KTC | Chapter 45

The pleasantness of their date seemed tarnished, and Seo Jihan grimaced. His only reason for defying Choi Seonwoo’s order was a fleeting emotion, after all.

“What’s the matter?”

Choi Seonwoo asked calmly. A deep wrinkle formed on the forehead of the man raising his eyebrows as if the audacity was amusing to him.

“Have we met before?”

When the man abruptly asked, Choi Seonwoo took a moment to search his memory. However, he couldn’t find any connection to him.

“No, we haven’t.”

“Is that so?”

Yet, the man didn’t seem convinced, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Choi Seonwoo from head to toe. Without needing to peer into his mind, Choi Seonwoo could easily guess the man’s thoughts. It was odd that someone who looked like he’d never thrown a punch smelled so strongly of blood, and he must have been wondering why he felt threatened by Choi Seonwoo.

“If you have nothing else to say, may we leave?”

Choi Seonwoo was indifferent. Dealing with such a person was a burden merely by presence. He could tolerate the stench of a corrupt corpse, but ignoring the wails of the resentful spirits pleading for release from the man’s side was agonizing.

“Not yet. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere, and it’ll keep me up at night if I don’t figure it out.”

The man smirked maliciously. Staring back at him as his smile slowly faded and his face hardened, Choi Seonwoo was about to speak when suddenly:

“Ah, stop blocking the way and bugger off!”

Seo Jihan, unable to stay silent anymore, bellowed across the echoey parking lot. His voice was so loud that even the bystanders had to pause in their tracks.

Fury flashed in the man’s eyes as he shot a dagger-like glance over Choi Seonwoo’s head. Then, in the next instant, as Choi Seonwoo saw the man’s pupils dilate, a chill ran down his spine.

Uh…? No, this was unexpected…

“Don’t look!”

Choi Seonwoo dashed towards the man, intending to shove him away, but henchmen who seemed like bodyguards immediately sprung up, grabbing Choi Seonwoo’s arms from both sides. Just as his arms were twisted back and he was about to be forced down, Seo Jihan cursed out loud.

“Don’t touch him, you bastards!”

His ferocity was almost beast-like, causing the men to hesitate. In that brief moment, Kim Youngchan and his group rushed over and pounced on the men.

“What the hell are these bastards—”

Tensions were about to explode.

Suddenly, a ‘thump!’ resonated. It wasn’t from the men grappling close enough to exchange blows.

“Boss!”

A large man fell backwards with a crash. The chaos erupted into a melee, and Choi Seonwoo bit his lower lip hard. Slowly, he raised his hand and smacked himself on the forehead.

“Father, are you alright?”

Despite causing significant trouble, Seo Jihan seemed utterly unconcerned as he randomly rubbed his shoulder and elbow, asking about Choi Seonwoo’s well-being. Choi Seonwoo looked up at him with a headache and shook his head.

After all, what sin have you committed?

It was clearly his own mistake this time.

“When a possessed person fully embraces an evil spirit, this is what happens.”

After the men scattered like they had been burned, Choi Seonwoo slowly explained as they got into the car.

“From that point, it’s hard to tell whether it’s the person or the evil spirit. Once it reaches such a fused state, even I can’t do much. Forcibly extracting the spirit could kill the man too.”

“I get that. But why did he freak out the moment he saw me?”

“Because you’re alive.”

Seo Jihan tilted his head, puzzled. As far as he could tell, the man had frothed at the mouth and toppled over the moment their eyes met, and Seo Jihan didn’t have the power to strike someone dead. Of course, he had often felt like slapping those wandering eyes.

“The spirit fused with him was observing your depths and attempted to stir up trouble by launching a spiritual attack.”

“A spiritual attack? What’s that?”

“Spiritual attacks are usually of two types: curses or temptations. The former is a direct attack, risking mutual destruction, while the latter is a relatively safer way to spark corruption. Kim Hoseok throwing temptation at you or provoking the animal abuser falls into the latter category.”

“That bastard.”

Seo Jihan murmured with distaste. Choi Seonwoo continued unfazed.

“If he had been clever, he would have known about the blessings on you, but he launched the attack without realizing… Ha, how stupid…”

“So what happened?”

“What happens? If you throw a curse and it backfires, it hits you back multiple times harder. The same goes for a spiritual attack.”

It was an absurd situation for Choi Seonwoo. He had only intended to protect Seo Jihan, never anticipating that the man would end up suffering for it.

“Good riddance.”

Seo Jihan muttered coldly, his smile fleeting before his expression changed.

“But is it really okay, Father? Even if he’s scum, aren’t you supposed to argue that he’s still alive and needs saving, or some nonsense like that?”

“I told you, there’s nothing I can do.”

Even if there was, there was no reason for him to intervene unless the other party begged for salvation. If he forcefully removed the evil spirit, another would come seeking the man nightly. In the end, helping would be futile.

“Let’s forget it. We probably won’t ever run into that sort of person again.”

Four days later, the man was found as a horrific corpse in his home. The autopsy shockingly ruled it a suicide.

His body was mutilated, his eyes gouged out, his stomach slashed open with a kitchen knife to spill his guts—all by his own hand.

The ignoble and miserable end of a mob boss who had dominated Incheon’s underworld buzzed over the internet. Yet, neither Choi Seonwoo nor Seo Jihan had the luxury to care. The incident they thought had concluded messily had unexpectedly spiraled into further turmoil.

＊＊＊

The small illegal gambling den in Jilin Province, China, was filled with the stench of urine and tobacco as usual. The den’s owner and a fence for stolen goods, Zhang Tao, looked unimpressed at the man in front of him.

“I’m picky with my food, you know?”

To which the man responded in a hushed voice, bending down as if to keep it secret.

“I promise you won’t be disappointed. She’s pretty, untouched by any man, and just came of age this year, guaranteeing her freshness.”

After squandering money brought in recent days and trading various stolen goods for cash, the man was now attempting to offer a person as collateral.

Zhang Tao chuckled and took a drag of his cigarette.

“Really? Bring her here.”

“First, the money—”

“What’s with you? Do you think I buy goods without seeing them?”

“…Then, shall I show you a picture first, so you can appraise her?”

“Hmm… that shouldn’t be too hard.”

The man hastily rummaged through his pockets, pulled out his cellphone, and scrolled through the gallery. He soon found the desired photo and extended the phone. Zhang Tao squinted through the smoke.

“A bit iffy? How about 2,000 yuan?”

Forcing a smile to avoid glaring at Zhang Tao’s annoying face, the man replied.

“But she’s a virgin!”

“How would I believe that? You never know until you try.”

As the two negotiated over the fate of an unnamed woman in a sordid deal, two members of the SU team listening in couldn’t help but make disgusted faces. Human trafficking and crimes against minors were triggers for PTSD-like reactions in the SU team, and they were barely restraining themselves from storming in and dismembering the man.

“Park Minwoo is too good at acting; it’s infuriating.”

Kim Chaewon, who was munching on snacks, suddenly burst out in frustration. Park Minwoo’s portrayal of Zhang Tao was too realistic, making them want to burst in and smash his head in.

“Stop eating already. I think I’ll vomit if I smell one more whiff of mala because of you.”

Goo Seungjun, sitting in the driver’s seat, spoke without turning to look at her in the passenger seat.

“Leave it. If I can’t chew those bastards out, I need at least this much vicarious satisfaction.”