novelraw Chapter 63 : How About We Enjoy a Little Entertainment First?
Chapter 63 : How About We Enjoy a Little Entertainment First?
Chapter 63: How About We Enjoy a Little Entertainment First?
According to the information I had, Seo Man-cheol absolutely hated his nickname—Goblin.
Seo Man-cheol’s voice sank low.
“Ha…… Goblin, you say…… I can’t even remember how many years it’s been since I last heard that name.”
“If you lose your identity, won’t that be a problem?”
“You punk! You really want a hole blown through your gut, huh?”
Choi Dae-ho couldn’t hold back and tried to step in again. This time, Seo Man-cheol didn’t stop him. It was silent permission.
Watching Choi Dae-ho, I lifted one corner of my mouth. My obvious smirk made a vein bulge on his forehead.
“Choi Dae-ho, stay out of this. The grown-ups are talking. A punk like you shouldn’t butt in.”
“What was that? Fine. Then one of us dies here today.”
Throwing off his coat, Choi Dae-ho charged toward me like an enraged bull. That’s when Kang-hyuk, who had been quiet until now, stepped in his way.
Finally, Choi Dae-ho exploded in anger.
“Kang-hyuk! You bastard! You think we left you alone because we were scared of you? I was gonna bring you into the crew, but you dare block my way?”
But Kang-hyuk didn’t back down. He calmly met Choi Dae-ho’s murderous glare.
I patted Kang-hyuk on the shoulder and spoke to Seo Man-cheol, who was still seated.
“Mr. Seo Man-cheol, it seems Kang-hyuk’s been itching for some action. How about we enjoy a little entertainment before we get down to real business?”
Seo Man-cheol’s eyebrow twitched.
“Wow…… You guys are driving me crazy!”
Unable to hold his anger anymore, Choi Dae-ho swung a punch at Kang-hyuk.
Kang-hyuk didn’t dodge. He took the punch squarely to the face. The sound was dull and heavy, but he only staggered back a few steps—he didn’t fall.
Seo Man-cheol watched the scene for a moment, then finally spoke.
“Fine. Choi Dae-ho, step back.”
“Boss!”
“I said, step back.”
At his firm command, Choi Dae-ho reluctantly moved aside. Seo Man-cheol gestured for one of his subordinates to come forward—the third in the organization’s hierarchy, Park Cheol-min.
“Park Cheol-min, you take him. Don’t kill him—just teach him a proper lesson.”
It seemed he hadn’t risen to his position through brute force alone. Seo Man-cheol was cunning.
He accepted my suggestion, perhaps to gauge Kang-hyuk’s strength. But if by any chance his number two, Choi Dae-ho, lost to that young fighter, it would be a serious blow to the gang’s reputation.
“Kang-hyuk, I’ll take care of whatever comes after. Do what you want. If you don’t want to fight, I’ll handle it.”
I didn’t want to force him into anything. But he shook his head.
“B-bro. I’ll do it.”
He even used an unfamiliar term of address, clenching his fists tight. I watched him briefly, then nodded.
“Shall we take this outside?”
Only then did Seo Man-cheol rise from his seat.
We stepped out of the building and into the wide street bustling with people. Passersby began to murmur and gather to watch the spectacle.
Park Cheol-min and Kang-hyuk took positions at the center.
The one to charge first was Park Cheol-min. With a beastlike roar, he lunged at Kang-hyuk.
Park Cheol-min, who had formal boxing training, moved with dazzling footwork, throwing sharp jabs. His punches landed on Kang-hyuk’s face and torso in rapid succession.
Kang-hyuk, on the other hand, knew no fighting techniques. He simply raised his guard instinctively, blocking his face as best as he could and taking the blows head-on.
Thud! Thud!
The dull sound of flesh striking flesh echoed repeatedly. Soon, blood trickled from the corner of Kang-hyuk’s mouth, and bruises bloomed all over his body.
“That bastard’s got some damn endurance!”
Choi Dae-ho clicked his tongue. It looked like a completely one-sided fight.
But Kang-hyuk didn’t fall. As he took the relentless beating, he was learning—memorizing his opponent’s movements and attack patterns with his body.
Finally, Park Cheol-min’s breathing grew ragged, and his punches lost some power. That meant Kang-hyuk had found his opening.
The moment Park Cheol-min threw a big hook, Kang-hyuk slipped inside his guard and wrapped his arms around his waist like a bear.
Then, with his natural brute strength, he lifted him clean off the ground and slammed him mercilessly onto the asphalt.
“Ugh!”
A scream tore from Park Cheol-min’s mouth at the impact.
Kang-hyuk didn’t stop there. Straddling the fallen man, he unleashed a storm of punches and elbows, paying back every hit he’d taken.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Park Cheol-min tried to block with his arms, but he couldn’t withstand Kang-hyuk’s raw power.
“You bastard!”
When Choi Dae-ho tried to rush forward, I stepped in front of him.
“You gonna keep acting like a street punk? Even your boss is watching quietly.”
Eventually, Park Cheol-min lost consciousness under Kang-hyuk’s brutal blows and went limp.
“Enough.”
At my low voice, Kang-hyuk finally stopped. Breathing heavily, he got to his feet.
“Uaaaaaah!”
Raising both arms to the sky, Kang-hyuk roared. It was the anguished cry of a wounded bear—releasing all the oppression and resentment he’d endured.
His face was a bloody, bruised mess, but he looked freer than ever.
“Mr. Seo Man-cheol, shall we continue? Or would you prefer to go upstairs and talk…….”
Before I could finish, uniformed police officers pushed through the crowd that had gathered to watch.
The mood shifted instantly.
“What the hell’s going on here? What do you think you’re doing?!”
The man at the front, with two mugunghwa badges gleaming on his shoulders, shouted with a scowl.
It was Inspector Kim from the Busan Central Police Department’s Criminal Division. According to the information from Noh Gi-tae, he was one of Seo Man-cheol’s most reliable backers.
His eyes didn’t go to the bloodied Kang-hyuk or the collapsed Park Cheol-min, but to Seo Man-cheol, who stood calmly with his arms crossed.
“Oh my, Mr. Seo, what’s all this commotion? How could someone put you through such trouble?”
Seo Man-cheol didn’t answer—he simply gestured toward Kang-hyuk with his chin. Inspector Kim followed the motion, spotted Kang-hyuk, and quickly grasped the situation.
“That punk did this?”
Annoyance flickered in his eyes, the kind of irritation that came from having to deal with a bothersome task.
“You brat! Get over here right now! On your knees! You dare lay a hand on someone?!”
I stepped between Inspector Kim and Kang-hyuk.
“Inspector, it was a fair match—a test of skill. There are plenty of witnesses here.”
“Witnesses? Everyone here belongs to Mr. Seo. You really think anyone’s gonna back you?”
He wasn’t wrong. The crowd around us averted their eyes or pretended to look elsewhere, all at once. Inspector Kim snorted.
This was how the Yeongdo gang ruled Busan—with perfect collusion between violence and law enforcement.
‘Seo Man-cheol…… So this was your plan from the start.’
Inspector Kim shouted again.
“Arrest that bastard immediately! Caught red-handed for assault—take him in!”
At his command, the officers drew their batons and advanced on Kang-hyuk. The situation was spiraling into its worst possible turn.
“Also…… you’ll have to come with us too.”
Inspector Kim’s gaze turned toward me. I quietly stared back at him.
“On what charge? For arresting a law-abiding citizen?”
“What? A law-abiding citizen? You son of a bitch, you think the law’s a joke? You think I’m a joke?!”
He pulled a gun from his holster and pressed the cold barrel against my forehead.
“Heh, unbelievable. When I say you’re coming, you’re coming. That’s how the law works here in Busan.”
The gun pressed harder against my temple, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I looked at Seo Man-cheol.
“Mr. Seo Man-cheol. Is this the picture you wanted?”
Seo Man-cheol shrugged. He was probably curious what kind of backing I had that made me bold enough to confront the Yeongdo gang.
That must’ve been why he called Inspector Kim—to escalate things.
“Take them in.”
I didn’t resist any further. In this era, standing against authority head-on was madness. Kang-hyuk seemed to understand my intent too; he went quietly as the police dragged him away.
The cold bite of steel cuffs closed around my wrists.
Unlike his rough tone with me, Inspector Kim spoke politely to Seo Man-cheol.
“Mr. Seo, would you please accompany us as well?”
“Of course. The victim has to give his statement, doesn’t he?”
Seo Man-cheol looked at me wordlessly, nodded, and began to move.
The police station building was an old red-brick structure built during the Japanese colonial era. The weathered walls still bore the scars of time, and a crooked banner with military government slogans hung across the front.
“Take them inside!”
At Inspector Kim’s shout, we were dragged roughly through the creaking doors.
The inside of the station was pure chaos.
The air was thick with cigarette smoke. Shouts, the clacking of typewriters, and the incessant ringing of phones all tangled together into a dizzying roar.
“You still won’t talk, you bastard? Spit it out!”
“I didn’t do it! I swear! I’m innocent!”
In one corner, a man with a swollen face cried out as a detective grabbed him by the collar—but no one paid any attention.
Violence and shouting were just part of the everyday scenery here.
We were dragged down a hallway into the innermost office of the Criminal Division. They sat us down on cold wooden chairs, but the handcuffs stayed locked tight.
Inspector Kim, who had been busy making phone calls, finally hung up the receiver and approached Seo Man-cheol with a polite bow.
“Mr. Seo, the Chief would like to invite you for a cup of tea.”
“When the Chief himself calls, how could I refuse? Lead the way.”
“I’ll escort you.”
As Inspector Kim left the office with Seo Man-cheol, he jerked his chin toward us and ordered the remaining detectives,
“Turn those bastards inside out. Dig up every crime you can think of and write it all down. When I get back, I better hear they spilled everything!”
“Yes, Inspector! Don’t worry!”
This place wasn’t one of law and justice.
It was just a grand stage where the powerful fabricated crimes and the powerless screamed in vain.
Once Inspector Kim and Seo Man-cheol were gone, the detectives’ eyes changed. They approached us with leering smiles.
One of them snatched the old leather bag beside me, slammed it onto the desk, and yanked the zipper open.
And at that moment, all the noise in the Criminal Division died away as if someone had flipped a switch.
Inside the bag were neat bundles of U.S. dollars—tens and hundreds—alongside stacks of Korean bills amounting to over two million hwan.
A display of wealth completely out of place in such a shabby leather bag. The detectives in the room froze in awe.
They exchanged glances—each filled with thinly veiled greed.
I looked at them and said,
“Think carefully. Do you really think someone carrying around that kind of money in an old bag like this doesn’t have powerful backing?”
“What? You bastard, you think you can talk big in here?”
“I’m asking if you can handle the consequences. Mr. Seo might walk out of here with a fat reward, but you detectives will be lucky to get scraps.”
“……”
My calm tone carried just enough mockery to make their expressions harden.
“I’ll need to make a phone call.”
I stood up, took out my wallet, and laid a 1,000-hwan bill on the desk.
“For the call fee. That should be enough, right?”
Then I grabbed the nearest black rotary phone and dialed a number engraved in my memory without hesitation.
The line rang a few times before a curt voice answered.
……Hello.
“This is Baek Min-woo. Please connect me to Deputy Director Noh Gi-tae.”
One moment, please.
The detectives didn’t stop me.
They had no idea who Noh Gi-tae was or the kind of weight that name carried.
Of course, how could local Busan detectives possibly know the name of the KCIA’s Third Deputy Director in Seoul?
A moment later, a familiar, authoritative voice came through the line.
It’s me. What’s going on?
“Deputy Director, it’s Baek Min-woo. I’m currently at the Busan Central Police Station.”
He gave a short laugh, as if he already understood.
Huh, looks like you’ve found yourself needing my help after all.
“Yes. I’d appreciate it. I’ll make sure to repay this favor double in the future.”
I told you before—if you’d listened to me from the start, you wouldn’t be in this mess.
“I didn’t expect them to play this dirty. When they bring in the police before we can even talk, what else can I do?”
People always try to take the easy way out. Alright. I’ll send someone over immediately.
“Thank you, sir.”
I ended the call and sat back down as if nothing had happened.
The detectives stared at me, completely thrown off, unsure what to do next.
If they were parasites living off power, they should’ve known how to read the room—but apparently, subtlety wasn’t their strength.
I casually extended my cuffed wrists.
“Why don’t you take these off now? My wrists are starting to hurt.”
“……We’ll wait till the Inspector gets back!” one detective snapped, trying to sound tough.
A little later, Inspector Kim returned, humming a tune. Seo Man-cheol was still with the Chief, nowhere to be seen.
“What’s with this mood?”
The detective who’d shouted at me earlier leaned close to whisper something in Inspector Kim’s ear—but I could hear everything.
“S-sir, that guy… something’s not right about him.”
“What do you mean, not right?”
The detective led Inspector Kim over to the desk where my bag still lay open.
Inspector Kim’s eyes widened as he looked inside.
“W-what the hell is this?!”
“It’s his bag, sir.”
“How much money is this? Damn, we hit the jackpot today, didn’t we?”
Seeing the cash, Inspector Kim’s eyes went wild with greed. He glared at me with a ravenous expression.
“Hey, where’d you get all this? Is it really your money?”
“You think I stole it?”
“Well, that’s what we’ll have to find out with an investigation……”
Just then, the door to the Criminal Division burst open, and two men in clean suits stepped inside.