension wrapped around the men’s bodies scratched Jin Hyuk’s cheek.

They were stepping forward to surround him, prepared in case the conversation went south.

Their steps were meticulous, and their eyes behind sunglasses were sharp enough to kill.

Jin Hyuk matched their movements to avoid giving them his back. His body reacted first, making calculations unnecessary.

He numbered them from the left.

You’re number one, you’re number two, the guy at the back is number three. And the youngest-looking uncle is number four.

“I don’t know how this will sound…”

He muttered to himself.

As soon as Jin Hyuk’s mouth opened, the men stopped in their tracks, not wanting to miss a single move.

“If you value your lives, it’s better to answer my questions.”

It was a sincere warning.

He thought the men might laugh at him or ignore him, but for the sake of peace, he was willing to endure their ridicule.

However, the men’s reactions were different from those of punks like Yoon Sung-dong.

As if by agreement, they took off their sunglasses and put them in their jacket pockets. Their expressions were stern, and their eyes were sharp. It was a reaction acknowledging that Jin Hyuk’s warning wasn’t empty.

“Hmm… Are you the younger brother of that house?”

The one who didn’t remove his sunglasses, number three, asked. He seemed to be the leader. His cautious, business-like tone showed no underestimation of his opponent.

Jin Hyuk answered by glaring at him. It wasn’t a pleasant misunderstanding, but let them think what they want. Anyway, that guy had just earned himself a harsher punishment. He had messed up someone else’s family tree. And no one likes being told they look old.

“I asked first.”

“Hmm, we were hired to bring you in.”

Number three nodded slightly. He seemed like a reasonable person.

“By whom? Why?”

“We don’t need to know. And we have no reason to report to you.”

Number three pointed at Jin Hyuk with his chin.

Jin Hyuk responded in a nonchalant tone.

“Sounds like you’re saying I can make you report.”

The leisure that had been buzzing around them moments ago was gone. The warm breeze of early autumn disappeared, replaced by an inexplicable chill. The tension, sharp as a blade, made them all brace themselves.

Number three, Moon Seok-il, spoke softly.

“I promise. We won’t harm you.”

His serious, calm voice made Jin Hyuk’s senses confirm its truth. They had no reason to lie, considering they believed they had the upper hand.

But there was one thing.

“Even if you don’t, can you guarantee the person who hired you won’t harm me?”

Moon Seok-il swallowed a sigh.

It was something he couldn’t answer, and he didn’t know. Fixers were like that. Those who learned the identity of their clients were often dealt with by other fixers after completing the job. Ignorance was bliss.

And the young man’s point was valid.

He couldn’t guarantee anything.

But then.

‘What is that?’

A mirage-like aura rising from the young man’s body.

It wasn’t the kind of heat haze that distorts the background when body temperature rises. It was a dark, indigo energy that seemed to seep out like poison. Tentacles of darkness and light, as if showing off their malevolent energy, writhed with intent, surrounding the lone man as if to protect him.

Moon Seok-il rolled his eyes to check his comrades’ reactions.

‘This place is strange, full of weirdos. Is that only visible to me?’

His comrades’ postures were no different than usual.

If so, was it because of the sunglasses? He pulled his chin down and raised his eyebrows like someone with presbyopia, but the strange energy remained.

Moon Seok-il’s observation didn’t last long.

“I might look ridiculous.”

Jin Hyuk, standing naturally, lightly spread his arms with his palms facing forward.

It was a posture that could be seen as lamenting one’s fate, but to Moon Seok-il, it looked oddly eerie. The man’s ultimatum, in perfect combat readiness, flew at them.

“But I promise. If you touch my family, you will die by my hand.”

A sharp sound of air splitting was heard. The air felt prickly, like a tightly stretched rubber band snapping. A suffocating tension enveloped the men.

As if on cue, the men began to move again. There was no room for negotiation, so conversation was unnecessary.

Unaware that numbers had been assigned to them, the two men on the left and right exchanged glances and moved to subdue Jin Hyuk. Their footwork was smooth, and their posture for using brute force was flawless.

Yet, Moon Seok-il’s absolute trust in his comrades had already been lost. Not because he didn’t trust them.

‘No. That guy is something else.’

Before Moon Seok-il could stop them, the wrist of the friend trying to grab Jin Hyuk’s shoulder was caught in the young man’s armpit. It was Jeong Sang-tae, known for his quick hands and close combat skills, but he was caught in an instant.

As everyone’s faces showed shock, Jin Hyuk’s face also turned to shock for a different reason.

‘What is this, this slow cat punch?’

*

Moon Seok-il was a former operative who had gone through the North Korean infiltration unit of the Intelligence Agency and was specially recruited into the National Security Planning Agency. He was a veteran who had completed countless missions and was called a ghost. His infiltration into a certain place in Pyongyang, known as the Black Dragon, was legendary even among agents.

One day, while walking the streets of Seoul, he felt disillusioned with his life as an operative. To avoid falling into the life of a rogue like many of his seniors, he took on the role of a fixer after retirement, not much different from an errand center. He was a human weapon trained in judo, taekwondo, kendo, and even bare-handed combat to kill. His companions were no different, which made Moon Seok-il even more unable to understand the current situation.

Appearing behind him without a sound was one thing…

‘What kind of human movement is that…?’

Snap-crack!

Jin Hyuk’s palm, folded at a right angle, precisely struck Jeong Sang-tae’s chin. Could that even be called an attack? It was a soft, pushing strike, devoid of rigidity.

Despite having his teeth clenched by instinct and biting down harder at the moment of impact, Jeong Sang-tae’s chin made a chilling sound.

Thud.

Before Jeong Sang-tae’s head hit the cement road, Jin Hyuk moved his feet to prepare for the next attack.

Thump. As his friend fell, Moon Seok-il also took off his sunglasses.

‘We should have just left…’

In that short moment, a chill seeped into Moon Seok-il’s mind.

Anyone would have guessed he was a young soldier. His broad shoulders and the silhouette revealed by his loose clothes fluttering in the wind suggested as much. His cautious yet confident tone of a wild man did too.

But fighting alone against four adult men trained in various combat techniques was a different matter. Yet, this young man was doing it. Doing it wasn’t even the right word.

‘Too fast.’

He doesn’t even move much. He just moves his joints enough to dodge, and attacks that reach their mark are lightly deflected with his palm.

That’s not martial arts.

It’s like the difference between a hummingbird’s and a butterfly’s wingbeats. He’s just using superior speed to flick them away. Like dusting off dirt.

After dodging the hands of Kang Heon-chang and Kim In-rang, Jin Hyuk glanced at Moon Seok-il, who was looking at the fallen Jeong Sang-tae. His pupils were dilated, and foam was in his mouth. He looked dangerous. Even if he didn’t die, he could become a vegetable.

‘We should have known when we dragged that wild boar.’

Before getting hit, everyone has a plan, and regret is always too late, no matter how fast.

With the regret flooding in, he remembered the request.

– “Bring both of them. If they resist, use force. If they die, so be it. Isn’t that their fate?”

His eyes, which had been distant from the large sum, now returned to reality.

It was a cruel reality.