Free Web Novel“Hyung, do you think this will be okay?”
Ma Seokdae looked at Ha Myeonghun beside him, hesitation written all over his face.
“What? We have to do this. You want us all to starve to death? The orphanage director bastard already ran away. What else are we supposed to do to survive?”
“Still...”
Ha Myeonghun smacked the back of the wavering Ma Seokdae’s head.
“You little shit, you and I have to take responsibility for the younger ones. Get it together!”
The 1960s—South Korea was drowning in chaos.
The children left behind by the Korean War wandered the streets, begging, becoming vagrants, or running errands for gangsters just to get a bite to eat.
Young Ha Myeonghun was no different.
But after the military coup, the gangsters in Myeongdong were rounded up by soldiers under the pretext of “social purification.”
And the orphanage director who had been watching over the children, guilty of his own shady past, shut down the orphanage and fled, abandoning them.
“...Alright.”
“If we succeed this time, we won’t ever have to do this again. We’ll be able to eat our fill with the kids. Just think about that.”
Ha Myeonghun’s eyes were fixed on a shabby old building.
“I’ve run errands there a few times. Loan shark offices have tons of money. When he comes out, I’ll hit him, and you just grab the bag and run. Don’t be scared.”
“...Okay, hyung.”
“Good. Stay sharp, Ma Seokdae.”
He told Seokdae not to be afraid, but the small hand clutching the steel pipe trembled violently.
“You can do it, Seokdae.”
Whether he was saying it to his friend or to himself, even Ha Myeonghun wasn’t sure.
After some time had passed, Ma Seokdae called him.
“Hyung, hyung. Someone’s coming out.”
From the building they’d been watching, a burly man emerged with a thick bag under his arm.
“Boss, get home safe!”
“Yeah. You bastards drink just enough and go home. Anyone who’s late tomorrow, I’ll kill with my own hands.”
“Yes, boss!”
The man waved over his head and swaggered off.
“Hide.”
Ha Myeonghun whispered.
Ma Seokdae pressed his back tight against the wall.
The two of them waited in the pitch-black alley for the man to come in. This dark, narrow path was the only place they had a chance.
A few steps away was Myeongdong’s entertainment district, filled with bars and nightclubs.
The man, drunk out of his mind, sang at the top of his lungs while spinning the bag in circles.
Finally, he stepped into the dark alley.
Whack!
The moment he was swallowed by the shadows, Ha Myeonghun swung the steel pipe at the back of his head.
“Gah! Who the hell are you, bastards?!”
Even though he put all his strength into it, Myeonghun was still just a teenager.
Half-starved, his body lacked power. freewёbnoνel.com
He had meant to knock him out, but the man only staggered.
“Run!”
But the blow had been enough—the man dropped the bag he had been carrying.
Ma Seokdae snatched it up without hesitation.
“Who sent you little shits!”
The man’s roar shook the narrow alley.
His subordinates, who had been going up the stairs, heard and came rushing.
“Boss!”
“Catch those brats! If you let them escape, I’ll kill you myself, got it?!”
The underlings turned in the direction he pointed. A couple of kids were sprinting toward the entertainment district.
The two ran with everything they had, lungs burning, hearts pounding.
But their pursuers had no intention of giving up.
“Catch them! Block them off!”
The shouting drew glances from people nearby, but just as quickly, the onlookers lost interest.
In Myeongdong’s nightlife streets, scenes like this were nothing unusual.
With the gangsters gone, thugs and vagrants had taken over, and public order was a mess.
“Hah... hah... Hyung...”
Ma Seokdae felt like he was going to collapse, legs screaming in pain.
“Hold on! Huff... don’t stop running, or we’re dead. Think of the kids waiting for us!”
Ha Myeonghun was just as exhausted, but he forced himself onward.
Thud!
Then, while looking back, the two crashed into someone coming from ahead.
“Ouch! Hey, kids, watch where you’re going. Running like that is dangerous.”
They fell to the ground, but the man they had bumped into brushed himself off like nothing had happened.
“Huff, huff... Got you little shits! Today’s your death day!”
The pursuers caught up and surrounded them.
Paralyzed by fear, Myeonghun and Seokdae froze.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The man they had bumped into spoke calmly toward the pursuers.
Recognizing him, they bowed in a hurry.
“Ah, Boss Cheon Taesan! We didn’t see you there. Our apologies.”
“Forget the greeting. I asked what you’re doing chasing kids.”
The men glanced at each other, uneasy at Taesan’s tone.
“They attacked our boss from behind and stole his bag.”
“You mean Boss Heo?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Cheon Taesan suddenly burst into loud laughter.
The men stood in awkward silence, humiliated.
“Boss Heo got done in by a couple of half-starved kids? Hah! That’s hilarious.”
“...Then, if you’ll excuse us.”
One of them signaled to his underlings, who grabbed the boys by the scruff of the neck and lifted them up.
“Let go! Bastards! I said let go!”
The boys kicked and screamed, but they couldn’t resist grown men’s strength.
Cheon Taesan’s smile turned cold.
“Hey, Manager Kim. What the hell are you doing? Did I say you could take them?”
Though his voice was quiet, Manager Kim broke out in a cold sweat.
“I asked you a question.”
There was a faint edge of anger in Taesan’s voice.
“Boss, they mugged our boss. That’s why—”
“And what does that have to do with me? Didn’t you see them bump into me? My expensive clothes got dirty. You going to take responsibility for that?”
He pointed to his jacket.
It was a little wrinkled, but spotless.
“...”
It was an obvious excuse, but Manager Kim didn’t dare protest.
“Didn’t you hear me? Guess your ears are clogged. Let’s clear them. Manager Paeng, maybe he can’t hear me.”
“Yes, boss.”
The big man behind Taesan stepped forward.
Manager Kim’s face turned pale.
“N-no, sir! I hear you. Hey, let them go!”
The underlings quickly set the boys down.
Taesan glanced at the man holding the bag.
“You’ve got the bag back. If you make any more fuss, you know what happens. I’ve got some business with these kids, so come back later. Got a problem with that?”
“...No, boss. We’ll tell Boss Heo you took them.”
“Good. Now get lost.”
Manager Kim and his men bowed deeply, glared at the boys as if to memorize their faces, then withdrew.
Once they were gone, Cheon Taesan looked down at the two collapsed boys.
“Who sent you?”
“What’s it to you?!”
Though Taesan’s voice was soft now, unlike when dealing with Heo’s men, Myeonghun growled with defiance.
“You don’t shout at an elder like that. Now, who sent you?”
“No one sent us!”
“If no one sent you, how did you know Boss Heo would be passing by there at that time?”
“...”
No answer came.
But Taesan liked the boy’s fierce eyes staring straight back at him.
“What’s your name?”
“...”
“Answer when an elder asks. Or should I hand you over to Boss Heo? I went out of my way to save your hides. The least you could do is tell me your name.”
Glancing at the trembling Seokdae beside him, Myeonghun finally spoke.
“...Ha Myeonghun. Take me instead. Let him go. He didn’t know anything—I forced him into it.”
“Hyung!”
“Shut up. You want another beating?”
When Seokdae tugged at his sleeve, Myeonghun shook him off, growling.
Cheon Taesan chuckled.
“You two have strong brotherly love.”
“Brotherly love my ass! We just met on the street.”
“Hyung...”
Seokdae’s voice trembled with tears. Taesan pressed Myeonghun again.
“Where do you live?”
“...Just take me and leave him.”
“Myeonghun, was it? Kid, I’m not here to hurt you.”
But Myeonghun didn’t believe him.
Life on the streets had taught him there was no one he could trust.
Instead of answering, he glared coldly.
“Those eyes... I like them. Manager Paeng, clean them up, feed them, and bring them to my office.”
“Yes, boss.”
At his signal, Paeng’s men moved in.
“Take me only!”
Myeonghun shouted, blocking them from grabbing Seokdae.
“Hah! The more I see, the more I like you.”
Cheon Taesan laughed heartily.
But as the boys were dragged away, his smile faded.
“Find out who they are and where they live.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Manager Paeng.”
“Yes, boss.”
“There are too many punks and vagrants hanging around Myeongdong lately.”
His cold tone made Paeng bow his head deeply.
“The reason I kept you from being taken by the soldiers was to clean this place up. If you can’t do your job, what should I do with you?”
“...I’m sorry.”
“This is my territory. Keep the punks under control. Customers won’t come otherwise.”
“Yes, boss. I’ll start cleaning it up right away. Forgive me for troubling you.”
“Good. If the police or soldiers cause trouble, or if kids get taken in, tell me. I’ll handle it.”
“Yes, boss.”
Since the Japanese occupation, Myeongdong had been a gangster haven.
By now, Cheon Taesan was already its ruler.
At the very moment of the coup, he had approached its leaders with Cheongpunghoe’s help.
Bribing heavily, he won their favor, and his people avoided the military crackdowns.
What was in his hand, he never let go. That had always been his way—and always would be.
Looking around the Myeongdong streets, Cheon ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Taesan moved on.
When he arrived at his office, he was reading a newspaper when a knock came.
“Boss.”
“Come in.”
Manager Paeng entered. freewёbnoνel.com
“Well? Did you find out?”
“Yes. They grew up in an orphanage. Ha Myeonghun is the oldest there.”
“An orphanage?”
“Yes.”
“...Hmm.”
Taesan tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought.
Paeng waited silently.
“How many kids are there?”
“About thirty boys, and ten girls.”
“Adults?”
“The director sold everything and ran away recently. The kids are sticking together to survive.”
“...Phew.”
Cheon Taesan let out a deep sigh.
An adult abandoning children—this was the reality of South Korea.
Then came another knock.
At Taesan’s nod, Paeng opened the door.
Ha Myeonghun and Ma Seokdae entered, washed and wearing fresh clothes.
Unlike the timid Seokdae, Myeonghun stared at Cheon Taesan with cold, unyielding eyes.
“Heh. Still got that poison in your eyes, I see.”
That look only deepened Cheon Taesan’s interest.
