TTD 139

Kang Seok-joo complained with an expression of desperation. He said that before, Il-hyun would find fault and scold him, but lately he’s been dumping mountains of work on him. He whined that he might die from overwork first.

“So, you handle it. If Kang Il-hyun dies, I’ll give you part of what I inherit. No, I’ll give you all of it. Please save me, okay?”

Ja-kyung smiled sympathetically and popped another grape into his mouth.

“How much can you give as a down payment?”

When he asked straightforwardly, hope filled Seok-joo’s eyes.

“Well, I don’t have much I can convert to cash. But I can match whatever amount you want as much as possible.”

Kang Seok-joo’s eyes sparkled like a vile swindler, and a smile spread across Ja-kyung’s face. He felt sorry thinking about how much the kid must have been tormented to come to him with this, but he couldn’t tell Kang Il-hyun about this. If he did, he might really end up as fertilizer in the watermelon field.

“Instead of that, how about working hard and gaining recognition for your abilities? You got promoted, right?”

“Why are you changing your tune? You just acted like you’d help.”

“I could help, but not right now.”

“Then when would it be possible?”

Ja-kyung rolled his eyes.

“When I start disliking Kang Il-hyun?”

Kang Seok-joo burst out angrily, asking what nonsense that was. He argued that how could a cold-blooded killer be swayed by personal feelings, and if he could really be a first-class killer like that, but Ja-kyung offered him juice telling him not to get excited and sat down on the sunbed.

“Anyway, not until then. Kang Il-hyun’s life is mine. If you try to get someone else to do something like that, I’ll come to kill you first. Remember that, Seok-joo.”

As he lay back down wearing sunglasses, Seok-joo cursed, kicked his chair, and left. 

Ja-kyung shook his head and turned on his phone to play music. Just then, a message arrived from Wang Lun.

[S Club, 9 PM.]

***

“You two cannot enter.”

The club’s entrance was guarded by two large men who only let Ja-kyung pass, blocking Wang Lun and Wang Han. When Wang Han showed his VIP card, they radioed somewhere, and after confirmation, they finally apologized.

The two grumbled as they entered.

“What’s this, did they stop us because of our faces?”

“What else would they look at?”

“What about Wei? Why did they let Wei in right away?”

“Look, is he the same as us?”

Wang Lun, who was about to argue what was different, closed his mouth. Ja-kyung was wearing a colorful flashy shirt, and even though it was cheap from the market, he gave off the impression of a rich young master.

“That kid looks more like a young master now that their face has gotten whiter.”

“He’s always had that young master look since he was a kid. When we took him around the neighborhood, everyone would stare.”

Listening to Wang Han boast like a proud parent, Wang Lun insisted that he too had class but lost it through hardship. Meanwhile, a guard came from inside the club and approached the three.

“You’re the ones introduced by Brother In-cheol, right? Please follow me.”

Passing through the noisy stage and continuing down the opposite corridor, they came to a firmly closed steel door. Opening it revealed an elevator, and taking it underground showed a scene quite different from the club above.

The structure was built with a ring in the center surrounded by audience seating, and many people were already mingling, drinking and smoking. Passing by, they noticed the distinctive smell of marijuana, realizing it wasn’t just cigarettes. At this level, other drugs were probably being traded too.

“The fights haven’t started yet. You can use the bar over there, and please place your bets before the fights begin.”

He handed them a tablet showing the profiles and records of today’s fighters. Looking at it, Ja-kyung probed casually.

“Are these all the fighters?”

“Only today’s competitors are listed.”

“Can’t see the others, right?”

Instead of answering, the employee gave him a puzzled look, and Ja-kyung lit a cigarette and gestured toward the fighters.

“Just seems like there are only scrawny ones. I’d be mad if I lost my money.”

The employee laughed and said not to worry, explaining there were some select fighters and all had solid experience worth watching. After finishing some more explanations, the employee disappeared, and Wang Lun, Wang Han, and Ja-kyung brought bottled beer and carbonated water to sit in the viewing area.

Soon after, the announcer came up, chatted briefly, and introduced the fighters. As the fighters’ photos appeared on the electronic board and music played, they entered one by one to cheers from the audience.

When the bell rang and the fight began, two solidly built fighters grappled with each other. Though called martial arts, it was essentially no different from a dog fight – no time limit, no technique restrictions, just fighting until one person was knocked unconscious.

Lun had already become absorbed in the fight, cheering for the fighter he bet on, and when that fighter passed out before the 10-minute mark, he stood up and cursed without restraint. Even as someone was carried out, everyone was too busy laughing and enjoying themselves.

As the fights reached their peak, the final round came, and the fighter with the most impressive record appeared. The man was called the Brown Bear, was over 190cm tall with a shaved head, and his entire body was covered in tattoos.

His opponent was also not small, and had considerable athletic experience, but he went down after just a few punches. This was because before throwing punches, the opponent had cheated by poking his eyes.

However, no one said anything about the foul. Just as the announcer was raising Brown Bear’s hand, Ja-kyung threw his carbonated water at the ring and jeered.

“Boo-boo! That was a foul. Coward.”

Wang Lun tried to subtly stop him.

“Wei. Are you drunk on carbonated water?”

As Wang Han was about to intervene too, Ja-kyung shouted at the opponent again.

“You coward! I saw you poke his eyes! Brothers saw it too! Everyone saw it. If that’s how you fight, I could win too!”

Wang Han squeezed his eyes shut. When Ja-kyung first suggested coming here, he thought they would just observe and leave, but that wasn’t it. Wang Lun, seeming to catch on, burst out laughing and joined in.

“Yeah! You chicken! Our youngest could beat someone like you in one shot!”

As they poked at the opponent’s nerves, a snort escaped from his nose. The host, seemingly flustered, smiled and glanced around nervously. Someone was watching from the upper section of the audience seats, and it was clearly directed towards them.

“Why don’t you stop and come here to suck my d1ck? Wiggle your ass while you’re at it. You’d fit perfectly!”

At Wang Lun’s final provocation, the opponent couldn’t hold back and leaped out of the ring. As the guards tried to stop him, someone from above gestured to hold back. The watching audience went crazy, and Wang Han struck Wang Lun’s back.

“Lun! Block!”

But Wang Lun quickly rolled to the side, and Ja-kyung dashed out. As the enraged Brown Bear was about to swing his fist in Ja-kyung’s direction, Ja-kyung lightly dodged and went behind him, strongly kicking the inside of his knee. However, the leg only slightly buckled, causing no significant impact.

Ja-kyung dodged left and right, striking the opponent’s face. As Brown Bear was repeatedly hit, his body swayed, and Ja-kyung quickly grabbed the ring’s ropes, climbing up and then launching himself, wrapping his legs like scissors around Brown Bear’s neck.

Brown Bear lost his center of gravity and crashed to the floor with a thud, writhing to escape. Ja-kyung applied force to his legs and strangled the neck. As the two wrestled back and forth, the indoor atmosphere instantly heated up and turned into chaos.

Wang Lun counted the numbers instead of the dumbfounded referee, and before he could finish counting, the opponent had already passed out. Ja-kyung released his legs and stood up. People were throwing money bundles everywhere, and Ja-kyung stepped on the ring’s ropes, raising his fist and roaring.

Watching this, Wang Han covered his head. Wang Lun, who had been collecting money, approached and gave a light tap, breaking into a bright smile.

“Should we raise Wei as a mixed martial arts fighter?”

Ja-kyung, Wang Lun, and Wang Han were guided by an employee into an office inside the club. Moments later, a man appeared, wearing a dress shirt and pants, with a cigarette in his mouth. The man sat on the opposite sofa, crossing his legs and looking down on the three of them. His eyes were full of killing intent, and his hands were covered with scars and calluses.

The man sneered at the three of them.

“Is it acceptable for well-known people to come to someone else’s establishment and cause a disturbance? Why don’t you just watch quietly? Do you know how much our fighter is worth?”

“We’re not interested in that. We actually came looking for someone. Could you tell us where they are?”

At the mention of looking for someone, the man’s face darkened, and the atmosphere became heavy. Regardless, Ja-kyung took out a photo and placed it on the table.

“Do you know this person?”