OL Ch 16

Chapter 16

“Uncle!”

“…Dad.”

Baek Jinha had been brutally mauled beyond recognition. At that moment, another middle-aged man descended from where Baek Jinha had fallen.

The newcomer appeared to be around fifty years old. His curly hair was peppered with white strands, and his face showed signs of weathering with wrinkles. The corners of his eyes crinkled, suggesting he often smiled, and he wore large glasses. He had small eyes, and his protruding front teeth gave him a distinct overbite.

Dressed in khaki checkered pants, a stained apron whose original color was hard to discern, and a headband, he looked more like someone working at a workshop than a combat agent. Overall, he seemed ordinary, like any person you might encounter in your neighborhood.

However, considering the circumstances, it was highly likely that this man was responsible for Baek Jinha’s condition.

The man sniffled and adjusted his glasses.

“Ah, geez, this rain. Why is it pouring down like the heavens collapsing so early in the morning? Can’t even see ahead.”

He briefly wiped his glasses with his scarf before turning towards Hayun and Mookyeong. His mouth dropped open as he scanned them from head to toe.

“Well now. Quite impressive specimens. Better than I expected?”

Hayun scrutinized the man’s face. He felt strangely familiar with him, perhaps due to his ordinary appearance or maybe because he had seen him somewhere before. At that moment, Mookyeong took Hayun’s hand and pulled him behind himself.

“Kim Deukcheol.”

Upon hearing Mookyeong’s words, Hayun looked at the man again. A mugshot of him had belatedly appeared on the news, but he seemed younger in person. As Hayun had suspected earlier, he had shaved off his bushy beard.

The man smiled widely as Hayun scrutinized him with uncertainty. His bright grin irked him for some reason. He then inspected his wrist and noticed he wore the same beaded bracelet seen on the intercom monitor earlier.

“You little brats recognize me? Impressive eyesight.” Kim Deukcheol chuckled proudly before approaching Baek Jinha’s unconscious body.

“Let’s see now…”

Kim Deukcheol hummed casually while firmly grabbing Baek Jinha by the hair. He then pretended to shove Baek Jinha’s head towards Baek Mookyeong. As Mookyeong flinched, Deukcheol burst out laughing, seemingly amused. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he exclaimed, “Ah!” and completely twisted Baek Jinha’s neck around.

Crack!

Jinha’s head turned unnaturally, and had he still been alive, it would have killed him instantly.

“Ah…”

Hayun felt numb, and his stomach churned. He couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. The saying about being too shocked to speak held true. Tears welled up without warning and streamed down his face.

Baek Mookyeong’s grip tightened around his weapon, and Hayun similarly strengthened his hold on him. It seemed necessary for them to brace themselves.

The ground began vibrating and cracking open. The fragmented road shook violently due to Baek Mookyeong’s power. However, Kim Deukcheol remained unfazed. He muttered while twisting Baek Jinha’s head back and forth.

“This bastard’s neck is still stiff even after death. If left like this, it’ll become even more rigid later. Then it’d be useless.” As if trying to loosen it before it hardened further, Kim Deukcheol grabbed Baek Jinha’s jaw firmly.

“If you had surrendered quietly, I wouldn’t have treated you so harshly. Isn’t it unfair to your children?” Kim Deukcheol’s voice grew rough as he genuinely seemed enraged. His tanned face turned reddish-purple with anger. However, his fury dissipated quickly, and he shook his head.

“Oh well, sure. He must’ve had his reasons. Probably running around trying to save his wife and kids.” Kim Deukcheol moved Baek Jinha’s jaw up and down as if mimicking him speaking. “Honey, let’s run away!”

After playfully mocking Baek Jinha, Kim Deukcheol pulled out a chunk of round wood from his pocket. Although not fully visible due to its size, it appeared quite significant. Then, he lifted Baek Jinha’s clothing.

As soon as he raised the garment, organs spilled out. Baek Jinha’s abdomen was already half-open, exposing his insides clearly.

Hayun suppressed his rising nausea and glared fiercely at their enemies. In sync with Hayun’s emotions, several doors trembled simultaneously. As soon as Mookyeong released Hayun’s hand, he darted towards Kim Deukcheol. His telekinetic power targeted the wooden talisman clutched in his grasp.

The wooden talisman wriggled like a live fish, slipping from Kim Deukcheol’s grip and landing securely in Mookyeong’s hand. Kim Deukcheol’s face contorted as he looked up just in time to see Mookyeong flying overhead, aiming a swift kick directly at him.

“Argh!”

Kim Deukcheol’s head snapped back, shattering under the force of Mookyeong’s strike. Helplessly propelled, he crashed onto the ground. Unrelenting, Mookyeong unleashed his telekinetic powers once more. The surge shattered the floor, lifting debris into the air.

The fragments pierced Kim Deukcheol’s body before piling up around him, instantly burying him under rubble.

“……”

Mookyeong had exerted his full power and defeated his opponent, yet something felt unsatisfactory. He remained vigilant of their surroundings. Meanwhile, Hayun rushed towards Baek Jinha and hastily pulled down the clothing covering his lower half.

“…U-Uncle.”

Baek Jinha’s pale face seemed unfamiliar to Hayun. As he closed his partially open eyes, he looked up at Mookyeong. With his gas mask removed, Mookyeong slowly approached them. His ashen face was filled with sorrow, trying hard to maintain composure despite his heaving chest from suppressed sobs.

At that moment, they heard stones falling from the pile where Kim Deukcheol was buried. The sound clearly originated from Kim Deukcheol’s direction, and movement could be felt beneath it. Hayun and Mookyeong simultaneously rolled away.

Breathless and slumped on the ground, Baek Jinha placed his hands down, drawing semi circles with his legs as he rose effortlessly. His swift movements left trails shimmering in the air like water ripples. As Baek Jinha stood, adopting a familiar fighting stance, his internal organs spilled out between his clothing, contrasting sharply with his fluid motions. Undeterred, he gathered his exposed organs, treating them as mere hindrances. It was unmistakably unnatural for a living person.

‘How is this possible?’

Hayun turned towards the pile of rubble where Kim Deukcheol was buried. Mookyeong had seized the wooden tablet that Kim Deukcheol held tightly before his demise. As if having similar thoughts, Mookyeong displayed the wooden tablet to Hayun. It was unclear whether there were extras or if they merely pretended to hand it over earlier. Hayun swallowed nervously. Baek Jinha was akin to his parents. He didn’t want to accept this situation, but he couldn’t let him be exploited like this.

Baek Jinha swiftly approached Mookyeong. Mookyeong kicked off the ground, launching telekinetic blasts, but Baek Jinha anticipated these moves, effortlessly dodging and extending his hand.

‘They’re too fast.’

Mookyeong and Baek Jinha moved too quickly for Hayun to keep up with them. By the time he saw Jinha’s hand, Mookyeong had already taken a hit and was sent crashing somewhere. However, Mookyeong wasn’t idle either; he relentlessly attacked Jinha continuously. Despite broken bones, snapped necks, severed spines, or limbs blown off, Jinha disregarded everything and kept moving.

‘Damn.’

Hayun grabbed one of the armed forces’ weapons. He disliked using such heavy-duty firearms, but this wasn’t the time to be picky. Moreover, another looming threat was escalating rapidly. The door appeared ready to burst open, visibly swollen as if something monstrous awaited on the other side. It was bent out of shape, revealing glimpses of bizarre arms through the cracks. There was no telling what kind of creature lay beyond.

Jinha gently stretched his limbs as if refining his energy. His cracked arms and legs made eerie sounds while reattaching themselves. Additionally, Hayun and Mookyeong realized Jinha’s movements were not merely for recovery.

“……”

Hayun slowly exhaled. His eyes flashed with golden rims when he reopened them. He flicked his finger towards Mookyeong, trusting that he understood him even if unseen. Simultaneously, Hayun fired at Baek Jinha’s feet and then sprinted away.

Without turning back, Baek Jinha extended his hand towards Hayun. With a swift motion, a water barrier materialized, launching shockwaves directly at Hayun. The nearby cars were horribly distorted, but not a hair on Hayun was harmed.

A fierce wind fluttered their clothes. Hayun exhaled sharply and aimed his gun at Baek Jinha again. However, as soon as he fired, Baek Jinha instantly teleported next to him and kicked down towards Hayun’s head.

Krrrunk!

The deafening sound belied that it was just a kick. Hayun didn’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if it had connected.

Baek Jinha immediately changed direction to attack Hayun, but his strikes couldn’t touch him. Baek Jinha scanned Hayun, searching for the reason. Hayun gritted his teeth at the emotionless eyes staring back at him.

Jinha was right in front of him, too close to miss. Without delay, Hayun emptied the remaining bullets at Baek Jinha’s head. Different doors materialized before each bullet, guiding them away from Jinha’s skull.

Bang bang bang!

Despite half of Baek Jinha’s head being blown off, his hand didn’t stop moving. He found an opening between the doors and grabbed Hayun.

“…..!”

With a brutal force, he dislocated his arm.

“Ahh… aaahhhh!”

It felt like his arm was about to be ripped off, causing unbearable pain that clouded his vision with red. Meanwhile, Mookyeong gathered energy and charged at Baek Jinha.

Baek Jinha held onto Hayun while kicking towards Mookyeong. As soon as his leg extended upwards, Mookyeong struck Baek Jinha’s thigh with a nearby stone. With a crack, Baek Jinha’s knee shattered, making him stagger. Mookyeong swiftly pushed on Baek Jinha’s chest. The moment he lost balance, he used telekinesis to slam him down onto the ground with such force it caused the surrounding area to sink noticeably.

Crash!

Simultaneously, three doors opened at the spot where Baek Jinha had been slammed down. As his body straddled across the overlapping dimensions, it was torn apart like paper. Just before being ripped to shreds, Baek Jinha tried grabbing Mookyeong’s neck. Although narrowly avoiding a full grip, Mookyeong sustained scratches on his throat. Blood trickled out, but he paid no heed.

Baek Jinha ceased movement only after being brutally dismembered. Amidst the shredded remains of his neck, Mookyeong discovered a peculiar wooden pendant. He gritted his teeth as he extracted it from his corpse.

“You… bastard.”

It seemed likely that Kim Deukcheol had slipped the pendant around Baek Jinha’s neck while pretending to hold his jaw during their earlier encounter.

It felt like they had fallen for Kim Deukcheol’s trick again. Despite him being dead, they couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had outwitted them once more. Suddenly, someone rapidly clapped their hands nearby.

Hayun and Mookyeong turned towards the sound.

There stood Kim Deukcheol, whom they thought was deceased, grinning brightly. His presence was utterly irritating.

“I intended to capture you instead of those old relics with worn-out joints, but Seo Iju seems to have raised quite a formidable offspring.”

Kim Deukcheol continued clapping gleefully, expressing his satisfaction.

“And there’s an unexpected bonus as well.”

Hayun’s expression twisted upon seeing Kim Deukcheol, overwhelmed by revulsion. Strangely, despite his anger boiling within, his thoughts remained calm, almost detached from his emotions.

“…..”

Hayun barely managed to suppress his rising nausea as he glared at Kim Deukcheol. Suddenly, he noticed differences that weren’t apparent earlier. Kim Deukcheol always looked older than his actual age, but now he appeared even more aged, closer to elderly rather than middle-aged. The thickly grown beard contributed significantly to this transformation. Despite the noticeable age gap suggesting they could be mistaken for brothers or other family members, strangely, Hayun felt convinced that this was truly Kim Deukcheol himself.

“By any chance, was that not your true form just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You look different from before.”

“Different?”

“…..?”

“He has a beard now. He looks older than before and has more white hair. And…”