Free Web NovelAt my words telling him to call his crew, Jeong Minwoo looked up at me, his face a bloody mess.
“Let’s see what kind of bastards they are. Go ahead, call them.”
I dragged a chair over and sat down in front of him as he struggled to lift himself up.
“...Where’s all that confidence coming from?”
“Doesn’t matter. Just call. I want to see what kind of trash shows up. Any crew that goes around bullying ordinary people isn’t worth a damn.”
Reading the scorn in my expression, Minwoo clenched his jaw, his blood- and rice-cake-smeared face twisting so badly it was almost hard to look at.
He’d been strutting around, scaring civilians in the name of being a gangster. Getting this kind of beating must’ve been a long time coming.
I sighed and tossed a towel from the floor at him.
“Wipe yourself. You’re disgusting to look at.”
He wiped at his face, smearing the blood away, then muttered hesitantly,
“Hyung... you’re gonna get yourself killed. Just leave with Grandma, get out of Busan. Our crew isn’t some flimsy street gang.”
“Stop yapping and make the call.”
“...Don’t regret this.”
Muttering low, he pulled out his phone and dialed. Even while making the call, he struck a pose like it was something grand. I couldn’t help but laugh.
When he hung up, I let out another long sigh.
“You crazy bastard. Putting on airs over a damn phone call? Try showing that kind of respect to your mom before it’s too late. Even animals don’t bite their own parents. If you’re human, live like one.”
As I spoke, another face flashed through my mind, and the words came out harsher than I intended. Minwoo couldn’t answer me.
“You gamble too, like those punks outside?”
“...”
“...Even gambling, huh. Fine. We’ll talk again when your ‘crew’ gets here.”
This wasn’t the Minwoo I remembered. How the hell had he ended up like this?
I looked down at him with disgust. He just clenched his teeth, no longer rushing at me.
Ten years apart—enough to turn even the closest ties awkward.
I closed my mouth, and silence filled the wrecked shop.
“Boss, you should come out.”
After a while, the door opened and a subordinate called in.
“They’re here?”
At that, Minwoo got up, his face lighting up with arrogance again.
“Hyung, now you’re screwed. My brothers aren’t normal. They’ve killed before. You’ll regret this.”
He bragged about killing people as if it were a badge of honor. My head throbbed from the stupidity.
I shook my head, stood, and walked slowly toward the door. Before stepping out, I raised my hand toward Minwoo. He flinched, eyes shut tight.
So he could cower like this when hit—yet he still raised his hand against Mrs. Song, his own mother? Pathetic.
I tapped his cheek lightly with my fingers. freewebnσvel.cѳm
“Fine. Let’s see what kind of ‘big brothers’ you’ve got. I want to see for myself how scary they are.”
I led him out of the shop.
The market crowd was still buzzing, watching nervously.
My guards and Ma’s men blocked the entrance, facing off against a group of rough-looking thugs.
About ten of them, trying to pick a fight.
“Who the fuck are you? What crew are you with?”
“Ha, look at these idiots puffing up their heads like they’re something.”
My men didn’t even respond. That only enraged the thugs more. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You laughing?”
“I expected more. Just street punks.”
“...What did you just say?”
One thug redirected his fury at me. I ignored him and turned to Minwoo.
“Those punks are your so-called brothers? No, right?”
“...”
The confidence drained from Minwoo’s face as he finally saw what was really outside.
“Hey! What crew are you with? You know who you’re messing with?”
“Keep barking—”
“Picking a fight with Dongsupa is the same as declaring war on Chunha Group in Seoul.”
At the name Dongsupa, my expression hardened.
Why was that name coming out of this bastard’s mouth?
Coldly, I asked,
“You said Dongsupa?”
“What, you scared now?”
His mockery set the others laughing.
“Answer me. You said Dongsupa?”
“Who the hell would dare lie about that name? Don’t you know the weight it carries?”
So these punks claimed to be Dongsupa?
No one knew that better than me. I was the one who told them to use the name for the Busan branch of Chunha Group.
Chunha Group had been carved out of Geukseong’s shady businesses—everything but the construction arm.
It was Dongsoo hyung’s crew. Naming the Busan branch Dongsupa was my way of honoring that.
Current chairman Yoo Seongjin was nothing like Lee Sanggeun—aggressive, ruthless, crushing anyone in his way.
But... had he really let garbage like this into the fold?
I had warned him countless times: never touch civilians. And now? These market thugs were claiming to be Chunha Group’s Busan branch?
“You really part of Dongsupa?”
“Why, scared now? Didn’t I warn you, hyung? You’re in deep trouble.”
That was it. My jaw clenched. Trusting Yoo Seongjin to handle things had been a mistake.
I ground my teeth and turned to my ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) men.
“You contacted Seoul?”
“Yes, we have the location.”
“...Good. Tell Grandma I’ll be back. Take every last one of these bastards down and drag them there.”
“Yes, boss!”
Ma’s men moved instantly.
“Minwoo, you’re coming with me.”
“Hyung, don’t. This will blow up big. Just apologize, take a beating, and—”
“Shut it.” My voice cut like a blade.
“The only reason I’m not dragging you with them is because of your mother. One more word without my say, and I won’t stop myself. Got it?”
My voice and face had changed completely. Minwoo faltered, then followed silently.
Behind us, shouts and the sounds of fighting rang out, but I didn’t care. Those guppies couldn’t possibly stand against Ma’s men.
We reached Grandma and Mrs. Song.
“Grandma, go home first. I’ll take care of Minwoo and come back. Let’s have sashimi tomorrow.”
“...It’s not dangerous, is it?”
Her face was lined with worry. I forced a smile.
“Not at all. Go home, I’ll be back soon.”
“...Fine. Come back early. I’ll wait.”
Mrs. Song saw her son’s battered face and started crying again. Even after he raised his hand against her, he was still her child.
I turned to her.
“Auntie, I’ll send him home later. For today, close the shop and rest. I’ll make sure he can’t gamble or play gangster again.”
Her eyes wavered. She wasn’t convinced.
I lightly patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. It’s me, Kim Muhyuk. The kid you used to stuff with rice cakes. I won’t harm him.”
“...Thank you, Muhyuk. Truly, thank you.”
She broke into tears.
Her devotion, even after everything, hurt to watch. For her sake, I wouldn’t let this slide.
Leaving Grandma with the guards, I took Minwoo and left the market.
We drove to the warehouse at Gamman Pier, the location Seoul had given us.
“Contact Chairman Yoo.”
“Yes, sir.”
Minwoo hadn’t said a word since we got in the car, his mouth clamped shut.
“It’s connected.”
“Give it here.”
A subordinate handed me the phone. Yoo Seongjin’s voice came through.
― Did you find them?
“You want to die, Yoo Seongjin? Or do you think I’m a joke?”
― ...
Not once had I spoken to him like this. Not even to his predecessor, Lee Sanggeun.
But now, my first words were pure venom, and Yoo Seongjin was silent.
“What did I tell you when I handed you Chunha Group? Never, ever harm civilians.”
My hometown people, Grandma’s friends, those who had cared for me when I had nothing—they were cowering in fear because of my own organization.
This wasn’t what I wanted.
“Is it too hard, fighting Triads and Southeast Asian mafias? Short on men? On money?”
― I’m sorry. I’ll come to Busan immediately.
He didn’t ask for details. He knew better.
“Send the branch executives first. Who’s in charge there now?”
― A man called Bulgom. He used to work under Brother Dongsoo. You’ve probably seen him once or twice.
“Bulgom...” I didn’t remember him at all. Not even the nickname sparked anything.
“Send him now. I’m already on my way.”
― Yes. I’ll go down myself too.
I ended the call and closed my eyes. My head pounded worse than ever.
Had I really made the right choice?
‘Dongsoo hyung... is this what you wanted?’
Even in the sunlight, a gangster is still a gangster.
Lost in thought, the car pulled up at the warehouse by Gamman Pier.
“Boss, we’ve arrived.”
I opened my eyes.
Night had already fallen. The dark sea breeze carried salt and cold.
With uneasy Minwoo in tow, I walked toward the warehouse. Guards outside opened the door for us.
Light spilled across the dock as the door swung wide.
Inside, I sat down on a prepared chair and turned to Minwoo.
“You kneel too.”
“...Hyung.”
He wanted to say something, but my hardened face silenced him.
Like cattle to slaughter, he shuffled over and knelt beside the others.
They were all beaten already, no part of them unscathed.
I rubbed my face once, then spoke.
“Step forward, the ones who lynched the youth leader.”
No one moved. Finally, one man spoke.
“Let’s end this here. No need to make it bigger. Let us go, and we’ll call it even.”
So he thought he was the spokesman.
I jerked my chin at him.
“You the top dog here?”
“...We’re fists.”
“Ha. Fists? Don’t give me that shit.”
Even when Dongsoo hyung called them fists, I called them what they were—gangsters.
“So what’s your rank in Dongsupa? Enforcer? Mid-level?”
He had no answer. Just a barking mutt.
I raked my hair back with a deep sigh.
“Can’t answer? Then you’re just a grunt.”
“Even grunts are family! Dongsupa doesn’t discriminate! Don’t look down on us!”
“...Haa.”
Another heavy sigh escaped me.
Dongsoo hyung had a dream. No discrimination, everyone eating together.
That’s why, even after his death, Chunha Group made sure even the lowest had money to live on.
In this era, loyalty was bought with cash. Power was money, not fists.
And now his will had twisted into this.
“One last time. Step forward, the ones who lynched the youth leader. If no one does, I’ll assume you all did, and I’ll cut one tendon from each of your legs. So if anyone wants to take responsibility, come out now.”
“This is about the youth leader? We were wrong. We only did it because Minwoo got beat. We’ll apologize. Let’s end it.”
Still, no one moved. Only that same spokesman spoke.
At his words, a chilling smile spread across my face.
An apology? If that were enough, we wouldn’t be here.
The frightened faces of the market vendors flashed through my mind. Fury boiled over.
I needed to show these mutts what kind of apology I required.
“Fine. If you’re wrong, you pay the price.”
