Chapter 006
The Guys Who Deserve to Die
Anger Inciter
The Revenge Credits displayed in my status window: 1.
I could use my Alter Persona once, but I needed to save it in case of an emergency.
I had to collect ten credits to unlock the ability immediately, so it was important to stockpile them.
I pulled my neck warmer up over my nose and put the bag inside the backpack I had prepared.
“Phew.”
I stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the basement elevator on B1 and steadied my breathing. Everything was ready.
Considering her personality, I figured she would have parked on the nearest level, B1.
My guess was right.
The elevator doors on B1 opened, and the woman from the twenty-fourth floor stepped out wearing sunglasses.
I followed her at a leisurely pace.
A large black sedan, its windows so heavily tinted that they looked pitch-black.
The moment she climbed into the driver’s seat, I shoved my way inside after her.
“Ah… Mmph!”
I quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and shut the car door.
Then I took out a utility knife and extended the blade.
Zzzzip—
The chilling sound made her freeze.
“Speak quietly enough that only I can hear you. Otherwise, you die.”
Her double chin trembled as she nodded.
“Close your eyes.”
Overwhelmed by fear, she began shedding tears.
I opened the center console and checked its contents. There was a handkerchief and a small plastic bag about the size of my knuckles.
The white powder looked like the methamphetamine I’d seen on TV.
“Drugs? Are you using them?”
“No… Please spare me.”
I checked that no one was nearby before asking my next question.
“Do you know why I’m doing this?”
Her lips trembled before she answered.
“I’m really sorry. I’m a VVIP customer, and I felt like I was being ignored… I’m truly sorry for cursing at the department store manager and kicking him. I’ll apologize.”
She thought I was the department store manager.
Could there have been other misdeeds?
“I’m not that person. Think again. Do you remember anything else?”
“Could you be… from the car wash?”
“Go on.”
“I’m really sorry. I have a cleanliness obsession, and I lost control for a moment when I saw a stain on my car. I was wrong to slap you.”
There was no need to investigate further.
This woman believed that money gave her the right to control other people. She was evil.
“If you believe money can buy anything, then you’re the cheapest person in the world.”
“I’m really sorry. If you spare me, I’ll give you as much money as you want.”
“Shameless and cowardly.”
I opened the glove compartment and examined the business cards inside.
[Joongseong International
CEO: Jung Joong-seong
Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul…
Tel: 02-565-XXXX
Mobile: 010-5454-XXXX]
“What does your husband do?”
“He runs a trading company.”
“Does he trade drugs, too?”
“No!”
“Then what’s this?”
“…”
“You don’t have to answer. Just remember that if you report me, I’ll report you, too.”
I rolled up the handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth.
When she opened her eyes halfway, I immediately slapped her across the face.
“I told you that you have to listen to me if you want to live.”
The tears running down her face smeared her mascara, making it look like black ink.
“This is punishment for your sins. If you look down on someone again, I’ll kill you next time.”
I took the utility knife and hacked away at her hair.
Snip, snip—
Long and short strands fell to the floor.
She sat frozen, like a wooden puppet.
“Your own tongue did this to you.”
My fist shot straight forward, driving into her mouth.
I felt her gums being crushed beneath my knuckles. A moment later, she lost consciousness.
[Revenge successful.
Revenge Credits: 2]
What if no one could stop injustice when it stood on the side of power and wealth?
In that case, couldn’t personal revenge be considered the enforcement of justice?
I thought Jung Joong-seong’s wife deserved at least that much punishment.
She would have to wear a wig from now on and get several dental implants, but compared with the evil she had committed, that was a light sentence.
Had Jung Joong-seong accumulated his wealth through drugs?
There had been a large number of his business cards in the sedan she drove, so I assumed they shared the car.
I didn’t know whether she used drugs or distributed them, but she was definitely connected to them in some way.
I wondered what expression would cross Jung Joong-seong’s face when he saw his wife in that condition.
I’d love to see it.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Someone was pounding hard on the front gate.
No one ever came to my house at this hour. Who could it be?
“Is anyone home?”
A booming voice echoed through the gate.
It was Detective Jo Tae-su.
Damn it!
What should I do?
He must have seen the lights on and concluded that someone was home.
My mind raced at full speed.
“Mr. Kang Maru! I know you’re in there!”
He even knew my name.
I couldn’t let him see what I looked like now.
Then a brilliant idea struck me.
I rushed into the computer room and opened a porn site.
I turned the volume up until the woman’s moans could be heard outside.
Please, just go away.
I could hear the detectives talking outside the gate.
I couldn’t make out their exact words, but their tone sounded resigned.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then thirty.
“Phew.”
Fortunately, the detectives eventually left.
Since an emergency could arise at any time, I needed to increase my intelligence stat.
I logged on to an online bookstore and ordered a variety of books, ranging from the humanities to criminology.
I also needed to dispose of the clothes, neck warmer, bag, and gloves I’d worn when I went to the Gangnam apartment.
I could use the incinerator the local residents had built out of bricks at the foot of the mountain.
I needed a burner phone right away.
Ding-ding— Diri-ri-ding—
It was Hyuk-su.
I couldn’t answer. My voice had changed.
After the ringing stopped, I sent him a text.
—I’ve inhaled a lot of dust, so my throat hurts. I can’t really talk on the phone. What’s up?
—Are you free tomorrow?
—I start work at noon.
—Perfect. There’s something I want to discuss with you. Come over to my place, have lunch, then head to work.
—What is it?
—I’ll tell you tomorrow.
—All right.
Whenever I wore the mask, someone either showed up at my door or called me. It was dangerous.
Unlocking the ability immediately was essential, so I had to manage my Revenge Credits carefully.
But what did Hyuk-su want to discuss?
Since we were only texting instead of talking on the phone, I couldn’t tell what had happened to him.
Tomorrow was also the day of my appointment with the female psychiatrist.
It would be my final session.
As always, the psychiatrist greeted me with a bright smile.
“It’s getting hot out, isn’t it?”
“It’s a warm spring day.”
“Exactly. On days like this, it’s nice to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Why don’t you take a trip somewhere outside the city, Maru?”
“I will.”
“How have you been feeling?”
She was still trying to determine whether I wanted revenge.
“I’m still confused.”
“Your face looks much brighter than it did a few days ago. From what I can see, I think you’re starting to look at things in a more positive way. Wouldn’t you agree?”
She was skilled at phrasing questions in a way that invited agreement.
As usual, I nodded.
“Yes, I would.”
“As I’ve told you before, you are the center of your own world, Maru. And what’s the greatest revenge?”
“Living a happier life than those bastards.”
“Bingo! Exactly!”
The psychiatrist leaned forward, narrowing the psychological distance between us.
“Doctor, may I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“What do you think justice is?”
The psychiatrist was clever and experienced, just as I’d expected.
She had a precise understanding of my psychological state.
“Revenge relieves emotions, but justice restores order. That’s why we have law enforcement.”
“Imagine that you’re on a ship with a hole in it. There are children, housewives, elderly people, professors, robbers, and murderers aboard. Water keeps flooding in, so one person absolutely must be thrown overboard. Who would you choose?”
The psychiatrist tilted her head slightly as she watched me.
“Is there a particular reason you’re asking?”
“I need your instinctive answer.”
“I’d throw the murderer overboard. They killed someone.”
“What if the murderer regretted what they’d done?”
“Evil actions require punishment. Regretting what you’ve done doesn’t bring the dead back to life.”
“I agree with you.”
The psychiatrist studied me intently.
She wanted to know what I was thinking.
“Doctor, I’m feeling good right now, and I’m going to feel even better from now on.”
“Something seems to have happened around you. That’s why I think you’re changing. Am I wrong?”
“I think you are.”
The psychiatrist had accurately sensed the changes in me.
She asked me all sorts of questions, but I concealed my true feelings and answered carefully.
I’d obtained her validation for my actions.
Evil actions required punishment.
“Hyung, I didn’t make much, but I hope you enjoy it.”
Hyuk-su’s studio apartment was spotless.
That was just the kind of person he was.
If his legs were in good shape, he’d be working with me in the cleaning business. It was a shame he couldn’t.
On the table were rolled omelets and kimchi stew.
“This is excellent. You’re a good cook, after all.”
Hyuk-su stared at me thoughtfully.
“What?”
“Your eyes look different, hyung.”
“I’m trying to live happily. What about you? Is something wrong?”
“Let’s talk after we eat.”
The spicy kimchi stew and cheese-filled rolled omelet tasted great.
Hyuk-su had attended cooking school for a long time, and his dream was to open a restaurant of his own.
That was why he was saving money while working as a ppikki—a nightlife promoter who approached potential customers and brought them into bars or clubs.
“It’s delicious. Why not start with a small place? I have enough money to help you get started.”
“You need to save up and move somewhere better yourself, hyung. If I work for another year or so, I should be able to open a small street-food stall.”
“You’ll do well. Imagine your customers enjoying the food you make and leaving satisfied.”
We were talking about something pleasant, yet Hyuk-su’s expression remained gloomy.
Something had definitely happened.
“Is there something you can’t tell me, Hyuk-su?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Actually…”
This was what Hyuk-su told me.
Every ppikki had their own territory.
Recently, another guy had invaded his turf. When Hyuk-su confronted him, he was beaten by a group of gangsters.
“You said the owner of your establishment was paying protection money, too.”
“The other side must have stronger gangsters backing them.”
“Do gangsters control the promoters’ territories as well?”
“They’re newcomers, so they don’t know when to back down.”
Only then did I notice the wound beside Hyuk-su’s neck.
It was a stab wound.
“Was that from a knife?”
“Those bastards don’t think before they act. I thought they’d just threaten me, but when I resisted, one of them stabbed me right away.”
I wished Hyuk-su could find another line of work, but with his disability, few places were willing to hire him.
“Hyuk-su.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you really have to keep doing this job?”
“Just until the end of this year.”
“Hyuk-su, I can invest thirty million won. Why don’t you use it to get started?”
“I want to do it on my own. You’ve helped me so much already, hyung. If I just struggle a little longer, I’ll get there.”
When Hyuk-su had first started working as a nightlife promoter, people had looked down on him because of his disability. He’d been beaten up many times, too.
If he reported it, he’d only get beaten up worse, so he never asked the police for help.
He’d told me things were better now because he had protection, but it seemed a new gang had moved in and stirred up trouble.
“Hyuk-su, be honest with me. Is this a recent problem, or has it been going on for a while?”
“It just started recently. You know I’d tell you if something happened.”
“What do you want to do about it?”
“If I report them to the police, they might kill me. That’s why I wanted to talk it over with you, hyung. You’re a lot smarter than I am.”
Judging by the dejected look on his face, the situation seemed even more serious than he’d let on.
“All right. I’ll figure something out.”
“Do you think there’s a way?”
“I know more people than you do. If I think it through, I’ll come up with something. There has to be a way.”
“I’m sorry for burdening you with this.”
“Don’t be. If anything like that happens again, contact me right away. We’re practically brothers.”
“Yeah. Thanks, hyung.”
I had a mask.
I’d have to make use of it.
