novelraw Chapter 189 : Chapter 189
Chapter 189 : Chapter 189
Chapter 189: Second Round as a Villain
There was no need for Ho-cheol to step up against a dozen or so substandard villains.
No, even the expression ‘villain’ was a pity.
They were just back-alley thugs who had been lucky enough to be born with a Trait.
Never mind Ho-cheol, they weren't even on a level to digest the churros Wolf Fang had eaten on his way here.
Ppa-ak—!
Wajangchang—!
A villain flew back and smashed a shelf and a bottle of liquor that had been set up against the wall.
At that sight, Ho-cheol said in an indifferent tone.
“Ah, hey. That’s all our stuff now. You shouldn't handle it so roughly.”
“Whoops. Right.”
Wolf Fang belatedly swung his fist a little more carefully.
Either grabbing the back of the neck and hitting the abdomen as quietly as possible, or maintaining the trajectory of the attack only vertically.
It was a truly contradictory expression, but a delicate and violent scene continued.
Every time he swung his fist, a villain fell.
In fact, a simple punch did not suit his fighting style, but strangely, among villains, attacks using nails or teeth, rather than simple blows, were not well-regarded.
If he were to establish his rank in that way, there would surely be trouble later, and he would have no choice.
Before long, there was not even a place to step among the fallen villains around him.
So what could he do?
“Ugh.”
“Kkeuheuk.”
The villains who were stepped on every time he walked let out a painful groan.
“What a bunch of crybabies.”
Ho-cheol clicked his tongue.
Compared to 10 years ago, it was a truly pathetic sight.
Back then, they were all guys who would somehow bite and cling on with sheer grit and guts, even if their Trait output was a little low.
But these days, villains give up so easily.
And so, he arrived at a wall after stepping on the villains, and under it, a man was collapsed against the wall.
The boss of this organization.
He was now the ‘ex-boss.’
All the other villains had been knocked out in one blow, but at least, being the boss, he had endured three attacks.
Of course, he had collapsed before the 4th attack had even hit.
Without even the presence of mind to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, the man glared at Wolf Fang.
Unlike his extremely low-level subordinates, his gaze was at least alive.
“What is this!”
At the unexpected question, Wolf Fang stroked his chin and thought.
“Well, to put it simply, an organization takeover? Succession to the throne? A title match? Ah, this is hard to express.”
In the end, unable to find a suitable answer, he turned his head back and asked Ho-cheol.
“What should I say?”
“Why are you asking something like that? It's not even important.”
Ho-cheol gave him a suitable answer instead of nonsense.
“Tell him to lower his eyes if he doesn't want to die.”
“You heard him? Or should I gouge out your eyes?”
But the boss continued to glare at Wolf Fang and Ho-cheol with a confident expression.
Although he might have lost in terms of strength, he had something to believe in.
“Do you know who’s backing us?”
He would probably turn pale if he heard about his backer.
Of course, even if he apologized belatedly, he had no intention of forgiving him.
He would surely be put in a drum, filled with concrete, and sunk in the sea.
But Ho-cheol's following answer was full of leisure.
“I know. It’s Hong Beom-do. But why does that matter?”
In the first place, he had come knowing everything, and even this was an extension of the picture he had drawn.
In fact, he was even feeling a sense of anxiety because everything had gone according to plan so far.
Ho-cheol chuckled at the boss, who was making a dumbfounded expression and was puzzled.
“Right. If a cooperating organization is being robbed by an outsider, of course Hong Beom-do will help. That’s how that guy exerts his influence on external organizations. But listen.”
He pointed back and forth between Wolf Fang and himself with his fingertip.
“You should know that we’re the new recruits who just came in today, members of the organization. What just happened wasn’t an external attack on you, but a simple internal problem, a fight.”
It wasn't that he had gone to the trouble of getting an introduction and entering as a new recruit, even though he could have just barged in without any warning.
“If Hong Beom-do were to rush over and beat us up after hearing your words, other villain organizations would see it as a monstrous organization that interferes in the internal affairs of a cooperating organization, a heinous act.”
He crossed his arms and grinned.
“If you knew how important that kind of face is in the villain world, you wouldn't be saying such a thing.”
The boss's expression turned black.
He shouted, trying to turn the situation around somehow.
“B-but, how much trust I have from Hong Beom-do…!”
“Even if your mouth is crooked, you should speak straight, shouldn't you? The trust is not in your ability, but in the ability of the entire organization that has delivered goods here without a single mistake.”
This place was one of the many subordinate organizations that were subcontracted for the illegal smuggling of goods by Hong Beom-do's organization.
“Most importantly, have you even seen Hong Beom-do's face?”
For them, they were just one of the many small organizations they had subcontracted to.
Ho-cheol was sure that he had not even seen the face of an executive, let alone the boss.
As if he had been struck by his words, the boss lowered his head deeply.
“It’s just that the boss has changed due to internal circumstances; if there’s no disruption in the smuggling route or work process, those guys won’t pay any attention to this side. No, in fact, if they’re replaced by a competent leader, wouldn't they be even more grateful?”
Ho-cheol looked at the fallen villains with a pathetic tone.
“Idiots.”
It might be difficult to gain loyalty or trust when the boss changes overnight.
But loyalty and trust, and especially from such dregs, was something he would pass on.
“How long are you going to live as just delivery boys?”
It was a very simple deal.
“Still, if you’re a villain, you should get a rank and play in a bigger league.”
Ho-cheol lightly wiped the blood that had splattered on his cheek with his thumb.
“Are there any bastards who look down on you as half-baked villains who just carry luggage outside? Tell me. I’ll kill them all.”
Their gazes changed strangely.
In this organization, practical combat power was not that important.
It was an easy job to start, but in the end, if you thought about it, it was a job anyone could do.
That's why it was a daily occurrence for them to be looked down upon by other villains.
“You don't need to be loyal to me. This is a very simple deal. If until now you were only getting back 3 or 4 even if you gave 10, I'll give you back 15, 16.”
He, with his hands behind his back, leaned forward and said to his subordinates.
Ho-cheol knew more about the psychology and goals of villains, of trash, than anyone else.
And also how to dominate them.
They had no loyalty or allegiance.
What was needed was a tangible, material value.
“Decide whether to pledge your loyalty or not after you see the thickness of the wad of cash in your hands a month from now.”
As Ho-cheol's detailed plan and vision continued, and as that future became clearer, the villains' expressions changed.
Even the ‘ex-boss,’ who had been grinding his teeth in a vow of revenge just a moment ago, was now completely captivated by the shining future.
***
About four more days passed after he had received his vacation.
For Ho-cheol, it had actually been a few days of displeasure and soaring irritation.
Seeing criminals crawling around and committing crimes in real time in front of him, it felt as if the blood in his entire body was boiling backwards.
Inside a huge warehouse, villains were carrying a tightly sealed wooden box.
Ho-cheol sat on the box and watched their work, muttering.
“My patience has really grown. I feel like I want to grab anyone and beat them up.”
It was a good thing his patience had grown so much from having to deal with all sorts of students at the academy, and even a super-problem child at home.
Of course, the villains who had misunderstood the meaning of his muttering moved even more busily, tense, and carried the luggage.
Wolf Fang, who was standing next to Ho-cheol, also scratched the back of his head with a strange expression.
“Are these villains, or a moving company? Honestly, I can’t even tell the difference.”
The current organization's main source of income, illegal goods smuggling, was not even smuggling, to be precise.
It was closer to the role of an intermediate delivery department that received smuggled goods.
Basically, they received requests from several large organizations to store and deliver goods, and it seemed to be quite popular because the large organizations could avoid risks with a small amount of money.
“Unlike our time, the division of labor is clear.”
And today was the large-scale delivery with that ‘Hong Beom-do's organization,’ which was scheduled once a week.
A few trucks and a pitch-black van entered the warehouse from a distance.
Villains poured out from there.
And one of the men approached Ho-cheol.
The man holding a file looked around and then approached Ho-cheol.
“What’s this, a new face? Did you come as the boss’s representative?”
“From now on, I’m the boss.”
“Ah……. I see.”
At Ho-cheol's short answer, the man's brows narrowed for a moment, but he quickly returned to his original expression.
All the other subordinates were also present, and he had even found the former boss working over there.
There must be some internal story.
He had no choice but to let it go.
He flipped through the file and said.
“Well. The title of boss does give you some swagger, but you’d better be careful.”
No matter if it was a mere organization member and the boss of an organization, that was only when their weight classes were somewhat matched.
In his opinion, Ho-cheol's organization was, no joke, so weak that it would be blown away by just a breath from Hong Beom-do.
Just the last boss, he had at least maintained a conversation with mutual respect.
But if he continued to maintain such an arrogant attitude, he would surely get a big nose later.
No, if it was just that, it would be a relief.
It wouldn't be strange if he were to die by mistake.
Of course, Ho-cheol had no intention of accepting that advice-slash-warning.
Honestly, it was ridiculous enough to be sharing a table with such a riffraff villain, so what?
“If you came to get the goods, then just get the goods and go.”
He raised his index and middle fingers and pointed to the stacked boxes.
At Ho-cheol's stiff attitude, the organization member clicked his tongue.
“Well. It’s our motto to get along with all the other organizations, so we’ll let it slide, but the other guys won't be so kind.”
At most, a month.
Maybe by next week, another guy would be sitting in this seat.
Although he was a low-level member, he had that much sense.
As if he had given up, he gestured with his hand, and the low-level organization members who had been waiting at the entrance rushed in and carried the luggage.
“Hey, you two, open those two boxes first. We have to check the quality of the goods too.”
“Yes!”
As they were busy carrying the boxes, Ho-cheol, with his hands in his pockets, stared at the backs of a few of the villains.
He shook his head with a hollow laugh.
This place is a mess too.
About 30 more minutes passed.
The organization member from before approached again.
He held out the file he had been carrying.
“We’ve checked the quantity. Just sign the receipt confirmation here and we’ll pay right away.”
“Before that.”
Ho-cheol turned his body and approached the low-level organization members who were resting after finishing their work.
Then he placed his hand on the shoulder of one of the villains.
It was a guy Ho-cheol had been watching carefully from before.
“First, one.”
“Huh?”
Just as the villain was about to turn around, puzzled.
Ho-cheol swung his foot lightly first.
Of course, unlike the light swing, the result was brutal.
Ppudeudeuk—!
The kicked shin bent at a grotesque angle with an unpleasant sound.
“Kkeuhaaaak!”
Before the villain could even fall, Ho-cheol kicked the shin of another villain next to him.
“And this guy.”
Finally, he clenched his fist and struck another villain in the stomach.
Bbeo-eok—!
“And this one.”
The villain, who was clutching his stomach, collapsed.
“What is this!”
The villain who had rushed over grabbed Ho-cheol by the collar.
Even while being held by the collar, Ho-cheol leisurely tilted his head.
“The guys who were kicked in the front are the traitors. The one who was hit in the stomach is a guy who will betray later.”
“……How do you know that?”
“Haa.”
At that question, Ho-cheol let out a sigh filled with genuine pity.
“Shouldn’t you be finding out if it’s true, not ‘how’?”
The grip on his collar naturally loosened.
“Go ahead and check.”
“Then just a moment…”
While the villains were in a state of confusion, from the passenger seat of the van, a woman roughly opened the heavily tinted door and jumped out.
“What’s this, why are you suddenly fighting and making a fuss?”
A modified hanbok, completely out of place here.
Originally, a hanbok was the basic dress code for Hong Beom-do's organization.
The guys Ho-cheol had encountered so far hadn't even been treated properly.
Maybe she was the team leader in charge of this matter?
The woman strode over and stood right in front of Ho-cheol.
“Never seen you before. Who are you?”
A sharp impression, an aggressive and rude tone.
Ho-cheol was momentarily at a loss for words and shut his mouth.
A strangely familiar face, but they hadn't met before.
It was just that he had found a trace of someone he was familiar with on that face.
Right now, it was just a prediction and an imagination, but it was not easy to look so similar just by coincidence.
That’s right.
Come to think of it, he had just assumed it was a boy on his own.
The dean had said ‘grandchild,’ not ‘grandson.’
Then it could have been a ‘granddaughter.’
“Hey, are you a mute? Why aren't you talking!”
The woman created a small explosion in her palm.
Ho-cheol squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.
What more perfect proof was there than that?
The moment when a mere suspicion had just become a certainty.
Ho-cheol discreetly covered his mouth with one hand.
He muttered very softly.
“I’m going crazy.”
Meeting her already is quite different from the plan.