Chapter 7
If We Don’t Protect Them, Who Will? (2)
“You filed another petition, didn’t you?”
Jong Bae served as the Taejeong Sect’s chief enforcer.
With his flashy tattoos, scars scattered across his body, and vicious expression, he was frightening merely to look at.
Even so, Old Man Go showed no fear.
“That’s right, I did. You damned bastards! I’ll keep filing them until the day I die.”
No matter how hard he worked to earn money, the Taejeong Sect took thirty percent of his profits under the pretext of protection fees.
It had started at ten percent, but by this year, it had tripled.
It was not an amount any merchant could endure.
He was working himself to the bone only to feed the Taejeong Sect.
“That’s right. Keep filing them. Go on.”
Jong Bae repeatedly smacked the back of Old Man Go’s head in a deliberately insulting manner.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He was not hitting him hard enough to knock him down. It was merely a taunt meant to humiliate him.
Even so, the elderly Old Man Go staggered.
“I said keep filing them, you old bastard. Let’s go together. File another one right in front of me!”
Thud! Thud!
The blows to the back of his head gradually grew stronger, until Old Man Go finally collapsed to the ground.
Jong Bae raised his foot threateningly as though he intended to stomp on the old man’s head.
“Damn, it’s not like I can just crush this thing under my foot.”
Old Man Go remained seated on the ground with his head lowered.
He was in pain, furious, and miserable.
He had endured it until now, but he could endure no longer.
In any case, he did not have many years left to live.
Before he died, he had decided to sacrifice himself one final time for the merchants of the marketplace, and so he had begun filing petitions.
The government offices had long been colluding with the black society and were no longer fulfilling their duties, which was why he had submitted his complaints to the Martial Alliance branch.
He had filed several of them, yet there had still been no response.
Jong Bae crouched beside Old Man Go and spoke as though gently persuading him.
“You’ve already lived a long life. Why are you behaving like this? Stop being so greedy for money and live quietly, thinking of it as helping the younger generation.”
“What? Greedy for money?”
Old Man Go grabbed Jong Bae by the collar.
“You bastard! How can you say something like that? What right do you have to utter those words?”
Jong Bae violently shoved Old Man Go away and stood.
“Listen, old man. You can submit a hundred of those complaints every day. Let’s see whether those branch bastards even show their faces.”
“If the branch does nothing, I’ll go directly to the main headquarters and submit one!”
“You damned old bastard! You refuse to listen when I’m being nice. Do you want to die?”
“Then kill me! Go on, kill me!”
“You think I won’t? Is that why you’re acting like this?”
Thud!
Jong Bae mercilessly kicked Old Man Go in the face.
The old man was thrown backward and collapsed.
The others began smashing the goods inside the shop in earnest.
The surrounding merchants stamped their feet in frustration, but none dared intervene against the murderous presence of the Taejeong Sect members.
Just then, a shout rang out from the distance.
“You bastards! Stop right there!”
The Taejeong Sect members all turned toward the voice.
The person running toward them was Beon Saeng.
Recognizing him, Jong Bae stepped forward with a grin.
“Well, if it isn’t Squad Leader Beon.”
Jong Bae approached and casually draped an arm over Beon Saeng’s shoulder as though they were close friends.
“You look much better than the last time I saw you. Who’s that greenhorn? Your new subordinate? Oh, look at Squad Leader Beon, walking around with a lackey. How impressive.”
“Take your hand off me.”
“Why are you in such a foul mood today?”
“I said take your hand off me, you bastard.”
Beon Saeng irritably shoved Jong Bae’s arm away, then helped Old Man Go to his feet.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
He was not fine.
One of his eyes was swollen shut, and blood poured from the corner of his mouth.
When Beon Saeng tried to lead him away, the Taejeong Sect members blocked their path.
“And where do you think you’re going?”
Jong Bae was offended that Beon Saeng had shoved him away in front of everyone.
A black society member survived on bravado.
Pretending to be strong, pretending to be fearless, pretending to be merciless.
That was especially important in front of subordinates who were constantly looking for a chance to take his position.
“Where do you think? I’m taking him to a physician.”
“The old man doesn’t look badly hurt. Move aside. I’ll have the boys wipe away the blood.”
“I told you to move.”
When polite words failed, Jong Bae approached Beon Saeng and whispered in a guttural voice.
“Leave quietly unless you want to be humiliated like a dog in front of everyone.”
No one else heard it, but Old Man Go, standing beside them, did.
He spoke to Beon Saeng.
“Forget about me. Don’t bring trouble upon yourself by interfering.”
He had spoken out of concern for Beon Saeng.
Instead, his words completely shattered what little remained of Beon Saeng’s battered pride.
Beon Saeng seated Old Man Go on a chair behind him, then shouted at Jong Bae and the Taejeong Sect members.
“You are all under arrest for assault and extortion. Throw down every weapon you are carrying and kneel.”
Jong Bae and the rest of the Taejeong Sect members stared at him in disbelief.
“What did you just say?”
“I said you’re all under arrest. Drop your swords and kneel.”
Jong Bae showed no fear whatsoever.
Instead, he stepped toward Beon Saeng and threatened him.
“Squad Leader Beon, can you handle the consequences of this?”
“Can you handle me?”
Beon Saeng’s fist slammed into Jong Bae’s face.
Wham!
The unexpected blow sent Jong Bae rolling across the ground.
Before he could even stand, he screamed furiously,
“Kill that bastard!”
Now that he had been beaten in front of his subordinates, there was no turning back.
The Taejeong Sect members drew their weapons all at once.
Fire flared in Beon Saeng’s eyes.
“You bastards dare draw blades against a Martial Alliance martial artist?”
Beon Saeng drew his sword and charged.
His first target was Jong Bae.
He leaped through the air and brutally kicked Jong Bae in the face just as the man was getting to his feet and drawing his sword.
Jong Bae tumbled across the ground once more.
A large man beside him swung a massive saber.
Beon Saeng quickly dodged the wild downward strike and swung his sword.
Whoosh. Slash.
Beon Saeng’s blade cut across the man’s thigh.
Blood sprayed as the flesh split open.
The large man, who had never suffered such a severe wound before, screamed in shock.
There was a clear difference in skill.
None of the Taejeong Sect members present had properly learned martial arts.
At most, they had attended a martial school for a few months, perhaps a year or two.
Beon Saeng, however, had trained since childhood and had officially entered the Martial Alliance.
Another man attacked from the opposite side.
He thrust his sword with a movement that looked reasonably proper.
This one had probably trained at a martial school for about a year.
Clang!
Beon Saeng swiftly and accurately knocked the man’s sword aside.
The instant his opponent staggered from the impact, Beon Saeng mercilessly slashed his arm.
Blood burst forth.
“Aaaaargh! It hurts! Aaaaaaargh!”
The man clutched his arm and screamed as though he were dying.
When blood began pouring from the wound, the man beside him lost all strength in his legs and collapsed where he stood.
Even in the middle of the fight, Beon Saeng kept reminding himself not to kill anyone.
“You bastards! Drop your weapons! Drop them!”
Although his skill was superior, Beon Saeng was also in a state of extreme excitement.
In truth, this was the first time he had ever cut another person.
When would anyone assigned to a remote branch like this ever experience real combat?
Even the war had passed quietly over this region.
“Watch your back!”
At someone’s warning, Beon Saeng twisted aside.
Jong Bae, who had been lying on the ground, had launched a surprise attack from behind.
Beon Saeng narrowly avoided the blade, but blood sprayed from his shoulder.
The realization that he had nearly died made his vision go red.
“You bastard!”
Beon Saeng charged toward Jong Bae and thrust his sword.
The enraged blade pierced straight through Jong Bae’s shoulder.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
Jong Bae fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder as blood poured from it.
Beon Saeng continued charging toward him.
“You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”
Whoosh!
Beon Saeng’s sword, driven by rage, flew toward Jong Bae’s throat as he lay on the ground.
Tap.
The blade stopped just before reaching his neck.
Baek Socheon had grabbed Beon Saeng’s wrist.
He had also been the one who warned him about the attack from behind.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not stopping you because you shouldn’t kill him. He tried to kill you from behind, so you have every right to.”
Still holding Beon Saeng’s wrist, Baek Socheon guided his sword until the tip lightly pierced Jong Bae’s neck.
Puncture.
Blood trickled down from the shallow wound.
This time, it was Beon Saeng who resisted, preventing the sword from sinking any deeper.
Jong Bae pleaded in terror.
“P-Please spare me! I’ll live honestly from now on.”
Still gripping Beon Saeng’s wrist, Baek Socheon spoke.
“Do you think he’ll live honestly? It’s all a lie. He’ll only try to take revenge later.”
Beon Saeng’s sword trembled violently.
With only the slightest additional pressure, the man before him would die.
Every time the blade shook, more blood flowed from Jong Bae’s neck.
Baek Socheon released Beon Saeng’s wrist.
“I stopped you because, if you’re going to kill him, you should do it by your own will. Don’t kill someone just because you’ve lost control. This looks like it would be your first killing. You should give your reason a chance to decide as well.”
As Beon Saeng listened to Baek Socheon’s calm advice, the maddened excitement in his heart gradually subsided.
Only then did he become aware of his surroundings.
Jong Bae was staring up at him in terror while blood poured from his shoulder.
Blood covered the area.
Men wounded by swords lay scattered everywhere, groaning.
The remaining members stood awkwardly with their weapons in hand, paralyzed with fear.
All the courageous ones among them had already fallen, leaving the rest too frightened to attack.
Beon Saeng released a long breath.
“This is enough.”
He slowly withdrew his sword from Jong Bae’s neck.
A part of him wanted to kill every last one of them, but he was still a martial artist bound by the laws of the Martial Alliance.
Baek Socheon gave him a single nod, then spoke to the remaining men standing awkwardly with swords in their hands.
“Drop your weapons and kneel where you stand. One, two…”
Before he reached three, they all threw down their weapons and knelt.
Baek Socheon asked Beon Saeng,
“Do you regret it?”
Beon Saeng looked around once more.
Some lay on the ground screaming.
Some were trying to stop their companions’ bleeding.
Some knelt with their heads lowered.
Others knelt while glaring at him with murderous eyes.
Had that chaotic, hellish scene been all there was, he would undoubtedly have said that he regretted it.
But beyond them, he saw the merchants.
They were delighted.
Their flushed faces were filled with a vitality that had never been there before.
After suffering daily harassment at the hands of these men, they felt such exhilaration at seeing them thoroughly beaten that they wanted to dance.
They also felt hope that perhaps they would finally be freed from their torment.
Old Man Go approached with only one eye open and wrapped a strip of white cloth around the wound on Beon Saeng’s shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Wipe your own blood, old man. Your face has been completely smashed.”
“You fool. What does it matter if the body of an old man who is nearly ready for the grave gets smashed? Your life still stretches ten thousand miles ahead of you. Your body is far more precious.”
With that, he finished binding the wound.
“…Thank you for helping us.”
The moment Beon Saeng heard those words, something hot surged inside him.
No. I’m sorry. I should have helped you long ago.
His gaze naturally fell upon Old Man Go’s hands.
Those thin, wrinkled hands wrapping his wound were the very thing he had spent the last six years deliberately ignoring.
That’s right. This is why I became a martial artist.
Beon Saeng looked at Baek Socheon and finally gave his belated answer.
“I don’t regret it.”
Baek Socheon gave a faint smile.
It was little more than a smirk, but it was the first smile he had shown since meeting Beon Saeng.
“Now you finally look like a Martial Alliance martial artist. Since you’ve started this, you should make sure to finish it properly.”
The word finish instantly brought Beon Saeng back to his senses.
That’s right. This isn’t over.
Far from being over, it had only just begun.
Jong Bae was merely the Taejeong Sect’s chief enforcer.
If Beon Saeng failed to deal with what came next, not only he, but also Old Man Go and the other merchants, could face retaliation.
The Branch Chief and the branch itself could also be dragged into trouble.
Taejeong would undoubtedly take action, and the Shinhwa Gang might intervene as well.
As all those worries rushed over him, his legs began trembling belatedly.
This fight had also begun because of Baek Socheon.
Baek Socheon had never directly pushed him into it, but it had still begun because of him.
They had known each other for only a few days, yet Beon Saeng had excitedly declared that he would treat him as an elder brother.
He had even promised to eliminate the black society without being asked.
Even today, he could have turned away and pretended he had seen nothing if he truly wished to avoid the matter.
Instead, he had thrown himself into it.
He had beaten the drum and played the gong all by himself, turning everything into a one-man spectacle.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
It felt as though he had stormed back to confront a fraudulent medicine peddler while carrying both hands full of medicine packets, only to end up buying an even more expensive batch.
Why did you do that back then?
It would be fine if someone else said those words.
A corner of his own heart was already saying the same thing.
But he was afraid that Baek Socheon might say them.
Everything had begun because of him, yet Beon Saeng feared that Baek Socheon might deny any involvement.
He feared that Baek Socheon was nothing more than a passing breeze in his life while Beon Saeng alone was acting like a madman in the middle of a raging storm.
Whether or not he understood Beon Saeng’s complicated feelings, Baek Socheon crouched beside the Taejeong Sect members who were trying to stop their bleeding.
“Looks like this is your first time being cut by a sword. It hurts a lot, doesn’t it? It hurts even more if you press here.”
Press.
“Aaaaaaaaaaargh!”