novelraw Chapter 86: If You Took the Money, Do the Job
Chapter 86: If You Took the Money, Do the Job
Chapter 86: If You Took the Money, Do the Job
I woke up in the middle of the night. After confirming that Min-soo was asleep, I quietly left the room.
Outside, Lee Cheong-ho was waiting.
“Let’s go.”
I approached Jin Tae-rim, who was drinking alone in a corner of the first floor.
“Is the boat ready?”
At my low question, he silently emptied his glass and stood up. With all preparations complete, we headed toward the promised location, cutting through pitch-black darkness.
When I put the blindfold on again, boarded the boat, and set foot once more at the base of the Sea Whale, the atmosphere inside the warehouse was noticeably different from before.
It went beyond mere vigilance. The tension hanging in the air felt like a powder keg on the verge of exploding.
Han Do-gyeong was still seated in the deepest shadows, but beside him stood Captain Wang Hae, not the scarecrow Park Gi-nam.
With the same indifferent expression and an equally indifferent voice, Han Do-gyeong opened his mouth.
“You’re here.”
“Yes. We came to wrap up the deal.”
I pulled out an envelope containing one hundred 100-dollar bills and tossed it lightly in front of Han Do-gyeong.
At that moment, the gazes of the Chinese organization members, including Wang Hae, were all drawn to the envelope.
“The promised ten thousand dollars. Let’s keep it clean, President Han.”
“Before that, there’s something to check.”
Wang Hae suddenly cut in. Ignoring me, he rattled off rough Shandong dialect toward Lee Cheong-ho, who stood behind me like a shadow.
“I thought I’d seen you somewhere before. What brings Yang Sobo’s dog all the way here? Did you come to avenge Captain Noh?”
His voice was laced with open contempt and provocation. It was a blatant challenge.
Lee Cheong-ho’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes instantly turned cold. A gaze sharp enough to freeze everything sent chills even to those watching.
He replied in the same Shandong dialect, but in a far colder and sharper voice.
“So you’re the Sea Whale? Unlike the rumors, you’re just a carp pretending to be a dragon in a small pond.”
Wang Hae’s face flushed red in an instant.
The Chinese organization members who had been clacking mahjong tiles all stood up at once. A murderous air that felt like a knife fight could break out at any moment blanketed the warehouse.
The authority of Lee Cheong-ho, who had come as Yang Sobo’s representative, and the pride of Wang Hae, the one truly responsible for maritime operations here, had collided head-on.
“Looks like you want to die. Just a dog of that old bastard Yang Sobo.”
“A dog guarding a lion’s den is far nobler than a carp pretending to be a dragon in a small pond.”
Lee Cheong-ho casually brushed aside Wang Hae’s provocation.
The bowstring pulled taut to its limit snapped with Han Do-gyeong’s intervention.
“Captain Wang.”
His voice was low, but it carried an undeniable weight.
Han Do-gyeong was the king of this organization, and his words were law.
“That’s no way to treat a guest.”
Wang Hae bit his lip in frustration, but eventually took a step back.
As if their battle of pride meant nothing to me, I spread out the nautical chart I had prepared and spoke to Han Do-gyeong.
“Two weeks from now, at midnight on the new moon. We depart from the port southeast of Yeongdo.”
“Understood. Captain Wang will prepare the ship.”
“The rendezvous coordinates in international waters are here.”
Lee Cheong-ho took out a notebook and recited the coordinates designated by Yang Sobo. Wang Hae wrote them down with an annoyed expression.
“At that location, a ship sent by President Lin of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, will be waiting. The coded phrase is…….”
When Lee Cheong-ho explained even the coded phrase, Wang Hae let out a snort and sneered.
“Hah, how grand. Even dropping President Lin’s name. Who knows if that old bastard still has any pull left in Taiwan.”
“That old bastard could easily cut your lifeline, at least.”
Lee Cheong-ho shot back coldly. As the two glared at each other, sparks flying through the air, I cut in first.
“Save the posturing for later. Is it possible?”
At my question, Han Do-gyeong looked at Wang Hae. He nodded and answered.
“I’ve done business with President Lin a few times, so meeting up will be easy. You brought a good partner.”
It seemed Yang Sobo had secured someone fairly well-known on the Taiwan side.
“Lee Cheong-ho and I will go as well.”
“What? What kind of bullshit is that.”
Wang Hae objected openly. I asked in a voice feigning curiosity.
“Is there a reason I can’t go?”
“Hah……. Do you think this is some fishing trip? What do you even know about the sea.”
“This is about sending off my younger brother. Is it that strange for me to go? Or do you have other intentions?”
“What did you say, you bastard?”
Wang Hae growled, glaring at me like he wanted to kill me.
Ignoring his rage, I turned my gaze to Han Do-gyeong, who was observing everything.
“If you took the money, then do the job. I’m a customer, after all. Am I wrong, President Han?”
Han Do-gyeong nodded.
“Captain Wang, do it.”
“But there are rules…….”
“Is it against the rules?”
Having nothing to say, Wang Hae clenched his lips tightly and stayed silent. Han Do-gyeong stared at him for a moment, then jerked his chin toward Lee Cheong-ho and asked.
“Don’t you like that man?”
“You don’t know how vicious that bastard is, President. Acting under Yang Sobo’s orders, how ruthlessly he’s…….”
It seemed Wang Hae had quite a bit pent up against Yang Sobo. If we went out to sea like this, problems were guaranteed.
“Mr. Lee Cheong-ho.”
“Yes, Mr. Baek.”
“Do you know each other?”
“I’ve never seen him before.”
“Then your reaction seems a bit strange.”
Lee Cheong-ho glanced sideways at Wang Hae and shrugged.
“A lot of blood was shed while the lord secured his position. He’s probably one of those who got pushed out along the way.”
“What? Who got pushed out!”
They say the weaker dog barks louder. Wang Hae’s violent reaction only added credibility to Lee Cheong-ho’s words.
Well, Wang Hae’s circumstances were none of my concern. Right now, resolving this ugly situation took priority.
I let out a small sigh and called out to Han Do-gyeong.
“President Han.”
“Speak.”
“If a problem arises at sea, how do you resolve it?”
“Mediation comes first. The mediation group steps in and tries to settle it, and if that fails, it moves to a one-on-one duel.”
“Anyone can tell it won’t be resolved with words, right?”
Han Do-gyeong nodded.
“Then only the one-on-one duel remains. Can we proceed with it right here?”
“No. It’s conducted with the minimum number of people. To preserve both sides’ dignity.”
For the rules of a mere smuggling organization, they were surprisingly complicated. Couldn’t they just keep it simple?
Well, to survive on the rough seas, I supposed it couldn’t be helped. The more detailed the rules were, the fewer disputes would arise.
“Mr. Lee Cheong-ho. Can you do it?”
I hadn’t seen Lee Cheong-ho fight properly before. Since he worked in intelligence, it was possible he couldn’t fight at all…….
“Yes. If Mr. Baek tells me to.”
Lee Cheong-ho answered as if it were nothing. He seemed confident.
Well, in this era, if you gathered and handled all kinds of information, you naturally had to know how to use your fists.
Besides, if Yang Sobo entrusted him with that place, he must have had some degree of martial strength. I looked back at Wang Hae and asked again.
“Captain Wang. What do you think? Shall we proceed?”
Wang Hae glared at me as if he wanted to kill me. It seemed he hadn’t expected things to unfold like this. He must have thought they held the upper hand.
I had to send my younger brother safely to Taiwan, and to achieve that goal, he might have thought I would bend first.
Or perhaps he wanted to gain a sense of superiority by crushing Lee Cheong-ho and proving he had beaten Yang Sobo.
But did I really need to be swayed by such petty emotions? A mad dog that tried to bare its teeth even after taking the money needed to be taught its place.
“Will Captain Wang do it himself? Or someone else? That man’s been glaring at Lee Cheong-ho like he wants to kill him for a while now…….”
I said it while pointing to the vicious gaze I had felt earlier. Among the Chinese group, there was one man in particular who was radiating killing intent.
He looked about my age. Fingering the hilt of the blade at his waist, he looked as though he might cut Lee Cheong-ho’s throat at any moment.
“Who is that man?”
At my question, Wang Hae answered with a greasy smile.
“That’s my son. His name’s So-ryong. Hey, do you know your father’s name?”
At Wang Hae’s question, Lee Cheong-ho looked at the man’s face and shook his head.
“I don’t recognize him.”
“Wang So-gun. That brat’s name is Wang So-ryong. Now do you know?”
Wang So-gun.
At that name, Lee Cheong-ho’s expressionless face cracked for the first time.
In his eyes surfaced confusion, along with a look as if he were dredging up a very old memory.
Soon, Lee Cheong-ho muttered quietly.
“Wang So-gun……. That traitor.”
“Shut up, you son of a bitch! Don’t insult my father!”
Wang So-ryong growled as he stepped forward. With bloodshot eyes, he burned with rage as he glared at Lee Cheong-ho.
“A traitor? What do you mean by that?”
Lee Cheong-ho didn’t avoid So-ryong’s furious gaze and revealed the truth in a hardened voice.
“……Wang So-gun was someone who enjoyed the lord’s trust. However, he embezzled the organization’s funds and was discovered while trying to flee to Japan. The lord showed mercy and spared his life, but unable to bear his resentment, he took his own life. All the evidence was clear.”
“Lies! My father was never that kind of man! Yang Sobo—that old fox—framed my father and took everything from him!”
At So-ryong’s scream, Wang Hae patted his shoulder and joined in.
“That’s right. My sworn brother died unjustly. And that bastard—this Lee Cheong-ho—is the one who trampled everything my brother had, acting under Yang Sobo’s orders.”
The two remembered things differently.
Lee Cheong-ho had no reason to lie to me, so the likelihood was that Wang Hae was the one lying.
To sort this out, we had no choice but to proceed with the duel.
“Very well. Then let the two of them fight. On our side, Mr. Lee Cheong-ho. On your side, your son.”
I cut off Wang Hae’s words and set the board.
“What do you think? Letting a son personally avenge his father who died unjustly. Is there a better picture than this?”
At my provocation, Wang Hae fell silent for a moment.
His gaze moved back and forth between his son So-ryong and Han Do-gyeong. At last, as if he had made up his mind, he nodded.
“……Fine. Let’s do that.”
An unavoidable stage for battle had now been set.
Once the duel between the two was decided, Han Do-gyeong rose from his seat. With a single movement of his, every sound in the warehouse died down.
“We’ll move locations. There’s a small island nearby. We always conduct duels there.”
Han Do-gyeong began to take control of the situation. His voice carried the cold authority befitting the head of an organization.
“The fighters and the witnesses. Two from each side. That’s all that’s needed.”
Without hesitation, Wang Hae brought along his adopted son, Wang So-ryong. I turned to Lee Cheong-ho.
He nodded silently. This time, no blindfold was handed to us.
Han Do-gyeong no longer regarded me as a mere guest, but acknowledged me as someone who had entered their rules.
For the first time, I took in the scenery outside the warehouse. It was an isolated rocky island, surrounded on all sides by a black sea.
I boarded the small motorboat I had arrived on once more. After steering the boat for about ten minutes, just as Han Do-gyeong had said, the faint silhouette of an island emerged from the pitch-black darkness.
A small uninhabited island without even a proper pier. The waves shattered and produced white foam along a shore made not of sand, but of finely broken seashells and black pebbles.
Bathed in moonlight, the strangely glittering scene felt unreal, as if it didn’t belong to reality.
If anything happened here, the world would never know.
After we disembarked, Han Do-gyeong led us first to a small clearing deeper into the island.
Several organization members were already there, having lit four lanterns and drawn a circular boundary.
The four flickering lights in the darkness eerily illuminated the stage of the imminent death match.
Standing at the center of the circle where the duel would take place, Han Do-gyeong spoke, like a priest presiding over a ritual.
“There are rules on our sea. Fighting is the last resort.”
He looked back and forth between Lee Cheong-ho and Wang So-ryong.
“First, no weapons. The match is decided with bare hands only. Second, you must not aim for vital points or attempt to kill your opponent. This is a duel for honor, not murder. Third, victory is decided when the opponent is pushed outside the boundary three times or cannot get up for ten seconds. The referee may also stop the match at their discretion.”
His gaze shifted to me and Wang Hae.
“The witnesses on both sides must never intervene in the duel. If you break this rule, the price will be your life. Do you all understand?”
His final words were not merely an explanation of rules, but a demand for an unbreakable oath. I nodded silently. Wang Hae also expressed his agreement with a stiff expression.
Han Do-gyeong stepped back outside the circle and made his final declaration to the two men.
“Begin.”
The moment his words fell, Wang So-ryong roared like a beast and charged straight at Lee Cheong-ho.