Chapter 812: A Cheap Tattoo

“Don’t you remember me even like this?”

He tossed his coat aside, revealing a short-sleeved shirt despite the midwinter chill.

My lips curled into an involuntary smirk as I took in the cheap tattoo of a snake snaking up his left arm, starting from his neck.

My laughter only seemed to fuel Jeong Han-cheol’s temper as he raised his voice even higher.

“What’s so funny? Who do you think you are?”

I simply shrugged at the man who was still shouting and replied.

“I don’t know who you are, your ridiculous tattoo is laughable, and the way you’re acting is so cheap that it’s just funny. So, what exactly are you supposed to be?”

“Wha, what? What did you just say?”

Ignoring Jeong Han-cheol, I spoke to Jung Jin-seok who was looking at me with nervous eyes.

“Jin-seok, get your mother out of here first.”

“Huh? Ah, yes! I will.”

Snapping out of his daze, Jung Jin-seok tried to drag the ajumma out of the store first.

“Where do you think you’re going! No one leaves without my permission. Stop them!”

Jeong Han-cheol yelled while glaring at Jung Jin-seok.

His men who came with him blocked the entrance with their bodies, glaring at Jung Jin-seok.

“Hyung is talking. Can’t you stay still?”

“Hey, hyungs. Let’s send my mother out first and then we can talk. Her heart isn’t too good.”

“We don’t care. No one is leaving until hyung says so. Stay put unless you want to get beat down.”

Like attracts like. Jin-seok’s ‘brothers’ were clearly just a bunch of small-time thugs judging by their actions and way of speaking.

“Manager Ma, please handle this.”

I decided to defuse the situation and try to talk it out.

At my command, Manager Ma and the bodyguards moved. When the well-built men got up, I noticed Jeong Han-cheol flinch.

“What the hell! Are you crazy!”

Jeong Han-cheol threw a punch towards Manager Ma who was approaching him.

However, Manager Ma easily dodged by slightly tilting his head and grabbed him by the neck.

“Ke, keck!”

Jeong Han-cheol struggled as his airway was blocked.

Seeing that, the men guarding the entrance rushed over.

“Hey! Who do you think you are! Let go of our hyung right now!”

The men barked, but Manager Ma didn’t care and lifted the large Jeong Han-cheol with one hand.

The color began to drain from Jeong Han-cheol’s face as he dangled in the air by his neck.

“Don’t kill him. I still have a lot of questions.”

Soon after, the bodyguards who had been waiting outside arrived after being contacted.

It didn’t take even a few minutes to subdue Jeong Han-cheol and his gang.

As the situation was quickly handled, Jung Jin-seok and the ajumma just stood there blankly, still in a daze.

I called out to Jung Jin-seok.

“Jin-seok, get your mother out of here.”

Only then did Jin-seok come to his senses and dragged the ajumma out of the store.

Even as she was leaving, the ajumma glanced back at the store worriedly and mumbled.

“…What do we do? Isn’t this going to turn into something big?”

“It’s Mu-hyeok hyung. He will take care of it. So go on in first. If something happens to you or mother, I’m really going to lose it.”

“…Don’t get hurt.”

“Okay, now go.”

Jung Jin-seok closed the door after seeing his mother out.

Even then, Jeong Han-cheol who was still being held by his neck scratched at Manager Ma’s arm trying to get free, but it was futile.

Eventually, he lost consciousness and Manager Ma threw him roughly to the ground.

“Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong, you two go home first too.”

“What?”

They both looked at me at the same time.

“It’s no good for Myeong-su to get involved in something like this, and Hyeon-seong has a family to go home to.”

“Kim Mu-hyeok!”

Myeong-su’s face flushed red as if he was truly angry.

But I was serious. I couldn’t allow this petty thug to harm them.

“Just go. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow morning.”

Hyeon-seong, reading the sincerity in my eyes, nodded and grabbed Myeong-su’s arm.

“Lee Myeong-su, let’s go.”

Myeong-su looked up at Hyeon-seong with a resentful look, but Hyeon-seong just shook his head without saying anything more.

Finally giving up, Myeong-su looked at me and Jeong Han-cheol with worried eyes.

“…Ha. Okay. Be careful. Don’t kill him.”

“Like he’s even worth it. Go on inside. See you tomorrow.”

Hyeon-seong forcibly dragged the reluctant Myeong-su out of the store.

The outside was already packed with people peering into the store.

Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong who were covering their faces, pushed through them and disappeared from view.

“Manager Ma, let’s take them out.”

As I got up, Jung Jin-seok came running to me.

“Is it okay to go out this way?”

I asked, looking towards the path that led to the sea instead of the entrance.

“Yes, hyung.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

We went outside through the small stairs next to the terrace.

We crossed the road and walked to the pebble-strewn beach.

Manager Ma dragged the unconscious Jeong Han-cheol, and the bodyguards followed me with the rest of the men.

“Jin-seok, what kind of guy is he?”

“Han-cheol hyung?”

Jung Jin-seok glanced back and forth at Jeong Han-cheol and his group.

“Just…”

He couldn’t say anything and just mumbled, so I patted him on the back lightly.

“Don’t worry about them, just tell me.”

Jung Jin-seok swallowed hard before speaking.

“Han-cheol hyung came back to Yeongdo and things have been… pretty bad.”

“Things have been bad?”

“He’s been doing daily loans to the market merchants, and even if they don’t want to borrow, he forces them. And if they refuse, he causes a scene in front of the stores and stops them from trading.”

“Wasn’t there someone doing that to the people here already?”

Jung Jin-seok nodded and continued.

“Yeah. But he fought with Han-cheol hyung and lost, and then he disappeared without a trace. Whether Han-cheol hyung took over that business or not, he’s the one collecting the loan money from there now.”

In fact, it was common for daily loans to be done with small business owners.

There were always loan sharks in any traditional market.

The loan sharks would lend money to merchants in urgent need, and receive high interest rates.

However, they were never foolish enough to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

They would cooperate with the market merchants, and sometimes even make allowances for them.

This was because the market needed to have money circulating, so the loan sharks could get paid.

So usually, people who grew up in the area and who were good at fighting took on that role.

“Was the person who used to do it someone I know?”

“Yes. You’d know him too. Was he four years older than you? There was this guy named Jong-bu hyung, right?”

Hearing Jung Jin-seok’s words, I knew who he was.

“That guy was a loan shark?”

“Yes, he used to lend money around here.”

“Do you guys also borrow from them?”

Jung Jin-seok smiled and nodded.

“You know how it is, even if this place does well, sometimes money gets tight. Anyway, we used to borrow from Jong-bu hyung and pay back the principal and interest every day? But all of a sudden, Han-cheol hyung said to give it to him instead. And he even charges more interest.”

“He just raised the interest on his own? Didn’t you sign any promissory notes or anything?”

At my words, Jung Jin-seok laughed again.

“No. We don’t do that here. We just trust each other and borrow and pay back. It’s not like we’re going to close up shop.”

“So it’s all done by word of mouth.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We all know each other’s faces. We just jot it down in our notebooks and pay back every day.”

We reached the pebble-strewn beach while talking.

I gestured with my chin to Manager Ma to wake Jeong Han-cheol, and he tapped Jeong Han-cheol’s cheek.

“Huff, huff!”

Jeong Han-cheol, who had come to his senses, gasped and looked around.

“Yo, you bastard! Do you want to die!”

Jeong Han-cheol, who had gotten up, pointed his finger at me and shouted.

But it didn’t last long. Manager Ma kicked him on the back of his knee.

“Ugh!”

He cried out unable to bear the pain as he knelt on the gravel.

I slowly walked up to Jeong Han-cheol.

I stood in front of Jeong Han-cheol who was looking up at me, stepped on his hand which was on the floor, and said.

“You keep acting like you know me, but I really don’t remember who you are. Why are you ruining my good mood on a day like today?”

Jeong Han-cheol cursed and yelled.

“Ah! Aaaack!! It hurts, it hurts! You bastard… Do you even know who I am? If you keep doing that, you’re really going to die!”

Ha, he’s been saying the same thing since earlier. I was starting to get annoyed just hearing it so I let out a hollow laugh.

“So, who are you?”

“I’m Jeong Han-cheol, Jeong Han-cheol! I’m about to join Heavenly Group as a full-time employee!”

“Heavenly Group?”

“That’s right! You know Heavenly Group right? You are really in big trouble! I’m not the same old Jeong Han-cheol!”

Jeong Han-cheol stroked his stepped-on hand with his other hand and spoke triumphantly.

“Once I join Heavenly Group, everything is over! I won’t have to stay in this dump of a neighborhood anymore!”

“You said Heavenly Group?”

“Yes! You’re starting to realize you messed up, right? You must be scared. Even National Assembly members can’t stop Heavenly Group, you bastard!”

What kind of crazy person put him up to this? I smirked and looked down at Jeong Han-cheol.

“You laughing? Can’t you see what’s happening? Dude! You’re going to die!”

“Who is the person who’s taking you in?”

“Would you know if I told you? Why are you asking me if you don’t know!”

He was the one who didn’t know anything, yet he looked so arrogant. It was ridiculous.

“Call them here right now. The Heavenly Group or whatever. Or you’ll die here. If you want to live, then call them.”

“Are you crazy? Do you know who those people are! You, you’re really going to die!”

For the first time, panic was written all over Jeong Han-cheol’s face.

He was clearly terrified of the people who were connected to the Heavenly Group.

“Why? Are you scared? You were waiting all day to kill me. Whether you live or die, that’s not my problem. Let’s just see the face of the person you trust so much. Let’s see if that lifeline you grabbed is gold, or just trash like you who ruined a perfectly good day.”

It was the first peaceful day in a long time. I had a good time drinking and chatting with Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong about old memories.

But maybe it was because it ended up such a mess like this that my anger boiled up.

I glared at Jeong Han-cheol while gnashing my teeth.

“What makes trash like you think you have the right to waste my precious time…”

“Boss, I’ll take care of it.”

Manager Ma quickly stood in front of me, blocking my view.

Seeing Manager Ma’s usual expression, I took a deep breath slowly.

Soon, I calmed my anger and nodded.

“…Bring him to me by the end of the day. Or I won’t move from here.”

“Understood, boss.”

Manager Ma bowed his head, turned around, and kicked Jeong Han-cheol in the face with his shoe.

Jeong Han-cheol who had initially yelled, soon couldn’t say anything and just curled up as the merciless violence poured down on him.

“Hyung-nim.”

Jung Jin-seok called out to me in a fearful voice from the side.

“Why, Jin-seok? Do you want to go home first too?”

“Ah, no, it’s okay. I’ll stay here. But are you going to be okay? What if real gangsters show up?”

I smiled at his innocent question and ruffled his big head as I used to when he was little.

“Don’t worry, whoever shows up, it’s not going to be my problem. You don’t trust me?”

“Ah, no! Of course I trust you, hyung.”

I couldn’t help but laugh again at his reflexive answer.

I didn’t know if he still thought of me as a superman even though he’s all grown up now, or what he saw in me to trust me so much.

“Hyung! Are your legs hurting?”

Jung Jin-seok ran toward the store and came back with a few square plastic chairs in his hand.

Then he put the chairs behind me and said.

“Why don’t you sit down and wait?”

I nodded and sat on the chair.

A while later, Jeong Han-cheol who had been beaten so badly that he was unrecognizable, was handing his phone to Manager Ma as he begged for his life.

“Manager Ma, give it to me.”

At my call, Manager Ma approached me and handed me the phone.

“This is the person.”

It was set up so that he could call immediately with the press of a button.

When I pressed the call button, the ringing went on for quite a while.

— What is it? What’s going on this late? Are you out of your mind?

The other side was already annoyed as soon as he picked up the phone.

I checked the name on the screen and opened my mouth.

“Are you the bastard?”

— What? This bastard did you eat something wrong! Jeong Han-cheol! Where are you!

“That’s what’s saved in the phone, I thought it was your nickname. Jeong Han-cheol was selling your name. Saying that you were going to kill me.”

— What do you want? Who are you? Where is Han-cheol?

I looked down at Jeong Han-cheol who was writhing on the gravel and spoke.

“He’s writhing around like a worm on the gravel.”

— This bastard, do you even know who I am! Where are you, you bastard!

“Gravel field. Don’t come alone, bring everyone with you if you are going to come.”

— Wow! What kind of bastard is this! Do you know who I am? You just wait!

He had a great voice. He ended with that and immediately hung up.

“He said to wait.”

I handed the phone back to Manager Ma.

“Should we call for more men?”

“It’s okay. Let’s not make this bigger than it needs to be.”

“Yes, boss.”

We waited for them after pushing Jeong Han-cheol and his group to the corner.

Quite some time passed and finally two vans came speeding and stopped on the side of the road.

The company name ‘Heavenly Services’ was written on the vans.

Soon after the vans stopped, the men came out in droves.

And lastly a car arrived.

One of the men from the vans opened the back door, and a man came out of the car.

“You’re here, hyung-nim!”

The men from the vans bowed their heads to greet him.

The man looked at us and opened his mouth.

“Who is the bastard who called!”