Chapter 55
Jeokyeom was born with red hair.
According to his parents, there was a Westerner in his mother’s distant lineage. He must have inherited the blood of that Western grandfather.
Jeokyeom never particularly thought his red hair was ugly, but to the other neighborhood children during his childhood, it looked different.
During childhood, being different from others made one a huge target for teasing.
“Hey, red freak!”
“Hey, you monster!”
It was a day like any other when the neighborhood kids flocked around young Jeokyeom to tease him. Jeokyeom, who was timid despite his large size, tried to brush off their teasing out of habit.
However…
‘Your parents aren’t red, so why are you? Weren’t you picked up from somewhere?’
Smack-!!
…He couldn’t hold back that day.
Large and strong, Jeokyeom beat several of the neighborhood kids to a pulp, and the news quickly spread through the tiny village.
Hearing the stories of her son’s violent behavior, his mother hugged young Jeokyeom and said.
“Jeoka, you shouldn’t hit your friends like that.”
“But they said I was picked up from somewhere…”
After hearing the whole story from young Jeokyeom, his mother hugged him tightly and said.
“Then how about we set a rule?”
“A rule?”
“Yes, a rule. Hmm…, how about this? If other friends tease you, hold it in up to three times in your heart, and if they keep doing it after that, you don’t have to hold back.”
A rule.
For Jeokyeom, who was timid and lacked self-initiative, a standard set by someone else was truly comforting.
“Then I’ll do that.”
From then on, Jeokyeom honestly only followed what others told him to do.
On the advice of those around him, he became an Official, and at his parents' recommendation, he took a wife.
The life of an Official was comfortable for Jeokyeom since he only had to carry out his superiors' orders, and the wife recommended to him was an undeservedly good person.
Living a standardized life, following the will of others, Jeokyeom was happy in his own way.
Until that day…
“…”
The sight that day was redder than his red hair and beard. In that place covered entirely in blood, though their forms were hard to recognize, his family was definitely there.
And the guy who seemed to be the prime suspect…, was drinking alcohol as if nothing had happened.
“…I’ll kill that son of a bitch right now.”
When Eungchil, Jeokyeom’s oldest Subordinate who had likewise lost his family, stepped forward in agitation, Jeokyeom blocked him.
“…An Official does not carry out Private Retribution. For now…, let’s escort him to the Magistrate's Office.”
Because that was the rule and the law of an Official.
At the time, Jeokyeom was an idiot who entrusted even the fate of the enemy who killed his family to others.
How much Jeokyeom has regretted that moment ever since…
And now, the moment to repay that grudge had come.
“Kuaaaaak-!”
Jeokyeom approached Dokgoyeong, who was writhing on the ground with his right arm severed.
“Kuaaa-! You, son of a…! Aaaaak-!!”
“…”
Jeokyeom looked pathetically at Dokgoyeong, who was desperately trying to stop the bleeding from his severed arm while shedding tears and snot.
“…So you were a guy capable of making that kind of expression too.”
“…Please, I was wrong, so…!”
Sreung-.
There was nothing more to say. Jeokyeom simply raised his axe.
Now, this ill-fated relationship would end in a single strike…!
“Wait.”
“…Leader.”
At that moment, Muyeon approached from the side and stopped Jeokyeom from bringing down the axe.
When Jeokyeom asked in confusion…
“Why all of a sudden…”
“Me too…”
Tadadak-.
Smack-!!!!
“Let me beat this son of a bitch too!”
…He ran straight ahead and delivered a flying kick to Dokgoyeong’s jaw.
“Kkeuaaaaak-!”
Suddenly struck, Dokgoyeong rolled on the ground in agony, and Jeokyeom watched this blankly.
Muyeon then said to Jeokyeom.
“I came in a hurry so I don’t know the exact situation, but from the looks of it, this son of a bitch is the enemy you mentioned before, right?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Then fuck, does it make sense to send him off with a single strike? Hey, put the axe down. A bastard like this needs to be beaten with fists to make it satisfying.”
“Ah.”
Those words mean…
“…We should beat him to death?”
“Yeah.”
As soon as Muyeon nodded, Jeokyeom put down his axe.
Then, cracking his knuckles, he stepped forward.
“As expected, I cannot help but admire the Leader’s insight.”
“I’m naturally someone who always ponders how to make things even shittier for other people.”
Step-.
“Ugh, ugh…!”
Jeokyeom and Muyeon approached the trembling Dokgoyeong like that, with wide grins.
* * *
Thwack, thwack-!!
I’ll say it again, but I wasn’t angry.
It’s just that this son of a bitch in front of me is fucking shitty.
Some might ask if being angry and feeling shitty are the same thing, but the two are strictly different.
Anyway, they’re different.
Regardless, I put the shittiness that filled my heart into my fists and beat the living Hell out of this bastard named Dokgoyeong alongside Jeokyeom.
“Keuok-! Keok…! I, I’ll tell you everything I know, so please stop hitting…”
“Everything you know?”
As expected of a Righteous Faction bastard, Dokgoyeong’s endurance was terribly weak, perhaps because he grew up sheltered.
After I smacked him a few times in the most painful spots, he became half-delirious and spilled everything.
Yes, everything.
What was coming out of Dokgoyeong’s mouth right now was everything.
The evil deeds he had committed so far, and among those evil deeds…
“I, I killed the Murim Alliance’s spy and framed him… T-to satisfy my murderous intent…”
“…”
There was also the reason why our Green Forest had somehow become the Murim Alliance’s Target of Extermination.
“…”
No wonder…, I had thought the Murim Alliance was being too heavy-handed in sending an Extermination Squad to our Green Forest.
But…, this son of a bitch orchestrated that whole thing?
The reason we’re suffering like dogs right now, my Subordinates died, and my mood is this shitty is all because of this bastard?
“Haha…”
I let out a hollow laugh and asked Dokgoyeong with a benevolent expression.
“Elderly Person Living Alone, do you think I’m angry right now, or not?”
“…I, I think you’re ang…”
“Correct, you fucking bitch.”
Smaaaack-!!
If I weren’t angry after things turned out like this, I’d be the Buddha, not a Bandit.
Feeling my head spin with rage, I used my fists to beat only the uninjured parts of his body.
“Hey, you son of a bitch. If you wanted to kill people, you should have gone to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. There are tons of bastards who deserve to die over there, so why come here and pull this shit, huh?”
“Keoheok…! S-stop…!”
He begged me to stop, but the more he did, the more strength I put into my fists.
How many people had died at the hands of this idiotic Murderous Fiend? Thinking of their grudges, I absolutely could not lighten my fists.
It was a deep resentment that couldn’t be repaid even if I shook out every last speck of dust from every corner of this bastard’s body. If I do this much for him in life, King Yama will take care of the rest.
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!!
“Hey, don’t clench your teeth. It hurts more that way. Ah, you feel like you’re going to die from losing too much blood? Don’t worry, I’ve been stopping the bleeding since earlier. I’m fucking great at Pressure Point attacks.”
“J-just…, kill m…”
When the words asking me to kill him finally came out of his mouth for the first time, I threw an even more painful punch in commemoration.
It was while I was turning his body into a pulp excitedly.
“Elder brother.”
“Oh, right. Jeokyeom. Sorry. I hit him too much by myself. You too…”
“No, not me…”
When Jeokyeom pointed behind him, I saw the other Subordinates looking this way, practically drooling.
They were all guys belonging to the Muak Mountain Brotherhood.
Ah.
Come to think of it, he said Jeokyeom wasn’t the only one who lost family to Dokgoyeong.
It’s about time I stepped back.
Seueuk-.
“Everyone, come and beat this bastard.”
“Waaaaah-!!”
As soon as I stepped aside and gave the order, the guys swarmed in as if they had been waiting and started beating him.
Because the guys were so excited and rushed in all at once, I worried that Dokgoyeong might die instantly, but that was just my groundless fear.
“One guy keeps stopping the bleeding! And everyone picks a spot to hit!”
“I get the groin!”
“Me too!”
Very meticulous.
Taking turns beating him, they designated one person to heal him every time he was hit. I didn’t know they were such systematic guys.
“Ahahaha-!”
“You son of a bitch-! Son of a bitch-!”
“Kuaaaaak-!”
And they laughed as they hit him.
They smiled brightly, like children excitedly playing a game.
And…, they cried.
“Wait…, they’re crying?”
I was momentarily flustered, but tears were flowing down every single one of their faces.
“So this is what it means to cry while laughing.”
Everyone’s eyes were brimming with moisture, yet their mouths were smiling widely.
Somehow feeling like I understood their hearts a little, I quietly slipped away from the spot. And the place I headed to was where Yoo Somyung was.
Having arrived here earlier, she had been present since Dokgoyeong confessed his evil deeds.
Since they belonged to the same Murim Alliance, she probably was likely familiar with him. Yoo Somyung looked as though she had received a shock.
“Why, do you want to join in? Go hit him if you want.”
“…”
With a stiff expression, she didn’t answer my words before struggling to open her mouth and ask.
“…Why are your Subordinates making those expressions while hitting him over there?”
“They’re guys called the Muak Mountain Brotherhood…”
When I explained the ill-fated relationship between the Muak Mountain Brotherhood and Dokgoyeong, her face grew even heavier.
“…Squad Leader Dokgo’s evil deeds pierce the heavens.”
It was then.
“Kuaaaaak-!”
Dokgoyeong was a guy with truly outstanding survival instincts, and he flopped around here and there, wanting to use that opening to escape, taking advantage of being hit by Subordinates weaker than me.
In the midst of that, he must have seen us, because even while getting beaten, he stubbornly shouted in this direction.
“J-junior Yoo-!!! Why are you here?! A-anyway…, s-save me! Aren’t we part of the same Murim Alliance…!”
“…”
Dokgoyeong’s face upon seeing Yoo Somyung was filled with hope, like someone who had found the light in the darkness.
However…
“…Just get beaten to death.”
“…”
At Yoo Somyung’s cold reply, the hope vanished from his face.
“Now, let’s start again.”
“Uwaaaah-!!”
Like that, he was dragged back into Hell by the Subordinates who grabbed his legs.
Thwack-! Thwack-!
The sound of flesh bursting and bones breaking rang out very cheerfully.