Chapter 8
His heart was pounding like it had gone mad.
Because the blade was pressed right against his Adam’s apple, he couldn’t even swallow his saliva. One wrong move, and the edge would bite into him.
How did this bastard—?!
How did he know where his residence was?
Though he belonged to the Black Tiger Gang, the higher-ups all had separate residences. In other words, their place of business and their living quarters were different.
Yet this man had appeared here like a ghost. Worse, it seemed no one had noticed him. If there had been any disturbance, he would have heard it.
“What? Don’t want your money anymore? You gonna just let it go unpaid?”
Gahang muttered in a low voice as he looked up at Muryongcheon with trembling eyes.
“How did you even find this place…?”
Slash.
“Hrk!”
Gahang jolted in terror. The sharp dagger sliced into the skin of his neck.
The blood that trickled down felt hot. If it had gone just a little deeper, his artery would have been cut—and he would’ve crossed the River of the Dead before he could count to five.
“Are you taking the money, or not?”
It meant: stop asking useless questions and answer properly.
Gahang squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t know how things had come to this, but he was a man who had survived countless trials in the underworld.
“I—I won’t take it!”
For a moment, Gahang felt dizzy.
Muryongbi’s teeth, bared in a grin, gleamed white under the moonlight.
“The guy who came pounding on the main house gate in the dead of night demanding payment—why’s he suddenly saying he won’t take it now?”
“……”
“Huh? Not answering?”
Pressure returned to the blade.
Gahang’s mouth opened reflexively.
“I—I’m sorry! I’ll apologize for that incident!”
“Why apologize? You guys just came to collect money, didn’t you? Isn’t that right?”
“Well… yes, but—”
“But you still think you did something wrong, don’t you?”
You crazy bastard! What do you even want?!
He wanted to scream that out loud. But the fear gripping his entire body overwhelmed his anger. Otherwise, he might really have shouted.
“I did something wro—”
“Well, I didn’t come all this way to debate right and wrong, so let’s drop that.”
“……”
“It’s past midnight now, so interest has gone up. How much do I owe now?”
Gahang answered quickly.
“Interest accrues starting at the first quarter of the Rabbit Hour. It’s still one thousand eighty nyang and seventy mun.”
“Rabbit Hour… that’s when it barely starts getting light even in midsummer. So anyone who came to pay right before that, you turned away, didn’t you? Because it’s time to sleep—just like you now. Right?”
From the perspective of the Loan Sharks of the Underworld, who wanted even one extra day of interest, it was only natural.
They chased borrowers away when they came to pay, let the debt grow just enough, then went to collect themselves.
Even if the debtor complained that they hadn’t been allowed to pay earlier, it meant nothing.
They strategically approached people in need, lent money with friendly smiles, then forced them to stamp unfair contracts—or used violence to squeeze them dry to the bone.
They were called “Yamawang Loans” because borrowing from the Lord of Hell himself would be better than borrowing from them.
“So what, then? Am I one of those guys too? When you say you won’t take the money, do you just mean not now? You planning to tack on more interest later?”
“No! I—I won’t take the loaned money at all!”
“You sure?”
“Yes!”
“One thousand eighty nyang and seventy mun, right?”
“……Yes.”
“Good.”
Muryongcheon sat down on the edge of the bed.
As the bed tilted slightly, Gahang’s heart pounded even harder, as if it were rolling along with it.
“We don’t need a contract between us. A man like you wouldn’t go back on his word, right? Let’s just trust each other.”
Though shaking with fear, Gahang cheered inwardly.
Damn bastard! Just leave! The moment you do, I’ll gather my men and mince you into fish feed!
“Then let’s drop the petty change, and the total you owe me comes to eight thousand nine hundred and twenty nyang.”
“……?”
“Ah, but since we’re men with a bond, I’ll round it up. Just nine thousand nyang.”
What the hell kind of madness was this?!
Why did he have to give money to this man?
Even under threat of death, Gahang couldn’t suppress his confusion.
“W-why would I owe you money?”
“Disturbance fee.”
“……?”
“The crime of dragging a bunch of trash here in the dead of night and making a racket at my family’s main house.”
“What did you just say?!”
“What? Don’t want to pay nine thousand nyang for disturbing the peace?”
Muryongcheon tapped Gahang’s cheek with the blade.
“Is your life worth nine thousand nyang?”
Gahang’s face flushed red.
He had endured almost anything because death loomed so close—but demanding nine thousand nyang just for causing a disturbance was so absurd that he couldn’t hold back his rage.
“Do you hear yourself right now?!”
“Then does it make sense that a hundred nyang turns into one thousand eighty in less than ten days?”
“What?!”
“Oh right, seventy mun on top of that. Cheap bastards.”
“You son of a—! That was clearly—!”
“Let’s not talk contracts. Anyone listening would know it’s bullshit. Even if I’d gone crazy and said I wanted to borrow money, you shouldn’t have allowed it. You should’ve sent me away nicely, or beaten some sense into me. Isn’t that right?”
What kind of lunatic was this?!
“Don’t spout nonsense! You dare look down on our gang? If you don’t pay what you borrowed and get lost right now, not a pillar of your household will be left standing!”
That outburst was born of rage—but it was a step too far.
Muryongcheon’s cold eyes turned strangely transparent.
Similar, yet completely different. That uncanny change made Gahang feel as if his airway were being crushed.
“I like your way of calculating things.”
Despite his eyes, his voice was gentle.
That contrast was far more terrifying. Gahang’s body began to tremble like a leaf.
“I’m actually used to that way of thinking. If you can’t get what you want, just rip everything out by the roots. It may lack elegance, but it’s very efficient.”
Muryongcheon grabbed Gahang’s wrist and pulled it up.
“Look at these thick fingers. Think one of them is worth a nyang?”
You insane bastard!
“W-wait—!”
Slice.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Seems about a nyang, yeah? Let’s see.”
Slice.
“Ghk—! W-wait!”
“This one’s greasy—doesn’t even bleed much. Nice.”
Slice!
“Ugh…”
In an instant, Gahang lost three fingers—from thumb to middle finger—and began drooling uncontrollably.
More than the pain, the fear from that sense of loss was overwhelming. He felt like all his fingers—and even toes—might be cut off next.
“Three fingers, three nyang? That makes eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven.”
Muryongcheon shrugged.
“Why nickel-and-dime between men? Let’s just make it nine thousand.”
“Ghk!”
Gahang foamed at the mouth.
Only now did he realize it.
He’d truly stepped into hell.
How Muryongbi snuck in, how he immobilized him, how he radiated pressure greater than the Black Tiger Gang Leader—none of that mattered anymore.
This man had no intention of sparing him.
I’m really going to die!
Yet even then, anger boiled up.
Not at Muryongbi—but at his useless subordinates, who hadn’t knocked on the door despite all this noise.
As if reading his thoughts, Muryongcheon spoke with a light, amused tone.
“If you’re waiting for someone to come help you, don’t bother. I thought about knocking them all out—but except for that Janggu bastard, none of them were around.”
“……?”
“Well, I guess after daring to charge the main house at night, they were scared stiff. Probably out drinking somewhere.”
He pointed toward the door with his thumb, looking innocent.
“For the record, Janggu’s sprawled out right there. He very politely told me this was your residence.”
You worthless pieces of trash!
How could they all be so hopeless? If the leader gives an order, they should obey even if it kills them! Were they really such incurable wastrels that they couldn’t resist going out to drink?
“Well, that’s enough of that. It’s trivial anyway.”
Muryongcheon brought the blade to Gahang’s wrist.
Not his fingers—his wrist.
If that was cut, he’d bleed out and die.
Gahang’s face turned deathly pale.
“Nine thousand nyang. Will you pay?”
“I—I’ll pay!”
“Or should we make it ten thousand? Round it up. Feels cleaner.”
It was extortion beyond reason—but Gahang answered like a madman.
“Ten thousand! I’ll give you ten thousand! Please spare my life!”
“Good.”
Muryongcheon stood and lit the candle on the table with a flint.
Gahang’s breathing grew frantic. By candlelight, the blood soaking the bed was clearly visible.
The fear deepened.
“Where’s the ten thousand?”
“I’ll personally hand it over—”
“Want me to knock a few thousand off? I don’t mind.”
There was no room for tricks. None at all.
At that moment, Gahang gave up everything. Revenge didn’t matter. All that mattered was surviving this moment.
“O-on the left side of the table, behind the black shelf. The money’s there.”
“Hm.”
Muryongcheon smirked as he walked over.
“You saying the money’s in here?”
“Yes! If you open it carelessly, a glass bottle of oil will shatter and catch fire from the flint! The key is on me!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I wouldn’t dare lie!”
Gahang foamed again. If he could move, he would’ve pounded his chest.
It’s true, so please believe me!
“Well, I do think there’s money there.”
Muryongcheon’s eyes flicked around the room, greed flickering within.
“But I just had this thought—there might be things far more valuable than money.”
“……!”
“I heard you’re ranked fifth in the Black Tiger Gang?”
That wasn’t surprising. The Black Tiger Gang was famous, and his name was known enough in the underworld.
The real problem was the madness in that demon’s eyes.
“A greedy bastard like you keeps money right here? That means the real fortune’s hidden somewhere else. And I don’t see any guards.”
There was a reason he had no guards.
He trusted no one—not even his own men.
Famous or not, the underworld was the underworld. Birds of a feather flock together. The Black Tiger Gang was full of people who trusted no one.
“Where’d you bury the rest of your wealth?”
Now Gahang’s teeth were chattering uncontrollably.
“P-please… sir… spare me.”
“Who said I’d kill you? I just want to know where your assets are.”
That was a lie.
He’d broken in, extorted money, and now wanted the hidden wealth too. He meant to take everything.
And when there’s nothing left but an empty shell, the rule is to burn it.
“By the way, keeping ten thousand nyang in your residence? The Black Tiger Gang must be doing well. At this rate, everyone’ll be lining up to join.”
“……!”
“If the Gang Leader hears how rich you are, he’ll be thrilled. You can practically hear the sound of new recruits flocking in.”
That money wasn’t all salary. A lot had been skimmed along the way.
If that came out, Gahang was already a dead man.
In the end, he had only one choice.
“W-will you really spare my life?”
Muryongcheon replied indifferently.
“I’m not some murderer. What would killing you even get me?”
That was true.
He wasn’t a murderer.
He was just a man-slaying demon, a mad fiend whose name once meant carnage.
